Free Hopscotch Homicide (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 16) by Kathi Daley Page A

it’s not a barn, it’s a house. It’s both vacant and close to town.”
    “And the problem?” Levi asked.
    “It’s right next to the old Devil’s Den graveyard.”
    Devil’s Den was the name of the settlement that had existed before it became the town of Ashton Falls.
    “I know the house you’re talking about,” Ellie joined in. “It would be a good location. Have you spoken to the owners about using it?”
    “Yes. The family that inherited it lives in Boston and has never even visited the property. They’re fine with us using it as long as we take care of maintenance and insurance. The question is, what’s the committee going to think about the graveyard? Everyone is being so conservative this year. Personally, I really liked Potter’s barn, and I thought the fact that it appears to be haunted added to the allure of the place.”
    “I doubt Potter’s barn is really haunted despite the strange things that occurred when you and Levi went to check it out. I think the committee is just being cautious after what happened at the Henderson house,” Ellie said. “I don’t see how an old graveyard could be a problem. It’s not haunted, is it?”
    “Not as far as I know.”
    “Bring it up at the meeting. I’ll support it,” Ellie assured me. “I’ve been by that house and it looked structurally sound. Besides, like you said, it’s close enough to town that people will be fine making the trip out.”
    “I’ll support it too,” Levi added.
    “Okay, I’ll suggest it. I don’t suppose you can attend the meeting as well?” I looked at Zak.
    “You know I would, but it’s the first day of school. I really should be at the Academy.”
    “Yeah, I know. But if there’s a tie I’ll have Willa call you to get your vote. I’m pretty sure I can get my dad to vote with me, so maybe we can get this done. The owners also own the property where the graveyard’s located. I thought it might be sort of cool to have guests approach the house through it.”
    “I don’t know,” Ellie said. “It seems sort of disrespectful to have people tramping over the graves of the people buried there.”
    “Bryton Lake does a graveyard walk every year. They rope off a specific path. Maybe we could do something like that. Providing a guided tour through the cemetery might prevent people from just tramping through.”
    “Maybe. If the committee approves the project we can take a look at the logistics. I seem to remember there’s a large field on the far side of the graveyard. We can set up parking there, and then we can lead people through the graveyard to the house. It could be really spooky.” Ellie nodded. “I like it.”
    I got up to open another bottle of wine and topped off everyone’s glass. It really was a beautiful night. The stars were shining brightly and the moon reflected off the surface of the lake. It was nice to have the chance to spend some time with my hubby and two best friends.
    “It seemed like you were having a fairly intense conversation with Gilda this afternoon,” Ellie commented.
    “Yeah. She wanted to offer her perspective on Evelyn Brown’s murder.”
    I filled the group in on what Gilda had told me.
    “Did you talk to Salinger about it?” Levi asked.
    “Yeah, I called him. He verified that Mrs. Brown had a son and that he was buried in the cemetery here in Ashton Falls. The cause of the fire was inconclusive.”
    “Mrs. Brown came into Rosie’s for lunch on Sundays while I was working there,” Ellie told us. “I don’t remember her ever eating with anyone. I wonder who moved in next door to Mrs. Brown when Trudy moved out.”
    “I’m not sure. I do know Salinger said he was going to speak to her neighbors. I imagine if anything had come of it, he would have called. He was going to speak to Principal Bower and her coworkers as well. I guess I should have asked him about that when we spoke.”
    “It’s not really your job to be his assistant,” Ellie reminded me.
    “Yeah, I