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face. “Maybe she finally managed to nag him to death,” she drawled.
    “ Carly Elizabeth Reece! You are so bad.”
    “I was kidding.” Her smile disappeared. “But I shouldn’t have said it. It’s hard enough to get along with a normal man. Marge deserves a badge of honor for putting up with Hank’s bad temper and know-it-all attitude for so many years.”
    “Well, we’ve known her forever. I can’t believe she killed him, so who does that leave?” I wrung out the dishcloth and wiped off the counter.
    “You’re the one who’s always got your nose in those murder mysteries. You tell me.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Oh, yes, that makes me an expert.” I tossed the cloth into the sink. “Seriously, though. . .if we could find out who did it, that would clear Zac.”
    “We? You got a frog in your pocket?” Carly’s voice squeaked and she shook her head. “I get scared readin’ those books. I’m not about to live one.”
    “Not even for Zac?” Yes, that was below the belt, but if I was going to get to the bottom of this, I had to have help.
    Carly shook her head again. “The best thing we can do for Zac is pray and let the police do their job. They’ll find the killer, and that’ll prove Zac’s innocence.”
    Where had I heard that before? Was Carly the mouthpiece for the chief of police now? “I know. You’re right, and we will pray. But they say God helps those who help themselves, so—”
    “Oh, Jen, that’s not even in the Bible. Besides, this is too important for us to play detective. We don’t want to make things worse for Zac.” Carly hesitated. “Sugar, your track record’s not that great. Remember in school how mixed up things would get every time you decided to ‘help’ figure things out?”
    I bristled. “I’ve helped plenty of people.”
    Carly’s smile was gentle. “Like Susan?”
    “How was I supposed to know that girl with Barry was his cousin? They were picking out jewelry together.”
    “Yeah, gifts for the groomsmen.”
    “Once I cleared up the misunderstanding, they got back together.” They’d even been able to get the same date and time for the ceremony. All I’d really done was inject a little excitement into their post-engagement/pre-wedding lull.
    “And marked you off the invitation list.”
    Some people. One little mistake and they never let you live it down. I shrugged. “This is different. What can it hurt if we do a little innocent snooping?”
    “What can it hurt ?” Carly’s animated face was such a contrast to her earlier tears that it was almost worth the disagreement. “Are you kidding? This isn’t a game or some high-school prank. You’re talkin’ about goin’ after a cold-blooded killer.”

Four

    Green bean casserole and marshmallow salad. Haute cuisine for dummies. Normally this would have been the perfect opportunity for Carly to display her culinary skills. Cooking actually helped her to relieve stress, but she was exhausted, so Mama and I opted for quick and easy.
    Poor Marge. How would she react to Zac being a suspect in her husband’s murder? I was in no hurry to find out. If Mama hadn’t played the Christian-duty card, I wouldn’t be standing here this fine Saturday afternoon, ringing the Templetons’ doorbell.
    Marge’s best friend, Lois, opened the door. “Thanks for coming by.” Her hushed tone matched her somber face. I suppose that, as the town librarian, whisper is her native language.
    “How’s Marge?” Mama asked.
    Lois shook her head. “I think she’s still in shock.”
    We nodded and followed her through the standing-room-only crowd. Everyone from church and the neighborhood had turned out to pay their respects to Hank’s widow. In the South we show our sympathy with food offerings, and judging by the number of steaming dishes filling the table, everyone in Lake View felt sorry for Marge.
    We squeezed our own offerings into the sea of casseroles. Lois would have her hands full after the funeral, helping Marge