Free Shelley Freydont - Celebration Bay 03 - Independence Slay by Shelley Freydont Page B

questions about what had happened the night before. Most didn’t know exactly what had gone on other than there had been a lot of cop cars around the Gallantine estate and that someone thought they’d seen the coroner’s van.
    Liv just nodded, shrugged, and kept walking.
    “Yoo-hoo, Liv?” Miriam Krause, the owner of A Stitch in Time fabric-and-quilting store, stuck her head out the front door and motioned Liv over. “I was talking to Mr. Valenski at the newsstand earlier this morning, and he said that Hildy Ingersoll came in for Henry’s newspaper, and she told him that Leo Morgan killed Jacob Rundle last night.”
    Liv did not want to be drawn into any gossip this morning and had meant to keep walking. But this stopped her. “She went in for Mr. Gallantine’s newspaper? But I thought he had left for the summer.”
    Miriam flipped her hand. “Should have. He usually has the car packed and waiting. As soon as he plays the ghost in the reenactment, he drives out of town.”
    So where was he? And why was Hildy getting his paper if he wasn’t here? Did Hildy know where he was?
    “What else did Mr. Valenski—”
    Unfortunately, the same Westie who would have sat and played with the children just a few minutes ago suddenly realized they were near the office, where he would be given his star biscuit, and he pulled at the leash.
    “Heel,” Liv said. Whiskey barked and pulled harder. “Sorry. Too much excitement.”
    “Don’t you worry about it. He’s cute as can be. I tell you, I don’t believe it for a minute.”
    It took a beat before Liv realized she was back to talking about the murder and not Whiskey.
    “Poor boy, he never did anybody any harm, and you tell Bill Gunnison not to be too quick to judge.”
    “Will do,” Liv called back as Whiskey took off down the sidewalk. “Sorry, Miriam, gotta run.”
    Liv and Whiskey practically ran the rest of the way to Town Hall. Liv didn’t even reprimand him. She needed to see Ted before he left for the parade.
    Ted was just coming out the door as they reached the Events Office.
    “Who’s my favorite dawg?” Ted crooned.
    “Aroo-roo-roo.”
    Ted laughed. “Yankee doodle…”
    “Arroo-roo-roo.”
    “Ted, come inside, now.”
    Song forgotten, Ted followed her back inside. “What’s up?”
    She told him about the women at the Buttercup.
    “Bunch of old—well, never mind, there’s always a few.”
    “So, have you heard from Bill this morning?”
    “Yes, and don’t worry. Leo is a witness, not a suspect.”
    Liv let out a huge pent-up sigh. “Bill won’t charge him?”
    “No. Not unless he gets some real evidence.” He eased Liv’s latte out of the tray, flipped the tab of the cup top back. “Drink. We’ve got a parade to attend.”
    “In a minute,” Liv said. “Who signaled the SOS?”
    Ted frowned. “I assume Rundle must have.”
    “A.K. said he bled out almost immediately. So he couldn’t have.”
    “Maybe he… I don’t know, Liv. Let Bill figure it out. Now, I’ve got to get over to the parade start.”
    “Okay, but listen to this.”
    Ted tilted his head and looked at her. “Yes?” he said patiently.
    “Miriam Krause was at the newsstand this morning and Mr. Valenski said Hildy picked up Henry Gallantine’s newspaper this morning. Why would she do that?”
    Ted’s eyes widened slightly. “A creature of habit, maybe.”
    “Or she knows where Henry is.”
    “Or she knows where Henry is. I’ll call Bill on my way over. Unless you want to.”
    “Not me.”
    Ted grinned. “Want me to be the one who gets in trouble?”
    “Hey, I didn’t ask any questions. I was just walking to work like I do every day, minding my own business…”
    “Uh-huh. Now, you sit down at your desk and drink your coffee and then go get a good seat for the parade.”
    “I was thinking of maybe watching from my office window.”
    Ted raised an eyebrow. “This is not the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s more fun down in the thick of