Rude Awakening by Debra Riepl

Author:Debra Riepl [Riepl, Debra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-18T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

Friday morning's air still smelled sweet and clean from the rain the night before. I let Rusty out, then quickly threw on shorts and a T-shirt. We ran three miles around Rocky Mountain Lake Park, which was littered with torn leaves and twigs from the hail. The Canada geese who waddled across the paths were undamaged by the storm and unconcerned about any other beings in their territory.

After showering, I dressed in skinny black jeans and a cream and copper southwestern print tunic top. Heading into the kitchen, I fixed a bowl of fruit for myself and warmed a little leftover chicken in the microwave to mix with Rusty's kibble. I knew I was spoiling him but still felt guilty about not understanding what he'd tried to tell me the night before.

Sipping my first cup of coffee, I felt stymied about Angie's murder. I really thought that Gino was the intended victim, and that Madison, Christina, and Trent were all looking guilty. I'd told Griffin that I wouldn't talk to Trent—at least not right away. What I could do is talk with Christina again today. I could ask her about Trent's alibi as well as her own and see if I could find a way to rattle her into revealing something. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was barely after 6:00. Too early to contact Christina. I sighed. The other thing I could try was talking with the barista at Madison's shop to see what he had to say about Sunday afternoon. He'd probably be working first thing in the morning, which I assumed was a busy time for coffee shops. I poured the rest of the pot of coffee into a thermos for later and left it on the counter. I stuck my cell phone in my pocket and walked over to the street that held both Gino's and Madison's shops.

I strolled to the door of Coffee Dunn Right and was surprised to see the barista standing just inside the door with the Closed placard still in place. He motioned to the placard, peering around me nervously. I saw no sign of Madison. "Is something wrong, Robert?"

He glanced toward the back of the shop, then up and down the street, before opening the door slightly. "It's Madison. I found her unconscious when I got here a few minutes ago. I called 9-1-1, and I'm waiting for them to get here."

"Robert, if you let me in, I'll stay with Madison while you watch for the ambulance. Did you try CPR?" I wondered if she'd also overdosed on caffeine.

"No." He looked shocked and miserable. He opened the door to let me in, quickly locked it behind me, and trotted to the area beside the counter where he pointed to the floor. "She must have fallen and hit her head."

Madison lay on her back with a pool of blood around her head. I quickly checked her breathing, which was shallow, and her pulse, which was faint. "Good thing that you called 9-1-1 right away, Robert.

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