The Search The Secrets of Crittenden Cou - By Shelley Shepard Gray Page 0,23
death is still fresh! It’s all old, and interwoven with suppositions and secrets.”
“But what if they start talking to their families?” Luke felt bad about even mentioning it. After all, Mose wasn’t a green rookie cop; he’d been on the job as long as Luke had.
But of course, he hadn’t been investigating murders in Cincinnati like Luke had. Most of Mose’s detective work had concerned domestic disputes and a few petty thefts.
“Settle down, Luke. Deborah and Jacob will still be in town tomorrow. I checked on that. You stay here at the hospital with Frannie. She seems happy to share your company.”
Sitting with her made him feel good, too. But Luke didn’t like putting off the investigation for personal reasons. “Mose—”
His buddy held up a hand. “We’ve waited this long, we can wait a little longer.”
“Look, you need to know that just because I’m here with Frannie, it doesn’t mean I’ve gotten sidetracked.” But even as he said the words, he started to worry. Since when had he ever worked on an investigation where his complete focus wasn’t on the case twenty-four-seven?
Mose chuckled. “Oh, Luke, I know you haven’t gotten sidetracked! All that’s happened is you’re getting settled into Crittenden County.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you’re starting to learn how we do things. We take things slow and steady, and think them through. And,” he added with a smile, “we remember that there’s a whole lot more to life than solving somebody’s death. Now, I’d best get on downstairs before John Paul starts calling for me. And he will!”
While Mose trotted downstairs, Luke pressed the button on the elevator and went up to the third floor to where the small snack bar and coffee shop was located.
“What can I get you?” a Mennonite woman in a flowered dress at the counter asked.
“Coffee fresh?”
“Yep. And so are the Danishes. We’ve got cherry and lemon today. You should try one, they’re worth the calories, I promise.”
He laughed. “If they’re that good, I know I won’t want to pass them up. I’ll take a cup of coffee and a cherry Danish.”
“Room for cream?”
“Nope.”
After he paid, she noticed his brace. “You go take a seat. I’ll bring both out to you.”
With a grateful smile, Luke followed her directions and took a chair at one of the five tables. Just minutes later, the woman brought him his Danish and coffee.
Both were outstanding. Hit the spot.
And that’s when he started thinking that maybe Mose was right. He was starting to get used to things here. When someone offered to do him a favor, he didn’t think it was a sign of weakness to accept.
He was even coming to expect that the food and coffee offered at the hospital would be delicious.
And though he was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that he was putting off the interviews until another day, he had to admit that what Mose said was true.
It wouldn’t make much of a difference to talk to the two new suspects tomorrow.
He really was changing in spite of himself.
“Mister, how about a refill? Free of charge.”
“I’d love one, thanks.” And instead of standing up, he merely gave the woman a grateful smile when she approached.
Yep, he was definitely getting used to things here. So used to things, it made him wonder how he was going to handle things back in Cincinnati. Back in his real world.
Chapter 8
“Perry and I never had much to say to each other. I didn’t care for the way he treated Lydia or Frannie. He didn’t care for my opinion.”
BETH BYLER
The man with the ice blue eyes was back. During the last twenty-four hours, Beth Byler had been too busy with cooking and cleaning, answering the phone, and greeting concerned neighbors to even look up his name.
She should have been too busy to even realize he hadn’t been around. But she’d felt his absence in the back of her mind, part of her continually wondering when he would show up again.
And why he hadn’t returned.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey, yourself,” she replied, and made sure that she didn’t spare him more than the briefest of glances as she kneaded bread dough.
But as he leaned against the doorway and slowly looked her over, she could feel his gaze as sharply as if he’d reached out and touched skin.
She really should have been infuriated at this blatant inspection. Instead, she only felt that crisp sense of awareness that had caught her off guard the last time he’d come to