Read Online A Frothy Fiasco: A Cozy Mystery (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book 3) by Constance Barker - Free Book Online
Authors: Constance Barker
Ads: Link
cases of coffee this week. I literally bounce out of bed at 5 a.m. now. I can’t wait to get here. But then I’m pooped by 9 o’clock in the morning.”
“Holy macaroni, Lily! That’s unbelievable. I might have to take back that offer for free advertising in my paper.”
“No problem. But we’ll both have to keep some time open for our detective work. There are some developments in the theft cases since we last met.”
“You’ll have to bring me up to date over lunch. Did Eli run that motorcycle license plate?”
“Yeah. Some nurse in Orlando. Cynthia something. She’s clean, though. No record. I think it was the girl we crossed paths with at the door. But my posse has seen her around town a few times, sometimes with the guy with the ponytail. Eli thinks there might be something to it.”
Jules did a double take. “Posse? You have a posse? What’s next…an entourage?”
“No Miss Smarty. Trevor came up with the name. He and some of the kids he hangs with are keeping tabs on the adults around town and watching for any suspicious activity.”
Jules shook her head. “Alright then. So this guy and girl. I bet that’s the same pair Toe saw at the gas station.”
“And Eli said there were some people who saw a guy with a ponytail around the Tastee Freeze when June Thatcher’s money was snatched. There were reports of a motorcycle too. But some people also saw Toe’s truck in the vicinity.”
“Hmm.” Jules didn’t like hearing that. “It’s not looking good for the old boy.”
“I know. Well, if you just take a look at Essie’s board, you’ll be pretty much caught up. There’ve been three or four more thefts, and Eli says that there have been some in Sabina too. Probably more, like Schooner’s mp3, that don’t get reported. It’s still all pretty much pocket-sized items, so the kids are still under suspicion too.”
The street was slowly filling up with bikes and in-line skaters as Jules perused the bulletin board. “It looks like you might have a mid-morning invasion coming soon. I’ll help you out.”
“Thanks, Jules.”
“And this board has really filled up.”
“Yeah, I think Essie’s got everybody now.”
“It looks like all the kids have some red and some green lines.”
“Except the Carver boys. Bob and Penny never let their nephews out of their sight. Model citizens, those boys—and that whole family.”
“I think I’d jump in front of a bus if a man loved me as much as Bob loves Penny—I mean, the way he fawns over her all the time. Doesn’t she get tired of that?”
“I guess not. She’s just as crazy for him.”
“Does he still glue ‘Pennies for Penny’ all over his golf cart? That thing must weigh an extra ton.”
“Yep. He always has his tube of superglue in case he finds another penny.”
“Well, anyway, it can’t be one of these kids doing all of the thefts, because they all seem to have alibis for where they were during one theft or another. Maybe…” Jules walked up to the front window and looked out at all the kids, deep in thought.
“Maybe what, Jules?”
“Maybe they’ve formed some kind of gang. Look at them—half of them are on their phones or texting all the time. Maybe it’s a network of thieves, and they take turns being the look-outs and the burglars. And they’re not all on-duty at the same time.” She turned around and joined me back at the table.
“Well, every kid in the world is texting or posting pictures all day long. But that could be a possibility. Now we’ll have to start cross-referencing all of the red lines to see who could be working together.”
The front door opened and Tony came in. “Never fear, super coffeeman is here!”
“There’s our culprit!” Jules said with a smile. “Just look at those beady eyes.”
Tony looked alarmed. “What? Culprit? What did I do?”
“Settle down, Tony. She’s just teasing you,” I said, sitting up and trying to look more professional and presentable. “We
“Holy macaroni, Lily! That’s unbelievable. I might have to take back that offer for free advertising in my paper.”
“No problem. But we’ll both have to keep some time open for our detective work. There are some developments in the theft cases since we last met.”
“You’ll have to bring me up to date over lunch. Did Eli run that motorcycle license plate?”
“Yeah. Some nurse in Orlando. Cynthia something. She’s clean, though. No record. I think it was the girl we crossed paths with at the door. But my posse has seen her around town a few times, sometimes with the guy with the ponytail. Eli thinks there might be something to it.”
Jules did a double take. “Posse? You have a posse? What’s next…an entourage?”
“No Miss Smarty. Trevor came up with the name. He and some of the kids he hangs with are keeping tabs on the adults around town and watching for any suspicious activity.”
Jules shook her head. “Alright then. So this guy and girl. I bet that’s the same pair Toe saw at the gas station.”
“And Eli said there were some people who saw a guy with a ponytail around the Tastee Freeze when June Thatcher’s money was snatched. There were reports of a motorcycle too. But some people also saw Toe’s truck in the vicinity.”
“Hmm.” Jules didn’t like hearing that. “It’s not looking good for the old boy.”
“I know. Well, if you just take a look at Essie’s board, you’ll be pretty much caught up. There’ve been three or four more thefts, and Eli says that there have been some in Sabina too. Probably more, like Schooner’s mp3, that don’t get reported. It’s still all pretty much pocket-sized items, so the kids are still under suspicion too.”
The street was slowly filling up with bikes and in-line skaters as Jules perused the bulletin board. “It looks like you might have a mid-morning invasion coming soon. I’ll help you out.”
“Thanks, Jules.”
“And this board has really filled up.”
“Yeah, I think Essie’s got everybody now.”
“It looks like all the kids have some red and some green lines.”
“Except the Carver boys. Bob and Penny never let their nephews out of their sight. Model citizens, those boys—and that whole family.”
“I think I’d jump in front of a bus if a man loved me as much as Bob loves Penny—I mean, the way he fawns over her all the time. Doesn’t she get tired of that?”
“I guess not. She’s just as crazy for him.”
“Does he still glue ‘Pennies for Penny’ all over his golf cart? That thing must weigh an extra ton.”
“Yep. He always has his tube of superglue in case he finds another penny.”
“Well, anyway, it can’t be one of these kids doing all of the thefts, because they all seem to have alibis for where they were during one theft or another. Maybe…” Jules walked up to the front window and looked out at all the kids, deep in thought.
“Maybe what, Jules?”
“Maybe they’ve formed some kind of gang. Look at them—half of them are on their phones or texting all the time. Maybe it’s a network of thieves, and they take turns being the look-outs and the burglars. And they’re not all on-duty at the same time.” She turned around and joined me back at the table.
“Well, every kid in the world is texting or posting pictures all day long. But that could be a possibility. Now we’ll have to start cross-referencing all of the red lines to see who could be working together.”
The front door opened and Tony came in. “Never fear, super coffeeman is here!”
“There’s our culprit!” Jules said with a smile. “Just look at those beady eyes.”
Tony looked alarmed. “What? Culprit? What did I do?”
“Settle down, Tony. She’s just teasing you,” I said, sitting up and trying to look more professional and presentable. “We
Similar Books
