MURDER IN THE MORNING
When the car in front of Charlotte turned off to the side street that the officer was pointing toward, Charlotte was finally able to drive her van closer. She rolled down her window, stopped, then signaled that she wanted to talk to the officer. At first, he resisted and continued motioning for her to move along. But Charlotte could be stubborn, too, and she refused to move, finally forcing the man to walk over to her van.
“Ma’am, you have to keep moving.”
“I want to know what’s happened.”
He firmly shook his head. “This is police business. You have to keep moving,” he repeated.
“But Officer, I work for the Dubuissons.” She pointed to the house. “Please, can’t you tell me what’s going on?”
The obstinate man shook his head again. “All I can tell you is there’s been a break-in and a murder.”
Charlotte gasped as the meaning of the officer’s words sank in. A break-in and a murder? At the Dubuissons?
Icy fear twisted around her heart as the faces of Jeanne, Clarice, Anna-Maria, and Jackson flashed through her mind . . .
Books by Barbara Colley
MAID FOR MURDER
DEATH TIDIES UP
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
MAID FOR MURDER
BARBARA COLLEY
KENSINGTON BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
MURDER IN THE MORNING Also by Title Page Dedication ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-one Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-three Chapter Twenty-four Chapter Twenty-five Chapter Twenty-six Chapter Twenty-seven Chapter Twenty-eight Chapter Twenty-nine Chapter Thirty DEATH TIDIES UP BOOK YOUR PLACE ON OUR WEBSITE AND MAKE THE READING CONNECTION! Copyright Page
In loving memory of my father, Charles Logan
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my agent, Evan Marshall, for his unfailing support, encouragement, and inspiration.
My sincere thanks and appreciation to all who gave me information and advice while I was writing this book: my editor, John Scognamiglio, my wonderful daughter-in-law, Ann-Marie Colley, my good friends and fellow writers Rexanne Becnel, Marie Goodwin, Karen Young, Meagan McKinney, and Jessica Ferguson. Their enthusiasm and encouragement have been priceless.
To O’Neil De Noux, crime writer extraordinaire, and to Officer Haynes Ragas and the Sixth District New Orleans Police Department: thank you for your generosity and for sharing your time as well as your knowledge of police procedures. Any mistakes made or liberties taken in the name of fiction are solely my own.
Last, but never least, a loving thanks to my husband, David, for everything.
Chapter One
“Nadia, it’s okay. Just calm down, hon.” Charlotte LaRue spoke softly into the telephone receiver as she interrupted the young woman’s tearful tirade. “Believe me, I understand. I really do,” she stressed. “Little Davy has to come first, and you can’t help it if he’s ill. But Nadia, dear, just this once, couldn’t Ricco take him to the doctor? I know you need the money, and this will make two days this week you’ve had to miss work.”
Charlotte drummed her fingers on the desktop while she listened to Nadia’s string of excuses why her unemployed live-in boyfriend didn’t have the time to take his own son to the doctor or stay with him that day.
With a sigh of frustration, Charlotte glanced at the clock on the wall. In spite of the clock being a silly cuckoo that she’d picked up on a whim at a flea market, it kept excellent time. And according to the time showing, she was going to be late if she didn’t leave soon.
“Hmm, I see,” Charlotte finally told Nadia, though she really didn’t understand at all. “Don’t cry, now. I’m sure things will work out. Just take care of that sweet little boy and let me know when you’re free to work again.”
Charlotte hung up the receiver and made a silent vow to have a real heart-to-heart talk with Nadia about her freeloading boyfriend. Charlotte had met Ricco Martinez on several occasions, and nothing about the man had impressed her. In Charlotte’s opinion, the only reason Ricco Martinez stayed around was