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“Connie was married, I take it?” I asked.
“Twenty-one years. The weird thing is she and John only met a couple weeks ago, and nobody noticed they had the hots for each other. Seems awfully fast to establish the kind of intense passion that ends up in a murdery mess.”
“What did Connie’s husband have to say?”
“He’s still in shock. He said Connie was a devoted wife and mother and that she never so much as looked at another man in all the years they were married.”
“It happens,” Lance interjected. “I remember my neighbors a few years back. One couple moved next door, and the husband fell in love with the wife of the house across the street. It was a big brouhaha when the spouses found out. They both sold up and moved.”
“They stayed married?” I asked.
“One did, and the other couple divorced.”
“But nobody killed anybody over it,” the chief said.
“Thank goodness for that, no.”
“There’s also a large snake on the loose, according to John’s neighbor. Etta Robinson is sure it’s a python.” The chief heaved a sigh. “I explained to her that pythons aren’t native to this area.”
“Speaking of loose animals,” I began, “has anybody lost a large dog that you know of?”
She frowned. “No reports that I’m aware of.”
“I heard there was a wild boar sighting in Wild Acres,” Lance said. “That seems fairly exotic for our little town.”
“A wild boar?” Closing her eyes, the chief rubbed herforehead. “I’m glad I hired Officer Leo in the nick of time, or I’d be even worse off. He’s got his hands full, too.”
“He sure had his hands full the other night,” Lance said. “I saw him canoodling with a very attractive lady.”
“Canoodling?” the chief repeated. “Is he a celebrity now? I thought they were the only ones that canoodle.”
Lance let loose a wolf whistle. “She could do shampoo commercials, that one. The shine on her hair…” He shook his head ruefully. “No human has a right to hair that glossy.”
“Says the man with a mane that rivals Ted Danson’s,” the chief commented.
Lance raked a hand through his hair. “I can’t take any credit. It’s pure genetics.”
“I wish I had those genes,” she said. “Mousy brown isn’t exactly a color in demand.”
He gave her head an admiring glance. “It isn’t mousy at all. More like a badger.”
The chief snorted. “Great. Badger-colored hair is what all the ladies are after.”
I finished my coffee. “I should probably get home. I’ve got groceries in the car.”
“What are you worried about?” Lance asked. “Nothing will thaw in this weather.”
“True, but I’ve got a project I’d like to get started.”
Lance regarded me with sympathy. “I have a feeling that house is one never-ending project after another.”
“But it’ll all be worth it when it’s done,” the chief interjected. “It’s a great house you’ve got there.”
“Thanks, Chief.”
I drove home, salivating over the smell of the gingerbread loaf. If it tasted as good as it smelled, I was in for a treat.
In the kitchen, I forged a connection with Nana Pratt and inhaled the scent of the gingerbread loaf. The ghost’s eyes sparkled with delight.
