Murder Creek by Donna Ball

Author:Donna Ball [Ball, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy mystery
ISBN: 9780996561099
Google: w2dtzQEACAAJ
Amazon: B084T96C6V
Publisher: Author
Published: 2020-03-09T13:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

Miss Meg’s Diner was famous for its homestyle country meals, hand-cut French fries, and desserts. From 7:00 until 9:00 in the morning, the businessmen of the town could be found solving the problems of the world over three-egg platters and melt-in-your-mouth sausage biscuits. The hard-working blue-collar fellows descended on the place around 11:00 a.m., loading up on the meat-and-three plates with a slice of pie to get them through the rest of the day. From then until 2:00 it was often standing room only while everybody in town tried to make the most of their lunch hours, and Buck had to edge through the crowd at the door to make his way to the counter. There were three or four people at the register, waiting to pay, but Meg saw him come in and raised her hand in acknowledgement. “With you in a shake, Buck,” she called out and disappeared into the kitchen.

He spoke to Ed Hague, who ran the local H&R Block office out of a turn-of-the-century white clapboard house a couple of blocks down, and who was at the counter ahead of him, waiting for his own order. They talked about nothing for a minute or two, and while they did Buck tried to decide whether to speak to Jolene, who was sitting at a table a few feet away, or pretend he hadn’t seen her. That was ridiculous, of course, because she had already seen him and nodded in acknowledgement as she lifted her sandwich for a bite. Buck nodded back, and that was when he noticed Dr. Ellory sitting at a table toward the back of the room. Buck excused himself to Ed and went over to him.

It was commonly accepted that Brett Ellory had treated everyone in town, but that probably wasn’t true. There were several other medical practitioners in the county, most of them with part-time office hours who worked out of the regional hospital, but Ellory was the oldest, and the most popular. He was finishing up a chicken salad plate when Buck approached, and he waved him over, wiping his lips with a paper napkin.

“How’re you doing, Buck?” he greeted him. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’m great,” Buck returned with a grin. “That’s why you haven’t seen me.”

Ellory chuckled. “Sit down. Let’s get you a glass of tea. I’m about to finish up here, but …”

“That’s okay,” Buck said, “I’ve got an order coming up to go, and I’m not going to interrupt your lunch.” Nonetheless, he pulled out a chair and sat down, mostly because this was police business and he didn’t want to have to shout over the chatter of the crowd. “I just wanted to ask you a quick question, if I could.”

“Go ahead.” The doctor used his fork to cut a bite of lettuce. “I’ll do my best.”

Buck said, “Where would I go to get my hands on some Seconal, if I had to?”

If Ellory was surprised by the question, he didn’t show it. He was perfectly aware of what line of work Buck was in.

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