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Authors: Melissa Glazer
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how rich I was. “I don’t know what to say.”
“A yes will suffice,” Jenna said.
“Yes,” I said.
Butch grinned. “That’s what I can appreciate, a woman of few words.”
“Watch it,” Sandy said.
“That’s good advice,” Jenna added.
Butch said, “What say we move on and figure out how we’re going to attack this thing? I’ll start digging into Charlie’s business connections and see if I can turn anything up there.”
“He’s a building inspector,” I said.
“I know that. I’m just wondering if he was putting the squeeze on somebody, and they decided to squeeze back. Inspectors have been known to look the other way on the job, if the price is right.”
“Are you speaking from personal experience?” Jenna asked icily.
“I’ll plead the fifth on that one, if you don’t mind, Your Honor.”
Sandy said, “I’ll look into his background and see if I can dig up anything that way.”
Jenna added, “I’ll make a few discreet inquiries as well.” “Good,” Butch said. “I’ll tell Martha to look into his social life. What are we missing?”
“We need to talk to neighbors, friends, acquaintances—maybe one of them wanted to see him dead,” I said. “I can do a little digging there. Just be careful, everyone.”
“Take your own advice,” Butch said as he squeezed my shoulder. “We can’t afford anything happening to you.”
After the crew left, I prepared the shop for the day’s customers. David came in a few minutes before we were due to open with a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Come now, you’ve got to do better than that. I want details, young man.”
“It’s nothing all that interesting,” he said. “I just overslept. Don’t tell Mom, will you? She’s been giving me grief about my punctuality lately. She’s going to go nuts when she hears I was late for work.”
“I won’t say anything to her if you won’t.”
He looked relieved, but I added, “Though I’ll have to dock your time card. It’s our busiest season, David, and I need you here on time every day.”
“I really am sorry. I’ll do better.”
He looked suitably chastened. “Enough of that then. Help me get things ready for the day.”
There were half a dozen people waiting on us when I unlocked the front door and opened for business.
I came back after helping a customer with a purchase and found David dabbling with clay.
“What’s that?”
He grinned at me sheepishly. “I was showing someone how to make little clay animals a little bit ago.” David loved playing in clay, and it was nice to see that working with it all day hadn’t dampened his enthusiasm.
I took the small figurine from his hand and studied it. It was a whimsical little frog figure, and I couldn’t wait to see it finished. “How long have you been doing these?”
“It’s nothing,” he said. “I just make them when I’m bored.”
“Well, you should make some for us to sell.”
“Are you serious?”
I nodded. “It’s just the kind of thing we’d do well with. Can you make anything besides frogs?”
David grinned. “I can make snakes, squirrels, dogs, cats, you name it.”
“Then you should.”
David started pinching off some clay when I said, “Not now, though. Wait until we don’t have any customers.”
That didn’t happen the rest of the morning. David and I were so busy I barely had time to give the murder investigation a second thought. There was a lull a little after one, at which point David asked, “How did you know we’d be so busy?”
“Would you accept woman’s intuition as an answer?”
“You know better than that,” he said.
I pointed outside, where the rain was finally letting up. “Bad weather always increases our clientele. Hadn’t you noticed?”
“No, not really,” he said, “but I guess it makes sense.” His stomach growled, and he asked, “Is there any chance I could get a quick lunch before you take yours? I skipped
“A yes will suffice,” Jenna said.
“Yes,” I said.
Butch grinned. “That’s what I can appreciate, a woman of few words.”
“Watch it,” Sandy said.
“That’s good advice,” Jenna added.
Butch said, “What say we move on and figure out how we’re going to attack this thing? I’ll start digging into Charlie’s business connections and see if I can turn anything up there.”
“He’s a building inspector,” I said.
“I know that. I’m just wondering if he was putting the squeeze on somebody, and they decided to squeeze back. Inspectors have been known to look the other way on the job, if the price is right.”
“Are you speaking from personal experience?” Jenna asked icily.
“I’ll plead the fifth on that one, if you don’t mind, Your Honor.”
Sandy said, “I’ll look into his background and see if I can dig up anything that way.”
Jenna added, “I’ll make a few discreet inquiries as well.” “Good,” Butch said. “I’ll tell Martha to look into his social life. What are we missing?”
“We need to talk to neighbors, friends, acquaintances—maybe one of them wanted to see him dead,” I said. “I can do a little digging there. Just be careful, everyone.”
“Take your own advice,” Butch said as he squeezed my shoulder. “We can’t afford anything happening to you.”
After the crew left, I prepared the shop for the day’s customers. David came in a few minutes before we were due to open with a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Come now, you’ve got to do better than that. I want details, young man.”
“It’s nothing all that interesting,” he said. “I just overslept. Don’t tell Mom, will you? She’s been giving me grief about my punctuality lately. She’s going to go nuts when she hears I was late for work.”
“I won’t say anything to her if you won’t.”
He looked relieved, but I added, “Though I’ll have to dock your time card. It’s our busiest season, David, and I need you here on time every day.”
“I really am sorry. I’ll do better.”
He looked suitably chastened. “Enough of that then. Help me get things ready for the day.”
There were half a dozen people waiting on us when I unlocked the front door and opened for business.
I came back after helping a customer with a purchase and found David dabbling with clay.
“What’s that?”
He grinned at me sheepishly. “I was showing someone how to make little clay animals a little bit ago.” David loved playing in clay, and it was nice to see that working with it all day hadn’t dampened his enthusiasm.
I took the small figurine from his hand and studied it. It was a whimsical little frog figure, and I couldn’t wait to see it finished. “How long have you been doing these?”
“It’s nothing,” he said. “I just make them when I’m bored.”
“Well, you should make some for us to sell.”
“Are you serious?”
I nodded. “It’s just the kind of thing we’d do well with. Can you make anything besides frogs?”
David grinned. “I can make snakes, squirrels, dogs, cats, you name it.”
“Then you should.”
David started pinching off some clay when I said, “Not now, though. Wait until we don’t have any customers.”
That didn’t happen the rest of the morning. David and I were so busy I barely had time to give the murder investigation a second thought. There was a lull a little after one, at which point David asked, “How did you know we’d be so busy?”
“Would you accept woman’s intuition as an answer?”
“You know better than that,” he said.
I pointed outside, where the rain was finally letting up. “Bad weather always increases our clientele. Hadn’t you noticed?”
“No, not really,” he said, “but I guess it makes sense.” His stomach growled, and he asked, “Is there any chance I could get a quick lunch before you take yours? I skipped
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