laughed. “But I don’t have to tell you about family problems, do I, Humphrey?”
My stomach dropped. Was she referring to the issues the Troyer family had or was she referring to my relationship—or lack thereof—with my own family? Having thoroughly checked my background after I moved here and my car’s involvement in Becky’s auto-buggy accident that killed Bishop Glick, she knew my history. That made me uncomfortable. I knew so little about her. She was a cop and had mentioned once that she grew up in Appleseed Creek. That was all I had.
She tapped her pen more rapidly. “Troyer is with you, I imagine.”
“Yes, he’s right here.”
“Thought so. It’s going to be hard to keep you two apart from each other now that you are courting.” There was laughter in her voice.
I blushed.
“See you in ten minutes,” the chief barked in my ear and hung up.
Timothy shifted the truck into gear. Ten minutes later he turned the truck into the small lot behind the village’s municipal building right off the town square. The parking lot was empty expect for the chief’s cruiser. It was after five o’clock in the evening on a day before Christmas Eve. I imagined the village staff cleared out of the building quickly to jump-start their holiday.
When Timothy, Mabel, and I walked into the department, Chief Rose was sitting with her arms folded on the receptionist’s desk. Mabel trotted up to the chief’s side with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.
The police chief patted Mabel’s head. “What do you want, pooch?”
Timothy scraped snow off his boots on the mat at the entryway. “Fern keeps dog biscuits in her desk for Mabel when she visits.”
The police chief glowered at the dog. After a moment, she opened the lowest drawer of the receptionist’s desk. “These are for you?”
Mabel barked.
Chief Rose reached into the box of treats and threw two across the room into the empty waiting area, which was a grouping of uncomfortable olive-green plastic chairs. Mabel lunged after the treats and grasped them between her paws.
“Where’s Nottingham?” Timothy asked. “I want to know how he saw us at Billy’s when I didn’t see him.”
The police chief laughed. “Nottingham can’t tell you that. It’s a cop trick. For a kid, Nottingham’s turning into a reliable officer, and if I’m not careful, he’ll start gunning for my job. The village would be a lot more comfortable with him in my role since he’s a man.” She stood up, her tone matter-of-fact. “Let’s move to the conference room to talk. The pooch will have to stay out here.”
Mabel lay in the middle of the linoleum floor licking her treats, trying to make them last as long as possible.
“I don’t think she will mind,” I said.
The chief unlocked the door on the other side of the desk and led us into a room, bare except for one cafeteria-style table and five folding chairs. Chief Rose’s conference room doubled as her interrogation and booking room. Although I’d only moved to Appleseed Creek the previous summer, I had already spent more time in this room than most of the population. Thankfully, never to be booked for a crime, though I can’t say the same about interrogation.
A legal-sized manila envelope sat in the middle of table. Chief Rose held it down with a finger and dragged it toward herself.
I hung my coat over the back of my chair and took a seat across from the police chief. “What’s in the envelope?”
Timothy slipped into the seat beside me.
“I’ll show you in minute. We will start with Katie.” She drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “We believe she was murdered.”
I gasped. “Murdered? I thought it was an icicle accident.”
“Yeah, I thought my death by icicle theory was a good one too.” She leaned back in her chair. “However, the coroner set me straight. The icicle hit her in the head after she was already dead. The most tell-tale sign was the bruising on her neck. No way those marks were
My stomach dropped. Was she referring to the issues the Troyer family had or was she referring to my relationship—or lack thereof—with my own family? Having thoroughly checked my background after I moved here and my car’s involvement in Becky’s auto-buggy accident that killed Bishop Glick, she knew my history. That made me uncomfortable. I knew so little about her. She was a cop and had mentioned once that she grew up in Appleseed Creek. That was all I had.
She tapped her pen more rapidly. “Troyer is with you, I imagine.”
“Yes, he’s right here.”
“Thought so. It’s going to be hard to keep you two apart from each other now that you are courting.” There was laughter in her voice.
I blushed.
“See you in ten minutes,” the chief barked in my ear and hung up.
Timothy shifted the truck into gear. Ten minutes later he turned the truck into the small lot behind the village’s municipal building right off the town square. The parking lot was empty expect for the chief’s cruiser. It was after five o’clock in the evening on a day before Christmas Eve. I imagined the village staff cleared out of the building quickly to jump-start their holiday.
When Timothy, Mabel, and I walked into the department, Chief Rose was sitting with her arms folded on the receptionist’s desk. Mabel trotted up to the chief’s side with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.
The police chief patted Mabel’s head. “What do you want, pooch?”
Timothy scraped snow off his boots on the mat at the entryway. “Fern keeps dog biscuits in her desk for Mabel when she visits.”
The police chief glowered at the dog. After a moment, she opened the lowest drawer of the receptionist’s desk. “These are for you?”
Mabel barked.
Chief Rose reached into the box of treats and threw two across the room into the empty waiting area, which was a grouping of uncomfortable olive-green plastic chairs. Mabel lunged after the treats and grasped them between her paws.
“Where’s Nottingham?” Timothy asked. “I want to know how he saw us at Billy’s when I didn’t see him.”
The police chief laughed. “Nottingham can’t tell you that. It’s a cop trick. For a kid, Nottingham’s turning into a reliable officer, and if I’m not careful, he’ll start gunning for my job. The village would be a lot more comfortable with him in my role since he’s a man.” She stood up, her tone matter-of-fact. “Let’s move to the conference room to talk. The pooch will have to stay out here.”
Mabel lay in the middle of the linoleum floor licking her treats, trying to make them last as long as possible.
“I don’t think she will mind,” I said.
The chief unlocked the door on the other side of the desk and led us into a room, bare except for one cafeteria-style table and five folding chairs. Chief Rose’s conference room doubled as her interrogation and booking room. Although I’d only moved to Appleseed Creek the previous summer, I had already spent more time in this room than most of the population. Thankfully, never to be booked for a crime, though I can’t say the same about interrogation.
A legal-sized manila envelope sat in the middle of table. Chief Rose held it down with a finger and dragged it toward herself.
I hung my coat over the back of my chair and took a seat across from the police chief. “What’s in the envelope?”
Timothy slipped into the seat beside me.
“I’ll show you in minute. We will start with Katie.” She drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “We believe she was murdered.”
I gasped. “Murdered? I thought it was an icicle accident.”
“Yeah, I thought my death by icicle theory was a good one too.” She leaned back in her chair. “However, the coroner set me straight. The icicle hit her in the head after she was already dead. The most tell-tale sign was the bruising on her neck. No way those marks were
Similar Books
