Illegally Iced Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Jessica Beck
can’t tell you what a relief that is. Gabby, you must know that your opinion is very important to me.”
The woman actually looked pleased by my confession. “I feel the same way about you. Let’s forget this ever happened. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I said, and on an impulse that I couldn’t name, I stepped forward and hugged her. It was clear by her stiffness that she wasn’t all that used to being embraced, so I released her almost immediately.
Things were awkward as our gazes met again, and Gabby said, “Suzanne, I can’t just stand around and chat with you all day. I’ve got work to do. Not all of us have such flexible hours that we’re off every day before the crack of noon.”
My first impulse was to argue with her about her blanket—and completely wrong—statement, but I bit back the impulse with all my might. I came into my shop at three A.M. every day, seven days a week. I was many things in this world, but lazy wasn’t one of them.
When Gabby saw that she wasn’t going to get a rise out of me, she smiled for a split second and then watched me walk out of her shop.
At least I’d been able to persuade her that I was innocent. I hoped so, at any rate. For now, though, I could put her out of my mind with a big check mark beside her name. It was just one of many things that I hoped to accomplish today, but it was an important one, and I was glad that I’d been able to talk to her before the wrong ideas were so ingrained in her mind that she’d never be able to change her opinion about my innocence.
* * *
As I started back toward Donut Hearts, I noticed that someone was leaving a note on the windshield of my Jeep. That could have meant that I’d been dinged during a misguided parking attempt, or perhaps they were leaving a pamphlet or an announcement that I wouldn’t be interested in.
It was neither of those things, though, and I was happy when I saw who it was.
I hurried toward Grace and said loudly, “Grace, over here.”
She turned toward the direction of my voice, and I saw my best friend—pretty and blond and slim—smile at me. “There you are. I’ve been looking all over town for you. Where have you been hiding?”
“I was talking to Gabby at ReNEWed,” I said.
Grace laughed a little. “Okay, I admit that I wasn’t desperate enough to look for you in there. How is Gabby, anyway?”
“Earlier this morning she was accusing me of murder, but I managed to talk my way out of it.”
Grace studied me for a moment, perhaps waiting for my smile to acknowledge that I was just kidding, but when it wasn’t forthcoming, she asked haltingly, “Murder? Who was killed?”
“You haven’t heard? Someone stabbed James Settle in the park a little while ago.”
“That’s terrible,” Grace said, the life going out of her for a moment. “What a waste.” She paused, and then asked, “Why did Gabby think you might have done it?”
“James and I were arguing about smoke coming into my shop this morning, and we had a few words, all friendly enough, but Gabby misunderstood. The second she heard what happened, she started singing her head off.”
“Suzanne, are you in trouble?”
“Not with the police. I have a pretty solid alibi, and Chief Martin has already confirmed it. Harry Dale was in the donut shop drinking free coffee all morning.”
Grace nodded slightly. “You were lucky he was there. Does that mean that we aren’t going to investigate his murder?” My best friend and I had had some success in the past catching killers, and I loved that she was so eager to help me yet again.
“I’m afraid we don’t have much choice. The chief might believe me, but I have a feeling the residents of April Springs aren’t going to be as reasonable.”
“Then it’s settled. We start digging into this ourselves right now.”
“Don’t you have to be at work?” I asked. Grace was a supervisor for a popular cosmetics company, but she seemed to spend more time with me than
The woman actually looked pleased by my confession. “I feel the same way about you. Let’s forget this ever happened. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I said, and on an impulse that I couldn’t name, I stepped forward and hugged her. It was clear by her stiffness that she wasn’t all that used to being embraced, so I released her almost immediately.
Things were awkward as our gazes met again, and Gabby said, “Suzanne, I can’t just stand around and chat with you all day. I’ve got work to do. Not all of us have such flexible hours that we’re off every day before the crack of noon.”
My first impulse was to argue with her about her blanket—and completely wrong—statement, but I bit back the impulse with all my might. I came into my shop at three A.M. every day, seven days a week. I was many things in this world, but lazy wasn’t one of them.
When Gabby saw that she wasn’t going to get a rise out of me, she smiled for a split second and then watched me walk out of her shop.
At least I’d been able to persuade her that I was innocent. I hoped so, at any rate. For now, though, I could put her out of my mind with a big check mark beside her name. It was just one of many things that I hoped to accomplish today, but it was an important one, and I was glad that I’d been able to talk to her before the wrong ideas were so ingrained in her mind that she’d never be able to change her opinion about my innocence.
* * *
As I started back toward Donut Hearts, I noticed that someone was leaving a note on the windshield of my Jeep. That could have meant that I’d been dinged during a misguided parking attempt, or perhaps they were leaving a pamphlet or an announcement that I wouldn’t be interested in.
It was neither of those things, though, and I was happy when I saw who it was.
I hurried toward Grace and said loudly, “Grace, over here.”
She turned toward the direction of my voice, and I saw my best friend—pretty and blond and slim—smile at me. “There you are. I’ve been looking all over town for you. Where have you been hiding?”
“I was talking to Gabby at ReNEWed,” I said.
Grace laughed a little. “Okay, I admit that I wasn’t desperate enough to look for you in there. How is Gabby, anyway?”
“Earlier this morning she was accusing me of murder, but I managed to talk my way out of it.”
Grace studied me for a moment, perhaps waiting for my smile to acknowledge that I was just kidding, but when it wasn’t forthcoming, she asked haltingly, “Murder? Who was killed?”
“You haven’t heard? Someone stabbed James Settle in the park a little while ago.”
“That’s terrible,” Grace said, the life going out of her for a moment. “What a waste.” She paused, and then asked, “Why did Gabby think you might have done it?”
“James and I were arguing about smoke coming into my shop this morning, and we had a few words, all friendly enough, but Gabby misunderstood. The second she heard what happened, she started singing her head off.”
“Suzanne, are you in trouble?”
“Not with the police. I have a pretty solid alibi, and Chief Martin has already confirmed it. Harry Dale was in the donut shop drinking free coffee all morning.”
Grace nodded slightly. “You were lucky he was there. Does that mean that we aren’t going to investigate his murder?” My best friend and I had had some success in the past catching killers, and I loved that she was so eager to help me yet again.
“I’m afraid we don’t have much choice. The chief might believe me, but I have a feeling the residents of April Springs aren’t going to be as reasonable.”
“Then it’s settled. We start digging into this ourselves right now.”
“Don’t you have to be at work?” I asked. Grace was a supervisor for a popular cosmetics company, but she seemed to spend more time with me than