All I Want For Christmas is Fudge (A Candy-Coated Mystery with Recipes Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

mine. Officer Lasko’s face registered nothing but joy when she sat up. “Okay, okay,” she said. “You don’t have to be leashed.”
    Marley licked her face one more time. She patted his head and ruffled his neck.
    “His tag says his name is Marley,” I said. “His address is Sara’s Vineyard—the same as our murder victim.”
    Officer Lasko’s expression cooled. “Right,” she said, and stood. “Well, Marley, we’re not here to play. If this is the cabin where Tim Slater stayed, how did you find it?”
    “Jenn and I were out for a walk when Marley showed up. We followed him here.”
    “You mean you were out investigating,” Charles said. He took Marley by the collar and walked him over to a dog run, which was built beside the cabin. “There you go, boy. This should keep you out of trouble for a bit.” He put the dog in the run and latched the gate.
    “You need to learn to stay out of the way of police investigations,” Officer Lasko said to Allie. She gave us both the evil eye and then went up to the stoop. “Who went inside?”
    “I went in,” Allie said to Officer Brown. “The door was open and we needed to see if everything was all right.”
    “People don’t just let a beautiful dog like Marley run around unsupervised,” I said. “It’s cold out here. Marley could have been hurt.”
    “We’ll take it from here,” Officer Lasko said; then she called into the house, “Police, is anyone home?”
    “The place is empty,” Allie said as Officer Brown walked up to the stoop.
    “I know, but it’s procedure to announce before we enter. I’m going to need to take a statement from you both.” He looked at me with his gorgeous dark green eyes. “I’ve called Shane. If this is part of the murder scene, he needs to process it.”
    “That’s fine with me,” I said with a fast smile. “I’m always happy to see him.”
    “Does he know that?” Charles asked.
    “I certainly hope so,” I said, shoving my hands in the pockets of my ski coat.
    “Maybe it would be a good idea if you found the time to tell him.” Charles gave me a look I couldn’t quite interpret and followed Officer Lasko into the house.
    “What was that all about?” I asked Allie.
    “I don’t know,” she said, and put her arm through mine. “But I’m a good investigator and I intend to find out.”

Chapter 4
    “The girlfriend’s name is Eliza Bond,” Allie said as she entered the office, where Mella and I worked on a cash-flow projection for my business plan. It was nice to have kitty company. I wondered if Allie would let me bring her back to Chicago with me until spring.
    “Do you know her?” I asked as I set aside the folder for the fund-raising event we held in the park during the Lilac Festival.
    “Frances knows her family,” Allie said as she sat down on her office chair with a whump. “The Bonds have owned the cabin for over a hundred years. They’ve added on several times over the decades. The onetime one-room cabin now has five bedrooms and five baths. According to town scuttlebutt, Tim and Eliza were staying at the cabin with Marley.”
    “Wow, some cottage,” I said, and rested my elbow on the desk and put my head in my hand. “You look tired. I thought you fulfilled all your orders.”
    “I did, but we’re four days from Christmas and I’ve gotten fifty more orders today, all paying for express shipping to ensure the fudge arrives by the holiday.”
    “That’s great, but fifty orders is a lot to accomplish in four days.”
    “I know,” Allie said. “And believe me, I welcome the business. But I came up to put a note up on the Web site that we’re closed to Christmas orders for the year to deter any more last-minute shoppers. I can put some orders out for the New Year, but I need a little rest.”
    “That’s a good thing,” I said. “The weatherman is predicting a blizzard starting tomorrow night. You may not get anything shipped if it’s not out by the early