Read Murder by Mushroom for Free Online

at length back at the funeral home. Having heard her husband perform this particular funeral service several times, Margaret found herself struggling to pay attention. At least he had the sense to keep the grave-side service short. Some of the elderly mourners had no business being out in this weather.
    Earl must have thought the same. Before anyone even had time to start fidgeting, she heard his closing words: “The greatest thing we can do to make this earth more like heaven is to show His love to one another. I’m sure if Alice had the opportunity to make one last request, she would ask us to love one another. Let us pray.”
    Margaret bowed her head along with everyone else. A beautiful thought, but she wondered if that’s what Alice would really have asked. The surly old woman certainly hadn’t displayed love for her fellow man, at least not as far as Margaret ever saw.
    Flushing, Margaret mentally chastised herself. What was wrong with her today? Her thoughts had certainly taken a harsh turn. She seemed to suspect the worst from everyone.
    “Amen.”
    She looked up to see Earl bestowing a benevolent smile upon the mourners, looking extremely pastoral in his raincoat with his dark suit and tie peeking out at the collar.
    “May God bless you as you go.”
    People filed out of the tent, umbrellas popping open here and there. The police officers watched until almost everyone was gone then slipped quietly away after a polite nod in her direction. Margaret made her way toward Earl, who stood talking quietly to the funeral director. Most funerals ended with a gathering at the home of the surviving family so the attendees could share their condolences personally while they ate a meal provided by neighbors and church members. Since Alice’s only relative, a niece, hadn’t made the trip from California, Earl and Margaret canvassed the Prime Timer class and made the decision to forgo the usual post-funeral meal. After the policeman’s questions this morning, skipping another potluck seemed like a very good decision.
    Lyle Howard, a church member and Alice’s attorney, approached to shake Earl’s hand at the same time Margaret arrived at the front of the tent.
    “Second-best funeral I ever attended, Pastor,” Lyle said.
    Margaret raised one eyebrow. “Second best?”
    “When I was a sophomore in college, my friend Kevin O’Connor’s grandfather died. They had a genuine Irish wake for the old guy. Of course—” he winked in her direction “—that was in my wilder days.”
    Margaret grinned. “Of course!”
    “Thank you for arranging the service,” Lyle told Earl. “Everything was very nice.”
    “Margaret did most of it.” Earl shrugged a shoulder. “I just showed up and did what she told me to do.”
    “It was no problem,” Margaret assured Lyle. “If there’s anything else I can do to help settle the estate, just let me know.”
    “Actually, there is. Not with the estate—it’s going to be fairly straightforward. Mrs. Farmer left everything to her niece, who wants me to set up an estate auction. But Ms. Baker did say if the church could use anything from the house, particularly her clothes and personal items, they’re welcome. Otherwise, I’ve been instructed to take them to the Salvation Army. If you want to help, you can find someone to go through the house and see if there’s anything you’d like to take for the poor box or the ladies’ rummage sale and then donate the rest.”
    Margaret could think of nothing less appealing than going to Alice’s house and pawing through her clothes. But she pasted a rueful grin on her lips. “I’ll see to it.”
    “There’s no hurry. We won’t get an auction arranged for at least a month or two.”
    He nodded a farewell and, clutching his collar tightly against the steady downpour, dashed out of the tent and down the gently sloping hill toward his car. Soon the only people left were two men in work clothes who hovered beneath a nearby tree,