"A Murder In Milburn", Book 1: Death At A Diner Read Free Page A

out Shania Twain in style,” Nora said, giving Raquel a gentle nudge and a wide grin.
    “You make this pie?” Sean asked Nora.
    There was a sea change in her, he noted, when he asked her a direct question. The open ease with which she had leaned against Raquel changed into a defensive hunch. She nodded, mumbled, “Hope you enjoy it,” and bent down to pat Maynard.
    She was a quiet one, Sheriff thought. He always got a sense she was scared around him. He wondered what it was that scared her more – him or his badge.
    He spooned up the pie and bit in, making sure he got all the layers of cheese, mashed potato and meat. In his mouth, a symphony began. He shut his eyes to truly appreciate it, inhaled the wonderful scent of meat and cheese, and then took another bite. A hint of cinnamon, somewhere in the meat, and the spice of jalapeño hit his tongue. The cheddar cheese clung to the potatoes, adding a tang to his palate. He’d have scalded the roof of his mouth if he hadn’t made himself slow down.
    “Look at that,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Sheriff’s on a different planet.”
    Nora, who’d been playing, looked up and a huge smile spread across her face.
    “This,” Sheriff said, punctuating each word with a bite and swallow, “Is. Delicious.”
    “Savor it, Sheriff,” Raquel laughed. “Next time you eat some, you got to pay for it.”
    “I’ll pay for it now, I’m sure,” he said, patting his stomach. “This has got to be a calorie bomb.”
    “Oh, you and your calories,” Mrs. Mullally clucked. “In my day, we ate what we ate and didn’t think twice about it. None of this calorie business. We stayed healthy as horses too.”
    Sean wanted to reply but was cut short by the crackle of his radio. “Sheriff. We got a 187 over on Willow and Main, number 14.”
    “That’s Harvey Nathaniel’s office, isn’t it?” Mrs. Mullally asked. “What’s that boy up to now?”
    But the Sheriff, with a curt nod to them all, had already put on his hat and headed out.

    *****

Chapter 4
    The Sheriff had the handcuffed man seated in the back of his squad car. He had a flip board with a form on it and was looking carefully neutral as Ashley spoke to him.
    “So he barges into the office, demanding to see Harvey. Next thing I know, I hear a shot, and then the man threatened to shoot me! I screamed so loud all of Main Street must have heard me.” She mopped her brow dramatically, flipping her bangs out of the way. “My condition being what it is, all this stress is terrible for me!”
    “I’m sure it is,” Sean said. “Anyone call Jeremy over for you?”
    “He’s out of town,” she said. “Attending one of his silly sales conferences. I told him he’d make a lot more money if he focused on online sales, but he loves the old-fashioned hustle. Left me all alone in my condition, can you imagine?”  
    Sean wisely said nothing, knowing better than to get into a discussion about lazy husbands and their ever-suffering wives. “Two months along, are you?” he asked.
    “Just about,” she said. “We’re both so excited.” She caught sight of the gunman and shook her head. “Well, I’m glad Harvey knocked him out, that’s for sure.”
    “Harvey engaged in a physical fight with him?” Sheriff asked, noting it down.
    “I knocked him out when he turned his gun on Ashley,” Harvey said. He was hardly paying attention to the questioning. Sean frowned. A normal man would have been a little upset about being held at gunpoint in his own office. Harvey shrugged it off like a rocket-ship shrugging off gravity. He was sitting on the sofa, tapping away on his computer, and occasionally looking up to speak to the sheriff or Ashley.
    “You’re remarkably calm,” Sean noted.
    “You know Harvey, sheriff,” Ashley said. “He could be going bankrupt tomorrow, and he’d treat it with a yawn. The only time I’ve ever seen him nervous was when he was asking the new girl out.”
    “I think the sheriff wants to focus on