Beauty to Die For and Other Mystery Shorts

Read Beauty to Die For and Other Mystery Shorts for Free Online Page A

Book: Read Beauty to Die For and Other Mystery Shorts for Free Online
Authors: Lauren Carr
Tags: Mystery, Short Stories, cozy, Anthology, whodunit
Pennsylvania. Another was Rachel Burke, former Miss Pennsylvania.
    The name of one file jumped out at them: Labor Day Cat Fight Do Not Destroy
    “The night before Rachel Burke was murdered.” Joshua clicked on the play button.
    The audio file was huge. It was sixty minutes long. For over a half hour, Angela interviewed Ronald Pryor about his days as a University of Pittsburgh quarterback who had taken his team the Rose Bowl only to suffer a career ending injury the last two minutes of the game. It was a moment that changed his whole life. From there, he went on to become one of the state’s wealthiest real estate tycoons building mall after mall throughout the tri-state area.
    “Where’s the cat fight?” Cameron sighed.
    As soon as the words came from her mouth, it started.
    “Don’t you miss the roar of the crowds?” Angela asked.
    “Not as much as I love counting my money.”
    They both laughed.
    In the background, there was the sound of multiple women’s voices becoming louder as they came into the room.
    Joshua turned up the volume.
    “There you are!” sang out a feminine voice that they didn’t recognize. “Haven’t you bored her long enough with your tired old war stories?”
    “He’s not boring me at all,” said Angela.
    The woman’s voice warned her, “Believe me, sweetheart, after the excitement of being with Ronald Pryor wears off, then you’ll see how truly exciting he really is.”
    “I think that’s Senator Pryor,” Cameron said. “I recognize her haughty attitude.”
    “You do that,” Linda said in response to Ronald’s announcement that he was going into the other room, “while I have a few words with your pussy cat.”
    “Now, Linda, ...” Ronald said with a plea in his voice.
    “Go help with the barbecue.” It was a direct order.
    There was the sound of people leaving the room.
    “You’re a little hard on him, don’t you think?”
    In a whisper, Cameron asked, “Who is that?”
    “That’s Susan Burke,” Joshua answered. “I think. It sounds like her, but it could her twin.”
    While they were speaking, Linda had gone into a dissertation of her accomplishments at his side and in the community that had won her the spot of star in her marriage. “If it wasn’t for me, Ronald would’ve ended up like all the other has-been college football stars that never learned how to cope once they’ve left the spotlight.”
    It didn’t seem possible, but her tone turned uglier. “I have not worked so long and so hard to have some little bitch steal my husband from me!”
    They heard the scraping of a chair across the room.
    “What are you talking about?” The voice that sounded like Susan asked helplessly.
    “Ronald told me all about your little bike ride!” She scoffed. “Oh, he tried to play it down as just an accident when I asked him how you hurt your arm riding a bicycle, but then—in case you haven’t noticed it already, my husband is a wimp. He breaks under any pressure—But he’s still my husband and I won’t have my political career ruined by a cheating husband and a back stabbing friend! Do you understand me? Tell me that you understand me!”
    There was a long pause before she responded in a harsh whisper, “Or what? I’m going to end up like Charley.”
    There was the sound of a scuffle that increased in volume until it sounded like they were on top of the recorder.
    A deep forceful voice that reeked of fury caused a rumble in Linda’s voice. “Since you know what I’m capable of, then I suggest you keep your mouth shut about Charley. Have you forgotten the blood oath we took? Never to speak that name again.”
    “Cool it.” a voice that sounded so similar to Susan that Joshua and Cameron looked at each other in puzzlement. “We’re all friends here. We’re in this together.”
    “Is that Susan?” Cameron whispered, to which Joshua shushed her.
    There was the sound of a door opening and a loud voice calling out. “Hey, I thought we were going to

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