Chapter 11

Delta tapped Leah's shoulder. "Do you have your marching orders from Raylene about what to do?"

"Yeah." Leah patted her pocket, checking to make sure she still had a copy of her friend's suggestions. "My biggest problem is none of my co-workers know or trust me. How can I get them to talk when half or most of them think I was the one who killed Barr?"

"You're a delightful young lady," Gary said. "You come across as sincere and genuine. Just be yourself. Maybe most of them aren't gonna talk to you, but all you need is one or two."

"Jase, Dave's nephew, was nice to me." Leah nervously chewed on her lower lip as they pulled into the farm's driveway.

"If he's anything like his uncle, then he's a fair man and would be a good person to start with." Gary swung around and stopped alongside the private quarters. "Delta and I are gonna run over to the house to see if Dave's around and then stop by the breakroom with the coffee cakes."

"Thanks you guys. I barely slept at all last night, worrying about what I'll do when the cops show up to arrest me. It's been a nightmare."

"The police aren't taking you anywhere," Delta said. "We're going to figure out who killed the guy. Instead of being a suspect, you'll be a hero."

"I hope so." Leah squared her shoulders, grabbed her backpack, and sprang from the vehicle. She hurried around the front of the truck.

Gary waited until she was inside her unit before shifting into drive and heading back toward Dave's house. "You said you called ahead, and he's expecting us?"

"Yeah. I told him I was bringing his favorite caramel coffee cake and a few of my pumpkin cream cheesecake balls." After parking, Delta grabbed the top box and followed Gary to the back door.

Dave must've been watching for them because the door swung open, and Kilwin appeared. "Morning, Delta." There was a flicker of surprise when he saw Gary. "How are you, Gary?"

"I'm doing fine. I thought I would ride along with Delta to drop off the goodies. We brought Leah with us. She's a little nervous about being back here."

"Can't say as I blame her," Dave said. "The detective called early this morning. I think he's coming by sometime today to chat with the workers again and have another look around."

"I brought some of your favorite pumpkin cream cheesecake balls and my cinnamon caramel coffee cake as a way of thanking you for helping Leah." Delta held up the box.

"Thank you, Delta. I feel terrible about what happened. Shane wasn't the easiest man to get along with. Several of the workers have complained about him in the past, but he got the job done." Dave held the door. "Would you like to come in?"

Delta hesitated. "We don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing. I figured you probably wanted to ask me a few questions about what happened so you could try to help Leah."

"We do," Gary said. "I'm sure the last thing you want is a killer on the loose while an innocent woman could end up taking the rap."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Dave led them into his kitchen. He poured coffee and motioned for them to have a seat at the table. "Coffee cake sounds good," he hinted.

"Help yourself." Delta slid the box toward him. "I made a few batches. Gary and I have already sampled our share."

Dave filled a plate with the sweet treats and dunked one of the caramel pieces in his coffee. "These sure are delicious."

"Thanks," Delta beamed. "I brought some extras for the workers. The boxes are still in the truck."

"That's mighty thoughtful of you. They're nervous about what's going on, so I've been trying to spend more time with them."

"You must be concerned about how this death will affect you personally and as a local business owner," Gary said.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. Shane was a hard man. He didn't hesitate to put employees on probation. Looking back, he was a little overly strict."

"Give us some examples about how he treated the workers," Delta said. "I mean, what were their complaints?"

"What I just said. He was strict. I believe almost everyone who worked under him got written up at one time."

"If you had to pinpoint one person you think mighthave disliked him enough to kill him, who would it be?" Gary asked.

"Buzz couldn't stand him."

"Buzz. I've met him. He seems like a decent guy."

"He is. He's a hard worker, but for some reason, Shane seemed to have it in for him." Dave started to say something and abruptly stopped.

"What were you going to say?" Delta prompted.

"My nephew, Jase, didn't like him either. I think Shane picked on him because he viewed him as a threat."

"Because he was your nephew."

"Yep. You would think Barr would have cut Jase some slack since we were related, but it wasn't the case."

"So Buzz and Jase didn't like him," Delta said.

"There were others, but those two come to mind first." Dave reached for another piece of coffee cake. "My nephew is as much a killer as Leah, but who knows what can happen when someone gets pushed too far and snaps?"

"True."

"I've been thinking. What if it wasn't one of my employees? What if someone who had a beef with Shane tracked him down here and killed him? He wasn't popular around town."

It was a thought, and one Delta hadn't considered. The matter needed a little more investigating, but first…

"You could be right," Delta said. "Gary and I need to get going soon. We were hoping to drop the baked goods off for your employees."

"I'll go with you." Dave downed the rest of his coffee before accompanying them out of the house and to the main farm building.

Several workers stood near the coffee bar. Leah was with them, chatting with a man Delta thought looked familiar.

She gave a quick wave, and after Delta placed the boxes of baked goods on the table, she and Gary made their way over.

"We're heading back to the farm soon," Gary said. "You gonna be all right?"

Leah nodded. "I'm sure you've probably already met, but this is Jase Kilwin, Dave's nephew. He's been training me."

Delta extended a hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sure you're finding Leah is a hard worker and eager to learn."

"Yes, ma'am." Jase appeared to be close to Leah's age, with dark curly hair and an easy smile. "My uncle is going to let her start working again tomorrow."

"That's wonderful news." Delta clapped her hands. "We sure do miss her over at our farm."

"I've never met someone with a greener thumb than our Leah," Gary boasted.

"A girl with a green thumb and someone after my own heart," Jase teased.

Leah's cheeks turned a tinge of pink. "I love farming, love getting my hands dirty, watching food grow, food I know I'm going to eat. It's important to know what goes into it and I actually prefer organic farming and gardening methods."

"I feel the same. I'm learning the ropes from my uncle and recently bought several acres of vacant land on the other side of Divine." Jase told them he was saving his money, living on his uncle's farm with his eye on the future—a home and farm of his own.

"That's exactly what I want." Leah's eyes shined brightly. "I don't even care what kind of house I have. I could live in a tent and be perfectly content."

"Until winter comes," Jase chuckled. "I've been pricing modular homes and have my eye on a three-bedroom, two-bath with a fireplace. I have a year or two yet before I'll be ready. By then, I'll have enough to add a garage with a workshop and a lean-to, to store supplies and farming equipment. I'm thinking one of these days I would like to settle down."

"It sounds as if you have a level head on your shoulders and a plan in place," Gary said. "Farming gets in the blood and it's hard to get out."

Delta, remembering the reason for their visit, excused herself and started making her rounds, chatting with the workers who thanked her for the coffee cake and cheesecake balls.

She kept moving until she tracked down Buzz, who was alone and near the door. "Good morning. You must be Buzz."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you for the baked goods."

"You're welcome." Delta casually glanced around. "Have you worked here at Kilwin Farms for long?"

"It depends on what you consider long," he said.

"A year?" Delta asked.

"Close."

He answered her in single syllables and didn't elaborate, no matter how hard she tried to draw him into a conversation.

Finally, he excused himself and walked off.

"He didn't want to chat." Delta turned to find Gary standing behind her.

"No. Mr. Buzz struck me as guarded. I think he knows we're Leah's friends. She's a suspect, and he isn't willing to talk."

Gary reluctantly consulted his watch. "Jo's gonna start wondering what happened to us."

"I was thinking the same thing. This intel mission was a bust."

The couple tracked down Leah to let her know they were leaving and chatted with Dave briefly before they headed out.

Gary waited until they were in the truck to talk. "What was your take on the employees? Did anyone hit your radar as a potential suspect?"

"Maybe Buzz, and only because he didn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling."

"Sandi, the office gal, was friendly."

"I saw her talking your ear off," Delta said. "Did she mention Leah or Shane?"

"Yeah. She said Leah seemed like a good worker and she hoped she would stick around. When I offered my condolences about Shane Barr, I thought she was going to burst into tears. She seemed real broken up about it."

"Finally, someone who liked the guy." Delta mulled over Gary's information. Perhaps not everyone disliked the man as much as Dave thought, but then maybe it was all an act. Maybe Sandi detested Shane Barr but didn't want to reveal her true feelings. Which meant if she was faking it, she was trying to stay off the radar.

Gary slowed at the crossroads to check for traffic. "Maybe we should do a little asking around town."

"You read my mind. Marlee at the deli would be the first place to check. Sherry might even know something about Mr. Barr seeing how she works almost every day at the deli."

Gary shot his wife a sly side glance. "Did you see how Jase Kilwin looked at Leah?"

"I certainly did, and did you see how she blushed when he complimented her?"

"I wouldn't be surprised to see a romance blossom, if she's able to stick around there," Gary said.

"She's going to stick around," Delta insisted. "We're not going to let this little bump in the road derail our sweet Leah."

"So I guess your plan is to head into Divine to see what you can find out about Barr."

"You betcha. The sooner, the better."

"I've got a full schedule today," Gary said. "There's no way I'm going to have time to take off."

"You've already helped a bunch. I'll track down Jo, fill her in on what we found and go from there."