Read Rosemary and Crime for Free Online Page B

time, they weren’t disappointed. Safety was another thing I treasured in small towns. Then I remembered Mario lying in a pool of his own blood. As I exited Meat on Main, I crossed “safety” off the list.

 
    C HAPTER 6
    I HEARD THE phone ringing off the hook as I unlocked the door of Spice It Up! I ran to answer, hoping it was the vet calling to tell me the condition of the poor little pup I’d rescued the night before. With all the commotion about finding Mario’s body, then obsessing over my cooking debut, I’d nearly forgotten the pooch. Dropping the lamb next to the cash register, I picked up the cordless.
    “Piper…? That you? You sound out of breath.”
    I immediately recognized the voice on the other end of the line as belonging to Marcy Magruder, the young woman who’d agreed to assist in the shop from time to time. Waiting on customers, restocking shelves, assisting with inventory, that sort of thing. Marcy happened to be engaged to Danny Boyd, Mario’s former sous chef. It wasn’t until just recently that Danny had found employment at the Pizza Palace after leaving his job at the Tratory. To make matters worse, Marcy had been laid off from her job at the popcorn factory just outside the town limits, a small family-run enterprise that sold their product exclusively to specialty stores. Since the recent drought had affected the corn crop, she had no clue when she might be called back to her job as popcorn packer. I knew the two planned on getting married soon and were strapped for cash. I couldn’t offer Marcy full-time employment, but a few hours here or there would benefit both of us.
    And if I ever needed help, it was today.
    “Hey, Marcy, what’s up?”
    “Umm, ah, I don’t know how to tell you this. I feel just awful callin’ this way after you’ve been so nice to me and Danny, but…”
    I braced myself for the blow I sensed was coming. I didn’t have long to wait.
    “Mmm, Piper? I’m real sorry, but I won’t be able to come in today.”
    “B-but Marcy,” I sputtered, panic gripping me by the throat. “I’m depending on you. I have to do the cooking demo myself, and there’s no one else I can call at the last minute to help with customers.”
    “I’ve been heavin’ my guts out all mornin’.”
    I sighed when I really wanted to cry. “Don’t worry, Marcy. I’ll manage … somehow. After all, I wouldn’t want you spreading germs all over town. If you’re sick, stay home, and take it easy. Go back to bed.”
    “Sorry to let you down, but … gotta run.” The call ended abruptly.
    I gave myself a pep talk as I retrieved the lamb and headed for the rear of the shop. Think of the money I’d be saving by not having to pay a clerk, I told myself. Clerk? Salesperson sounded better. Or was sales associate more politically correct? I was obsessing again. Everything would be fine, just fine. I kept repeating the words like a mantra.
    I didn’t know why I was making this into such a big deal. I happened to be a darn good cook, if I did say so myself. CJ certainly never lodged any complaints—at least not in the food department. He managed to find plenty other things to criticize, though. My hair was too red, too curly. I was too short. And my backhand was why we always lost at doubles.
    The most difficult part of the demo would be addressing a store full of people. The thought of everyone staring back at me was enough to make me want to book a flight to Fiji. Public speaking had never been my forte. The mere thought of it made my palms damp. While I’m perfectly okay meeting people one on one, or even one on four, speaking in front of a large audience was just not my cup of tea.
    But this was not the time to bemoan my inadequacies. It was time to get to work. After spreading a linen cloth over a long folding table, I set out the ingredients and equipment I’d need. To my immense relief, I’d discovered a lone jar of juniper berries hiding among the baking spices. When finished,