Free A Killer Deal (A Seagrove Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Leona Fox Page A

her heels.
     
    “She’s not making any sense,” Sadie said in an undertone. “Where would Roger store truckloads of produce in a bakery? It’s almost like she’s delusional.”
     
    “There’s no almost here. A produce war is strange enough, but over a baker? There is something going on here I don’t understand. It’s like she’s had a break with reality.”
     
    Chief Woodstone turned his head to mutter to Sadie and Olivia took advantage of his momentary distraction. She rushed past Chief Woodstone and grabbed the branding iron, but he grabbed her arm, causing her to shriek and jump backward. She held the branding iron as a weapon, swinging it around wildly, and Mr. Bradshaw made sure he was between Sadie and Olivia, his growling getting steadily louder.
     
    “Stay back,” she said, “or I’ll burn you.”
     
    “Olivia,” said Chief Woodstone gently, “it’s not plugged in. You can’t burn anyone.”
     
    “It doesn’t have to be plugged in,” Olivia said. “It stays really hot. Look I burned myself.” She showed him the burn mark on her arm.
     
    “But Olivia,” Sadie said. “It hasn’t been plugged in days. I don’t think it stays hot that long.”
     
    “Then I’ll strangle you with the cord,” Olivia said. “I told Roger Roberts that I’d strangle him, but I didn’t have to, he died all by himself.”
     
    “Not quite all by himself,” Chief Woodstone said. “You burned him and the stress caused the heart attack.”
     
    “That was so the others would know he was mine. They shouldn’t have been selling to him. Now they know. He’s mine.” Olivia had a serene, almost angelic look on her face. It totally creeped Sadie out.
     
    “He’s not yours, Olivia, he’s dead,” the chief said. “You killed him.”
     
    “No. I branded him. He died all on his own.” Olivia darted sideways and rushed Sadie, wrapping the cord of the branding iron around her neck.
     
    Mr. Bradshaw grabbed Olivia’s ankle getting a mouth full of jeans. Sadie wasn’t going down easy and jabbed Olivia in the chest with her elbow, hard. The air whooshed out of Olivia and Sadie grabbed the cord and yanked it from her neck. Chief Woodstone got Olivia’s arm up behind her back, putting Olivia off balance and allowing Mr. Bradshaw to pull her leg out from under her. Olivia fell onto the evidence littered floor, face down with Chief Woodstone bent over, holding her arm behind her back.
     
    “Good dog, Mr. Bradshaw,” Sadie said to him. “You can let go now.” Mr. Bradshaw released his grip on Olivia’s jeans and came to put his front feet on Sadie’s legs. He licked her hand as if to ask if she was okay.
     
    “It’s okay, boy. I’m good.”
     
    “Roger is mine,” Olivia said. “My customer. My brand.”
     
    “Come on Olivia I think maybe you need to see a doctor,” Chief Woodstone said. “Something here isn’t right.”
     
    A while later, Sadie sat in Chief Woodstone’s office absently rubbing her neck. There’d be some bruising there, she was pretty sure, but she’d be fine. Mr. Bradshaw was sitting in Sadie’s lap. Every so often a cop would put his head in looking for the chief and Mr. Bradshaw would growl low in his throat. He was not happy. Chief Woodstone came in and closed the door behind him, collapsing in his desk chair.
     
    “Never seen a person come unglued like that,” he said. “It’s the damnedest thing. You want a drink of something Sadie? You’re looking pretty pale there.”
     
    “No, Chief, I’m fine,” Sadie said. “I just want to go home.”
     
    “Damn it, Sadie. Call me Zack.” He glared at her.
     
    “I’ll try,” she said but didn’t mean it.
     
    “Do you want to go look at Roger’s freezer with me? I want to check out Olivia’s story.”
     
    “It’s a bunch of nonsense,” Sadie said, “I would know if trucks were unloading in the alley. But I’ll come with you, why not? It’s on my way home.” Chief Woodstone