Chương 6: Chapter 6: Reading, Vermont

In a normal, well-adjusted and orderly world, Petunia's would have been shut down in about a heartbeat, the place swarmed with cops, my week of income ruined and a plethora of furious and frustrated guests hammering me with their unhappiness with the fact my bed and breakfast was no longer available for their vacationing needs.

But this was Reading, Vermont. And I hadn't forgotten just how little this town I grew up in followed anything resembling ordinary.

About three seconds after my morning-addled mind processed the dead guy in my water feature, another two or so seconds following the end of Mrs. Sprindle's echoing shriek that told me she likely had a history in theater or professional music, and maybe about a heartbeat before I could draw a breath and utter the horrible thought out loud this was probably the best way my morning could have gone, Mary's graveled voice echoed toward me from the kitchen door.

"Better call the sheriff," she said. Dear God, did she actually sound bored?

I stumbled to the main house and dialed the requisite 9-1-1 before collapsing onto a stool and hugging myself briefly, a chill passing over my entire body though the morning was already warm. How long I sat there I have no idea, except the first thing to shake me out of my guilty near hysteria that the man who wanted to take Petunia's from me was now all kinds of dead wasn't a deputy or the sheriff or even my dad.

No. The firm hand on my arm with the crisp, nude nail polish and the tasteful diamond ring squeezed with the kind of attention one attributed to a politician. I looked up, dazed, lost, into the professionally concerned and yet kind face of Mayor Olivia Walker.

"Darling Fiona," she said, guiding me to my feet with her continuing grip on my elbow. We'd met once, so when I became her darling I have no idea. It was nice to have the comfort, though. I staggered upright, nodded to her, gulped. "Are you all right?"

Considering there was a dead man in my koi pond and, now that I thought about it, I was probably a suspect, wasn't I? Yeah, not so all right.

"What are you doing here?" Not that I meant to be rude, but you can imagine my confusion. I'd called the police, not the middle-aged, pant suited and perfectly put together leader of our fair little town.

She didn't seem to take the question personally, kind smile refusing to quit past her precise lip liner. "I was in the sheriff's office when the call came in, my dear," she said. She finally released my arm and patted my shoulder with efficiency and charm that only made my confusion worse. "I'm here for you in this terrible time."

"I didn't know you were a lawyer." I stared mournfully at the deputies and paramedics who, I now noticed, trundled past, nodding to me or ignoring me on their way by.

"You won't be needing a lawyer, Fiona," Olivia said with a crisp kind of command that perked me up despite my disorientation. Petunia grumbled a bit and only then did I notice she'd come to sit at my feet, watching with her black ears cocked. "Petunia's is a valuable addition to this town's tourism economy and I will not see you closed down for one instant. No matter the circumstances."

She what? I gaped while Olivia half turned and nodded brusquely to Crew who came to a halt next to us. I could barely meet his eyes, breath held so long black spots danced in my vision while he scowled down at her like I wasn't even there.

"Police procedure," he said through gritted teeth. "I can't have guests trampling the crime scene."

"And I won't have you sully the good name of this bed and breakfast or its host in the eyes of the world." I shook my head as Olivia tucked one arm through mine, her pale yellow suit jacket making my skin look sallow. I just didn't have her olive complexion, black hair or dark brown eyes. It worked really well for her, though. And clearly I'd lost my mind because instead of worrying about the dead dude I was comparing skin tones and color combinations.

Marvelous start to a Friday. Well, at least I wasn't plunging a toilet. Yet.

"Madam Mayor," Crew said, still completely ignoring me, his brow pulled into lines over his eyes, tan doing nothing to hide the redness of his face as his temper visibly grew. Damn, he was cute when he was pissed. "You do realize a man has died here."

"A most unfortunate event." The mayor tugged me closer, shaking her head and tsking her sympathy. "Was he a tourist?" That was the first time she seemed even remotely worried for real.

"No," I managed. "Local."

Crew scowled at me at last while Olivia's faint, sympathetic smile returned, grip all the tighter on my arm. "Well, then I'm sure you'll agree, Sheriff, any local would want our economy to thrive and grow, not be affected by their passing. Especially considering this is a big weekend for Reading and the lodge is full to capacity."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing but was in no position to fight her. Not while a mix of shock and still threatening hysterical laughter bubbled in my stomach and threatened to spin me to the big sink where I could noisily throw up everything I'd ever eaten. Ever.

"You don't get to dictate-"

Olivia's smile slipped as she leaned in to the still protesting Crew.

"You clean this up," she hissed, all pretense gone, "and get that body out of here before the whole town sees it. And Petunia's stays open. I mean it, Crew. You think I've been a hard ass since you took over? Think that parking dispute was any indication of how far I'll go?" Um, what? "You haven't seen anything yet." She jerked on my arm slightly before seeming to realize what she'd done. Olivia's dark brown eyes caught mine, not a trace of caring there. But she did care, at least for this town, and if her being a pit bull about tourism meant I stayed open...

Crew knew he'd lost from the look of utter fury on his face. Again his eyes flickered to me. Did he blame me for this? Instead of commenting, he pushed past both of us, bellowing orders I barely caught as I sagged into the stool again while Olivia brushed at the front of her jacket.

"You have an instant of trouble from that young man," she said, "and you call my office immediately."

***

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