The Nut Case by Rayna Morgan

Author:Rayna Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: women slueths, women detective, murder, amateur female sleuth series, thriller suspense crime, female private investigator, wholesome mystery
Publisher: Rayna Morgan
Published: 2020-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

After leaving Archie, Lea retraced her route to the small town she drove through on her way to the farm. Drained from heat and dust, she wanted a break before beginning the drive back to Buena Viaje.

A faded sign declared the population of Hill Valley to be 7,627. She doubted the population number as much as she questioned the name. Rather than being surrounded by hills or valleys, the terrain was so flat she could see from one end of town to the other.

She passed an antique store displaying woven baskets and pottery, a hardware store, and a barber shop. A VFW Lodge offered Monday night bingo. A rusty sign propped against the side of a dilapidated auto shop advertised maintenance and repair services obviously no longer available.

Slowing at the Hill Valley Café, she had second thoughts about trying the food at a local eatery. But I need a place to cool off and collect my thoughts. I can opt for iced tea.

When she entered, the smell of onions and beef sizzling on a grill convinced her she made the right choice. A glass case beside the register displayed pies oozing with sliced apples and covered with crumb topping. The only customer was a middle-aged man sitting at the counter. Lea slid into a booth beside the window.

A waitress with blond hair piled on top of her head came through a doorway leading to the kitchen. She wore a white blouse and a black skirt that bunched at her waist. After refilling a cup in front of the other customer, she brought a menu to Lea’s table. “Coffee?”

Lea read the badge pinned to the woman’s blouse. “I prefer something cold, Mary.”

“Our lemonade’s squeezed fresh every morning.”

“That would hit the spot.”

The man swiveled on his stool and looked at Lea. She avoided his stare by reading a wall poster announcing a harvest festival.

Mary brought a frosty glass topped with lime. “What else can I get for you?”

“I wasn’t planning to eat, but those onions are making me drool. I’ll have a cheeseburger, please.”

“Fries or salad?”

A picture of Ryan in front of rows of healthy vegetables flashed through Lea’s mind. She shook her head to dissolve the image. “Bring on the fries.”

The waitress took the menu and disappeared into the kitchen.

The man leaned back with his elbows on the counter. He wore creased chinos, Italian loafers, and a shirt worn open to display a silver chain and chest hair. Wrinkles nested at the corners of his eyes. “You one of those reporters here to write about the nut farm?”

“You’re the second person to ask me that.”

He continued before she said the reason for her visit. “I doubt you learned much from the people at Sunny Orchards. They aren’t forthcoming, but I’d be glad to fill you in.”

Without waiting for an invitation, he picked up his cup and slid into the booth across from her, a man who didn’t ask permission to sit beside a pretty woman. “Everybody calls me BJ. I didn’t catch your handle.

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