Barnyard Murder: A Cozy Mystery (Strawberry Shores Mystery Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

one second.”
    “Take your time,” Alex said. “We're not getting out of here anytime soon.”
    “Hm? What do you mean?” I asked.
    “Sheriff Caldwell blocked off Library Street. There must be a hundred people across the road.”
    “Yes, getting through was a pain,” Maryanne said. “It took me twenty minutes to convince Frank to let me through. If Danny didn't need this book for a report, I would have given up.”
    I finished checking out the book and sat back in my chair. “Hold on, what's going on?”
    Maryanne took the book and tucked it under her arm. “Jeannie Ferdinand. You haven't heard?”
    “No,” I said. I looked over at Susan. She shook her head.
    “She chained herself to the tree. She says she's going to stay there until Dana adds an addendum to the town charter stating that the Ferdinand family doesn't have to abide by the CBSS.”
    “Seriously?” Susan asked, incredulous. “How is she getting away with it?”
    Maryanne shrugged. “She has half the town on her side.”
    “Half the town?” Alex exclaimed. “How can that many people care about one stupid dead tree?”
    Maryanne shook her head. “The people siding with her aren't interested in the tree. They're people that have had problems with Dana Jones in the past. Like Tyler Warren. Do you remember last year when Dana made him take down his Christmas lights? She said they were too bright and that nobody could see the other houses' lights?”
    Susan, Alex, and Emily nodded.
    “Well, he remembers too. He's totally against the CBSS.”
    I sat back in my chair and rubbed my eyes. “This isn't about the tree anymore. It's about the CBSS.”
    “Jeannie is turning the town against Dana,” Emily murmured.
    “That sounds about right,” Maryanne said. “What a mess she's made. She really is her father's daughter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if I can get home.”
    “Why would leaving be a problem?” I asked. “I thought Sheriff Caldwell wanted people out of the area.”
    “He does. The people around the tree are fighting amongst themselves. So when someone neutral—like me—walks by, the anti-CBSS people try to recruit, and the pro-CBSS tries to recruit.”
    Alex nodded. “I saw three people handing out petitions on the way here.”
    I cocked my head. “How did you and Emily get in here?”
    “We snuck in through the woods. Sheriff Caldwell wouldn't let us in through Library Street.”
    Maryanne left. Susan announced that she was going to do a walk-through of the library before we closed. Alex and Emily remained at the desk. When Maryanne and Susan were out of earshot, Alex leaned forward. “Okay, Laura. We think Jeannie is playing at something else.”
    “How do you mean?” I asked.
    “This isn't about the tree,” Emily said. “It's about something else. She just won't say what. That's where you come in.”
    “Your static thing,” Alex continued. “You talk to Jeannie, figure out what she's after. Then we can resolve this thing before it blows up.”
    I crossed my arms. “No way,” I said, shaking my head. “I've had enough of Jeannie Ferdinand. If she wants to camp out chained to a tree, let her. I'm not involved and I want to keep it that way.”
    “Come on, Laura,” Alex pressed. “You haven't seen it out there. It's a war zone. The town is split in two and nobody's sure what they're fighting over. We're thinking if you talk to Jeannie, you can figure out what it is she wants. Once we figure that out, we can get it to her, end this whole save-the-tree nonsense, and move on.”
    “We're worried,” Emily perked up. “The town is on the brink of rioting. We need you. There's going to be a town meeting tomorrow, but we don't think that's going to do any good.”
    “I'll think about it,” I said. “For the time being, help Susan and I clean up. I want to get out of here.”
    Emily, Alex, and I got to it. Truth be told, I wasn't planning to get involved. The whole controversy was looking more and