“No, Mother. You shouldn't have done it.”

  Mrs. Cheighton strained against Detective Miller's grip. She roared, “Dolt, that girl like her mother, was a leech. And she was going to lead you right to jail. She'd left evidence all over that office. All over it! It would've lead right to you if I hadn't done something. So I did what that fool girl should've done in the first place. I fixed it. I fixed up your mess, Lance. I made sure the ambulance didn't come too soon. But then the trollop walked right in and caught me cleaning up that sloppiness she’d left behind. Then she had the audacity to threaten me if I didn't give that rotten forgery back. Me, she threatened me! So I gave it back to her, all right! I swung it hard enough to make sure she wouldn't want anything ever again!”

  With every word, Lance's eyes had grown bigger and bigger. Finally, his shoulders slumped until I thought he would topple to the floor. Now, instead of holding him back, the cop struggled to hold him up.

  This didn't sway his mother. The woman seethed, her entire face flushing until it was a bright, flaming shade of red. Teeth bared she raged until the hoarse screams echoed off the walls. “Mother took care of it!”

  “MOTHER TOOK CARE OF IT!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The police had taken mother and son away in handcuffs. Later, much later, Oscar and I were free to go.

  Despite the excitement in the back room, the party had died down. It was a few minutes past midnight, and the last stragglers were soaking up the final sips of free alcohol.

  Oscar pointed, “Well at least they ate most of the mini-cakes.” I glanced at the spectacular display table Elsa had designed with a little bit of sadness.

  “Let's go home. My feet are starting to hurt.” And with that thought, I slipped out of my shoes. The cool marble made my toes tingle. From where we stood, the front doors seemed an eternity away. Walking over there was going to feel like trying to swim the Atlantic.

  We'd made it halfway across the floor when I heard a familiar voice.

  “Ali?”

  I didn't have to turn to know who it was. I had forgotten all about him. Oscar, however, had no problem reacting.

  “Well, well, well. Look who it is.”

  I put a restraining hand on his arm. “Down, boy.”

  And there stood Derek Tomes. Handsome as ever. My belly did a little flip-flop. Okay, what was the best approach for a man who had blown me off? Attitude? Aloofness? Act coy?

  I was too tired for anything other than authenticity. “Hi.” Brief, but it was all I could manage.

  “In trouble again?” He grinned.

  “No, no trouble.”

  Derek glanced at the floor and around the room. “I thought I saw you earlier. Then later on I heard there was some trouble in the gallery and a baker was involved. When I saw the HoneyBun's logo on the cake wrappers, I put two and two together.”

  Oscar looked him up and down. “Sooo, where's your date?”

  “Oscar!” I scolded, despite being happy he’d put the question out there. But I could tell Oscar was gearing up to give major attitude. I didn't have enough energy for that right now so I sent him off to the van.

  He pouted, angling for a scuffle with the guy who'd hurt my feelings (which I loved him for), but Oscar left without a huge fuss.

  Then Derek and I were left alone. My usual feelings of extreme dorkiness rose like a swamp monster from the deep. But I was ticked off, too.

  “Where’s your date?” I quipped, not in the mood to hold my tongue.

  Derek sighed. “I sent her home in a car. When I heard you might be in trouble—again—I stuck around to make sure you were okay.”

  “Well, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. And now, I'm going home. I'll text you.”

  Ha! That last line was good. ‘I'll text you’. Where did that come from? I was getting better at this social maneuvering stuff. I backpedaled, managed not to give him the double-gun shooter fingers (dorkiness averted), and started to turn.

  “Listen, I'd be mad with me, too. It's just that—”

  I faced him. “Derek, you don't have to explain. We went out once. I'm a big girl.”

  He took a step closer. “Ali, I really like you. It's just that the mayor's office is a mad house right now.”

  “You managed to take a giraffe out on a date tonight.” It came out sounding really bitter. I hadn't meant it to.

  Derek swallowed a grin, then sighed. “Yeah, but my grandmother arranged it. She's a friend of the family and—”

  I put my hands up. “Derek, listen, it's cool. I've heard about your family wanting you to marry well. And I'm not that kind of material.”

  “I don't care what my family thinks.”

  “And you’re busy with your career. So it's better things have worked out the way they have. Okay? Look, I've had a long night and we have a drive back to the city. So, thanks again for staying. Maybe I'll see you around.” With that I did an about-face and headed for the front doors.

  The entire time I could feel Derek’s eyes boring a hole into my back. Just as I reached the doors, he said something that I couldn't get out of my mind for the rest of the night.

  “Ali Daniels, I'm going to change your mind.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Six weeks later, I stepped into the office's open doorway.

  “Knock, knock,” I said and smiled.

  Alan Wiggins looked up from the laptop. “Ali-bear!” He came over, gave me a kiss and a big 'ol hug. It's was about three in the afternoon, but his five o’clock shadow tickled my neck.

  “Sit, sit.” He waved me to a chair.

  I put an orange HoneyBun box on his desk. “I bring before you this week's special.” I tipped the lid open and the sweet scent of chocolate enveloped us. “Be witness to what I call a chocolate Disney Land in your mouth. Cinnamon chocolate cake, chocolate chips, salted chocolate-ganache frosting. Now prepare to worship me.”

  Alan took one look and said, “Mm, mm, mmm. Dark and sweet. Just like me.”

  I laughed and flopped into the brown leather chair in front of the executive desk.

  He started to speak, but I cut him off. “Hold on, aren't you creeped out being in here?”

  Alan looked around the office as if for the first time. “I moved in a week ago. It's starting to feel less like Elsa's space and more like mine. But I ain't stupid. I have a priest, a shaman, a rabbi, and a hoodoo lady coming next week to bless this place.”

  He grinned and pulled out a cake.

  “So, new chief curator, how's it going?” I asked.

  “Okay. My former boss and her assistant left a huge mess to clean up. We shut down the goddess exhibit to do a full inventory. And we're doing full checks on the permanent exhibits upstairs, too.”

  My friend bit into the cake and the look of sheer bliss on his face was enough to answer if he liked it.

  Of course he gushed about the cake and I let him. For a minute.

  I said, “So, what about the Cheightons? I've been checking the paper, and nothing.”

  The corner of his mouth rose in a smirk. “Does that surprise you? House arrest for the both of them. Exorbitant bail but they were able to pay it, of course. But I think Detective Miller has a crush on you.”

  “Shut up. Why?”

  “He has been quite vocal about how your 'shenanigans' has made his job easy. You connected the dots between the bead and the respirator in Nia's office. They may not have realized Nia was crushing the beads from the mother goddess’s necklace and using the dust to slowly poison Elsa.

  Oh and because of that, we had to sanitize the whole building. Furniture, air vents, everything. Nia was smart enough to use the respirator to protect herself, but who knows if she took other precautions.”

  “So, is that what did Elsa in?”

  Alan nodded. “Yes and no. The coroner's report came back with fluid on the lungs triggered by abrin poisoning. The abrin is a result of crushing the jequirity beads. But they also found evidence of it in Elsa’s system like she’d been ingesting really small doses for over a period of time. The police kept hearing how Elsa had been complaining about coming down with a bug, so they suspect it was Nia spiking her food. Then later, Nia spiked Elsa's inhaler, and did what she could in Elsa's office to trigger an asthma attack.”

  I had told the police about how the windows were open and the humidifiers had been dumped when we first came to the office. Later, I found out that cold can trigger asthma attacks.

  There was something about the Cheightons and Nia I hadn't been able to figure out. “Did you ever find out how they were connected? The Cheightons and Nia? Oscar heard about a secret affair and Nia being a love child? Was it Mrs. Cheighton’s husband?”

  My friend had the audacity to look smug. “You won't believe it.”

  “Try me.”

  He leaned forward in his chair. “The affair was between Nia's mother and Mrs. Cheighton’s... wait for it...father! Mrs. Cheighton and Nia were half-sisters.”

  No way. He was right, I didn't believe it. I tried to do math in my head. “Hold on, there had to be a what? At least a thirty-year age difference?”

  “Yup, papa was a rolling stone until he was at least in his eighties. And it burned Mrs. Cheighton up for years. So when Nia and Lance connected—”

  I stopped him. “Do you mean connected or connected?” I curled my fingers as air quotes on the last word.

  “Lance and Nia always knew the truth from what I understand. So it was platonic. But when Mrs. Cheighton found out about their relationship, she lost it.”

  “So,” I paused in an attempt to be dramatic, “think she can loan me some of those diamonds when she goes to prison?”

  Alan laughed. “I know, right? You may not want to hold your breath on that. I doubt she'll do hard time. I'm hearing talk of an insanity plea. And Lance will do time in some white collar prison. He'll be out soon enough.”

  That sounded unjust. Maybe shame and rage had driven Mrs. Cheighton mad. Yet, deep down she had been trying to protect her son in a warped way. And yes, Lance did act out of greed, but it had sounded like he had wanted to repair his family's legacy. Good intentions gone perverse. It was unfortunate people had to pay with their lives.

  “I did read in the paper, Alan, that the goddess exhibit is set to reopen tomorrow.”

  He licked frosting off his thumb. “True.”

  “And you know I never had a chance to see the exhibit.”

  Alan looked up and nodded. “True.”

  I rose to my feet. “Isn't it time your childhood friend had a personal tour by the new Chief Curator?”

  My friend came around his desk and linked his arm through mine. “True, indeed. Let's go.”

  He winked and together we headed off to see the goddesses of war, peace, and creation.

  Free Book!

  And be the first to learn when new books are available.

  Get Part I of the cozy mystery novella,

  Sweet and Salty Treachery for FREE when you sign up for the

  ME Harmon mailing list.

  This is the first book in the HoneyBun Shop Mystery Series.

  You will also receive notifications about new books, promotions, and giveaways by M.E. Harmon.

  Click Here to get your copy: www.meharmon.com

  Hello,

  If you’ve enjoyed this book, please leave a five star review on Amazon.

  I would very much appreciate your support.

  Thanks!

  Happy Reading,

  ME Harmon

  Other Books by ME Harmon

  Mystery:

  Sweet and Salty Treachery (HoneyBun Shop Mysteries Book 1)

  Murder, Mayhem and Cupcakes!

  Ali Daniels wants nothing more than to bake sweet goodies for customers in her Manhattan bakery. When she gets an invite for a chance to cater the hottest event in NYC, she can't resist.

  It's murder, mayhem and cupcakes when the star of an upcoming reality tv show ends up dead. And Ali finds herself smack in the middle of a homicide investigation--with her business hanging in the balance.

  Faced with the choice of losing her business and friends or hunting down a murderer, Ali doesn't hesitate to find out who the real culprit is.

  Becoming an amateur sleuth is one thing, staying alive is another. Will it be too late when Ali discovers she's jumped out of the frying pan and into the oven?

  Barbecue, Bourbon and Bullets (HoneyBun Shop Mysteries Book 2)

  Revenge is a dish best served...smoking hot with a side of spicy fries.

  HoneyBun shop owner, Ali Daniels, is in the middle of a date with a deliciously handsome police detective at the hottest NYC barbecue restaurant — when the owner is shot in the middle of a busy kitchen.

  There's no gun. There are no witnesses.

  Ali can't resist a good mystery to solve and decides to help the investigation along. But as she attempts to smoke out the culprit, it's Ali who risks being scorched by a red, hot killer.

  Candy Canes and Criminals (HoneyBun Shop Mysteries Book 3)

  Someone has been very, very, naughty…

  The Winter Wonderland Bazaar is in full swing across from baker Ali Daniels' shop, HoneyBun Sweets and Sandwiches.

  But it's not long before the star of the bazaar, the jolly big red man himself and Ali's friend,

  takes his final sleigh ride.

  Ali quickly pieces together someone has taken being a Grinch to an entirely new and lethal level.

  Determined not to let anyone get away with a deadly deed, Ali works to unveil who's been nice and who has been very, very, naughty.

  Fantasy:

  The Blood Gem

  Luna Wynter is a True Born, one of the Chosen of the Goddess – but among her clan of shape shifters, she's a freak. Forced to flee, Luna finds work in a bar for supernaturals and bumbles into an ancient curse. It’s a death sentence that comes packaged with Kellan and Sloane, two sexy but mentally unstable Fey warriors.

  Thrust into a quest of dodging bounty hunters while unlocking the secrets of the curse – Luna must decide whether to surrender helplessly to fate or embrace a darker, sinister legacy.

  “The Blood Gem is a thrilling ride with just enough action mixed with magical mayhem.”

  Pristine

  An engineered virus changed everything.

  Sunny Hudson is famous, seventeen and pregnant. In a world where infertility is the norm, and the government mandates healthy young adults to conceive — Sunny enrolls as a donor mother in the exclusive Barrons Academy, a prestigious school of learning and medical care, to become the willing pawn of a multi-billionaire.

  But once there, people begin to disappear. A political group becomes violent. Mysterious enforcers roam the campus. And the two men in Sunny's life - Feleti, the biological father of her baby, and Colt, the man assigned to protect her - spark within her uncomfortable feelings of desire.

  Now Sunny finds herself entangled in a conspiracy where she must choose between survival, opening her heart, or exposing a truth that could spark revolution.

  PRISTINE is a suspenseful, dystopian novella that questions what love really looks like in a world where perfection is expected.

  ***

 

 

  M E Harmon, Macaroons, Mummies and Murder

 

 

  Thank you for reading books on library.land
Share this book with friends

share

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8