No Accounting for Murder

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Shrugging off her moment of introspection but knowing she would have to deal with it later, Carly went on to call number three, Susan Markham, real estate agent.

"Sure, I'd love to get out of the office and go for a cup of coffee and a good old-fashioned gossip."

"Great, Susan. How about the Dew Drop Inn in twenty minutes?"

"Perfect. I have a call or two to make, and that will give me just enough time. See you then."

Twenty minutes later, Carly pushed open the diner's heavy wooden door. Pausing to catch her breath from the short walk, Carly spotted Susan immediately. Hard to miss, she sat at her favorite table, the one in the middle of the window. Susan loved to see and to be seen. As usual, her fashionable attire screamed good taste and lots of money. Today's outfit consisted of a brilliant red suit that fit her like a glove, white cowl neck blouse and black hose and heels. Her flawlessly styled blonde hair, inherited from her mother, accented the red wonderfully.

Carly groaned as she reviewed her own wardrobe, hastily thrown on when she'd left her house to check out the parade. She really needed to update her closet. Working from home didn't mean she always had to look like a slob. However, Susan might be more open if she was the more gorgeous and elegant one in their twosome.

Susan looked up as Carly got to the table. "Oh Carly, it's so good to hear from you. It's been weeks since we got together for a little chat."

"Has it been that long, Susan?"

"At least. Let me see-" The real estate agent tapped a long nail on the tabletop. "We last had coffee a few days before I listed old Mrs. Roy's house around Labor Day. And now it's closing in on Halloween."

"Mrs. Roy's house is on the market?" Carly remembered a comment from Mrs. Bailes about bringing meals to the elderly lady.

"Yes. She's keeping it quiet because she doesn't want to be bothered with the normal parade of lookie lou's who want to see what the old lady will be selling off when she moves."

Susan paused while the waitress, whom Carly didn't recognize, came by to pour coffee. Carly and Susan shook their heads when asked if they wanted anything else.

Susan continued. "That happens a lot in small towns, you know, when someone hears about old folks selling their houses."

"I didn't know that. Is it hard to keep secrets for your clients in a small town like this?" Susan liked to talk about herself and her accomplishments. To listen to her, she was realtor of the year for the entire country. No, the world. Still, she was a wealth of information about the local and state real estate market. If anybody knew about this project, it was Susan.

Susan nodded. "It can be." She leaned closer to Carly in a conspiratorial gesture. "I am a trained professional and that's what the sellers are paying for-a professional attitude."

"I suspect you have lots of clients who want confidential treatment, don't you?"

"Well, not everyone expects it, at least not to the same degree. Take that older couple from Virginia. I sold them the old Hampden house and they wanted me to let the word out they were retiring here. Seems they used to live here like a hundred years ago and had kind of lost touch with most everyone."

"Surely some people wouldn't want everyone to know what they were doing?"

Susan tapped a long lacquered nail absently against the side of her coffee mug. "Well, like I said, mostly it's the older folks selling their houses who don't want to let on they can't live on their own any more. Pride, I guess."