Getting Old Can Kill You - Softcover

Buch 7 von 9: Gladdy Gold Mysteries

Lakin, Rita

 
9780440245605: Getting Old Can Kill You
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0440245605 ISBN 13: 9780440245605
Verlag: Dell Publishing Co Inc.,U.S., 2011

Inhaltsangabe

Life isn’t all sunny in Fort Lauderdale’s Lanai Gardens. Returning from a blissful double honeymoon with her sister Evvie, Gladdy Gold announces that she wants her new hubby, Jack, to join her detective agency. But Gladdy’s gals say no dice, and soon Ida, Sophie, and Bella are striking out on their own, enrolling in a class to learn how to bereal PIs.

But there’s more than enough trouble for two detective agencies when sultry Joyce Steiner moves in, reopening an old rivalry with Arlene Simon, whose husband ran off with Joyce fifty-five years earlier. When Joyce is found murdered, Arlene becomes the prime suspect, and Gladdy and her girls will have to band together if they’re going to prove that the truth is not just elusive but a real killer.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Fate took Rita Lakin from New York to Los Angeles, where she began an extensive writing career that has included staff writing for television programs such as Peyton Place, The Mod Squad, Dynasty,and Dr. Kildare, as well as creating original series such as The Rookies, Flamingo Road,and Nightingales. She wrote many movies of the week and miniseries such asWomen in Chains and Strong Medicine. Rita Lakin has won awards from the Writers Guild of America, the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award, and the coveted Avery Hopwood Award from the University of Michigan.Getting Old Is a Disaster won the Lefty Award for Most Humorous Crime Novel.

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1

THE HONEYMOONERS

?“Fantastic,” Joe says to his new bride. “What a great idea. You gals choosing Niagara Falls.”

“Again,” my sister, Evvie, says cheerfully. She reaches out to touch Joe’s arm, ignoring the clinging wetness of his souvenir poncho. “What about the fact that you and I came here for our first honeymoon?”

Standing next to Evvie and Joe, my brand-new husband, Jack, and I are huddled together on the deck of the Maid of the Mist, the blue tour boat that takes visitors alongside the massive, amazing waterfalls located on the border between New York and Canada—as close as it’s possible to get. The dark blue ponchos that came with the admission price barely keep us from getting drenched by the spray. But that’s supposed to be part of the fun.

My sister and I had an unforgettable double wedding and now we are sharing a honeymoon. And what a wedding it was. Not only did we walk down the aisle but so did a gorgeous French lady who still had a crush on Jack, albeit only because she was being chased by a killer who was determined to murder her. I’m sure our neighbors are still talking about it back home in our condo community, Lanai Gardens.

What a long way we’ve come. Joe and Evvie’s rocky marriage ended in divorce—then half a century later Joe shows up again, needing, wanting to be with Evvie in the last days of his life.

And what about me? Widowed young and never imagining another man could take my first husband’s place—and yet, here I am. Seventy-five and starting out again, my wonderful Jack at my side. I feel so lucky.

Joe leans to kiss Evvie’s wet face. “I’m having a better time this trip.”

Evvie can’t resist a little dig. “And whose fault was that? Did it have to take you fifty years to grow up?”

Joe laughs. “All right, I’m a slow learner.”

Jack says, “I have a confession. Fay and I had our honeymoon here, too.”

I glance at my darling, surprised. “Why didn’t you say so? We could have gone somewhere else.”

Jack shakes his head. “I didn’t want to spoil it. You were excited about coming here. And I’m sure my late wife would approve.”

“My first honeymoon was at a small hotel in the Catskills,” I say. “But I’ve always wanted to see this remarkable place. Thank you for allowing me this pleasure.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Jack says, smiling lovingly at me.

I look around at the couples kissing and hugging. I snuggle closer to my man.

Evvie and I exchange meaningful glances. Since we’ve been able to read each other’s minds all our lives, I’m aware of what she’s thinking. He’s in remission, but we don’t know how long Joe has before the cancer kicks back in. She wants to make every precious moment count.

Evvie remarks, “Isn’t Niagara Falls considered kind of corny these days? I’m surprised newlyweds still come here.”

I remind her how hard it was to get reservations. “The New York side of the falls is just as busy as the Canadian side. It’s still a perfect place for romance.”

Joe reads from the brochure. “Where we are it’s 170 feet deep. The water travels down to the Niagara River to Lake Ontario, then to the St. Lawrence Seaway, and lets out into the Atlantic.”

Evvie shivers. “Very interesting, but anyone up for going inside the cabin for a while? I’m soaked.”

“I think that’s the idea,” Joe says, leering at her. “You get wet, go back to the hotel or motel, take a hot shower, have some champagne, and end up happily in the sack.”

“Nothing wrong with that plan,” Jack says.

We hurry inside the boat’s cabin. We’re lucky to find seats together. Evvie digs into her tote and brings out our thermoses of hot chocolate and packages of chocolate chip cookies. As we munch, she says, “Let’s play.”

Our guys look puzzled, so Evvie explains it to Joe and Jack. “It’s our travel game. We look at people and try to guess who and what they are.”

Practical Jack asks, “But how will we know whether we’re right or wrong?”

“We won’t,” I answer him. “It doesn’t matter.”

We hunker down, moving closer to one another, keeping our voices low.

Joe comments, “We won’t know much from their clothes, since everyone’s hair and bodies are covered by the ponchos.”

Evvie indicates the couples all around us. “Well, we know one thing for sure. Most everyone in here has to be a newlywed.”

“Including the couple with the crying baby?” Joe asks.

The wife has the baby strapped to her chest over her rain gear, and the baby is draped in a second poncho. The wife and hubby are holding hands. They are quite young. Evvie makes a guess. “Teen?agers. Shotgun wedding. Baby gets to go along.”

Jack adds, “Family wouldn’t baby-sit. Won’t forgive their being careless about sex.”

Evvie continues the thread, grinning. “Baby has colic. They won’t get much sleep tonight. For the wrong reason.”

I lean against Jack. I’m already so wet, his poncho can’t make it any worse. “Now you guys are getting the idea.”

Joe elbows Evvie. “Glance over across from us. Count four couples down to the left. Looks like they could be in their thirties.”

She asks, “What about them?”

He answers, “They’re sound asleep. What does that tell us?”

She smiles knowingly. “Easy. No sleep for them, either. For all the right reasons.”

“As opposed to the guy and gal over there on the other side.” I indicate as unobtrusively as I can a couple directly across from us. They are not sitting close and their backs are toward each other. “Too much space between them.”

Joe suggests, “Maybe they’re too wet.”

Jack shakes his head. “No, look at their faces. He’s scowling and she’s staring down at her hands, tightly clenched.”

I jump in. “And her lips, she’s biting down on them. Her eyes are hooded.”

Evvie, part optimist, part realist, says, “They’ll make up later. After they decide who gets to be the boss in the family.”

We get a chuckle out of that.

I say abruptly, “Oh, boy . . . more trouble ahead. Look to your right. At the very far end seat near the exit door. Tell me what you see.”

Evvie asks, “You mean the young woman holding a folded yellow umbrella?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

Joe is puzzled. “What about her? She looks like everyone else. Soggy.”

I suggest, “Yes, but what makes her different?”

Jack leans forward to get a better view. “She’s alone.”

Joe quickly says, “So?”

Evvie is getting it. “Yes, she’s not sitting with anyone.”

Jack continues, “Everyone around us is obviously a couple, except for the few families with children. Glance at her body language. She’s leaning over, her head is down.”

I comment, “My guess is she arrived here with her new husband, but he’s not with her. Something’s gone very wrong.”

Joe sits at the edge of his seat to get a better look.

With sadness, I add, “I doubt anybody would...

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Verlag
Dell Publishing Co Inc.,U.S.
Erscheinungsdatum
2011
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0440245605
ISBN 13 
9780440245605
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
273
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