Free A Fatal Slip by Melissa Glazer

about Rose. I knew she’d been upset when I’d seen her at Shelly’s, but I didn’t think she’d harm herself or try to run away from her problems. Rose was no ingénue, and I knew she’d suffered through a few broken hearts along the way. She’d buck up, and if a sudden trip out of town was what it took for her to get back on her feet emotionally, it was no concern of Kendra’s, or mine.
    I must have still been scowling when David came back from lunch. “Sorry if I took too long,” he apologized.
    “What?”
    “At lunch. I got held up at Shelly’s.”
    “Did something happen?”
    “If you call a crush of tourists swooping down on her like vultures something happening, then yeah, something happened. I’d suggest you go somewhere else for lunch.” He slapped his forehead. “I didn’t even ask if you wanted anything yourself. I could have brought your lunch back to you and saved you a trip. I’m sorry, Carolyn.”
    I patted his cheek. “That’s fine. You’ve got more important things on your mind than me.”
    “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” He favored me with that grin of his, and I could see what his girlfriend Annie saw in him. David was sweet, and he could be quite charming when he put his mind to it.
    “Call me on my cell phone if you get swamped,” I said as I traded my apron for my jacket.
    “You won’t need that. It’s warming up nicely.”
    “I’ll take it anyway, just in case. See you soon.”
    He glanced around the empty shop. “Take your time. It looks like we’ve had our rush for the day.”
    “If they were only that easy to predict,” I said.
    I thought about going home for lunch, since I knew Bill was there working on another order, but I decided I wasn’t in the mood for company, not even my husband’s. I walked over to In the Grounds instead, ordered a sandwich and a soda, then took it outside. Tourists were starting to mill around the walk again, and I couldn’t find a free bench. The tourists were a mixed blessing, no doubt about it. One of our previous waterfront tenants had been quick to proclaim that the ideal situation would be for the tourists to send their money to us but not bother to come by themselves. It was that kind of attitude that had driven him out of business in the span of a single season, a modern-day record for Maple Ridge, Vermont. I personally liked the influx of fresh faces, especially after a long winter of memorizing every wrinkle of every single person who lived in town year-round.
    I knew Nate kept a few outdoor picnic tables in the back of In the Grounds for his employees, so I decided to take a chance one of them was free. The location didn’t have the view that a brook-side seat did, but there shouldn’t be the traffic, either.
    Blessedly, both tables were deserted. I sat down and enjoyed my sandwich in solitude, something more desirable at the moment than scenery. David was right: the rain had blown out, and the clouds had given way to a lovely blue sky. The sun was a welcome sight, and I enjoyed the way it warmed me to my bones as I ate.
    I was just finishing my sandwich when Nate came out the back door of his shop. The look on his face caught me off guard, and it took me a second to realize that what I saw in his expression was fear. What on earth did he have to be afraid of? Certainly not me.
    “Carolyn, I didn’t know you were back here,” he said, trying now to look calm.
    “Sorry to intrude, but I couldn’t find a seat out amongst the tourists. Nate, are you all right?”
    “I’m fine,” he said a little too quickly. “Why do you ask?”
    “You look a little on edge,” I said. “If you’d like to talk about it, I’m here.”
    “Nothing to talk about,” he said abruptly. “I’ve got to go.”
    Before he managed to get away, I asked, “Nate, how well did you know Charlie Cobb?”
    He spun and looked at me. “Why do you want to know that? I didn’t know him at all.”
    “Are you saying he never came into In the