Boston Cream Killer: Book 8 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Read Online Free PDF Page B

you, you could let him know at your first opportunity.”
    “Do you think we should though?” Missy chewed her bottom lip. “I mean; we are usually pretty darn good at figuring these types of things out on our own. What if we did a bit of investigating before bothering him with yet another issue? Maybe we can find out what’s going on and fix it,” she suggested.
    “I really don’t think that’s a good idea, ma’am,” Spencer said quietly, before anyone else could speak.
    Kel, Echo, and Missy went silent, turning to look at the young man.
    “What makes you say that, Spence?” Echo asked.
    The Marine chose his words carefully, but maintained a casual air, despite the alarm bells going off in his head. Someone was trying to get information about Chas, and he wanted to know why. Spencer Bengal was far from just a handyman at the inn, though no one but Chas knew that. He’d been handpicked by the detective’s father to serve as a sort of bodyguard, which Chas had been shocked to discover only a few weeks ago. The Marine had gone through some extremely specialized training, and had been groomed from an early age for his position.
    “I just think that, since Chas is in law enforcement, we have to be very careful about how this is handled. There are all sorts of dangerous people out there.”
    “But, it’s just a woman talking about his family business. She may be rude, but how dangerous could she be, really?” Missy asked.
    “Doesn’t it strike you as odd that she’s here at all? Kel said that she isn’t from Calgon. If that’s the case, who is she? Where is she from? And why is she here at all?” the young man challenged.
    “She could be on vacation,” Echo shrugged.
    “Anything is possible,” Kel replied. “But I’m inclined to agree with Spencer on this one. It just seems a bit odd.”
    Missy and Echo shared a glance and suddenly became very interested in their cocktails.
    “Your minds are already made up,” the artist sighed, shaking his head. He looked at Spencer as though waiting for him to come up with a better solution. The Marine seemed to be wrapped up in his own thoughts.
    “I just think that we can do a little bit of research before bothering Chas with this,” Missy patted Kel’s hand, trying to reassure him.
    “Well, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” he sighed.
     

CHAPTER NINE
    Detective Chas Beckett had had a late night at the office, and his morning had been yet another foray into the quagmire of bureaucracy piled on his desk. To clear his head and stretch his muscles a bit, he decided to take the short walk to Betty’s diner to have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, while it was still cool, before the smothering humidity of the Calgon summer day descended.
    “Mornin’, Detective,” Betty called out, when Chas entered the diner.
    Most of the early morning crowd had dispersed. There were a few occupied booths, but the counter was mercifully empty, and before he even had to ask, Betty had poured the detective a cup of coffee and sat it down on the counter, along with a paper placemat and a roll of silverware.
    “Good morning, Betty,” he replied, taking a seat. Betty provided him with some great intel at times, and he knew that she could be trusted to be discreet. “How did you know?” he gave her a crooked smile and reached for the coffee.
    “Oh honey, I’ve been working in this diner my whole life, I know when a man desperately needs a strong cuppa joe,” a corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile.
    “You are truly an angel of mercy,” he smiled, taking the first sip.
    “I’m no angel, but I do make a mean batch of hotcakes,” she looked at Chas expectantly.
    “Prove it,” he fired back, enjoying his coffee. “And throw some bacon on that plate while you’re at it, please.”
    “You got it,” Betty tucked her pen into her apron pocket.
    She delivered the hot, fluffy pancakes, topped with a melting ball of whipped butter, four perfectly crispy strips