Read Online The Valentine's Day Murder by Lee Harris - Free Book Online

anything.”
    “When did you last see Clark?”
    “Sometime that afternoon. It was Val’s birthday andthe guys were going out to celebrate. They went to this Italian restaurant they liked.”
    “What did he say before he left?”
    “Not to wait up for him.”
    “Was that unusual?”
    She shook her head. “Not when the three of them went out together. Sometimes they’d take in a late movie, sometimes they’d go to a bar and sit for a couple of hours. I didn’t think anything of it. He said good-bye to the kids and kissed me—” She swallowed painfully.
    “Did he come back to the house for anything later?”
    “No. He walked out and I never saw him again.”
    “Were you home that night?”
    “The whole night.”
    “Do you remember if he was wearing boots when he left the house?”
    “Work boots, I think. He wore them a lot in the winter.”
    “Did Clark own a gun?” I asked.
    “Never.” She looked very defensive. “Never in his life.”
    “Did he sell guns in the store?”
    “No. He sold hardware things, tools and nails and building and household supplies.”
    “How did he get into the business?” I asked. “Did he start the store himself or was it his parents’?”
    “His parents are dead. He started working for the original owner when he was young. When the old guy wanted to retire, Clark bought him out. It’s a real institution, that store. We’ve got everything.”
    “But no guns.”
    “No guns. I don’t think Clark ever shot a gun in his life. Matty did. He was a big hunter. He probably had ahandgun even if Annie says he didn’t. Annie says what’s convenient.”
    “What about Val? Do you think he could have owned a gun?”
    “Anyone could own a gun. Since the accident, I’ve been thinking about getting one myself, but I’m scared because of the kids. They’re into everything. A gun’s no good if it’s locked away when you need it.”
    “Did you get along with Carlotta and Annie?”
    “I got along. We all got along.”
    “Do you like them as friends?”
    “I have other friends. These were my husband’s friends’ wives. I liked them. Annie’s been very nice to me since the accident, I mean really nice. Carlotta’s been a little cool. She went away somewhere right after it happened and when she came back, I don’t know. It’s been tough on all of us. She’s called a lot.”
    “I heard you had a funeral for Clark right after the accident.”
    “I knew they were gone,” she said. “They found Matty’s red scarf at the break in the ice. I knew if he was gone, then Clark was gone.”
    “Carlotta thinks Val is still alive,” I said.
    “Don’t you believe it. He’s gone, too. They went on that ice together and they died together. He’ll float up. He’ll probably have a bullet hole in him, too. Watch and see.”
    “Who do you think shot him?”
    “Matty. I think Matty shot Val first. Then Clark got the gun away from him and shot him accidentally. That’s how this all happened.”
    “Why would Matty shoot Val?” I asked.
    “Jealousy,” she said. “Matty never succeeded atanything in his whole life. His life was one failure after another. The only thing he did right was marrying Annie. She was a catch. She’s good-looking, and she’s got some money. It helps, when you have a husband that doesn’t always bring home a paycheck.”
    “How did Matty and Annie meet?” I thought it would be a good idea to get everyone’s point of view.
    “I think Val knew her first. He may even have introduced them. It was before Val met Carlotta.”
    “Was Annie from around here?”
    “Uh, from near New York, I think. New Jersey, maybe.”
    “Do you think there was anything going on between Val and Annie?”
    Her eyebrows rose. “Val and Annie? I never thought of that.”
    “Think about it now.”
    She looked at me. Her face was so serious through the whole conversation that she could have been working through a final exam. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Val and