The Last Resort (A Kate Jasper Mystery) Read Online Free

meet Fran’s husband, Bradley. According to Fran, he was a man with all the answers. Maybe he knew who murdered Suzanne. Or—
    An insistent whirring sound interrupted my thought. The man in the wheelchair had rolled up. I focused my eyes on his bearded face, avoiding looking at his legs. His sea-blue eyes looked made for laughter. There were even old laugh lines radiating from them. But those lines were overlaid with lines of pain. And his eyes were filled with bitterness. How long had he been in the wheelchair?
    I forced a smile and tried to dismiss my pity and fear. I could never get past those first reactions to a wheelchair-bound person. The fear that this could also happen to me, the physical pang of pity, and even the irrational guilt that it wasn’t me in the wheelchair. But the man wasn’t looking in my direction anyway. He was focused on Craig. I relaxed my face.
    “I’m sorry,” he said to Craig. His voice was low and gruff. “Wasn’t your fault. Anything I can do, just ask.”
    “Thanks,” answered Craig softly, his eyes moistening. This was interesting. Maybe the police suspected Craig, but if Fran and this man were any indication, the Spa Santé crowd didn’t seem to share that suspicion.
    The man turned his wheelchair in my direction with a short series of clicks and whirs. “Don Logan,” he said holding out his hand.
    “Kate Jasper,” I replied and bent down to take his hand. It was calloused and had a strong grip. In fact, his whole upper body looked solidly muscular under the flannel shirt.
    “Craig’s sister?” he asked, looking at me with a spark of curiosity in those bitter blue eyes.
    I was confused for a moment, then understood. Jasper, the same last name as Craig’s. “No, no,” I answered. “Craig’s wife. I mean, former wife.” How many times was I going to be asked that question? Maybe I should have reverted to my maiden name. But it was long, unpronounceable, and unfamiliar after fourteen years. “And Craig’s friend,” I added in explanation.
    “Good,” said Don solemnly. “Craig needs a friend right now.”
    His chair whirred backwards. “Good meeting you,” he said and maneuvered past us and out the glass doors.
    “Don’s fantastic,” said Fran after he was out of sight. “He’s off to work out. He exercises religiously, every afternoon. Bradley says, with his chair and van and everything, Don can do almost anything anyone else can.” Bradley again. I was getting tired of Bradley. And I hadn’t even met the man yet.
    “We’ve fixed up a bunch of the units for the disabled,” Fran continued. Her eyes were bright now, flickering with plans. “Wide doorways, ramps, grab-bars, special bathrooms. Our handyman Avery knows all about that stuff. He used to be a hospital aide. And then, when we have a few more special units finished, we’re going to place some special ads. And then…” The brightness faded from Fran’s eyes. “That is, if everything is cleared up.”
    No wonder she was worried. An unsolved murder could kill Spa Santé’s business before it even got going. I wanted to comfort Fran. To tell her the police would clear up the murder. To tell her I would clear up the murder. But there was no reason to believe either scenario. I kept my mouth shut. I had already promised too much to Craig. Fran straightened her shoulders abruptly.
    “Two-thirty and I haven’t even started tonight’s buffet,” she said. “Craig, introduce Kate to Ruth and Terry, and I’ll get back to the kitchen where I belong.” With that, she hurried back through the kitchen doors and disappeared.
    Craig introduced the frizzy grey-haired woman as Ruth Ziegler. Ruth immediately jumped up from her chair and engulfed me in an intense Leo Buscaglia hug. A bit demonstrative for a stranger, but living in Marin had inured me to this brand of New Age effusiveness. Then she held me at arm’s length and surveyed my face as if it were a crystal ball. Her clothing was right for the