A Sticky Situation by Jessie Crockett

to be full of people making merry on the water and along the shore when the weather was just right. If there was room to squeeze in a tent, or build even the tiniest structure someone would have done so.
    â€œOh, it is. But after a few years of ownership familieschange. People divorce, kids get on with their own lives. It can be a real mess.”
    â€œThat’s too bad.”
    â€œMost folks aren’t like your family with generations all wanting to keep the property in the family. The worst case is when old folks die and leave the property jointly to their heirs. Invariably a whole lot of ugly comes floating to the surface when some want to sell and some want to keep the place in the family. I can’t tell you how much I hate my job.”
    Karen gulped a long swallow of coffee and thumped her cup on the Formica table. The whole place was decorated with a duck and boat theme. Everywhere my eye landed, crudely finished wooden signs said things like LIFE IS BETTER AT THE LAKE and FLOAT YOUR CARES AWAY . Karen didn’t seem to be taking any of the sentiments to heart.
    â€œDo you ever wish you were still the town clerk instead?”
    â€œEvery damned day.” Karen leaned toward me, her eyes glowing like she had a fever. “That was the best job I ever had.”
    â€œYou still miss it after all this time?” I had never considered how attached someone might be to a town clerk position but apparently I had been shortsighted.
    â€œHealth care, vacation days, clear and enforceable policies, an employee handbook. Of course I still miss it.” Karen shook her head at me. “You know what I got now?”
    â€œI almost hate to ask.”
    â€œPhone calls and angry people banging on my door at all hours. People who aren’t happy with the size of their rental cottage. People who want to know why there isn’t Internet access in the middle of the lake. People who want me to call an exterminator if a chipmunk crawls onto the porch.”
    â€œNo wonder you miss the town hall.”
    â€œWhat I wouldn’t have given to have kept that job. I hope you haven’t bought yourself a property down here that you want me to manage. I only work for out-of-staters. I couldn’t stand seeing a client at the Mountain View Food Mart in the middle of the winter.”
    â€œNope. It’s nothing like that. I actually wanted to ask you about your time as the town clerk.”
    â€œWhy would you drive all the way out here to ask me about that?”
    â€œHad you heard that Spooner Duffy’s remains were found in the basement of the town hall?” I watched her face closely for twitching, lip biting, or other signs of discomfort. Karen just leaned in closer and let out a low whistle.
    â€œI’ve been in bed for two days with a bout of stomach trouble and then I’ve been playing catch-up with returning phone calls and all that stuff that goes with running a business. I hadn’t heard a thing.”
    â€œIt looks like instead of running off with the money from the festival, Spooner never left Sugar Grove.”
    â€œWhere’d they find him?” Karen asked. I told her about Russ and the coal pile and the spoons next to theskeleton. I didn’t mention Tansey. “So what’s any of this got to do with you?”
    â€œMy grandparents were distressed at how the renovations on the opera house have ground to a standstill because of Spooner’s body. I thought if we could hurry up and get to the bottom of how he happened to be there we could get the job completed.”
    â€œWas the money with him?”
    â€œNot as far as anyone can tell.”
    â€œBasements tend to be wet. I suppose the money could have rotted.”
    â€œI don’t know about that. The opera house is set up rather high and everything seemed pretty dry. His clothes were in decent shape.”
    â€œBut paper would probably take less time to decay than