Chocolate-Covered Crime Read Free

phone. Sorry. I didn’t think to use my cell phone. I’m a little stressed right now. Plus, the desk was right there. Okay, so you know my fingerprints are on it. That shouldn’t complicate things too much. Wait a minute. How did you know I was here?”
    “April told me earlier that you had an appointment. We heard the call come through. I put two and two together. Besides, you’re drawn to trouble. We’re on our way. Keep on not touching anything.” Click .
    Joe always was a man of few words. After slipping my cell phone back into my purse, I switched my attention back to dispatch. The woman droned on about CPR and how to staunch the blood flow.
    Horror . “I’m not sure I should flip her on her back with something stuck there. Should I pull it out?” Please say no. The operator coaxed me on what to do, just in case, and to definitely not pull out the letter opener. My heart rate returned to normal. Sherry still stood nearby, as worthless as a chewed wad of gum.
    “Get something to slow down the bleeding,” I ordered.
    Her eyes grew to the size of half dollars. “I don’t do blood.”
    Good grief . Could I threaten to press charges for not assisting in trying to save someone’s life? I glanced at my cousin. “Hang on, Mae Belle. You can’t die. We’ve got a wedding to plan.” Sirens wailed outside the building. “Help is here.” I hung up on the dispatch operator and leaned against the desk for support.
    During a crisis, I’m okay. Afterward, it all catches up to me. My skin grew clammy, my hands shook, and spots danced before my eyes. I watched the paramedics through tunnel vision.
    “What’s wrong with you?” Chief of police and man of compassion, Cousin Joe peered at me. “You aren’t going to faint, are you? One semiconscious body is all we can handle at a time.”
    “I’m. . .” Peeking from beneath the desk pad was what appeared to be Mae Belle’s appointment book. I turned to face Joe, hiding the desk behind my back. I bet her attempted murderer was in that book. Amazing how the promise of another exciting mystery made me feel better. “I’m fine. Just woozy for a second. Thanks for being concerned.”
    “Right.” He rushed off to do whatever it is he does and called over his shoulder, “don’t go anywhere.”
    Sherry leaned against the wall, her eyes shooting daggers at me, as another officer took her statement. Her antagonistic attitude wore on me. Death and destruction wherever I go? That was just mean. When the officer finished with Miss Congeniality, he moved to me.
    “Name?”
    “You know my name, Duane. We went to school together.” I crossed my arms. He raised his eyebrows at me. “Fine. Summer Meadows.”
    “Business being here?”
    “Planning a wedding.” Obvious, wasn’t it?
    “You found the victim?”
    “Yes.” I quickly added that I didn’t touch anything. Not being new to crime solving, I filled him in on everything I knew, except the date book. I’d turn it in once I had a chance to look through its pages. Joe would be livid, but he’d get over it. He’d been threatening for years to transfer to any town where I didn’t live.
    “So you were the last one to see Mae Belle before her attack?”
    “No, the person who tried to kill her was.” I didn’t like the direction Duane’s questions headed. What did Sherry mention to him? “Mae Belle acted nervous all morning. She wanted to tell me something, and we set up a time to meet at Grandma’s Story Corner. Mae Belle never showed. I came to check on her, found her on the floor, and called 911. That’s it. What did Sherry tell you?”
    “What are you leaving out?” Duane peered at me from beneath his lowered brow.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Joe warned me about you withholding information.”
    “Not this time.” I vowed to get even. How dare Joe accuse me of not telling him everything? The appointment book didn’t count, did it? Since I couldn’t be sure it even pertained to the morning’s