Page 70 of Little Dark Deeds

Eyes wide, Janice pressed a hand to her chest.“My goodness, we were so caught up in the shock of finding Queenie the way we did, it never occurred to us that someone might still be in the house.”

“It’s all so ...so ...unexpected,” Martha said, wiping her nose on a handkerchief.“First Tiffany, and now Queenie.And why toss the house and not take anything?”

“Toss the house?”

“Oh, yes.It’s an absolute mess.”

An ambulance screeched to a stop in front of Queenie’s house, and behind it, Whitlock and Foley.Both men acknowledged me with a nod as they exited the vehicle, and then they shifted their focus to Officer Higgins, who was standing in the doorway.Foley and Whitlock made their way to him, speaking with him for a couple of minutes, and then Whitlock came over to me.

He looked at Janice and Martha and tipped his head.“Ladies.”

They acknowledged him with nods, and he turned toward me.“Been here long?”

“I arrived just before you.”

“What do you know?”

“Same as you, I expect.”

Whitlock thumbed at Queenie’s house.“Higgins just confirmed the house is clear so we can get going, and I expect Silas will be here any time now.”

“Did Higgins say anything else?”

“He confirmed Queenie was murdered.”

“Where?”

“In her bedroom.”

“How?”

“Another stabbing, though I’m not privy to all the details yet.Thought I’d touch base with you first, let you know we can go in.”

I wanted nothing more than to go over and have a look around, but I had questions first—questions only Janice and Martha could answer.

Turning toward them, I said, “I know it’s hard and you’re both in shock, but I’ve been wondering about how you came to find Queenie dead in her house.”

Martha opened her mouth to speak, whispering, “I don’t ...I don’t think I can.”

Janice draped an arm around Martha, saying, “It’s all right.Why don’t you let me do the talking?”

Martha sniffled, then nodded.

“Where would you like me to start, Detective?”Janice asked.

“I want to hear about your day today and any interactions you had with Queenie before she died,” I said.

“When I woke up this morning, I noticed Queenie’s car wasn’t in the driveway.Then, around eleven o’clock, she arrived home.I walked over to see where she’d been and what she’d been doing.She was a bit cryptic at first, though she did admit to running into you this morning.”

“Did she say anything about our conversation?”

“Not much.She acted surprised to have seen you.We chatted for a few minutes, and she said she was tired and wanted to take a nap.She suggested we get together at her house at one o’clock.We planned to watch a movie.”

“What happened next?”

“I arrived at Queenie’s house just before one o’clock, and Martha was already there.She said she’d been knocking for a minute or two, and Queenie hadn’t answered.We assumed she might still be asleep, but we weren’t sure and decided we’d better check on her.”

“How did you get into the house?”