Read Online Strawberry Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 13 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott - Free Book Online
Authors: Carol Durand, Summer Prescott
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and powerful
caffeine,” she confessed, making a face.
“Awww…I
can help you with that,” Missy smiled, reaching for Mochaccino Melt and a mug
for coffee. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m
not quite sure,” the attractive nurse shrugged. “Marsha introduced me to the
book club because she and I had become good friends and she knew that I’d enjoy
it, but now that I’ve made friends with some of the other gals, she barely
speaks to me.”
“Have
you talked to her about it?”
“I’ve
tried,” Sam pursed her lips and shook her head. “She just says that everything
is fine and that I’m imagining things, but she never invites me to her house
anymore, and hardly ever calls or texts back.”
“Maybe
things are just busy for her right now,” Missy suggested, hoping that was the
case. She liked both Sam and Marsha and hoped that they’d be able to work
things out.
“Yeah,
maybe,” she nodded. “Anyway, I’m so glad that you’re back, we missed you and
were so worried,” Sam added, taking the mug and plate that were offered.
“All’s
well that ends well,” Missy smiled, hoping that everything actually had ended.
“Enjoy your carbs and caffeine – they’re on the house today.”
“You’re
the best, Missy, thank you so much,” the grateful gal headed for a table.
**
Echo
was bored to tears. If she had to read one more magazine or watch one more
cooking show on cable, she swore she’d scream. Chas’s elegant ranch home had
turned into a gilded cage where she felt protected, but trapped. It had been
days since Frank Capetti had escaped, surely if he had planned to make a move
against her, he already would have. She wandered restlessly to the kitchen,
opened the state-of-the-art refrigerator, looked for a boredom snack, and,
finding nothing appealing, closed it again. She repeated the process with the
pantry, the dogs trailing around behind her, hoping for a treat.
Plopping
down on the couch, Echo decided that it couldn’t do any harm to go outside for
a breath of fresh air, and then further decided that she’d be adequately protected
if she took the dogs for a walk. Rather than stopping to weigh the pros and
cons of such an action, she simply grabbed the leashes from the peg by the back
door and returned to the living room to snap them onto the collars of the
excited canines. Peeking out of the space between the curtains and the wall,
she verified that the two unfortunate police officers who were currently tasked
with babysitting her were both in the car, and headed for the back door, dogs
in tow.
Echo
stepped onto the back patio, noting how incredibly excited that Toffee and
Bitsy were to be going for a walk and nodded with satisfaction at having made
the right decision. Just so that she didn’t worry the officers out front
unnecessarily, she crept stealthily through the back yard, exiting into an
alley that ran behind the house, and headed for the nearest park, feeling free
for the first time in weeks. She filled her lungs with fresh air, happy to be
alive.
The
carefree Californian and her canine companions hadn’t gotten very far when
Toffee stopped short, staring into a hedge of evergreens and growling low in
her throat, the fur on the back of her neck rising in alarm.
“What’s
the matter, girlie?” Echo asked, thinking that the mild-mannered retriever must
have spotted another dog. She followed Toffee’s gaze, seeing nothing and tried
to continue walking. The golden refused to budge and kept up the low rumbling.
Bitsy started shaking like a leaf and hid behind Echo’s legs.
“Okay,”
Echo said, feeling frustrated. “If you don’t want to go that way, we’ll go this
way,” she said, turning around and tugging on Toffee’s leash. The golden
retriever was reluctant to go, and kept looking back over her shoulder as
though she was being followed.
“You
silly dog, I’ve never seen you like this,” she ruffled the fur on top of
Toffee’s head and received a knowing gaze
caffeine,” she confessed, making a face.
“Awww…I
can help you with that,” Missy smiled, reaching for Mochaccino Melt and a mug
for coffee. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m
not quite sure,” the attractive nurse shrugged. “Marsha introduced me to the
book club because she and I had become good friends and she knew that I’d enjoy
it, but now that I’ve made friends with some of the other gals, she barely
speaks to me.”
“Have
you talked to her about it?”
“I’ve
tried,” Sam pursed her lips and shook her head. “She just says that everything
is fine and that I’m imagining things, but she never invites me to her house
anymore, and hardly ever calls or texts back.”
“Maybe
things are just busy for her right now,” Missy suggested, hoping that was the
case. She liked both Sam and Marsha and hoped that they’d be able to work
things out.
“Yeah,
maybe,” she nodded. “Anyway, I’m so glad that you’re back, we missed you and
were so worried,” Sam added, taking the mug and plate that were offered.
“All’s
well that ends well,” Missy smiled, hoping that everything actually had ended.
“Enjoy your carbs and caffeine – they’re on the house today.”
“You’re
the best, Missy, thank you so much,” the grateful gal headed for a table.
**
Echo
was bored to tears. If she had to read one more magazine or watch one more
cooking show on cable, she swore she’d scream. Chas’s elegant ranch home had
turned into a gilded cage where she felt protected, but trapped. It had been
days since Frank Capetti had escaped, surely if he had planned to make a move
against her, he already would have. She wandered restlessly to the kitchen,
opened the state-of-the-art refrigerator, looked for a boredom snack, and,
finding nothing appealing, closed it again. She repeated the process with the
pantry, the dogs trailing around behind her, hoping for a treat.
Plopping
down on the couch, Echo decided that it couldn’t do any harm to go outside for
a breath of fresh air, and then further decided that she’d be adequately protected
if she took the dogs for a walk. Rather than stopping to weigh the pros and
cons of such an action, she simply grabbed the leashes from the peg by the back
door and returned to the living room to snap them onto the collars of the
excited canines. Peeking out of the space between the curtains and the wall,
she verified that the two unfortunate police officers who were currently tasked
with babysitting her were both in the car, and headed for the back door, dogs
in tow.
Echo
stepped onto the back patio, noting how incredibly excited that Toffee and
Bitsy were to be going for a walk and nodded with satisfaction at having made
the right decision. Just so that she didn’t worry the officers out front
unnecessarily, she crept stealthily through the back yard, exiting into an
alley that ran behind the house, and headed for the nearest park, feeling free
for the first time in weeks. She filled her lungs with fresh air, happy to be
alive.
The
carefree Californian and her canine companions hadn’t gotten very far when
Toffee stopped short, staring into a hedge of evergreens and growling low in
her throat, the fur on the back of her neck rising in alarm.
“What’s
the matter, girlie?” Echo asked, thinking that the mild-mannered retriever must
have spotted another dog. She followed Toffee’s gaze, seeing nothing and tried
to continue walking. The golden refused to budge and kept up the low rumbling.
Bitsy started shaking like a leaf and hid behind Echo’s legs.
“Okay,”
Echo said, feeling frustrated. “If you don’t want to go that way, we’ll go this
way,” she said, turning around and tugging on Toffee’s leash. The golden
retriever was reluctant to go, and kept looking back over her shoulder as
though she was being followed.
“You
silly dog, I’ve never seen you like this,” she ruffled the fur on top of
Toffee’s head and received a knowing gaze
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