Murder Most Fowl Read Online Free Page A

it?” Cam asked. “I mean, the other chicks seem fine. Do I have to watch for it and wipe their little rear ends for them?”
    â€œNah. Could be these were too hot or too cold.” Wayne laid both chicks back in the box. “Or something they ate. But since the rest are fine it might have been the stress of getting shipped. You know?”
    â€œTotally,” Cam said. “I can believe going through the postal service in a straw-lined box is stressful to the newborns’ systems.” She nodded.
    â€œAnd maybe these girls were runts from the start and just couldn’t take it. Anyhow, they’re gone now. May their souls rest in peace.” He bowed his head.
    Surely he saw—no, caused—plenty of chicken death right here on his farm, since he sold meat birds. But this gentle man still grieved the demise of two newborns.

Chapter 3
    C am lifted her glass of an Oregon Pinot Noir and clinked it with Pete’s beer glass. He’d driven her to a small bistro across the river in Amesbury, telling her it was one of his favorite restaurants. The air was full of tantalizing smells. What looked like neighborhood regulars lined the bar, and a petite woman in a pink chef’s shirt and toque never stopped moving.
    â€œHere’s to you, kid.” He gazed at Cam from under his heavy, dark eyebrows, then took a long drink and set the glass on the table.
    â€œYou must be glad you’re off duty,” she said after sipping her own drink. Pete Pappas’s long hours and often irregular schedule as a state police detective made maintaining a relationship difficult.
    â€œYou bet. A whole weekend free. Had a relaxing day just hanging with Dasha. I think we walked every trail in Maudslay State Park. You should come sometime.”
    â€œI’d like that. It’s one of my favorite places to walk. Did you finally get custody of Dasha from Alicia?” Cam had met Pete’s intelligent husky in the winter, and Dasha had helped to bring down a murderer, but Pete’s ex-wife had gotten the dog in the divorce.
    â€œDidn’t I tell you? Alicia never liked him, anyway. It was simply a power trip to claim custody. She finally realized she was a lot freer without him. Freedom is real big with her these days.” He laughed softly. “Fine with me.”
    â€œI’m glad you got him and I’m sure he is, too.” Cam twisted in her chair to read the specials written on a chalkboard behind her. The restaurant was in an old building that featured a stamped tin ceiling and brick walls, but the owners had added colorful sound-absorbing panels to cut down on noise, and the atmosphere was warm and bustling.
    A ponytailed waiter in a white shirt, black jeans, and a black half apron approached them. “Ready to order?”
    Cam looked at him. “What’s in the lamb ragout on the specials menu?”
    â€œThyme, rosemary, roasted garlic, and a roasted heirloom tomato sauce, served over tiny new potatoes. It comes with grilled herbed asparagus.”
    â€œPerfect. I’ll have that.”
    Pete ordered the Creole stew.
    â€œAnything to start?” the waiter asked.
    â€œWant to split a Fallen Caesar?” Pete looked at Cam.
    â€œSure.”
    The waiter gathered up their menus and turned away.
    â€œHow’s your new partner working out?” Cam asked. “Detective Hobbs.”
    â€œIvan? I was happy to have a break from him today. He’s conscientious to a fault. Everything has to be by the book. I preferred working solo, but the new commander brought Ivan with him. Hard to relax around somebody so regimented.”
    â€œI didn’t have a relaxing day, myself,” Cam said, then told him about the highlights of the town meeting. “All day long, it took. At the end, the question everybody had come for wasn’t even resolved.” She shook her head. “Albert warned me about New England town meetings. Speaking of a