SLAY PAIRS WITH ROSE (The Kelly's Deli Cozy Murder Mysteries Book 3) by Sophie Brent (phonics reading books .txt) 📕

“All lies,” Zoe said and slapped her hand down hard on the wooden table, making the cups jump. “Emma was a junior accounts clerk at the company when Rebecca was working there. There was no successful business. She was making the whole thing up just to score some points because Fiona and Ethan had become so successful.”

“She had lied about running her own company?” Erin gasped.

“Completely! Emma had put together a file on Rebecca but was obviously hoping that she wouldn’t say anything about when they had met before. Wrong! It’s amazing what you can find out on the Internet in five minutes at a dinner table. As of two weeks ago, Emma was still working there. Her business had gone bust years ago!”

“So now it was Emma’s turn to be embarrassed. That must have hurt.” Matt nodded.

“She was furious. Then she dug herself even deeper and decided to have a go at Rebecca, calling her a gold-digger because she used to date one of the company directors where they worked. Only, Rebecca was too quick for her and destroyed Emma’s arguments every single time she tried to put her down. It was a total slam.”

“Gold-digger,” Erin repeated. “That’s what I saw written in the wallet. What a nightmare for you all. It must have been horrible for Fiona.”

“That’s why it was so annoying,” Zoe cried out, thrusting her arms forward towards Erin and Matt. “Emma Wilson ruined a lovely evening. We were having such a great time until then. It was almost as if she had deliberately planned to ruin Fiona’s wedding. What a selfish thing to do at someone else’s party. Unbelievable.”

“Have you any idea why she was so angry with Fiona and the other bridesmaids? There has to be some reason.” Erin interjected.

“It felt to me as though Emma was jealous that Fiona was getting all of the attention. Which was mad, because this was Fiona’s wedding party. For once in her life, the bride is supposed to get all of the attention. Am I right? Emma couldn’t stand it. She wanted to be the centre of attention. She wanted the praise.”

Zoe shook her head. “I can only put it down to jealousy. But in the end, she was the one who lost. The last time I saw Emma Wilson, she was staggering towards the hotel elevator, alone and drunk, mumbling something about it all being a total waste of time. Nobody went with her. We were all too busy saying goodnight.”

Erin pushed up and walked slowly over to refill the kettle. Her mind was going over everything that Zoe had said but there were so many gaps.  Why would Emma be so hard and cruel? Especially to the very people she had once known as her closest friends. It didn’t make any sense.

Her fingers stilled. But it might just explain why someone would be angry enough to want to hurt her for causing them pain.

Erin turned back to face Matt and Zoe who were going over the other documents and filing them into neat piles.

“Zoe, this is a tough question to answer, but from what you saw, do you think anyone at that dinner would have wanted to hurt Emma after what she had said?”

“Actually, it’s a perfectly reasonable question,” Zoe replied with a quick nod. “And I have thought about it, but my answer is no, I don’t.”

“Is there any particular reason?” Matt asked.

“I’m no saint,” Zoe admitted, “but the number of cocktails and glasses of wine that girl drank would have knocked out a small horse. Then there were champagne toasts and liqueurs after dinner. I didn’t touch a drop because I had to drive home afterward, but Emma was totally drunk and out of control by the end of the evening.”

“She was drunk when she left the party?”

“Falling-down drunk. The party broke up about eleven o’clock and I drove Auntie Sarah home. If the fire alarm went off at midnight, then Emma Wilson would still have been plastered! That amount of alcohol doesn’t wear off in an hour. She had probably just gone to bed when the hotel was evacuated.”

“So, Emma was still drunk when she went out onto the lawn,” Erin nodded.

“She must have been. I think Emma was still drunk when she went down to that freezer. She definitely could have tripped and fallen over without knowing what she was doing or even where she was going. That’s what I told Constable Harris. This was a horrible accident, but it was an accident, I’m convinced of it.”

Matt flashed Erin a nod as if to say, I told you so.

Just as Erin was about to admit defeat, Zoe’s phone rang, and she quickly checked the number and excused herself.

Erin watched Zoe scan her phone in silence.

“It’s a reasonable scenario, Erin. If she was drunk and passed out on the freezer floor, Emma wouldn’t have had a chance with that amount of dry ice. The fact that someone locked the doors was just a coincidence.”

“You’re right, Matt.” Erin smiled. “In a way, I’m pleased. There have already been two murders in Kingsmede this summer. We don’t need another.”

“What is it, Zoe,” Erin asked as Zoe stomped back into the kitchen. “Is everything all right?”

“I don’t believe this,” Zoe said as she passed her phone over to Erin. “The press managed to find out that Emma is still married. How did they get that story?”

“Millionaire entrepreneur Harry Wilson flies back from Singapore after wife dies in a tragic accident,” Erin read from the screen, hardly able to believe her eyes. “Emma was married? I had no idea. When I asked Kate, she said that Emma hadn’t brought a date for the wedding.”

“It’s complicated,” Zoe winced. “Fiona told me that Harry was