Read Online Pistols & Pies (Sweet Bites Book 2) (Sweet Bites Mysteries) by Heather Justesen - Free Book Online

covered my mouth to show how big of a bite I’d just taken, and turned to Marge. When I had chewed and swallowed, I said, “Is there any question that they’d be good?”
    “Not with you making them.” She selected a cookie for herself. “Learn anything useful?”
    “Not yet, but I’m hopeful. Eventually we’ll get a break in this case.”
    A tall brunette sauntered over, took a look at the refreshments and lifted her nose in disdain. She didn’t look like she let food with that much sugar pass her lips—unlike mine, her curves were the type that men tended to go for in a big way with a tiny little waist in between. “Aren’t there any sugar-free treats available? Mary Ellen never thinks of people who are on diets.” Her mouth formed a moue of disappointment.
    “Sorry. While I am playing with some recipes using natural sugar replacers, I don’t have anything ready for public consumption yet,” I told her.
    She looked me over with a critical eye, as if well able to imagine that I wouldn’t make healthy food. This pressed me to explain. “See, I don’t like to use chemical replacers—they don’t bake up right, and I don’t believe in using inferior ingredients in my food.”
    “Isn’t that nice?” She looked away, her expression making it clear I was wasting her time.
    Marge spoke, “Tess, let me introduce you to Sheralyn Roper, Gary’s wife. Sheralyn, this is Tess. She’s a sugar artist.”
    “We all need something that we can do better than others so we can lord it over them, don’t we?” Sheralyn asked.
    I really didn’t like this woman. The fact that her husband was the former-cop I was checking out wasn’t a point in her favor.
    “My husband is staying busy with his new subdivision plans,” she continued, “and I’m working on a line of designer shoes.” She pointed to her feet. “I made these, for example.”
    I glanced at her feet and saw a pair of blue heels with star cutouts showing a white background. Red and white straps wrapped across the front and up her ankle and the leather sparkled—almost like that cheap craft sparkle stuff Honey’s daughters played with. “Very patriotic,” I said. They were the ugliest things I’d ever seen—and I was a connoisseur of beautiful shoes, so I knew trends and hot styles. “Did you make them for the Fourth of July parade?”
    “Yes. I wish there was a division for footwear in the state fair, and not just 4-H clothing. I know these would take first place!” She studied them with obvious satisfaction.
    I listened to her mind-numbing discussion about shoe trends (most of it about three years out of date) for several more minutes before Honey beckoned me over. I’d never been so glad to talk to her in my life.
    “What’s going on?” I asked.
    “I need to go home. I thought maybe you could give me a ride and we could talk.” She gave me a significant look that had my curiosity shifting into overdrive.
    “Yeah? I’d be happy to drop you home. I need to get some work done at the shop.” I turned to her mother-in-law, Lorraine. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk with you tonight. How are things going for you and Mark?” Her reply was much more interesting, and far more succinct, than Sheralyn’s.
    The polite deed done, I dragged Honey out to my SUV. I managed to wait until the doors were closed before asking, “So, what did you learn?”
    Honey grinned as if she had a great secret. “Wellll, I just put a bug in a couple of ears about Eric, asking about his auditing work. After they had talked it over for a few minutes, one of the ladies leans in and gives me this stage whisper, ‘You know he was working on an audit for Nova Cosmetics, don’t you? The board of directors hired him, and Anise was furious.’”
    “Who’s Anise?” I’d heard of the cosmetics company, of course, but the name escaped me.
    “The founder and CEO of Nova Cosmetics. She started it right out of high school and is a major employer in the