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Authors: Melissa Glazer
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her from calling, but that didn't mean I was going to give up on my friend. I was hoping the regularity of our morning cof fee breaks together would bring her to In the Grounds out of habit, if nothing else.
"Who are you going to talk to this early?"
"No time to chat. I'll call you later." I knew if I told my husband I was going to Shelly's Café, he'd refuse to stay home in bed. He loved her pancakes more than he loved mine, a point of contention between my dear husband and me since he'd first disclosed it.
Shelly looked surprised to see me as she worked at feed ing what was currently a light breakfast crowd. "I didn't know your alarm clock worked," she said as she slid three eggs, bacon, and a short stack of pancakes on a platter.
"I'll have one of those," I said.
"I don't care what you get, but you can't have that one," a burly man said from the other end of the counter. "That one's mine."
"Or is it?" Shelly asked. "How do you know Carolyn didn't phone ahead?"
"You don't take telephone orders," he said smugly.
"I do for my friends," she replied.
He looked as though he might cry.
"Let him have it," I said. "I'll wait my turn."
For a moment, I thought the man was actually going to kiss me. "Thanks."
"My pleasure," I said.
Shelly leaned forward. "Is that really what you want?"
"Make it two eggs, one piece of bacon, and some dry toast," I said, vowing to stick to my diet.
"Not even one pancake?" she asked.
"Well, just one," I said, promising myself I'd try walking home sometime myself.
She had my breakfast ready in no time, and since no other customers had come in, Shelly pulled up a stool and sat across from me at the counter. "Mind some company?"
"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you."
She nodded. "The sheriff came by. I figured the murder last night brought you in this morning. It must have been awful finding the body like that."
"It wasn't the most pleasant thing I've ever experi enced," I admitted, "but at least it wasn't David." I ex plained the similarities between David's and his father's hair colors and styles, and my confusion when I'd stumbled into the pit the night before.
"I never even thought of that," she said. "Have you seen him? How's he taking it? It's got to be tough losing a father you didn't even know."
"I haven't talked to him, or his mother. It wouldn't sur prise me if the sheriff has them both locked up by now."
Shelly frowned. "I know you're not a big fan of the man, but he's not as bad as you think."
"I don't know how he could be," I said. "The real reason I'm here is that I'm looking for more information."
"About Richard Atkins? Carolyn, I don't know anything I could swear to. All I hear are rumors and idle speculation around this place. You'd be amazed by what folks say here. It's almost like they forget I'm working back at the grill."
"I need to know what you've heard," I said. "I'm not about to accuse anybody of murder without facts, but I do need to know where to look. You mentioned the mayor and Kendra Williams. Do you have any other suspects in mind?"
She bit her lip, so I added, "Besides the obvious ones like Hannah and David? I'm not even going to consider either one of them at the moment."
She didn't look all that happy when she said, "It's possi ble, though. You have to admit that."
What was Shelly getting at? "Do you know something I don't?"
"Knowing and proving are two different things, aren't they? Each one of them had motive enough, didn't they?"
I stabbed a bite of pancake and ate it before I trusted my self to speak. "I'm not going to even think about that possi bility. Let the sheriff worry about them. I want to talk to people Hodges won't. Come on, Shelly, if you know some thing, tell me."
She hesitated, then said, "As soon as I heard about the murder, I started thinking about who might have killed Richard Atkins. Besides the four people we've talked about, I know of two other folks who might have hated him enough to kill him."
I waited ten seconds,
"Who are you going to talk to this early?"
"No time to chat. I'll call you later." I knew if I told my husband I was going to Shelly's Café, he'd refuse to stay home in bed. He loved her pancakes more than he loved mine, a point of contention between my dear husband and me since he'd first disclosed it.
Shelly looked surprised to see me as she worked at feed ing what was currently a light breakfast crowd. "I didn't know your alarm clock worked," she said as she slid three eggs, bacon, and a short stack of pancakes on a platter.
"I'll have one of those," I said.
"I don't care what you get, but you can't have that one," a burly man said from the other end of the counter. "That one's mine."
"Or is it?" Shelly asked. "How do you know Carolyn didn't phone ahead?"
"You don't take telephone orders," he said smugly.
"I do for my friends," she replied.
He looked as though he might cry.
"Let him have it," I said. "I'll wait my turn."
For a moment, I thought the man was actually going to kiss me. "Thanks."
"My pleasure," I said.
Shelly leaned forward. "Is that really what you want?"
"Make it two eggs, one piece of bacon, and some dry toast," I said, vowing to stick to my diet.
"Not even one pancake?" she asked.
"Well, just one," I said, promising myself I'd try walking home sometime myself.
She had my breakfast ready in no time, and since no other customers had come in, Shelly pulled up a stool and sat across from me at the counter. "Mind some company?"
"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you."
She nodded. "The sheriff came by. I figured the murder last night brought you in this morning. It must have been awful finding the body like that."
"It wasn't the most pleasant thing I've ever experi enced," I admitted, "but at least it wasn't David." I ex plained the similarities between David's and his father's hair colors and styles, and my confusion when I'd stumbled into the pit the night before.
"I never even thought of that," she said. "Have you seen him? How's he taking it? It's got to be tough losing a father you didn't even know."
"I haven't talked to him, or his mother. It wouldn't sur prise me if the sheriff has them both locked up by now."
Shelly frowned. "I know you're not a big fan of the man, but he's not as bad as you think."
"I don't know how he could be," I said. "The real reason I'm here is that I'm looking for more information."
"About Richard Atkins? Carolyn, I don't know anything I could swear to. All I hear are rumors and idle speculation around this place. You'd be amazed by what folks say here. It's almost like they forget I'm working back at the grill."
"I need to know what you've heard," I said. "I'm not about to accuse anybody of murder without facts, but I do need to know where to look. You mentioned the mayor and Kendra Williams. Do you have any other suspects in mind?"
She bit her lip, so I added, "Besides the obvious ones like Hannah and David? I'm not even going to consider either one of them at the moment."
She didn't look all that happy when she said, "It's possi ble, though. You have to admit that."
What was Shelly getting at? "Do you know something I don't?"
"Knowing and proving are two different things, aren't they? Each one of them had motive enough, didn't they?"
I stabbed a bite of pancake and ate it before I trusted my self to speak. "I'm not going to even think about that possi bility. Let the sheriff worry about them. I want to talk to people Hodges won't. Come on, Shelly, if you know some thing, tell me."
She hesitated, then said, "As soon as I heard about the murder, I started thinking about who might have killed Richard Atkins. Besides the four people we've talked about, I know of two other folks who might have hated him enough to kill him."
I waited ten seconds,
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