Read Online A Taste of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Alaine Allister - Free Book Online

reputation.”
    “You’re taking over the Chronicle?” Clarissa asked in surprise.
    “Yes, my father plans to retire next fall.  Probably a good thing, if you ask me.  He’s – how can I say this?  He’s more interested in playing golf than in maintaining the integrity of his newspaper.  He’s not a bad guy, I swear.  He just delegated a bit too much…and to the wrong people.”
    “If you say so,” Clarissa replied, unsure if she believed him.  Parker sounded awfully sincere, but maybe he was just a good liar.  She wished she had some way to read his mind and know for sure whether he was being truthful!
    “It’s your turn.  Tell me what you know,” Parker urged.
    “I know that Bonnie Black didn’t kill her husband,” Clarissa announced with conviction.
    “Okay.  And how do you know that?”
    She hesitated before reluctantly confessing, “I talked to her.”
    “And...?”
    Clarissa reddened and said nothing.
    “Let me guess.  Bonnie Black told you she’s not the killer,” Parker surmised.  “So therefore she...isn’t?  Because no killer in history has ever lied, is that it?”
    Scowling, Clarissa once again eyed that scarf and considered strangling Parker.  “It’s not like that,” she insisted.  “And I would appreciate it if you would quit implying I’m an idiot with no common sense.  If you don’t want to take me seriously then fine, but I believe Bonnie.  Call it intuition or...whatever.  I believe she’s innocent.”
    “I don’t think you’re an idiot.  If I did, I wouldn’t be here.  So what’s your theory, then?”
    “Maybe Bonnie is being framed because she’s an easy target.  There are whispers around town about her being a gold digger.  Considering there were already rumors floating around about the state of their marriage, she would be easy to implicate in the murder.”
    “If she’s being framed then it would presumably be by someone local,” Parker concluded.
    Surprised – and pleased – that he was entertaining her theory, Clarissa nodded.  “That’s right.”
    “One problem though,” Parker said.  “The murder weapon belongs to Bonnie’s father.”
    “Bonnie made a remark to me when I visited her,” Clarissa recalled.  “She asked me how I knew her husband.  Then she said she had wondered if I was...well, she didn’t finish the thought.  But the implication seemed pretty clear.  I got the impression maybe he wasn’t exactly faithful, you know?  Maybe her father found out.”
    “You think he may have shot Jed in a rage?”
    “Crazier things have happened, no?” Clarissa shrugged.
    “True,” Parker agreed.  “But the murder weapon was left behind.  That’s awfully sloppy, no?”
    “Maybe he’s a really bad criminal?  I don’t know.  Maybe I’ll pay him a visit.”
    “Maybe we should both pay him a visit,” Parker suggested.
    “That’s not necessary,” Clarissa replied quickly.  “Like I told you, I work alone.”
    With a shrug, he didn’t pursue the matter.  Instead, he asked, “I don’t suppose you have any idea who Jed’s mistress or mistresses might have been, if he actually was cheating?”
    The image of Jed Black’s secretary crying at the site of his murder immediately flashed into Clarissa’s head.  He hadn’t had the best reputation, so she couldn’t imagine that he was simply a wonderful, beloved boss.  And the secretary was young and pretty, not to mention someone he would have worked in close proximity to.  She seemed like a safe bet.
    “Let’s focus on one lead at a time,” Clarissa suggested, declining to answer the question. 
    She felt slightly guilty about withholding her hunch from Parker after all he had shared with her.  But to be fair, she had warned him they weren’t a team.  If he thought otherwise it really wasn’t her problem...right?
     

Chapter 06
    “You have it.”
    Clarissa was caught off guard by the strange statement.  She took a step back, startled by the