A Fatal Slip by Melissa Glazer Read Free Book Online Page B

with him having Annie in his life, though for how long, I can’t say.”
    “Are they having trouble?” I’d had a hand in setting Annie and David up, and I felt a little responsible for them.
    “No, but she’s going to Stanford in less than three months, and I can’t see them keeping their relationship going across the country. I just know David’s going to be devastated when she leaves.”
    “He’ll get over it, if he has to. He’s a grown man, Hannah.”
    “I don’t care if he’s forty, I’ll always worry about him. You can’t tell me you don’t think about your sons now that they’re grown up and have moved away.”
    “You’re right, of course. But they’ve gone on to create their own lives, and the best gift I give them is to respect that.” Things had suddenly gotten too serious for my taste. “Let’s think of brighter things, shall we? How about some cobbler? It’s strawberry tonight.”
    Shelly was known throughout our part of Vermont for her cobblers, and though I usually didn’t indulge, I was in that kind of mood.
    “I really shouldn’t,” Hannah said.
    “That’s what makes it so much fun. We can split one, if you’d rather do that.”
    Hannah laughed. “Are you kidding? I don’t want to have to fight you for the crust. We might as well get two.”have
    “Now you’re talking. Ice cream on top, of course.” “Now you’re talking. Ice cream on top, of course:”
    “Of course,” she said.
    “I’ll be right back. Shelly’s kind of swamped.” I went up front, and when I could catch her attention, I said, “Whenever you get a chance, we need two cobblers, with ice cream, too.”
    “Hang on one second.” After she delivered an order to one of the customers sitting at the counter, she came back and quickly fixed our desserts. “There you go. Listen, before you take off, I need to talk to you, okay?”
    “Sure thing,” I said as I took the bowls. After Hannah and I finished our desserts—worth every calorie, in my opinion—I scooped up the check before she could grab it.
    “This is my treat,” I said. “And I don’t want to hear any complaints.”
    “I just have one thing to say.”
    “What is it?” I was prepared for a fight, but I wasn’t going to back down. I’d invited Hannah out on short notice for no other reason than I didn’t want to eat by myself. Surely that merited me picking up the check.
    “Thank you,” she said.
    “That’s it? No struggle, no fight?”
    “Not from me,” she said with a smile. “I’ll see you for coffee in the morning.”
    When she saw I wasn’t following her out the door, Hannah asked, “Aren’t you coming?”
    “Shelly wanted to talk to me for a second.”
    “Good night, then. And, Carolyn? Thanks for calling.”
    “Thanks for coming,” I said.
    Shelly was still rushed, but I sat at the counter with a twenty and my bill and waited for her. When she got a second, she took both from me, rang the sale up on the register, then returned with my change. “Sorry, I don’t mean to keep ignoring you, but I’m really busy tonight.”
    “You wanted to talk to me,” I reminded her.
    “It doesn’t matter. It’s not that important.”
    There was a troubled crease to her brow.
    After a second, I asked, “Are you sure? I don’t mind hanging around.”
    “I’m sure. Thanks anyway.”
    How odd. Now Shelly was acting strangely. I decided the best place for me to be was home, and I drove straight there, happily without incident.
    Bill was asleep in front of the television, and I wondered how long he’d been there. I was about to wake him when the telephone did it for me. I grabbed it before it could ring a second time.
    “Hello?”
    “Carolyn, this is Sheriff Hodges. I need you to come down to your shop.”
    I didn’t like the tone in his voice. “What happened? Did someone break in?” I could just see the scattered shards of pottery and broken windows.
    “No. Just come down. And bring your husband with