Death Before Diamonds (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 10) by Mary Maxwell

recording studio.”
    “What kind of music do they play?” I
asked.
    “The crappy kind,” Marion hissed.
“Now, please don’t ask him questions about it, okay? Just pretend he’s wearing
a Broncos jersey and ratty jeans like he usually did before he went completely bananas.”
    When Herb and Pete arrived at our
table, they greeted us warmly before asking Marion if she was ready to be
seated.
    “Looks like I beat you to it,” she
joked.
    “Come on, honey,” Herb said, taking
her hand and waiting while she stood. “Let these two lovebirds enjoy their
romantic dinner.”
    After the trio had moved on to
their reserved booth in the back, Zack asked if I’d heard anything around town
about Pete’s fledgling musical endeavor.
    I shook my head. “That’s the first
time I’ve heard the news. How about you?”
    He laughed. “Pete actually called
the entertainment reporter at the newspaper to ask about photographers he could
hire to document the band’s inaugural stages,” Zack said. “He asked me to take
candid shots during their first jam sessions in the old dance hall above Smoky
Joe’s.”
    “Is that why you smelled like barbecue
last Thursday night?” I asked.
    Zack nodded. “Pete asked me not to
say anything about the band until the divorce was filed.”
    “Divorce? I thought Marion said it
was a trial separation.”
    Zack winced. “I don’t know, babe.
I’m just telling you what Pete told me.”
    “Well, I sure hope somebody tells
Sheila,” I said. “The end of a marriage is tough enough without being left in
the dark.”
    “I agree,” Zack said. “But that’s
pretty much their business, isn’t it?”
    I shrugged, but didn’t say
anything.
    “There’s another rehearsal tomorrow
night,” Zack said a moment later. “Want to join me?”
    “Maybe,” I said. “What kind of stuff
do they play?”
    He chuckled. “It’s…uh, very original.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “Well, imagine if you’re at home listening
to one of the early hits by the Beatles,” he answered. “And pretend that Paul
McCartney and John Lennon are singing after they’ve inhaled a bunch of
helium. And then someone in the next room starts yodeling and sawing away on a
fiddle. And then, just when you think it couldn’t get any more confusing, a car
drives by with hip-hop blaring from the speakers.”
    “Wow!” I said. “That does sound
original!”
    “It’s some of the most bizarre
music I’ve ever heard,” Zack said. “Do you want to go tomorrow?”
    I made a face. “Not if my life
depended on it, sweetheart.”

CHAPTER
10
     
     
    As I measured brown sugar for a
batch of cookies the next morning, Julia slipped around the center island in
the Sky High kitchen. She was enjoying a quick cup of coffee during a lull in
the breakfast orders, and I could tell she had something on her mind. As I
poured the sugar into one of my grandmother’s vintage mixing bowls, Julia flaunted
a charmingly inquisitive smile.
    “Can I ask you something?” she
said.
    I nodded, waiting for the follow-up.
    “Why didn’t you call the police
when that lunatic was here yesterday?”
    “Which lunatic?” I teased.
    She glared. “You know who I mean,”
she said. “That Rex guy.”
    “That’s who I thought you were
talking about,” I said, checking the next ingredient on the recipe card. “And I
didn’t call them because he doesn’t seem dangerous. He seems genuinely troubled
by his brother’s disappearance.”
    “Well, who wouldn’t be?” she said.
“But isn’t that something for the CCPD or the Colorado State Patrol?”
    “Absolutely,” I agreed. “And that’s
what I told Rex. It’s totally fine if he wants to put up flyers around town and
ask people if they’ve seen his brother. But the best approach is filing a report
and letting the police do their job.”
    “Do you think he’ll take your
advice?”
    I shrugged. “Time will tell. I gave
him Trent’s name and the non-emergency number. There’s not