In the Dead of Winter by Mehl Nancy

Author:Mehl, Nancy [Mehl, Nancy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, romance, cozy mystery, small town, inspirational
Publisher: Greenbrier Book Company
Published: 2011-12-22T07:00:00+00:00

“I recognize that,” Amos said. “She brought it to every one of our church dinners.”

“Well, we can mark that off our list.” I slid the tablecloth back into the drawer. “Too bad it won’t be used again,” I said softly. “Bitty loved it so.”

Amos frowned at me as I sat down next to him. “Won’t be used again? What do you mean? It’s yours now, Ivy. You’ll use it.”

I sighed with exasperation. “Why do I keep forgetting that? I know in my head that Bitty’s things belong to me, but somewhere in my heart, I can’t accept it.”

Amos grunted. “I don’t have enough time to explain that to you today. Maybe you should think about it yourself.”

He picked up his pen and checked number two off the list. I wasn’t sure what he meant by his comment, but I had the distinct feeling it wasn’t a compliment. I felt a slight rush of anger. Why wasn’t Amos more understanding? He knew I loved Bitty. Before I could build my resentment up a little more, he read off the next entry on our list.

“D—coming here?” He put the pen down. “That’s easy, too. D is for Dewey. She was wondering if Dewey was coming to pick her up for the church supper.”

I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair. “How do you know this note was about the church supper?”

Amos looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Amos, this is the first clue we have about someone coming here on the day Bitty died.”

Amos’s eyebrows shot up in amusement. “You surely don’t suspect Dewey Tater. That’s ridiculous. Dewey wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially your aunt.”

“Look,” I said, shaking my head, “I feel funny bringing this up, but aren’t we supposed to look at the evidence logically? Without emotion?” I leaned over closer to him. “Why did Bitty postpone their wedding? What was it that changed her mind? What if she knew something about Dewey—something he couldn’t risk having anyone else find out? Or what if he felt rejected and killed her in a crime of passion?”

Amos whooped with laughter. “Dewey Tater? A crime of passion? Holy cow, Ivy. Have you ever even met Dewey?”

I had to admit that it sounded silly, but I was determined to find Bitty’s killer—no matter what. “Look, Amos,” I said, fighting to keep my temper in check, “we can’t rule out anybody. Even Dewey. Now let’s move on.”

We continued with the list, trying to solve the rest of Bitty’s cryptic messages. I was pretty sure number seven was a note to put a casserole in the oven for the church dinner, but except for number nine, which was obviously a note to call me, we couldn’t decipher anything else. I quickly wrote out another copy of the list for Amos.

“Take this with you,” I said. “Maybe something will occur to you. I think we should concentrate on that particular Wednesday. We know Bitty’s normal schedule, and we know there was a church dinner that night. Perhaps we’ll interpret most of these entries if we focus on those two things.

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