Read A Burned Out Baker: Classic Diner Mystery #7 (The Classic Diner Mysteries) for Free Online Page B

back into the drawer and leave the release sprung so it will be easy to find?”
    I glanced outside and saw a squad car pulling up in front of the house. “No time for that! We have to get out of here now. Just leave it all on the desk!”
    My grandfather looked at where I was pointing, and we both hurried out of the building and rushed toward where we’d parked his truck.
    “That was too close for comfort,” I said as we got in and drove away before anybody could catch us there.
    “I know. It was great, wasn’t it?” my grandfather asked me with a grin.
    “Why do you look so happy, Moose?”
    “Victoria, we’ve got more solid clues to work with from the start than we’ve ever had before. Doesn’t that make you glad?”
    “I shouldn’t have to remind you that we don’t even know if Barry was murdered or not. There might not even be a homicide case here to solve.”
    “You heard the fire inspector. Someone died in that fire, and if it wasn’t Barry, then he’s our number one suspect. Either the information we found helps us find his killer, or it gives us a chance to name him as the murderer. Either way, that stash was a good find.”
    “It was,” I admitted. “First things first, though. We need to find out who was in that bakery when it burned to the ground.”
    “Leave that up to me,” Moose said as he started driving back in the general direction of the diner.
    “Where are we going now?” I asked, though I had a pretty clear idea of our destination.
    He tapped the clock on the dash of his truck. “Your shift starts in three minutes,” Moose said. “Where do you think?”
    “I thought I’d let Ellen handle things for the rest of the morning,” I said. “If I have to, I can always call Martha.”
    “You could, but maybe you’d better save all of that until we find out if we’re hunting for a killer, or a main suspect. Until then, we should go about our normal business, and that means that you need to work your shifts at the diner, like always.”
    “And what exactly are you going to be doing in the meantime?” I asked my grandfather as he pulled into The Charming Moose’s parking lot. I had a sneaking suspicion that Moose might plan on doing a little digging on his own without me, and that was unacceptable on several different levels.
    “I’m going to discreetly ask around and see if I can get that body’s ID,” he said.
    “And why can’t I do that with you?” I asked.
    “Because the man I’m going to tap for information isn’t going to say a word in front of you,” Moose said flatly. “I’m sorry, but that’s just the way that it is.”
    “Okay then,” I said as I opened the door and got out.
    “What did you just say to me?” Moose asked me as he leaned toward the open window.
    “I just agreed with you,” I said as I started to go in.
    “Victoria, don’t be that way.”
    “What way?” I asked as sweetly as I could manage. “What can I say? When you’re right, you’re right.”
    He looked even more troubled by that reaction. “I don’t like this, not one little bit. Whenever you’re overly pliant, it always spells trouble for me.”
    I laughed as I walked into the diner, but I didn’t say another word. I did happen to think that he was right this time, but it was a lot more fun making him wonder what I was up to than just coming right out and saying it. I suppose that I had said it, but in a way that the truth sounded completely unconvincing. It was one of my favorite ways to lie, not that I usually made a habit of it.
    The smile from our last exchange faded quickly, though, when I saw who was already in the diner, apparently waiting for me to get back.

Chapter 5

    “Hi, Sheriff. Did you come by to thank me for the coffee and biscuits this morning? You really don’t have to, you know. It was our pleasure.”
    “I heard that everyone appreciated that, but this is about something else. Where have you been this morning, Victoria?”
    Had he or one of his