A Spoonful of Murder by Connie Archer Read Free Book Online Page A

table, arranging tablecloths, napkins and salt and pepper shakers. Remy had tried several times to strike up a conversation, but Janie, for her part, merely nodded occasionally without much effort to be polite. Lucky overheard Remy extolling his exploits on the slopes, and in hopes of impressing Janie, offered to show her some moves. Sage caught the drift of the conversation and, through the kitchen hatch, shot his brother a disgusted look. Janie, unimpressed, returned to the counter and began to fold fresh napkins.
    The first customers finally arrived, winter visitors, brave souls who had managed to navigate through the as yet unplowed streets and sidewalks. Janie placed their orders on the clip at the kitchen hatch while Lucky manned the counterand the cash register. Jack sat at a table by the window catching up with last Sunday’s newspaper. It was a slow morning.
    Sage called out, “Boss, I’ll be right back. This trash needs to go.”
    Lucky heard the back door slam as Sage headed for the Dumpster. The first customers paid for their food and left, as two more came through the door. The special today was a new tomato-based soup with carrots and spinach served over jumbo pasta shells and flavored with basil, oregano and grated cheese. Their new customers were eager to try it. Remy slouched out of his chair and returned his coffee cup and saucer to the front counter, hoping to catch Janie’s eye.
    “Bye,” he said. “Catch you later.”
    “Thanks, Remy.” Lucky dumped the used dishware in a plastic container under the counter. “See you later.”
    He shot a sideways glance at Janie, who was too busy contemplating her new green nail polish to reply.
    Meg took another order from one of the new customers and clipped it above the kitchen hatch. She hesitated and turned back, rising on tiptoes to look for Sage. He hadn’t returned. “Hey, Lucky, where’d Sage go?”
    Lucky looked through the hatch. “He’s still out back. I’ll fill those.” She headed into the kitchen and, quickly slicing bread, put the new orders together on a tray and carried them out to Meg. She checked the kitchen again.
What was taking him so long?
She waved to Janie to stay by the cash register and headed down the corridor. Sage was squatting by the door, his back to the wall, taking deep breaths.
    “Sage!” Lucky rushed to his side. “Are you sick?”
    Sage shook his head. He pointed wordlessly to the back door.
    “What is it?”
    He rose and took Lucky’s hand, leading her out the door to the Dumpster behind the building. He pointed to a mound of snow and ice. piled next to it. Lucky stared, unsure what she was supposed to see. A tuft of blonde hair stuck incongruouslyout of the snow. A chill ran through her. She was staring at a death mask—a death mask of ice. It was the face of their customer, the tall, elegant blonde woman. Dark clotted blood had frozen on the side of her head. A single jeweled earring dangling from one ear flashed in the thin winter light. The rest of her was buried under three feet of snow.

Chapter 10

    L UCKY LOOKED UP to see Jack standing in the doorway. “What’s wrong?” he called, joining them. They stared at him wordlessly, unable to speak. Finally, Lucky pointed to the frozen head rising from the snow.
    “Jack, please call the police,” Lucky asked. Jack nodded once and rushed away.
    Lucky shivered violently, not sure whether from fear or cold. Had the storm lasted longer, the body might have been completely buried. It could have been days or weeks before it was discovered. “Sage, can you grab my jacket? I’ll stay here till the police arrive.”
    “I will, but then I’m staying here with you. You shouldn’t be alone.”
    “Do you think there’s a chance this was an accident?”
    Sage continued to stare at the icy mask. “Not a chance.”
    Ten minutes later, Chief of Police Nate Edgerton, in one of the two Snowflake police cruisers, pulled up at the other end of the alley on Elm Street.