Free Jeanne Glidewell - Lexie Starr 05 - Just Ducky by Jeanne Glidewell

from the five and dime takes precedence over what is potentially a murder case?” I asked a bit sarcastically, due to my current disgust with the police department.
    “It’s more than the theft of a comb, Lexie,” Wyatt said. “Narcotics, like Percocet and Oxycodone, were stolen from the pharmacy the night Ducky died, and it’s only a matter of time before someone gets injured, or worse, by the perpetrators. Still, I agree with you that a couple of detectives should be freed up to pursue the possibilities surrounding Ducky’s death.”
    “Well, then the way I see it, there’s nothing preventing me from pursuing those possibilities on my own,” I said, more to myself than anything.
    “No way!” Detective Johnston and Stone said in unison. Both reacted with so much vehemence that Stone spit coffee across the kitchen table, and Wyatt removed the half-eaten long john from his mouth and sat it down on the table. I’d never seen this eating machine remove something already in his mouth and I sat back in my chair in surprise.
    “We are not going through this again,” Stone said. “Nothing good has ever come from your nasty habit of stepping into the middle of police cases.”
    “Totally untrue,” I replied, in my own defense. “How about the arrests of murderers for starters? And from what I’m hearing from Wyatt, this is not a police case at all. Apparently it’s not important enough to be considered a ‘police case,’ Stone.”
    “You know what I mean, Lexie! Your life has been threatened on a number of instances, and you’ve been to the emergency room on numerous occasions because of the cases you’ve gotten yourself involved with. Please let well enough alone!” Stone pleaded with me.
    Pointing what was left of his half-eaten long john at me, Wyatt said, “I agree with Stone. It would be best if you stayed out of it completely.”
    “Best for whom? Certainly not for Ducky! She deserves justice!” I nearly shouted at our guest. “What about her family? They deserve justice too, and they deserve to know the truth. How else will they find closure?”
    “Justice for what? The chances she was murdered are still remote, Lexie. And you have my word that if anything comes up that says differently, the police department will check it out. I know her family deserves the truth, but my hands are tied.”
    I nodded without much enthusiasm. Wyatt’s word was the best I was going to get at this stage of the game. But, I still felt like I owed it to Ducky to ask around and see if I could find something even more substantial than the inconsistencies of the suicide note. Something concrete enough that the police department could not deny indicated Ducky’s death was not self-inflicted.
    I stood up and walked to the refrigerator to begin peeling potatoes for supper. I had a rump roast in the oven, and wanted to serve it with all the trimmings, including freshly snapped green beans, big, fat fluffy rolls, and even a homemade blueberry pie for dessert. After all, staying at the Alexandria Inn did not come cheap, and the Spurleys deserved the same attention we showered on all our paying guests. I didn’t want to ignore them in my quest to uncover the truth. I was deep in thought when Wyatt patted me on the shoulder.
    “I really am sorry I couldn’t do more. As always, thanks for the coffee and doughnuts. I’ll see you two later.” He tipped his hat as he walked backward toward the door leading out to the rear porch. I nodded, but was already thinking about the various people I wanted to find a way to speak with. As usual, I was going to have to go about it as covertly as possible, so as not to upset Stone. I wanted to at least get through the newlywed stage of our marriage before Stone realized he’d made a monumental mistake by marrying me.
    * * *
    I spent the rest of Thursday evening sulking and pouting between bouts of furiously attacking housecleaning chores. By the time I went to bed, I’d decided nothing