to me.”
“Oh, well, we tried.” Stephanie tilted her head to oneside as the jingle of the front doorbell interrupted her. “Sounds like a customer.”
Molly put down her mug and jumped up. “I’ll go.” She actually looked relieved as she sped out of the Nook, and Clara made a face at her cousin. “I don’t think she’s going to help that much.”
Stephanie got up from the couch and handed Clara the note. “Give her a chance. She’ll come around. I’d better get going. My mother will be waiting for me to pick up the kids.”
Clara followed her up the aisle to the front of the shop, her nerves tightening when she saw Molly at the counter talking to Roberta Prince. That was all she needed.
Roberta seemed agitated, talking very fast and loud, while Molly just stood there nodding her head. Stephanie hurried forward, saying, “Can I help you?”
No one can help that woman,
Clara thought, then felt guilty for being uncharitable. She hung back, ready to step in if Stephanie needed her.
“I just can’t believe it!” Roberta flung a carefully manicured hand at Stephanie in a dramatic gesture that would have gone over well on the stage. “What the hell was he thinking?”
Stephanie looked at Molly for help and received a shrug in answer. “Who are we talking about?”
“Rick, of course!” Roberta tugged at the colorful silk scarf that decorated her white shirt. “How could he have bludgeoned a man to death? I know he has a bit of a temper, but I never thought he would go this far.”
Clara closed her eyes, willing herself to stay silent.
To her surprise, she heard Molly say firmly, “Rick hasn’t actually been charged with murder. He’s just being questioned, that’s all.”
“Yeah,” Stephanie added, “that doesn’t prove a thing. All it means is that so far he’s the only one with any connection to the victim.”
Roberta scowled at her. “The body was found in Rick’s truck, and the murder weapon came from his store. What more do you need to be convinced he’s guilty?”
Clara could hold it in no longer. “A whole lot more. I should think you, of all people, would have some faith in him, considering you’ve been chasing after him all these months.”
“Clara—” Stephanie began, but Roberta silenced her with a swift movement of her hand.
Tossing her head, she advanced on Clara. “Trust me, darling, I have never,
ever
needed to chase after anybody. I’m usually the one running away. Rick and I have a special relationship, and until now I was under the impression that he was a decent, law-abiding citizen. Now that the police have arrested him for murder, I’ll have to reevaluate our friendship. If I were you, I’d do the same.”
“Rick hasn’t been arrested.” The soft voice spoke from the doorway, startling them all. No one had noticed the sound of the doorbell, and all heads turned to stare at the newcomer.
John Halloran stood in the doorway, smirking in his delight at causing a disturbance.
Stephanie was the first one to recover. She rushed forward, rudely shoving Roberta aside. “Has something happened? What have you heard?”
Obviously enjoying all the attention, John stepped forward and let the door close behind him. “I know,” he said, in a slow, deliberate tone, “because Rick is at this very minute across the street in the shop.”
Four voices gasped, then all spoke at once.
“When did they let him go?’
“What happened?’
“Thank heavens!”
“Is he okay?” Clara grabbed John’s arm. “He’s all right, isn’t he?”
John’s eyes gleamed behind his glasses. “Why don’t you go see for yourself?”
Roberta fluffed her blonde hair back from her face. “Well,
I’m
going to wait for more news before I go see him.” She stalked over to the door. “If I were you, Clara, I’d think twice about associating with a murder suspect.”
Clara ignored her and turned to Stephanie. Before she could say anything, Stephanie laid a hand on her
“Oh, well, we tried.” Stephanie tilted her head to oneside as the jingle of the front doorbell interrupted her. “Sounds like a customer.”
Molly put down her mug and jumped up. “I’ll go.” She actually looked relieved as she sped out of the Nook, and Clara made a face at her cousin. “I don’t think she’s going to help that much.”
Stephanie got up from the couch and handed Clara the note. “Give her a chance. She’ll come around. I’d better get going. My mother will be waiting for me to pick up the kids.”
Clara followed her up the aisle to the front of the shop, her nerves tightening when she saw Molly at the counter talking to Roberta Prince. That was all she needed.
Roberta seemed agitated, talking very fast and loud, while Molly just stood there nodding her head. Stephanie hurried forward, saying, “Can I help you?”
No one can help that woman,
Clara thought, then felt guilty for being uncharitable. She hung back, ready to step in if Stephanie needed her.
“I just can’t believe it!” Roberta flung a carefully manicured hand at Stephanie in a dramatic gesture that would have gone over well on the stage. “What the hell was he thinking?”
Stephanie looked at Molly for help and received a shrug in answer. “Who are we talking about?”
“Rick, of course!” Roberta tugged at the colorful silk scarf that decorated her white shirt. “How could he have bludgeoned a man to death? I know he has a bit of a temper, but I never thought he would go this far.”
Clara closed her eyes, willing herself to stay silent.
To her surprise, she heard Molly say firmly, “Rick hasn’t actually been charged with murder. He’s just being questioned, that’s all.”
“Yeah,” Stephanie added, “that doesn’t prove a thing. All it means is that so far he’s the only one with any connection to the victim.”
Roberta scowled at her. “The body was found in Rick’s truck, and the murder weapon came from his store. What more do you need to be convinced he’s guilty?”
Clara could hold it in no longer. “A whole lot more. I should think you, of all people, would have some faith in him, considering you’ve been chasing after him all these months.”
“Clara—” Stephanie began, but Roberta silenced her with a swift movement of her hand.
Tossing her head, she advanced on Clara. “Trust me, darling, I have never,
ever
needed to chase after anybody. I’m usually the one running away. Rick and I have a special relationship, and until now I was under the impression that he was a decent, law-abiding citizen. Now that the police have arrested him for murder, I’ll have to reevaluate our friendship. If I were you, I’d do the same.”
“Rick hasn’t been arrested.” The soft voice spoke from the doorway, startling them all. No one had noticed the sound of the doorbell, and all heads turned to stare at the newcomer.
John Halloran stood in the doorway, smirking in his delight at causing a disturbance.
Stephanie was the first one to recover. She rushed forward, rudely shoving Roberta aside. “Has something happened? What have you heard?”
Obviously enjoying all the attention, John stepped forward and let the door close behind him. “I know,” he said, in a slow, deliberate tone, “because Rick is at this very minute across the street in the shop.”
Four voices gasped, then all spoke at once.
“When did they let him go?’
“What happened?’
“Thank heavens!”
“Is he okay?” Clara grabbed John’s arm. “He’s all right, isn’t he?”
John’s eyes gleamed behind his glasses. “Why don’t you go see for yourself?”
Roberta fluffed her blonde hair back from her face. “Well,
I’m
going to wait for more news before I go see him.” She stalked over to the door. “If I were you, Clara, I’d think twice about associating with a murder suspect.”
Clara ignored her and turned to Stephanie. Before she could say anything, Stephanie laid a hand on her
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