Read Online Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck - Free Book Online Page B

scoot over.
    Once she was sitting with us, Trish said, “I told you two to wait for me. Now what did I miss?”
    “I just said Emma thought that Max and Muriel were holing up somewhere together,” I explained.
    Trish appeared to think about that for a few seconds, then shook her head. “No, I can’t see it.”
    “Me, either. Is that the investigation you were talking about?”
    “No,” Grace said. “I was wondering if the police have found out anything about Darlene’s murder yet.”
    Trish looked at me. “And what did you say?”
    “I didn’t have a chance to say anything. But no, if the chief knows anything, he’s not sharing the information with me.”
    “Curious, isn’t it?” Trish said. “What was Darlene doing in Muriel’s coat, why was she wearing a wig, and why would someone stab her with a candy cane?” She shivered a little as she added, “It’s a pretty odd way to die.”
    I nodded. “Isn’t it strange that someone grabbed a candy cane, of all things, for a murder weapon?”
    “They have some pretty deadly points on the spike that goes into the ground,” Grace said.
    “How do you know that?” I asked.
    “Before I came by the donut shop today, I walked over to City Hall and pulled one out of the ground to check for myself.”
    “Did anyone see you do it?” I asked.
    “Not that I know of, but I wasn’t exactly furtive about it. Why?”
    I shook my head. “You shouldn’t have done that. What if someone saw you, and another person gets stabbed with one?”
    Grace looked at me critically. “Seriously? Do you really think that’s a concern? What can I say? I was curious.”
    Trish said, “I would have looked too, if I’d thought about it.”
    Grace asked, “Why did they leave them out on display, anyway? I find that kind of disturbing in its own right.”
    “Who knows?” Trish said.
    “Traditions around here are pretty tough to break,” I said, “and decorations at the courthouse are near the top of the list.”
    Trish glanced over her shoulder and said, “It looks like your club is ready. I’ll be right back.”
    After she delivered my food, Trish was so busy with other customers that she didn’t invite herself to sit back down with us.
    I offered Grace a French fry.
    “I couldn’t. I’m stuffed,” she said.
    I grinned at her. “Why do you think I offered you one?”
    She stared at my plate, then after hesitating, reached over and grabbed a fry after all.
    “What?” she asked as she saw me smiling at her. “Can’t a girl change her mind?”
    “Absolutely,” I said. “Have some more.”
    She nodded, took another fry, then asked, “Did you invite somebody else to lunch with you?”
    “No, why do you ask?”
    She pointed over my shoulder and said, “There’s a cop coming this way, and he’s looking right at you.”
    I felt my heart jump, hoping it was Jake, but instead, it was Officer Steven Grant, a policeman in April Springs who was also a good customer at my donut shop.
    “Would you like to join us?” I asked as he neared us.
    “Sure,” he said as he slid onto the bench seat beside me. “I’ve already had lunch, though.”
    Trish came over. “Need anything, Steven?”
    “Pie and coffee,” he said as I looked at him with one raised eyebrow. He added, “I didn’t say I had dessert, did I?”
    Trish asked, “What kind of pie would you like?”
    “You know me, Trish. Surprise me.”
    She shook her head as she walked away, and Grace said, “Excuse me, I need to powder my nose.”
    “You don’t have to leave on my account,” Officer Grant said.
    “Don’t worry, I’ll be back,” she said.
    After Grace was gone, I said, “Did you come in here to have some pie, or was there something you wanted.”
    He lowered his voice, then said, “I thought there was something you should know before it gets out on the grapevine. It’s only fair, you know?”
    “Since I don’t know what you’re talking about, I really can’t say.”
    He frowned, then