Amy Chambers stared at her reflection in the bakery case. She needed to lose some weight. She needed to do something with her fly-away hair, too. Maybe she needed to get a job, even if it was just part-time. Something to occupy her time when the kids were in school. Then again, if she got a job, her friends would think Arnie didn’t make enough money. Maybe it would be better to do more volunteer work. That way if she didn’t feel like it, she wouldn’t have to do it.

“Did you hear the latest news?”

“Did something exciting happen?” Amy asked as she twirled a lock of hair behind her ear, hoping it would stay in place.

“I guess it depends on what you call exciting. Cady Jordan is back in town. Wasn’t she your best friend back when we were kids?”

“Cady’s back! When? Did you see her? No, I didn’t know. We…used to play together. I don’t know if you would call her my best friend, though.”

Julie Ambrose laughed. “You look just the way Pete Danson looked when I told him the same thing a little while ago. After I told him, he bought the six eclairs. I never believed for one minute that she killed Jeff King. Not for one minute. Did you believe it, Amy?”

“That was so long ago, I can barely remember. What I do remember is her father was one of those funky preachers. He was into fire and brimstone and stuff like that. I think he talked in tongues. Andy said it was just gibberish.”

“This is so weird. Pete Danson said almost exactly the same thing you just said, right down to the fire and brimstone stuff. Where is my head today? I do have other news. Boomer Ward is back in town, too. Seems they snared him away from the Pittsburgh Police Department. My mother said they voted to pay him twice what he was getting there. Homer Logan is retiring as police chief, and Boomer is taking over. He was here in town last week, but I don’t know if he’s moved back officially yet. Donna Little said he was one hunky-looking dude, and he’s not married. Imagine that! I might take a crack at him myself if he’s available.”

“I didn’t see anything about that in the Indigo Sentinel, and I read it cover to cover,” Amy said, perspiration beading on her forehead.

“It’s going to be in the paper tomorrow. Right on the front page. Betty told me they took a picture of him with his police dog. She said Erwin Potter is the one who took the picture. Police chief at the age of thirty-three. That’s pretty amazing. Donna Little said he majored in criminal justice in college, and he’s up on all the latest policing techniques. He even worked at the FBI for a couple of years. I guess our crime will go down real quick. So, do you want that loaf of bread or not? You didn’t drink your coffee, Amy Chambers!”