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.Of course you must be busy at the moment.What a wonderful event!”“We enjoy it.And it’s one of the few days that the Society is open to the public, so I encourage people to come in and see what we’ve got, even though it’s only the tip of the iceberg.Come on, I’ll give you the nickel tour.”Meg had to swallow a smile at her mother’s first reaction to the cluttered interior, particularly the stuffed birds and animals that nestled in the unlikeliest places.She tried to remember if she had ever seen the interior with all the blinds open.The bright September sunshine streaming through the tall windows was a mixed blessing: it was easy to see the collections, but it was even easier to see the thick layer of dust that lay over everything, as well as all the patches and darns and frays.But Gail made no apologies, pointing out the local treasures, and Elizabeth made appropriate admiring noises.Half an hour later they emerged from the building, blinking at the bright light.It was a double shock, stepping from the quiet detritus of Granford’s past into the vibrant reality of its present.“Goodness,” Elizabeth said.“That was interesting.And your festival seems to be a great success.”“That it does.Was there anything else you wanted to see? Or revisit? I could see you eyeing the white elephant table.”“Maybe we could take one more look? Or are you in a hurry? You mentioned you had deliveries to make this afternoon.”“I do, so I’ve got to get back to the house and pick up the apples, but I can spare a few more minutes.Then I can drop you off back at the house.”“Would you like company?”“What, you want to come along on the apple deliveries?”“Sure.We can at least chat in the car.I might even carry a crate or two, if you’ll let me.”Will wonders never cease? Meg thought to herself.Her mother volunteering to do manual labor? It was too good an opportunity to pass up.“Sure, I’d love to have you.But it’s not a car, it’s a pickup truck, and the shocks aren’t in very good shape.Still game?”“I am.”13Sated with sun and baked goods, Meg drove home with her mother.Bree was nowhere in sight, but as she had promised, she had left the crates of apples stacked just inside the first holding chamber, with a list on top.Only three stops, and all toward Amherst.One of those scheduled deliveries was at Dickinson’s Farm Stand—the place where Daniel Weston had died.Was it ghoulish to want to see it?Meg started up her new old truck—yet another of Seth’s finds, through a friend of a friend—and backed it up toward the entrance of the barn so she could load the apples.Elizabeth approached and eyed the elderly pickup incredulously.“This is yours?”“Sure is,” Meg replied.“A 1996 F150 with two-hundred-thousand-some miles on her.How else did you think we delivered crates of apples?”“Of course, of course.Give me a moment to get used to the idea of my MBA daughter driving a pickup truck.It boggles the mind.”“Hey, if you like, I’ll give you a demonstration of the tractor.”“One shock at a time, please.Those are the apples you’re delivering?” Meg had led her mother into the dark barn and opened the nearer temperature-controlled chamber.“They are.Bree usually does this, but she can’t with her broken wrist.Anyway, I’ve met the people at the markets before, and it’s good to touch base with them.”When Elizabeth reached for a box of apples, Meg stopped her.“You don’t have to do that.I can handle them.”“Meg, my love, I’m not ancient, nor am I frail.I’m perfectly capable of picking up a box.Let me help.” Three boxes later, Elizabeth asked, “How many of these are we delivering?”“Just the six today—three stops, two boxes each.If we want them to be fresh, they have to be recently picked.If they sit out for too long, they can get mealy.”“But not everything ripens on a tidy schedule, right?”“Nope.That’s why we built the holding chambers—we can stockpile apples and keep them at the right temperature until the vendor is ready for them.Up to a point, at least.Some apples hold better and longer than others.In fact, some actually improve if you keep them for a while.”“So much to learn!” Elizabeth shook her head and shoved the crate toward the back.“And who are these going to?”“Some farmers’ markets in Amherst.This is peak season for them, and for us, so I’ll be making this run quite a few times this week.” And until Bree was cleared by her doctor to resume lifting.Meg knew how much this first harvest meant to Bree, but it was up to her to prevent Bree from doing anything foolish.“How did you find vendors?” Elizabeth asked.“I got lists from the local organic groups, and Christopher—although when he was managing this, he just turned them all over to a local co-op to sell and didn’t pay much attention.I put together a list of vendors and then I went and talked to them, one at a time.Some were pretty well fixed with apples, but there were enough who were interested in giving a new grower a chance.We’ve got some unusual varieties in the orchard, which helps.There’s increased interest in heirloom varieties these days.”“And the restaurant in town buys some?”“They do.Remind me to call them about booking dinner one night, when we get back.”“They’re that busy?”“I hope so.Of course, this is their first week, so they’re still a novelty.But they picked a good time to open, between the parents bringing their kids back to the local colleges, and all the leaf-peepers passing through.” It hadn’t been easy, meeting the September opening deadline, but it had definitely been worth it financially.“You mentioned something about cider?”“Oh, right.I don’t make it, but I sell the less-than-perfect apples to some of the places that do.Including Dickinson’s, where we’re going now, but I’ve got only the good apples today.”“My, there are certainly a lot of Dickinsons around here.Are they all related, do you think?”“Maybe.I haven’t had time to check.”Elizabeth frowned, “Isn’t that where.?”“Yes,” Meg said.Where Daniel Weston’s body had been found.“Did you plan to ask about.Daniel?”“Probably, if it’s not too awkward.Would you rather not go?” She wondered if the location would dampen her mother’s interest in accompanying her.Apparently not.Elizabeth settled herself in the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt.“No, I want to see it.Look, Meg, you don’t have to tiptoe around the subject of Daniel and his death.Whatever I felt for him once, it was over long ago.And I rather resent being considered a suspect in his murder, so I welcome the opportunity to see where it happened, and I would encourage you to find out anything you can.Maybe someone can tell us why Daniel was there.”“One can but hope.” The absurdity of the situation struck Meg suddenly, and she had to suppress a giggle.She and her mother were sleuthing together? How weird was that? “Well, you can take a look at Dickinson’s, and then we can drive up to the town center, so you can see how far it was.It couldn’t have been more than a ten-minute drive, especially at night without traffic.”From the house the ride to Dickinson’s Farm Stand took less than fifteen minutes, and Meg pulled into the busy parking lot
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