Overdue for Murder (Pecan Bayou) by Teresa Trent

walked into the main part of the library. "What about the people who were out in this part of the library checking out books? It would have been pretty tough to sneak in here." He turned back toward me, scratching his head."I know you were having difficulties with the woman, but do you know if she had any other enemies?"

    "I saw her fighting with her husband at the Pecan Bayou Gazette."

    He reopened his notepad. "What were they fighting about?"

    "Sounded like she caught him cheating on her."

    "Did they drop a name?"

    "Nope."

    "Okay, that gives us a start," he said.

    "Oh, and I saw her getting pretty cozy with Damien Perez in the mall," I added.

    "Why does that name sound familiar?"

    " Camazotz Chronicles ," George said, his voice in awe. "Those are some pretty powerful books. Bella and Edward may be hot in this country, but the Mexican Camazotz are really scary."

    "Huh?"

    "Damien Perez writes vampire books," said George.

    "Oh, that hooey." My father gestured as if sweeping George and his Mexican vampires out of the air. I continued.

    "Well, maybe they were just real good friends, but he seemed pretty hot under his pointy black collar."

    "We'll check that out as well. Art will be calling me in the next couple of days, but we're pretty sure it's going to be blunt-force trauma. It’s unfortunate you were found standing over the body. We might need to be thinkin’ of a lawyer…just in case. I guess I don't have to tell you to stay in town."

    "I'm not much of a flight risk, Officer Judd."

    After being dismissed by the police, I went back to the meeting room to retrieve my things. Pattie offered to stay until I was finished with my interview and then drive me home. She sat there looking at the copy of my book. Martha had straightened out the meeting room and returned the table to the center. I hoped Martha Hoffman had given up on the idea of an author's night.

    "Are they all done grilling you?" Pattie asked.

    "Funny, coming from the cookbook writer," I told her. We gathered our things and started walking toward the door. I waved at my dad and George as they were bent over their work at Pecan Bayou's newest crime scene. Once we were out the door, Pattie looked back and whispered.

    "I thought I was going to die when your dad started in on the Miss Scarlett-in-the-library thing."

    "I know what you mean. Why is it sometimes when a person is at an intensely somber moment, something just tickles them and they have an irresistible urge to laugh?"

    "I don't know why we laugh at times like that. Maybe we've just held it all in for so long, we can't stand it and something triggers our goofy side. It's an awful thing, but I always feel better afterward."

    "I felt really bad, snickering in front of Peter Markham," I said.

    "Me too, but when I looked his way he seemed ... distracted."

    "Yeah, I noticed that too."

    We stepped up into Pattie's pink-and-white striped delivery van. As I settled myself in the seat, I could smell the lingering aroma of fresh baked goods. My cell phone rang inside my purse. It was Fitzpatrick.

    "I've been trying to call you, Betsy. I was thinking about our weekend."

    "Sorry, I left my purse in another room," I said. I debated at this point whether or not I should tell him I had discovered yet another body.

    "Are you at home?"

    "No, sorry. I just left the library, but I'm heading that way."

    "You're just leaving? Your meeting must have run late."

    "Well, it sort of did."

    "Betsy, I make my living predicting incoming storm systems. Is there something you're not telling me?"

    "Maybe."

    "Betsy?"

    "Okay, okay. I accidentally discovered another dead body."

    It was quiet on the other end. Somehow, being romantically involved with a woman who had a knack for finding dead people was maybe a little on the strange side.

    "Do you want me to come down?" His voice was so gentle I caught my breath.

    "No," I answered, my voice hoarse. Pattie pulled up to my house, where I could see the living