Free Probable Paws (Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery Series Book 5) by Leighann Dobbs Page A

behind the cash register to join them on the sofa.
    “Why you do say that?” I asked.
    Cordelia huffed, straightening the lapels of her sky-blue polyester jacket. Cordelia and Hattie, identical twins, often wore similar outfits. Today Cordelia had on a sky-blue pantsuit with a navy shirt, and Hattie had on a navy pantsuit with a sky-blue shirt. “Have you seen her around town? She’s high in the instep, and she likes her creature comforts.”
    “It’s true. Coloring her hair, getting her nails done, wearing the latest fashions. You know how it is.” Hattie flicked her hand in the air.
    “She thinks she’s better than the rest of us. Or she wants to be, anyway,” Cordelia said.
    “It’s all to draw the men’s eyes, anyway,” Hattie added.
    “That’s hardly a reason for her to kill Adelaide,” Josiah pointed out.
    I settled back on the sofa and sipped my coffee. The other day I had thought Hattie and Cordelia were just being fanciful with their suspicions concerning Adelaide’s death. The ladies didn’t have much to keep them amused, and their imaginations ran wild at times. But given what I’d learned over the past few days, I was starting to think there might be something to their theory.
    On my visit to the Hamilton house, I’d overheard Lisa say something about being sure she got her “due.” Had she been worried about her portion of Adelaide’s will? But if she was uncertain about what she would inherit, why would she kill her? Why would anyone?
    Striker had been skulking around the Hamilton mansion last night, and Adelaide had mentioned she thought someone in her family had killed her. Gus had denied any evidence of foul play, but maybe something new had come to light.
    It didn’t really matter, though. I wasn’t on a mission to find Adelaide’s killer. It might be true that she was murdered. And maybe Striker was investigating it, but Adelaide’s ghost was only haunting me for the recipe book. This time I was going to keep my nose out of any ongoing murder investigation. Unless, of course, her killer had been after the recipe book all along. If that were the case, then figuring out who the killer was might help me find the book.
    “You look tired, Willa. Is something bothering you?” Bing’s eyes were full of concern, but I thought I caught a glimpse of something else. A knowing look, as if he could read my thoughts.
    “Late night last night,” I said noncommittally as I sipped my coffee.
    Hattie raised her brows. “Oh? Out with that hunky young man of yours?”
    My cheeks heated. “No. Well, not really.” I fiddled with my cup. I wasn’t about to tell them I’d been digging up the Hamilton estate in the middle of the night or that I’d run into Striker there.
    As if thoughts of Striker conjured him, the door to the bookstore opened, and he stepped in with a white bag from the coffee shop down the street.
    “We better be going, sister.” Cordelia shot me a sly look, her eyes twinkling with excitement as she shot up off the sofa. She grabbed Hattie’s hand, and the two of them greeted Striker as they brushed past him.
    “I gotta get to the post office.” Josiah stood and nodded a farewell to me then to Striker.
    Bing had stood, too, and was making his way toward the door. “Looks like I better start the day, too. Unless you’re here to arrest Willa,” Bing joked with Striker as he clapped him on the shoulder on his way out the door.
    “No. Not yet, at least.” Striker watched them leave then held the bag out to me.
    “What’s this?” I peered into the bag, my mouth watering as I spied a glazed cruller and a Boston cream donut.
    “A peace offering.”
    “Don’t you have to work today?” I bit into the cruller, my taste buds doing a happy dance as the sugary glaze coated them.
    “I do. But I wanted to make sure you were okay after last night.”
    “Why wouldn’t I be?” Now my suspicions were on high alert. Bringing me donuts and stopping in to make sure I was okay?