Read Online Still Life in Brunswick Stew by Larissa Reinhart - Free Book Online

Eloise’s boyfriend, Griffin. He was at the cook-off today. He’s been known to get rough with her. Or maybe he’s not cautious enough with his Genuine Juice formula and gave everyone botulism.”
    “Did this Griffin get food poisoning, too?” asked Sid. “Or are you just narrowing down the possible victims of bad potato salad to the hundreds of people who attended the festival?”
    “Why does everyone think it was potato salad? Eloise didn’t eat potato salad.”
    “Probably because of the mayonnaise,” said Todd. “Bad mayo—”
    “I know what the effects of bad mayo are like. Eloise didn’t have spoiled mayo. You don’t vomit blood with off potato salad.”
    “Eww,” said Casey. “TMI.”
    “It’s not that the police can’t figure this stuff out,” I said. “They’re just slow. They’ve got to follow procedures. Wait on health inspector reports.”
    “So the Parkers have to wait, so what?” said Sid.
    “Sometimes the victim’s family wants swifter justice. Or at least answers. The Parkers have been through a lot with Eloise’s sickness. She had new meds which seemed to be helping. To lose her so suddenly and in such an odd way, they can’t grieve properly. And I know exactly how they feel,” I grabbed Eloise’s pot from the table. “I’m going home. I need to work on the classical paintings. I can’t let Eloise down.”
    “Did you walk here?” said Todd. “Want a ride?”
    I glanced at the bar. Luke and Shawna had their heads bowed together in conversation. Like a couple of chatty swans.
    “I don’t get that man,” I said. “But if I’m leaving without him, he better notice it. Particularly considering the Amazon with which he’s currently consorting.”
    I marched to the bar and tapped Luke on the shoulder.
    A sneer unfurled from Shawna’s glossy Ruby Lake lips. “I know what you’re up to. You-know-what is still missing, and I have a good guess what happened to them. So just remember what I can do to you if you plan on using them.”
    I blinked. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
    She curled in her middle fingers to point from her eyes to mine with her index and pinky. I assumed she was giving me the “I’m watching you sign.” Or perhaps Shawna was a Longhorns fan and wanted me to note it.
    “Just so you know, I’m leaving without you,” I said to Luke. “But if you want to make it up to me, you can model for me tonight.”
    “No, ma’am.”
    “Then I’ll see you at the farm for dinner tomorrow.”
    “If I want to make it up to you?” Luke said. “What about you?”
    “What about me?”
    “You questioned a kid with a switchblade. How do you think that makes me feel?”
    “I also elbowed him in the stomach and made him swallow his chew after he insulted me. I hope you’d be proud.”
    Shawna snorted. Which is not a pretty response for an ex-Brunswick Stew Queen.
    Luke’s lips clenched together. His eyebrow nerve pulsed. “I sure hope you’re joking,” he said through gritted teeth.
    “Luke, you wanted to speak to some of the cook-off judges,” said Shawna, placing a hand on his bicep. “Let me introduce you to these fine people before I drive them back to the hotel in Line Creek.”
    Luke cut his eyes to Shawna and back at me. “All right.”
    “Dinner’s at two tomorrow.” I clutched the Raku pot to my chest and spun on my heel, hoping he got a good view of my huff as it walked toward the door.
    Todd caught up with me outside. We slid into his Civic and tore out of the parking lot. It took us approximately one hundred and four seconds to reach my house. When Halo’s population shifted away from the old whistle stop center, the town rezoned many of the early twentieth century homes off the square for businesses. A few old families still occupied the original avenues of Loblolly and Magnolia. My Great-Gam’s ninety-year old cottage sat on the tail end of Loblolly, once the outskirts of town. Since we believe in keeping property in the