Free Deadly Desserts (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 6) by Mary Maxwell Page B

crotchety retiree who handled most of the routine repair jobs
around the bakery café.
    “I think everybody knows how Dewey
is,” I said as Colin slipped on a pair of disposable plastic gloves.
    “What can I get you?” He stood in
front of the refrigerated case stocked with meats and cheeses. “The smoked
turkey is especially fresh, if you’re in the mood for bird. Or we’ve got a
special today on ciabatta with Genoa salami and Buffalo mozzarella.”
    “I’m actually on my way to meet
someone for dinner,” I explained. “But I have a couple of questions to ask if
you don’t mind.”
    He folded his arms across his
scrawny chest. “Is this about Alexandra?”
    “Your granddaughter?”
    “She and her friends are soliciting
donations for a school fundraiser,” he answered. “I was afraid maybe they’d hit
you up more than once like they did with Chet Haskell and Sheryl Lazio.”
    “I haven’t seen Alexandra in
forever,” I said. “But I’d love to help them out. What’s the money for?”
    “Library books,” he answered. “Can
you believe it? I figured with all their laptops and tablets and whatever, most
kids would steer clear of real books. But I guess they’re kind of a retro
novelty nowadays; they still use textbooks, of course, but things like novels
and autobiographies aren’t part of the standard school budget.” He tugged off
the disposable gloves and put them on the counter. “But you didn’t come by to
hear about that, Katie. There were some questions you wanted to ask?”
    The sandwich shop was warm and
muggy, so I shrugged off my coat and draped it over a nearby chair. Then I
asked Colin if he was familiar with Nathaniel Craig, the president of Crescent
Creek Bank.
    His mouth formed a wary grin. “Familiar
with? Who doesn’t know big, bad N.C.?”
    I could tell from the way he said
the man’s initials that there was something more to the remark. I figured that
if I waited long enough, returning the grin with a cagey smile of my own, Colin
would divulge the deeper meaning to the somewhat sarcastic tone.
    “Okay, Katie,” he continued a
moment later. “Just between you and me?”
    “Always. I’m following up on
something related to an incident at Portia Pearson’s yesterday that—”
    “Oh, I’d guessed as much,” he
interrupted. “I heard about what happened to Lacy.”
    “I suppose everyone in town has by
this point, but I was actually there when she collapsed.”
    “Are the rumors true?” he asked.
“Was it really poison?”
    “Nothing’s been confirmed yet,” I
said. “But she was in great health, so…” I paused as a snapshot of Lacy on the
floor, unconscious and barely breathing, flashed through my mind. “Anyway, the
police are working on it, but I thought I’d lend a hand with a couple of
peripheral things.”
    “What did you want to know?” asked
Colin.
    “I heard that Nathaniel Craig comes
in often to buy his lunch.”
    “Almost every day! Peanut butter
and jelly on whole wheat with a bag of honey barbecue potato chips. Never gets
anything to drink, but he always leaves a buck tip, even when someone else
picks it up for him.”
    “Mr. Generous,” I joked. “Considering
he’s worth a small fortune.” I felt foolish as the remark left my mouth. “Sorry,
Colin. That was impolite.”
    He laughed. “No apology required,
Katie. The guy’s a total blowhard, and everyone knows it. He’s rude to his
employees, dismissive to his wife and…” Colin’s gaze drifted down to the
contents of the display case. “And there I go, engaging in idle gossip again.”
    “That’s okay,” I said. “Just makes
us even in our…opinions about Mr. Craig.”
    He winked and smiled. “Why’d you
want to know if he gets his lunch here?”
    “Just curious,” I answered. “Sounds
like he’s a creature of habit.”
    “Yeah, a regular lab rat on a
wheel,” Colin quipped. “I guess he really enjoys the little stroll across the
street, although there are days