Bad Bites: Donut Mystery #16 (The Donut Mysteries) Read Online Free PDF

who’d come
to celebrate Chester’s retirement were still there, and I suddenly realized
that it might be the perfect time to question a few folks while they were a
little more receptive than they might be later.
    “Ladies, isn’t it all just horrific?”   Zelda Marks asked as she approached
us.   Zelda had been, up until the
moment that he’d been murdered, Chester Martin’s assistant librarian.   Upon Chester’s official resignation at
midnight, Zelda was due to take over.   This was a perfect resource for our investigation because she knew
Chester better than anyone else in April Springs, including the police chief.
    “It’s terrible what happened,” I said sympathetically.   “Can you imagine who would want to hurt
Chester?”
    Zelda frowned a bit as I asked the question, but she quickly concealed
it.   Grace must have caught it, too,
though, based on her next question.  
    “Do you have any thoughts about it, Zelda?” Grace asked her.
    “I really couldn’t say,” she said dismissively.
    In my most earnest voice, I said, “Everyone knows that you two didn’t
just work together; you were the best of friends.   Surely you want to see Chester’s killer
brought to justice as much as anyone else does.”
    It looked as though Zelda was about to cry, and for a second I felt sorry
for pushing her, but as unfortunate as the timing of it was, it happened that
way sometimes.   Grace started to add
something, but I shook my head slightly, and she picked up on my hint and kept
quiet.  
    After a few moments of silence, Zelda said as she looked around, “I
wouldn’t mind helping you, but it doesn’t feel right talking about it here, so close
to where it happened.”   She looked
around at the other folks still gathered together, and I had to wonder if any
of her suspects were still present, and that was the real reason she was being
so reticent to talk to us.
    “We don’t have to do it in the parking lot,” Grace said.   “Suzanne and I were about to go back to
my place for some coffee.   Would you
care to join us?”
    I’d wanted to stay and talk to a few other potential sources of
information, but Grace was right.   Zelda might be the mother lode, and if we wanted the real scoop on
Chester’s enemies, there was no one better to speak with.
    “Well, I could use a ride
home,” Zelda said hesitantly.
    “I’ll take you myself after we’ve had a cup and our little chat,” Grace
said warmly.   “Suzanne, why don’t
you ride in the backseat so Zelda can sit up front with me?”
    I’d planned on driving over to her place in my Jeep, but Grace’s
suggestion made sense.   It might put
Zelda more at ease if we all rode over together, and I could always pick my
Jeep up later.   “That sounds great.”
    “Let’s go then, shall we?”
    “There’s just one problem,” Zelda said, and I wondered what was about to
go wrong.   As I waited to hear her
complaint, the new head librarian surprised me by saying, “I don’t drink
coffee.”
    I felt the relief flow through me that it was something so simple.   “How about hot chocolate instead?   There’s a nip in the air this evening,
so it might be a nice change of pace.”
    “That would be lovely,” Zelda said.   “Are you certain that you don’t mind?”
    “Not at all.   It would be our
pleasure,” Grace said.
    I just hoped that my best friend had some hot chocolate at her place, but
if she didn’t, it was a short walk up the road to my cottage to retrieve
some.   When Momma and I had lived
there together up until lately, we’d been known to make up a batch of hot cocoa
and sit outside, no matter how chilly it might be.   I missed those special times that I’d spent
with her, but I knew that she was much happier living across town with her new
husband now.
    When we got to Grace’s house, she walked through the place flipping on
lights on her way to the kitchen.   “I’ll start some milk warming on the