Free Raining Men and Corpses: A Fun Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 1) by Anne R. Tan Page B

clogged the back of her throat.
    His nostrils flared and his eyes darkened. He took a step back and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Whatever I tell you stays between us.”
    She licked her lips. “Yes.” She blinked at the low husky voice. Stop it! This was not the time for a teenage infatuation.
    “The initial toxicology tests came back positive. The lab has to run more tests to identify the substance. The location of the toxin in his stomach and liver strongly suggests he was poisoned.”
    “He looked fine when I saw him in the morning. Gail mentioned he asked her for Pepto around two o’clock. Maybe the upset stomach he complained about was the first sign of the poison.” Raina froze. What if Holden had already ingested the poison when he cornered her by the vending machine?
    “She didn’t mention Pepto in her statement. When did she tell you this?”
    “The morning after Holden died.”
    “What else did she tell you?”
    “Are we planning to share?”
    Matthew grabbed her chin and tilted her head until she could count the gold flecks in his eyes. “Don’t. Get. Involved.”
    Raina jerked her head loose. “Why would I get involved?”
    “You tell me.”
    About Holden? Or Sol? Like it or not, she was up to her armpits in muck. Once Matthew heard about the fake pregnancy, she could kiss any affection he might still have good-bye. Not that she still wanted him. She just didn’t want him to think badly of her. “I’m going to stay off your radar.”
    “Your curiosity has gotten you in trouble before.”
    “I was trying to help you out.”
    “And I appreciated it. Just don’t do it again.” His eyes softened. “You know how much I hate playing Superman with you.”
    Raina rolled her eyes. “So are you going to buy me lunch or what?”
    The corner of his lips curled into a half smile. “Let’s go.”
    A few minutes later, he parked in front of the Venus Café on the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue. The olive green bungalow with white trim had been converted into a commercial space more than a decade ago. The cafe featured a large front room with half a dozen small tables and a large fireplace surrounded by cracked leather reading chairs.
    Unlike your typical mom-and-pop cafes, Venus Café’s interior walls had floor to ceiling murals of handsome men frolicking with naked nymphs with strategically placed flowing hair or bits of leaves. The town’s elders hated this place, but a thrill ran through Raina each time she stepped inside the cafe. It felt good to be a little naughty, even if it was vicariously through painted women.
    They placed their orders at the counter, grabbed their coffees, and found a table in a quiet corner. Sitting a foot from Matthew at a small square table, Raina’s knees kept bumping into his each time one of them shifted. His eyes kept straying to the painted women and they grew wider at each encounter. Every time she brought someone new to the place, they’d had a similar reaction.
    “I take it you haven’t been here before,” said Raina with a smirk.
    “I’ve been here before the murals. I wasn’t impressed with the coffee then.” He held up his iced coffee. “But this is good.”
    So Matthew had moved to Gold Springs before Raina did. Strange her grandma didn’t see fit to mention this tidbit of information before her application to the college. This shed new light on their phone conversations this past year where Po Po regularly asked if she had met anyone interesting.
    “New ownership. Brenda and Joe bought the place nine months ago,” Raina said.
    Matthew tapped his fingers against his glass. No wedding ring. “I never imagined I would run into you again at a crime scene.” He tore his eyes from the painted walls to study her.
    Raina met his eyes and a jolt ran down her spine. A sense of déjà vu settled on her. She averted her gaze, hoping he didn’t notice her reaction. The clink of forks hitting plates and low buzz of conversation faded