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Barbies to school today, and Immy had decided it was time to put her foot down. She had won, too. Immy knew she should be stricter with Drew, but Hortense did a good job of keeping Drew in line.
    On the short trip back she had paid scant attention to her driving, proceeding on automatic pilot. She imagined instead what furnishings her office would have, wondering how and when she would get herself an office and where it would be. Not here in Saltlick. Not enough business in such a tiny town. Most likely Wymee Falls. She didn’t want to get too far from home.
    Hortense appeared on the front porch, frowning down at the chief’s car. It must have just pulled up, because the chief was still in the driver’s seat, and the door was just opening.
    Immy grabbed the offending Barbie from the car seat and climbed out to put herself between the chief and her mother. Emmett nodded at Immy as he got out of his vehicle but didn’t smile. He turned to Mother, looking through Immy.
    “Hortense, Officer Ralph just let me know what Cathy from over to the Kut and Kurl told him yesterday. I’m gonna have to ask you some more questions.”
    “Pertaining to what?” Gosh, Mother sounded belligerent. “Immy, you can go inside.”
    There Mother went again, treating Immy like a child. Immy complied, though, stomping up the steps to make her point. She pulled the drape aside a couple inches and peeked out the window to watch them.
    They spoke a few quiet words, then Hortense climbed into the chief’s car.
    Immy watched the shiny Saltlick cruiser disappear around the corner. Emmett was driving, but her mother was in the back seat. Immy clutched the thin drape at the window as she staggered back. The curtain rod clattered to the floor.
    Was Hortense being arrested for Huey’s murder? If not, why take her away in the back seat? If anyone saw her, and you can bet someone would in this town, it would look like she was being treated like a common criminal.
    Think, Immy, think. Think like a detective.
    Immy tried to marshal her jumbled thoughts. The chief had said Huey was found dead yesterday morning, but he had asked them where they’d been the afternoon before. The afternoon before was when Immy had quit and when Hortense had gotten into a screaming match with Huey, then lied about.
    This raised several questions. When had Huey been killed? They must think it happened that afternoon. That matched the thawed sausage evidence. Had Emmett found out her mother lied? Had someone seen her at Huey’s Hash? What on earth had Cathy said to Ralph, the other officer?
    But the main question was, how could Immy convince the chief that her mother had not killed Uncle Huey? She wouldn’t let herself think of the possibility that her own mother had done it. Could Immy cast suspicion on someone else? Was anyone else being questioned? Had Emmett investigated Clem, the cook, or the busboy, or the other waitress? This town was too small for all of that questioning to go unnoticed. Gossip should be flying. Maybe it was flying, and she hadn’t heard it. She hadn’t been out today except to drop Drew off.
    After Immy put the drape back up, she got her jacket on and got ready to do some real, live detective work. She snatched the pad of paper and pen by the house phone in case she needed to take notes. The pad was an order pad from the diner, she noticed. They used to come home in her pockets often. A shiver ran up her spine at the unbidden thought of Uncle Huey dead, murdered.
    Before she could get out the door, her cell phone rang. A raspy-voiced man told her he was Detective Mallett, Mike Mallett.
    “You applied for a job at my office?”
    Immy held her breath. Was this her big break? “Yes? I mean, yes, I did.”
    “Your paperwork looks good. If you still want the job, I’d like to do an interview next week, say, ten o’clock Wednesday?”
    A scream tried to escape her throat, but she strangled it until after she had hung up.
    “Yes, yes, yesss! I’m