A Streak of Bad Cluck (Bought-the-Farm Mystery Book 3) by Ellen Riggs

Author:Ellen Riggs [Riggs, Ellen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989303535
Published: 2020-06-23T04:00:00+00:00

Keats pulled me out of the shop even harder than he’d pulled me in. It was as if he couldn’t shake the dark clumps of my hair off his snowy paws fast enough. He shook himself thoroughly and repeatedly, and his tail and ears drooped. I felt similarly grimy, but on the inside, from hearing the salacious tales of the Clover Grove elite. Why I thought it would be different here than anywhere else, I didn’t know. After what I used to hear about the private lives of Flordale staff, I thought nothing would shock me. It turned out I wasn’t immune after all.

Nearly a block away, an older woman with frizzy gray curls and an oversized coat that flapped in the breeze stepped in front of me. “You’re the youngest Galloway girl, right? The one with the farm?”

“That’s right. I’m Ivy and this is Keats.”

His tail came up and the white tuft waved. Either he liked her or he just liked being out and about again.

“I’m Maud Burnett. I went to school with your grandmother, Gardenia.” She paused for a moment. “Oh, how she hated that name.”

I laughed. “Floral names are the family curse. I figure I got lucky at the end of the line.”

“Well, you’re a lovely girl with a lovely name,” Maud said. “I was hoping you’d do something lovely now in memory of Edna Evans.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said. “Were you and Edna friends?”

“I tried,” Maud said. “Edna didn’t find friendship easy. But I’m very sorry she passed, and in the way she did. It wasn’t right.”

“No, it wasn’t,” I said. “I’m sure the police will figure out what happened.”

“I hope so, but they’ll have to cast a wide net. Edna had some detractors, as I’m sure you know. I hope your handsome brother will talk to Ted Tupper. He’s the one who petitioned to get Edna fired as school nurse. They retired her early, and it was a hit to her pride and her pension.”

“I’ll mention that to the police,” I said.

“Mention Linda Snead as well. Edna blamed a bout of salmonella on crab salad from Linda’s deli and ultimately the business shuttered due to the gossip. You know what this town is like.”

I nodded. “I sure do. Is that all?”

“Well, they’re already looking into the bridge club, I’m sure. But it might not be a bad idea to talk to Helen Randall over in Dorset Hills. She’s had nothing but harsh words for Edna for decades now.”

“And how did Edna harm Helen?” I asked. It was almost comical how many enemies Edna had amassed over a lifetime.

“She broke her husband’s heart, that’s how.”

My eyes widened. “Pardon me?”

“Before they were married, of course. It sounds like Merle Randall never got over Edna and poor Helen felt like the secondhand rose.”

“Ah, right. Merle, her former fiancé.”

Maud nodded. “I’m surprised she mentioned him at all. She must have liked you.”

“I think we were forging a bond,” I said. “As you say, she found that difficult.”

Maud clutched my arm.

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