A Murderous Glaze by Melissa Glazer Read Free Book Online Page B

importantly, what did you tell him?” Knowing Kendra, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d claimed to be a witness to the murder to get a little attention.
    “I had to tell the truth, didn’t I?” Now why did she suddenly look so guilty?
    “What did you tell him?” I had maneuvered her around so that her back was toward the brook. I was in no mood for her foolishness today.
    She must have seen it in my eyes. “I’ve said too much already.” As she started back to her shop, I moved toward her, cutting off her retreat.
    “Kendra, don’t do this.”
    “You’re scaring me,” she whined. “Get out of my way.”
    I could see real fear in her eyes. I stepped to the side. “I’m sorry. I’m just so upset.”
    Kendra bolted past me into her antique shop. It wouldn’t have surprised me at all if she locked the door behind her. Wonderful. Now I’d harassed the gossip queen of Maple Ridge out on our brook walk, in broad daylight. How long would it take her to call Sheriff Hodges to file a complaint? Surely I’d be in his lockup by nightfall.
    I wasn’t much in the mood for lunch anymore, or to be around people, for that matter. I started back to Fire at Will and was surprised to see Jenna Blake approaching me.
    “Carolyn, have you lost your mind?” she snapped at me.
    “That’s the question, isn’t it? I’m guessing you saw what just happened.”
    “You mean you accosting Kendra Williams in broad daylight? The whole town probably saw it. You need to get control of that temper of yours.”
    “It wasn’t what it looked like,” I said in my defense. “Okay, maybe it was, but she deserved it. That woman has a way of driving me crazy.”
    “Like Betty Wickline did?”
    I studied her dour expression. “Maybe Butch was right to question your loyalties. Whose side are you on?”
    “You don’t have to ask, you know that. But don’t make things any harder on yourself than you have to.”
    I was in no mood to be lectured. “Thanks for the legal advice. Feel free to send me a bill.”
    I wasn’t sure how she would react, but her laughter startled me. I asked, “What’s so funny, Jenna?”
    “You are determined to thumb your nose at the world right now, aren’t you?”
    I wasn’t all that amused by her question. “I’m willing to admit that when I’m pushed, I have a tendency to push back.”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of. I’ve got some information for you, but I’m not sure you’re in any mood to receive it. Perhaps we’ll talk later.”
    As she started to walk away, I said, “Wait a second. I’m sorry. Maybe my blood sugar’s down. Do you have time to get something to eat? Something to go? We could go over to Shelly’s.”
    I still didn’t want to be around people, but Jenna was different. In an odd little way, the Firing Squad was a surrogate family for all of us. We’d helped each other through sickness, divorce, and other heartaches in the five years the club had been together. Even death. One of our charter members, Julie Price, had died in a car accident on her way to one of our regular meetings. I still kept the last pot she’d thrown in my office as a reminder that life is fleeting and that you have to grab every chance you get.
    “Lunch sounds good, but I don’t have time to go to Shelly’s,” Jenna said. “Why don’t I grab something for us at In the Grounds? Would you like a coffee with your sandwich?”
    “Better make it bottled water. I’m jumpy enough as it is without adding caffeine to the mix.” I reached into my purse for some money, but Jenna said, “Don’t worry about it. It’s my treat.”
    I wasn’t about to say no. I didn’t want to offend her, and I knew Jenna could easily afford it.
    I found a bench by the water, and she soon returned with our sandwiches.
    “I appreciate you doing this,” I said.
    “It’s my pleasure. I had to eat anyway,” she added with a grin.
    “I mean helping me with this impromptu investigation. I hate to get all