Free "A Murder In Milburn", Book 3: Death In The Library by Nancy McGovern Page B

absolutely insisted on having you instead.”
    “I see.” Nora smiled, “I appreciate that. I hope that my humble American fare tastes just as good.”
    “I suppose supporting my son’s… whims is the least we can do,” Reynold said, again with the shark-like smile. “And of course we’ll appreciate some good all-American food.”
    Clearing his throat, Petyr stepped forward and put one muscular arm around Katya’s shoulders. He dropped his head down to her brown hair, and gave her a kiss on top of her head.  
    “Enjoy yourself, darling,” he said.  
    He looked up again at his father, almost as if he were challenging him.  
    Reynold, clearly bored, walked into the house, saying in a loud voice, “It’s so hot, Maria. Are you sure the central cooling isn’t broken? After what we’ve paid for this house...”
    Nora could tell they’d paid a lot for it. The house was magnificent, really. A huge kinetic chandelier dropped down from the central dome. Opening and closing its crystal petals, the faux-flower bloomed, giving off a pleasant yellow light. Underneath, the floor was tiled with what looked like pure Italian marble, and mahogany panelling covered the walls surrounding it.
    Upstairs, the guest bedroom she was led into had a luxurious furry carpet all across the floor, at the centre of which stood a huge four poster bed, with velvet curtains hanging down from it. Surrounding it were an enameled nightstand and a chair that looked as if it came from Louis XVI’s personal stores.
    “Wow,” was all Nora could manage.
    “It’s a bit intimidating isn’t it?” Katya smiled. “Especially for you and me, after staying in rat-infested apartments with grand views of the sewage pipes next door.”  
    She laughed and threw open the windows, letting in sunshine. Nora let out another gasp as she saw the island gently sloping below her, with the glittering sea at the end.
    “It’s a pretty house,” Katya said again.
    Nora whipped around. There was something… something in Katya’s voice again.
    “How have you been?” Nora asked, her voice warm.  
    She’d known Katya for only two years, but those had been her battle years, years of working 18 hour shifts each day, years of not having enough money to make it through the next week. She had once survived on two packets of ramen a day, and Katya, who had sensed her need, had begun bringing two portions of lunch and sharing them with Nora, without asking for anything back, or even indicating that she’d noticed. For this, Nora was always in her debt. Time and distance had made them drift apart, but being with her now, it was easy to slip back into the same friendship they’d had.  
    “I’ve been good,” Katya said. “It’s all wonderful. Petyr is the most wonderful man I’ve ever met in my life.” Her voice was full of energy as she said this. “I’m so proud of him, you know. His company just hit the five million dollars in sales mark last year. He’s working on an app that lets you create photoshopped images on mobile. He’s also creating photography for his high-end clients. He’s even been featured in a few national architectural magazines.”
    “That’s amazing!” Nora smiled. “I’ve never met someone so successful.”
    “Me either.” Katya laughed. “His dream was to actually be a director, and he’s taking steps in that direction too. He directed an ad film last year. Someday, maybe he’ll get a break in Hollywood! Though that’s just a pipe-dream for now. This business is all he’s thinking about lately. His aim is to make enough money that he doesn’t need to work for ten years, and he figures he’ll spend those ten years trying to get a break in Hollywood.”
    “Well, I’m sure with a family like this, he doesn’t need to save up.” Nora smiled.
    Katya’s smile dimmed. “He’s far too proud to take money from them. No, he said he has to earn it himself.”
    “That’s really good,” Nora said. “A man of