by CeeCee James
“Well, you’re right. Robert said that after Denise had been questioned by the cookies, and then finding out that Robert had nearly been caught with the sword, she freaked out. Apparently, she saw you eyeing the woods behind their house, and then your phone, and she got suspicious. She followed you out the back door and waited in the woods on a hunch that you might show up. And you did. She wanted to scare you off from snooping.”
“I was right.” I was proud of myself.
“What a fun thing to be right about,” Frank said sarcastically.
“What? I like figuring these things out. I’ve been putting the pieces together for a while, but at Veronica Vanderton’s house I realized that only Denise had a real motive for murder. And she had access to the peacock pin, being that Gayle was her best friend and owned the antique shop.”
“So you think Gayle is still guilty somehow then?” Frank asked.
I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see. “No. Gayle did know about the affair though. I remember the Johnsons remarking about how Gayle poked Veronica all throughout the charity dinner. I also overheard Gayle cut off some gossip at the table about Veronica being with a married man. She didn’t want her best friend exposed.” I sighed. “I just wish we knew where the rifle was.”
“Well, I’m a gift that keeps on giving,” Frank answered. “You remember how Miquel claimed it was stolen? Maybe he really thought it was, I don’t know. It’s just too bad for them that we found the Winchester Special model 94 rifle in the trunk of Denise’s rental car. I’m sure she meant to dispose of it. Forensics is working on it right now.”
“Yes!” I yelled it out, and then winced and curled over. Softer, I asked, “So I’m guessing Denise made the phone calls to scare me?”
“Yep. Made from the pay phone. Denise hoped that by doing them from a seedy place like that, it would throw everyone off her trail even more. She knew about the place since Gayle had bragged about the phone a few times.”
“It’s all just so crazy.” I said. I really didn’t know what else to say. People did terrible things for love or revenge. I couldn’t help to think what a horrible person Denise Miquel was. But what if the man I loved was cheating on me? Spurned love and betrayal could do strange things to the human mind.
Frank cleared his throat. “Err, one last thing. Sheriff Parker was asking how you got wrapped up in this. I told him you were nosy, and he said he’s hoping that you’ll be staying out of our town’s next murder.”
I laughed and moaned.
“Aww, you hurting that much?”
“Only when I breathe,” I admitted.
“That’s too bad. I was planning on taking you for a picnic this weekend. Down by McAllister’s farm. Remember that place?” I could hear the smile in his voice.
“I sure do.” I could really use a break. Just thinking about a fun afternoon away made my muscles relax. I clutched the phone tighter to my ear. “Remember chasing each other in that corn field?”
“I seem to remember you chasing me.” He teased. I could tell he thought that I’d been chasing him all along because he was hot stuff.
“Well, buddy,” I grinned. “I can confess it now. It was the best trick I had. Having you run before me swept all those spider webs away.”
He chuckled, making those butterflies go crazy in my stomach. His voice was warm like caramel when he finally answered. “You don’t think I didn’t know that? Baby girl, I got you. I’ll always be there to knock those spider webs down for you.”
Tears stung my eyes. “I don’t say it enough, Frank. You are one in a million. I’ve got you, too.”
The End
Thank you for reading Crème Brûlée To Slay. Here are the next few in the five-book series—
Drizzle of Death
Slash in the Pan
Here are two more mystery series to whet your appetite. All are free with Kindle Unlimited.
Oceanside Hotel Cozy Mysteries
Booked For Murder
Deadly Reservation
Final Check Out
Fatal Vacancy
Suite Casualty
Angel Lake Cozy Mysteries
The Sweet Taste of Murder
The Bitter Taste of Betrayal
The Sour Taste of Suspicion
The Honeyed Taste of Deception
The Tempting Taste of Danger
The Frosty Taste of Scandal