People poured out of the tents in droves. Michael stood next to his car and held me close. I was shivering, and he slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders.
April and Leroy were some of the first on the scene. April may have been suspended, but her training kicked in.
“You’re hysterical,” she said. “Do you need me to slap you?”
That sobered me up quickly. “No.”
“Good.” She gave me a quick hug and then went to work. She ordered everyone to step back away from the crime scene.
Opie arrived, and then moments later, the Pillsbury Doughboy trotted up. April immediately ordered them to work crowd control and protect the scene.
But she wasn’t just firing off orders, she was multitasking. She whipped her cell phone out and immediately dialed for reinforcements and the county coroner. When she finished, she turned to Leroy and ordered him to take me inside and start pouring hot tea with sugar down my throat.
If she saw the scowl I threw her way, she didn’t register it. Instead, she turned to talk to Michael.
Leroy may have worked for me, but he recognized the voice of authority when he heard it and shuffled me around the crowd and back inside the restaurant.
The bulk of the staff was standing around outside, but he found someone who wasn’t curious who led us to a small employee lounge.
I was shaking and barely able to sip the disgustingly sweet tea, but Leroy didn’t let that stop him. He had his orders. Whenever I faltered, he steadied my arm and helped me get the cup to my mouth.
After what felt like an hour, Trooper Bob marched in. He scowled at me as though I were the one who’d murdered Sybil Castleton.
He rocked on the balls of his feet and stared down at me. “I understand from Dr. Portman that you overheard a conversation he believes is pertinent to my investigation.”
It was clear from his choice of words that he was only here because someone he respected, Dr. Portman, had told him to come.
There was a part of me that wanted to spew tea like a fountain, but I swallowed my pride along with a huge gulp of the disgusting brew. Trooper Bob had already threatened to arrest me once today for obstructing justice.
I opened my mouth, but before I could start to talk, there was a knock on the door.
Trooper Bob opened the door and in waltzed Chris Russell.
“I hope you aren’t trying to interrogate my client without legal counsel,” he said.
Trooper Bob growled but didn’t say anything. He merely turned to me and waited.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Then, I shared the conversation I’d overheard in the ladies’ room.
When I finished, Trooper Bob frowned. He was silent for several seconds. “Is that it?”
I nodded. “That’s it. Well . . . mostly.”
He waited, and my habit of oversharing when I was nervous kicked in. That’s when I shared the conversation I’d had earlier with Sybil Castleton about Baby. “Which was the main reason I’d gone to meet with Mayor Abernathy earlier today. I was worried about Baby because he hasn’t been himself since he met Daisy, that’s Mrs. Castleton’s English mastiff . . . although, now I’m wondering if Daisy really is her dog. Michael thinks she might just be paying the bills, but she really isn’t her dog—”
“Miss Montgomery, is there a point to this . . . babble? Because if not, I have a murder investigation to get to.”
“Madison, I don’t think you need to say anything more,” Chris Russell said. He turned toward the state trooper. “Is there anything else?”
Trooper Bob grunted and marched out, muttering something that sounded like Dumb as a bag of hammers.
