Great Balls of Fury (Federal Bureau of Magic Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Annabel Chase

Author:Annabel Chase [Chase, Annabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
Published: 2019-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

By the time I arrived, Chief Fox and Deputy Guthrie were deep in conversation as the body was transported out of the building.

“What happened?” I interrupted. No point in waiting for them to notice me.

Chief Fox looked at me with surprise. “Agent Fury, how did you…?”

“I have a dentist appointment,” I lied. I couldn’t throw Neville under the bus. His listening devices were worth their weight in gold.

“So did Elliott Bradford,” Sean said. “He never made it.”

“He was found in the elevator,” Chief Fox said. “Looks like a heart attack.”

“Did the elevator malfunction?” I asked.

“We’ve asked the building manager to check. No one noticed an issue with the elevator until another patient tried to leave Dr. Myslinski’s office. They hit the button multiple times until the doors finally opened.”

“And she found Elliott dead on the elevator floor,” Sean said.

“Do we think this is connected to Chief O’Neill?” I asked.

“I don’t see how,” Chief Fox replied. “Bradford was a sixty-five year old man. A heart attack isn’t suspicious.”

I was inclined to agree.

“Not every death is a murder, Eden,” Sean said. “This isn’t San Francisco.”

“No, if this were San Francisco, you’d be asking if they want fries with that,” I snapped.

Sean scratched his head. “Fries with what?”

“I’m about to call his wife,” Chief Fox said. “Man, I hate this part of the job.”

I empathized with that. “By the way, what happened with Lawrence Whitaker?”

“His alibi checked out,” the chief said.

Disappointment settled in the pit of my stomach. I would have been perfectly happy to see a guy like Lawrence get his just desserts.

The entrance door flew open and a woman rushed into the lobby. Her hair was in curlers and she wore sweatpants paired with a pajama top. “Where is he? Where’s my Elliott?”

Chief Fox moved to intercept her. “Are you Marianne Bradford?”

“Yes.” She nodded vigorously.

“I’m Chief Fox. I’m afraid I have bad news about your husband.”

Marianne’s expression crumpled. “No, don’t say it. If you don’t say it, then it isn’t real.”

Chief Fox placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Mrs. Bradford, I’m sorry to tell you that your husband is dead.”

Marianne began to whimper. “How? Was he mugged?”

“No, he wasn’t mugged,” the chief said.

“Are you sure? Because crime in this town has had an uptick since Chief O’Neill died,” she said.

“It’s been like a week,” I said.

“Where did you hear that?” Sean asked. He seemed miffed, not that I blamed him.

Marianne flicked a dismissive finger. “Everyone’s talking about it. I was in the salon yesterday and half the customers were putting Xanax in their protein shakes. That’s how worried they are about their safety.”

Chief Fox patted her arm. “The situation isn’t dire, Mrs. Bradford. In fact, muggings in Chipping Cheddar are extremely rare.”

“Then what happened to my husband?” she asked, blinking back tears.

“Heart attack,” Sean said. “He was found in the elevator. We’re not sure whether the elevator was stuck and he panicked or what. We’re getting whatever information we can.”

Marianne adjusted a loose curler in her hair. “What do you mean he was found in the elevator?”

Chief Fox pointed to the elevator.

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