Free Lemon Chiffon Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 8 by Susan Gillard

Kent at the airport that morning and bring him back to the hotel, and folded Heather into a hug.
    Lori was dragged from the room, yelling out foul words.
    And then it was over.
    Finally, Jane Duvall ’ s killer had been brought to justice.

Chapter 18
    Heather sat beside her husband and held his hand. The tables and chairs which had been arranged in the gardens of the Saint James, were filled with their guests, all happy and smiling at last.
    “I can ’ t believe it,” Heather whispered, “we ’ re finally married.”
    “Finally,” he replied, and pecked her on the cheek.
    After everything they ’ d been through in the past weeks, after waiting months longer than they should have, the day had finally arrived.
    They ’ d said their vows in front of their friends. Dave had carried the rings in a pouch sown into his doggy tuxedo. And now, the day was over and they were married and at their wedding reception.
    Augustin Pepe Lepeu hovered by the door which led into the hotel, nostrils flaring as if he smelled a rat.
    “Perhaps it ’ s his cheesy cologne,” Amy said, on her left side. She glared at Augustin, shaking her head. “He really doesn ’ t know when to give up, does he?
    “Oh well, he won ’ t have to, soon enough. Only a few days and we ’ ll be out of here.”
    “I can ’ t believe this is finally over,” Amy said, then dabbed at her eyes. “I ’ m going to mess up my mascara because of you.” She laughed and half-sobbed. “You ’ re married.”
    Ryan grabbed Heather and kissed her cheek again, smiling as wide as his mouth would allow.
    Kent appeared at the end of the gardens. He hurried between the tables and took his seat beside Amy, huffing and puffing. “Guess what I found out?”
    “What?” Heather and Amy asked, in unison.
    “They ’ ve got more than enough evidence to convict Lori and put her away for a really, really long time. It ’ s over. ” Kent sat back in his chair.
    “That ’ s awesome,” Amy said.
    Heather agreed, but she ’ d known it was over the minute they ’ d found the cyanide. It ’ d only been a matter of time.
    A chorus of cheers and laughter rang out.
    Heather grinned and sat forward in her chair.
    The ‘cake ’ had arrived. A few of the chefs rolled it out atop a steel table, covered in a floor-length white tablecloth. On the platter sat a tier upon tier of Lemon Chiffon crueller donuts, decorated with poison free icing and the flowers made from fondant.
    The fondant flowers had been the final touch from the chefs at the Saint James Hotel. There wasn ’ t a chance Heather would ’ ve been able to manufacture anything as elegant as that.
    Heather and Ryan rose from their seats and walked to the ‘cake ’ , arm in arm.
    “Are you ready to eat icing, Detective?” Heather asked, and grinned because she knew he ’ d probably try to get icing on her nose while feeding her.
    “You bet,” Ryan replied.
    They stopped in front of the donut tower and faced each other.
    “What are you waiting for?” Amy called, from her seat at the head table.
    Heather snatched a donut off the stack and shoved it towards Ryan ’ s mouth. Half of the icing smeared his lips, and the rest went down the hatch. He chewed noisily and the crowd broke out another round of applause.
    Ryan laughed and jabbed a donut at her. She got icing on her nose, as predicted, but the crueller crunch was more than enough of a consolation.
    The icing was light, lemony and creamy.
    “Oh, I have to make these in Donut Delights,” Heather side, swiping the frosting off her nose and eating that too, because why not? This was her special day.
    Dave barked at her ankles, dancing around the white flared chiffon layers of her strapless wedding dress.
    “All right, all right,” Heather said, “but just this once. You need to go on a diet, Dave.” Heather broke off a piece of donut and gave it to her doggy dearest.
    He gobbled it up with legitimate piggy snorting noises.
    “He ’ s