Buzz Off - By Hannah Reed Page 0,9

I suppose you’d call it. Like some women admire butts or chests or pecs. Me? I’m a foot woman. I glanced down to check out Hunter’s feet, but they were encased in his Harley Davidson boots.

“I can tell you have another bullet point ready to go,” Hunter said.

I’d lost focus when my thoughts went south. How could I be thinking of feet at a time like this? “Where was I?”

“Number four.”

“Right. Bullet point number four,” I said, back on track. “The only reason honeybees would attack is if they thought their hive and queen were in danger. But Manny’s bees weren’t agitated like they would’ve been if they’d had to defend their colonies. They weren’t upset at all. There’s no denying he’d been stung all over, but the real culprit had to have been yellow jackets. They don’t lose their stingers, so they can sting over and over.”

“Okay. Okay.” He raised his free hand in mock surrender while the dog watched me carefully. “You should have been an investigator. You missed your calling. Nice observations, especially considering the circumstances. I’ll suggest we wait until we hear back from the M.E. before carrying out any apiary death sentences. I’ll convince the others, including Johnny Jay.”

Yes! A short reprieve.

I was so excited, I wanted to hug him, but the dog stood between us.

“What is it? A German shepherd?” I asked, pointing to the dog. Not that I knew anything about dog breeds—as far as I’m concerned, they just come in big or small versions.

“Ben is not an it. He’s a Belgian Malinois.” The dog looked up at Hunter when he heard his name. “His markings are similar to a German shepherd’s, but Ben would be offended by the comparison. He’s faster, more driven to please. Ben has tackled shooters on command. Once he pulled an armed robber right out of a vehicle window to prevent him from escaping. Ben’s a very bad good guy.”

The dog looked bad. Despite his reserved calm, I sensed he was alert to the possibility of danger and looking forward to the opportunity to wield steel-jawed force.

“If I hug you, will he attack me?”

“You want to hug me?”

“Not if Ben’s going to attack.”

“Of course, he won’t. Ben, stay.” Hunter walked forward. Ben didn’t move a muscle, but I had a feeling he’d be a flash of lightning if Hunter gave him the proper command. With a cautious eye on the dog, I hugged Hunter. “Thanks for offering to help save the bees. That means a lot to me.”

“I heard about your divorce,” he said, softening his voice and leaning against the rail right next to me, so our arms touched. “Should I congratulate you or express my condolences?”

“I’m relieved it’s over. We were only married three years, but it seemed like a very long time.”

“I hear he’s living next door to you,” Hunter said.

“I can’t get rid of him.”

“That must be awkward.”

“Yup.”

“How’s your mother?”

“Same as always. Disapproving and loud about it.”

His dog watched me every second like he was just waiting for me to make the wrong move. It was kind of creepy.

Hunter and I shared a few minutes of thoughtful silence. I’d always liked that about Hunter. He didn’t feel a need to fill every quiet moment. The sound of a car turning into the driveway finally distracted us.

I recognized Grace’s brother, Carl, and his wife, Betty, from several times when they’d been visiting while I’d been working in Manny’s beeyard. They leaped out of a Ford Bronco and hurried toward us. Grace’s sister-in-law was expecting her first baby and looked about three months overdue.

“Where is she?” Carl asked.

“Lying down,” I answered, getting what I thought was a cold glare from Betty. Or maybe that’s how she came across when she was shocked by tragedy.

We all handle bad news differently.

Four

“How many times are you going to arrange that same shelf?” Stanley Peck asked. I’d been rearranging a honey display back at The Wild Clover while trying to clear the image of my dead mentor from my head. The day was like a bad dream, only I wasn’t going to wake up from this one.

My loyal part-time employees, the twins Trent and Brent Craig, had arrived at the market ahead of me. They were working the counter, checking out customers and bagging.

“Carrie Ann got wasted and went home as soon as we got here,” Trent had said when Hunter dropped me off.

Just great. I’d have to deal with her at some point.

Word spreads fast in a small town,