Read Online Ginny Gold - Early Bird Café 03 - Dead and Berried by Ginny Gold - Free Book Online
Authors: Ginny Gold
Tags: Mystery: Cozy - Café
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phone on the kitchen counter and quickly found the photos she’d taken. Now Kori sidled up to Nora with Stanley on Nora’s other side. All three of them looked at the photos.
Nora slowly scanned through the photos before anyone said anything. Stanley was the first to break the silence. “Dan was allergic to strawberries. Those had to be placed next to him because he never would have gotten them on his own. He could have died from just eating one.”
Kori was floored. Would the killer have put them there on purpose to throw off the investigators? Or did the murderer have no idea about the allergy? But it seemed suddenly clear that the strawberries had been placed there intentionally. She just didn’t know their intention.
One more question crossed Kori’s mind: How many people—especially of those on their suspect list—knew of Dan’s allergy?
Nora and Kori didn’t say anything for several moments. Finally, Stanley asked Nora, “Were they from your farm?”
She slowly nodded, like she didn’t want to give away that information. “Someone must have broken into the barn—I don’t ever lock it so it wouldn’t have been hard. I had so many pints picked to sell at the festival and they were all just sitting around.”
“Did the detectives find fingerprints?” Stanley asked. He actually sounded worried.
“Not that I’ve heard yet,” Nora told him. “I don’t think we’ll hear anything until tomorrow now. It’s Sunday night. No one’s going to be working.”
Nora suddenly looked embarrassed. Kori suspected it was at the lack of compassion in the previous comment. Though it was likely true, this was Stanley’s brother they were talking about and he wasn’t resting.
Kori caught Nora’s attention and gave her a meaningful look, trying to silently let her know that she needed to start asking more detailed questions. There was a lot of information they wanted to get from Stanley and this could be their only non-obvious opportunity.
Nora seemed to get the hint. “Where were you Friday night when Dan was killed?” she asked him gently.
Stanley looked like a deer caught in headlights. The color had drained from his face and he started twisting his hands together. Something wasn’t right.
“I—I’ve gotta get going,” he finally stammered, glancing at his watch like he had a pressing timeline.
He quickly dashed out the front door, the dogs picking up their barking at the sight of him again, and drove off like a bat out of hell.
Kori and Nora recovered and looked at each other. “That was strange,” Kori said. “I think he knows more than he’s letting on.”
“He certainly didn’t like my last question.”
CHAPTER 8
Monday morning came sooner than Kori would have liked after her weekend of sleeping in. She rolled over in bed at four thirty and turned her alarm off. Ibis didn’t want to get up either, having gotten more play time with Milo and Otis than usual on Sunday.
Kori dragged herself to the bathroom, washed her face with icy water to help get the sleep from her eyes and brushed her teeth. When she had jeans and a t-shirt on, she grabbed Ibis’ leash and th e dog finally leapt off the bed like she’d just downed a large coffee.
They took a quick walk along Main Street, not seeing a single other person, and then made their way to their usual morning places—Ibis in Kori’s small office and Kori in the industrial kitchen of The Early Bird Café.
Kori hadn’t even erased the menus she’d had on the chalkboards on the walls after closing on Friday. Now she wiped them clean and took stock of what she could most easily serve for breakfast. She really had to stop leaving this to the last minute.
She opened the door to the walk-in fridge and found the coolers from the festival still waiting to be unpacked. There was still plenty of waffle and crepe batter and those went immediately on the menu. Even if all of her customers had visited her booth over the weekend, coming in on
Nora slowly scanned through the photos before anyone said anything. Stanley was the first to break the silence. “Dan was allergic to strawberries. Those had to be placed next to him because he never would have gotten them on his own. He could have died from just eating one.”
Kori was floored. Would the killer have put them there on purpose to throw off the investigators? Or did the murderer have no idea about the allergy? But it seemed suddenly clear that the strawberries had been placed there intentionally. She just didn’t know their intention.
One more question crossed Kori’s mind: How many people—especially of those on their suspect list—knew of Dan’s allergy?
Nora and Kori didn’t say anything for several moments. Finally, Stanley asked Nora, “Were they from your farm?”
She slowly nodded, like she didn’t want to give away that information. “Someone must have broken into the barn—I don’t ever lock it so it wouldn’t have been hard. I had so many pints picked to sell at the festival and they were all just sitting around.”
“Did the detectives find fingerprints?” Stanley asked. He actually sounded worried.
“Not that I’ve heard yet,” Nora told him. “I don’t think we’ll hear anything until tomorrow now. It’s Sunday night. No one’s going to be working.”
Nora suddenly looked embarrassed. Kori suspected it was at the lack of compassion in the previous comment. Though it was likely true, this was Stanley’s brother they were talking about and he wasn’t resting.
Kori caught Nora’s attention and gave her a meaningful look, trying to silently let her know that she needed to start asking more detailed questions. There was a lot of information they wanted to get from Stanley and this could be their only non-obvious opportunity.
Nora seemed to get the hint. “Where were you Friday night when Dan was killed?” she asked him gently.
Stanley looked like a deer caught in headlights. The color had drained from his face and he started twisting his hands together. Something wasn’t right.
“I—I’ve gotta get going,” he finally stammered, glancing at his watch like he had a pressing timeline.
He quickly dashed out the front door, the dogs picking up their barking at the sight of him again, and drove off like a bat out of hell.
Kori and Nora recovered and looked at each other. “That was strange,” Kori said. “I think he knows more than he’s letting on.”
“He certainly didn’t like my last question.”
CHAPTER 8
Monday morning came sooner than Kori would have liked after her weekend of sleeping in. She rolled over in bed at four thirty and turned her alarm off. Ibis didn’t want to get up either, having gotten more play time with Milo and Otis than usual on Sunday.
Kori dragged herself to the bathroom, washed her face with icy water to help get the sleep from her eyes and brushed her teeth. When she had jeans and a t-shirt on, she grabbed Ibis’ leash and th e dog finally leapt off the bed like she’d just downed a large coffee.
They took a quick walk along Main Street, not seeing a single other person, and then made their way to their usual morning places—Ibis in Kori’s small office and Kori in the industrial kitchen of The Early Bird Café.
Kori hadn’t even erased the menus she’d had on the chalkboards on the walls after closing on Friday. Now she wiped them clean and took stock of what she could most easily serve for breakfast. She really had to stop leaving this to the last minute.
She opened the door to the walk-in fridge and found the coolers from the festival still waiting to be unpacked. There was still plenty of waffle and crepe batter and those went immediately on the menu. Even if all of her customers had visited her booth over the weekend, coming in on
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