Deadly Greetings (Book 2 in the Cardmaking Mysteries) by Tim Myers Page B

someone wanted me dead. Don’t let
me down, Jennifer. I’m counting on you. Your friend, Maggie.
    I dialed Bradford’s cell number as I
finished reading. He picked up on the second ring. “Shane
here.”
    The card shook in my hand as I stared at it.
“Bradford, I need you to come to the store. It’s urgent.”
    “ What’s wrong, Jennifer? Did
someone break in?”
    I tried to keep my emotions out of my voice.
I knew my brother meant well, but most of the time I’d answer his
questions if he just gave me the chance. “I just got a card from
Maggie.”
    “ Maggie Blake? Jen, that’s
hardly urgent.”
    “ You won’t think so once you
read it. How long will it take you to get here? Hang on, some
nitwit is honking his horn outside.”
    I peeked out my front door to see what was
going on when I saw my brother’s patrol car parked in front of my
shop. “Are you stalking me, big brother?”
    “ No, ma’am, I’m just serving
and protecting the town of Rebel Forge.”
    I wasn’t buying that, not for a second. “I
don’t believe that. So why are you here?”
    “ Hey, you called me,
remember?”
    I scowled at him, which worked sometimes,
but not often. Luckily, it did this time. He finally admitted,
“Okay, I just talked to Ethan and I wanted to see if you’re
satisfied with his work.”
    “ He’s top-notch and you know
it, or you never would have sent him to me. By the way, I’m not
letting you pay for my new lock. I won’t have it, Bradford, do you
hear me?”
    “ Fine, I was just trying to
be nice,” he said, a little hurt edge in his voice.
    I softened mine. “Bradford, it’s not that I
don’t appreciate the gesture, because I do, but I’ve got to stand
on my own sometime.”
    He shrugged. “Have it your way. When I get
the bill I’ll let you know how much it was. Now, what’s this about
hearing from Maggie Blake?”
    “ Come on inside. It’s on the
counter.” We walked in, and before I could hand him the letter,
Bradford spotted Lillian’s note. I tried to grab it off the board,
but he was too quick for me.
    “ Isn’t that just like our
sweet old aunt?”
    I wasn’t about to stand for any bashing.
“Hey, she’s doing me a huge favor volunteering here. Lillian’s
entitled to a life of her own now and then.”
    That mollified him some, but it was pretty
apparent the two of them were still on the outs. I didn’t have time
to worry about their petty feud; I had more important things on my
mind at the moment.
    “ Read this,” I said as I
handed him the card, tucked back inside its envelope. He took in
the message printed on the back of the envelope, grunted, then took
the card out. Bradford read the message twice after studying the
tombstones and skeletons, then handed the card back to
me.
    “ So what are you going to do
about this?” I asked him.
    “ Jen, you don’t honestly
believe she was serious, do you? I thought you told me Maggie made
all kinds of gag cards. This sounds exactly like something she
would do. Only this time her timing and her taste were both
off.”
    It was true that Maggie was known for her
offbeat sense of humor, but how could I convince him that this time
it was different? “Bradford, she’s not joking. How else do you
explain the fact that she died right after she sent it?”
    “ I’ll admit it’s a sick
coincidence, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”
    I’m afraid I stomped my foot, something I
did only when extremely irate. “This is serious. You’ve got to dig
deeper.”
    My brother ran a hand through his hair.
“Jennifer, why don’t you leave the police investigations to me, and
I’ll let you make all the cards you want. I went over that car
myself. There was nothing wrong with the steering or the brakes. I
told you, the road turned, but she didn’t. My professional opinion
is that she fell asleep at the wheel.”
    “ Did you have an autopsy
done?” I knew I was pushing him, but I didn’t care. I’d lost a
friend, and it had been