Read A Killer Cake for Free Online

turned to her. “Surely my own wife has my back
here.”
    She reached through and patted his cheek as
she smiled. “Not this time, Dear. Now, don’t you have some
mooseburgers to make? Try as he might, Greg still hasn’t mastered
your technique, and as soon as folks heard you were working the
grill with him, they started ordering them like crazy.” My
grandmother paused, and then she turned to Greg. “I meant no
offense to you. You’re a fine cook in your own right.”
    “Hey, I don’t disagree with them. I like
Moose’s version better than mine myself.”
    It rarely happened, but my grandfather was
clearly flummoxed by our behavior. “You’ve all gone over the edge;
you know that, don’t you?”
    “Whatever you say, Dear,” Martha said, and I
watched as my grandfather’s countenance softened. I might have been
the bravest person in the family when it came to standing up to my
grandfather when he needed to be brought in check, but my
grandmother could win a smile with just a glance, even when he was
at his crabbiest. “Now, those mooseburgers aren’t going to make
themselves, are they?”
    “I’ll get right on it,” Moose said. “At least
I understand that part of my life.”
    I turned back to the sheriff, and his smile
was open and warm now. “That was quite a show. I hope it wasn’t all
on my account.”
    “Don’t give yourself too much credit,” I said
with a smile. “Moose needs to be reminded every now and then who’s
really in charge around here these days, and I’m more than happy to
do it.”
    “You’re braver than most men in the county,”
the sheriff said.
    “Aw, he’s just a pussycat if you dig down
deep enough.”
    “Sorry, but my shovel doesn’t reach down that
far,” the sheriff said.
    Moose slid a plate through the window.
“Number twelve is ready.”
    I grabbed the sheriff’s plate—fried chicken,
fried okra, and a biscuit—and slid it in front of him.
    He studied it for a moment, and then he asked
with a smile, “Do you think it’s safe for me to eat this?”
    “Moose takes his food seriously,” I said. “He
might browbeat you halfway down the street, but he would never
serve anything he wouldn’t be willing to eat himself. If you don’t
believe me, ask him yourself.”
    “No, I trust you both,” he said, and then he
picked up the chicken and took a healthy bite. “Man, this is some
kind of wonderful.”
    “We’re glad you like it,” I said. I knew that
I’d have to smooth things over with my grandfather later, but at
least I’d managed to keep the sheriff from locking us both up for
obstructing justice.
    “Now, about Kelly Raven,” he said as he
stabbed a few pieces of fried okra and waved them in the air. “What
exactly did she tell you?”
    I glanced at the register before I answered
and saw a few people standing in line waiting for me. “Tell you
what. You finish eating, and then we’ll talk.”
    “Promise?” the sheriff asked. “What if you
get busy again?”
    “Martha will take over the register, and Greg
can handle the kitchen by himself. Moose and I will make ourselves
available to you, no matter what.”
    “That’s all I can ask,” he said as he took a
bite of his biscuit. The look of sheer pleasure on his face was
worth watching.
    I rang up the customers, and then I walked
back into the kitchen. Greg smiled at me, but Moose had nothing but
a scowl for me.
    I took a deep breath, and then I said,
“Before you say one word, tell me that I wasn’t right.”
    “About which part?” Moose asked sullenly.
    “About every part,” I answered. “It’s my
diner now, right?”
    “Right,” he replied grudgingly.
    “Right?” I asked. “Try to say it this time
with a little more enthusiasm.”
    “Right,” Moose said a little more
brightly.
    “And I can take care of myself, can’t I?” I
asked.
    He stared at me, and then he started
laughing. “I can’t very well deny it, can I?” He turned to Greg and
asked, “How do you do