“I think they’re going to work well together as partners,” Heather said, as she thought about her husband and Detective Peters.”
“Yeah,” said Amy. “But not as good as us!”
Congratulatory Donuts
“Congrats!” Amy said.
Ryan and Peters stood up and smiled as Heather and Amy entered with boxes of donuts.
“We brought some donuts to celebrate your first case together getting solved,” said Heather.
“You’ll have to eat some too,” said Ryan. “You deciphered the code in the recipe book with the invoices.”
“We’ll never say no to donuts,” Amy assured him.
"You would have figured it out," Heather said. "It was you figuring out that the ruby was stolen that helped me to realize what was happening.”
“It was a robbery gone wrong,” Amy said. “I still hate that it happened in a kitchen so similar to Donut Delights.”
“Is it going to stop you from coming in for fresh from the oven donuts?” asked Heather.
"No," said Amy, before prompting biting into one of the donuts that they had brought. They all enjoyed eating the sweets and the moment of calmness in between cases.
“We have something else to celebrate too,” said Heather.
“What’s that?” asked Ryan.
“Poetry,” Heather responded.
“Poetry?” asked Peters.
Heather smiled. “Amy and I figured out who was leaving the poems at the bookstore, and it turns out that they were for Eva.”
“Good for her,” said Ryan. “I can see her as the subject of a great work of art.”
“She doesn’t like being the subject of someone’s affection right now, but I told the writer that she would probably accept friendship. And it turns out that I was right. She told me that she would be happy to be his friend,” said Heather.
“And then we’ll just see if it leads to anything more,” said Amy.
“No rush,” said Heather.
“A poem?” Detective Peters wondered aloud. “I wonder if that would work.”
Heather elbowed Amy to keep her from giggling. She was envisioning Peters in a frilly shirt reciting an epic poem over the donut counter to Janae.
Then Chief Chet came over to them. He was wearing shorts and had colorful sunglasses pushed up on his head.
“And just what is going on here?” Chief Chet asked. “More donuts? You’re trying to fatten me up, aren’t you?”
Heather shrugged. “We just love donuts.”
“And so do I,” Chief Chet said. “I love it almost as much as seeing my detectives do their jobs and seeing that justice is served.”
Ryan stood up and faced his boss.
“Chief, I think I just have to say it,” Ryan began.
“Go ahead.”
“I think that Heather and Amy are a real asset to the force. It’s true that we could solve the cases on our own, but they add something to the investigations.”
“Desserts?” joked Amy.
Ryan continued, "They look at things differently, and they are very skilled at what they do. They're legally licensed private detectives, and I think it's foolish not to use their assistance when they offer it."
“You do,” Chief Chet said.
“A great detective uses all resources that are available to him to solve a case,” said Ryan. “Well, Heather and Amy are incredible resources. I want them to consult on cases.”
Chief Chet asked, “Do you all feel like this?”
They all agreed that they did, even if Detective Peters felt nervous and stared at the floor.
“Well, great,” said Chief Chet. “I hoped that would be the case.”
“What?” asked Ryan.
“After they helped Detective Smith on that doozy of a case, I hoped that they’d help you when needed too,” Chief Chet explained.
“You want us to help?” Amy asked.
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I can to get the murderers off of the island.”
“I’m confused,” said Heather. “Haven’t you been dropping hints about everyone doing their own job?”
“Right,” said Chief Chet.
“That made me think that you didn’t want Heather and Amy to help,” said Ryan. “Because they’d be doing my job.”
“No, no,” said the Chief. “The job is keeping the island safe. And I want everyone to accept this job as their own job. Can I have it like that?”
They all agreed. Chief Chet picked up another donut. He smiled. “Three for one investigators, and fresh donuts at the station.
“That is a pretty good deal,” Amy said. Detective Peters nodded.
Chief Chet concluded, “I’m glad you’re here, Shepherd.”
“Thanks,” Heather and Ryan said in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.
The End.
Also by Susan Gillard
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To each and every one of my Amazing readers,
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Let me know what you think by clicking here and leaving a review!
Stay Curious,
Susan Gillard
About the Author
Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.
Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters
Get In touch with Susan
suangillard.com
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Mulled Cider & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 8 Page 7