Black and Blueberry Die (A Fresh-Baked Mystery Book 11) Read Free Page A

afford it now, and Danny just sounded so...so happy about it. Even in jail, when he talked about what could have been, he sounded like it would have been wonderful. And then he started to cry.” Mike shook his head. “I just can’t believe he’d hurt her.”
    Phyllis said, “People sometimes do things in the heat of an argument that they would never do otherwise.”
    “I know. Believe me, I’ve worked in law enforcement long enough to know there’s no limit to the terrible things people will do, even when you think they never would. If somebody else was telling me this story about their friend and said that he couldn’t possibly be a murderer, I’d be skeptical. But...it’s me, and it’s Danny, and I believe him.”
    For a long moment, none of them said anything. Then Phyllis asked, “Did Danny want you to come and talk to me about the case, Mike?”
    He nodded. “Yeah. He knew I couldn’t do anything to help him, that it would be a conflict of interest and could get me in trouble. But of course he’d heard about you and some of the things you’ve done...I guess most people around here have heard about that. You’re kind of a celebrity, Mom, whether you like it or not.”
    Phyllis didn’t like it. She had never set out to be a detective. She had lived nearly all of her life without ever solving any sort of mystery, other than figuring out who might have been cheating on tests in her eighth grade history class.
    Then, over the past few years, what had been a pleasant retirement surrounded by friends and family had been disrupted by a series of crimes in which Phyllis had had no choice but to get involved. To help those she cared about, she had investigated those murders and eventually turned up the guilty party. She had been suspected of various things and even wound up in jail herself for a short time, but everything had always turned out all right in the end. At least, as all right as it could have, considering some of the tragic things that had occurred.
    Mike went on, “Danny said he always thought it was cool that his best friend’s mom solved all those murders, but he never dreamed he would need you to help him someday.”
    “He wants me to investigate his wife’s death.”
    “It’s not an open case anymore,” Mike pointed out. “You wouldn’t get in any trouble with the law for poking around some.” He shook his head. “I hate to ask it, especially after I’ve spent all these years, well, fussing at you for getting mixed up in these things...”
    Carolyn said, “You were just trying to look out for your mother. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
    Sam said, “At least the crime took place in Fort Worth. The Weatherford cops and the Parker County sheriff don’t have anything to do with it.”
    “I don’t really know that much about the case,” Phyllis said. “Just what you told me and what I read about it in the newspaper. I never even met Danny’s wife. I’m not sure where I’d start.”
    “Just think it over,” Mike said. “If you don’t want to get involved, that’s perfectly all right. I understand completely.” He drank the rest of the lemonade in his glass and stood up. “I have to get moving. My shift starts pretty soon.”
    “I will think about it,” Phyllis promised.
    “Thanks, Mom.” Mike bent and kissed her forehead.
    “Give my love to Sarah and Bobby.”
    “Sure.” Mike lifted a hand in farewell. “So long, Sam. Thanks for the lemonade, Miz Wilbarger.”
    He got in the sheriff’s cruiser and drove away. As they watched the car roll on down the street, Carolyn said to Phyllis, “If you don’t help his friend, it’s not going to be perfectly all right and he won’t understand completely, no matter what he says.”
    “I don’t know,” Sam said. “Mike’s not the sort to hold a grudge.” He shrugged. “Still, when fellas play ball together, there’s a bond between ’em. It’s not like bein’ in combat with somebody, of course, but to a much