Free If Catfish Had Nine Lives (Country Cooking School Mystery) by Paige Shelton

looking for a girl, Betts. I’m still trying to get over Opie, you know that.”
    In fact, I did know that, though Teddy had never needed to spend much time working to get over anyone before. He typically bounced back quickly; the fact that he hadn’t this time broke my heart a little, as well as got under my skin. How could anyone ever care that much for Opie?
    Nevertheless.
    “Word has it that Norman was sweet on a couple girls,” Orly said. “But he and Esther had been flirting, or perhaps more; at least they were seen together a lot these past couple of days. These events seem to bring that sort of thing out in some people—outside, camping, away from home, romantic poetry and singing. Well, it happens. I tend not to give much attention to those who are of age and who aren’t being obnoxious.”
    I kept to myself that I’d met Esther—well,
an
Esther anyway. She and Vivienne had both mentioned that they had talked to the murder victim but not much more. However, she hadn’t seemed particularly affected by Norman’s murder, not needing extra recovery time in Stuart’s shop like Vivienne had. I’d save that information for the police if I thought they needed it.
    “What else do you remember?” I asked Teddy.
    “I remember sitting around the fire last night. I remember a girl coming over to me. I even remember trying to let her know I wasn’t interested, Betts.”
    “I believe you.”
    “Good. Then, later, I’m pretty sure it was Norman who asked me to help him with some firewood. I thought it was strange that he wanted to go
into
the woods for the wood. There were two big stacks that I helped chop last week on the edge of the field, but he said that someone had carried some logs out to the woods and someone had told them they weren’t allowed to light a fire out there, which was true—fires aren’t supposed to be lit out there. He wanted me to help him bring the wood back to the piles. At the time that must have made sense,” Teddy said doubtfully. It didn’t make any sense at all, actually, but I didn’t point that out.
    “Okay.”
    “I don’t remember anything else after that.”
    “Not one thing?”
    “Not one thing.”
    “You don’t remember being hit?”
    “No.”
    He’d been hit more than once, that much was clear.
    The fact that my brother had been accosted—at least according to his shaky side of the story—boiled my stomach. From what I could see, it looked like he might have easily been killed. Had he been only one more blow from death? I hadn’t seen Norman this morning, but had he looked beaten up? Had it been a fair fight? Had Norman even been involved at all?
    Teddy’s story was outrageous, but fathomable in a muddled-up-facts way, I supposed. The motivations behind the violent behavior couldn’t simply have been because of a woman, though. There had to be more. I wanted to push Teddy to try to remember better, but the responsible side of me was taking over again, and he needed to see a doctor more than he needed to be pushed. Besides, maybe his memories would come back a little more as he healed.
    “Orly, do you mind driving us back into town?” I said.
    “Right away.”
    “I think I have my truck. I must have driven it here last night. And I have my keys,” Teddy said as he winced and reached into his pocket.
    “I think it’s parked on the other side of the campsite. I’ll take you two over there,” Orly said.
    “Thanks, Orly. I’ll drive your truck, Teddy,” I said as I took the keys. Orly and I helped Teddy stand. He wasn’t too wobbly, and it appeared that his injuries were only on the top part of his body. His legs, ankles, and feet seemed unharmed, despite the rips in his jeans.
    Instead of loading us into his truck, Orly sent a man he called Gary over to fetch Teddy’s. Gary was an old, short guy with a pronounced limp, but Orly seemed to think he could handle driving. For some strange reason—perhaps because I needed something positive to think