Free A Luring Murder by Stacy Verdick Case Page B

stirred with a vengeance. “Ice is in the freezer. Water’s in the fridge.”
    Normally, I wouldn’t bother, but my shirt was sticking to my back, and my jeans felt as if I’d been swimming in them. I grabbed a jelly jar glass from the self, held it up to Louise, and raised my eyebrows. She nodded so I pulled another glass from the shelf, and elbowed the Sheriff out of my way.
    I guzzled my glass of ice water in one long drink and was rewarded with a stomach cramp. Louise held her glass to the side of her face.
    “Well ask your questions, young ladies.” An air of contempt permeated her words. “I have a lot of work to do today.”
    “Yes, I’m surprised that you’re going ahead with your party,” I said.
    “Why’s that, Miss. . . Who are you?” She turned to look at me with one hand on hip, and the other brandishing a wooden spoon with a pinkish-red sauce that dripped onto the floor.
    “I’m Detective O’Brien from the Saint Paul Police Department, and this is my partner, Detective Montgomery. We’re here on vacation. Sheriff Anderson has asked for our help with the investigation.”
    “Hmm.” She looked me up and down. “Why do you think it’s unusual that we would still hold the fish fry, Detective?”
    I shrugged. “It’s not every day that a dead body is found on your property, or in this town for that matter. I would think a murder would be pretty upsetting. Especially if, the victim is someone you know. You did know the victim didn’t you, Mrs. Peterman?”
    She turned back to her bubbling pot and stirred with a vengeance.
    “Yes, I knew him. Didn’t care for him much though.”
    I couldn’t imagine her caring for anyone very much. I looked to Louise for assistance. She reclined against the counter next to Sheriff Anderson with the glass of ice water pressed to her forehead. She made a fluttering gesture with her fingers as if to say go on.
    “That’s why you’re celebrating? Because you didn’t like him?”
    “Young lady that’s not appreciated.” She kept her back to me. “Didn’t your mother teach you manners?”
    “She certainly did. She also taught me that partying when you discover a corpse on your property is in poor taste. She also taught me that it’s rude to turn your back on someone when they’re talking to you.”
    She took a deep breath, let it out slow, then turned to face me. “Apparently, your mother never taught you that a good host thinks about their guests before they think of themselves. Like Jackie did for John John’s birthday the day she buried her husband.”
    Her spine stiffened, and she crossed herself.
    “Who?”
    She let out a disgusted grunt.
    “Jackie Kennedy, Detective, a truly great woman. Don’t you know anything about history? She taught us, that despite our own tragedies, we must continue on.”
    Okay. Jackie Kennedy. This woman had issues beyond a dead body.
    “I have a resort full of people from out of town who didn’t know, or care, who Warren Pease was, if he was a good man or not. They’re here on their vacations. That last thing they need is some local drama messing up the peace and quiet, they paid dearly for with hard work.”
    I flinched. She was probably right. Gavin certainly didn’t want his vacation interrupted by this drama. That, however, didn’t give Mrs. Peterman license to talk bad about my Mother.
    Louise and Sheriff Anderson were doing their best Switzerland impersonation.
    “Anyway, if you asked me, I’m surprised he didn’t end up dead long ago. Lord knows he’d been playing fast and loose with his life since high school. What do you want to know detective? I need to move on with my party.”
    “Did you find the body, Mrs. Peterman?”
    She shook her head and rolled her eyes at the Sheriff. “Miller, do I have to go through all this?”
    The sheriff leaned toward me. “It was Mr. Peterman.”
    She turned back to her bubbling pot.
    “Did Warren have much cause to be hanging around your fish house so early in