Page 33 of Exposure of Murder

Love! It made no sense. Bah. Who cared? Thornton was dead.

Jane was just happy she’d found her soulmate in Mike and that he had been an honest, decent man who made her laugh.

A pang of sadness hit her. She missed Mike so much. However, Jane knew he wouldn’t want her to wallow in self-pity. He’d want for her to continue on and enjoy life.

“Hey there, why so pensive?” Victor’s smooth voice interrupted her thoughts as he slid into the booth across from her.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she replied.

“Can’t be. You looked so sad.” He leaned in. “Tell me, please.”

She shook her head. “Just remembering my husband. He died a year ago.”

“It must be hard, loving someone and then having them pass away.”

Jane sighed. “Yes, but the memories are bittersweet. We had a wonderful marriage, but as they say, life goes on.”

He reached over and took her hand in his warm ones. “He was lucky if you miss him that much.”

“Well, enough of that. How are you?” she asked.

Victor removed his leather jacket, which actually made him look like a biker bad boy. His dark hair was accentuated by the black casual button-up shirt he had on—he looked yummy.

Victor caught her ogling him and winked. Jane blushed for the second time today.

“So, tell me what you’ve been up to?” he asked. “Any trouble with the chain saw?”

“No, it was perfect. My handyman had no trouble cutting the branches.”

Victor smiled. “How many employees do you have?”

“Right now, I have one all-around helper and a man who is renovating my house.”

“I’m sure having someone help around the farm doing the heavy work eases your mind, especially if you’re alone.”

Jane thought about that for a moment. “Yes, it does. I’ve never had any experience with farming or animals, so everything is a learning curve.”

“Where did you live before you moved here?” he asked.

“Boston. We were downtown, in the middle of everything. I was a mystery writer. Now I keep bees and garden.”

He cocked his head. “Mystery writer, uh? Who inspired you to do that?”

Who indeed? Jane grew up reading mysteries: Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Louise Penny, James Lee Burke—oh, the list could go on and on.

“I love solving crimes and puzzles,” she replied. “It’s fascinating to delve into the criminal mind.”

Victor smiled. “Remind me never to commit a crime on your watch.”

Jane laughed. Conversations in the background grew a little louder. She looked around. The diner was filling up.

“Any new stories on the horizon?” he asked.

“No.” She shook her head sadly. “I’m not writing right now. Maybe I will again someday.”

Victor leaned closer, propping his elbows on the table. “Do you ever use real-life inspiration, or is it all in your mind?”

“A little of both,” she replied. “I’ll base a story on a real-life incident that maybe happened to me or other people, perhaps an interesting crime that occurred.”

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