Read Online A Frothy Fiasco: A Cozy Mystery (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book 3) by Constance Barker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Constance Barker
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enough sleep?”
Harvey nodded. “Yeah. Toe just woke me up from my nap.”
“I was hoping to find you here, Toe.”
I had to move over to the end of the counter to hear what they were saying over the whir of the blender.
“We got the reports back from the lab. The pen was wiped clean, no fingerprints. Just a trace of some powder again.”
“Again?” Toe asked.
Eli ignored the question. “Dad’s iPad did have your thumbprint on one side and your four fingers on the other. Any idea how those got there?”
Harvey and Toe looked at each other. “Maybe you used it for something, Toe.”
“I don’t do any of that computer stuff, Harvey. You know that.”
“Well, maybe you were just admiring it.” Harvey was doing his best to come up with an innocent explanation for Toe’s fingerprints to be on his tablet.
“Okay, guys. I’m going to talk to Lily for a minute.”
“If I don’t see you tomorrow, son,” Harvey said to Eli, “I’ll see you Sunday for the Sleepy Palms Steeplechase. The smart money is on me and Sharkey.”
“Sure thing, Pop.”
My big hunk of love leaned on the counter just as I was shoving the smoothies for the kids across to Jules.
“So, no good news for Toe it sounds like.”
“Well…” Eli scratched his head. “…I don’t know. It seems pretty strange that the pen he had in his shirt pocket would have no prints on it. It was wiped clean, like someone wanted to get rid of any prints that were on it.”
“And why would he wipe his prints off a pen if his name was printed on it anyway? If it were in his pocket, he would have touched it, and if it slipped out accidentally, he wouldn’t have wiped it…”
“Lily.” Eli looked at me with concerned eyes. “You didn’t do anything to that pen to help Toe, did you?”
I crossed my heart and held my hand up. “Eli, I swear. I got the fork and the baggie, slid the pen in the bag, and never opened it.”
“Okay. Are we still on for dinner tomorrow?”
“As long as you don’t have to work again like last week. How should I dress?”
He looked at me with a smile. “Torch Club,” he said with a wink.
That wasn’t quite the place where guys pull out diamond rings over dessert, but it was a pretty clear indication that things were escalating to the next level, beyond bowling and burgers. I was hoping for an “I love you,” but would settle for “I hope you know how much you mean to me” and a nice long kiss.
Chapter Nine
Essie stood by the front door of the Coffee Cabana looking out the window.
“If Moses really wanted Pharaoh to let his people go, he should’ve had God send a plague of children instead of locusts or frogs.” She seemed to be eyeballing every kid on the street with laser eyes.
“Come and sit down now, Essie.” Hildie walked up front and took her sister’s elbow. “No one’s going to come in here with that sour face of yours in the door.”
“Maybe so. I’ll smile then. I’m just trying to see if any of these girls are wearing my jewelry.”
“It’s not really teeny-bopper kind of stuff, Essie.” I put on a pot of decaf to brew and filled my mug with regular—plus a shot of espresso for an extra caffeine to kick start my day. The weekday morning business was great, but it was nice to catch a few extra winks on this Saturday. Coming in at 9:00 was a lot better than 6:00.
“Your hair still looks great, ladies. I don’t know how you keep it so perfect overnight.” Essie’s hair was a beautiful grey, and Hildie’s was almost a pure white that glowed in the morning light. Both had perfectly curled short perms.
“We wrap it in toilet paper and sleep on our backs, dear,” Hildie said with a gentle smile as she guided Essie to our “command center” table.
Essie gave her a glare and a grimace. “Yeah, be sure to tell the men that. It sounds very appealing. At least Fannie’s not around to hear it and spread it all over with her gossip rag.”
“It’ll be my
Harvey nodded. “Yeah. Toe just woke me up from my nap.”
“I was hoping to find you here, Toe.”
I had to move over to the end of the counter to hear what they were saying over the whir of the blender.
“We got the reports back from the lab. The pen was wiped clean, no fingerprints. Just a trace of some powder again.”
“Again?” Toe asked.
Eli ignored the question. “Dad’s iPad did have your thumbprint on one side and your four fingers on the other. Any idea how those got there?”
Harvey and Toe looked at each other. “Maybe you used it for something, Toe.”
“I don’t do any of that computer stuff, Harvey. You know that.”
“Well, maybe you were just admiring it.” Harvey was doing his best to come up with an innocent explanation for Toe’s fingerprints to be on his tablet.
“Okay, guys. I’m going to talk to Lily for a minute.”
“If I don’t see you tomorrow, son,” Harvey said to Eli, “I’ll see you Sunday for the Sleepy Palms Steeplechase. The smart money is on me and Sharkey.”
“Sure thing, Pop.”
My big hunk of love leaned on the counter just as I was shoving the smoothies for the kids across to Jules.
“So, no good news for Toe it sounds like.”
“Well…” Eli scratched his head. “…I don’t know. It seems pretty strange that the pen he had in his shirt pocket would have no prints on it. It was wiped clean, like someone wanted to get rid of any prints that were on it.”
“And why would he wipe his prints off a pen if his name was printed on it anyway? If it were in his pocket, he would have touched it, and if it slipped out accidentally, he wouldn’t have wiped it…”
“Lily.” Eli looked at me with concerned eyes. “You didn’t do anything to that pen to help Toe, did you?”
I crossed my heart and held my hand up. “Eli, I swear. I got the fork and the baggie, slid the pen in the bag, and never opened it.”
“Okay. Are we still on for dinner tomorrow?”
“As long as you don’t have to work again like last week. How should I dress?”
He looked at me with a smile. “Torch Club,” he said with a wink.
That wasn’t quite the place where guys pull out diamond rings over dessert, but it was a pretty clear indication that things were escalating to the next level, beyond bowling and burgers. I was hoping for an “I love you,” but would settle for “I hope you know how much you mean to me” and a nice long kiss.
Chapter Nine
Essie stood by the front door of the Coffee Cabana looking out the window.
“If Moses really wanted Pharaoh to let his people go, he should’ve had God send a plague of children instead of locusts or frogs.” She seemed to be eyeballing every kid on the street with laser eyes.
“Come and sit down now, Essie.” Hildie walked up front and took her sister’s elbow. “No one’s going to come in here with that sour face of yours in the door.”
“Maybe so. I’ll smile then. I’m just trying to see if any of these girls are wearing my jewelry.”
“It’s not really teeny-bopper kind of stuff, Essie.” I put on a pot of decaf to brew and filled my mug with regular—plus a shot of espresso for an extra caffeine to kick start my day. The weekday morning business was great, but it was nice to catch a few extra winks on this Saturday. Coming in at 9:00 was a lot better than 6:00.
“Your hair still looks great, ladies. I don’t know how you keep it so perfect overnight.” Essie’s hair was a beautiful grey, and Hildie’s was almost a pure white that glowed in the morning light. Both had perfectly curled short perms.
“We wrap it in toilet paper and sleep on our backs, dear,” Hildie said with a gentle smile as she guided Essie to our “command center” table.
Essie gave her a glare and a grimace. “Yeah, be sure to tell the men that. It sounds very appealing. At least Fannie’s not around to hear it and spread it all over with her gossip rag.”
“It’ll be my
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