Read Online Murder in the Devil's Cauldron by Kate Ryan - Free Book Online
Authors: Kate Ryan
Tags: Suspense, Suspense fiction, Murder, Photography, Minnesota, murder mystery, Suspense & Thriller, cabin, murderer, Hiking, con man, ojibway, con artists, con games, murder madness thriller, north shore, murdery mystery, devils cauldron, grand marais, naniboujou, cove point lodge, edmund fitzgerald, lutsen, dreamcatcher, artists point, judge magney state park, enchantment river, temperance river, minnesota state park, tettegouche state park, baptism river, split rock state park, gooseberry falls, embarass minnesota, minnesota iron range, duluth minnesota, voyageurs, lake superior, superior hiking trail, highway 61, tofte
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kept
making her gag. So now Starr obediently put a tiny spoonful on her
plate. She could always hide them under her napkin when her mother
wasn't looking.
She also avoided the sausages because they
always reminded her of Babe and she just couldn't bring herself to
eat a cute little pig. Fortunately, her mother had moved on and
didn't notice. However, just to be safe, Starr took a skinny sliver
of melon. She figured that when she was done with this, she could
get more hash browns. The way she felt right now, she could
probably eat the entire tub.
She put her plate on the table her mother
selected and went back for orange juice. After that, Starr only
took a little each time she went back to the buffet until they
finally took the food away. And, even then, she managed to snag a
few biscuits and stuff them into her backpack without her mother
noticing. She wanted to try for the orange marmalade, but it wasn't
in little packages, so she had to pass on that. She eyed the bowl
of jam and wondered if they had little bottles of it in the kitchen
that she could borrow and return later.
"Honestly, Stella," her mother said after she
returned from the buffet for the fifth time. "You're acting like a
pig."
"I'm hungry," Starr said. "Besides, you said
I could go back for more if I cleaned my plate. And I did."
Her mother shook her head and sighed.
Starr hated that sigh. Her mother did it all
the time and it drove Starr nuts. She wished her mother would just
come out with whatever she was thinking instead of just sighing as
if Starr was always screwing up. But Starr had learned to keep her
mouth shut about certain things, and the sigh was definitely one of
those things.
As Starr waited for her mother to finish her
breakfast, she noticed that they had left a bunch of the biscuits
in the basket at the end of the buffet. Maybe she could snag a few
of them after her mother left. But it seemed like her mother was
eating extra slowly this morning and the other employees stopped by
the basket on their way out. Starr watched in agony as the mound of
biscuits gradually got smaller and smaller. If her mother didn't
finish soon, there wouldn't be any left at all.
Finally, though, her mother polished off the
last of her fruit. "Do you remember where to take your dishes when
you're done?"
Starr nodded, her mouth full of hash
browns.
"Stella?"
"Yes, I remember," she said as soon as she
swallowed.
"Lunch is from eleven until one and you're on
your own for that. But I expect you to meet me here at 5:30 for
dinner. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Good." Her mother pulled an envelope out of
her purse and handed it to Starr. "Here's the money for the movers.
Make sure everything's there before you give it to them. The last
thing I need is to have to track something down later." Her mother
looked at her watch, picked up her dishes and walked away.
Starr waited until she was sure her mother
wasn't going to come back, the scurried over to the buffet table
and snagged the last three biscuits for later.
By the time she was finished, Starr was the
only one left in the employee dining area. She carefully carried
her dirty dishes to the little window at the far end of the buffet
table. Behind the dangling strips of plastic a conveyor belt
carried the dirty dishes away. She had never seen anything like it
before. There hadn't really been time last night to pay attention
to what happened to the dishes when she put them on the belt, so
now she watched them slowly roll away until they vanished. She
grinned as she put the empty glass on and watched as it, too,
disappeared.
Returning to the table, she put on her
backpack, now nicely loaded with biscuits, and picked up her camera
bag. She started down the hallway to the front door, pausing as she
reached the double doors to the kitchen. Visions of the orange
marmalade danced temptingly through her mind and she wondered if
she'd get in trouble if she tried to get a jar of it before she
went home.
Her mother hadn't said
making her gag. So now Starr obediently put a tiny spoonful on her
plate. She could always hide them under her napkin when her mother
wasn't looking.
She also avoided the sausages because they
always reminded her of Babe and she just couldn't bring herself to
eat a cute little pig. Fortunately, her mother had moved on and
didn't notice. However, just to be safe, Starr took a skinny sliver
of melon. She figured that when she was done with this, she could
get more hash browns. The way she felt right now, she could
probably eat the entire tub.
She put her plate on the table her mother
selected and went back for orange juice. After that, Starr only
took a little each time she went back to the buffet until they
finally took the food away. And, even then, she managed to snag a
few biscuits and stuff them into her backpack without her mother
noticing. She wanted to try for the orange marmalade, but it wasn't
in little packages, so she had to pass on that. She eyed the bowl
of jam and wondered if they had little bottles of it in the kitchen
that she could borrow and return later.
"Honestly, Stella," her mother said after she
returned from the buffet for the fifth time. "You're acting like a
pig."
"I'm hungry," Starr said. "Besides, you said
I could go back for more if I cleaned my plate. And I did."
Her mother shook her head and sighed.
Starr hated that sigh. Her mother did it all
the time and it drove Starr nuts. She wished her mother would just
come out with whatever she was thinking instead of just sighing as
if Starr was always screwing up. But Starr had learned to keep her
mouth shut about certain things, and the sigh was definitely one of
those things.
As Starr waited for her mother to finish her
breakfast, she noticed that they had left a bunch of the biscuits
in the basket at the end of the buffet. Maybe she could snag a few
of them after her mother left. But it seemed like her mother was
eating extra slowly this morning and the other employees stopped by
the basket on their way out. Starr watched in agony as the mound of
biscuits gradually got smaller and smaller. If her mother didn't
finish soon, there wouldn't be any left at all.
Finally, though, her mother polished off the
last of her fruit. "Do you remember where to take your dishes when
you're done?"
Starr nodded, her mouth full of hash
browns.
"Stella?"
"Yes, I remember," she said as soon as she
swallowed.
"Lunch is from eleven until one and you're on
your own for that. But I expect you to meet me here at 5:30 for
dinner. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Good." Her mother pulled an envelope out of
her purse and handed it to Starr. "Here's the money for the movers.
Make sure everything's there before you give it to them. The last
thing I need is to have to track something down later." Her mother
looked at her watch, picked up her dishes and walked away.
Starr waited until she was sure her mother
wasn't going to come back, the scurried over to the buffet table
and snagged the last three biscuits for later.
By the time she was finished, Starr was the
only one left in the employee dining area. She carefully carried
her dirty dishes to the little window at the far end of the buffet
table. Behind the dangling strips of plastic a conveyor belt
carried the dirty dishes away. She had never seen anything like it
before. There hadn't really been time last night to pay attention
to what happened to the dishes when she put them on the belt, so
now she watched them slowly roll away until they vanished. She
grinned as she put the empty glass on and watched as it, too,
disappeared.
Returning to the table, she put on her
backpack, now nicely loaded with biscuits, and picked up her camera
bag. She started down the hallway to the front door, pausing as she
reached the double doors to the kitchen. Visions of the orange
marmalade danced temptingly through her mind and she wondered if
she'd get in trouble if she tried to get a jar of it before she
went home.
Her mother hadn't said
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