Page 40 of X-Ray in the Xanth (Lovely Lethal Gardens Rewind #3)

Several nights later, as Mack and Doreen were cuddling up together after dinner, his phone rang. “Hello, Captain.… Yeah, I’m here with Doreen now.… I know. I know. We’ve just been discussing it. It’s pretty sad.”

The captain spoke for several minutes, the smile falling off Mack’s face.

“Right, another murder,” he muttered, turning all business. “No, I’m coming.… Yeah, I’ll head down to the office. What do we know?”

Doreen leaned in to hear, but he hopped to his feet and glared at her.

“Right, sorry,” she whispered.

“Okay.… Oh, okay.” He frowned. “No, I’ll be there in just a few minutes.” He reached out a hand and helped Doreen to her feet, as he ended the call the phone. “I’ve got to go,” he said.

“A new case?” she asked, watching him sideways. “Any details?”

“No,” he declared, glaring at her. “No details, specifically none for you.”

“Why not?” she wailed.

“Because it’s not a cold case. And, besides, you’ve got to work on yours. The senator’s daughter, remember?”

“Sure, and I will, but I can’t believe you’ve already got another one.”

“I do, but it doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun though.”

“Why is that?”

“A pottery studio is the crime scene,” he replied. “A woman was doing a big pottery display of veggies and fruits for one of the local markets. Apparently she’s been stabbed.”

“Oh, wow,” Doreen muttered, as she stared at him. “What was the weapon?”

“Don’t know for sure.… They think it was a chisel, something she was using to carve the clay with.”

“Ah.”

Mack groaned.

“What?” she asked.

“You won’t believe it.”

“But I do believe it.”

He winced. “I think the captain mentioned they found the chisel inside of a… watermelon.”

“Watermelon?” she repeated, looking at him in shock. “Oh, she was carving the watermelon itself?”

“Maybe. I think so,” he said, “but, until I get there, I won’t know the details.”

“Just remember to keep me posted,” Doreen stated, with a bright smile.

“No way,” he replied. “It’s got nothing to do with you. It’s a current case. My current case.”

“It could involve me though.”

“No, it can’t. It’s an active case.”

“It’s an active case but …” She beamed.

“What?” he asked, frowning at her.

“It’s a Weapon in a Watermelon .”

He closed his eyes, swore under his breath, and muttered, “Okay, I’ll give you that one, but it’s still my case, and you stay out of it.”

Then he leaned over, kissed her hard, and headed for his truck.