If Onions Could Spring Leeks by Paige Shelton Page B

it? Am I worse off than you want to tell me?”
    â€œNo, not at all, Betts. You’re going to be fine.” Cliff forced a semi-comforting smile.
    â€œDarlin’, you’ve been muttering my name. That might be what’s bothering him. I have to go. I’ll get there, Isabelle, or I’ll die again trying.” Jerome’s voice faded.
    â€œDerek was killed, murdered?” I repeated. Of course, I couldn’t respond to Jerome’s disembodied comment.
    â€œYes,” Cliff said, turning on his professional side again. “Any chance you saw anything or anyone? Can you remember going into the barn?”
    â€œYes, now I can. Clearly, in fact. But I didn’t really see anything. I was surprised that Roy wasn’t there yet, but I thought I could get the Trigger ready without him.” I paused as the scene played in my mind. “My bag. I remember putting it in the front of the Trigger.”
    â€œNo,” Cliff said, “actually, it was on the ground beside you. It’s right here. Your cell phone was in your pants’ pocket.” He reached to a chair behind him against the wall, grabbing my backpack and phone and then handing them to me. “Can you look in your backpack right now? Is there any chance something was taken? If so, that might help us understand motive. Theft, maybe? It’s not much, but it might be something.”
    I ignored the pain in my head. I left the phone on the exam table beside my leg and opened the bag. I didn’t carry all that much with me, so it was easy to take a quick inventory. Brush, elastics for my hair when it had enough of battling the humidity, ChapStick, grocery list for Gram, sunglasses, and my wallet. The twenty-three dollars I remembered having was still there along with a small assortment of change. I had two credit cards and one debit card; all were present and accounted for. My driver’s license—check. Same with my library card.
    There was only one more thing to find. The coin, the one from Jerome’s hidden treasure that I’d been carrying around with me. I’d been keeping it in a pants pocket until a couple months earlier when I thought that tucking it away in mywallet was a better idea. I’d put it into a slot that would normally hold a credit card.
    It was there, but I tried not to look too relieved.
    â€œNothing is missing,” I said.
    â€œThat’s good,” Cliff said. “You definitely remember putting the bag into the Trigger?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œDo you mind if I take it? There’s a chance there’s some evidence on it. It’s been touched by a few people since then, but it’s worth a look.”
    â€œNo problem.” I handed him the bag. “No one else is hurt? How’s Roy?”
    â€œShook up. Worried about you. Jim’s shut down the Trigger operation until we get things figured out.” Jim was Broken Rope’s police chief.
    â€œThat makes sense. I’ll let Roy know I’m okay. He wasn’t there when I got there. I thought he would be.” It didn’t occur to me that I might be shining the light of suspicion on Roy with that statement, but not surprisingly, Cliff was ahead of me.
    â€œRight. He had to run some errands. We’re looking into it.”
    â€œRoy couldn’t hurt anyone.”
    â€œLet’s hope not. What else can I get for you?” Cliff asked.
    â€œI’d like to go home,” I said. “I just have a headache. I’m fine.”
    As if on cue, the door swung open and a small woman in bright blue scrubs entered. She pulled a small boxy machine on wheels along with her.
    â€œYou’re awake,” she said.
    It didn’t sound like a question, but I said, “Yes, I’m feeling okay.”
    â€œGood. I’m here to check your vitals. Dr. C. should be in shortly.”
    She rolled the machine around Cliff, who then moved to the corner of the small space. I