Buttercream Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 7 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) Read Online Free PDF Page B

until her windows could be replaced. The two friends hugged, with Missy providing much-needed support as Echo talked with the police for the second time this week. After some brief questions, Detective Keller said that he had all that he needed for the moment, and Missy put Echo’s things in her trunk.
    The gang paused in their raking when Missy pulled up and stood in line to welcome Echo with hugs. She was so overcome by their sweetness and concern that tears ran down her cheeks as she gratefully received their embraces. Knowing that there was nothing like a little manual labor to take one’s mind off of troubles, Grayson offered Echo a rake and quietly returned to his task. The guys soon had the troubled woman smiling despite herself as a result of their playful banter and teasing, so Missy slipped inside to see how Cheryl was progressing with the potato salad and side dishes.
    “Everything okay?” the young woman asked when she saw her boss.
    “As okay as it can be,” Missy smiled at her kindness and surveyed the kitchen with approval. “Looks like you’ve been taking care of business in here,” she observed, eyeing the pitchers of sweet tea that had been prepared, the potatoes waiting to be tossed into a salad and the various pots and pans from which emanated a series of delicious aromas.
    “I love to cook, so when you set me loose in here, I just had a ball,” Cheryl confessed with a grin.
    “With the appetite that those guys are going to have, I’m thinking that’s a very good thing,” Missy nodded.
    The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the fine Fall weather, the company of good friends and the deliciousness of food eaten outdoors. The impromptu event was just what the doctor ordered to keep Echo’s mind off of her troubles, and she relaxed for the first time in quite a while, safely and securely surrounded by love and good ole Southern hospitality. Toffee dashed from one guest to the next, reveling in the seemingly unlimited cuddles, finally settling under Missy’s feet at the picnic table. Chas dropped by a few hours later, and grabbed a hotdog before beckoning Missy away from the table for a chat.
    “Is there news?” she asked, when they were out of earshot of the party.
    “Not really,” he admitted. “The only thing I’ve been able to determine is that if Jonathan Michener committed the acts of vandalism, he did it long-distance. He has an alibi for both of the days in question that is airtight. He’s been in France the entire time.”
    “Undoubtedly trying to buy secret family recipes from the owner of a small patisserie,” Missy muttered bitterly.
    “Don’t take this the wrong way, but do you think it’s possible that Echo is creating these distractions for some reason? Like maybe she made a mistake with her ice cream the day of the murder and is trying to cover it up?” Beckett asked gently.
    “Absolutely not!” Missy exclaimed, jumping to her friend’s defense. “Echo is the most tender-hearted, compassionate person I know. If she even thought that she had accidentally killed someone, she’d turn herself in and ask to be sent to prison. Besides, she’d never have the stomach to deal with pig’s blood,” she added, practically.
    “People do strange things in desperate situations, sweetie. I know we’d never want to think that something this terrible could’ve happened, but it might be worth exploring with her. Just slip it into the conversation somehow,” he suggested.
    “Slip it into the conversation? Seriously, Chas? And just how would that work? Compliment her outfit and ask if she accidentally dumped arsenic into her ice cream mix?”
    The detective raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, levelling his gaze at her.
    Missy sighed. “I know, I know, you’re just trying to help. I’m sorry I got a little ugly there, I’m just so frustrated by this whole situation. When are the autopsy and lab results going to be back?”
    “Probably in another week or so.