A Matter of Wife and Death (A Sibyl Potts Cozy Mystery, Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

complicated,” Mr. Buttons added, “but would someone want to murder someone to protect a wilderness area?”
    “Welcome to law enforcement,” Blake said with a smile. “You never know what you’re going to have to deal with when you wake up and come into work.”
    “That sounds like my job,” Cressida said.
    Blake shrugged. “I’m going to head back and look at the evidence from both cases. I want to see if there aren’t some points of comparison or any clues that can link Lisa’s fall to Quinten’s wilderness movement.” He winked at me, and then made his way toward the exit.
    “I can kind of understand trashing someone’s car and painting your slogan on their window, but removing some bolts so someone gets killed? It just seems a bit on the extreme side of things, don’t you think?” I said.
    Mr. Buttons and Cressida both looked at me, but no one spoke for a while.
    The silence was finally broken by Mr. Buttons. “Maybe there’s more to it than just wilderness protection and preservation.”
    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    “I don’t know. Maybe the land is special to the person or something. I’m just saying that I think it’s possible that the perpetrator might hold a grudge of some sort. If there’s enough hatred toward something or someone, you’d be surprised at how far some people would go to eliminate it.”
    Cressida interrupted him. “That’s crazy talk. I don’t think Lord Farringdon would agree with you.”
    “I think we’re all just mentally exhausted,” I said, noticing an offended look on Mr. Buttons’ face. “I guess anything’s possible, Mr. Buttons, but until Blake catches a lead, we’re just barking up empty trees.”
    Mr. Buttons smiled wanly. “All right. I have some reading I need to get done tonight, but if I’m needed for anything, I’m just a call away.”
    “I might take you up on that, Mr. Buttons,” Cressida said.
    “If you have any more problems with Greg, just give Mr. Buttons or me a call,” I said. “If Greg starts yelling, don’t try to calm him down. Just call me.” I addressed that comment to Cressida.
    “Thank you. I don’t like trying to calm him down,” she said softly.
    “I know. It does him no good to be so loud and aggressive, especially toward you and any of the others who are trying to help.”
    “In all honesty, it’s not because I don’t want to listen to him rant and rave. It’s because he scares me at times.” Cressida leaned closer and her eyes widened. “And Lord Farringdon told me that Greg seemed more upset when he saw his car than when his wife fell from the balcony.”
     

Chapter 6 .
     
    I sighed as I checked my watch. I’ve been in some traffic jams in my day, but this is ridiculous!
    I leaned my head out the window and tried to see the road ahead. I didn’t see any signs of smoke or an accident, and there was no scream of emergency sirens. What else would bring the highway traffic to a complete standstill? This usually only happened once a year in Little Tatterford, at the Festival, but there were always detour signs then.
    I checked my watch again as I leaned back into the car. Those fifteen seconds since the last watch check felt like two minutes, at least. I suppressed a groan and looked at the stack of folders on the seat beside me. I supposed I could attempt to go over my paperwork. There was definitely no shortage. I had my grooming schedule to organize, and my finances, such as they were, to balance.
    The nearest coffee shop was only a car length away from me. Just a few feet separated me from the limbo of cars with their out of state license plates. If I could inch my way in, I could get coffee and wait for the traffic to start flowing again.
    Firstly, I needed to get off the road and park. At this rate, it would be an hour before traffic moved enough for me to inch that close. I looked forlornly at the entrance of the coffee shop taunting me. Would I get into trouble if I just edged up that nice,