Shadows in the Night [Hawkman--Book 12] by Betty Sullivan La Pierre Page B

timer dinged and she turned off the burner under a big pot of potatoes, put on a couple of mitts and carried it over to the sink where she poured the white cut up vegetables into a colander to drain, then checked the oven. She placed a big butcher block on the counter, then lifted out the pan containing a huge ham, and set it on the board to cool.
    "I can't stand to see all this food in here when I can't have any. I'm going back to my office.” He lifted his briefcase off the counter.
    "Expect Miss Marple to join you. Her nose is really out of joint because I won't allow her in here while I'm cooking."
    He glanced behind him and sure enough their pet cat was at his heels. “Come on, little nosey. You're welcome to join me tonight. We're being punished something terrible.” Hawkman grabbed the toy stuffed bunny from the floor, then he and Miss Marple disappeared down the hallway.
    * * * *
    Saturday morning, Hawkman arose quietly, so Jennifer could sleep. He had no idea how long she'd stayed up. When he hit the sack, he could still hear her banging around in the kitchen. He grabbed his jeans and a clean shirt out of the closet, then stopped at the guest bathroom to dress. When he went to the kitchen, Miss Marple stood in front of her empty bowl and let out a yowl.
    He put a finger to his lips. “Shush, you silly feline. I'll get you some food. No sense in waking up your mistress. She had enough on her mind last night without worrying about you. Anyway, you need to lose some weight.” Reaching down, he stroked her back as he poured some dry food into the bowl. “I must say though, you are a pretty animal."
    While a pot of coffee brewed, he had a bowl of dry cereal and milk. He needed to get to Morning Glory Haven, as they were having a couple of events today and he wanted the residents to get used to seeing him and Kevin with Maggie. Then he hoped to reach some of the sons or daughters of the deceased.
    He rinsed out the bowl, and fixed a small thermos of coffee, leaving the rest for Jennifer. Tiptoeing back to his office, he picked up his briefcase and started to shut the door when he noticed the cat's toy on the carpet. He picked it up and tossed it into the living room as he passed. She bounced on it like a tiger after its prey. Smiling to himself at the sight, he scribbled a quick note to Jennifer and left it on the counter, then softly closed the front door.
    Driving toward Medford, he planned his day. The bingo games at Morning Glory would begin at one this afternoon. Then tonight at six-thirty they had a magician scheduled. He doubted the events would use the same room. He planned to attend with Maggie, if she felt like going to them both. He'd have time this morning to try and reach some of the relatives.
    Soon he arrived in the alley behind his office, parked and jogged up the steps. He unlocked the door, then set the briefcase next to the computer and noticed an envelope on the floor in front of the mail slot. He quickly scanned Kevin's report, which didn't indicate any unusual goings on, and Maggie had showed him a good time. Chuckling, he folded the sheet of paper and put it into his valise. So far, no clues were evident at Morning Glory Haven. He then removed the Hampton file and sat down at the desk.
    The first name on his list was the beloved Marion Carter with only one leg. Her son lived on the East coast. More than likely, this number belonged to a cell phone; so hopefully, he'd be able to reach Jerry Carter without much of a problem. He picked up the receiver, punched in the digits, then pushed the speaker button. Flipping over a sheet on his tablet while waiting, he readied himself to take a few notes.
    "Jerry Carter speaking."
    "Hello, Mr. Carter, my name's Tom Casey. I'm a private investigator looking into deaths that have occurred at the Morning Glory Haven. I believe your mother passed away while a resident there."
    "Uh, yes. Is there a problem?"
    "Nothing we've uncovered yet. George and Maggie