Read Murder at the Miramar (Augusta Burnette Series) for Free Online Page B

was weird she was getting bad vibes from the Miramar. I knew the problems here were definitely not your average, run-of-the-mill type, but I was beginning to get an undercurrent of something that set me on edge. Maybe she had something there.
    Or maybe she was just jealous. That was always a possibility, knowing Ellie as I do.
    Right now, though, I wanted to make sure that Emmy was all right. I was really worried about her, especially considering the way she had slumped in that chair, all the starch gone from her posture. Troubles did that to a person, I knew; and I also knew that, if she let them, they’d beat her down to the ground.
    I turned off my laptop and placed it back on the coffee table, glancing at my watch: seven-fifty five. Emmy would probably still be in the main lobby, even if the two detectives had already gone. I had a hunch that she was one of those types who worked themselves silly whenever their world was atilt.
    I hurried out of my suite and headed back through the corridors, my footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. This was one of the nicest joints I’d even been in, and even the floors got the five-star treatment. Too bad things were so out of kilter, though.
    I was right. Emmy was at her desk, a thick stack of folders in front of her and the computer screen glowing brightly. I could tell she was concentrating on something so I tried not to startle her as I approached. Another jolt to her system might not be too wise.
    ‘Ah, AJ,’ Emmy said as I edged up to her desk. She rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn with manicured fingertips. ‘I am so sorry. Today has been hectic, to say the least. What can I do for you?’ She smiled up at me, and I could see that the shadowy smudges underneath her eyes were darker than they had been earlier.
    ‘I thought I’d get us a glass of wine, maybe something to munch on, if that’s kosher with you.’ I waited for the go-ahead, hoping she’d agree. Too much work was never good, in my opinion.
    Emmy suddenly smiled, a brilliant rainbow peeping out through a haze of gloom. ‘That’s a wonderful idea, AJ. In fact, let me order it. Do you prefer red or white?’ She reached for the phone on her desk, one eyebrow lifted in question.
    ‘Red, please. No, white. And some sugar cookies as well, if there are any.’ I grinned. I could handle anything with a glass of wine and a cookie.
    Emmy shook her head, smiling, the lines of tension between her brows smoothing out. ‘You need your own personal baker, AJ.’
    As I’ve said, I have long felt that sugar – especially in the guise of soft, chewy, warm-from-the-oven cookies – can be a mood-changer. And I happened to be having a five-cookie anxiety attack at the moment, never mind my infamous sweet tooth.
    While she ordered up our treats, I wandered over to the wide windows that overlooked the sweeping drive. I couldn’t see the dance floor from where I was standing, but the glow of portable floodlights could be seen, reflecting off the buildings and shrubbery. I shuddered. What were the odds of finding two dead bodies in one day? Granted, one was an accidental discovery and the other an outright misfortune, but still.
    It was nerve-wracking, to say the least. I remembered my determination to cheer Emmy up and forced my features into a neutral expression. It wouldn’t help to have her reading my thoughts just then.
    ‘It will be here in just a minute, AJ. Shall we stay in here or go outside?’
    I was surprised. I didn’t think she’d want to be out where the investigation was still ongoing, and I didn’t relish the risk of getting on Detective Fischer’s hit list again. (Now Detective Baird – that was a horse of a different color altogether. I’d get on his list any day.) I opted for outside, Detective Fischer be hanged. I had wine, cookies, and a mission.
    We managed to fly beneath the radar, strolling along the outside of the grounds and down toward the beach. A few hardy souls were still out there,