Read Online The Mud Pie Murderess: A Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery by Stacey Alabaster - Free Book Online

when I heard music blaring from the kitchen. It sounded like she was awake, at least. Whether she was still angry with me was another question, though. I raced in to find her bopping around, baking up a bunch of brownies.
    "Gluten-free!" she called out with a wink. "So you can eat as many as you want." She gave me a guilty little smile. "My way of apologizing for being a little brat earlier."
    I smiled at her and nodded. "Apology accepted. As long as you accept mine as well."
    She kept dancing around to her music as she dumped three eggs into the batter and started mixing.
    "Wow," I said. "You look a lot better, Pippa."
    Pippa was practically jumping around, she was so full of energy now. "I think I've finally recovered." Her grin was wide and her face was full of relief. "I don't know what's been wrong with me the past few weeks.
    I smiled. This was about her, not about me. Maybe it was the wrong time to bring up my troubles. I didn't want to spoil her fun. "Well, I'm very happy for you."
    She stopped bopping around and frowned at me. "You don't seem that pleased, Rach. What's going on? Are you still mad at me?" I could see her suddenly become worried.
    I shook my head and threw my purse down on the coffee table. "I'm not mad at you anymore. I'd totally forgotten what we were even fighting about, to be honest. I'm glad, Pips, don't worry. I've just had a day, that's all."
    Pippa handed me the bowl of brownie batter. "Dig in," she commanded me. "And tell me all about it."

    * * *
    " I t's true though , Pippa," I whispered. We were sitting on the sofa now, the brownies baked and cooling. My mouth was watering at the scent. I couldn't wait to dig in. "My mind had really not been on the job. I was practically falling asleep that day, plus there had been the paint fumes."
    A terrible feeling started to play in my stomach. I'd been practically delirious from the paint fumes that day when I'd been baking. What if, instead of sugar, or baking powder, I'd accidentally mixed something else into the batter?
    "I could have done it, Pippa...and not even known it." I buried my head in my hands. "If that's true, then I deserve to go out of business. I deserve to be locked up, Pippa."
    Pippa left to fetch the brownies. I took the biggest one off the tray and shoved it into my mouth. "You're a better baker than I am, Pippa. You've never poisoned anyone. Maybe you should take over, try to save the business while I'm in prison."
    Pippa shook her head. "You can't think this way. Rachael, you seriously cannot blame yourself for this. Jackson is just trying to get inside your head."
    I scoffed. "Yeah, well, it's certainly working."
    "Then don't let it." She sat down firmly besides me and bit into a of brownie. She immediately made a face and pulled the brownie away, eying it skeptically as she sat it back down on the tray.
    "What's wrong?" I asked.
    She shook her head lightly. "I dunno, does that brownie taste weird to you?"
    I'd been inhaling it so quickly I'd barely had a chance to register how it actually tasted. I took another bite and savored it this time. Nope. It was delicious. Moist, perfectly chocolaty—very heavy on the chocolate fudge actually. Just the way I liked it. "Tastes amazing," I said, taking another bite. "I think your taste buds are broken, Pippa.”
    "Maybe. Suddenly the thought of eating it is turning my stomach." She pushed the tray away and we both grew silent.
    I couldn't keep eating forever, however much I wanted to. Eventually, I had to return to the topic of my predicament.
    "You know you really haven't done anything wrong," Pippa finally said. "Even though I can see from the look on your face, you’re blaming yourself."
    "Why do these things keep happening to me?" I whispered. "Honestly, Pippa, explain that then. All these murders, all these crimes. What is the one common denominator in all these cases? It's me."
    She let out a nervous little laugh. "Remember when we thought you were cursed?"
    I didn't laugh in