Free Powdered Peril by Jessica Beck Page B

the steps to George’s office, I told Grace, “I’ve never heard anyone refer to murder as unpleasant business before, have you?”
    “It’s a great deal worse than that, isn’t it?” Grace asked. “Suzanne, we need to focus on the fact that we’re doing this for a reason. I hated the way Peter and I left things, and now neither one of us will ever have the opportunity to make it right again between us. I’m not going to let a few roadblocks stop us.”
    “Grace, are you serious? Do you really believe that you might have gone back to him after he lied to you?” I asked, having a hard time buying it.
    She thought about it before she answered, and when she finally did, the weight of the world was in her words. “I don’t guess we’ll ever know the real answer to that, will we? Suzanne, you forgave Max a great many things after you split up, remember?”
    “I might have,” I conceded, “but I never did manage to forgive his tryst with Darlene. I kicked him to the curb the moment I found them together, and I haven’t looked back.”
    “And you can’t ever see it in your heart to forgive him?” she asked.
    “There’s no reason to now. I’ve got Jake, and I’m happy,” I said.
    “But what if you didn’t have him in your life and Max came knocking at your door?”
    “I honestly can’t say, but I’d have to guess that I doubt I would answer it. I’m sorry. I know some folks find a way in their hearts to forgive a cheating spouse. I just don’t think that I’m one of them.”
    “I guess my point is that you can never say never, not as long as you both are still alive.”
    I didn’t want to think about my marriage to Max anymore.
    We were at George’s office in another two minutes, and I was surprised to see that Polly wasn’t at her desk. George’s door was ajar, and as I knocked, it swung open. George was sitting at his desk, with Polly leaning over his shoulder showing him something written on a piece of paper in front of them. They looked rather cozy together like that, but I knew better than to tease either one of them about it, and I had a hunch that Grace did as well.
    Polly looked almost guilty as she stood up and moved away from the new mayor as though he were radioactive. “I have calls to make. Just let me know when you’ve signed them, sir.”
    “I keep telling you, it’s George,” my friend said.
    “Not when you’re in this office. I didn’t agree with Cam Hamilton on a great many things, but I do believe the mayor should be treated with respect while he’s sitting behind that desk.” She turned to us and asked, “Is there something we can do for you?”
    “We need a second with George, er, his honor,” I said.
    That was going to take some getting used to, but Polly had a point. George was already working hard for the folks of April Springs, and he deserved a little respect for it.
    Polly turned to him and asked, “Is that acceptable, sir?”
    “Sure, I have a minute,” George conceded as he started to stand.
    “But just that,” Polly said. “You’ve got a zoning meeting downstairs, and you can’t be late.”
    “Why not?” George asked.
    “Because you’re the one who’s running it,” she replied.
    George nodded, and Polly left us.
    The second she was gone, I asked, “You’re not investigating Peter’s murder on your own, are you?”
    “What? Of course not. I told you that I wouldn’t, and I meant it.”
    “Then why did you speak with someone at the hardware store today?” Grace asked.
    “Hang on a second; it’s bad enough following the logic behind one of your questions, let alone both of you together. Teaming up against me just isn’t fair.”
    “The hardware store, George,” I said flatly.
    “I don’t know why it’s such a big deal. If you have to know, I needed a new washer for one of my faucets at the apartment, and they called me back to tell me that they’d have to order one special,” he answered, clearly perplexed by the line of