Fate Deals The Cards: A Stella Kirk Mystery #6 by Atkinson L. P. Suzanne

Author:Atkinson, L. P. Suzanne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy mystery, series, woman sleuth, amateur sleuth – all under mystery
Publisher: lpsabooks
Published: 2024-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Forensics Botched the Job

“I promise I’ll be home both Thursday and Friday.”

“Yeah, right,” Nick snickers, his mouth full of toast. “I scheduled the plumbers and landscapers, and expect Duke, too. I promised Trixie I’d make bread as my contribution for dinner Friday night.” He bends and feeds Kiki a piece of crust.

Stella hesitates. “What can I do?”

“Take the next few days off, like you said. The weather doesn’t sound good—late season ice storm forecast for Saturday into Sunday.”

“Really?” She’s out of touch. The thought of a visit to Trixie’s, with the entire family, provides a distraction. “Okay. Aiden and his staff have the tools to research the photo we found and find Odette, who must be Deena’s sister. They won’t need me.” She reaches for the jam. “We’ll take a kitchen day on Friday and prepare for a storm.”

He frowns. “Sort of. I’ll start with bread, but will you cook a chicken and boil potatoes and eggs? We’ll want food readied in case we lose power. Remember when we were without for three days two years ago? Not fun. I can load wood into the house. Our emergency water jugs are full. I expect the landscapers to cancel, but the plumbers and electricians are coming. I need to supervise.”

“No problem.” She scrunches her shoulders. “Tucked in for the weekend. Can’t wait.”

She races upstairs to prepare for their interviews in town. Her first stop will be Aiden’s office. She’s interested in the story of his encounter with Earlene and the key found with Deena’s possessions. He said he scheduled a re-interview with Patricia Brooks at the Groceteria to discuss the letter left for Deena. She’s curious to understand why Mrs. Brooks didn’t share the information initially. After coffee, they’ve planned meetings with each of the G-plex residents in their own unit.

****

“Detective North is in his office, Stella.” Sergeant Moyer greets her with a wave. She feels welcomed even when his ear is glued to the telephone receiver.

“Hi, Aiden. Busy?” She nods toward the stack of paper on his desk.

“Too much paperwork.” He jumps from his chair and grabs his topcoat off the hanger in the corner. “I will tell you my news once I find a decent cup of coffee.”

“Nick says there’s a storm on the way for the end of the week, on Saturday into Sunday.” They walk along the side street, cross Main, and turn toward the café.

“Wasn’t aware. Too busy at work. I arrive home and collapse.” He opens the door for her. “What kind of storm? Rain?”

“The weather guy on the radio stressed ice. Hard to predict in March.” She looks at Tiffany as she approaches.

“Did you say ice storm? We need another day closed,” she pouts. “Shall I fetch you both coffee?”

“Perfect,” Aiden gushes with an enthusiasm Stella hasn’t detected in his voice in weeks. “Hester Painter can find the proverbial needle in a haystack. I give her full credit. I should hire her as a search supervisor.”

The scent of coffee intensifies as Tiffany approaches.

“Drink

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