Page 9 of Cadaver Lab: Mind Over Murder

Swallowing hard, Natalie had no choice but to say, low as Carson entered the shop, the door’s bell announcing his arrival, “Gabe says they’re blaming you for Doug’s death.”

“Me?” The deer-in-headlights expression quickly was replaced by fear as Harper’s gaze bounced to Carson.

That look of fear, that oh-my-god-my-life-as-I-know-it-could-be-over expression, said it all. It told Natalie it was up to her to run interference with Mudville’s deputy Carson Bekker. And fast.

She headed in the direction of the door to intercept him while Harper got herself together.

This wasn’t Natalie’s first run-in with the law. No doubt it wouldn’t be her last. At least this time it wasn’t likely Carson had come to interrogate her as a murder suspect.

Harper might not be so lucky… Natalie had a strong suspicion Carson wasn’t in her shop at ten in the morning to pick up the latest James Patterson book and a bottle of vino.

She donned a smile she didn’t feel and strode toward the front. She met Carson in the middle of the shop, in the aisle between the Local Author and the Local History bookshelves, effectively blocking his path to Harper behind her by the counter.

“Good morning, Carson. What can I do for you today?” Natalie asked in the most sunshiny and nothing-to-see-here tone as she could manage.

The good deputy wore the same exasperated expression he always did while speaking to her.

In fact, she’d only ever seen Carson looking weary when he was around her. Right from the first time they’d met. Back when she’d called the sheriff’s department on Liam, then the highly suspicious, possible assassin-slash-serial killer newcomer in town, for sneaking bodies into the old warehouse next door.

Back before the grumpy, closed-mouthed doctor had revealed he was doing research on cadavers. But seriously, how in the world would any of them have been able to guess that?

In any case, Natalie’s file at the sheriff’s office must be getting thick. And as Carson took out his now familiar notebook, she figured it was about to get a little thicker.

“I was hoping to speak to you about last night’s Rotary meeting. You were listed as one of the attendees.”

“Speak to me?” Natalie asked. “Just me? There were lots of people there.”

She tried to fight the irrational panic. She hadn’t even spoken to Pompous Doug. Not one word. Liam, Alice, Mary, all of them were witnesses to that fact.

She tried to rationalize the reaction. She was just twitchy because of the last time Carson had marched into her store to ask her questions about a dead man. Because that time she had been the suspect and she had more than spoken to the victim. She’d very publicly argued with him just before he’d died.

Just like what Harper had done last night with Doug…

Visceral memories had her shaking, had her pulse racing and her breaths shallow, and she’d been proven innocent of that crime months ago. Having lived through the experience herself, Natalie could well imagine the fear that poor Harper felt right now.

Carson shook his head. “No. Not just you. I’ll be interviewing everyone in attendance.”

“Oh, all right then. Go on.” Feeling a bit more confident at that, Natalie folded her arms and waited.

“Liam around?” Carson asked while noting something in his little notepad.

“Nope.”

At her curt, one-word answer, Carson raised his gaze from his notebook. He glanced past Natalie then froze as his focus zeroed in on Harper.

Uh, oh, again.

“Harper, don’t go anywhere. I’ll need to speak to you as well,” he said in a much louder and official sounding voice.

More scratching on the pad followed. Natalie was going to have to catch Gabe’s attention. Get him to spy over the lawman’s shoulder and tell her exactly what all the writing was about. Although maybe she didn’t want to know.

Harper moved away from the counter in the back of the shop and toward them, slowly, looking torn between sprinting out the back door and passing out.

Meanwhile, Natalie realized she should probably be texting the local lawyer, Dee Flanders, instead of worrying about what notes Carson was taking about them.

“Natalie, let’s start with you,” Carson began. “Harper, you’re next.”

So no time to text the lawyer then…