Soft Serve Secrets: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

straight in her crosshairs.
     
    Stormi threw down her napkin and stood up. “Listen sister, if you’re going to make threats you can walk right out that door or be tossed out on your hiney…your choice.”
     
    Gracie and I both stood. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. What I’m trying to explain and failing terribly at is that…well; your association with Miss Trixie might hurt your sales. I’m not threatening you…it’s more of a warning.”
     
    “Look Ms. Florez.” I decided I didn’t want to be familiar with this woman. “I know you’ve made assumptions about Trixie and I get you’re protective of your father, but that doesn’t give you the right to damage her reputation and good name. It seems you came into this town with an agenda without getting all the facts first.” I couldn’t believe the things coming out of my mouth, but dang, I was po’ed.
     
    “I’m sorry you feel that way Tara. I only had good intentions.”
     
    Stormi was itching to get in the middle of this. “How can you say that? Where are the good intentions? Did they magically fly out the window or crawl under the table, because I never spotted them.”
     
    “Stormi,” I said attempting to lower her anger level.
     
    “It’s okay,” Gracie said raising her hand. “She’s a good friend to you. You are lucky to have someone like her by your side.”
     
    That seemed to cool the raging beast beating inside of Stormi. “Yes I am a good friend. I always look out for my peeps.” Peeps? Did she just say that? I shook my head and looked at Gracie.
     
    “Gracie, we evidently disagree where Trixie is concerned, so I think it’s best if we don’t discuss her at all.”
     
    “I understand, but you have to recognize the fact that there are strange anomalies in her story about her first husband. Did you know she had her second husband cremated before the medical examiner had a chance to look at the body?”
     
    Stormi looked at me. “No I didn’t, but so what. Plenty of people are cremated.”
     
    “But what was the hurry?” Gracie continued. “From my sources the medical examiner wanted to perform an autopsy but before he could do so, Trixie hurried the funeral home director into cremating his body.”
     
    I wasn’t happy with the direction of this conversation. “That doesn’t prove anything. All you have are suspicions and innuendos. Stormi and I have known Trixie for years. There is no possible way she’d ever hurt anyone.”
     
    Gracie stood up straight. “Yet her own daughter is a confessed murderer. No one saw that coming.”
     
      “That doesn’t make Trixie a murderer,” Stormi chirped.
     
    Gracie turned and walked towards the shoppe door. “Maybe so, but one has to wonder if the apple didn’t fall from the tree.”
     
    As Gracie opened the door she turned around and said, “After Trixie’s first husband died, she left the area for over a year. I have to wonder if guilt had anything to do with that yearlong disappearance. Think what you want ladies, but I will do whatever it takes to protect my father.” With that, she walked out the door.
     
    Stormi and I looked at one another. We didn’t have time to discuss matters as customers came in for their afternoon fix. By 4pm, Paige’s husband Bruce accompanied her to the shoppe.
     
    They were such a cute couple, Bruce and Paige. They were in their late 40’s and were high school sweethearts who married right out of college. Their only child Samantha was a whiz kid, smart as a whip and cute as a button. Paige helped a few evenings a week and tonight was one of those nights.
     
    “Well, aren’t we lucky,” Stormi exclaimed as they walked into the store. “How are we so fortunate to be graced with Mr. Murphy’s presence today?”
     
    “He’s looking for a kiwi-strawberry smoothie fix,” Paige answered.
     
    Bruce walked up to the counter. “Think you can hook me up Storm?”
     
    Stormi gave him a big grin. “I’m your