Bedeviled Eggs Read Online Free PDF Page A

balanced three
platters of food on her left arm, then grabbed another with her right
hand. She gave Suzanne a worried look and asked, “Have you told Petra about Jane?”
    Suzanne shook her head
while Petra, who’d begun sift ing ingredients for another bowl of pancake batter, sud denly froze,
    “What about Jane?”
Petra asked in a chilly voice.
    Toni answered. “I
think Doogie’s going to be taking a hard look at her. Especially after last night’s
little shouting match.”
    Petra’s
brows knit together. “You told Doogie about that? Why on earth would you
even mention it?”
    “We kind of had to,”
said Toni. “Doogie wanted to know what Peebler was doing at the Cackleberry Club
and...”
    “You didn’t
have to tell him about their silly little squab ble,” Petra interrupted. “You
could have said that Peebler was here for the read dating event and just left it at
that.” She
shook her head. “I’m positive their little tiff was completely unrelated to the
murder. Jane would... Jane would never!”
    Suzanne tried to be
diplomatic. “Petra, I know Jane is very dear to you.”
    “Yes, she is,” Petra
said, sniffling. “She’s one of my closest friends. When Donny was first diagnosed
with Alz heimer’s,
Jane never left my side. She went with us to all the doctor’s appointments and
even drove us to the Mayo Clinic
for a second opinion.”
    “But Peebler’s death,
which really does look like murder, is a black mark against the Cackleberry
Club,” Su zanne
told her. “And we don’t want that hanging over our heads. So the sooner
everything’s cleared up the better.”
    “Still,” said Petra, “Jane’s
my friend, just like you and Toni are. You know I’d never give Doogie any
reason to suspect
either of you.” Petra stopped talking and clutched her stainless-steel bowl,
deciding to take her anger and frustration out on the dry ingredients. As she attacked the
batter-to-be with a balloon whisk, her swirling circles car ried so much force
Suzanne was afraid she’d dent the metal.
    Suzanne tried her best
to comfort Petra. “Jane and Peebler were arguing, Petra. And believe me,
everyone heard them. So it’s better Doogie learned it from us first. That way we can run interference.”
    Petra’s circles got
smaller and her breathing relaxed. “I suppose you’re right.” She glanced up. “Sorry,
didn’t mean to fly off the
handle like that.”
    “Hey,” said Toni, “we’re
friends, remember? No need to
apologize.”
    “Thank
you,” said Petra, as the bell over the front door jingled, signaling the arrival of
more customers.
    “Dang, it’s a busy
morning,” said Toni, bumping her hip against the swinging door that separated the
kitchen from the cafe - . “And I better deliver this stuff before it goes
cold!”
    Alone with Petra,
Suzanne asked, “You okay?”
    Petra nodded
vigorously. “Better now, yes.”
    “We’ll get this thing
figured out,” said Suzanne.
    Petra
lifted a corner of her white apron and touched it gently to her eyes. “Promise?”
    “Promise,” said
Suzanne, meaning it.
    Out in
the cafe, Suzanne grabbed a couple of coffeepots and started pouring refills.
French roast for most, Sumatran for the more daring of the coffee drinkers. As she
slipped between tables, she noted that every seat in the house was occupied, including
the wobbly stools lined up against their vintage marble-and-wood counter. If
another hungry body arrived, they’d just have to cool their heels on the front porch.
    But something funny
was going on, too. Many of the customers had finished eating, but were lingering longer than
normal over their cups of coffee. There was also a low buzz of conversation and
more than a few furtive eye darts.
    Oh
man, they’re talking about Peebler. About the mur der. Well, that’s not good.
    Hurrying to the front
door to greet an elderly couple who’d just arrived, Suzanne said, “It’ll be
just a few minutes for a table.” Then decided a bit of friendly