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Authors: Melissa Glazer
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you."
"Why would they do that?"
"Some folks might think having to drink your coffee was a crime."
At least it gave me something to do. After the coffee had brewed, Bill grabbed a tray and filled it with mugs, and I got the pot.
To my relief, the body was gone by the time we got out there. The sheriff said, "I thought I told you to stay inside."
"We brought you and your staff some fresh coffee," I said as I took in the scene: crime tape surrounded my kiln, portable lamps lit up the yard, and an officer was filming the whole thing.
"That would be nice," he admitted as he took a mug from me.
"So, do you know what killed him yet?" I asked as casu ally as I could manage while Bill handed out mugs to the rest of the force.
"Is that why you're suddenly being so nice?" he asked. "Are you out here trying to mine me for information?"
"Forget I said anything," I said.
After a few sips of coffee, Sheriff Hodges said, "Sorry. Murder always puts me on edge. I'd tell you if I could, but it's not time to release that information yet." He gestured with the cup. "Thanks for the brew."
"You're welcome," I said.
After he was finished, he handed me the mug. "That was mighty hospitable of you, Carolyn."
"It was Bill's idea," I admitted.
"Tell him I said thanks, then." He paused and said, "He was beaten up pretty bad." Then asked, "Did David ever turn up?"
"You honestly can't suspect him of killing his own fa ther, can you?"
He paused a second before answering. "There's no telling what a shock like that might do to his system. Now, don't get in an uproar. I need to talk to him, that's all. Surely you can see that yourself. How about Hannah? Why isn't she here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Carolyn Emerson, I'll give you ten to one that you called her right after your husband called me. Don't make me pull the phone records to prove it."
"What makes you think I didn't call her before I called you?"
"I doubt Bill would let you. So let me ask you this. Why isn't she here? She's got a stake in it—even you have to ad mit that."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said as I turned and walked away.
As Bill and I collected the rest of the mugs, I did my best to avert my gaze from the raku pit. It was as dead to me now as Richard Atkins.
My thoughts returned to David. His disappearance would look bad for him, but why would David kill Richard? The man was his father, albeit an absentee one. Then I real ized that Richard, in the guise of Charles Potter, had also been his hero. There was no telling what he might do given that combination. Could Hannah have killed him? She had reason enough. At least she had twenty years ago. But that was a long time to hold a grudge. Or was it? There had to be other suspects, including the ones Shelly had mentioned earlier that day. I wondered if the mayor, Harvey Jenkins, or that gossip Kendra Williams had alibis for this evening, or if Sheriff Hodges would even get around to asking them. No, most likely he'd focus on David and Hannah, two of my fa vorite people in the world. I was not going to let him pin this murder on either one of them. Whether Bill liked it or not, that meant that I was going to have to do a little digging on my own.
Chapter 5
"I'll see you this evening," I told my husband the next morning after I kissed his cheek.
"Where are you going at this hour?" he asked as he sat up in bed. "It's the middle of the night."
"It's 6 a.m.," I corrected him. "I have some errands to run before I open Fire at Will."
"Hang on a second. Let me get dressed and I'll go with you." He started to get up, and I put a hand on his shoulder.
"Go back to sleep. I'm perfectly capable of being on my own."
He rubbed his eyes. "Have you talked to Hannah al ready?"
"No, but I'm hoping she meets me for coffee this morn ing. She usually calls to cancel if she can't make it, and I never heard from her last night." I was painfully aware of the extenuating circumstances that might have kept
"Why would they do that?"
"Some folks might think having to drink your coffee was a crime."
At least it gave me something to do. After the coffee had brewed, Bill grabbed a tray and filled it with mugs, and I got the pot.
To my relief, the body was gone by the time we got out there. The sheriff said, "I thought I told you to stay inside."
"We brought you and your staff some fresh coffee," I said as I took in the scene: crime tape surrounded my kiln, portable lamps lit up the yard, and an officer was filming the whole thing.
"That would be nice," he admitted as he took a mug from me.
"So, do you know what killed him yet?" I asked as casu ally as I could manage while Bill handed out mugs to the rest of the force.
"Is that why you're suddenly being so nice?" he asked. "Are you out here trying to mine me for information?"
"Forget I said anything," I said.
After a few sips of coffee, Sheriff Hodges said, "Sorry. Murder always puts me on edge. I'd tell you if I could, but it's not time to release that information yet." He gestured with the cup. "Thanks for the brew."
"You're welcome," I said.
After he was finished, he handed me the mug. "That was mighty hospitable of you, Carolyn."
"It was Bill's idea," I admitted.
"Tell him I said thanks, then." He paused and said, "He was beaten up pretty bad." Then asked, "Did David ever turn up?"
"You honestly can't suspect him of killing his own fa ther, can you?"
He paused a second before answering. "There's no telling what a shock like that might do to his system. Now, don't get in an uproar. I need to talk to him, that's all. Surely you can see that yourself. How about Hannah? Why isn't she here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Carolyn Emerson, I'll give you ten to one that you called her right after your husband called me. Don't make me pull the phone records to prove it."
"What makes you think I didn't call her before I called you?"
"I doubt Bill would let you. So let me ask you this. Why isn't she here? She's got a stake in it—even you have to ad mit that."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said as I turned and walked away.
As Bill and I collected the rest of the mugs, I did my best to avert my gaze from the raku pit. It was as dead to me now as Richard Atkins.
My thoughts returned to David. His disappearance would look bad for him, but why would David kill Richard? The man was his father, albeit an absentee one. Then I real ized that Richard, in the guise of Charles Potter, had also been his hero. There was no telling what he might do given that combination. Could Hannah have killed him? She had reason enough. At least she had twenty years ago. But that was a long time to hold a grudge. Or was it? There had to be other suspects, including the ones Shelly had mentioned earlier that day. I wondered if the mayor, Harvey Jenkins, or that gossip Kendra Williams had alibis for this evening, or if Sheriff Hodges would even get around to asking them. No, most likely he'd focus on David and Hannah, two of my fa vorite people in the world. I was not going to let him pin this murder on either one of them. Whether Bill liked it or not, that meant that I was going to have to do a little digging on my own.
Chapter 5
"I'll see you this evening," I told my husband the next morning after I kissed his cheek.
"Where are you going at this hour?" he asked as he sat up in bed. "It's the middle of the night."
"It's 6 a.m.," I corrected him. "I have some errands to run before I open Fire at Will."
"Hang on a second. Let me get dressed and I'll go with you." He started to get up, and I put a hand on his shoulder.
"Go back to sleep. I'm perfectly capable of being on my own."
He rubbed his eyes. "Have you talked to Hannah al ready?"
"No, but I'm hoping she meets me for coffee this morn ing. She usually calls to cancel if she can't make it, and I never heard from her last night." I was painfully aware of the extenuating circumstances that might have kept
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