Read Online When Magic Is Murder (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 4) by Mary Maxwell - Free Book Online Page B

my favorite Sky High
regulars. He always greeted me with a kind word, a friendly smile and an
amusing anecdote. As I crossed the dining room, Harper was refilling his coffee
cup. She reminded him about our special pricing on cupcake gift packages, gave
me a little wink and then headed for a party of three burly men wearing ski
pants and fleece hoodies.
    “Reverend Tuttle?” I said quietly.
“How is everything?”
    The easygoing elderly man looked at
me over the top of his gold-rimmed glasses. They were smudged with fingerprints
and a bit of maple syrup. He was dressed in his customary dark sweater, black
slacks and starched white shirt.
    “Well, good morning, Katie!” he
answered. “I may sound like a broken record, but you’ve outdone yourself again!
These pancakes are out of this world!”
    “It’s actually Julia. She’s our
pancake mastermind.”
    He chuckled before using his knife
and fork to carefully carve a small chunk of the flapjacks. Then he popped the
bite in his mouth and hummed with delight as he chewed and swallowed.
    “Do you mind if I ask a question?”
    His eyes twinkled. “I believe you
just did, young lady!”
    “Yeah, I guess so. How about one or
two more?”
    “Certainly, Katie,” he said. “Is
this about my social media experiment last week?”
    I’d heard a few people discussing
the sermon he delivered the previous Sunday. In an attempt to reach younger
members of the congregation, Reverend Tuttle had tweeted a few homilies from
the pulpit during the sermon. Although it was highly unusual and slightly left
of center, I thought his idea was certainly fitting for the audience.
    “Actually, it’s about something
else,” I explained.
    He gestured at the empty chair
across the table. “Then take a load off, Katie. You’re on your feet about a
gazillion hours a day. Let this be a brief respite from all the running
around.”
    I thanked him for the invitation,
pulled out the chair and asked if he remembered the redheaded woman at Uncommon
Grounds the previous day. “She was dressed casually,” I added. “Like she’d just
come from a yoga class.”
    Before answering, he sipped his
orange juice and dabbed his lips with a napkin. “I believe that you’re
referring to Annabelle Dunkin’s sister,” he said. “For some reason, I think her
name is Bethany. But I’m not one-hundred percent certain, Katie. I could always
call Annie and ask.”
    “Oh, no! That’s not necessary. I
was talking to…” I didn’t want to mention the coffee shop owner by name, so I
quickly changed gears. “…uh, to a friend, and they thought Bitsy Sanger was in
the coffee shop at that time yesterday morning. I was wondering if it was her.”
    Reverend Tuttle pursed his lips,
deep in thought. “Our Bible group met for at least two hours yesterday
morning,” he said a moment later. “And I certainly didn’t see Miss Sanger
during that time.”
    “And the redhead was Annie Dunkin’s
sister?”
    “Absolutely!” He nodded
confidently. “She stopped by our table for a quick hello.”
    “Do you know who she was with?”
    He squinted. “Wasn’t she alone?”
    “The friend that I mentioned told
me that the redhead was talking outside the coffee shop with a man in a
tuxedo.”
    The reverend smiled. “Oh, you’re
entirely correct, Katie! She told us that she had to run because she saw
someone that she knew pass by on the street.”
    “Do you know if he is—”
    “A magician!” he said, rubbing his hands
together. “With a funny name. You know, like The Great Thingamajig or The
Amazing Whatnot.”
    “The Amazing Whatnot?” I laughed.
“I don’t think I’ve heard of that one.”
    “Well, of course not,” Reverend
Tuttle said. “Because I just made it up, Katie. My memory’s not as sharp these
days.” He pressed his hands together and put his chin on the fingertips. “I’m
older than dirt, you know.” His furrowed brow was replaced by a mischievous
grin. “Older, but I smell a whole