Peril in Paperback: A Bibliophile Mystery

another hug. “Snap out of it, Ruthie. You’re going to make yourself sick.”
    “I am sick. Sick at heart.” She sniffled again. “You have to know I would never do anything to hurt you. Ever. You know that, don’t you?”
    I knew they were close, but was Ruth protesting too much?
    “Oh, Ruth,” Grace said. “Of course I know it.”
    Ruth nodded. “Good. That’s good.”
    “Now, we’ve all had a horrible shock.” Grace kept her arm around Ruth’s shoulder and walked her to the door. “So I don’t want you going back to your house. You’ll sleep here tonight. We’ll have a slumber party in my room.”
    “All right,” Ruth whispered, and tried to smile.
    Suzie opened the door and found Merrilee standing there. After a brief explanation, Merrilee took Ruth’s arm. “I’ll keep Ruth company until you’re all finished.” Then she led the older woman out of the room. Vinnie and Suzie followed them.
    “We’ll be right outside,” Suzie said. Then Gabriel closed the door.
    Grace looked from me to Gabriel. “I’ve never seen Ruth like that before. She’s not a weak woman, but this has devastated her.”
    I wondered if Grace was being naive. Her friend could have killed Grace easily if she had taken one sip of that drink.
    Grace and I sat down on the sofa and Gabriel took the chair. I touched Grace’s knee gently. “Are you sure you’re ready to talk about this?”
    “Don’t treat me with kid gloves, Brooklyn,” Grace said. “I want to get to the bottom of it. I’m heartbroken that a dear friend had to die instead of me and I don’t want it to happen again. I also don’t want Ruth to suffer because of it. So let’s put everything out on the table and talk some turkey.”
    “Okay, good,” I said briskly. Grabbing a notepad and pen from her bedside table, I sat in the chair closest to her. “I’m glad you feel that way. So let’s start by making a list of the guests who have the most to gain from your death.”
    “Oh, dear,” she murmured, and pressed her hands to her chest. So maybe she wasn’t quite ready to talk turkey, but it had to be done.
    “What about Suzie?” I continued breezily, as thoughI hadn’t noticed her reaction. “She’s got to be mentioned in your will, right?”
    Her mouth dropped open. “Brooklyn, shame on you! You don’t honestly think Suzie would do anything to hurt me. Do you?”
    I gave her arm a comforting squeeze. “No, of course I don’t. Not at all. We just need you to start talking that turkey talk.”
    “Well, I guess I asked for that.” Her lips twisted to form a reluctant smile, but it faded quickly. “All right. Yes, it’s true that Suzie would inherit money and property from me. And there’s Harrison and Madge, of course, and Kiki, their daughter, along with a number of other relatives you haven’t met yet.”
    “Kiki works as a masseuse,” I said. “Is her business doing well?”
    “Oh, you know how it is,” Grace said lightly. “She’s young and still trying to find out what she wants to do with her life. But she’s an excellent masseuse nonetheless.”
    “I’m determined to get an appointment with her while I’m here,” I said conversationally, hesitant to remind Grace that we were trying to pin down a killer, not chat about her family.
    “You’ll be glad you did,” Grace said, nodding with enthusiasm. “She has wonderful hands.”
    Gabriel spelled it out for her. “Grace, does Kiki need money?”
    “Oh.” Grace blinked as reality sank in. “Oh, now, you can’t possibly suspect Kiki. She’s a vegetarian, for goodness sake. She’s committed to universal peace and love.”
    “And poverty?” Gabriel asked.
    “Don’t be snide, dear,” Grace chided quietly.
    I was surprised to see Gabriel simply nod, accepting that he’d been chastised.
    “Grace,” I said, “please don’t be upset. We’re just trying to determine if Kiki might be desperate for money or not.”
    She sighed. “I’m trying to stay objective, but it’s not easy when we’re talking about my own flesh and blood. But I know you need answers, so I promise to try harder. As to your question, Kiki’s not desperate at all. She makes a decent living, and she receives a generous allowance from her father. Which she often gives away to her special causes, I might add.”
    “All right, then,” Gabriel said, joining her on the couch. “Now, what about your business associates?”
    “Peter and I own equal halves of the business as well as