Free AS THE SPARKS FLY UPWARD by Gloria Dank

shrewdly. “I saw the two of you whispering out back a little while ago. Gertie’s not that stupid, and neither are you. I don’t think it was an accident.”
    “Not … not an accident?” faltered Charlotte.
    “No, my dear girl. It was murder, plain and simple. I’d watch what you say for the next few days. The police are sniffing all around town, looking for clues. Not that the two of you know anything. You may be old dried-up spinsters, but you’re not murderers, that’s for sure.”
    “There’s no need to be offensive, Frank,” said Alicia mildly. “You’re not exactly in the bloom of youth yourself.”
    He let out a snuffling snort of laughter. “No, by God, but if I were, I’d give you a runaround, kid!” He slapped her familiarly on the back and left. It was as if a whirlwind had swept through the parlor. Alicia found her hair was disarranged. She tucked it neatly behind her ear and turned excitedly to her sister.
    “Charlotte, he’s right! It was a murder—a
real
murder—not an accident!”
    There followed a small sensation in the sitting room of the Grunwald house.
    Snooky had been at Hugo’s Folly during the afternoon. Now, as the light faded from the sky, he sat in the living room of the cabin, hugging a pillow to his chest, and told Maya and Bernard all about it.
    “Sarah’s fine. She doesn’t seem very upset. None of them do, actually, except Irma. She had to be put to bed with an elephant dose of tranquilizers. Poor woman. She wanted to come and see the body, but she was too weak. I didn’t think it was a good idea, myself. Letting her see the body, I mean. She’s had enough of a shock as it is.”
    “Who else is at the house?” asked Maya.
    “The whole family. Dwayne and his stepfather and Sarah and Gertie. Dwayne and Roger came over as soon as they heard. And some friends from the village have been stopping by.”
    “Do they still think it was a hunting accident?”
    “I don’t know, Maya. Detective Bentley hasn’t told me.”
    “Very convenient that he would be murdered right after the wedding announcement,” said Bernard.
    “Yes.”
    “Doesn’t look too good for the family.”
    “No, it doesn’t.”
    “Of course,” said Bernard, “with Detective Bentley on the case, whoever did it doesn’t have to worry much about being caught.”
    “True.” Snooky leaned back thoughtfully on the sofa. “I’m worried about Sarah. She’s close to her aunt, and onceIrma wakes up there’s going to be a scene. I wouldn’t be surprised if this killed her. Irma, I mean. Her heart isn’t very strong.”
    Bernard recalled the layers of makeup which obscured her real color. “How can you tell?”
    “Sarah told me. She could go at any time. The shock might kill her.”
    “Maybe that’s what somebody is hoping for.”
    Snooky sucked in his lips between his teeth. “You have a very nasty mind, Bernard. I compliment you on it.”
    “Thank you.”
    “He’s realistic,” Maya said warmly, putting an arm around her husband. “Bernard has always been the soul of practicality.”
    “Plus, he hates people, so he always thinks the worst.”
    “Yes.”
    “You’re right, of course, Bernard. That could indeed be what somebody is hoping for.” Snooky went to the window and gazed out at the fast-vanishing afternoon. “Danger. Danger. Red alert. Bentley approaching at ten o’clock, in that old yellow crate of his. Fifty meters to go.”
    “Coming to arrest me, no doubt,” Bernard said bitterly. “I’ll go quietly.”
    “Thirty meters.”
    “This will teach me never to take a walk in the woods. I knew I shouldn’t go. Didn’t I, Maya? Didn’t I say I didn’t want to go that day?”
    “Yes, you did, sweetheart.”
    “Ten meters.”
    “I’ve changed my mind,” said Bernard. “I won’t go without a fight. They’ll have to drag me down to the police station.” He settled back with a resigned expression as Bentley came in the door. The detective grunted hello, sat down