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.Besides, Muriel told Gabby Williams she lost her jacket yesterday, so it couldn’t have been her.”“If it wasn’t Muriel, then who was it?”“I don’t know,” I said as I handed him a set of empty trays.“Make yourself useful since you’re here, and take these in to Emma.”“Yes, ma’am,” he said, adding a grin.“I’m your man.”“You used to be, but you quit on me, remember?”Max groaned.“Don’t bring Darlene up again, would you?”“I won’t if you don’t,” I said.“I have no desire to ever talk about that woman again.” I’d caught my ex-husband in bed with Darlene Higgins, thus the end of our marriage and the beginning of life for me as a single woman again.I’d reacted quickly to finding them together, divorcing my husband, moving in with my mother, taking back my maiden name of Hart, and buying a rundown shop and converting it into Donut Hearts.Max took the trays inside, then returned to help me break down the actual booth itself.It was made of plywood, two-by-fours, and enough bolts to keep it up, but still easy enough to erect and disassemble when needed.I worked a few fairs a year selling my donuts, and it was handy having a nice place to work from when I was away from my shop.Max and I had just carried the last piece into the shop and put it all into my storage room when the front door chimed.“Do you need to get that?” he asked, once again standing more than a little too close to me than I liked.“No, Emma’s covering the front,” I said.“Then there’s no reason to rush back up there.”He was definitely pushing his luck now, and he knew it.I said, “Tell you what.I’ll buy you a donut and a fresh cup of coffee for helping me break down.”“How about two donuts, and a hot chocolate?” he countered.I couldn’t help smiling.“You never know when to quit, do you?”“I like to think it’s part of my charm.”I patted his cheek.“You would, wouldn’t you?”He followed me back to the front, and I was surprised to find Chief Martin talking to Emma there.“I said I was sorry,” I said the second I saw him.“I didn’t mean to give anything away.It was just a gut reaction.”“I’m not here to see you,” the chief said.“What did I do?” Emma asked.“You, either.”Max took a step forward.“Then you must want to see me, though I can’t imagine what it could be about.”“Let’s go somewhere we can talk,” the chief said as he glanced over at me.“If you have anything to say to me, you can say it in front of these ladies,” Max said.“I’ve got nothing to hide.”“I’m not so sure about that,” the chief said.“What’s this about?” Max asked, the usual playfulness in his voice now gone.The chief glanced over at me, then said, “There’s no use keeping it a secret anymore.Your ex-wife was right.It wasn’t Muriel Stevens.”It was all I could do not to say, “I told you so,” but I managed to contain myself.“Then who was it?” I asked.Chief Martin ignored me.He asked Max, “Do you mind telling me where you were for the last hour?”Max frowned.“I was sleeping—alone, unfortunately—and then I grabbed a quick shower, got dressed, and came out to see the festivities.Why do you ask? Are you just naturally curious, or do I need an alibi?”“Why do you ask that?” the chief said.“Because I’ve got the feeling you think I had something to do with whoever got killed.I can assure you, I didn’t do it.”The chief frowned.“Save your assurances for someone else.Did you see anybody along the way from your place to the donut shop who can vouch for you?”“No, I was surprised how deserted the streets were.Everyone was at the carnival, no doubt.”The chief frowned, then said, “Everyone but you.”I was amazed at Max’s patience, but I knew it couldn’t last much longer.I blurted out, “Get to the point, Chief.”“Stop telling me what to do, Suzanne,” he snapped at me.I took a step back from the force of his protest.Max noticed it too.“She’s right.Why are you grilling me?”“You have an intimate relationship with the victim,” the chief said.“That automatically makes you someone I need to speak with.”“The only person I care about in all of April Springs is standing right over there,” he said as he pointed to me.“She’s not the only person you’ve been with in your life, though, is she?”I knew what he was going to say next before the words left his lips, but his voice still fell like muted thunder as he added, “The murder victim was an old girlfriend of yours.Somebody murdered Darlene Higgins.”
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