Chocolate Heart Killer: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 14 by Kathleen Suzette (guided reading books .TXT) 📗

When Tara had selected a shopping cart and pushed it inside, I got out of my car and followed after her. The sky had clouded up, and I felt a couple of light sprinkles. I glanced heavenward. The weather had warmed up again today and I thought we were in for a slushy mess if the sprinkles turned into heavier rain.

Tara was headed for the produce department, so I pushed my shopping cart after her. When she stopped at the bananas, I came alongside of her and reached for a plastic bag.

“Oh, Tara,” I said, smiling. “What a surprise. How are you doing?”

She glanced at me. “Hi Mia, I’m good. I’ve got to get some bananas.” She chuckled. “I’ve been putting off the grocery shopping for almost a week and my cupboards are pretty much bare. How have you been?”

I shrugged. “I’m doing just about the same as you are. Putting off the grocery shopping until it absolutely has to be done. One of these days I’ll get organized and get it done before I run out of everything.” I picked up a bunch of bananas and put them into the plastic bag. “Sure is a shame what happened to Logan Michaels, isn’t it?”

Her eyes widened a bit. “It really is. I can’t believe it. I keep thinking there’s no way somebody could have killed him like that.”

“Did you know Logan well?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“I don’t know if you can say I knew him well, but he’s been dating my sister for several years now. Or was, I mean. It still doesn’t seem real.”

“They dated for a long time, didn’t they?” I asked and set the bag of bananas into the front of my shopping cart.

“Yes, they dated for about five years, as hard as it is to believe.” She chuckled again.

I turned to her. “What do you mean by that?”

She shrugged. “My sister, she is something else. High maintenance is what I call her.”

I nodded. “I guess somebody that’s a personal trainer might be high maintenance. I would imagine being in that profession, she feels a lot of pressure to have everything together and be in great physical condition.”

“I guess you could say that,” she said with a smirk. “But I was really referring to being high maintenance emotionally. She’s always been so high strung, you know.”

I nodded. “It happens to the best of us,” I said lightly and chuckled again. I didn’t want to make her think I was being nosy, but I was. Were the rumors of the sisters not getting along true? Because the way she spoke of her, it almost sounded like Tara may have had something against her sister.

“Right? Yeah, I was sorry to hear about Logan. And I know Mariah is a grieving him, but I just can’t understand who would kill him. For that matter, who would kill anyone?”

“I feel the same way. I can’t imagine what would push anyone to kill. Hopefully the police will find his killer soon.”

She hesitated a moment as she set her own bunch of bananas into her shopping cart. “Is Ethan working on the case?”

I nodded. “Yes, he’s on the case.” I looked over the display of bananas again, hoping she would continue.

“That must be hard, since they were friends. Does he have anyone in mind as the killer?”

I turned back to her. “I’m not really sure. I know he’s working on the case and I’m sure he’ll arrest the killer as soon as he can.”

“Well, I hope he figures it out then.”

She made as if she was getting ready to push her cart off to the next display of produce and I didn’t want to let her get away from me before I got the information I needed.

“Tara, you said you were friends with Logan. Were you close friends with him?”

She hesitated a moment, considering what she was going to say. “Why do you ask that question?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, I was just hoping that somebody had insight into what happened to him. And if you were close to him…”

She nodded, narrowing her eyes at me. “I bet you heard that the two of us had an affair, right?”

I hesitated, sensing the change in her demeanor. I didn’t want to make her angry, I just wanted her to give me any information she might have. “Well, you know how things are around here. It’s a small town and people like to talk. Not that I’m listening to that kind of gossip, but well, you know how it is.” I was embarrassed that I had brought it up, and that she had caught on to me so quickly. But I needed to know.

She nodded slowly and gripped the handles of the shopping cart. “I did not have an affair with Logan. I have never had an affair with anyone. I hate cheaters, because I’ve been cheated on and I wouldn’t do something like that. Especially not to my sister.”

I took a deep breath and shook my head. “Of course not. I knew the rumors couldn’t be true.”

She hesitated, softening. “It’s true that my sister and I don’t always get along, but I would never do something like that to her. Not even if she deserved it.”

“What do you mean, not even if she deserved it?”

She glanced away and then looked back at me again. “There was a reason the two of them broke up so often. It was because Mariah was always itching to be with someone else. Honestly, what kind of men do you think go to the gym? Men who are fit and attractive, and she’s always got her eyes on someone. I wouldn’t blame Logan if he did have an affair, but he certainly didn’t have one with me.”

I nodded and forced myself to