A Hopeless Christmas (A Hope Walker Mystery Book 5) by Daniel Carson

Author:Daniel Carson [Carson, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Daniel Carson Books
Published: 2019-12-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

I took a long hot shower and had an equally long cry. A man was dead. A man I had kissed just last night. It wasn’t that I thought Cameron Thomas and I were going anywhere. And it wasn’t like I had feelings for him. Okay, I had feelings for him… just not long-term feelings. I had what you might call short-term, after a very long hiatus from the world of romance, I very much liked kissing him sort of feelings. So I cried. I let the hot water wash my tears down the drain, and when I was done, I looked into the steam-filled mirror.

“Okay, Hope, enough. It’s time to work.”

I put on black jeans, brown knee-high boots, a charcoal-gray turtleneck, and a black jacket. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, grabbed my notebook, two pens, my laptop bag, and my phone, and went downstairs.

I found Bess in what had become her new normal position, busily making omelets for a line of tourists even though it was now lunchtime. Granny was bussing dishes, and after she dropped off a load, I tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned. “I just heard,” she said soberly.

“Which part?”

“There’s more than one part?”

“What did you hear?”

“A tourist just told me that Cameron Thomas was found dead this morning.”

“And that’s all you’ve heard?”

Her eyebrow went up, then she stuck her wrinkly hand down the front of her royal-blue Boise State football sweatshirt, retrieved a wad of cash, and held it out to me.

“Granny, why do you have so much cash in your boobs?”

“For times like this. I’ll go let the air out of the sheriff’s tires while you get a head start.”

“Why do you always think I need to run from the law?”

“Because even a broken clock is right twice a day. And one of these days I’ll be right.”

“Well not today. But there is something I need your help with. Honestly, I should have come to you guys before.”

She tucked the wad of cash back in her shirt. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying, Granddaughter?”

I nodded. “It’s time for a meeting of the Buck’s Diner Murder Investigation Club.”

Granny quickly called Buck, and they agreed that the diner currently had way too many nosy tourists for a sensitive discussion of murder. The Library was no good either. But Granny had another idea. Calls were made to the appropriate parties, and ten minutes later, after leaving Bess in charge at the bar, we found ourselves standing in Flo’s Beauty Parlor.

Flo was busy giving her newest beautician instructions on how to cut the considerable silver beehive atop Mrs. Bartholet’s head, but Flo and Granny exchanged a look, and both nodded. Then Granny grabbed my arm and we both took a seat.

Stank from Stank’s Hardware showed up next, along with his girlfriend, Cup, who ran the town Bakery. Zeke Roberson followed, and last to arrive was Dr. Bridges.

Leaving Mrs. Bartholet in the hands of the junior beautician, Flo walked over to us and leaned in close.

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