Murder the Tey Way: A Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mystery (The Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mysteries 2) by Marilyn Levinson Page A

working a card game scam together.” I turned to Brian. “Maybe Shawn was involved in the marijuana business too.”
    “If he ran a scam, he’s dirty. It’s possible they were growing weed together. He must have had something over Chet and Gayle that stopped them from telling the authorities he was involved.”
    “But why would he turn on Chet?” I asked.
    “You said Chet wanted to stop the card game scam. Maybe he wanted to stop growing weed, too. There’s no point in speculating about what happened until we find out more.”
    “Gayle was involved with a bunch of crooks,” I said. “No wonder she ran.” My sister was in more trouble than I’d imagined.
    “What bothers me is that Chester Fenton was stabbed to death with a knife. The wound was very much like the one that killed Len Lyons.”
    I scowled at him. “You sure found out a lot about Gayle.”
    “I had to, Lexie. It’s my job.”
    My head was spinning. I‘d only told Brian about Gayle so he’d protect her. Now he’d probably put out a BOLO for her and she’d end up in jail. What had I done?
    “Are you saying my sister killed her boyfriend then drove all the way to Long Island and knifed Len Lyons?”
    “You said yourself that Gayle thought Estes sent Lyons to take care of her.”
    “But Gayle would never kill anyone! Besides, she had no blood on her when I saw her that morning.”
    “She could have changed her clothes before she woke you up.” Brian’s voice turned gentle. “I’m going to have the techs examine her room—in fact, the entire house. I should have ordered it last week.”
    I downed what was left of my drink and stood up. “Thanks, Brian. I ask you to help my sister and instead you treat her as a suspect!”
    Brian signaled to the waiter to bring the check, then whipped out his phone. “I’ll have the crime lab send over a few investigators now, so you won’t have to sleep someplace else tonight.”
    “How kind of you,” I said.
    “Lexie, I—” Brian put his hand on mine, but I brushed it aside. He let out a deep sigh. “My mistake. I should have handed over the case when I saw the address.”
     
    *****
     
    I made it easy for the crime scene people. I put Puss in his carrier for an overnight at the vet’s, then drove to Old Cadfield to spend the night at Rosie and Hal’s. They were both as sympathetic as I could hope, plying me with tea and kind words as I told them my sad story. I fell asleep in their guest room, mulling over Gayle’s failure to come clean about her illegal activities when she’d told me about Chet’s murder. I tried not to view this as a betrayal, but her omission ached like an unhealed wound.
    She probably was afraid I’d be less than sympathetic after learning she’d been arrested for growing weed. And she was right. How could she have been so stupid?  What was she doing, getting involved with people like Chet and Shawn, letting their disregard for laws and ethics rule her life? Had she been so desperate for money, she no longer cared how she made it? I’d done many crazy things in my time, but I’d never gone around committing felonies.
    Which made me realize once again that I hardly knew my sister. I loved Gayle and still felt the need to protect her, but I knew next to nothing about her everyday life in Utah, her friends, or her values. Except for the fact that she hadn’t killed Len Lyons.
     

 

CHAPTER TEN
     
    Detective Paulson leaned back in his swivel chair and grimaced. He was a large man in his mid-fifties and radiated immense presence.
    “We found a knife in the room your sister slept in when she stayed with you.”
    The small office tilted, first in one direction then in the other. Strong hands gripped my shoulders. I opened my eyes, surprised that a man of his size and girth could move so quickly. Surprised, too, by the sympathy in his eyes.
    “Miss Driscoll, are you all right?”
    Of course not. “I—could I have some water?”
    He opened the door and barked out