Read Murder Under the Covered Bridge for Free Online

allowed them to use the men’s and women’s restrooms to change, but made everyone else sit at separate tables far apart from each other. Once Francine and Jonathan were out, he slid “Volunteer Witness Statement” forms in front of each of them.
    â€œI need you to fill these out,” he said, “without talking to each other.”
    â€œHow long is this going to take?” Joy asked. “Our friend Mary Ruth Burrows is running a food stand back in Rockville. You might have heard of her? She was on Chopped . You know, on Food Network? Anyway, we have jobs helping her out. We need to get back.”
    â€œIt should take as long as it needs. Give me as much detail as you can remember. Now is the best time for you to do that, while it’s still fresh in your memory.”
    â€œI may need extra paper,” Charlotte said, checking over the single-page form. “I have excellent powers of observation.”
    â€œIf you need more,” he said dryly, “let me know. I have plenty.”
    Francine didn’t like being separated at a time like this, especially from Jonathan. But she understood the need for an unbiased assessment from each of them. The story would only get muddled if they had a chance to talk to each other. And they’d already talked a lot. She hurried through the document while giving as much detail as she could remember.
    Joy finished first and brought the form to Stockton. He asked her a couple of questions and then the two of them signed the form. Marcy was next. Francine began to feel pressure to finish up, like she was back in school taking a test and everyone but her was having an easy time of it.
    Charlotte, indeed, asked for extra paper, making Joy grumble. “I wish we had more than one car so we could leave.”
    Marcy plopped down at a table. Joy sat next to her. “I’m hungry.”
    Marcy grabbed a menu. “Me too. We should make the best of this.”
    A man with salt-and -pepper eyebrows and a receding hairline approached them. He was carrying a pot of coffee and two cups. He introduced himself as the manager. “We’re not open for business yet, but the sheriff asked me if I could get something to warm your group up. Can I pour you some coffee? I’ve got cinnamon rolls heating in the oven. They’ll be ready in a minute.”
    â€œThat’s kind of you,” Joy said. Then she took notice of what he’d said. “Sheriff ? He said he was a detective.”
    He put the cups in front of them. “Detective now, but he was the sheriff until he hit his term limit. He’s a good guy to have on the force still, so the new sheriff let him stay on in a special capacity. Some folks even still call him sheriff.”
    â€œThat would never have happened in Hendricks County where we’re from.”
    â€œHelps that his son is the new sheriff.”
    Marcy laughed. “It’s like a mini-Indianapolis . Or Chicago.”
    He poured them both coffee. “I’ll be back in a minute with those cinnamon rolls. On the house.”
    Joy whipped out her cell phone. “We need to let Mary Ruth know what’s going on.” She punched a few buttons on the phone before Marcy reminded her, “There’s no cell service in the area.”
    â€œWe have a phone in the back you can use,” the owner said as he was leaving. “Follow me.”
    Francine finished up her form and handed it to Detective Stockton. Jonathan was right behind her. Charlotte was still writing. Francine and Jonathan pulled chairs up to the table and Marcy told them where Joy was. Even though she knew the restaurant wasn’t open for business, Francine still looked through the menu. She was stressed, and stress made her hungry.
    Joy returned. “She didn’t answer her phone, so I left a message. Since she can’t reach me here, I told her to send me an email. The sign says they have WiFi in here. I let her know we