letting Maggie know if she wasn’t interested he’d find someone else who was. Maybe he couldn’t afford the rent on the store?
“I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know one way or the other,” Maggie said in a more definite tone.
“That would be fine.” He nodded. It looked to Lucy like he wanted to smile, but realized it wasn’t appropriate. “Thanks again for coming.”
“You’re welcome,” Maggie turned. Lucy said good-bye to him and followed.
They didn’t speak until they were seated in Maggie’s car. Lucy yanked out her seat belt and clipped it. “So, that’s that. Not much of a send-off.”
“No frills, that’s for sure.” Maggie turned the key and started the engine. “I know they were in the middle of a divorce but I think he could have done a little better.”
“Maybe he didn’t know what to do. Men can be sort of inept.”
“Some men,” Maggie agreed. “Peter’s the fumbling type, that’s for sure. Which is why he was happy to let Amanda run the show.”
“At first he seemed so broken up. Then he was all business, in a rush to clear out her store. That was…bizarre.”
“Wasn’t it? Still think he doesn’t have a dark side?” Maggie prodded her.
“We all have one of those,” Lucy conceded. Though some people get the deluxe version, with more twists and turns.
Lucy glanced out her window, watching the slow procession of headstones roll by. “But I still don’t think he did it.”
Maggie carefully steered the car down the narrow lane between the rows of graves. “I guess that’s for the police to figure out.”
“Speaking of law enforcement, isn’t that our friends, Detective Walsh and Detective Reyes?”
“Where?” Maggie turned so quickly, Lucy was afraid she might drive right into a tree.
“Over there, parked near the gate.”
Maggie slowed the car as they approached the high arched gates and they both checked out the passengers of a black Toyota Camry, parked a few car lengths back from the entrance, facing the flow of traffic.
Lucy saw them clearly. Detective Walsh was seated behind the wheel with a grim expression and Detective Reyes was in the front passenger seat, looking alert, but not quite as stressed out.
“Should we wave or something?” Lucy joked.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure they recognize us.” Maggie’s tone was surprisingly serious.
When they returned to the Black Sheep, Dana had already arrived and was sitting with Phoebe at the oak pedestal table in the back of the shop. The table was set for lunch and they’d waited for Lucy and Maggie to begin.
Lucy noticed that they both had their knitting out and were making good use of the time, their needles clicking busily. She spotted three boxes of small gourmet pizza alongside a pile of paper plates and napkins. Her nose had actually alerted her to the surprising menu well before her eyesight caught up.
“Not exactly from the healthy choice aisle, Dana. What happened to that big Greek salad idea?” Lucy prodded her friend.
“Phoebe talked me into pizza. She had a coupon. Buy two, get one free.”
“We did get a big salad, see?” Phoebe added. The tiny stud in her nose caught the light, winking at Lucy. “You can have that if you don’t want any pizza.”
“Right.” Lucy sat down and surveyed the tantalizing spread. She found a pie covered with roasted asparagus, artichokes, and goat cheese and selected a slice.
“It’s amazing how walking around a cemetery works up an appetite,” she acknowledged between bites. “Once you start thinking about your mortality, a few fat grams just don’t seem that important.”
“No, they don’t, do they?” Maggie agreed, biting into her pizza.
“How did it go?” Dana tucked a napkin into the neckline of her fine-gauge V-neck sweater. “Did she have a decent turnout?”
“More than I expected,” Lucy admitted.
Dana neatly cut into her slice of pizza with a plastic knife and fork. “How was Peter? Did he look
“I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know one way or the other,” Maggie said in a more definite tone.
“That would be fine.” He nodded. It looked to Lucy like he wanted to smile, but realized it wasn’t appropriate. “Thanks again for coming.”
“You’re welcome,” Maggie turned. Lucy said good-bye to him and followed.
They didn’t speak until they were seated in Maggie’s car. Lucy yanked out her seat belt and clipped it. “So, that’s that. Not much of a send-off.”
“No frills, that’s for sure.” Maggie turned the key and started the engine. “I know they were in the middle of a divorce but I think he could have done a little better.”
“Maybe he didn’t know what to do. Men can be sort of inept.”
“Some men,” Maggie agreed. “Peter’s the fumbling type, that’s for sure. Which is why he was happy to let Amanda run the show.”
“At first he seemed so broken up. Then he was all business, in a rush to clear out her store. That was…bizarre.”
“Wasn’t it? Still think he doesn’t have a dark side?” Maggie prodded her.
“We all have one of those,” Lucy conceded. Though some people get the deluxe version, with more twists and turns.
Lucy glanced out her window, watching the slow procession of headstones roll by. “But I still don’t think he did it.”
Maggie carefully steered the car down the narrow lane between the rows of graves. “I guess that’s for the police to figure out.”
“Speaking of law enforcement, isn’t that our friends, Detective Walsh and Detective Reyes?”
“Where?” Maggie turned so quickly, Lucy was afraid she might drive right into a tree.
“Over there, parked near the gate.”
Maggie slowed the car as they approached the high arched gates and they both checked out the passengers of a black Toyota Camry, parked a few car lengths back from the entrance, facing the flow of traffic.
Lucy saw them clearly. Detective Walsh was seated behind the wheel with a grim expression and Detective Reyes was in the front passenger seat, looking alert, but not quite as stressed out.
“Should we wave or something?” Lucy joked.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure they recognize us.” Maggie’s tone was surprisingly serious.
When they returned to the Black Sheep, Dana had already arrived and was sitting with Phoebe at the oak pedestal table in the back of the shop. The table was set for lunch and they’d waited for Lucy and Maggie to begin.
Lucy noticed that they both had their knitting out and were making good use of the time, their needles clicking busily. She spotted three boxes of small gourmet pizza alongside a pile of paper plates and napkins. Her nose had actually alerted her to the surprising menu well before her eyesight caught up.
“Not exactly from the healthy choice aisle, Dana. What happened to that big Greek salad idea?” Lucy prodded her friend.
“Phoebe talked me into pizza. She had a coupon. Buy two, get one free.”
“We did get a big salad, see?” Phoebe added. The tiny stud in her nose caught the light, winking at Lucy. “You can have that if you don’t want any pizza.”
“Right.” Lucy sat down and surveyed the tantalizing spread. She found a pie covered with roasted asparagus, artichokes, and goat cheese and selected a slice.
“It’s amazing how walking around a cemetery works up an appetite,” she acknowledged between bites. “Once you start thinking about your mortality, a few fat grams just don’t seem that important.”
“No, they don’t, do they?” Maggie agreed, biting into her pizza.
“How did it go?” Dana tucked a napkin into the neckline of her fine-gauge V-neck sweater. “Did she have a decent turnout?”
“More than I expected,” Lucy admitted.
Dana neatly cut into her slice of pizza with a plastic knife and fork. “How was Peter? Did he look
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