Free Bones & Boxes: a Hetty Fox Cozy Mystery (Hetty Fox Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Anna Drake

the examination room door snapped inward, startling me. I sucked in a deep breath. I didn’t often come face to face with a person who I thought might be a killer. And as I studied him, I felt the full weight of my suspicion of a man I’d never met before. And an innocent angel perched on my shoulder gave me a thump on my cheek. Guilt lives strong within me. But I managed to keep my face neutral.
    The man who faced me was tall with remarkable blue eyes and hair that was nearly black. I thought he was probably somewhere close to forty. He stretched forth a hand.
    “Mrs. Fox?” His grip was firm yet gentle. “May I call you Henrietta?”
    “Hetty, please. Everyone just calls me Hetty.”
    He beamed. “Very good.”
    He put me through the usual paces. I answered all his questions and coughed when told to. I assured him I’d have my medical records transferred over as soon as I could. I’d complained of a bad chest cold, when I’d called for the appointment, so, of course, now I lied saying I’d recovered late yesterday. “I decided to keep the appointment anyway, as I need a doctor here.”
    “Perfectly logical,” he replied.
    “You came highly recommended.”
    “I’m glad to hear it.”
    ”I’m a neighbor of yours… of sorts.”
    “Really?” He tapped my right knee and my leg flipped forward.
    “Yes, I live in Hendricksville atop the bluff.”
    “You have a wonderful view, then,” he said with a smile.
    “I do.”
    “And you’re new to Hendricksville?”
    “I moved there to be near my daughter.”
    “Because of physical problems?”
    “No. But I thought it might be easier to move now than later.”
    “That’s probably true. What’s your daughter’s name?”
    “Megan Grant.”
    “Hmm, don’t think I know her.”
    “She married Lyle Grant.”
    “Ah, I’ve seen her with him then. I know Lyle, I just didn’t know your daughter’s name.”
    “You grew up in Hendricksville?” I asked.
    “Yes. I lived here until I left for college.” He fingered my neck, checking my glands. “After finishing my education, I surprised myself and moved back.”
    “I’ve heard it takes lots of money to become a doctor.”
    He laughed a bit uncomfortably. “I don’t know what I’d have done without college loans.”
    “Ooo, I’ve heard so they’re hard to pay off.”
    He sighed. “That’s true.”
    At  those words, I suddenly doubted he’d been made a millionaire by a deceased aunt. It seemed unlikely doctors sighed that heavily over college loans unless they had a few to pay off.
    I smiled to myself. Maybe, this guy was innocent of his aunt’s murder, and  I’d be able to stay with the good Doctor Barstow for many years to come.
     

ELEVEN
     
     
     
    A fter finishing my session with Barstow, I set out for the Weaverton County Courthouse. Three stories tall and made of red brick, it sat in the middle of the Weaverton Downtown Square. Two ring roads circled the impressive old building. Each road offered parking spaces with the outer street lined on the outside edge with shops.
    Given their location near the courthouse, a lot of the buildings were crammed full of lawyers’ offices. But there was also a bakery, two banks, an antique mall, and what looked,   judging by the number of cars parked near them, to be three very popular restaurants.
    After pulling my car into a parking space on the innermost road, I fed the meter and set off for the courthouse. I was eager to learn if the local gossips were correct. Had Carrie really inherited Mrs. Whitcomb’s money?
    A series of steep stone steps led to the first floor of the courthouse. Once I’d mounted them, I stepped inside the building and  made my way to the County Clerk’s office at the far end of a short hall, where I entered a busy office.
    Long windows on the far wall let in the day’s muted sunlight. Yet overhead, light fixtures buzzed. The office smelled of old papers and dust. A total of five women were hard at work at desks