The Rocky Road to Ruin by Meri Allen

Author:Meri Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Chapter 22

Flo parked next to Mike’s car at the Love Nest. Yellow police tape sagged across the doors of the Nest and the barn.

“Are you okay going in there, Riley?” Flo said softly.

“I think so.” We got out of the car and walked to the far end of the barn. I swung open the doors (unlocked, of course) revealing Sadie, Buzzy’s 1970s era VW station wagon. I took stock. The orange paint was faded and rust spotted the finish, though the tires looked new.

Flo jutted her chin toward the other end of the barn. “That’s where you found Mike?”

“By the hay bales in the stall by the door,” I said.

Flo skirted Buzzy’s car, walked through the darkened barn and into a shaft of light streaming in through the stall window. She folded her hands and bowed her head. I hesitated, then joined her. After a few moments, Flo looked up, her eyebrows knitted together. “Who do you think killed Mike?”

I shook my head, not wanting to go into my suspicions. “I don’t know.”

“We all know the police talked to Darwin.” Flo turned and we edged past Buzzy’s car out of the barn. “But almost everyone who lives on Farm Lane was against Mike’s development plan. Me, Dandy, Gerri, the Brightwoods, all the kids on the farm. Aaron the Hermit, who knows? Construction would destroy the views. Nobody wants all these new houses popping up.” She gave me a rueful smile. “I know, what do they say? First-world problems.”

I had a momentary vision of all the neighbors trapping Mike in the barn. Would any of them kill Mike to stop the development?

“Well, Mike’s murder won’t stop people from wanting to develop this land.” I remembered what Kyle and Emily said at the Preserve Penniman meeting. With Mike gone, so was any pressure he’d put on Caroline to sell. It was all Caroline’s property now. No wonder Emily wanted to represent her.

“I remember talking to Buzzy about the land trust…” Flo’s voice faded.

Emily. She’d dated Mike. Mike used to meet high school girlfriends in the barn. “The usual place,” I whispered.

“Did you say something, Riley?” Flo said.

Could Emily have done it? She’d been upset seeing Mike with Angelica. Was she jealous and upset enough to kill him?

I shook my head. “Sorry, I’m a little distracted.”

“It’s okay, honey. We’ll talk later.” Flo patted my arm then got in her car and drove off.

The cops had to talk to Emily Weinberg. Was she even one of their suspects?

Sadie’s door opened with a creak of complaint. I eased into the sagging driver’s seat and turned with dismay to look in the back. The backseat, the passenger seat, it was all full of stuff.

Sheesh. Buzzy had definite hoarder tendencies. The back seat was piled with cardboard boxes. On the passenger seat was a stack of books with Penniman Library stickers on their spines, many cozy mysteries with cats on the cover. I made a mental note to return them.

The arm of a handknit white cardigan sweater trailed from under the books.

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