Page 13 of Cadaver Lab: Mind Over Murder
“After we contact our lawyer. Dee is the club VP and parliamentarian,” Alice added to Harper and Natalie as an aside.
“I’ll walk you out,” Natalie said as she began edging toward the door. Thankfully, Carson followed.
At the exit, he paused. “Is Liam in the lab?”
“I’d assume so. He’s got a new brain he’s excited to start slicing into.”
Carson paled a bit at the mention of sliced brains.
Ghosts, cadavers and brains. Being a deputy in Mudville definitely wasn’t a typical gig for the lawman. But since he seemed to always be targeting her or someone she loved, Natalie felt no remorse for being the cause of Carson’s discomfort now.
That’s what he got for thinking Harper could cause a man’s death just by having a discussion with him. Or that she should be blamed for it even if the heated discussion that he had started had given him a heart attack. If that were the case, everyone should be afraid to speak to anyone in case they dropped dead in the middle of the chat.
It would be ridiculous if the situation weren’t so dire for Harper.
After the door had closed behind Carson, Harper visibly slumped, as if remaining upright any longer was impossible. “The people in this town are going to hang me out to dry for Pompous Doug’s death. Natalie, I don’t have a chance. They hate me.”
Alice nodded. “Yeah, they do.” Her vest sent sparkly rainbows chasing along the ceiling with every move she made.
“No. They don’t hate you,” Natalie said with a pointed glare at Alice. “But you might want to stop calling him Pompous Doug.”
Harper threw both hands in the air. “Of course, I should. I shouldn’t have come up with that name for him in the first place. I’m a horrible person.”
“Stop. You’re not. You’re a good person.”
“Am I? I’m not so sure anymore. I’ve been so busy being offended by these people for criticizing my writing career from day one, that I’ve turned right around and made it my life’s work to offend them back. I’m no better than them. I’m worse.”
“Maybe it’s time for a truce?” Natalie suggested.
“It’s too late for that. They’ve been against me since the day I moved here and they’re certainly not going to change their minds now. Natalie, I’ve been so horrible I literally killed a man. I can’t even defend myself against that.”
Having been on the receiving end of this town’s perception and judgement herself, Natalie wasn’t bold enough or a good enough liar to tell Harper she was wrong.
She glanced at Rick and Gabe for help but neither one looked like they had any comfort to offer.
At a loss, she glanced at the shelves stocked with bottles. Owning a book and wine shop was good for something. “Hey. How about some wine?”
It wasn’t even near noon yet, and it wouldn’t stop the prosecutor’s case or the civil lawsuit from ruining Harper’s life, but it might make her less likely to collapse in the middle of the shop. Desperate times, desperate measures, and all that.
Alice turned to look up from the book she’d been inspecting. “Sure. If you don’t have any stronger hooch, I’m up for some wine before I head over to meet the gang at the dispensary. Today’s the day we pick up our monthly supply of gummies. It helps with the arthritis.”
Natalie, Harper, Gabe and Rick all stared silently and let that soak in.
Finally Harper said, “Sure. Wine can only help, right?”
“Right,” Natalie agreed.
Just like yesterday, today was turning out to already be one hell of a day, and it had just begun.
Chapter Five
Harper walked through the shop’s meeting room door looking like hell.
She dumped the two stuffed canvas bags she was carrying on the floor in the corner and shoved a lock of hair that had escaped from her messy bun out of her eye.
Those bags would contain the supplies for tonight. Paper napkins from the variety store, the serving trays Agnes was loaning them, and the special themed sweets Bethany at Honey Buns had promised. And it was amazing that Harper, after the encounter with Carson this morning, had been able to or had even bothered to pick it all up and bring it over.
A book club meeting.
