Read Online Red Delicious Death by Sheila Connolly - Free Book Online

Meg asked, keeping her voice low as well.
    “I have no idea. I was hoping these folks could tell me.” He nodded toward Nicky and Brian in the adjoining room; they remained oblivious.
    “How’d he die?” Seth asked.
    “Don’t know yet. No wounds on him, as far as I could see, but I didn’t mess with the body.”
    “Was it an accident?” Seth pressed.
    Art leaned toward them and lowered his voice even further. “Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s a suspicious death, so we have to investigate. I left an officer there to wait for the ME and the detectives from Northampton.”
    Damn. Meg had hoped she’d seen the last of Detective William Marcus of the state police. “Was it the pigs?”
    Art shook his head with a grim smile. “That’s an urban legend, I’m afraid. How much you know about raising pigs?”
    “Exactly nothing,” Meg admitted.
    “Well, Jake’s got a good setup there—nice tidy pig houses, and plenty of room for his animals. Pigs need a couple of fenced acres, a house for shelter, clean water and food. They keep their, uh, elimination in one separate place, and in hot weather they like a mud wallow. The wallow’s at the lowest part of the field, near a dirt lane with a ditch. Your man was found facedown in this pig wallow, just inside the fence. I won’t guess whether he fell or was pushed or dumped, or whether he was dead or alive when he went in there. I’ll leave that for the ME.” Art paused and checked again on Nicky’s rate of sobbing, which seemed to be declining again. “I should head back out there. I just wanted to get Mr. Czarnecki back here, and get some background on Mr. Anderson.”
    “Who found him?”
    “Jake. He went out to feed the pigs, and bang, there was a body. Gave him a scare.”
    Meg couldn’t remember if she’d met Jake Kellogg. She wasn’t even sure where the Kellogg place was. Was he one of the vendors Nicky had mentioned? Had Sam gone out there to look over the pigs, with an eye toward future dinners? But if so, why hadn’t he asked Jake to show him around? Wandering through someone else’s property, even in this rural area, was at best considered rude, and at worst, an invitation for a load of buckshot. Sam couldn’t have been that naive, could he? How deep was a pig wallow? Could a man fall in and be unable to get out? Meg realized that her mind was wandering, and was surprised to find Seth’s arm around her shoulders.
    She glanced over at Brian, who looked like he was coming out of a fog himself. He and Nicky finally pulled away from each other, and Brian said, “Hey, could I make everyone coffee or something?”
    Art nodded. “Good idea.”
    With evident relief, Brian fled to the kitchen. Apparently Art decided that Nicky had finally wept herself out. “Mrs. Czarnecki? Can I ask you some questions about your friend?”
    Nicky ran her hands through her tangled hair, then wiped her cheeks. “Nicky, please. Of course, I’ll tell you anything I know. What happened to Sam?”
    “I’m afraid we don’t know for sure yet. He was found in a field on the other side of town. Was he in the habit of hiking? Taking long walks in the country?”
    Nicky straightened her back and sniffed. “No, he was a city boy. But he’s been talking to local farmers about supplies for the restaurant. That’s what he said he was doing today.”
    “Did he happen to tell you where he was going?”
    “No. He’s keeping track of all that by himself. I just tell him what I’d like him to look for, and off he goes.”
    “You’re not open for business yet, are you?” Art said, looking around the empty room strewn with construction debris.
    “Not yet, not until September—we hope. But Sam wanted to find out what there was to work with, so we could map out a seasonal menu. He really seemed to be enjoying it, too. He’s been going to the local farmers’ markets as well. Sort of reconnoitering.”
    “Where was he from originally? Boston?”
    “No, we met in Providence, a few