Free A Time to Live and a Thyme for Murder! (Outer Banks Baker Mystery Series Book 3) by Phoebe T. Eggli Page A

someone with X15, but only found weed and a couple guys with some more high powered drugs. Jason related that Agent Garland was not happy about Logan and Tanner’s attempts to investigate on their own. However, he got the feeling that the agent suspected the boys’ motives to go beyond finding Krissy’s boyfriend. Without saying in so many words, he seemed to believe the boys were more interested in covering their tracks or helping someone cover their tracks. Additionally, with the victims becoming sick after eating at Cheryl’s restaurant and Melissa’s bakery being her bread supplier, the DEA seemed intent on focusing on the two women and anyone who worked with them or was related. Logan’s little adventure last night did nothing to dispel that notion.
     
    Krissy and Logan piped up at the same time trying to explain, but Jason wasn’t interested. He scolded, “What you did last night was reckless and dangerous. Instead of helping, it did the exact opposite.” He didn’t elaborate concerning his own partner’s comments to the DEA agent; about the last two summers when Melissa and Logan had been connected to Mrs. Stevenson’s murder and Mr. Hawkins’ suspicious death. Even though they had been found innocent of any wrongdoing in both cases, the situation didn’t look good.
     
    For a few moments the entire group sat in silence. The expression on Jason’s face grew more anxious. His forehead was creased with worry lines and a vein bulged on the bridge of his nose. Melissa worried about what else there could possibly be making things worse. Jason took a deep breath and stared sorrowfully at his daughter across the table. Melissa’s gut wrenched as she waited on Jason to speak.
     
    Stretching his hand across the table to take Krissy’s hand, Jason steeled himself to deliver his news. “Honey,” he began, “there’s something you need to know.” Everyone stared at him as he paused. “The party wasn’t the only issue we had to deal with last night. The reason I didn’t get home until just now is that there was a murder last night. As uniformed officers scoured the neighborhoods and back alleys for stragglers from the party, or anyone that shouldn’t be out that late that may be up to no good, a body was discovered in the alley behind the Kill Devil Delicacies.” He glanced over at Melissa to see how she took the news that someone was found dead behind her bakery. The shock that came across her face broke his heart. Jason quickly refocused on Krissy though. That awful feeling in Melissa’s gut clenched tighter at the ramifications of the news she now expected to hear. Grasping Krissy’s hands in his own, Jason uttered the words he had been dreading to say to his daughter. “I’m sorry, Krissy. Derek is dead.”
     
    The young woman just stared at her father as if she didn’t hear him. Melissa’s heart broke for Krissy. Even though Derek had proven to be a “bad egg”, she realized the girl cared for him. Logan was speechless. As the news sank in, a single tear slid down Krissy’s cheek. In an obvious effort to control her emotions, she stammered, “How?”
     
    Jason had never held anything back from his daughter. He always thought honesty was the best policy, even if it hurt. Reluctantly he explained what he knew about the boy’s death. Derek was found behind Melissa’s bakery next to the industrial size garbage bin. Based on the condition of his clothes, it appeared he had been dumpster diving. There were bags of uneaten and half-eaten breads strewn around on the ground near him. Logan began to ask a question, but refrained after a quick look from Jason. The detective continued his story. They found a bag of a white, powdery substance they suspected to be X15 – probably the stuff Logan and Tanner witnessed Derek obtain at the party. It appeared that he had been stuffing the breads from the bakery with smaller bags of the drug. “Actually, the only leftovers breads with baggies stuffed