Free ILL-TIMED ENTANGLEMENTS (The Kate Huntington mystery series #2) by Kassandra Lamb Page B

still in that court mode you talked about. He was rather brusque.” Betty pursed her lips in mild annoyance. “Said he was working on his closing argument for his case. He’s hopeful it will be finished by tomorrow, or Wednesday at the latest.”
    Kate nodded, trying to decipher the odd expression on the elderly woman’s face. “What’s the matter, Betty?”
    “This just doesn’t sit well with me. It’s just not right.”
    “Of course it’s not. Someone’s killed a woman and is letting you take the blame.”
    “No, that’s not what I meant, dear, although that’s certainly not right either,” Betty said, shaking her head slightly. “It doesn’t sit well with me that you and Robert, and now this young man, are having your lives disrupted like this, because of me. And now someone’s tried to harm you.”
    At that moment, Betty looked every minute of her eighty-five years. Worry and guilt were etched on her face. Gently covering the older woman’s thin fingers with her own, Kate softly said, “Betty, we all
want
to help. You’re family.”
    Betty turned her hand over and wrapped her fingers around Kate’s to give them a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, dear, but I’m worried you’ll get hurt, because of me.”
    “Betty, Skip’s a licensed investigator and he’s also a trained bodyguard. We’ll be on the alert now. It’ll be okay.”
    The older woman’s lips formed a thin, tight line. “That nephew of mine implied that Skip was a friend, returning a favor. But he’s paying him, isn’t he?”
    Kate was reminded of a time when she was ten and her mother demanded to know if her brother Jack had broken the crystal vase laying in shattered fragments on the floor. Bridget O’Donnell had worn the same no-nonsense scowl on her face that day, a look that said Kate had
better
choose honesty over filial loyalty.
    “I don’t suppose you’d believe me if I told you that he’s family, too.” Kate gave Betty a lopsided grin.
    “Trust me, young lady, I would remember if I had ever seen
him
at a family party before.” Betty relented and let her stern expression melt, returning Kate’s grin. “He tends to give tall, dark and handsome a whole new meaning.”
    “To answer your question, yes, Rob is paying Skip, but I know he considers it money well spent. He wants to clear your name.”
    “Well, I’ll just have to insist that
I’m
paying that bill,” Betty said emphatically.
    “You might not want to go there right now.” Kate caught herself before she blurted out that Rob was already stressed out and might react poorly. She didn’t want to add to Betty’s guilt and worry.
    “When this is all resolved might be a better time to have that argument,” she said instead. “I’ll tell you what’s worked for me when we go out to lunch together. You let him argue just long enough to appease his male ego, then you offer to split it with him.”
    Betty nodded, flashing Kate a conspiratorial grin. She pushed herself to a stand and headed for the den with Kate’s notes. “Excuse me, dear, while I make a few notations on the lists,” she said over her shoulder.
    Betty had just finished writing “might be jealous” under Mrs. Peterson’s name and “gossiping about book/poker” under Frieda’s when a knock on the apartment door announced Skip’s return.
    He shook his head at Kate’s questioning look, then sat down at the breakfast bar while Betty ladled up soup for him. “Everybody was either already downstairs on their way to the cafeteria, or in the cafeteria,” he said, between spoonfuls. “Except for a couple of folks who decided to eat in their apartments. One of them came out when he heard the pot hit the floor.” Skip devoured a biscuit in two bites. It had been a long time since lunch.
    “Fella said he didn’t see anybody on the upper level, but he wasn’t really looking there. He was looking down into the atrium to see what was happening. Once he was sure no one was hurt, he went back