Read Online A Sprinkle of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 4) by Alaine Allister - Free Book Online Page B

you did.  So what now?” he asked, jumping onboard.  “Do we go inside and talk to the guy?  Is he a witness or a suspect or what?  What’s the deal?  You need to tell me what’s going on!”
    “Yes, I want to go talk to Vinnie,” Clarissa confirmed.  “I don’t know yet if he’s a suspect, but he’s definitely a person of interest.  He and his father were estranged and Vinnie seems to have a bad temper.  So he could be a suspect.  I’m not sure yet.  I need to talk to him.”
    “So what are you planning to do?” Parker teased.  “Ask him point-blank if he killed his father?”
    Clarissa averted her eyes.  Technically that was exactly what she planned to do.  She couldn’t tell Parker, of course.  But her plan was to slip Vinnie the truth serum and then flat out ask him if he had killed Al.  It wasn’t exactly a subtle approach, but she was convinced it would work.
    Either she would be able to rule out one suspect or she’d have her guy! 
    She was so excited to put her plan into action that she was practically bouncing up and down!
    “So what does this Vinnie guy look like?” Parker asked as they walked into the bar.
    Clarissa looked around.  She spotted him almost immediately.  It was easy, considering it was a small space and most of the people in there were locals she recognized.  “That’s Vinnie over there!” she whispered, pointing to a lone man who was hunched over the bar.
    “Great,” Parker said, taking her hand.  “Let’s go.”
    “Wait!” she exclaimed.
    He let go of her hand and looked at her.  “What is it?  I thought we were in a hurry?”
    “I uh…I have to use the ladies’ room,” she blurted out.  “You go talk to Vinnie, okay?  Make small talk until I get back.  Whatever you do, make sure he doesn’t leave the bar!  I’ll be back in a moment!” she promised.
    Parker was giving her an odd look, but he knew better than to question her.  That man had the patience of a saint.  He put up with her quirky and at times downright strange behavior without complaint.  Clarissa was pretty sure she wanted to marry him someday.
    As Parker made his way over to the bar, Clarissa made a beeline for the ladies’ room.
    Nature wasn’t actually calling.  She simply hadn’t had a chance to mix up the truth serum yet.  Thankfully, the ingredients were all pretty standard.  She had been able to stealthily toss everything she needed into her gigantic, suitcase-sized handbag before leaving the house.
    It wasn’t an ideal situation. 
    Clarissa would have much preferred to whip up her concoction in the comfort of her own home.  But Parker had been there.  That had thrown a wrench into things.  Had she started mixing up a potion in front of him, he would have started asking questions.
    “Never mind,” Clarissa whispered to herself as she approached the ladies’ room.  “This works.”
    Once in the washroom, she plunked her massive handbag down on the counter next to the sink.  She pulled out her items one by one.  There were a number of canisters from her spice rack as well as a few other odds and ends. 
    “Oh no!” she gasped in horror.  “Did I forget the book of potions at home?!”
    She rummaged around inside her overloaded, gigantic handbag frantically.  Her plan had been so brilliant, so perfect…if her own forgetfulness thwarted it, she would be very upset! 
    “Aha!” Clarissa exclaimed, locating the book her aunt had gifted her at the very bottom of the huge bag.  She pulled it out triumphantly, confident now that her plan would go off without a hitch.  Quickly, she set to work measuring her ingredients.
    Suddenly the door to the ladies’ room opened.
    In strutted none other than Kimberly Tucker.
    Back in high school, Kimberly had been a stereotypical Mean Girl.  She had been a cheerleader and had dated the star player of the football team.  She had also strutted around with a huge sense of entitlement, as if she expected the rest