If Catfish Had Nine Lives (Country Cooking School Mystery) by Paige Shelton

interest in the tombstone was unmistakable, even though I wasn’t sure it meant much of anything.
    “No one has ever told you what Astin looked like?” I said.
    “No, never.”
    I had no idea what my great-great-grandparents looked like either, so it was understandable. Maybe if Astin’s disappearance had been bigger news, his legend and his looks would have been better passed down.
    “Jake dug a little deeper and told me that Charlie definitely was successful. He and his wife, Laura, ran the general store for all their married lives.”
    “I bet Jake can line up your whole family tree from there if you’d like,” I said.
    “He offered, but I hate to ask him to do anything else.”
    “I wouldn’t worry about that. He enjoys that kind of stuff.” I paused. “You two have a good evening?” I asked as casually as possible.
    Esther looked at me and laughed. “He told me that you and he were best friends and that you’d probably pump me for details if you saw me before you saw him.”
    “Guilty.” I smiled.
    “We had a great time. He’s a special guy.”
    “Yes!” I cleared my throat. “Yes, he is.”
    Esther blushed, and then turned her attention back to the tombstone.
    “Hey, can I ask you about something else?” I said.
    “Sure.”
    “My brother, Teddy, was hanging out at the campsite. Do you know who he is?”
    “No.”
    “A really good-looking guy.”
    Esther thought a second. “Norman’s friend?”
    I swallowed and then nodded. I wasn’t completely sure they were friends, but I went with it.
    “Okay, yeah, I know him.”
    “Did you talk to him?”
    “I think I did. Once. Briefly.”
    “Can I ask what you were talking about?”
    “I don’t think it was more than a friendly greeting.”
    “Did you see what happened after you talked to him? Did you see anyone take him anywhere?”
    “Betts, is your brother missing?”
    “No, no, I’m just trying to figure out what happened that night. I know that sounds strange, but I’m extra protective of him.”
    “Oh, well, the only person I saw him with was Norman, but I spent a good chunk of time over at the Pony Express station that night. My curiosity has been recently piqued, if you know what I mean.”
    “I do,” I said distractedly. “So, how about Norman, did you know him at all?”
    “We just chatted, too.”
    “Hmm.”
    Esther put her hand on my arm. “You okay?”
    “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get some answers, but it’s nothing serious.” It wasn’t common knowledge that Teddy had been beaten, though I wondered about the spread of gossip at the campsite. Teddy’s condition was more than serious, but if Esther hadn’t heard about it, I wasn’t ready to disseminate the news.
    “Okay.” She looked at the tombstone one more time, and then at me. “I think I’ll head back over to the parking lot. The cooking demonstrations are interesting. I just couldn’t pass up the chance to look for Charlie. You want to come with me?”
    “Go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute,” I said, being a less-than-perfect host.
    “Sure,” she said before she smiled at me again and then made her way across the cemetery.
    Once she was out of earshot, I looked up at Joe. His focus was still on the tombstone.
    “You’re Charlie or Astin, aren’t you?” I said.
    “I know my name is Joe.”
    I looked into the horse’s eyes. “You know anything else?”
    The horse nodded, but unfortunately still wasn’t talking.

Chapter 11

    “You look better,” I said to Teddy.
    He laughed. “I look like I got the tar kicked out of me.”
    “Okay, you win.” I smiled. I was relieved he was well enough to joke. When the Dutch oven cooking demonstrations ended, I told Gram I had to run a quick errand before we could help Joe with the letter. I could tell she wasn’t pleased about the delay, but she pretended she was okay with it.
    Teddy lived in a cabin right inside the perimeter of the woods that surrounded Broken Rope, the side