Page 9 of Amazing Grace
Grace spread her hands. “Then it’s not your fault. For all you know, he was stalking you.”
Molly looked aghast. “I know that’s supposed to make me feel better, but it doesn’t.” But she slid onto the passenger seat of the Silverado just the same. It seemed she trusted Grace, which made Grace feel even more protective of her.
Grace got into the truck and started it up. She drove slowly because her nerves were still shot. “We never got breakfast. You must be starving. Let’s stop at Caffeine Ivy’s and pick up some muffins and coffee at least.”
“I don’t think I could eat anything…”
“You will. It’ll make you feel better.” She pulled to the curb in front of the shop, too distracted by what had happened to realize she just scored rock-star parking, something that rarely happened. “Why don’t you stay in the truck? I’ll be right out.”
Inside Caffeine Ivy’s, the owner and barista, Em Lewiston was working the counter. “Hey, aren’t you Grace Conroy, who builds the hay maze every year? I thought I saw you in here earlier.”
“Hi, Em. Yes, I’m Grace, and I was in here to grab a bun and a coffee earlier this morning. Now I need two large coffees and a pair of blueberry muffins, please.”
“Coming right up.” Em looked at Grace from the corner of her eye as she made the coffee. “Something going on up at the maze? I heard they found a body.”
“Holy crap! News travels fast around here.”
“Not usually this fast, but Tom Padgett happened to be in here getting coffee when he got the call on his radio.” Em looked sheepish. “I guess I overheard it.”
Grace managed a smile. “It’s true. They did find a body. They’re taking care of it.”
“I guess the maze won’t open this weekend, huh?” Em slid the two coffees across the counter and bent to retrieve two large blueberry muffins from the case.
“No, I don’t expect so. Maybe next weekend,” Grace said and couldn’t help sighing. It was terrible that someone was dead, even someone as awful as Molly said her ex-boyfriend was, but she still wished her maze could open. Did that make her a bad person? She hoped not.
Before it could possibly open, of course, the body would have to be removed, and the bales stained with blood would have to be replaced.
Then she chided herself again for being a pretty awful person herself. How could she be thinking of opening the maze when there’d been a murder?
She paid for the coffee and muffins, threw some money in the tip jar, wished Em a good day, and hurried back to the Silverado before Em could ask any more questions. She didn’t want to get into all the details. It was exhausting and scary, and she just wanted to drink her coffee and eat a muffin with Molly in peace.
Grace drove Molly toward the Victorian owned by Zoe and Emily. Along the way, they sipped their coffees, but inevitably the subject they were trying to avoid came up between them.
“How can we be suspects?” Molly asked. “We both have alibis.”
“I guess they need to check them out to make sure we’re telling the truth,” Grace posited. “For all they know, we could be making it all up.”
“Why would we do that?”
“If we were the killers, we naturally would.”
“But we’re not!” Molly cried.
“Iknow that, andyouknow that, but thepolicedon’t know it yet. That’s why we’re still suspects.” She pulled the Silverado into the parking spot in front of the house.
They’d just entered the house when they were practically jumped by Zoe and Emily.
“Oh, my God! You poor things.” Zoe cried, grabbing their arms and guiding them toward the living room. “Come and sit down. I’ve just made a pot of coffee and there are muffins. Oh, you already have muffins and coffee…well, you can have more.”
“We heard about what happened. How horrible!” Emily said.
Hands full of muffins and coffee, they allowed themselves to be herded into the living room and sat side-by-side on the overstuffed sofa.
“How did you find out so fast?” Molly asked.
“News travels like lightning in a small town,” Grace said.
“We heard it from Alicia who got it from Em at Caffeine Ivy’s,” Zoe explained.