A Purse to Die For by Melodie Campbell, Cynthia St-Pierre Page A

caramel, which is what cruising does for your average C anadian. Long ago, her hair turned prematurely white. She ' d probably look younger if she dyed it, but not as distinctive, thought Becki.
    " Pour me a little now, won ' t you? And you ' ll join me, of course. "
    " Notice the two cups? "
    Once they were seated on the edge of the bed, Becki said, " I ' m sorry about your mom . A nd Carla. "
    " Not to mention the poor woman Mandy found out back. A murder. God help us. "
    " One good thing—the police can ' t suspect you or Gord, or hold you here in the house against your will. You weren ' t even in town when it happened. "
    " I ' m not sure that exonerates us. There ' s always murder by proxy. "
    Becki got up from her seat on the edge of the bed and paced the room, all the while nursing her teacup. When she put it down on the tray, she offered, " How about I gather up Godmom ' s meds and drop them off at the pharmacy or the hazardous goods depot or do whatever you ' re supposed to do with drugs? "
    " That ' d help, " Anna admitted.
    Becki grabbed a small box from the pile of cardboard containers, opened the tiny drawer in the nightstand and took inventory: a flashlight, a notepad, a pencil, a pen—no, two pencils and a pen—the August edition of Chatelaine , a soft-cover book of crosswords, a purse-size pack of Kleenex, a tube of Burt ' s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Crème, a small tin of lip balm, a comb. No sleeping pills. No pain pills. She checked the top of the counter and inside the medicine cabinet in the en-suite. No drugs. Not even over-the-counter Tylenol. The room is as drug-free as a Christian Science church.
     

 
     
    Chapter 20
     
    Dumont hated the city. The traffic was a nightmare and the noise relentless. You couldn ' t escape either . Massive trucks on the highway, airplanes taking off overhead, the screech of busses braking. It all grated on his nerves. Nothing, not even promotion, could get him to transfer to this place.
    He wasn ' t keen on interviewing here, but he had to admit the Thirty-third Division cops were good guys . He ' d been through basic training with two of them. Amazing how easy it was to slip back into the old, back-slapping ways. He ' d go deep into his pocket for beers at the local pub this evening.
    He sat in the borrowed office and looked at the woman across from him. Not a lot of grief here . Maybe it was shock? On the phone , she had voiced surprise rather than sorrow, but had been eager to cooperate. After all, a sister didn ' t get murdered every day . S he understood the necessity of being here to answer questions. Of course she would help if she could.
    She was attractive in a manufactured sort of way . W avy , ice - blond hair, thin body and heavy makeup. Her face was young, her mouth wide, but her neck was surprisingly wrinkled. Did that mean she ' d had a face lift? Gina would know , he thought. I miss her .
    Snap to it, Dumont .
    The woman was already talking. She liked to talk.
    " My sister was younger by a few years, but she didn ' t look it, " Andrea Mason said. She had the breathy voice of a teenager. " Everyone always thought we were twins. "
    Dumont sighed. So she was that sort of witness . I t was going to be all about her. Competitive too . He braced himself.
    " I think the divorce really hit her hard. Of course, her husband was a jerk, but what man isn ' t at that age? At least, what rich, aging man, " she carefully added. " Not someone young like you. " Her smile was predatory.
    " I told her to not be so dramatic about it all. I mean, we ' re all modern, aren ' t we? Move with the times, I said. Have a little affair on the side if you want. But don ' t divorce the man just because he needs a little female reassurance. "
    Her fingers were drumming on her knee. " Can I smoke in here? "
    Dumont shook his head.
    She sighed dramatically. " Too romantic, that ' s what she was. Couldn ' t bear not to come first. I tell you, that sort of nonsense just gets you into