Hmm.

“I’m thinkin’, yeah,” Max said but when I looked at him he was also studying Jeff closely.

“Good news,” Jeff mumbled and I lifted the top to the coffeemaker and poured the water in.

“So, Bitsy’s home?” Max was obviously bringing the conversation full circle.

“Yeah,” Mick answered.

“And you’re here…” Max prompted and Mick lifted a hand to the back of his neck.

“Wouldn’t ask –” he started.

“You need me,” Max cut him off, his words mysterious.

Mick dropped his arm and I turned my attention to the cupboards, finding the gourmet coffee I bought in Denver in the second one I opened.

“Yeah, Max. I know –” Mick said.

Max interrupted again. “She doin’ okay?”

“Murdered, cheatin’ husband and life ahead of her in a wheelchair, all alone?” Mick asked then answered, “No.”

“I’ll go see her today,” Max said and he didn’t sound like he enjoyed saying those words because, I suspected, he knew he wasn’t going to enjoy his visit which was even more mysterious since, from what he said before about Bitsy, I thought he liked her.

I measured coffee into the filter and Mick mumbled, “Thanks, Max.”

“You got any leads?” Max asked.

“Looks hired,” Mick answered and I was surprised he shared this information.

“Hired?” Max sounded surprised too but probably not that Mick was sharing.

“Hit was execution style, no muss, no fuss, in and out, Dodd was dead before he hit the floor,” Mick shared. “Didn’t touch nothin’, didn’t take nothin’, left nothin’ behind.”

“Got leads on who hired him?” Max went on.

“Leads? No. List of possible suspects a mile long? Yes,” Mick replied.

I flipped on the coffee and pulled down mugs as Mindy hit the counter and slid on a stool.

“Hey Mick,” she greeted, her eyes skimmed over Jeff and then dipped to the counter. “Hey Jeff.”

“Mindy, darlin’,” Mick greeted back.

“Hey Mindy,” Jeff said in a gentle voice, in fact, his whole face had grown gentle and my eyes went to Max.

Max was watching Jeff then his eyes came to mine. I bugged them out and then jerked my head at Jeff and Mindy. Max shook his head and grinned.

“Coffee will be ready in a jiffy,” I announced, leaning a hip against the counter.

“Kind of you Nina,” Jeff said and I smiled brightly at him.

“Sure you boys could use some sustenance,” I surmised. “Mindy makes some mean bacon and eggs. You want some?”

Mindy’s head snapped up and my eyes slid to Max who was looking at the floor but I could see he was pressing his lips together.

“Haven’t had breakfast,” Jeff replied too casually.

“Well, that’s just awful,” I noted, making this news sound dire, my eyes going to his hands. “No wife to fill your belly before a hard day of the God’s honest work of tackling crime?”

Max’s head came up and he made a strangled noise which I hoped was him choking back laughter because he thought I was cute.

“Nope,” Jeff answered through his grin.

“Good-looking guy like you? That’s a miracle. Isn’t that a miracle, Mindy?” I called and looked at her. Her eyes were huge and her face was aflame.

“Uh… yeah,” she muttered.

“Come here, sweetheart, let’s make these local heroes some breakfast,” I urged, she reluctantly slid off her seat and headed into the kitchen.

“You boys sit down, we’ll have breakfast for you in no time,” I said to Mick and Jeff as they shuffled out, Mindy shuffled in and Max came to me.

Max made a show of reaching into the cupboard for sugar, hiding me from Jeff, Mick and Mindy but when his hand came down with the bag of sugar, his mouth went to my ear.

“Bullshit’s so thick in here, Duchess, we might need gumboots,” he whispered.

I tried to look innocent when I tipped my head back and asked, “Sorry?”

“Sorry my ass,” he muttered on a grin, closed the cupboard and moved around me to stand with his h*ps leaned against the sink and his arms crossed on his chest.

“So!” I called cheerfully to Mick and Jeff who were both now at the stools. “With a town full of suspects and a hired killer, how do you go about nailing down the culprit?” Then before Mick could speak I turned and prompted, “Jeff?”

“Um…” Jeff mumbled and Mick answered.

“Sorry, Nina, we don’t usually discuss the specifics of an ongoing investigation.”

“Oh, right,” I murmured, foiled, as Mindy passed in front of me from getting the bacon and eggs from the fridge then I suggested, “If it was me, I’d check bank records. A hired killer probably costs a lot of money.”

“Good idea, Nina,” Jeff said considerately since I was certain they’d already thought of that.

“Oh!” I cried, turning from pulling the bread out of the cupboard. “I know! See if anyone sold anything of value. You know, like their car.”

Mick was smiling broadly. “You wanna job?”

Before I could answer, Max put in, “I think they got a handle on it, honey.”

I gave Max a look, put some bread in the toaster and went to the fridge to get the milk, wondering what other topic of conversation I could put us on to make Jeff sound interesting.

“Why does everyone dislike this Curtis Dodd so much anyway?” I muttered as I closed the fridge and missed Jeff and Mick exchanging glances.

“Land developer,” Mick said to my back as I started pouring out coffee.

“Yes?” I asked when he said no more.

“Folks like town the way it is, Nina,” Jeff told me as I handed Max a cup, black, and I turned to take Mick’s to him.

“What does that mean?” I asked Jeff then smiled and enquired, “And how do you take your coffee?”

“Black, sugar, one spoon’ll do,” he replied.

“You see the housing developments on your way in, ‘bout twenty miles out?” Mick asked as I went back to the coffee.

“Kind of, it was snowing. It doesn’t snow much in England so I was a bit anxious and concentrating,” I explained as I made Jeff and Mindy’s coffee.