Free Boston Cream Killer: Book 8 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series by Summer Prescott Page A

printed the only retraction that she’s ever rendered in her life, and we never spoke again.”
    “So, there was no love lost between the two of you,” the detective summarized.
    “Definitely not. I wouldn’t care if I ever saw that wretched woman again. I don’t know if she’s evil, or just a consummate opportunist, but she’s bad news, no pun intended.”
    “I see,” Jim said slowly. “Miss Gillmore, where did you go when you left the bar last night?”
     

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
    Missy and Echo brooded over mugs of steaming hot coffee at the cupcake shop, trying to figure out what on earth was happening and what to do about it. Missy was pale and her eyes were puffy and red from the emotionally horrific evening that she had spent.
    “I just don’t know what to do, Echo,” Missy picked at the delicious key lime cupcake that had been freshly baked that morning.
    “I don’t want to imply anything…” her friend began carefully. “But it seems awfully odd that Spencer just disappeared without a word to anyone, right after he saw you get into a fight with Hannah Folsom, and then she turns up dead.”
    Echo loved Spencer like a brother, but felt that she had to point out the obvious, because to think that Missy, Chas, or her beloved Kel had committed the murder was ludicrous.
    Missy shook her head, refusing to even entertain the thought.
    “He just does that sometimes… he disappears. He’s been to war as a Marine, we have no idea what he’s dealing with, but we do know that he’s good and kind and honorable,” she insisted. “There’s no way that he did this. It had to be someone else.”
    Echo fervently hoped so, but had to admit that she had reservations.
    “I just really hate that everyone who is important to me has this cloud of suspicion surrounding them. It’s ridiculous,” she sighed, not even touching the vegan key lime cupcake that Missy had made.
    “I know,” Missy nodded sadly. “Things haven’t been the same for me and Chas ever since that horrible woman came to town. I’m sorry to speak ill of the dead, but she really wreaked havoc in our lives in the short time that she was here.”
    “I know, honey,” Echo squeezed her friend’s hand. “We’ll figure something out. We can’t just sit by and wait for Jim Reubens to figure out what’s going on.”
    ***
    Detective Jim Reubens could smell the cold, stale coffee that remained in the mug on his desk. It had been a long night, and the morning wasn’t getting any better. A hotel key was found in Hannah Folsom’s handbag, prompting Jim to call the hotel, letting them know that no one was to be allowed into her room. He’d asked for security footage on her floor, but discovered that the only cameras on that level were near the elevators. Anyone who used the stairs could get in and out of the area without being seen electronically.
    He’d dispatched a forensics team to go through the hotel room, and would be heading there himself momentarily. Apparently, there had been volumes of evidence which suggested that the reporter had been pursuing a potentially damaging story involving Chas Beckett, and there were detailed accounts of interactions with Missy, Betty, and Kel as well. Jim grimaced at the thought. Beckett was a darn good detective, one of the best that he’d ever known, and seemed to be a fine human being as well. He hoped that the evidence which seemed to be stacking up against Chas would turn an entirely different direction, but there was a job to be done, and even if it ended up being unpleasant, he was determined to follow through.
    The detective had spent most of his morning trying to find information on Spencer Bengal, the detective’s handyman, and had come up with literally nothing, aside from a spotless service record in the Marine Corps. It seemed that the young man was merely a ghost, which raised an army of red flags in Reubens’ mind. He’d explore that avenue further after checking out the secrets that were