D is for diluted

D is for diluted

    Pepper had four hours to decide what to wear to the book club and the persona she wanted to adopt. Should she go for the hot erotica book reader type or maybe the quiet librarian look? Sheriff Nazarro wasn’t much help. Although he knew Margie Webster it was just to say hello or small talk when he had seen her out and about with her parents. Clayton had known Jack and Alice Webster for years through different town organizations, but not the daughter. The sheriff was single with no kids so he never crossed Margie’s path socially and the parents didn’t seem to know the real Margie. Maybe a trip to McCormick’s Boat rental would help.

    Pepper grabbed her badge and clipped it to her belt, along with the usual department accessories—notepad, police radio, and of course her Glock. Her day old coffee sat thick in the pot. No time now to brew a fresh one and she didn’t feel like stopping at the Stop-n-Shop to grab their version of coffee. She poured the sludge in her mug, diluted it with a bit of tap water and put it in the microwave. Nothing a good dose of sugar wouldn’t cure.

    Pepper donned a light jacket, snapped the lid on her mug, and reached for her keys. Spring had finally cracked through the wall of winter’s chill. She opened her windows to air out her garage apartment above Lamont Bicycle Shop before she locked the door behind her. The temperature had climbed close enough to take the top off her jeep but she resisted the urge. It would be cooler down by the lake where sporadic sheets of thin ice still dotted the water’s surface. Besides it wouldn’t be worth the effort for the five minutes it would take for her to get there.

     People were out and about in the village as she drove through town. Most of the shops were sprucing up by washing the salty film of winter off the store front windows. Even a few tourists were out antiquing. She didn’t wave to anyone as she passed. Pepper was new to the area. Good thing, or Sheriff Nazzaro would never had allowed her to infiltrate the book club even if it was held in the next town on the other side of the lake. As she pulled into McCorrmick’s Pepper noticed that the location where the book club meetings were held was only a dozen houses away from the boat docks. Maybe Mr. McCorrmick would have more to say than she realized.

***

Today's word - D for Diluted - is brought to you by Jen Claud. 

If you would like to catch up, here is my 2013 A to Z Mystery Recap. 
  
This post is part of April's Blogging From A-Z Challenge and Camp NaNoWriMo. The rest of the A-Z bloggers can be found pinned in the links section of my sidebar. Hope to see you tomorrow!