Free 5 A Bad Egg by Jessica Beck Page A

idea how crushing the
weight can be.”
    It was bad
timing, but Margie Brewer chose that moment to pay her bill. As she handed
Ellen a ten for a five-dollar tab, she said, “Keep the change, and hang in
there. Even if this thing goes to trial, you just need one mother on the jury
to keep your freedom.”
    “I didn’t
kill him, Mrs. Brewer,” Ellen said.
    “Of course
you didn’t, sweetie,” Margie said as she patted Ellen’s hand, and then she
walked out of The Charming Moose whistling.
    “She just
called me a cold-blooded killer, didn’t she?” Ellen asked me.
    “Not
exactly,” I said.
    “It was close
enough, and you know it. You and Moose need to figure this out, Victoria, and I
mean fast.”
    “We’re doing
the best we can,” I said. “Are you sure that you’re all right?”
    “I’d be lying
if I said that I wasn’t a little shaky,” Ellen said, “but I’m not going
anywhere. Folks need to see that I’m not hiding in some corner, afraid of what
might happen to me.”
    “That’s my
girl,” I said as I squeezed her shoulder. “We’ll figure this out.”
    “I hope
you’re right,” she said, and then Malcolm Mason waved his coffee cup in her
direction, and she grabbed a full pot as she headed off in his direction.
    As I watched
Ellen flit among our customers, I knew that she was right. Moose and I had to
find the killer, and we had to do it before the town decided collectively that
Ellen had taken that pipe to her ex-husband. I knew that Margie Brewer had been
trying to be supportive, but she’d just confirmed my worst fears. If enough
folks in town believed that Ellen was a killer, there would be no changing
their minds later, even after the real murderer was brought to justice.

 
    “Is Ellen
working today?” Sheriff Croft asked as he walked into the diner a little after
ten. “I thought for sure she’d be home.”
    “She wanted
to come in, and I didn’t have the heart to turn her away,” I said. “Is
something wrong? You’re not going to question her here, are you?”
    “No, your
friend Rebecca made it clear that I wasn’t supposed to talk to her without
supervision,” the sheriff said with the hint of a smile. “That was smart,
bringing her in on this.”
    “She’s never
let me down before,” I said. “If you’re not going to talk to her, why are you
here, then? I know that you’re not a big fan of the diner in general.”
    “Nonsense. I
love your pancakes, and you know it.”
    “Still, you
don’t eat here very often,” I said.
    “That’s
because I know where that will lead. If I want to keep fitting into this uniform,
I have to watch what I eat. Every now and then, though, it’s good to indulge.”
    “So that’s
all you want; pancakes.”
    “That’s it,”
he said.
    “Then have a
seat, and I’ll be right with you.”
    “Does that mean
that you’re not even going to let Ellen wait on me?” he asked.
    “She can do
whatever she wants, but I have a hunch you’re going to end up in my section, no
matter where you decide to sit.”
    “Understood,”
he said. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have a seat at the bar, then.”
    “Sounds
good,” I said as I followed him. When he sat down, I asked, “Would you like a
menu?”
    “Thanks, but
I don’t need one. I’ll have a half stack of your mother’s pancakes, and a side
of bacon.”
    “Wow, you
really are indulging,” I said. “Would
you like some coffee to go with that?”
    “Sure, why
not?”
    I flipped a
cup over on its saucer and filled it for him. As I walked into the kitchen, I
found Ellen chatting with my mother. “Do I have a customer?”
    “The sheriff
is here,” I said.
    Ellen
stiffened instantly. “Did he come here for me?”
    “Relax. He
says he just wants a half stack of Mom’s pancakes.”
    “And why
wouldn’t he?” my mother asked as she poured some batter onto the grill. “He
used to eat them all of the time back when he first became sheriff.”
    “I keep
forgetting