Read Lowcountry Bombshell (A Liz Talbot Mystery) for Free Online Page A

me. It was like stepping into a temple. A feeling of peace washed over me. I climbed the steps on my right to the partially sheltered porch surrounding the house, rang the bell, and waited.
    Elenore Harper opened the door. Here was a surprise. Elenore was the first wife of Warren Harper, the town doctor. She had a reputation for being flakey. She’d abandoned Warren and their three children when the kids were little. Elenore was a rare breed of woman on Stella Maris—one who didn’t bother with such things as makeup and hair color, and owned only sensible shoes. “Ms. McQueen is expecting you.” She stepped aside without so much as a hint she knew me from Adam’s house cat.
    “Hey, Elenore, how’re you doin’?” I offered my brightest smile.
    “Ms. McQueen is in the living room. This way.”
    She started down the white-tiled foyer.
    “So, you work for Ms. McQueen?”
    “Yes.” She did not look back at me.
    “Are you her secretary?”
    “I manage the house.” Her voice crackled with ice.
    That seemed a little vague. I figured it meant she was the maid, not that there was anything wrong with that. The foyer opened into a large living space that combined the living room and dining room and was open to the kitchen. The décor was white-on-white, with stainless steel accents.
    Calista was curled into a nook of an over-stuffed white sectional. A brown-haired gentleman sat next to her, applying a compress to her forehead and petting her arm. My first impression was that if he took off his shirt, he’d look like he walked off a Chippendale’s billboard.
    Elenore announced me. “Miss Talbot has arrived.” Then she slipped away.
    “Hey, Calista. Are you ready?”
    Calista sat up and slid her feet into a pair of flats. “Liz, come meet Niles Ignacio. He’s my yoga instructor. Niles, this is Liz Talbot. She’s helping me out with a problem.”
    “Nice to meet you,” I said.
    Niles stood and took my outstretched hand. “The pleasure is mine.” He moved with extraordinary grace. All that yoga, I guessed. He held onto my hand just a little too long. I retrieved it. Something flickered in his brown eyes. I fought the urge to reach for my hand sanitizer.
    Calista stood. “Thank you, Niles. You’ve been a life-saver.”
    Niles ran his hand slowly from Calista’s shoulder down her arm. “Darling, are you sure you want to go into Charleston today? Perhaps a nap would be in your best interests.”
    He was awfully chummy for a yoga instructor. And neither of them were dressed for yoga. I wondered exactly what he meant by “nap.”
    “Calista? We don’t have to do this today. I’m sure the Charleston detectives will come here to interview you if you have information related to their case, Niles said.”
    “No,” Calista said. “I want to speak to them today. It’s terribly important. Niles, let yourself out. I’ll see you tomorrow at one.”
    Niles clasped her elbow. “Calista, dear-heart, really, you shouldn’t push yourself.”
    “Nonsense. I’m not sick, just shook up a little. And who wouldn’t be?” Calista pulled her arm free and picked up her purse. She smiled gently at Niles.
    “I’m rattled myself.” Niles placed his now free hand on his chest. “Poor Harmony. Who would do such a thing?”
    “She was such a gentle spirit.” Calista’s eyes misted.
    I hated to sound uncaring about poor Harmony, but Niles was a new character in Calista’s orbit, and I needed to start vetting him quickly. “I didn’t realize we had a yoga studio on Stella Maris,” I said.
    “We don’t,” said Calista. “Niles comes all the way over from Mt. Pleasant to give me private lessons.”
    “How sweet of him,” I said, thinking I’d bet private yoga lessons were pricey, or lucrative, depending on which end of the transaction your downward dog stretched.
    “He’s just a doll,” said Calista.
    He looked like somebody’s toy, I’d give her that much. I wondered if he was hers. “We’d best go if