Crops and Robbers by Paige Shelton Read Free Book Online Page A

couldn’t help but think her death had something to do with me—the result of some misplaced and exaggerated loyalty to me or my products. Was she killed for insulting my preserves? That wasn’t a good enough reason to be murdered. No one I knew had such a short fuse that ridding the world of a critic would have crossed their minds.
    “How well do you know Bo?” Sam asked when I got to that part of the story.
    “I’ve worked with him at the market for a long time, but we’ve never done anything together socially. I recently started volunteering with him at the community garden. I’ve enjoyed that. I’ve seen another side of him. He’s good with kids. I think he and his wife have some kids of their own, but I’ve never met her or them. I used to think he was just a big, gruff guy, but I like him more than I thought I ever would.”
    Sam took an extra second to write something in his notebook.
    “Can you think of any reason Joan Ashworth would have come to your farm and gone into your barn? After your encounter this morning, her appearance here seems unusual at best, strange at worst.”
    I looked at his serious icy blue eyes. I understood the need for total professionalism, but I couldn’t help but feel a small stab of betrayal. Sam was my friend, and I didn’t want to let even something as serious as a murder get in the way of that friendship.
    “No, Sam. Unless she was here to apologize, which doesn’t make sense, I can’t think of any good reason she was here.”
    “Your barn is always locked, right?”
    “Always. Hobbit knows not to go in, but since this is farm country, there are a number of critters roaming around. I keep my barn very clean, sanitized almost to the point of obsession. I don’t want an animal to think it’s an appealing place.”
    “Have you had any reason yourself to break into the barn recently?”
    “You mean the scrapes on the door frame and the broken lock? No, I didn’t make those, and they weren’t there as of this morning. I’m positive.”
    Sam nodded again and took more notes.
    “Tell me, as close as possible, the exact time you left Bailey’s today and the exact time you got home.”
    “I left around two thirty and drove straight home, so I must have arrived around two forty-five, two fifty. That’s the best I can do.”
    “Can I see your hands?”
    “Uh, sure.” I held them out, palms up first, and then turned them over. They were covered with dirt and a little blood that must have come from Hobbit during our happy reunion. I thought one of the splotches might be jam, but I couldn’t be sure and wasn’t willing to taste test.
    Sam inspected them closely. “I’ll need to have Gus come over. He’ll take some samples from your hands, and then he’ll fingerprint you.”
    I blinked and said, “Okay. Sam, should my mom get an attorney? Should I?”
    He sighed. “At this point, I’m just investigating. Neither you nor your mother is a prime suspect right now. We have to analyze the evidence first. I think it would be wise to consider an attorney, though. It never hurts to be prepared.”
    My heart thunked and then fell to my stomach. I hadn’t killed Joan, so the appearance of my possible guilt didn’t seriously cross my mind. I’d been concerned about my mother, and I still was, but now I had to add my own potential defense to the mix.
    “Got it,” I said weakly.
    Sam turned and walked to the man with the camera, who must have been Gus. He waved him toward me and then walked over to Officer Norton. As they talked, I noticed how Sam and Officer Norton stood identically, with their thumbs in their waistbands. Even in the middle of the serious and horrible moment, I couldn’t help but notice Vivienne Norton’s muscular arms, and how they contrasted with her bleached blonde hair and thick makeup, not to mention how they outgunned everyone else’s biceps.
    “I’m Gus,” Gus said without much emotion. He wore the baseball cap low and almost over his