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Back The Old Success Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by Martha Grimes
  3. MARTHA GRIMES
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. PART I
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. PART II
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. PART III
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. PART IV
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. PART V
  42. 32
  43. 33
  44. 34
  45. 35
  46. PART VI
  47. 36
  48. 37
  49. 38
  50. 39
  51. PART VII
  52. 40
  53. Back Cover

“That would be grand.”

Now, though, he wasn’t sure how to proceed. His shyness irritated him. “What I’d like to do is get a few friends together.” He was thinking of Trueblood and Vivian, and Jury was to come for a visit the following weekend … Wait a minute! Would he want to put Richard Jury in the same room with Flora Flood? Was he mad? Richard Jury was the “ideal man” for any woman over fifteen. No, forget fifteen! For any female old enough to talk. “Do you know the owner of the antiques shop on the High Street, Marshall Trueblood?”

“I’ve spoken with him when I’ve been in there. He’s very entertaining.”

“He is indeed. A few of us gather in the Jack and Hammer quite often. Have you been in that pub?”

“Yes, but I don’t stay. It’s not like the Blue Parrot. I mean, it’s quite a nice pub, but in the Blue Parrot you find people by themselves. The Jack and Hammer has groups—”

Groups? Plural? He thought the only group he’d ever seen was his own.

“—and I feel, you know, left out. So I walk to the Blue Parrot. The walk is good for my leg, too.”

This description of the pubs, the “left-outness,” and the leg struck Melrose as extremely sad. “What happened to your leg? I mean—”

“How did it come about? Auto accident. I was in the passenger seat and the bonnet crumpled when we hit an embankment.”

“I am sorry.” He paused. “Look, you’d be welcome to join us at the Jack and Hammer.”

“You wouldn’t really like that. I’d change the chemistry.” Then, as if she thought that response ungracious, she said, “But dinner, that would be really nice. If it’s not too many people.”

“I don’t know too many people.” Melrose got up, set down his cup. “All right. I’ll see to rounding up these people. But right now I’d better be off.”

“I’m glad you came.”

“Next time, I’ll come on a horse.”

8

The next afternoon, Mr. Blodgett had interrupted his sunning himself in his Florida room to help Melrose load Aggrieved into the horse trailer purchased just that morning in Northampton. Mr. Blodgett, whose mild hermit-temper was much like the horse’s, was far better than Momaday—the grumpy groundskeeper and stableman, who seemed to hate stables, grounds and every animal on them. He liked to sling a rifle over his shoulder and take aim at anything that moved.