The Tessa Randolph Collection, Books 1-3 Paula Lester (year 7 reading list .txt) 📖

"Good morning, Mrs. Cross!” Tessa hurried to catch up with the elderly lady. "Where are you off to so early?"

The elderly woman glared at Tessa, who held her breath, figuring the woman was going to tell her off and refuse to help.

Instead, Mrs. Cross puffed out a breath. "Well, I wouldn't normally consider it to be any of your business, girl. But, since it’s to do with that dreadful murder your boyfriend committed, I'll tell you.”

Tessa ground her teeth, thinking better than to respond. She needed Mrs. Cross’s help.

“I'm going to visit Sky. She called me last night, distraught. Now, she and I don't normally have a lot of love lost between us, you know. But those idiot relatives of Artemis’s fired her daughter Lark, who takes care of her now. I thought I'd go over and check in on them. See how they’re doing."

“What did they fire her for?” Tessa hoped she looked and sounded appropriately clueless and not at all like someone who had used invisibility magic to listen in on the mentioned firing.

“Bah.” Mrs. Cross looked so disgusted Tessa thought she might spit on the hallway carpet. “Apparently, Nathaniel’s accusing her of killing Artemis.”

Tessa felt like there was an opportunity here, but she had to think fast. She started speaking slowly and picked up steam as the idea coalesced. "Um, you know, if Lark thinks she was wrongfully terminated, the law office I work for may be interested in hearing about the case."

Mrs. Cross leaned more heavily on her cane and peered at Tessa, who tried to keep her face from revealing the lie. “You work for a lawyer?” The wrinkles on her forehead were even deeper than usual.

“That’s right. I’m a paralegal.” Tessa swallowed hard, steeled herself, and lifted the badge, hoping fervently that it would show appropriate credentials for a paralegal. Would the magic work if Tessa wasn’t using it for an actual reap? And if she was lying for personal gain?

She reminded herself it wasn’t personal. Tessa was trying to right a wrong here. Silas definitely hadn’t killed Mr. Green. All she was trying to do was prove that by revealing who had. Surely, the universe or Grim Reaper magic or whatever it was that was responsible for making the badge work would be interested in aiding that honorable intent.

And just to add some extra oomph, she crossed her fingers behind her back. It never hurt to hedge your bets.

Mrs. Cross squinted at the badge. She adjusted her glasses and squinted harder. Tessa held it out farther, until her neighbor’s nose was about an inch from the picture.

Silence fell over the hallway, except for the sound of someone’s television blaring a morning talk show from inside a nearby apartment.

The woman’s forehead scrunched and her nose wrinkled, pulling her upper lip off her teeth and making her resemble a beaver.

Finally, she backed away from the badge. Tessa waited for her to announce it was blank. But, instead, she said, “Well, then. If that’s the case, you may as well come with me to see them. You can drive.”

A flood of relief made Tessa feel like giggling. She bit it back and opened the door to the lobby to let Mrs. Cross through. As they passed the front desk, Tessa felt a stab of melancholy at the fact that it was empty. Silas would probably be absolutely buried in work when he returned. He always had a long to-do list, and missing work would leave him behind.

Maybe she could get Gloria to give her another day off to help him catch up when he got released.

If he got released.

Mrs. Cross complained about one thing or another the entire trip to Lark’s place. First, about Tessa’s driving. She was going too fast, then too slow. Finally, her complaints broadened outside the car. The hairdresser hadn’t been able to get her in when she wanted. The thermostat in her apartment made the place colder when she wanted it warmer. That murderous landlord had probably set the chemicals wrong in the pool and that’s why she had eczema on her ankles during the summer.

Tessa was grateful when Mrs. Cross pointed to their left, almost bashing Tessa in the nose with her arm, and barked, “There! Pull in.”

It was a more modest apartment building, even, than Mist River Manor, which would never be called lavish in any circle. The sign out front said King’s Court. At least, that’s what Tessa thought it said. Several letters on the painted sign were faded and peeled enough to be unrecognizable.

She ran around to open the passenger side and offered Mrs. Cross her arm, which the elderly woman took to haul herself out of Linda. Tessa reached past her to grab the cane.

“Which apartment?” she wondered as they approached the run-down building, which looked more like a motel than apartments, with a line of doors that all opened to the outside.

“That one.” Mrs. Cross pointed with a trembling finger at one of the doors.

Lark answered after only one knock. “Oh, hello, Louise.” She didn’t smile when she addressed Mrs. Cross. Then her eyes swept to Tessa. “Who’s this?”

“My neighbor.” Mrs. Cross started to walk forward, forcing Lark to step aside or risk bruised toes. “She works for a lawyer, so I brought her to see if there’s anything to be done for your situation.”

Tessa hesitated, hoping Lark would formally invite her over the threshold, but the chef only thinned her lips and stared, so she tiptoed in after Mrs. Cross.

The apartment was neat and clean, though sparsely appointed. They were in a tiny living room, where Mrs. Cross already sat in a sky-blue armchair and a loveseat was the only other seat. An old-style tube TV sat on a worn wooden table and a crossword puzzle book lay open on a chipped up white painted coffee table.

“I guess you’d better have a seat. Do you want any tea or water?” Lark’s tone revealed she was a reluctant hostess.

“No, thank you,” Tessa