LITMIR.BIZ

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was our summer barista who tried to work as many hours as he could. This job was his only source of cash since his mom didn’t want him working during the school year.

      “Sounds good. But I’m sure I’ll be fine. Yesterday was pretty slow.” Sasha turned toward the coffee bar and started wiping it down. I headed home to grab some lunch and settle in with the mystery I’d started last night. The best thing about owning a bookstore is reading the new releases. The second-best thing? Drinking great coffee while you’re doing it.

      * * * *

      “Hey, beautiful.” Greg walked into Coffee, Books, and More the next morning just after eleven. The morning had been busy, with the homeschooling group coming in for their monthly bookstore visit. I was always so impressed by the books the kids ordered and read. They all seemed to be reading above their grade level. But then again, I didn’t know much about what kids should be reading. Sasha came in early to help with the group and I managed the coffee bar while they were there.

      “Hey, yourself.” I glanced at Sasha, who nodded and headed back behind the register. The majority of families had already left, with just a few stragglers who couldn’t make up their mind between books. I stepped around the counter and gave him a hug. “I missed you last night.”

      “Sure you did. I bet as soon as you got home you heated up some pizza rolls and sat on the couch reading.” He gave me a quick hug and I could smell the soap he typically used.

      Greg knew me too well. Maybe I was going to have to up my game with him. Or I could just let him actually know the real me. I figured that was the road of least resistance. “Guilty as charged. Did you just come over to give me grief about my snacking habits?”

      “I came to see if you’d have lunch with me over at Diamond Lille’s. Next week’s going to be crazy busy with the festival and we won’t have time to just sit and talk.” He smiled and brushed a stray hair out of my face. “I like just sitting and talking, among other things.”

      “If I get to keep the store open.” I glanced around the shop. “Aunt Jackie’s electrician is coming at five to check things out.”

      “You may not need to do much. I overheard Darla and the mayor going at it yesterday. She’s hot under the collar, but she has good points. I think Barry has gone over the edge with his inspections. He even made a list of violations at the police station.” Greg looked a bit uncomfortable. “I told him he could take them up with the mayor, but there was no way I was going to close down the station.”

      “He seems like he thinks it’s his way or no way.” I glanced at Sasha. “Let me grab my purse from the back and I’ll be ready.”

      “Hurry up, woman, I’m starving,” he called after me.

      As I passed by Sasha, I winked. “Men. They all think they are in charge.”

      “You two are so cute together. And Greg is so totally alpha.” Sasha rang up ten books the last homeschooling family had stacked on the counter. The kid who’d held everyone up had gotten both books, probably since he couldn’t decide. Either way, it was a great ploy to get a second book out of a busy mom. The kid had style.

      I grabbed my purse and as I headed back out to the front, I saw Greg on the phone. He cut it off when I walked up. “Don’t tell me, you got called back in.”

      “Maybe. There’s a problem down at the end of Beal Street. I guess there’s a controlled burn out there by that old barn. But they can’t find Barry.” Greg glanced at me. “You want to take a short ride with me before lunch?”

      “Sure, I have a book in my purse in case you’re delayed.” Besides, it would be a great chance to actually talk to Barry. “I think that would be an excellent idea.”

      Greg took my arm and led me to his truck. He opened the side door for me and then crossed over to the driver’s side. Starting the engine, he looked at me. “You have to promise you won’t cause a scene when we locate Barry.”

      “Why would I do that?” I tried to look noncommittal.

      Greg pulled the truck out into traffic. Or out into the no traffic. I liked slow days in South Cove. It made the rest of the time bearable. As he drove out of town, Greg turned up the music and smiled at me. I liked that about us. We didn’t have to talk all the time. We liked spending time together. A lot of evenings we sat on the couch and, while he watched whatever game was on, I would read. Emma would lay at the end of the couch sleeping. It felt right.

      I leaned forward as we got closer. The flames were gone, but the building wasn’t totally demolished. It was like they’d turned on the hoses to put out the fire a few minutes too early. “Whose property is this?”

      “Barry’s. He got it from his parents when they passed. I’ve heard rumors that he was planning on selling off to a condo developer. I guess that was one reason our mayor loved the guy so much.” Greg pulled the truck up next to an ambulance. His brow furrowed and he glanced over. “Maybe they found Barry.”

      South Cove had three emergency vehicles—two fire trucks and an ambulance—beside the two patrol cars Greg’s deputies used. And they were all parked on the edge of the road. We climbed out of the truck.

      Greg shot a glance back at me. “You may want to stay here, just in case.”

      “Whatever.” I shook my head and followed him into the crowd. I may not be able to cross the police barrier, but I wasn’t waiting in the truck like a good girl. I paused next to Bill, who was covered with ash and water. His face was black from the soot.

      He glanced at me and then scanned the area until he saw Greg. “Finally,” he muttered.

      “What happened?” I asked Bill as Greg walked up to Toby, who was flanked by the EMTs.

      “We had a practice burn this morning. I figured Barry just wanted to get this property cleared and if he called it a training exercise, the city would pay for the removal and cleanup.” He cleared his throat. “This is his place.”

      “Yeah, Greg told me that.” I was watching the men gathered around the front of the partially burned building. “But what happened? Why is the ambulance here?”

      “Barry set up the fire, and then he just disappeared. We thought it was because he wanted us to problem solve as a team. By the time we realized he was trapped in the building, it was too late.” Bill ran his fingers through his graying hair. “I can’t believe I’m still volunteering after all these years. Maybe Mary is right and I need to hang up my fireman’s hat.”

      “I’m sure you do a great job,” I started to say. Then Bill’s words hit me. I glanced over at the group standing outside the charcoaled building and my stomach flipped as I realized why they weren’t going inside. I knew the answer before I even asked the question. “Barry was in the house?”

      “Barn, but yeah. He got caught in the fire.” Bill must have seen my arm shaking because he grabbed hold and steadied me. “I’m sorry, Jill. Barry’s dead.”

      Chapter 3

      Greg tucked me into Toby’s car and sent me back to town with my barista. Toby needed to be available for emergencies and I just needed to get out of there. I hadn’t liked Barry one bit, but to die like that? It made me queasy. Once I got home, I curled up on the couch and turned on the television for the next several hours. I wasn’t surprised to see my aunt walk through the door at about eight with a couple of takeout bags from Diamond Lille’s.

      Emma sat at attention to greet Aunt Jackie. It was almost like the dog knew she was fragile. Aunt Jackie ignored her and narrowed her eyes at me instead. “I figured you’d be here wallowing. No use crying over Barry. The man was worthless.”

      “I wasn’t crying over him.” I pulled the afghan closer, shuddering at the memory. “It’s just a horrible way to die. You should have seen that building.”

      “Mary sent me pictures. I guess Bill took some shots before he left. He’s pretty torn up

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