Page 5 of Little Merry Murder

“You think so? He told me he was disappointed in me.”

“People say all kinds of kooky things when they get their panties in a bunch. He’s no different. It’s going to be all right. You’ll see.”

“You seem to be fine with me taking the Cooperson case.”

Whitlock glanced over his shoulder, then back at me. “Yeah, speaking of the case, I was hoping we could talk about it.”

“I’m guessing you want to do it somewhere else, not here, right?”

“You know me all too well. I was thinking we grab some lunch and go somewhere we won’t run into any corn?”

“Corn?”

“You know,ears… ears of corn. People listening in. Get it?”

He smacked a hand against his leg, laughing at his own joke.

I couldn’t help but join him.

“We can go to my place,” I said. “Giovanni will be there, but I feel like he’s an acceptable variety of corn.”

“The finest of varieties, yes, and it will be nice to catch up with your fiancé. What do you fancy for lunch? It’s my treat.”

“I’m feeling comfort food, something simple. How about grilled cheese sandwiches and soup?”

He tipped his head toward me and nodded. “I believe I can make that happen. I’ll meet you at your place in an hour.”

CHAPTER 5

Whitlock arrived at the exact time he said he would, carrying enough food to feed an entire family.

“I wasn’t sure which type of soup to get, so I got a little of everything they had,” he said.

He followed me to the kitchen, setting the sacks of food on the counter.

Giovanni walked over and extended a hand. “Nice to see you, my friend. How have you been?”

“Oh, I can’t complain,” Whitlock said. “You?”

“I’m well. Georgiana tells me there’s trouble in paradise.”

“Yeah, this investigation … it’s an interesting one.”

Over the next several minutes, the two of them caught up, and then Giovanni got a call, which he took in his office. Whitlock removed the food containers from the bags on the counter and turned toward me, spreading his hands. “What will it be? We’ve got chicken noodle, tomato, mushroom bisque, and broccoli cheddar.”

“They all sound great.”

“Have a bit of each if you like.”

I went with mushroom bisque, and Whitlock with chicken noodle, and we each grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich and settled in at the kitchen table.

“Before we get going, I should mention something,” I said. “Foley told me I shouldn’t expect any help because I won’t get it. You don’t need to talk to me about anything that might get you in trouble.”

He reached out, patting my hand. “I have the utmost respect for Foley, so I appreciate your concern. I have just as much respect for you and your family. The way your mother looks after me, inviting me to Sunday dinners with all of you, it means a lot to me.”

It meant a lot to me too.

“I’m glad you moved back to Cambria to be a detective again,” I said.

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