“Just a dash of something to take the edge off, Ducky. You can’t tell me you don’t need it after what you’ve been through.”
She had no argument there. Being very nearly buried alive did make a person think much more fondly of both life and liquor. Daisy took another drink, only this time she was careful to make it a sip.
“And somebody’s got to give that Rick Balsam a shot of friendly competition,” Aunt Emily continued with a sly gaze. “If he’s doing as well as you say with his ’shine, then there’s no harm in me expanding my repertoire. Branch out a bit from my usual brandies. It is medicine, after all. I’d be doing the fine folks of southwestern Virginia a service, medically speaking.”
Daisy laughed.
“Unless you’ve caught wind of an impending crackdown by our favorite ATF agent. In that case I’ll stick with the gooseberries.”
“Oh, I think you’ll be safe. Ethan’s on sick leave right now. And after he goes back to work, he’ll be staying firmly attached to the desk in his office for the foreseeable future. He’s got a broken leg and about a dozen facial fractures. He’ll be okay, but he needs to take it easy for a while until everything heals.”
“So he hasn’t made any plans for a return trip? Even unofficially?”
“Not anytime soon. At least not that he’s told me about. I believe Special Agent Kinney’s had his fill of Pittsylvania County. And you can’t really blame him. He saw a lot more than he bargained for.”
“But surely he wants to see you again, Ducky.”
She could only shrug. Daisy didn’t know quite where she stood with Ethan. She had spoken to him twice since his release from the hospital. Both conversations had been brief and slightly muddled, because Ethan was on a slew of painkillers.
“He’ll come back ’round when he’s feeling better,” Aunt Emily said with confidence. “You just wait. He’ll find another assignment out here.”
“Maybe.” Daisy shrugged again. Then she smiled, remembering what Ethan had said about not being a revenuer. “Maybe he’ll discover a sudden need to smash a still or dump some pints of whiskey into the creek.”
“Are we talking about Rick’s still and Rick’s pints of whiskey?”
“Not unless Rick causes a mighty stink somewhere. If there’s any really big trouble, Ethan won’t protect him. But at this point—considering he saved our lives—Ethan’s willing to turn a blind eye to Rick and his ’shine.”
“I guess that’s only fair. You were lucky Rick showed up when he did.”
“I was lucky I could scream so loud,” Daisy replied. “That’s how Rick found us. He was already trying to stop Carlton and the others. He figured out what they were up to from the plat map—just like I did—and he thought the best way to shine a little light on their activities was to blow them up. So Rick was setting off the explosions when he heard me hollering my head off.”
Aunt Emily sighed. “I still can’t believe it was Carlton behind it all. He always seemed like such a harmless chap to me.”
“He was dreaming of money, more than he could ever make selling everybody’s old junk. And he can keep right on dreaming—in prison for the rest of his life.”
“I suppose I should invite Rick over for dinner this weekend,” Aunt Emily said after a slight pause. “Show my gratitude properly.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
“Oh?” She raised a curious eyebrow.
“I’m grateful to him, of course. Very grateful. I just—” It was Daisy’s turn to sigh. “Well, I’ve learned over the years it’s unwise to act too grateful to Rick for anything. He has a tendency to remind you of it. A lot.”
“And he’s always looking for reimbursement?”
“Especially a certain type of reimbursement, if you catch my meaning.”
Aunt Emily frowned. “It seems to me you two should be nearly even. You didn’t hurt his brother a stitch after what he tried to pull with your momma. You let Bobby walk away scot-free.”
“Bobby’s actually walking with a bit of a limp these days. Although I’ve been told it’ll go away over time as the muscles in his thigh mend. He’s paying another price too. Bobby’s volunteered to clean up the cemetery for me. Collect the burnt brush. Plant some new azaleas. Even scrub and polish all the scorched gravestones.”
The curious eyebrow went back up. “Volunteered?”
“Let me put it this way—” Daisy couldn’t restrain a grin. “My momma’s three-eighty is now my three-eighty. And it appears I can be rather convincing when I’m holding it, even with one arm in a sling.”
Aunt Emily hooted so hard, she almost dropped her drink. “Now that’s thinking smart!”
For several minutes she went on tittering to herself in amusement. Daisy watched the condensation trickle down the side of her glass.
“You were just kidding, weren’t you, Aunt Emily?” she said at last. “You don’t really believe Fox Hollow—or the Berger cemetery—is cursed, do you?”
At first she didn’t answer, then Aunt Emily smiled. There was an unmistakable glint of excitement in her shrewd blue eyes.
“Don’t you worry about that, Ducky. You just think about what you and Brenda are going to call the new bakery.” She leaned over the arm of her rocker and pecked Daisy on the forehead. “Take it from an old biddy like me, some secrets are better off left buried.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carol Miller was born in Germany, raised in Chicago, and works as an international business consultant. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and hiking in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of southern Virginia, where she lives. This is her first novel.
Visit her Web site at www.carolmillerauthor.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A THOMAS DUNNE BOOK FOR MINOTAUR BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
MURDER AND MOONSHINE. Copyright © 2013 by Carol Miller. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover photographs: diner and girl © Matt Bower; burger sign © Bigelow Illustrations/Shutterstock.com; chalkboard © Marekuliasz/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Miller, Carol, 1972–
Murder and moonshine: a mystery / Carol Miller.—First edition.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-250-01925-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-01926-4 (e-book)
1. Waitresses—Fiction. 2. Distilling, Illicit—Virginia—Fiction. 3. Virginia, Southwest—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3613.I53277M87 2013
813'.6—dc23
2013025281
e-ISBN 9781250019264
First Edition: December 2013
Murder and Moonshine: A Mystery Page 26