Page 17 of The Murder Club

“It’s your family. It’s your duty to pay the bills.”

He hunched a shoulder. “You know I got laid off.”

“Then you shouldn’t have braces on your kids’ teeth. And if I remember correctly, you told me you were using the five thousand dollars to rent a bigger space for your wife’s photography business. You promised that her career was about to take off.”

Another hunch of his shoulder. “It did help, but the wedding season is over. There’s not that much work for a photographer during the winter.”

Pauline tilted her chin. She’d made her decision when she’d gotten the call from Kevin that he was stopping by. The only reason he came by was for another handout.

“Then find another job. I’m done.”

Kevin’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, you’re done?”

“It’s not a difficult concept.” She spoke slowly. He wasn’t the brightest guy. He never had been, sad to say. “I will no longer be handing over money whenever you come here with some new sob story about your children’s braces or paying the mortgage on a house you can’t afford or expanding your wife’s business because you can’t be bothered to hold down a job.”

His mouth opened and closed, making him look like a fish who’d been left to flop on the riverbank.

“You can’t cut me off,” he finally managed to protest.

“Of course I can. It’s my money.”

“I’m your only relative. Without me, you’d be alone.”

Pauline clicked her tongue. “Trust me, it would be a blessing not to have you showing up to embarrass yourself like a common beggar. If you need money, get a job.”

Kevin’s face flushed. She’d like to think it was from embarrassment, but it was more likely anger.

“The money is yours until you die,” he hissed. “Then it’s all mine.”

“Don’t be so sure. I can change my will anytime I want.”

Abruptly his features twisted into an ugly expression. “Don’t push me, old lady. You won’t like what happens.”

A sensation that felt remarkably like fear pierced Pauline’s heart. “Get out of my house.”

Kevin pointed a pudgy finger in her direction. “Fine, but you won’t get away with this. I have rights.”

Pauline watched her grandson storm out of the house, slamming the door shut behind him. Sucking in a deep breath, she calmed her racing heart. Kevin wasn’t dangerous. He was just a bad-tempered, sullen child. Just like his father.

This was why she hadn’t wanted to have children. After working as a teacher, she’d discovered she didn’t really like kids that much. That’s why she’d gone into administration. The pay was not only better but she could avoid the screeching chaos of the classroom. But her husband had insisted they needed an heir. Someone to carry on his name. As if anyone cared about that nonsense these days.

“Good riddance,” she muttered, heading to the liquor cabinet to pour herself another gin and tonic. It was her third of the day. Or maybe her fourth. It was increasingly difficult to remember.

Her doctor would bitch when she went back for her continuous round of bloodwork. The man was worse than a vampire. He would squawk about her liver and claim she was taking years off her life. Who cared?

At her age, if she wanted to enjoy a drink or two, that’s exactly what she was going to do.

Plopping a slice of lime into her full glass, Pauline wandered toward the kitchen. She had been deciding what she wanted for dinner when Kevin interrupted her. Now her head was starting to feel woozy from too much alcohol on an empty stomach. She needed to eat something.

Deciding on a grilled cheese sandwich, she entered the large space that was decorated in the French country style, with white cabinets and a tiled floor. The appliances were stainless steel that gleamed in the overhead light, and across the room a glass sliding door revealed a patio that surrounded the in-ground pool.

Pauline came to a sharp halt as she realized the outside lights were switched on.

She hadn’t turned them on. Why would she? She hadn’t been out there since she’d had the pool drained and covered weeks ago. Maybe the neighborhood kids had been messing around her property.

With a click of her tongue, Pauline crossed the kitchen and unlocked the glass doors to step onto the patio. She hadn’t bothered with a security camera back here. The yard was surrounded by a fence and at one time that had been enough. Her neighbors had always been upper class. Just like her. The past few years, however, had seen a tragic decline in the sorts of people moving in. Tomorrow she would call the security people and have one installed, she decided as she noticed the cover on the pool had been pulled to the side.

Stupid creatures. How dare they come on her private property and mess with her things?

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