Free Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck

said, “Here goes. I could get fired if you repeat this, but the chief seems to think you might have had something to do with Darlene Higgins’s murder.”
    I felt a cold, sweeping dread come over me. “What did he say?”
    “Yesterday before the snowstorm hit, he had me check your alibi during the time of the murder.”
    “He never asked me for one,” I said, trying to keep the outrage out of my voice.
    “Don’t worry, I found three folks who agreed you were in your booth selling donuts the entire time, including Gabby Williams next door. You’re fine.”
    “That’s good, because I didn’t do it.” I looked hard at him, then asked, “But why tell me? You don’t owe me anything.”
    He shook his head. “Maybe not, but you’ve gotten a bad shake in the past from the department, and I thought you should know about this. I just reported to the chief, and he seemed to accept it, so you’re off the hook.”
    “Has he got any other suspects?” I asked. It was bad finding out I was on the list, but the fact that my name had already been crossed off helped a little.
    “That I can’t say.”
    Trish brought him a slice of lemon meringue pie and a cup of coffee. He smiled when he saw it, then asked, “Can I get that to go?”
    “Why not? I enjoy putting things in boxes.”
    He laughed. “Then you should love me.”
    Officer Grant started to go as Grace came back. “You’re not leaving because of me, are you? I can always come back later.”
    “No, ma’am, I need to get back to work.” He smiled at Grace, then turned to me. “What I told you was confidential, okay?”
    “I won’t tell a soul,” I said.
    “Good.”
    The second Officer Grant was out of The Boxcar grill, Grace said, “He’s gone. So tell me, what did he say?”
    “Grace, you just heard me promise not to tell anyone.”
    She looked shocked by the suggestion that I’d keep my word. “You didn’t mean me, though, did you? Come on, Suzanne, you have to tell me.”
    “Sorry,” I said, “I promised.”
    Grace chewed that over for a second, then said, “I understand, you gave him your word. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to have another fry.”
    “Like I said, help yourself.”
    She grabbed a handful, then didn’t know what to do with them. After a moment’s hesitation, Grace grabbed a wad of napkins from the dispenser and plopped them down there.
    I laughed. “Wow, you took me at my word, didn’t you?”
    “What can I say? You offered, I accepted.”
    Trish walked by with a coffee pot topping everyone off when she saw Grace’s pile of my fries.
    She looked at me and said, “What’s wrong, Suzanne, don’t you like my French fries anymore?”
    “I do, but someone else appears to like them even more than I do.”
    Grace just smiled, and Trish shook her head as she walked away.
    Two minutes later, she came back with a huge plate mounded with French fries. “There you go. That ought to satisfy you both.”
    “It’s too much,” I said. “I’ll never be able to eat all of these.”
    “I’ve got a feeling you’ll put a dent in them,” she said. “Do your best.”
    I looked at the fries, then at Grace. “This is all your fault. If we don’t finish them, it will hurt Trish’s feelings.”
    Grace reached for another handful of fries as she said, “Then we’d better finish them, hadn’t we?”
    By the time we’d eaten most of the plate, Trish came by and swept it away. “You two look miserable. I’ve punished you enough,” she said as she took the remnants away. “Is there anything else you’d like?”
    I was stuffed beyond belief, but I couldn’t help myself from teasing her. “Any more of that lemon meringue pie left?”
    “You’re kidding, right?”
    “I’m kidding, right,” I said with a smile. “Just the bill, Trish.”
    She had it ready for me, and I was surprised to see that the extra plate of fries wasn’t included.
    “You forgot something,” I said.
    Trish shook her head as she leaned