Read Online Murder of a Barbie and Ken by Denise Swanson - Free Book Online Page B

The woman standing on her steps was someone Skye recognized from around town, but she couldn’t put a name to the face.
    She opened the door. “Yes?”
    The slim brunette held out her hand. “Hello. I’m Kathryn Steele, the new owner of the
Scumble River Star.
Call me Kathy. Are you Skye Denison?”
    “Yes,” Skye answered, cautiously. What was the newspaper’s new owner doing here? She supposed it must be about the murder, although the former owner would never have printed anything about that. He saved his pages for ads and high school sports’ scores.
    “Can I come in?” Kathy edged around the door and closed it, saying, “Let’s not let out all the heat.”
    “Did you want to talk to me?” Skye looked toward the kitchen. Maybe some time alone would be good for Simon and Bunny. “Would you like to sit down?” Kathy seemed like a nice enough person.
    “That would be lovely.” Kathy gestured to the great room. “In here?”
    “Yes.” After they were seated, Skye asked, “So, what can I do for you?”
    “I understand you and your father discovered the Addisons’ bodies this morning, and were the ones to call the police.” Kathy flipped open her steno pad and clicked on her pen. “That must have been awful. How did you feel?”
    “I think awful about covers it.” Skye wasn’t about to give a blow-by-blow description of her and Jed’s not-so-excellent adventure.
    “Why were you there?”
    Skye explained about the Instant Gourmet pickup.
    Kathy didn’t seem to be interested in Barbie’s activitiesas a saleswoman. Instead she asked, “I understand that you knew Dr. Addison personally.”
    “My boyfriend and I belong to the same club he and his wife did, and we played bridge with their group.”
    “But weren’t you and he especially close?” The newspaperwoman arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
    “What?” It took Skye a minute to figure out what the woman had just insinuated. “Dr. Addison and me? No! Not at all. What would give you that idea? As I said, my
boyfriend
and I traveled in the same social circles with him and his wife. That’s the extent of our relationship.”
    Before Kathy could ask another question, Bunny sauntered into the room. Skye was actually glad to see her until she opened her mouth.
    “Hi, I’m Bunny Reid. Simon Reid’s mother.”
    Skye heard a strangled curse and looked past Bunny. Simon stood behind his mother, his hands curled into fists.
    Kathy looked from mother to son. “I see the resemblance. I’m Kathryn Steele, the new owner of the
Scumble River Star.
” She rose and extended a flawlessly manicured hand to Simon. “Call me Kathy. So, you’re Simon Reid. I’d love to talk to you, too.”
    Skye narrowed her eyes. Kathy was looking at Simon like he was a Godiva truffle and she had a serious craving for chocolate. Time to put a stop to that. Skye walked over to Simon and slipped her arm through his. “This is the boyfriend I mentioned.”
    “Are you here to write a story?” Bunny asked, oblivious to the undercurrents. “I’m in show business and could sure tell you some juicy stuff.”
    Simon paled. “Bunny, I’m sure Ms. Steele doesn’t have time for tall tales. Let’s go for a ride, and let her and Skye finish their conversation.”
    Bunny stood firm as Simon tried to pull her from the room. Skye’s head pounded. Why had she let the newspaperwoman into her house?
    Kathy sat back, her full red mouth curved into a smile. “I’d love to hear your stories, Bunny.”
    Bunny settled next to Kathy on the couch and started talking. Simon sat in the director’s chair facing them, nervously jiggling his foot. Skye stood by his side.
    She bent down and whispered in his ear, “Why don’t you leave? You don’t really want to hear all this.”
    He shook his head and whispered back, “It’s like a car wreck. I want to look away, but I can’t.”
    Bunny leaned back and crossed her legs, finishing a story about her and a notorious Las Vegas gambler.