The Crêpes of Wrath: A Pancake House Mystery Read Online Free PDF

“Ray, this is Marley McKinney.”
    “Ms. McKinney,” the sheriff said with a nod in my direction. “Sheriff Ray Georgeson. I understand you’re related to Jimmy?”
    “Yes,” I said. “He was my grandmother’s cousin.”
    Georgeson removed his hat and ran a hand through his brown hair. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Is it all right if I ask you a few questions?”
    “Yes, of course.” I gestured to the chair Brett had vacated.
    “I’ll be on my way.” Brett took a step back toward the stairs but then stopped and addressed his uncle again. “Marley found Daryl Willis hanging around the property a few minutes ago.”
    “He didn’t do anything except trespass,” I said, not wanting to make a big deal of it despite the fact that the guy had made me nervous. “It was just a bit odd.”
    “Hm.” Georgeson set his hat on the arm of the chair. “If you see any other suspicious behavior, it’s best to report it. There’s been a string of break-ins in the area recently.”
    Those break-ins had been the talk of the pancake house since my arrival in Wildwood Cove. A couple of regular customers had fallen victim to the thieves, losing cash, electronics, and other valuables. If Daryl was casing Jimmy’s place, I hoped he’d decided it wasn’t a worthwhile target.
    Georgeson changed the subject. “I might need to talk to you later,” he said to his nephew.
    Brett nodded. “I need to run a few errands, but you can reach me on my cell.” He shifted his attention to me. “Take care, Marley.”
    “Thank you,” I called after him as he jogged down the stairs.
    When he’d disappeared around the side of the house, I sank back down into my porch chair. Georgeson angled the other chair toward mine and sat down as well.
    “You came to visit Jimmy?” he asked.
    “To help him with the pancake house for a few weeks.”
    “Because he’d been in the hospital.”
    “Yes.”
    “I didn’t realize he was home from the hospital.”
    “You know Jimmy?” I caught myself. “Knew him, I mean?”
    “Sure,” he said with a ghost of a smile. “We went fishing together from time to time. He was a good man.”
    I swallowed as my throat tightened, determined not to cry.
    “Do you have any idea what happened?” he asked.
    I let out a breath. “No, I don’t.” I explained to him how Jimmy had called The Flip Side that morning to say he was heading home in a taxi. “I have no idea why he would have been up at Myler’s Point or how he managed to get there. He didn’t have all his strength back yet and his truck is here at home. If someone was with him when he fell over the cliff, wouldn’t they have called for help?”
    Georgeson tipped his head to one side, as if considering my question, but he didn’t answer it. Instead, he asked another one of his own. “Do you know if Jimmy was having any problems with anyone lately? Any disagreements or conflicts?”
    I shook my head, confused by the questions. “He didn’t mention anything like that. Why are you asking me this?”
    Georgeson’s gray eyes held mine and their solemnity sent a shiver of worry down my spine.
    “Ms. McKinney,” he said, his voice serious, “I’m afraid we’re treating Jimmy Coulson’s death as suspicious.”

Chapter 4
    “Suspicious?” My brain didn’t want to process the word. I had to repeat it in my mind before it clicked. “You think someone killed him? Someone pushed him over the cliff?” I tried to rein in my rising distress. “Why? Why would someone want to hurt Jimmy?”
    “I hope to find out,” Georgeson said.
    I realized that my hands had a tight grip on the arms of my wooden porch chair. Finger by finger, I forced myself to loosen my hold.
    “I’ll try to get in touch with the taxi driver who brought him home,” Georgeson continued. “See if I can find out exactly when Jimmy arrived and if he got dropped off here at the house or somewhere else. I’ll talk to the neighbors as