Read Online Murder on Wheels by Lynn Cahoon - Free Book Online

up for the meeting with coffee, cups, and a couple of plates of Sadie’s brownies. She’d called that morning to tell me she would bring extras to the meeting when she came.
    â€œShe likes to make sure the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted. That’s for sure. She reminds me of my grandmother. That woman runs a tight ship.” I thought that was one comparison Sasha should keep to herself. Even though my aunt had ignored her last birthday, the woman was pushing her seventies—and didn’t like to be reminded of it. Sasha glanced around the shop. She leaned under the counter and pulled out a novel. “You think I’ll have some time to finish reading this? My after-school group meets this afternoon, and I’d like to be done before they come in.”
    Sasha had taken over our teen and young adult book clubs as part of her duties. She’d also redesigned our website and put in an online ordering system for both coffee drinks and books. Sales were increasing daily as customers found out about the service. I was going to have to increase her salary soon just to make sure we kept her around.
    â€œI’m sure you’ll have plenty of time during the meeting. If you don’t fall asleep from boredom.” I considered my upcoming conversation with Sadie. “Why don’t you just stay on the clock through Toby’s shift, that way you can be ready.”
    â€œYou sure? I hate to have you pay me for just reading.” Sasha ducked her head. “I could run home after Toby gets here and then drive back.”
    Her reaction surprised me a bit. There were lots of times when the job was really all about reading, when the walk-ins dwindled down to nothing. “No need to waste gas or your time. Besides, if he gets busy, you’ll be here to help.”
    She shrugged. Before I could ask her if there was a problem, Bill and Mary arrived, followed by Sadie and Josh. The Business-to-Business regulars were starting to show up. I made a mental note to talk to Sasha later and went to greet the new arrivals.
    Ten minutes later, the table was filled with committee members and Bill was calling the meeting to order. “Thanks, everyone, for coming on such short notice.” Bill shot a look at Mayor Baylor, who was sitting next to him and ignoring his pointed look. “The council felt that we needed to act on the mayor’s special committee request as soon as possible, so I guess I’ll turn the floor over to Marvin and he can fill you in on the new project.”
    Bill sat down and Mayor Baylor stood. This time it was Bill’s turn to ignore the glare from our mayor, probably due to the use of his first name rather than his title. “Thank you, Bill , for arranging this get-together.” Mayor Baylor smiled down on the rest of us.
    Uh-oh, we’re in trouble now . I felt tingles all over the top of my head. The last time Mayor Baylor had shown up at a meeting with a special request, he’d put his wife, Tina, in charge of our holiday planning. Which was a disaster before she dropped the ball and Mary picked it up at the last minute.
    â€œYou all know California is in the middle of a drought. Even with the large body of water just a few miles from this very spot, freshwater is in short supply. So South Cove is going to do its part in helping our lovely state make it through this natural disaster.” Mayor Baylor glanced around the table. “I know our local businesses are more than willing to assist in this worthwhile cause.”
    Josh Thomas, owner of Antiques by Thomas, and Aunt Jackie’s boyfriend, even though I don’t think she’d ever used the term, interrupted the mayor’s monologue. “My business doesn’t use a lot of water”—Josh shot a look at me—“not like a coffee shop. So why am I here?”
    I sat forward, ready to tell him that he didn’t need to be here, now or ever, but my aunt put