Chapters 14 through 17 Summary

They shop in Peabody and return to Smithfield at a quarter till two. Spenser carries the bags inside and finds Maguire dead in the living room. Spenser pulls his gun and carefully searches the downstairs in case the killer remains in the house. Margery is on the phone, talking to the caterers regarding the party she's hosting that evening. There's no sign that either the front or back door has been jimmied; the front is still locked and Spenser watched Margery unlock the back when they arrived; there's a poker lying near the body. Margery hangs up the phone and Spenser hurries to intercept her, telling her that Maguire is dead in the living room. Trask and the coroner arrive five minutes later, followed by Healy. Healy and Spenser examine the house. Margery says Maguire has his own key, and that...