Raspberry Creme Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 14 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) Read Free Page A

around her, she
padded over to her nightstand to check the message. It was from Sam, the newest
member of her book club.
    “I
need to talk to you when you have a chance. Please call me when you can,” the
young nurse had texted.
    Missy
glanced at the clock radio that had been her dad’s, which now resided on the
nightstand. It was already nine o’clock, if she called Sam now, she wouldn’t
have any time to read before she grew too sleepy, so she decided to put off the
call until morning, feeling a little bit guilty. She had been working on
seriously guarding her personal time, and felt that occasionally saying no, or
doing things on her own terms was a good thing, but she still felt twinges of
guilt.
    After
reading five chapters, her eyelids beginning to droop, Missy was startled when
her text tone went off again.
    “You
awake?” Chas wanted to know.
    “I
am now ;)” she replied.
    “I’m
coming over.”
    Thinking
it odd that he told her rather than asking her, as was his norm, she said, “K,” and pulled on some yoga pants and a t-shirt. Trotting downstairs, Missy
went to the kitchen to put on a pot of tea, wondering what could possibly be
prompting the ever-courteous and conscientious detective to invite himself over
after ten o’clock at night. Just as she poured steaming water into two
oversized mugs, there was a soft knock at the front door, and Chas let himself
in.
    “You’re
not supposed to leave the front door unlocked,” he reminded her, moving in for
a hug.
    “It’s
LaChance, Chas. I think I’m pretty safe,” she smiled into the most incredibly
blue eyes she’d ever seen.
    “I’m
not so sure,” he turned serious, releasing her gently.
    “What
do you mean?” she asked, handing him a mug of tea and worried by his somber
tone.
    Chas
put his mug of tea down on the kitchen counter, then took hers out of her hands
and did the same, taking both of her hands in his. “Sweetie, I hate to be the
bearer of bad news, but there’s been a murder. That’s why I had to leave at
dinner,” he explained.
    “Oh
Chas, that’s awful,” she shook her head, dismayed that something heinous had
happened in their sleepy town.
    “Missy…it
was Sally Higgins who was killed,” he said, cupping her face in his hands.
    Missy
gasped as though she’d been punched in the stomach. “Sally? But why? She was
the sweetest of souls – she’d do anything for anyone,” she shook her head in
disbelief, plopping onto a barstool next to the counter.
    “Our
investigation hasn’t turned up anything yet, and it’ll be a while before
physical evidence will be processed, so for now, we’re focusing on talking with
friends and family members to try to see if someone might have had reason to be
upset with her,” he explained as silent tears slipped down Missy’s cheeks. “She
was in your book club…did she mention having issues with anyone?” he asked.
    Missy
shook her head. “No. As far as I know, everyone in town loved Sally. She did a
ton of charity work, had a lot of friends in the community, was the leader of
our book club…I can’t imagine who could’ve done such a thing.”
    “I’m
so sorry that this happened to a friend of yours,” Chas sat down next to her,
pushing her mug of tea into her hands. “But I’ll do everything I can to find
out what happened,” he promised.
    “Oh
my goodness!” Missy made a sudden realization. “I bet that’s why Sam wanted me
to call her. She works at the hospital, so she must have heard about Sally’s
death,” she mused. “Poor thing, she was probably upset, and I didn’t call her
back.”
    “Who
is Sam, and what are you talking about?” Chas asked, eyes narrowed.
    Missy
explained that Sam was a new book club member who had texted when she was
getting ready for bed.
    “When
you talk to Sam tomorrow, find out what she wanted, but don’t say anything
about Sally,” he advised, seeming a bit preoccupied.
    “Okay…but
why?” Missy asked,