Murder Over Easy (A Sunny Side Up Cozy Mystery Book 1)

by Rosie A. Point

  “Tom—?” I cut off, mid-question.

  “Did someone call?” Tom, horn-rimmed glasses and all, appeared in the door that led to the back.

  “Oh, there you are, Tom,” Milly said. “I was just telling Sunny here about your unfortunate lack of work at the moment.”

  Tom’s beady gaze flickered from Mildred to Alexei to me.

  I forced a bright smile. “You know what, Milly? I wish I could stay and chat a while longer, but I have a meeting in about five minutes.”

  “Oh, of course. Well, why don’t you come by after? I’m sure you and Alexei will have a lot to talk about.” Milly wiggled her eyebrows at me.

  “Right. Have a good morning everyone.” I slipped out of the shelter, and practically jogged back into the Sunny Side Up. I needed a moment. Shoot, I needed an hour to process what I’d learned.

  I made a beeline for my aunt’s office and shut the door behind me, my phone already in my hand. I had to make sense of this.

  At her desk, things started falling into place.

  Tom didn’t have a job. He’d spoken to both Nick and Bebe about being influencers. I’d checked his social media presence and found he’d had none on the morning we’d discovered the review of the Sunny Side Up in the Parfait Platter. He was broke. He’d likely been stealing from Mildred too, which would explain the missing card.

  If only I could place him at the restaurant on the morning of the murder. Could someone have seen him there? One of the servers? I opened my contacts and considered calling them, spotting Didi’s name first.

  My eyes widened.

  The image I’d attached to her contact card wasn’t one of her, but the one she’d taken of me on the morning of the murder. I’d probably done it unthinkingly. Shoot, I’d forgotten that she’d even taken that picture in the first place.

  I tapped on the picture and it opened.

  My breathing stalled, trapped behind clenched teeth.

  There I was, holding up the plate of eggs over easy, bearing a nervous smile, and behind me, emerging from the swinging kitchen doors, was none other than Tom Miller. He wore a rusty red shirt.

  “It was him! It was him!” I squeaked, unable to keep my excitement at bay.

  “Congratulations, Sunny.” A nasal voice spoke from my aunt’s office door. “You solved the case.” Tom Miller stood inside the office. He kicked the office door shut. “Pity. I was just starting to like you.”

  38

  “You should have stayed out of it,” Tom said, coming forward and placing his palms on my aunt’s desk.

  The color drained from my face, and I pushed the chair back, rolling it until it hit the back wall of my aunt’s office. There was no way Tom would come in here and talk to me like this unless he planned on doing to me what he’d done to Trisha.

  “Listen,” I said, raising my palms. “There’s no need to get hasty. I—uh—I—”

  “I—uh—I—uh—” Tom mocked me and then chuckled. “You solved it, Sunny. Good for you. You know, I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while. I heard you were sticking your nose where it didn’t belong.”

  “You can’t do this,” I said.

  “Do what?”

  “Whatever it is you’re planning,” I replied. “The police will know it’s you.”

  “How?” Tom’s question was cynical, but there was a hint of concern in his tone.

  “Because they have evidence that points to you,” I said, and lifted my phone. I tapped on the screen and flashed him the picture. “I’ve just sent this picture to them, and they have a piece of the shirt you wore that day. I found it in the pantry window. That’s how you got in, isn’t it? You should have just left the way you came.”

  Tom’s cheeks reddened. “I couldn’t,” he said. “You were in the way. And Nick—You’re lying. You didn’t send that. And even if you did and I’m caught, that’s even more reason for me to get rid of you. Consider it payback.” He circled the desk, removing a pocketknife from his jeans.

  I leaped out of my chair and kept my distance from him, circling at the same rate. The minute I got to the door, I’d make a break for it.

  “There’s no use,” Tom said. “You might as well give in. The more of a fight you put up, the worse it will be for you.”

  “Tom, you don’t have to do this. Look, we can come to some kind of arrangement.”

  “Liar. You’ll say whatever you can now to avoid dying, but we both know the truth. You’d give me up the minute you have the chance.”

  I swallowed, circling toward the door.

  “Oh no you don’t!” Tom dove toward me, slashing the knife through the air. It missed me by inches, and I stumbled back into the wall, bashing my arm painfully.

  “Stop,” I said. “Please. You can’t do this. I—”

  Tom bore down on me, his teeth gritted, a horrible smile twisting his features. “You’re just as bad as Trisha. She thought she was better than everyone else, that she could swoop in and steal my spot in this town, and she got what she deserved. You know, they had the nerve to offer her a job as an online associate to the paper? You—”

  The office door crashed open, and Nick streaked into the room. Tom turned, eyes widening. He brought the knife down, but it was too late. Nick tackled him into the wall opposite. The men fell to the floor and rolled from side-to-side, Nick’s hand pinned over Tom’s wrist, keeping the knife at bay. Punches were thrown, followed by groans.

  “Nick,” I cried. “Nick! Help!” I ran out of the office and into the café.

  Alexei and Milly had appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on, dear?” Milly asked. “We heard a—”

  “Nick! Tom! Tom’s the killer. Someone call 911.” I should’ve called, but the panic had taken control.

  “I’ve already done this,” Alexei replied, pointing toward his ear, where he held his phone.

  I sprinted back into the office, fearing the worst. Please, let Nick be all right. Please. Please. Please.

  Nick had pinned Tom on his belly and had his hands behind his back. The knife lay abandoned on the floor. I jogged forward and kicked it into the corner.

  “Did you call 911?” Nick asked.

  “Let go of me!” Tom yelled.

  “Quiet,” Nick said, lifting him and slamming him back down again.

  “Alexei called,” I whispered.

  And that was it. The killer had been caught, and the police were on their way. Somehow, I’d helped solve the case. Though, I’d nearly lost my life and everything of value in it along the way.

  39

  One week later…

  At the beginning of my time in Parfait, the prospect of being in charge of a bustling café had been nothing short of terrifying. Now, I knew what genuine terror felt like—a murderer bearing down on me with a knife—my fear of the café and its patrons was absurd by comparison.

  I wound between the tables in the Sunny Side Up, stopping to chat with customers and smile at those who entered through the open doors. I received confident smiles and greetings in return, and it helped allay my nerves.

  So, I wasn’t afraid of managing the café, but boy, I was still nervous of messing up and of interacting with new people. And eggs over easy? I hadn’t prepared them since Trisha’s murder. I was put off for life, but the diners in the café had no such qualms. It was by far the most popular dish.

  I headed over to Frances’ table—her favorite booth in front of the windows that looked out on the boardwalk—and smiled at her. “Everything OK over here?”

  “Oh hello, Sunny. Yes, everything’s fine. I’m glad things have gotten back to normal in town now that that horrible piece of trash has been arrested.”

  Tom was being arraigned for Trisha’s murder and attempted murder on me. Thank heavens for Nick showing up in the ‘nick of time’ to save the day. I still had nightmares from the ordeal, but I was healthy and alive, and the café was back on track financially. All the troubles hadn’t disappeared, but was I glad to be here now.

 
“Well, if you need anything—”

  “I could do without the incessant noise,” Frances said. “What is that banging?”

  “Oh, the repairmen have finally arrived to fix the air-conditioning,” I replied. “Sorry for the interruption, but trust me, it’s going to be worth it.”

  Didi arrived with Frances’ chosen drink and set it down on the table. “Here you go, Miss Grace.”

  Frances grunted by way of reply. “You couldn’t wait until the weekend to repair the air-conditioning? It’s noisy!”

  Didi squeaked and hurried off.

  “Sorry,” I repeated, determined not to absorb Frances’ grim mood. “This was the only day they had free.” And I wasn’t about to reschedule after waiting so darn long for them to come out.

  I walked off before Frances got into her complaining zone and checked a few of the other tables. I headed into the kitchen and found Nick in front of the stove, preparing fried green tomatoes, and singing under his breath.

  “Hey!” I said. “Enjoying being back in the kitchen?”

  “I sure am,” he replied, and offered me a serene smile. He plated up the tomatoes and Karl swept into the kitchen and removed them. We were alone again, and Nick switched to slicing mushrooms.

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Nick said, slowly. “It’s kind of important, but I haven’t gotten the chance to go over it with you. I wasn’t even sure if it was appropriate.”

  “Oh?”

  “You’re my employer while Rita’s on vacation.”

  My aunt had extended her trip by another few weeks now that everything was under control. “Yeah?”

  “And I usually tell Rita when something big happens in my life. Just so she knows. I behaved poorly after Trisha’s death. I kind of ghosted you because of the stress, so I want to give you a heads up when things are changing from now on.”

  “That would be great, Nick,” I said.

  “Well,” Nick said, and took a breath. “You ought to know that Jasmine and I are getting a divorce. She’s leaving me.”

  “Oh, Nick, I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “She was real angry with me for coming back to work at the Sunny Side Up, but… I felt I belonged here. Turns out she wanted me to become an influencer because she wanted us to move out of Parfait. But this town is my home, and I don’t want to leave.”

  What could I say? “Nick, if there’s anything I can do…”

  “No, no, just thought you should know. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf here.”

  “Well, look, if you ever want to hang out, I’m sure we can organize something with Didi and the gang,” I said.

  “That would be great,” Nick replied. “Thanks, Sunny.”

  I gave him a double thumbs up and exited the kitchen, leaving him to his thoughts. Poor guy. I’d just been through a messy divorce of my own, and I knew the potential it had to turn your entire life upside down.

  I only hoped he would eventually find his silver lining.

  Was that what had happened for me? I stood behind the coffee bar, listening to the hum of happy diners, watching as the repairmen waved goodbye, and as Didi served meals and laughed at something a customer had said. Mildred passed by in the street outside, her arm hooked through Alexei’s, a small, satisfied smile on her lips.

  Yes. It was fair to say that I had finally found my silver lining. Or better yet, my sunny side up.

  Sunny’s mystery adventures continue in Book 2 of the Sunny Side Up Cozy Mystery Series, Muffin But Murder, coming on January 21, 2021!

  You can pre-order it here.

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  Thank you so much for reading Sunny’s story. If you enjoyed the book, I would be honored if you left a review!