Page 45 of Exposure of Murder

“If only, but I’m not ready for that right now,” replied Jane. “Besides, Victor is nice, but he’s not the one, if you know what I mean.”

Claire and Emily nodded.

Flo walked over with a tray and set their breakfast in front of them.

“Looks yummy,” said Jane.

“You girls enjoy,” Flo said as she refilled their coffee cups.

“I haven’t heard any more about David Thornton’s death,” said Claire. “Has Ethan solved the mystery?”

“I wish.” Jane put a dollop of jam on her toast and took a bite, then replied. “He asked me to stop by the sheriff’s department today and he’d catch me up.”

“Well, if you’re looking for the one,” said Emily, “Ethan’s a catch. He’s handsome, dedicated, honest and sexy. Oh, and I can’t forget romantic.

“Ethan?” Jane snorted. “Romantic?” Somehow, Jane had a hard time believing he was romantic. She agreed with the other descriptions, however.

“Yeah. I remember how he doted over Corrine, brought her flowers, and treated her like a queen.”

“Hmmm.” Jane found herself surprised. Although the only side she saw of him was the grumpy one. But then again, he did give her a kinda half happy smile at Vanessa’s house. It was either a smile or he had gas.

“Regardless, one man at a time for me is all I can handle,” said Jane.

They finished their meal, paid, and she said goodbye to the girls. It was a pleasant day. Jane welcomed the walk to the police station. Her car was parked at the Feed & Grow, so it would be close by.

Jane stood in front of the old brick police station, her heart thumping.

It’d been a while since she was in one. Not since Boston, anyhow. She had a friend there who was an officer, and she’d pick his brain to portray the police accurately in her books. After Mike’s death, she never wanted to step foot in a police station again, but here she was. Okay, time to pull up her big-girl panties and walk in.

“Jane. Hi. Can I help you?” Nora, the receptionist, sat at the front desk, a wall separating her from the rest of the room, but Jane could hear voices in the background. Jane had met Nora a while ago and liked the gray-haired older woman.

“Hi, Nora. Ethan, er, Sheriff McQueeney asked me to stop by.”

“Oh. You can call him Ethan, hon, everyone does. At least everyone who isn’t a criminal.” Nora laughed. “Let me call him.”

It took Nora a minute to tell Ethan she was here. “He’ll be right out.”

Jane nodded.

“I’m hearing great things about your farm,” Nora said. “Will you have a farm stand in the spring?”

“I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe. I can certainly sell organic meat and vegetables.”

“Well, if you do, I’ll be there.

“Jane.” Ethan emerged from the back room. “Glad you could make it. Follow me.”

Jane’s heart raced as she moved through the room, passing desks in the center. A few were occupied, and officers looked up curiously. Adam smiled and waved to her from his desk, and when she waved back, Jane noticed Ethan frowning. Did he not want his deputies to acknowledge her, or was he jealous because she and Adam got along well?

Ethan led her into his office, sat behind his desk, and gestured for her to take a chair across from him.

Taking a moment, Jane glanced around. The wall displayed pictures depicting the history of Beaver Creek, transitioning from black-and-white photos to more recent ones in color—old buildings, pictures of people, and events in town. She loved them.

“Is your father in that picture?” She pointed to one black-and-white photo on the wall.

“Yes. He’s standing next to my grandfather. They both served as sheriffs here in town.”

Jane nodded. “You must be proud to come from a family of lawmen.”

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