Legal Tender
I abhor violence but somehow I attract it. You'd think a bunch of accountants would be too damn dull to die of anything other than boredom. Unfortunately I know better. Service Centers breed sex scandals, fistfights and fraud, but until I got there they'd never had a murder.
Patrick and I settled easily into a comfy antique colonial near the center of Andover. Despite the frigid temperature, steam heat from the radiators with an able assist from the fireplace made the house toasty warm. I could have done without the wallpaper and the profusion of wooden ducks, but overall I had to admit that Chen had done his usual efficient job.
"Patrick, whose car is that in the garage?" I asked, eyeing a black Volvo sedan.
"Mine. I leased it." Patrick said. "A Volvo blends right in. It's sort of the official Cambridge car. I figure with traffic it'll take me about an hour to get there each day so I want to be comfortable."
I put my arms around his waist. "You seem to have everything covered."
He nibbled my ear. "Think of this as a five month extended honeymoon. Just you, me and the pups, Baby." He clutched my hand and led me to the staircase. "They had really large families in the old days, you know. All those cold winter nights."
"Thank God for television," I said. "Modern technology to the rescue."
Before he could answer the telephone rang. "Damn. Who has this number?" Patrick groused. "I thought we'd at least have a peaceful weekend." He held the receiver close to his ear and turned his back to me. "Yes, okay. When? Are the police there yet?"
Patrick turned to me. "Here she is." His face was devoid of expression. "It's Jack Tobias, Grace. There's been a murder."
