Read Swan for the Money: A Meg Langslow Mystery for Free Online

people around here don’t even bother locking their doors, much less barricade themselves in gated compounds.”
    “And obviously it didn’t stop her dognappers,” Dr. Blake said. “So why bother?”
    “Well, I know why she does it,” I said. “To keep her nephewsout. The first time I came out here to start planning the show, about two months ago, one of them showed up. They had a shouting match over the intercom, and she wouldn’t even open the gate to him. Apparently they’re too citified to take off over the fields to get to her house.”
    “Oh, dear,” Caroline said. “So sad when families don’t get along.”
    “They’re nephews by marriage,” I said. “And I think she resents them showing up to inspect their future inheritance.”
    “They’d better watch out or she’ll disinherit them,” Dr. Blake put in. “It’d probably serve them right, the greedy bastards.”
    “Ah, but she can’t disinherit them,” I said. “According to the local grapevine, she only has life occupancy. When she goes, the nephews split the farm and whatever’s left of their uncle’s fortune. Which is probably a lot smaller than it used to be before she turned the farm house into a palazzo.”
    “Are you sure?” Caroline asked.
    “About the palazzo? Wait till you see it,” I said. “And about the fortune getting smaller, I have no idea, though it stands to reason, given everything she’s been doing to the house.”
    “I meant about her nephews getting Raven Hill after she’s gone,” Caroline said.
    “I haven’t looked it up, but I expect someone on the grapevine has,” I said. “Wills are a matter of public record, you know.”
    “Under the circumstances, I think I can understand her caution about the gate,” Dr. Blake said.
    “Yes, but she can’t keep the place locked up like a fortress this weekend,” I said. “It’s bad enough for her to buzz GardenClub members in one by one for meetings. At least it encourages car pooling. But today we’ve got a dozen people coming over to do setup and hundreds expected tomorrow for the show.”
    “Hundreds?” my grandfather echoed.
    I glanced up at the sky and sighed.
    “Well, dozens, anyway,” I said. “Just the exhibitors would be two dozen, and some of them will bring friends and family, and we’re bound to get a few spectators. But she’ll probably balk at leaving the gates open after the dognapping.”
    “We’ll reassure her,” Caroline said. “With Chief Burke on the case, I’m sure it will turn out well.”
    I hoped she was right. But the thought of the poor missing dog darkened my mood.
    Inside the gate, the driveway curved gently to the left though a charming line of cherry trees, still shedding a few last blossoms, while white daffodils, and other white flowers bloomed lushly on either side. They were all a little the worse for the past week of rain and wind, but it still looked nice. Normally I could enjoy the beauty of the drive, but today, all I could think of was how expensive it all was. She had a large squad of full-time gardeners, and probably a full-time painter to keep the fences white. We passed a place where a spring storm had knocked over a cherry tree. The gap in the line had been filled with a full-grown tree. I didn’t want to think what that cost. But if I were a dognapper looking for someone who could afford to pay a hefty ransom, Mrs. Winkleson would be high on my list.
    Through the cherry trees we could see a small lake where apair of black swans were swimming majestically, while to the right the landscape was dotted here and there with black-and-white cows.
    And, in one meadow, a pair of uniformed officers were combing the ground, stopping every once in a while to call out something. When we came close, the nearest one waved at me.
    “Mimi!” he called out. “Here, Mimi!”
    He appeared to be holding a bag of treats. The other officer was squeezing a squeaky toy. He might have been overdoing it with the toy, and