9 One Fell Soup (Street Food Cozies Book 9) by Gretchen Allen

Author:Gretchen Allen
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Summer Prescott Books
Published: 2023-03-27T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Are murders something that happen around here often?” Myrtle Wilder asked Billie when she took a seat. They were outside near the large outdoor yoga studio that had been set up in the midway of the festival grounds. Carnival rides were typically set up in the area, but the place had been transformed. Large potted trees had been brought in and realistic-looking synthetic grass covered the asphalt. Large sections of the fake grass were covered with dozens of cushy yoga mats, and rows of white chairs surrounded the grassy area.

“Like any tourist island, we have our share of crime,” Billie said. She did her best to remain composed while she spoke to the fair organizers, but their questions over the past ten minutes had her yearning for the privacy and isolation of her tiny house.

“And remind me, Ms. Halifax, where is Mr. Scanlan exactly?” Tara Kingscourt asked her with the air of English nobility. Billie half expected to see her raise a pinky as she spoke.

“As I explained before, Asher is visiting family,” Billie said.

“Well, was there a death in his family or some other emergency?” Tara asked her.

“I don’t think that is really any of our business,” Hector Jamison replied. He was the oldest of the three, though his manners and kind eyes made Billie think of a much younger man when he spoke. Myrtle and Tara were the ones acting like aged curmudgeons.

“It most certainly is our business,” Myrtle protested. “I would like to know why the owner of this place would elect to leave at the exact time this fair was set to occur. One would think that such a large fair might be important enough for him to stick around. How very unprofessional.”

Billie swallowed hard before she spoke. Despite her concern about the fair, her patience was starting to wear thin. “Mr. Scanlan is the co-owner here,” she said. “I am the other owner, and I can assure you that we both have your concerns in mind. If you prefer, we can cancel the fair with or without law enforcement’s approval.”

“We’ve been through this already. No one is suggesting that we shut everything down,” Tara said. “We would just feel better if Mr. Scanlan was present to handle things.”

“What things would you like handled, exactly?” Billie asked. “If you prefer to remain open, nothing much has changed from the way things were going before Kelly was killed. I’ve left the door wide open to the police. As a matter of fact, it was me who called them in the first place.”

“And how exactly did that happen?” Myrtle asked her. “Why were you there?”

“Because there was an issue between two vendors about who had rented which space,” Billie said. “I dealt with it right away when I arrived with the paperwork to settle the dispute. My presence when the body was discovered was the result of me checking in on things.”

“Why weren’t we consulted?” Myrtle asked. “That should have been handled by the three of us.”

“I’m curious about that myself,” Hector said.

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