Page 38 of A Seer and Present Danger

Or was that how a detective acted?

I didn’t know. I didn’t know if Aggie was behaving like a person being stalked by a detective either.

Really, she was right. Her life was none of my business, unless Vandre tried to do something harmful.

Maybe I’d suggest she could report him to the police again, just to remind her that ignoring him wasn’t her only option.

But for the rest of the evening my thoughts returned again and again to the dead man.

Jean was a police officer, and while I had never seen her be anything but friendly, it was possible she had made enemies, or at the very least, made people angry at her.

The list of suspects who might have wanted her to take the fall was endless.

Or maybe not that endless.

The killer had been at the diner. They had to be someone who knew about the thief (if he was a thief), and someone who didn’t like Jean.

Even though I didn’t believe in coincidences, it could have been a coincidence. The killer could have intended to kill Hugo, and Jean could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

To prove that, I’d have to know why someone wanted Hugo dead.

Who was he, other than a thief? (If he was a thief.)

And if he was a thief, what had he stolen worth killing for?

CHAPTER 8

The list was short. I chewed on the end of the pen and read through the names again.

Smuckleberry purred in my lap, a big fluffy lump of orange and white. The Great British Sewing Bee played in the background. They were making tiny rompers for children out of sleeping bags and pillow cases. It was amazing how cute they were.

I’d slept six hours and had already eaten breakfast. My second cup of coffee steamed on the end table next to me and the blinds were open to let in the sunlight.

I’d started my murder list on the back of last week’s grocery list.

It was made up of people who had been at the diner that night:

Me (I didn’t do it.)

Aggie (Who had been in the bathroom, then left.)

Buzz (Who had recently taken a break out back.)

Kenny Stratton (Okay, I only put him on the list because he was annoying and also owned a business with Hugo.)

Gail Malloy (Ex-wives and cheaters made excellent murder suspects.)

Simon Vandre (Detective, antique shop owner? Stalker?)

Paul (A truck driver who wouldn’t hurt a fly.)

Juan (Our night dishwasher, who also wouldn’t hurt a fly.)

Jean (Who was blood covered and in shock.)

Random passers through (We were right by the highway.)

“Who should I talk to first, Smuckles? Not Aggie, she’s mad at me. Not Vandre, I don’t even know how to find him. I can talk to Buzz later today when I’m working. Same with Shelly. Oh, she’s not on the list.”