Page 12 of Cadaver Lab: Mind Over Murder

Even a determination of innocence by the courts wouldn’t insure the same from the court of public opinion. Harper could be canceled by her readers. Her career could be over.

Natalie knew how wrapped up Harper’s identity was with her writing. Losing that part of her life would be as good as a death sentence to her.

She couldn’t let this happen to her friend. Natalie pulled her cell out of her pocket. “I’m calling Dee Flanders.”

As Harper reached out and braced her hand on the nearest bookcase at the mention of the lawyer, Carson swung his head. “Natalie, Harper’s not under arrest.”

Lowering her phone, Natalie narrowed her eyes at him. “Then I think she’s done answering questions.”

The front door of the shop flew open amid a jangling of bells and the quick shuffling of small rubber-soled feet.

“Stop this interrogation immediately!” Alice demanded, heard but not seen as she made her way from the front, through the labyrinth of display tables and tall shelving, back toward them.

Harper shook her head. “How in the world could Alice already know that Carson is here?”

“And what in the world is that parked on the sidewalk in front of my window?” Natalie asked, staring at the baby blue three-wheeler sporting multiple floral-bedecked baskets in the front and back and a fringed sun awning.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you. Alice joined a triker gang. It’s like a biker gang, but for electric trikes,” Gabe explained.

Alice wasn’t visible until she cleared the tall bookshelves.

When she did, Natalie saw the vest.

White leather. Or at least it had been to start. Before the rhinestones.

It was what a motorcycle club cut would look like if it had wandered into a craft store and gotten a senior citizen’s discount.

In her matching white leather flat-top cap, a silver chain draped along the brim, the ninety-year-old looked both slightly unhinged and weirdly badass.

When she reached the group, she turned slowly, deliberately like she’d practiced the move, to face Carson head-on.

That’s when Natalie got the full view of the design on the back of the vest.

Bucket List Riders

The gang name was spelled out in an aggressive font in sparkly pink and purple rhinestones. And below it, in smaller lettering read, B-Listers for Life.

Alice poked Carson in the arm with one pointy forefinger. “I’m watching you, bud.” Then she pivoted on her white sneakers to face Harper. “He read you your rights?”

Carson let out a breath. “As I’ve said, Harper is not under arrest. I’m just looking for any relevant information about the deceased's activities during and after leaving the meeting last night.”

“We all walked home together from the meeting. Agnes, Liam, Harper and me. Doug was still at the community center, alive and well, when we left. Ask anyone,” Natalie supplied.

“And me,” Gabe chimed in. “I walked with you.”

“And Ghost Gabe too. He left with us,” she added.

Though Carson looked particularly freaked out at the fact there were not one but two ghosts—that he knew of—in his vicinity, he scribbled in his little notebook then his gaze went to Alice. “What about you, Alice? When did you leave?”

“Right when they did, but I didn’t walk with them. I hopped on my bike and headed to the clubhouse. Had some club business to attend to,” she said in a grave tone that invited further questions. Questions no doubt everyone thought but no one asked.

Now Carson had the deer-in-headlights look, like he didn’t know how to process Alice and her new persona.

Good. Keeping the law off kilter could only help Harper’s case. At least that’s what Natalie hoped.

Finally, knocking himself out of Alice’s bedazzling spell, Carson flipped his little notebook closed and let out a sigh. “All right. That’s all. For now. But if any of you think of anything⁠—”

“We’ll be sure to tell you,” Natalie jumped in to end this thing.