Cupcakes and Killing: A Cozy Mystery (Sweet Shoppe Mysteries - Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

breathe into Zara’s mouth again. “This is not an allergic reaction. I have a feeling it’s much worse than that.”
    “What is it?” Chris asked.
    The paramedics arrived before the doctor could answer, and we all stood back, glad to let them take over. A few minutes later, Zara was being wheeled into an ambulance, and Tori eventually returned to us with Deputy Ted, Officer Bobby and also Captain Treloar, the local police chief.
    “What happened?” I asked. “Is she going to be okay?”
    Captain Treloar sighed. “She’s being taken to the hospital, but she wasn’t breathing when they left. I’m going to have to ask you all what happened.”
    He motioned to Ted and Bobby, and they left to question other witnesses still standing around the marquee.
    “We were toasting each other with our glasses,” Chris said. “She finished her drink and then she just collapsed.”
    “Was that drink all she had?”
    “No.” Chris shook his head. “She had some cupcakes earlier too.”
    “And I gave her some of my crackers with salmon pate,” Kaye interjected. “Oh, lord, I hope she’s okay.”
    “Where’s the glass she was drinking from?” Captain Treloar asked.
    “She dropped it when she collapsed,” I said, pointing to several large shards of glass nearby.
    He excused himself for a second and motioned for a young officer to come and bag up the shards, and I crossed my arms.
    “Captain, why do you need to take that? What’s going on?”
    He ran a hand through his hair. “I spoke to Dr. Whitehead before he left in the ambulance, and he said Zara’s lips were blue. That’s called cyanosis, and it happens when the cells are deprived of oxygen. That and the other symptoms point towards something a lot more serious than an allergic reaction or even a heart attack.”
    “What?”
    He shook his head. “I really shouldn’t say right now. I’ve already said too much. We’ll be in touch.”
    He turned and strode away, and Chris slipped an arm around my shoulder. “Let’s get home,” he said. “I’m sure Zara will pull through, no matter what it was that happened to her.”
    I nodded and gave him a thin smile, hoping it would convince me that he was right. I’d only just become friends with Zara, and the thought of something horrible happening to her made me want to cry. I remembered how vindictive and jealous I’d felt when I’d thought she and Chris were flirting with each other, and I wished I’d never been so petty.
    “Chris is right,” Daniel said, squeezing Kaye’s arm. “Let’s all just get home and try to relax. Tomorrow is another day.”
    And surely enough, it would be a day to remember.
    ***
    Chris and I had spent the rest of the wedding day anxiously waiting around for news, and when it didn’t come we’d tried to go to bed early and sleep our troubles away. Unfortunately, neither of us could sleep, and we tossed and turned all night. I couldn’t stop thinking about Zara and whether or not she would pull through whatever had happened to her. I also couldn’t stop wondering what the doctor and Captain Treloar had meant when they said it was likely something far worse than a heart attack.
    What was worse than a sudden heart attack? I was fairly sure they were one of the number one natural killers of people these days, and I stretched and laid out in my bed, staring at the ceiling as images of Zara’s blue lips and convulsing body played endlessly in my mind.
    After a restless night, I got up at six and called Kaye, who was also up.
    “I haven’t slept,” she said. “I feel so bad for Zara.”
    “Me too,” I said. “Do you think we should open up one or both of the shops today? People are probably a bit shaken up. They might want somewhere to gather and talk.”
    “Good idea. Let’s just open the candy store,” she said. “I’ll call Tori and see if she can help out.”
    Not long after we opened, the place was full of customers. Everyone was talking about what had happened at