Cupid's Corpse: A Cozy Mystery (Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery Book 3) by Willow Monroe Page B

town. There are very few jobs unless you travel,” the sheriff explained. “This is where Missy grew up. Her family used to own this place.”
    Gemma looked up in surprise.
    “Missy was an only child, not born until her parents were in their late forties. Her parents doted on her, sheltered her from the outside world. She was actually homeschooled long before it was trendy. Maybe they were just a little bit too protective.”
    Gemma nodded.
    “They ran this place as long as their health permitted and then they died within a year of each other. What she discovered after that was that not only were they terrible parents for a lonely little girl, they were not very good when it came to managing money. The place was deep in debt and falling down around her ears. On top of that, she owed back taxes. It was put up for auction. The Muzaks were the highest bidder and kind Mr. Muzak with his big heart hired her as the event planner.”
    “I see,” Gemma said.
    The sheriff continued. “Word around the county is that she didn’t like the way the place was being run. Thought she could do better. Even hinted at something underhanded going on.”
    “Do you think there’s something going on?” Gemma asked. “Besides murder, I mean?”
    Burton sipped her coffee and thought about that. “I doubt it. But if there is, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
    “Do you have any thoughts on who might have killed Mr. Muzak?” Gemma asked, trying to sound casual, although she was dying to know what the investigation had turned up so far.
    “Oh, we have a couple of ideas. Joel is an expert with a crossbow, but the one used wasn’t one of his. He only shoots expensive bows made custom for him by a local company. This one was just a cheap model available at Walmart. The arrow was a fixed blade broadhead. All the ones at his house were expandable, which means the blades open up after the arrow hits. Then there’s the timer.”
    Gemma was afraid to say anything; afraid the sheriff might stop talking. She simply nodded and sipped her coffee.
    “The whole thing was rigged with a timer set to pull the trigger at exactly the right moment. Just a little digital clock with a solenoid wired to it. About twenty-five dollars’ worth of Radio-Shack odds and ends.”
    “Fingerprints?” Gemma asked, even though she already knew the answer to that one.
    The sheriff shook her head.
    “Would it take some special knowledge to rig up a timer like that?” Gemma asked.
    “You ask a lot of questions,” Sheriff Burton said with a little smile.
    “Sorry. I’m just naturally curious,” Gemma said quickly.
    “To answer your question, we have two or three people in mind,” she said. “Again, it’s a small area. People talk. My job is to listen.”
    Before Gemma could reply, Joel approached their table. She was surprised he hadn’t immediately been arrested for the murder of Mr. Muzak, even though the physical evidence seemed inconclusive. After all, everyone seemed to know that he was having an affair with Mrs. Muzak. The dark circles under his eyes made him appear more pale and even thinner than he seemed when she first met him. He stopped and shifted nervously from foot to foot.
    “Sheriff Burton, I’ve cleared the front office for you to use as an interview room,” he said, his voice shaking just a little. “The accountant is in there right now. He’ll go over the books with you.”
    “Thank you,” the sheriff said, standing up.
    “How is Mrs. Muzak this morning?” Gemma asked him.
    “She’s holding up,” he said, his voice as stiff and cold as his icy glare.
    “Ms. Vanderhaden, I trust we’ll be seeing each other again later today. Since you were the closest to the stage, I’d like to get a better idea of what you saw and heard.”
    It took Gemma a few seconds to respond. “Oh, yes, absolutely. I’ll be in my cabin.”
    Her food arrived soon after that and her coffee cup was refilled. Gemma picked at her food in silence. The