Free A Basket of Trouble by Beth Groundwater

prevent that from occurring.”
    “I’m sure he’ll figure something out,” Claire said.
    But she didn’t really feel that hopeful. Horses and tourists
    didn’t follow precise schedules, and there were bound to be de-
    lays on trail rides. How could Charley keep Tom Lindall from
    complaining to the city, and maybe getting Charley’s agreement
    voided?
    62
    five:
    a bad feeling
    The next morning, Claire fingered the green ‘Gardner’s Hip-
    potherapy’ T-shirt that lay in her lap after trying it on. “It’s not only a great fit,” she said to Jessica, “I love the color, too.”
    She was sitting on the reception sofa in the trailer at Gardner’s Stables and Jessica was perched on the arm of the matching leather loveseat. Behind the reception desk across from Claire, a short
    hallway led to a back office with two desks. The hall also led to a storage room, a bathroom, and a small kitchenette where Jessica
    had made the cinnamon-laced Mexican coffee they were sipping.
    “I’m glad. I thought green was good for a horse-based charity.”
    Jessica put down her coffee cup and arranged her face in a bright smile. “So, what’s our shopping itinerary?”
    Jessica hadn’t scheduled any hippotherapy clients that day, so
    Claire could finally show Jessica her favorite Colorado Springs
    clothing stores and boutiques for a ‘Ladies Day Out.’ Neither one of them felt particularly cheerful. But Claire thought some shop-63
    ping therapy might give Jessica some much-needed relief from her
    troubles.
    “After I deliver a couple of my ‘Welcome to Colorado Springs’
    baskets to a realtor downtown,” Claire said, “we’ll start at Silent Woman. It’s Ellen’s favorite home decor boutique and a really cute shop. Then we’ll look at the ritzy clothes at Drama. We probably
    won’t be able to afford much, but we’ll have fun window-shop-
    ping.”
    Jessica clapped her hands together, trying oh so hard to look
    excited. “I’ll be exhausted after all that!”
    Claire forced a smile, too. “We’ll rest and eat lunch at Rico’s
    Café in the Poor Richard’s complex, with its fun bookstore and
    children’s store. That’ll fortify us for an afternoon at The Prom-enade Shops at the Briargate.”
    “What fun. We’ve got to remember to pick up the invitations
    to my fundraiser event from the engravers, too.” Jessica stood and took their coffee cups to the sink. “Planning the fundraiser and
    getting the stable up and running was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Double-checking everything Charley did took a lot of time. I’ve needed this break for ages, even before Kyle’s death.”
    “Why do you have to double-check everything Charley does?”
    Jessica waved a hand. “You know men. They don’t have the eye
    for detail we women do. Especially Charley.”
    “Charley was pretty thorough about homework and stuff when
    we were kids.”
    When Jessica just shrugged, Claire worried her lip. Even if
    Charley realized where Jessica’s constant little digs came from,
    wouldn’t they eventually chip away at his self confidence? Claire 64
    decided to monitor his reactions to Jessica’s comments more
    closely.
    Claire stood. “I hope Charley will be able to schedule a breather soon. Working long hours seven days a week with no rest is taking a toll on him, too. Well, I guess we’d better get a move on.”
    They shouldered their purses and stepped outside. Two police
    cars sat in the parking lot, a marked cruiser and Detective Frank Wilson’s gray unmarked Charger. Wilson, another man in a suit,
    and two officers in uniform were getting out of the vehicles.
    “Uh oh,” Jessica said. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
    “So do I.” Claire put a hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “But let’s see what Detective Wilson has to say first.”
    He approached them. “Hello, ladies. I’m afraid I have some
    bad news for you. The coroner ruled that Kyle Mendoza was mur-
    dered.”
    Jessica sucked in a