Read Most Likely to Die (A Kate Jasper Mystery) for Free Online Page B

staring out into space.
    I put my hands on his shoulders and began to massage. It was like massaging rock. But even rock wears down in time.
    “Kate Jasper,” he murmured so low I almost missed it. I didn’t answer. I was pretty sure I knew what was coming.
    “Even if you marry me, you’ll still have his name.”
    Yup, that’s what I’d thought was coming.
    “Wayne,” I said as carefully as I could. “Jasper’s not just Craig’s name anymore. It’s mine. I took it almost twenty years ago. When I called myself Jasper, I didn’t have a last name I was anxious to keep. I didn’t even have an identity I was that anxious to keep. But I do now. I’m the Kate Jasper who owns Jest Gifts. I’m the Kate Jasper who’s managed to make my own business from nothing. I’m the Kate Jasper who has a life she loves. And wonderful friends. And a man she adores.”
    And, I thought, I’m the Kate Jasper who’s just seen an old friend electrocuted. By my own pinball machine.
    Wayne rose from the swinging chair in one swift motion and had a big hand on my shoulder in another.
    “Wasn’t your fault,” he said.
    At first, I thought he meant it wasn’t my fault my name was Jasper. But then I realized he knew I was thinking about Sid. Had he felt the guilt tingle through my fingertips into his shoulders?
    “Oh, Wayne,” I whispered, half in exasperation. How could a man so obstinate in some things be compassionate, verging on telepathic, in others?
    “Someone tampered with that machine,” he added.
    I opened my mouth to tell him what Craig had said about a second remote control, and shut it again just in time. Wayne’s hand remained reassuringly steady on my shoulder.
    “The thing is,” I finally said, feeling my way to the real issue only as I spoke, “I’m not even sure which would be worse. Knowing that Sid was electrocuted by accident, that it was my own machine, maybe my own negligence…” I took a breath. “Or knowing he was murdered, that someone hated him that much—”
    The phone rang before I could decide. As if I ever could.
    Aurora Kanick was on the line.
    “Oh, Kate. I’m so glad I caught you in,” she said, her tone both crisp and serene at the same time. For an instant, I wondered if I could gain that combination of serenity and crispness in twenty or thirty years time. Nah, someone in me decided.
    “I’ve been thinking on Sid’s death,” Aurora went on. “And the more deeply I consider the circumstances, the more I believe we must act collectively.” Then she paused.
    Was I supposed to agree?
    “Collectively as in, um, what?” I asked instead.
    “Well, first off, we all need to sort out our feelings. I’m certain Sid Semling’s death had a profound impact on each of us. But times of difficulty can be transformed, don’t you think?”
    “Yeah,” I answered slowly.
    “So, I imagined we could all get together for lunch tomorrow around one o’clock. Since it’s Sunday, I would think most of us might be available.”
    “You mean the people from Sid’s party?” I interrupted. My soggy brain didn’t seem to be keeping up with Aurora’s crisp one.
    “Oh, I’m sorry, Kate,” Aurora said with a laugh like the tinkle of wind chimes, steel wind chimes. “I’m not being very clear, am I? Yes, I did mean the people who were present at the time of Sid’s death. Do you suppose you and Wayne could come?”
    I put my hand over the receiver and turned around. Wayne walked toward me, frowning.
    “Do you want to meet with the people from Sid’s party, at Aurora Kanick’s tomorrow?” I whispered.
    “Why?” he whispered back, the frown deepening.
    “Because…”
    I saw Sid’s face in my mind for an instant, caught as he’d been remembering Robert Weiss with affection. And suddenly I was remembering Sid Semling with affection. And remembering that it was Hot Flash that had killed him.
    “You’re not thinking of investigating?” Wayne asked softly but urgently.
    “No, no,” I