A Treasure to Die For by Richard Houston

least that’s what I thought she said. Her mandibles were still working on the thick crust as she tried to talk.
    “Glad you like it, but are you sure you wouldn’t prefer a little dirt and gravel with it?”
    She laughed then poured more honey on the crust.
     
    The three of us were sitting at her kitchen table eating the pizza I finally got around to after the little side trip to Appleton’s cabin. Half the pizza was gone by the time I had told her about our adventure and the run-in with the Sherriff’s deputy who saved me and Fred from breaking into Appleton’s cabin.
    “So what do you think, Bon? Is it the same SUV you saw?”
    She seemed to be deciding on whether to answer my question or take another bite of the pizza crust. “I can’t tell from that picture, Jake. It’s too small, but I can tell you what a ten-thirty-seven is. Wait here while I get my scanner codes.” who saved me and Fred from breaking into Appleton’s cabin.
    I knew she kept the codes by her scanner, and wasn’t surprised when she came back in less than a minute. Fred hardly had time to eat the crust of my pizza.
    “Here it is,” she said, positioning her glasses on her nose and holding the paper at arm’s length. “Ten-thirty-seven, investigating suspicious vehicle. Someone must have reported you casing the joint.”
    “I wasn’t there long enough. It must have been the SUV they reported, and the cop assumed it was me.”
    Bonnie put the scanner codes on the table and helped herself to another slice of pizza. “That explains why he didn’t report us,” she said.
    “You mean when he drove by while we were trying to erase our fingerprints?”
    “Of course, silly. What did you think I meant?”
    She didn’t wait for my answer, and went on talking. “He must have been waiting for us to leave, so he could break in.”
    “Which also means he doesn’t live around there, or the neighbors wouldn’t have called in a suspicious vehicle,” I said, before being interrupted by Fred’s ‘feed me bark’. I tore off a piece of crust and threw it to him.
    Bonnie looked a little hurt as she watched Fred devour his treat. “That’s the best part, Jake.”
    She didn’t have to explain. Julie had loved the crust too. It’s why I always ordered thick-crust pizzas, for though I only cared for the center, Julie loved the taste of honey-coated pizza crust. “Sorry, Bon. I should have asked you first.”
    “Not for me, silly. You’re missing the best part, and besides, that much people food can’t be good for him.”
    I turned back to Fred who was watching my pizza like it was a cat. “What do you think, boy? Would you rather have dog food?”
    He answered with another short bark, but this time I didn’t feed him. “Speaking of people food, does Patty drive a Mercedes?”
    Bonnie stared at me blankly.
    “The food she brought you Wednesday night to celebrate not being a suspect anymore,” I said, trying to explain how Patty had popped into my mind. “How well do you know her?”
    A smile replaced the blank expression making her wrinkles less visible. “Like my own sister. I met her when I was going to CU and now I see her every Sunday at church. Why do you ask?”
    “Watching Fred devour that pizza reminded me of turning down her home cooking. How come she knows so much about Mark Twain?”
    “She worked at her daddy’s bookstore in Boulder for years. He specialized in old and rare books so I guess she picked it up from him. That’s where we first met. I would spend a lot of time browsing the old books after classes. Something you can’t do much now that eBooks have put most of those stores out of business.”
    “Sorry, Bon, but if not for those eBooks, Fred and I would be eating squirrel.”
    Bonnie smiled at my remark then went back to her story. She had the faraway look in her eyes I used to see in my parents when they talked about the good old days. “She inherited the store when her father passed but had to close it