Free Bad Bites: Donut Mystery #16 (The Donut Mysteries) by Jessica Beck

that she hadn’t known, I certainly didn’t want to be
the one who spoiled the memory of her late love for her.
    “Yes, you’re probably right.   Still, it was a terrible thing, what happened to my Chester.”
    “Nobody’s going to disagree with you there.”
    “I can think of one person who would.”
    “Who’s that?” I asked her.
    “Whoever killed him,” she said sadly.   After a moment, Shelly shook herself a
little, as if trying to wipe away the memory of what had happened to her late boyfriend.   “Thanks for taking the time to talk to
me.   After discussing it with you, I’ve
made up my mind for sure.   I’m
leaving town as soon as I can get out of here.”
    “Be sure to talk to Jake Bishop before you go,” I said before she could
get away.
    “Why should I do that?” Shelly asked.   “There’s nothing that I’ve told you that
you can’t share with him yourself.”
    “It doesn’t work that way, Shelly,” I explained.   “Jake is running the official police
investigation, whereas Grace and I are just snooping around the edges.”
    “I get that, but why do I need to speak to him before I go?”
    Did I really have to explain it to her?   “Think about how it would look if you
suddenly left town without explanation.”
    Shelly considered that possibility, and after a few moments, she said,
“It would make me look as though I were guilty and running away from
something.”
    “It just might,” I said, though I was positive that’s exactly what it
would have done.
    “Okay, I can do that.   I’ll
find him first, and then I’ll head back to my lodge,” she said.
    As she started for the door, I said, “I’ll walk you out.”
    As we left the kitchen and walked back out front, I was surprised to see
Jake standing at the counter speaking with Emma.   “What do you know; you’re just the man
we were looking for,” I said.
    “Is that a good thing or a bad one?” Jake asked as he nodded toward
Shelly.
    “It’s always good.   Jake, have
you met Shelly Graham?”
    “We spoke briefly last night,” he said, and then he turned to her.   “Are you feeling any better?   Is there any chance that we could have
that chat sometime today?”
    “We can do it right now, if you’d like,” Shelly said, and then she looked
around the donut shop at the sets of inquisitive stares pointing straight at
her.   “Only, can we do it outside?”
    “Absolutely,” Jake said.   As
he led her out the door, he turned back to me and added, “Don’t go
anywhere.   I’ll be back.”
    “There’s nowhere else that I need to be,” I said with a helpful smile.
    He returned it briefly, and then told Shelly, “After you.”

 
    Once they were outside, I glanced at Emma, who was making it a point not
to notice what had just happened.   Well, if she wasn’t going to comment on it, then neither was I.   After a moment, she asked me, “Suzanne,
should I stay up here, or should I get back to those dishes now?”
    “You can dive back in, but I might need you to cover the front again this
morning.”
    “All you have to do is call me,” Emma said as she departed.
    I tried to watch as Shelly and Jake spoke outside, but my pesky customers
kept coming in and ordering things.   I really didn’t mind the business, but it put my surveillance skills to
the test.
    After a solid five minutes, Jake came back in alone, but he didn’t have a
smile for me when he did.
    “Is everything okay?” I asked him.
    “To be honest with you, I have no idea at this point.   She’s leaving town.   Did she tell you that?”
    “She might have mentioned it,” I admitted, “but in my defense, I told her
that she had to talk to you before she took off.”
    “Thanks for that much, anyway.”
    “Did she tell you her alibi?”
    Jake nodded.   “If it sticks,
then she’s in the clear.   That’s a
mighty big if, though.”
    “I wouldn’t think a guest would be that hard to track down.”
    “Ordinarily no, but