Scrambled to Death: A Sage and Dash Cozy Mystery Read Free

and kept driving.
    They didn’t expect the state police to be notified so quickly. The road block meant one of two things. They’d be in bigger trouble, or they’d need to get around it. John took a third option. He pushed the door open and rolled onto the side of the road, then scampered into the woods. Police were on him in minutes, and from the rear view mirror, Libby watched John come out of the woods with his hands up. She closed her eyes and pushed down hard on the accelerator.
    “Mom, no!” Rosie braced herself, certain her mother was about to crash through the barrier. Instead she threw the truck into a spin and slid down the ravine and back up onto the road on the other side. Rosie watched in horror as the cops jumped in their vehicles for the chase.
    “You aren’t capable of murder,” Libby yelled at her daughter. “They think they have an open and closed case. Not going to happen on my watch, kiddo…we’ll prove them wrong, no matter what it takes. Your freedom is too important.”
    Rosie didn’t know whether to thank her mother or scold her for the trouble. It was a mixed relationship, somewhere between love, hate – and you drive me crazy.
    When the police finally blocked them in, Libby cried. “I tried. There’s only one more thing I can do for you,” she said, before getting out of the car and pleading her case. “I did it, I’m guilty. I’m the one that killed those men. You have the wrong people. I’ll sign a confession. You can set the other two free.”
    **
    Rosie fainted. A cop held smelling salts under her nose to bring her back. Coming to, she saw her mother handcuffed and brought to the back of a police cruiser. Rosie’s entire world crumbled into pieces and then burned to ash.

Chapter 3
     
    Rosie yawned and stretched. It was a restless night, but at least she got a little sleep. She glanced at the clock, noting she still had a few hours before she had to climb out of bed. The results of the autopsy would be back soon. What a crazy dream. She replayed the episode in her mind as if it was real. In prison with John, her mother broke her out of jail, and then chaos. Rosie shook her head and glanced around her room. Sure enough, she was happily tucked into her bed. Dash slept beside her, curled up and purring. He was still lost in his own dreams, snoozing away.
    Wait. What about her mother? Was she home? Rosie forced herself out of bed to check. Everything blended together after the whirlwind of statements, the emergency crew, and closing the restaurant while the officials did an investigation. The police took the coffee and bagel that were on the counter before the dead man. While they figured he’d probably had a heart attack, they were careful not to rule out anything too quickly. He was a young man, late thirties, early forties at most, and with another dead body the day before, they were taking things more seriously. Was it accidental, natural causes, or had a homicide taken place?
    Rosie gently pressed her mother’s door open. Rosie sighed with relief. Libby was tucked in and sleeping.
    The dream felt so real and chased her thoughts. Sleep wasn’t going to come easily. Rosie headed to the kitchen and sifted through the fridge, looking for a cold drink. She pulled out a Diet Coke and snapped the pop-top of the can. Dash showed up a few moments later. He must have noticed she was gone. He liked to stay close to her. The cat nestled alongside Rosie’s feet as she dropped to the kitchen table and sat in one of the chairs. Taking a big swig, the events of the day unfolded again. She was in the restaurant kitchen. There was a thud, a scream, and then a dead man. It was all too close for comfort.
    “This is freaky, right Dash? I mean, he was perfectly fine, then he dropped. Now he’s as dead as a door nail.” Her voice was laced with disbelief.
    “Meow,” Dash answered. He wasn’t a big talker, but realized she needed comfort. He slipped between her ankles and circled her