One Cuppa Brew: Book 1 in The Thyme for Tea Series Read Online Free PDF

that I needed help yet. It’s unreal.”
    Andy and Pastor started to speak at the same time. Just then the waiter came over to the table, so they both fell silent. After he took the dinner and drink order for the new woman, Pastor nodded at Andy and he began speaking. “You would be Julie Bell, then?” he asked, casually.
    “Yes, how …how do you know my name?” she stammered.
    “Do you know the name of the person who was murdered?” he asked, almost as if he was bored by the question.
    “No, just that it was a new resident. I’ve been here looking for someone on Ono Island,” she answered.
    “Oh dear, oh dear,” Pastor mumbled under her breath.
    “Where were you yesterday afternoon and early evening?” her son asked, starting to sound like the policeman Pastor believed him to be.
    “I was flying in from Atlanta. We were scheduled to arrive about 9:00 last night, but the flight was delayed. I was so tired I booked a room at the airport hotel in Pensacola. This whole ordeal has been exhausting. Why, am I in some sort of trouble?” she answered, her suspicion growing as she spoke.
    “Well, not if we can verify that,” Andy answered gently. “Why did you come? What are you looking for on Ono Island?”
    “It’s a who, not a what, and I am not exactly sure. Is there somewhere else we can go to talk? I don’t want to speak about this openly.” Julie replied.
    With a glance at his mother, Andy replied, “I believe Mom would let us go to the bookstore and chat. Does that sound okay, Mom?”
    Pastor nodded, “Yes, let’s enjoy our dinner and get back soon. It’s been a long day already!” The others nodded, and Pastor noted she made no mention of her stepmother being in the area as they dined. Something was definitely odd about this.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Julie sank into the big comfy sectional in the center of the bookstore, and placed her carry-on bag on the floor near her. “I love the feeling here. I could stay and drink tea all day while checking out different new books. I just wonder - physical bookstores are falling by the dozen with e-readers everywhere, how do you do it?”
    Pastor brought over the tray with the teapot, milk, and honey and set it on the ottoman. “I love my Kindle, too. In fact, I probably read more on that. But to answer your question, I have begun a list of reasons why we need both, especially here. The number one reason is sand!” she said with a smile. “You will notice I don’t carry many “new” books either, other than bestsellers and local authors. The bulk of my monetary profits is from the drinks. The spiritual rewards give me a way to continue to serve people, now that I don’t have a congregation of my own.”
    As Pastor began to sit, she noticed the message light on the phone behind the counter. She considered checking it, but she wanted to hear what Julie had to say. The message could wait; she doubted it was anything important. Someone could have called her cellphone if they really needed her.
    Andy came back from the restroom then and took a seat in one of the wingback chairs bordering the lush carpeted area Pastor had set in the middle of the store. A lot of thought had gone into the space, to create a relaxing and open atmosphere, with books lining the walls around them. It wasn’t your typical store, full of books with potentially creepy aisles, but a light and airy room, with the coffee and tea counter near the back of the space, a small kitchenette counter with soft light and a few stools, and bathrooms down the hall across from the flip-top entrance to the kitchenette. Her store was one of the larger ones in the complex, since she really wasn’t in it for the fiduciary profits, as she had mentioned. “So, back to Ono Island,” he said.
    Julie sighed, “Yes, Ono Island. Well, when my mother was young she collected baseball cards. She was really into them for a long time, and managed to collect some very rare ones. She died soon after my sister and I