Read Online Grounds for Murder by Sandra Balzo - Free Book Online
Authors: Sandra Balzo
Tags: cozy mystery
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yellow brick made during the 1800s from the clay indigenous to the western shore of Lake Michigan. The charming shop had a center door, with a cheerful white-curtained window to each side of it.
Now, though, the facade looked like a pathetic dying creature. The soot from the fire formed ghastly black eyes around the openings where the windows had been, and what was left of the white ruffled curtains flapped listlessly, the only sign of lingering life. The doorway gaped open like a mouth gasping for air.
The sight reminded me of Amy’s smudged eyes when I’d seen her at the grocery store. I hunted around and found her sitting just inside the ambulance, her right hand swathed in gauze.
Seeing no one who could tell me not to, I climbed in and sat next to her. ‘Amy, are you OK?’
She had been staring off toward the far side of the ambulance – a mere four or five feet, but it could have been a thousand miles away, by the look in her eyes. She jumped.
I put my hand out to steady her. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.’
‘Oh, Maggy. I didn’t expect to see anyone, I was just . . . just . . . just . . .’ Tears welled up and spilled over, leaving clean streaks down her sooty face.
I pulled a tissue out of my purse and handed it to her. ‘You’re hurt. Were you alone in the store?’
She nodded. ‘This area is mostly commercial so we close at six when the office crowd leaves. I was just dropping off the things I bought at Schultz’s.’ Her lip quivered. ‘I smelled smoke.’
‘You didn’t go in, did you?’ I asked, gesturing toward her bandaged hand.
‘I tried.’ She shook her head sadly, apparently filled with regret for not having been barbecued. ‘But when I grabbed the doorknob . . .’
‘I’m sorry you burned your hand,’ I said, ever the mother. ‘But that hot door knob may have saved your life.’ I looked back at the remains of the building. ‘If you had gone in―’
‘Amy? Amy? I came as soon as I heard. Are you hurt?’ Janalee – five foot ten and organically grown – climbed into the ambulance, baby on board. It was getting mighty crowded in there.
Amy leapt up. ‘I am so sorry, Janalee. I was too late to do anything.’
Janalee took her by the shoulders. ‘You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m just glad you’re all right.’
A paramedic stuck his head in. ‘Hate to break up the party, ladies, but we have to get Ms Caprese to the hospital.’
Ms Caprese? Nice. I hadn’t even known Amy’s last name, despite the fact that I had known her for three or four years and had been plotting to steal her from HotWired. Yes, and don’t think it hadn’t crossed my mind that with Janalee’s Place gone, Amy might be looking for a job. Good thing I was sensitive enough to let the thought pass right through without trying to entertain it for long.
Speaking of entertaining, I should find out if Pavlik still wanted dinner. I tried to stand up to leave, but with Amy, Janalee and Davy taking up the center of the ambulance, the best I could manage was to slide down the bench and slip sideways out the door.
‘Glad you’re OK, Amy,’ I called back in. ‘I’m so sorry about the fire, Janalee.’
The paramedic gave me a sour look as I passed, so I decided to take the low road. ‘Could you tell me where to find Sheriff Pavlik?’
He gestured somewhere in the vicinity of Lake Michigan twenty miles away, presumably because he wanted me and my name-dropping to jump into it. Apparently sleeping with rank – or aspiring to sleep with rank – did not have its privileges.
The paramedic climbed into the ambulance and I went off in search of Pavlik. I found him talking to a man next to a car marked ‘Inspector’. Since the car was red, I assumed it was the fire inspector.
When Pavlik saw me, he held up one finger. Either that meant I was to wait, or that I was Number One. I liked to think both.
Pavlik finished up and came over to me. ‘This is going to take a
Now, though, the facade looked like a pathetic dying creature. The soot from the fire formed ghastly black eyes around the openings where the windows had been, and what was left of the white ruffled curtains flapped listlessly, the only sign of lingering life. The doorway gaped open like a mouth gasping for air.
The sight reminded me of Amy’s smudged eyes when I’d seen her at the grocery store. I hunted around and found her sitting just inside the ambulance, her right hand swathed in gauze.
Seeing no one who could tell me not to, I climbed in and sat next to her. ‘Amy, are you OK?’
She had been staring off toward the far side of the ambulance – a mere four or five feet, but it could have been a thousand miles away, by the look in her eyes. She jumped.
I put my hand out to steady her. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.’
‘Oh, Maggy. I didn’t expect to see anyone, I was just . . . just . . . just . . .’ Tears welled up and spilled over, leaving clean streaks down her sooty face.
I pulled a tissue out of my purse and handed it to her. ‘You’re hurt. Were you alone in the store?’
She nodded. ‘This area is mostly commercial so we close at six when the office crowd leaves. I was just dropping off the things I bought at Schultz’s.’ Her lip quivered. ‘I smelled smoke.’
‘You didn’t go in, did you?’ I asked, gesturing toward her bandaged hand.
‘I tried.’ She shook her head sadly, apparently filled with regret for not having been barbecued. ‘But when I grabbed the doorknob . . .’
‘I’m sorry you burned your hand,’ I said, ever the mother. ‘But that hot door knob may have saved your life.’ I looked back at the remains of the building. ‘If you had gone in―’
‘Amy? Amy? I came as soon as I heard. Are you hurt?’ Janalee – five foot ten and organically grown – climbed into the ambulance, baby on board. It was getting mighty crowded in there.
Amy leapt up. ‘I am so sorry, Janalee. I was too late to do anything.’
Janalee took her by the shoulders. ‘You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m just glad you’re all right.’
A paramedic stuck his head in. ‘Hate to break up the party, ladies, but we have to get Ms Caprese to the hospital.’
Ms Caprese? Nice. I hadn’t even known Amy’s last name, despite the fact that I had known her for three or four years and had been plotting to steal her from HotWired. Yes, and don’t think it hadn’t crossed my mind that with Janalee’s Place gone, Amy might be looking for a job. Good thing I was sensitive enough to let the thought pass right through without trying to entertain it for long.
Speaking of entertaining, I should find out if Pavlik still wanted dinner. I tried to stand up to leave, but with Amy, Janalee and Davy taking up the center of the ambulance, the best I could manage was to slide down the bench and slip sideways out the door.
‘Glad you’re OK, Amy,’ I called back in. ‘I’m so sorry about the fire, Janalee.’
The paramedic gave me a sour look as I passed, so I decided to take the low road. ‘Could you tell me where to find Sheriff Pavlik?’
He gestured somewhere in the vicinity of Lake Michigan twenty miles away, presumably because he wanted me and my name-dropping to jump into it. Apparently sleeping with rank – or aspiring to sleep with rank – did not have its privileges.
The paramedic climbed into the ambulance and I went off in search of Pavlik. I found him talking to a man next to a car marked ‘Inspector’. Since the car was red, I assumed it was the fire inspector.
When Pavlik saw me, he held up one finger. Either that meant I was to wait, or that I was Number One. I liked to think both.
Pavlik finished up and came over to me. ‘This is going to take a
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