Blackberry Summer Read Online Free PDF Page B

about fourteen, she estimated. Although she had seen it all through the prism of her best friend’s experience, she knew all six of the McKnight children had been confused and angry, devastated by the destruction ofwhat had always seemed a happy family to everyone in town.
    She knew Riley had struggled the most, the lone male left in a household of women after their father abruptly moved away from Hope’s Crossing to follow his own scientific ambitions.
    “We’ve worked to make it as amicable as possible,” she finally answered stiffly. She really hated talking about her divorce.
    “What about the new wife? We believe at least one of the individuals on the security footage might be a female.”
    She tried to picture Holly skulking around town with a band of cat burglars, breaking into businesses, stealing bikes and computers and trashing String Fever—and Genevieve Beaumont’s wedding dress. The image was even more amusing than the idea of Jeff on a wild crime spree.
    “You’re telling me you suspect that a woman who is five months pregnant might be some ruthless criminal mastermind?”
    His dimple quirked. “Hard to say under the plastic raincoat whether she was pregnant. But, okay, probably not.”
    “A word of advice. You might want to rethink dragging Holly into your little room with the lightbulb for an interrogation.”
    He gave a full-fledged grin at that, all those shadows of earlier gone. He’s a pest, she reminded herself, but it was very tough to remember that when he gunned her engine like it hadn’t been revved in a long time.
    “It would help the investigation if you could spendsome time trying to think if anyone might have reason to be angry with you. Maybe ask your employees if they can come up with anyone who might have a grudge, against either you or them.”
    She hated thinking someone out there who might dislike her or any of her employees. Katherine worked part-time for her sometimes, but she was one of the most admired women in town. Evie couldn’t have been in Hope’s Crossing long enough to make many enemies—except for maybe Brodie Thorne, Katherine’s son, who for some strange reason seemed to actively dislike the other woman. Brodie was one of the town’s most prominent businessmen, though. She could picture Holly and Jeff as some Bonnie and Clyde team before she could imagine Brodie in that role.
    That left only Maura’s daughter Layla, who worked in the store after school and on Saturdays.
    And, of course, Claire herself.
    “I’ll do that,” she said. “I really appreciate you stopping by to keep me up-to-the-minute with the investigation.”
    “You’re welcome.” He leaned back farther in the chair. “How about an information trade, then. Are you going to tell me what everyone was saying about me when I walked in?”
    She could feel her face heat, for some completely ridiculous reason. “Um, what a good police officer you are,” she finally improvised.
    He smiled. “Hmm. Now why don’t I believe you?”
    “Because you happen to have a suspicious mind?”
    “Comes in handy when you’re a cop. Never mind. I only hope it was juicy.”
    Before she could respond, she heard the bells jangle loudly out in the store as someone yanked the door open and an instant later, her eight-year-old son raced into her office.
    One of the best things about owning a store just a few blocks from both the elementary school and middle school was that her children could come hang out at the store once the afternoon bell rang on those days when their dad didn’t pick them up or Claire’s mother wasn’t available.
    Macy loved to bead, creating bracelets and earrings for her friends, and she had a burgeoning sense of style. Claire let her work off the cost of the beads she used by sorting inventory and doing light filing for her.
    Owen wasn’t much interested in beading, but after he finished his homework under her watchful eye, she allowed him an hour of Nintendo on the console in her