Page 60 of Exposure of Murder

“I’d love to walk for a little while,” she said, pulling her coat a little tighter. “That meal was delicious, and I’m stuffed.”

“Sounds good.”

They passed Crumb & Co. on their right.

Vanessa had adorned her door with a giant wreath of autumn leaves and berries and placed gauzy fabric in the window and decorated it with skeletons.

The interview he had with Vanessa Crumb streaked through his mind. “Have you talked to Vanessa since your visit?”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t see her much.”

Ethan made a mental note to revisit everyone he’d interviewed, just in case something popped up in their memories.

Cornstalks tied to the lampposts swayed in the breeze, and several storefronts had giant spiderwebs in the windows. Jane shuddered. “I hate spiders.”

“If I see a giant one chasing you, I’ll shoot it,” Ethan teased.

Jane laughed. “Or I could,” she joked.

Ethan glanced down at her. “You’re not packing, are you?”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Really?”

Ethan winked at her. Although he only knew Jane a short time, she was full of surprises, so it wouldn’t be out of the question.

“Do you even know how to shoot a gun?” he asked.

“No.” She sighed. “I always carried pepper spray with me in Boston just because. But Mike and I felt we didn’t want the responsibility of a gun and all that it entails.”

“I can understand that.”

“Have you ever shot someone?” she asked softly.

“When I was in the service but not since becoming sheriff. I prefer to defuse situations.”

“Would you if you had to?”

“Yes.” No question in his mind. But it wouldn’t be something he’d take lightly.

She nodded thoughtfully and reached for his hand. Ethan hesitated, and she pulled her hand back.

Why the hell did he do that?

He reached over and took her hand in his. She hadn’t worn gloves, and her hand was cool to the touch.

It was still early in the evening, so quite a few people were enjoying the scenery or heading toward one of the eateries or bars.

Some storefronts had pumpkin displays on stacked hay bales. Others had pots of mums in shades of deep red and yellow.

Timeless Treasures had a miniature graveyard in the window, and the One Stop General Store had black gauze in the window with floating glowing eyes that seemed to follow them.

“Wow, the town really goes all out,” Jane commented. “I love it.”

“Wait until you see the parade,” Ethan said with a smile. “All the kids march in costumes.”

She looked up at him. “Did you when you were a kid?”

“Yup, me and my brothers did every year.”

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