Ginny Gold - Early Bird Café 04 - Croaked Wheat Read Online Free Page A

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    “You know what I mean. Who was the last guy you cooked for at your house ?”
    Kori shook her head, thinking. “I don’t remember.”
    “My point exactly.”
    Nora was still holding Kori’s shoulders, standing in the doorway. She seemed to suddenly realize that this was cause for celebration and turned and led Kori inside. “What can I make you to drink? We definitely have to cheers this momentous occasion.”
    Kori laughed. She’d been flying high ever since she had decided to let Zach spend the night, but she felt Nora was taking it to a whole new level. “Whatever you’re having.” It was still mid afternoon and Kori didn’t want to get too carried away.
    “Gin and tonic? With lime?” Nora asked from the kitchen counter, already taking things out of the fridge, freezer and cabinet above her.
    “Sounds great. I’ll meet you out on the patio. I’m going to make sure I can still see the dogs.”
    “Okay. But you really don’t have to worry about them. They wouldn’t take off.”
    Kori ignored Nora’s protests and sat at the patio table, watching the dogs race circles between the house and barn. Moments later, Nora was handing her an already sweating glass. The humidity of August wouldn’t seem to let up.
    “To you and Zach,” Nora offered, clinking her glass against Kori’s.
    Kori smiled in return and waited for Nora to sit so she could start interrogating her about this body, instead of Nora interrogating Kori about Zach. She finally got her chance when Nora took a sip of her drink and Kori jumped in to ask, “So, this body you found? Who was it?”
    Nora shrugged, setting her glass on the table. “Don’t know yet. But it wasn’t so much who he was as where he was. You remember telling me you would buy wheat from me if I grew it?” Kori nodded, not sure where this was heading since she hadn’t heard anything since then that would indicate Nora was adding a crop to her farm. “Well, I decided to take the leap. I’ve been researching it all summer and I know it’s a long shot, but I ordered a delivery of grain. I was going to grind most of it straight into flour so I would know I can do it and then I’m going to start out with half an acre next year to see what happens. So I got a grain delivery yesterday, and I went out to the barn this morning to get work done, and there was a hand sticking out of the grain.”
    Kori almost spit out the gin and tonic she had just sipped. A hand in a grain delivery?
    “Yeah, that was my reaction too. So I called the police and Zach and Lani came out to start investigating. Oh, by the way, what’s up with Jay and Lani? She seemed totally different today.”
    Kori hesitated before answering. “You have to promise not to tell anyone. I heard from my mom this morning that Jay broke up with her. But Jay doesn’t know I know. And I don’t want to spread rumors, or the truth. I shouldn’t know yet so you shouldn’t either.”
    “Huh. So you don’t know what happened?”
    Kori shook her head. “What was different about Lani?”
    Nora sat back and put her feet up on the table. The drink was clearly calming her down after finding a second body in as many months on her farm. “I felt like lately she’d finally been finding her own rhythm in Hermit Cove and was warming up to me. And then today she was just really cold. I mean, I know I’m friends with you, so I guess I’m friends with Jay by default, but why take it out on me?”
    “Maybe she thinks he’s interested in you. But really, I wouldn’t worry about that right now. What else about this body? You don’t know who it was?”
    “All I know is it was a guy, mid forties, balding. And the delivery came from Seeds ‘n More. But I don’t know who he was. I’d never seen him before.”
    “What do you know about Seeds ‘n More?” Kori asked, mentally scrolling through paths they could take to figure out who he was.
    “You think we can solve a death without even knowing who he was? I