Page 26 of Exposure of Murder

Bucky laughed. “Roosters hate everyone. You know chickens will lay eggs without a rooster, right?”

Jane did know that factoid. She read it in a book. But the advantage of having a rooster was that he’d fertilize the eggs as well as protecting his girls.

Although now that she thought about it, chicks were cheap enough to buy. She only just acquired Rocky—free from a farmer down the road. Now she wondered how much of a patsy she was. Jane had a feeling no one wanted roosters.

As if Rocky read her thoughts, he flapped his wings and crowed loudly at her.

“Back at ya,” she teased.

“Do they know who the victim is?” asked Bucky.

“A David Thornton,” she replied. “He was bidding on the farm against me and lost.”

“Thornton?” Bucky furrowed his brow. He stopped what he was doing to think. “There were rumors going around he was in bed with some nasty characters.”

Jane’s ears perked up. Maybe Bucky could give her some names. Maybe she could ask around town just to get Ethan off her back.

She was a mystery writer, after all, and had knowledge of police procedure and the criminal mentality. It would be a good project to keep her attention off the fact that Ethan thought she was a suspect. And maybe, just maybe, she could help find the killer.

“Do you remember any of the names mentioned?”

He shook his head and shrugged. “Sorry. But I’ll keep my ears open.”

“Thanks.”

“Does the sheriff have any suspects? Any ideas why Thornton was killed?”

“Yeah,” she huffed. “Me, for one.”

Bucky looked shocked. “He can’t believe you had something to do with his death?”

She shrugged.

“I have no idea why he was killed,” Jane replied. The thought of being named a suspect in a murder made her heart pound.

Jane looked at her watch and realized time was getting away from her. She informed Bucky she was going into town to get a chain saw and asked if there was anything they needed. He shook his head.

After walking back to the house, gathering her purse and car keys, Jane was on her way to pick up what she needed. She’d meet Claire and Emily at Wild Bean Roasters a little later.

Her first stop was at the feed store, aka all-around farm equipment store.

The Feed & Grow was down by the train station. The old sheet metal building stood as a testament to ages past. Its metal edges were bent and worn. The paint had long peeled off, leaving just patches of faded color here and there. A large hand-painted sign over the double doors dominated the entrance. Jane pushed open the old wooden door, the bell above it chiming. A cashier near the door welcomed her.

Inside, Jane inhaled, smelling the scent of sawdust mingling with the earthy aroma of plants and garden supplies. The high ceiling was supported by metal beams. Sunlight filtered through grimy windows set up high on the walls.

She’d last been here in the spring to buy the chicks and was surprised when she picked them up and discovered they came in a perforated cardboard box. She laughed to herself. She’d never thought about how they were delivered or how she’d get them home.

The store was huge. The variety of goods sold always amazed her.

There were huge bags of feed and grain stacked along one wall. Weird and unusual gifts were located next to bird feeders and seed. There was a greenhouse filled with houseplants, and in the summer, vegetables and flowers would be for sale outside alongside trees and bushes. If she needed gates or fencing, they had it.

However, she was here for a chain saw, and they were located at the back with the weedwhackers, hoes, shovels—actually, anything a person could need to work outside.

Jane looked at the assortment of chain saws—gas-powered, battery-powered, sixteen inches or twenty inches. Maybe larger? Her head was spinning with all the options.

A deep voice interrupted her thoughts. “Need any help deciding?”

She turned to see a tall, dark-haired, well-dressed man smiling at her.

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