Free A Story to Kill by Lynn Cahoon Page A

the first week I’m doing this retreat thing.”
    â€œBad business.” Katie shook her head. “Sorry you had to open to that. I bet it will make the next session hard to fill.”
    â€œIt might if we still don’t have a murderer or theory by then.” Cat peered at Katie. “You wouldn’t know how the investigation is going, now would you?”
    Katie leaned forward. “I’m not supposed to talk about these things, but you are family. I bet he wouldn’t mind.” She turned and looked both ways down the hall. When she was certain no one was around to hear her, she muttered, “They don’t have a clue. I mean, the one guy seemed like a good suspect, but Amy Potter swears they were doing the nasty all night long. And you know how that girl is—she probably wasn’t fibbing.”
    Yep, this was the same Amy inviting Seth over to her house for early morning troubleshooting. As she turned to leave, a thought hit her. “Hey, did Mrs. Cook talk to my uncle yet?”
    Katie nodded. “Poor woman, she was beside herself. The chief had to borrow a box of tissues just to get through the interview. She really loved that guy.”
    Overwrought hadn’t been her experience with Linda Cook. “Do you know if she told Uncle Pete about knowing Dean Vargas or attending undergrad here?”
    â€œI don’t eavesdrop when your uncle is interviewing suspects. It’s rude and above my pay grade here. I’m a level-one receptionist, so I greet people, answer the phone, and sometimes file.” Katie squared her shoulders, her cheeks pink from the emotion Cat had instigated with the question.
    â€œNo, I just wondered if, when they were going in and making small talk, she’d said anything.” Cat instinctively took a step back. “I wasn’t trying to say you weren’t doing your job.”
    Katie stared at her for a few seconds. Cat wondered if she was trying to read her sincerity from her words. “You’re a lot like your uncle. You see a mystery in everything. But sometimes a death is just a death.”
    â€œTom Cook didn’t just die.”
    â€œDoesn’t mean his wife had anything to do with the death.” Katie paused, appearing to weigh her next words. “I know she told me about her and Tom attending school here. I have no idea if she told your uncle or not.”
    Cat told the police officer good-bye and left the station. She wasn’t any further along in finding out who killed Tom Cook than she’d been that morning. She stopped dead in her tracks. Wait—she was trying to solve the murder? Why? Her uncle had taken her on ride-arounds when she was in high school. Mostly, she thought at the time, to scare her away from the evils of drink and drugs. The drug part had worked. She’d never wanted to even try something that took her out of control. But she had to admit, she enjoyed a frozen drink now and then, especially on hot summer days out on the deck. That had been her and Shauna’s Sunday ritual. Go to the beach, sit in the sand, and pretend they were on some exotic island where they didn’t have to go back to work the next day. Or night, in Shauna’s case.
    She pushed away the happy memory and got back to the question at hand. Why was she “investigating” Tom Cook’s murder? Uncle Pete wouldn’t be happy if he found out. But maybe if she could hand him some clues to the murderer’s identity, he’d forgive her.
    Besides, she appeased her good side, the only reason you’re interested is to save the writer’s retreat. Having a death the first week in business might keep people from booking 700 Warm Springs for their next getaway. Bolstered by that thought, she headed back to the house. Time to get some words on the page.
    When she reached Warm Springs, she saw the group of people walking toward her, led by Professor Turner. He waved, almost knocking off his