Read Online Snoop to Nuts by Elizabeth Lee - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Lee
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are. More upset than I’ve ever seen her.”
“Can you blame her?” Jessie answered. “Library was buzzing with it. That’s really why I thought I’d run over and see how she was doing. I can’t imagine anybody thinking your grandmother would hurt a fly. Told a few what I thought today. Gossiping right there among the books. You know how much my family owes her. Even that first day we got here from Mexico—your grandmother greeted us like we were old friends. Helped us move into the house.”
Such a pretty, earnest face. She hadn’t always been treated well by Blanchards, despite what she said. It was my uncle Amos who proposed and then dumped her. The man had a lot going against him, including a taste for booze. Then I found him dead in my greenhouse. Made it even worse for Jessie, him coming home to do some good for once, and being murdered.
“Would you stop by and talk to her when you get home?” I asked. “Ethelred’s on her way out there. She might need a brighter face to look at.”
Jessie reached over and squeezed my hand, then stood. “I’ll stop by later. My mother’s waiting for the chilies I said I’d bring.”
“I’ll be out in my greenhouse later. I gotta catch up on my records. But if you want to come on out and talk? I feel like I’m going in circles on this. Maybe if the two of us tried to figure things out . . . Will you have time?”
“For you, my friend, I’d come anytime.”
“Let’s make it eight.”
She left with a Very Special Pecan Pie in her hands.
When the front door of the shop closed behind Jessie, it opened again immediately, Rivervillians coming in to buy a pie or some pecan candy or a box of pecans: one after another:
“Need a pie for supper, Lindy.” “Gotta pick up a jar of that Texas Caviar of Miss Amelia’s.” “Kids want some of the sandies.”
Another hour of one local after another. All, I suspected, there to show support, which made me feel good. And all telling me to give Miss Amelia their greetings. Nobody mentioned murder. These folks didn’t need to.
I was closing out the cash register as the bell jingled again, making me want to groan. I’d just said good-bye to Eula Hawley and was feeling drained of my last bit of strength.
Hunter Austen, still in uniform, made his way hesitantly up the aisle as if he wasn’t sure my greeting was going to be a warm one, or icy. He knew both moods well.
I chose a place between a pleased “
Happy to see ya”
and
a frigid “
Yes? Can I help you?”
“Hi, Hunter.”
He nodded. “See they got you working here. All that college just to end up pushing nuts?”
His tone was light, but I wasn’t in the mood to be teased by anyone, let alone by a cop investigating my grandmother.
“What’s going on?” I finished with the register and slipped the folded moneybag in my purse for deposit later.
“Wanted to see how you were holding up.”
I nodded. “Fine. Just fine. People been coming in all day to say how shocked they are that Sheriff Higsby suspects my meemaw of poisoning the parson.”
Hunter took off his stiff deputy’s hat that left a hat ring around his closely shaven head. He gave me an exasperated look. “You know darned well the sheriff’s saying no such thing. If anybody’s putting stuff like that around, it’s somebody else. Sounds like an Ethelred Tomroy thing, you ask me.”
“Ethelred was here this afternoon. Demanded to talk to Meemaw. Something about promising to go somewhere with her. Tried to head her off but there’s no stopping Ethelred under full sail. She went right on out to the house. Meant to call and warn Meemaw, but I forgot. Anyway, Meemaw will get rid of her fast enough. But I’ll tell you, Hunter, she
is
in a state. All this uproar about her poisoning the parson. Terrible.”
“Then what we’ve got to do is get her busy finding what happened there at the supper. She sure was a help when your uncle died. I’d like to get that mind of hers going again,
“Can you blame her?” Jessie answered. “Library was buzzing with it. That’s really why I thought I’d run over and see how she was doing. I can’t imagine anybody thinking your grandmother would hurt a fly. Told a few what I thought today. Gossiping right there among the books. You know how much my family owes her. Even that first day we got here from Mexico—your grandmother greeted us like we were old friends. Helped us move into the house.”
Such a pretty, earnest face. She hadn’t always been treated well by Blanchards, despite what she said. It was my uncle Amos who proposed and then dumped her. The man had a lot going against him, including a taste for booze. Then I found him dead in my greenhouse. Made it even worse for Jessie, him coming home to do some good for once, and being murdered.
“Would you stop by and talk to her when you get home?” I asked. “Ethelred’s on her way out there. She might need a brighter face to look at.”
Jessie reached over and squeezed my hand, then stood. “I’ll stop by later. My mother’s waiting for the chilies I said I’d bring.”
“I’ll be out in my greenhouse later. I gotta catch up on my records. But if you want to come on out and talk? I feel like I’m going in circles on this. Maybe if the two of us tried to figure things out . . . Will you have time?”
“For you, my friend, I’d come anytime.”
“Let’s make it eight.”
She left with a Very Special Pecan Pie in her hands.
When the front door of the shop closed behind Jessie, it opened again immediately, Rivervillians coming in to buy a pie or some pecan candy or a box of pecans: one after another:
“Need a pie for supper, Lindy.” “Gotta pick up a jar of that Texas Caviar of Miss Amelia’s.” “Kids want some of the sandies.”
Another hour of one local after another. All, I suspected, there to show support, which made me feel good. And all telling me to give Miss Amelia their greetings. Nobody mentioned murder. These folks didn’t need to.
I was closing out the cash register as the bell jingled again, making me want to groan. I’d just said good-bye to Eula Hawley and was feeling drained of my last bit of strength.
Hunter Austen, still in uniform, made his way hesitantly up the aisle as if he wasn’t sure my greeting was going to be a warm one, or icy. He knew both moods well.
I chose a place between a pleased “
Happy to see ya”
and
a frigid “
Yes? Can I help you?”
“Hi, Hunter.”
He nodded. “See they got you working here. All that college just to end up pushing nuts?”
His tone was light, but I wasn’t in the mood to be teased by anyone, let alone by a cop investigating my grandmother.
“What’s going on?” I finished with the register and slipped the folded moneybag in my purse for deposit later.
“Wanted to see how you were holding up.”
I nodded. “Fine. Just fine. People been coming in all day to say how shocked they are that Sheriff Higsby suspects my meemaw of poisoning the parson.”
Hunter took off his stiff deputy’s hat that left a hat ring around his closely shaven head. He gave me an exasperated look. “You know darned well the sheriff’s saying no such thing. If anybody’s putting stuff like that around, it’s somebody else. Sounds like an Ethelred Tomroy thing, you ask me.”
“Ethelred was here this afternoon. Demanded to talk to Meemaw. Something about promising to go somewhere with her. Tried to head her off but there’s no stopping Ethelred under full sail. She went right on out to the house. Meant to call and warn Meemaw, but I forgot. Anyway, Meemaw will get rid of her fast enough. But I’ll tell you, Hunter, she
is
in a state. All this uproar about her poisoning the parson. Terrible.”
“Then what we’ve got to do is get her busy finding what happened there at the supper. She sure was a help when your uncle died. I’d like to get that mind of hers going again,
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