A Prickly Predicament (Mad River Mystery Series Book 1) by Barker Constance

Author:Barker, Constance [Barker, Constance]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Barking Mad Books
Published: 2016-02-02T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven: Insubstantial Evidence

I arrived at the mayor’s office at a little before nine. Annabelle was already there, and she greeted me with a warm hug. “How are you and Harriet doing these days?” she asked. “I haven’t seen you for some time.”

“I’m sure you’ve been busy, Madam Mayor,” I teased her.

“That’s ‘Annabelle’ to you, silly girl,” she teased back.

“We’re doing okay,” I told her. “I’m hoping Harriet will start to perk up and get interested in her life again soon.”

“Losing your mother was a real shock to the two of you,” she said. “Give it some time.”

Annabelle had led the charge of neighbors and friends who showed up to offer food and comfort in the days right after our mother died. The parade of casseroles, pot roasts, and fried chicken, not to mention all the cookies, pies, and cakes, filled our freezer and saved us from having to cook in those dark days when we didn’t care enough to cook for ourselves. That’s what people in small towns do when people they care about die. Feeling helpless in the face of death, they try to comfort whomever is left behind with food. So they cook, and they bring it to you until you have to ask them to stop. I will forever love them all for it, and Annabelle foremost among them.

Nick showed up next, with Matt close behind. “Hey,” Nick said when he saw me.

“Hey,” I said, and smiled at him.

To Annabelle he said, “The chief asked me to cover for him this morning. He’s still a little tied up.”

“Understood,” she replied.

“Where’s Nathan?” Matt asked as he took a chair.

“He called a few minutes ago and said he was running a little late this morning,” said Annabelle. She looked at her watch. “He should be here soon.” Annabelle O’Dell had been our town’s mayor for going on two years, and she was becoming known for running a tight, no-nonsense ship. The city budget was balanced for the first time in years, and Old Town business was better than ever, thanks to a smart local marketing campaign she and Matt had cooked up together. I hoped this little incident would not undo all their good efforts.

“Poor guy,” said Matt. “Lost his business partner and his best friend.”

“Yeah,” agreed Nick.

“That’s gotta be tough,” Matt added.

“Oh, here he is,” said Annabelle just as Nathan burst through the door.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said breathlessly. He seemed as antsy and jittery as he had been right after Adam’s grisly death. I guess he was taking it all pretty hard, or maybe he was just a naturally nervous person. He pulled a laptop out of the case he had carried in and set it up on the mayor’s desk so we could all see. “Kind of a small screen,” he apologized, “but I think you’ll be amazed at what the video shows.”

“Okay,” said Nick. He leaned forward in his chair to get a better view.

“Can everyone see okay?” Nathan asked. He adjusted the screen minutely and peered into our faces.

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