Nursing a Grudge is Murder (A Maternal Instincts Mystery) by Diana Orgain Page A

BUTTER-EYE .
    I laughed despite myself. Kenny had recently started seeing a gal who worked at our local café who sported a tattoo of a butterfly. Hence, we’d nicknamed her butterfly. However, Paula’s little boy, Danny couldn’t pronounce butterfly and instead called her butter-eye.
    I’d have to go it alone, but that was alright. I was ready for adventure. I packed extra water into a day pack for myself along with some protein bars and hopped into my car. The drive along the Great Highway was lovely. For once, there was no fog on the coast and Ocean Beach looked expansive and majestic. I pulled into the parking lot above the Cliff House.
    An uneasy feeling crept into my chest as I noticed that Brent Miles’ restaurant,
Philosophie,
was directly across the street from the entrance to the Land’s End hike.
    Surely that was a coincidence….
    There were a few more pubs and diners down the street and, of course, the Cliff House was a San Francisco landmark. So, hey, I probably didn’t have to read anything sinister into
Philosophie’s
location, right?
    I found the trailhead for Lands End and to my chagrin, the path was paved. I could have strolled Laurie after all—although bringing a four-month-old to the scene of a crime…or potential crime…probably wasn’t one of my brightest ideas.
    As I ascended, the pavement ended and the trail turned steep and narrow.
    Okay, so, a stroller definitely wouldn’t have been a good idea.
    The view was breathtaking. I could see the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay waters below me. I pulled out my cell phone and snapped pictures that immediately posted to my Facebook wall.
    Within a minute I got a ping from Jill.
    W HERE ARE YOU ?
    Yikes! I hadn’t thought she would see my status so quickly. How would she feel about me taking the same hike as her boyfriend before he’d fallen to his death?
    If indeed he had fallen…?
    While I hesitated and thought out my reply, I received another message from Jill.
    I HOPE YOU ’ RE NOT HIKING L AND ’ S E ND .
    What could I do? Shoot back a lame reply of “long story” or something like that? Commenting on the weather would sound completely asinine.
    I figured calling her would be best.
    She picked up on the first ring.
    “Hi, Jill,” I said lamely.
    “What are you doing? Are you at Land’s End?”
    “Yeah. The Medical Examiner doesn’t have any results back yet and I thought I’d take a look at the site.”
    “I wish you wouldn’t.” Jill’s voice was shrill and nervous. “It could be dangerous. Perry was an experienced hiker and if he fell, then…”
    Then what hope did I have?
    That was the unspoken piece.
    “When was the last time you saw him, Jill?”
    “Uh, the last time?” Her voice broke up and I feared she was about to cry.
    When was I going to get better at this investigative stuff?
    “Jill, are you okay?” I asked.
    “Yeah,” she said in almost a whisper. “Uh, he spent the night at my house. So I saw him that evening. I knew he was going hiking in the morning, but I didn’t know where. I figured he’d go to Mount Tam. I left the house before he got up, because it was my first day of taping at the Foodie Network.”
    Well, that answered that. If Jill had been with Perry the night before the hike, then it was pretty likely that he hadn’t been dumped here as Galigani had feared.
    I could see a bench on the trail up ahead. Good. Somewhere to rest.
    “I wish I hadn’t left him here at the apartment,” Jill said. “I…I didn’t even say goodbye. He was asleep—”
    “You couldn’t have known—”
    “I know. You’re right, of course you are,” Jill said. “But I can’t help thinking…well, anyway,” She sighed. “I had to be at the studio. I had a meeting with the producer. It looks like I might have a sponsor. We’re in negotiations.”
    I reached the bench and collapsed on it. Man, this hike was steep.
    “A sponsor? Jill, that’s fantastic!” I said with what little breath I had left in