Free Death by Scones by Jennifer Fischetto

stylish furniture. Despite Nathan being wealthy, I was expecting dilapidated hand-me-downs, probably because of how the man in my bakery hadn't seemed to care about his appearance or about the outside of his house. But everything in here was clean and in great condition. We passed a long mahogany dining room table with eight chairs and turned into a bright kitchen.
    Sunlight poured through the windows. Whereas the front of the house was dark wood, this room had white cabinetry and cream-colored walls. It had a woman's touch. Did Nathan have a girlfriend? No, I couldn't imagine that.
    "Please, have a seat," Max said and pointed to the table by the windows and the stools around the island.
    I chose a stool. "I hope I'm not intruding."
    He walked over to a box on a far counter, then turned to me. "No. I was planning on coming to the bakery to visit you. This saves me a trip. There's so much to do here. I've been quite busy."
    "Are you going through and packing his things? That must be a hard task to do alone."
    He sighed lightly, the load of the task apparent on his slumped shoulders. "It's more than I thought. I forgot how big this place was."
    So he'd been here before, maybe visited over the years?
    "Are you his only family?"
    "No, my two aunts, Nathan's sisters, are in town too."
    "Oh, then you don't have to do all of this alone."
    He made this weird chuckle sound, and I couldn't tell if he was happy or disgusted. "That would be nice, but no. Aunt Holly and Aunt Gloria aren't known for their hard work. They're not even staying here. They're at Ocean View Bed & Breakfast."
    I quickly frowned. Tension in the family. That didn't surprise me though. What did was Max talking to me, a stranger, so freely.
    "And your parents?" I asked, feeling like Duncan Pickles, interrogating the poor, disheveled mourners.
    "Excuse me?"
    "You said Nathan was your uncle, so one of your parents was his brother or sister, right?" I smiled and hopefully came across as harmless.
    He glanced away. "My father was his brother. Dad passed away a few years ago."
    There I went, cramming my size-eight foot down my throat. "I'm very sorry for your loss. For all of it."
    He turned back to his box. "Thank you."
    A weird silence hung between us. I wasn't sure what else to say or ask. I had a zillion questions, but this man was already going through enough. He didn't need me poking around. I wasn't sure how else I'd learn about Nathan's connection with Mom, but it wouldn't happen today.
    I stood up and pushed the stool in. "I should get going. Again, I'm sorry."
    Max turned to me and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Thank you, but it wasn't your fault."
    I swallowed hard and smiled. A heavy lump settled in my chest.
    "Right?" he asked.
    My pulse rose. "N-no, of course not." I may have felt slightly guilty for whatever transpired in my bakery, but I most certainly wasn't responsible.
    "Right," he said, but there was something in his eyes that made me think he didn't quite believe it.
     
    *   *   *
     
    "This is a bad idea," I said and blew a long lock of strawberry-blonde hair out of my eyes. Actually, it wasn't even hair, more like nylon.
    "Sit still," Tara barked and adjusted the wig on my head. She sat back and surveyed her work. "It looks…passable."
    I sighed. "That horrible?" I pulled down the sun visor in her car and stared into the tiny mirror. I had toned down my makeup today and practically had a naked face with just a light coating of mascara to highlight my blue eyes, a hint of blush, and a smudge of my red lipstick, just giving a rose hue to my mouth. I didn't look as bad as Tara made out. I pulled on the navy hat and wondered if playing a cop was the best idea.
    When I had told Tara about needing the bank footage, she informed me the bank manager was new to town. I didn't ask how she knew this. It wasn't important at the moment, but I assumed he was buff and tanned. And just as luck would have it, Tara owned a cop uniform from a Halloween party