Ghost On Duty (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 2) Read Free Page B

suffer in silence. Hmmm. It might be something to think about for the future. Things could use a little shaking up around here.
    But right then, she didn’t want to talk about it and she changed the subject quickly.
    “Okay, I need help with a very big decision.”
    I nodded. “I’m ready to assist in any way I can,” I said lightly.  
    “Here it is. Should we get a Christmas tree this year?”
    I blinked in surprise. “Don’t you usually?”
    She looked like the question worried her. “I’ve had a little artificial tree for ages but last year it finally began to fall apart. So now I’ve got the dilemma—to tree or not to tree.”
    “Why not?” I said helpfully. “But make it a real one this time.”
    She frowned and I jumped in before she could give her reasons for fakery. “You’re a flower grower. You deal in the real thing all the time. Don’t you think it’s kind of lame to get a fake tree, when real plants are your life?”
    She shook her head, looking bored with it all. “Oh, whatever. Now you’ve made it into such a big deal, I think I’ll take a pass after all.” She shrugged. “Too much trouble. Christmas is for kids anyway.”  
    I found myself studying her response. I didn’t really care, but there was something in her voice, something in her eyes, that told me she did on a certain level. I wondered why.  
    And then my cell chimed in with a message from the police, requesting my presence at the station house within the hour. I noticed it wasn’t from Detective McKnight. Oh well.

Chapter Three

    I went over at the suggested time. I figured they wanted me to sign a few more papers because I was Activities Director and had gone for that meeting with Ned, so I was surprised to find out I wasn’t just a witness—I was a suspect!  
    When I got to the station, I was ushered into a room that looked suspiciously like the sort of place where they questioned the bad guys. It even had a large window that I was pretty sure was set up so others could see me, but I couldn’t see them.  
    “What is all this about?” I asked the clerk who showed me in.  
    She shrugged. “The captain will be here in just a moment,” she said. “He has a few questions for you.”
    “Am I a suspect?” I asked, shocked and pretty much outraged at the possibility.  
    She barely risked a smile. “Sorry. I can’t talk about that. You’ll be able to ask the captain any moment now.” And she made a quick escape.  
    I sat there fuming. On what possible ground could they suspect me of foul play? It didn’t make any sense at all.  
    The door opened and Detective McKnight came in. He didn’t smile.  
    “Hi,” he said, not sitting down.  
    “Hi,” I returned warily. “You all don’t really think I’m a suspect, do you?”
    He looked surprised. “Who said you were?”
    I shrugged. “Why am I here in the interrogation room?”
    He made a face but didn’t answer.  
    “You saw me before I went out to Ned’s house,” I said defensively. “You know how nervous I was.”
    “True. But by the time you got there, there was no more reason for you to confront him. Ned was already dead. Right?”
    “Yes. Lucky for me, huh?”
    He looked troubled. “I don’t know about that. So you didn’t have anything to do with that, did you? You didn’t get there, argue, and give him a little push?”
    I gasped, unable to believe this man could suspect…no, even suggest!--something like that. “No. I didn’t do that. I’ve never killed anybody and I don’t plan to.” Though if I did ever go on a spree, a certain suddenly indifferent cop would be the first on my list.
    He nodded, so I guess he couldn’t read my mind.  
    “If you guys are cooking up some crazy little conspiracy theory about me, you can just…”
    He held up a hand to stop me and finally he smiled. “Okay. Don’t worry. I knew that. I just wanted to hear you say it.”
    I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “Okay. I’m glad we