Page 28 of Chosen Path
“Tell you what, if it doesn’t, I’ll buy the first round next time I see you at Dusty’s.”
“All right, then.” Burke shook his head and shoved the switch into his pocket. “Tammy was right. I shoulda waited until you were working so I could ask you first.”
Greg hid his smile. Monetized DIY videos had nothing on his ancient set of books. “Happy to help.”
With the business out of the way, Burke turned to the village gossip. “Heck of a thing about Nik Lundgren, huh?”
Greg grew somber. “It might be a blessing that he went when he did.”
Burke frowned. “He was healthy as an ox.”
“He was, and he wasn’t. His fingers were real stiff in the morning and he was having trouble opening jars and bottles and such. Arthritis, I guess. That’s a problem in his line of work.”
Burke shook his head. “That doesn’t sound right, Greg. Nik just finished working on a dining room table for Nancy Grant. Tammy and I were over this last weekend. It’s a beautiful piece—lots of finish work. Nancy didn’t mention that Nik had any trouble.”
Greg stared at Burke and felt his throat close up. He coughed into his fist. “Well, I might’ve got the details wrong. I can’t say for certain. I thought I heard someone saw him at breakfast at the Moose & Goose just a few weeks before he passed. He was struggling with the cap on his orange juice.”
Burke processed this. “Huh. Once a man can’t take care of himself, well ….”
“Yeah.”
They fell silent for a long, mournful moment. Greg remembered watching Nik take his last tortured breaths. He wondered what Burke was remembering.
After a moment, Burke perked up. “Did you hear anything about Corrine Wolf? When Frank brought the mail by this morning, he said the police were at her house. I sure hope she’s okay.”
Greg waited a beat to see if Burke had anything else to add about the police presence. When he didn’t elaborate, Greg said, “I saw her yesterday evening at a council meeting. She had a terrible cough, but last I checked that’s not a crime.”
They shared a chuckle, then Burke said, “Frank told me there was a doctor there, too. At Corrine’s.”
“Doctor Hart, you mean.”
“No, some out-of-town doctor.”
Greg drew his eyebrows together, perplexed. “Huh.” Then he remembered Doctor Hart’s forensic pathology consultant.
“I wonder why the police and a doctor would be at Corrine’s place,” Burke mused.
“Mmm.” Greg thought the reason was plain as day, but he didn’t say so to Burke. “Now let me know how you make out with that light switch.”
Burke nodded and made his way to the door. Greg leaned over the counter and called after him, “And tell Tammy I said to stay away from the repair videos.”
Burke laughed a good-natured laugh and stepped out of the shop onto the sidewalk. Greg came around the counter and stood at the big plate-glass window in the front of the store. He scanned up and down the street in search of Frank, the mail carrier. Frank could be trusted to deliver both the day’s mail and the latest scuttlebutt.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Molly popped her head into the kitchen between patients. Hope was sitting just where Molly’d left her, her third (or was it her fourth) cup of tea cooling at her elbow.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable on the couch in the waiting room?”
Hope lifted her head at the sound of Molly’s voice. “I’m fine, honestly. Besides, I don’t want to have to answer questions about Corrine. I’m sure the word’s spread by now.”
Molly nodded. “My last two patients both told me that the police were at Corrine’s house, but nobody seems to know that she’s …”
“Dead. You can say it, Molly.” Hope lifted her chin in a defiant gesture but her lip wobbled.
Molly sighed and sank into the chair across from her. “I’m sorry. I know this must be bringing up memories of your mom’s passing, and that’s got to be really hard.”
Hope’s bravado faded and she lowered her gaze. A fat teardrop landed on the table.Molly reached over and covered Hope’s hand with hers.
