Free Ginny Gold - Early Bird Café 04 - Croaked Wheat by Ginny Gold Page A

the front door. She rang the doorbell and they waited. When no one answered in what she considered a reasonable amount of time, she knocked. She hadn’t heard the doorbell echo through the house, so it was either a quieter bell or was disconnected or not functional.
    This time, it was only a few moments before a young woman came to the door, hair up in a messy bun, like she either didn’t care what she looked like or was intentionally going for a just-got-out-of-bed style. She opened one door so that there was still a screen between her and Kori and Nora.
    “Ms. Richards?” Kori asked.
    “Yes. Can I help you?” She wrinkled her eyebrows and stared down at them from inside, one step above.
    “I hope so. We’re here with the Daily Maple. We’re running a story on Marty Rivers and we understand that you knew him.”
    Joline nodded slowly. “He was my neighbor. It’s terrible what happened. I can’t believe it still.”
    Kori thought Joline might thrive on the attention of giving her side of the story so she pressed on. “Could we come in to ask you a few questions? We’d love to have a quote from you if possible.”
    Joline pushed the screen door open and held both doors so Kori and Nora could enter the house. “Have a seat on the couch. Do you want some water?”
    “Sure,” Kori said and Nora nodded.
    Now that there was no screen blocking Kori’s view of Joline, she could see that Joline was much younger even than Kori had expected. Maybe just out of college. How had she been able to buy a house so young? And what did she do to make a living? If she was home in the middle of the afternoon, she didn’t work a regular houred office job.
    Joline took a few minutes in the kitchen, but it was immediately clear why when she came back to the living room. It looked like she’d reapplied makeup—to the point that it was overdone—and smoothed down the loose hairs that had been flying all over the place. With the skinny jeans and snug fitting shirt across an ample chest, she looked like she could pass for a Hooters waitress.
    Kori knew there was no Hooters in Hermit Cove, but there could easily be a similar kind of restaurant where she could work nearby. Kori decided not to let her mind dwell on what other kind of professions would suit Joline’s look, but an escort service quickly wandered into her consciousness.
    Even Joline’s voice changed. She hadn’t been unfriendly at the front door, but Kori’s intuition had been correct about her wanting to be the center of attention. Suddenly she was babbling in a high pitched, ultra girly voice that Kori loved to avoid. She’d have to suck it up this afternoon.
    “We’ve only lived next door for a little while. I just moved here less than a year ago. I met him through his wife, Karin, actually. Are you talking to her too? But she and I ended up not really hitting it off. She’s older, you know? So we’re just looking for different things in life right now. But Marty and I …”
    Joline’s eyes got a faraway look and Kori waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, Kori asked, “Would it be okay if I record our conversation? It’s easier than taking notes.”
    Joline sat on a chair facing Nora and Kori on the couch, a low coffee table between them. “Oh , of course. And what about a photo to go with the quote I give you?”
    Kori was surprised she wanted to be associated with this when she was the other woman . She turned the voice recorder on and then answered, “Sure. At the end I’ll take one.”
    “Great. So, where did you want to start?” Joline asked, way too excited for what this conversation was about.
    “Well, let’s start with your story. You said you just moved here. Where did you come from? What brought you to Hermit Cove?” Kori hoped her answer wasn’t ‘To be an escort.’
    “Well, I’m from a town even smaller than Hermit Cove. Can you even believe that?” She waved her hand to emphasize her point. “And with my work, I can live