Sam gave Nora a wry look.“I don’t think pressing somebody about a murder at their work place is a great idea.”
Nora shrugged.“It’s not as if he can escape the questioning.It sounds practically perfect to me.”She considered it a bit more.“Although you could catch him during his lunch break.It could be a natural meetup that way.”
“Natural?With me stalking the man to the deli?”
Nora said, “No deli for Gerald Parker.He prefers bringing a brown bag lunch from home.He sits right outside the bank on a bench with a book every day.I toot my horn at him when I go by.”
Probably terrifying the poor man in the process.“I don’t know when his lunch break is.”
“Sure you do,” said Nora impatiently.“The bank closes every day between one and two.For heaven’s sake, Sam.Surely, you must realize that.”
“No.Because I do all my banking on the app.”
Nora’s tone was severe.“You must stop that right away.Go to the bank fifteen minutes before they reopen at two.Speak with Gerald, then cash your check.Problem solved.”
Sam hadn’t thought it was a problem.But Nora was so pleased with herself that she immediately agreed to the scheme before finally breaking away from her neighbor with a cheery wave and taking an eager Arlo on the remainder of his walk.
Chapter Six
After taking Arlo backhome, Sam headed to her car to speak with Gerald.Her house was near the front entrance to the subdivision, but she took the long way to drive through Maple Hills.Sometimes, catching people who were out doing yardwork or walking their dogs was the best way for her to see her neighbors.Since she was the homeowner association president, she liked being able to touch base with as many people as she could and make sure there weren’t any problems.
As she rounded the corner onto Cedar Lane, she spotted Alfred up on a ladder, adjusting something on his porch overhang.His new roof gleamed in the afternoon sun.There was no more blue tarp, as there had been months ago after an errant hurricane had detoured through the mountains.Mandy stood at the base of the ladder, one hand steadying it.
Sam pulled over and rolled down her window.“Looking good!”
Alfred glanced down, then carefully descended.“Not bad for an old guy, right?”
Mandy swatted his arm.“She means the roof.”
“The roof too,” Alfred said with a grin.
“It really does look good.The tarp is finally gone.”
Mandy said, “Thank goodness for that.”She came closer to Sam’s car, lowering her voice conspiratorially.“Between you and me, I was starting to think the tarp was permanent.”
“She wanted to paint it to match the house,” Alfred said.
