“Were you up late studying again?”
“Let’s just say microbiology and I are not friends,” Sandy said, and poured herself a cup of coffee. “But that’s hardly news. Please, tell me what’s happening with Claire. The entire town is abuzz with her…situation.”
“She’s been arrested for the murder of John Templeton,” Maggie said.
“But that’s ridiculous,” Sandy protested. “Claire’s not a killer. She’s the nicest person I know. If it weren’t for her using her library contacts to track down used medical textbooks for me, I never would have been able to afford the books for nursing school.”
“She’s great like that,” Maggie agreed. “My TBR—to be read—pile is perilously high because she keeps giving me books that I—”
“Just have to read,” Sandy said with her, and they both smiled.
“Do you think they’ll keep her in jail long?” Sandy asked.
“I don’t know,” Maggie said. “I don’t know much about the process, which is why I brought Max in to help.”
“He’s brilliant. He’ll help figure it out,” Sandy said. “Which reminds me, when all of this is over, I should see what he knows about microbiology.”
Maggie smiled and took a restorative sip of her coffee.
“So, what are you going to do now?” Sandy asked.
Maggie sighed. “There’s only one thing I can do, find the real killer.”
Chapter 15
Maggie spent the morning watching Josh so that Sandy could do some studying. Jake, Sandy’s husband, would be calling from Afghanistan, and Maggie knew that Sandy was having a hard time concentrating with Josh flitting around and her own excitement over hearing from her man.
She and Josh went out to the garden to pick several bowls of blackberries before the birds got them all, and then they played trains on the porch so that she could keep her promise to Claire and spend time with Mr. Tumnus, too.
Sitting on the floor and running her favorite trains, Donald and Douglas, across the wooden tracks, she mulled over the events of the day before while Josh ordered her trains about, doing a fair imitation of Sir Topham Hatt, the boss of all trains.
“Josh, your dad is on the computer! Come see him!” Sandy poked her head around the doorway.
“Daddy!” Josh clutched his train and toddled with his mother into the small bedroom, converted into an office, in the back of the house.
Maggie followed behind them—she always liked to see for herself that Jake was okay, and then give the couple their alone time.
The computer was on, and there beaming out of the screen was Jake. A handsome man, his hair was cut military short, and he was wearing his fatigues, which made him seem even more manly. It had to be that “man in a uniform” thing, Maggie thought. She had known Jake since he was in high school, and sometimes she still saw the knock-kneed, sweaty-palmed boy who had arrived on her sister’s doorstep with a wilting lily corsage to give to Sandy on their prom night.
Despite his grown-up good looks, Maggie couldn’t help but notice that he looked tired—not “I haven’t slept lately” tired, but more of a bone-weary tired, like if he ever got the chance to rest, he would sleep for a month.
He and Sandy talked using Skype, a free computer program that allowed them to see each other while they spoke, which was at least once a week. Sandy hefted Josh onto her lap, and he waved at his dad, who beamed even brighter at the sight of his big baby boy.
“How ya doin’, Josh-by-gosh?” Jake asked.
“Daddy, make the train whistle,” Josh demanded.
“Okay,” Jake agreed with a smile. Then he did a spot-on impression of a train whistle. Josh clapped in delight.
“Daddy, I smashed Auntie Maggie’s train!” Josh said. Then he made a loud crashing sound.
Jake laughed delightedly.
Maggie popped her head into the group and said, “Hi, Jake!”
“Hi, Aunt Maggie,” he said. “These two rascals aren’t giving you too much trouble, are
“Let’s just say microbiology and I are not friends,” Sandy said, and poured herself a cup of coffee. “But that’s hardly news. Please, tell me what’s happening with Claire. The entire town is abuzz with her…situation.”
“She’s been arrested for the murder of John Templeton,” Maggie said.
“But that’s ridiculous,” Sandy protested. “Claire’s not a killer. She’s the nicest person I know. If it weren’t for her using her library contacts to track down used medical textbooks for me, I never would have been able to afford the books for nursing school.”
“She’s great like that,” Maggie agreed. “My TBR—to be read—pile is perilously high because she keeps giving me books that I—”
“Just have to read,” Sandy said with her, and they both smiled.
“Do you think they’ll keep her in jail long?” Sandy asked.
“I don’t know,” Maggie said. “I don’t know much about the process, which is why I brought Max in to help.”
“He’s brilliant. He’ll help figure it out,” Sandy said. “Which reminds me, when all of this is over, I should see what he knows about microbiology.”
Maggie smiled and took a restorative sip of her coffee.
“So, what are you going to do now?” Sandy asked.
Maggie sighed. “There’s only one thing I can do, find the real killer.”
Chapter 15
Maggie spent the morning watching Josh so that Sandy could do some studying. Jake, Sandy’s husband, would be calling from Afghanistan, and Maggie knew that Sandy was having a hard time concentrating with Josh flitting around and her own excitement over hearing from her man.
She and Josh went out to the garden to pick several bowls of blackberries before the birds got them all, and then they played trains on the porch so that she could keep her promise to Claire and spend time with Mr. Tumnus, too.
Sitting on the floor and running her favorite trains, Donald and Douglas, across the wooden tracks, she mulled over the events of the day before while Josh ordered her trains about, doing a fair imitation of Sir Topham Hatt, the boss of all trains.
“Josh, your dad is on the computer! Come see him!” Sandy poked her head around the doorway.
“Daddy!” Josh clutched his train and toddled with his mother into the small bedroom, converted into an office, in the back of the house.
Maggie followed behind them—she always liked to see for herself that Jake was okay, and then give the couple their alone time.
The computer was on, and there beaming out of the screen was Jake. A handsome man, his hair was cut military short, and he was wearing his fatigues, which made him seem even more manly. It had to be that “man in a uniform” thing, Maggie thought. She had known Jake since he was in high school, and sometimes she still saw the knock-kneed, sweaty-palmed boy who had arrived on her sister’s doorstep with a wilting lily corsage to give to Sandy on their prom night.
Despite his grown-up good looks, Maggie couldn’t help but notice that he looked tired—not “I haven’t slept lately” tired, but more of a bone-weary tired, like if he ever got the chance to rest, he would sleep for a month.
He and Sandy talked using Skype, a free computer program that allowed them to see each other while they spoke, which was at least once a week. Sandy hefted Josh onto her lap, and he waved at his dad, who beamed even brighter at the sight of his big baby boy.
“How ya doin’, Josh-by-gosh?” Jake asked.
“Daddy, make the train whistle,” Josh demanded.
“Okay,” Jake agreed with a smile. Then he did a spot-on impression of a train whistle. Josh clapped in delight.
“Daddy, I smashed Auntie Maggie’s train!” Josh said. Then he made a loud crashing sound.
Jake laughed delightedly.
Maggie popped her head into the group and said, “Hi, Jake!”
“Hi, Aunt Maggie,” he said. “These two rascals aren’t giving you too much trouble, are
Similar Books
