Free A Season for Killing Blondes by Joanne Guidoccio

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    Sofia shook her head. “Three Sisters Decorating revolved around Carrie Ann’s creative talent. Without her, Jenny Marie and Anna May don’t have a meal ticket.”
    “Carrie Ann wanted to leave. Maybe Anna May caught wind of that and lost it.” I thought back to my own unpleasant encounters with Anna May. It wouldn’t take much to unhinge her.
    Sofia frowned. “I can’t even imagine Anna May wanting to kill her sister, and what would she be doing lurking in that alley behind your office? It doesn’t make any sense.” She shuddered. “I hate to say this, but I agree with our mothers. I think there may be another murder.”
    I changed the subject. “Back to Curves. Spill the rest of it.”
    Sofia frowned but quickly regained her composure. “Oh, yes. They were also talking about how similar the two murders were. Both women either hit their heads or were hit by blunt objects, and there was extensive neck bruising. They were neatly arranged in the Dumpsters. They weren’t just thrown in haphazardly.”
    “Neck bruising?” All I could recall was that pale, lifeless face. “I didn’t see any of that on Carrie Ann’s body.”
    “Well, for starters, we weren’t looking for it. And remember she had that scarf covering most of her neck. It would have been very easy to hide any signs of strangulation. Melly Grace was another story. The police officers had to turn away.”
    “They were killed by a woman,” I said. “Or a woman assisted in the murder.”
    Sofia gasped. “That’s not the impression you want people to have.”
    “But don’t you see how much sense it makes? The signs of strangulation were covered, and they were neatly arranged in the Dumpster. No man would go to all that trouble.”
    “A gay man might or one suffering from OCD,” Sofia said.
    I nodded in agreement. “The woman would also have to be a bit obsessive and concerned with appearances.”
    “That covers about ninety-five percent of the women we know,” Sofia joked.
    I laughed and threw up my hands. “That’s it. I have had enough. My Nancy Drew moments are over.” I glanced over her shoulder and noticed that my mother had stopped crying. “Do you think it’s safe to go back in?”
    Sofia pointed toward the living room. “Yesterday, I spent most of the day calming them down. They aren’t going to let up until this is all settled, and that may take a while.”
    “So what’s the plan?”
    “I think it would be a good idea if I moved in with you.” Sofia held up her hand to stop me from interrupting. “I know you like your space and need more privacy than the rest of us, and I am prepared to accommodate that. Peter and Paul are away at school, and Andrew is still in Italy.”
    “When is Andrew coming back?” It had been a while since I had seen him. Was his uncle’s estate taking this long to settle?
    Sofia sighed. “There are complications. You know what it’s like in Italy with all that bureaucracy. It takes forever to get anything done.” She changed the subject. “Back to me moving in. I won’t be spending too much time here. I’m up to my eyeballs with the Autumn Tea, so this would only be a pit stop for me.”
    “I got the impression they wanted me to have a constant companion.” What was the point of Sofia moving in if she was going to be out all the time? Especially the week before the tea. Knowing Sofia, she would be running around town collecting door prizes and attending to every last detail. From what my mother had told me, I’ve gathered that Sofia threw herself into all these church activities and micromanaged everyone.
    “We would do a few things together,” Sofia said. “But we don’t have to be attached at the hip and share any of this with our parents. It will make them feel happy and secure to know that I’m staying here.”
    “You’re really good at dealing with them.” I couldn’t get over how well she handled these crises. And when there was a tense moment, she smoothed things