Free Death by Tea by Alex Erickson Page B

isn’t she?” He clucked his tongue. “I just hope this doesn’t interfere with the book club competition. It would be a real shame if they had to cancel it.”
    â€œYou actually go to that thing?” I asked completely shocked. I mean, a book club competition? Really?
    â€œOf course,” Jules said with a smile. “Everyone does.” He glanced over his shoulder to where a tall, well-built blond man was walking our way. “Ah, here he is.” He waved. “Lance was dying to meet you.” He paused. “Well, figuratively speaking.”
    I’d seen Lance only in pictures before now, so it was quite a shock to see how well defined he was. He reminded me of a professional swimmer. His skin was tan, without a hint of sunburn anywhere. He wore a teal polo shirt with shortened sleeves that exposed biceps to die for. His shorts were khaki, revealing calves that I had to force my eyes from, lest I begin drooling.
    â€œKrissy Hancock?” he asked, extending his hand. A mile-wide grin split his face. “I’m Lance Darby.” I took his hand as if in a dream. His voice was deep and strong, as was his grip. “I’m Jules’s live-in.” He winked.
    â€œI, uh.” I cleared my throat. “Yeah.”
    He let go of my hand and planted his hands on his hips as he looked toward my house. “I can’t believe they are able to just come waltzing in like that. They should have waited until you got home.”
    â€œThey had a warrant.”
    He glanced at me. “And? That still doesn’t give them the right to invade your privacy like that. Jules has assured me you could have had nothing to do with that young man’s death.”
    â€œYou’re too good of a person to do something like that,” Jules put in. Maestro gave a little bark of agreement.
    â€œThanks.” I heaved a sigh and covered my face. I felt as if I was going to cry, and I wasn’t even sure whether it was because of their kind words or how I felt violated by the police. I took a shuddering breath that ended in a hiccup.
    A strong arm wrapped around me and I was pulled in close to tight, hard muscles. I could smell expensive cologne, and it was all I could do not to bury my face in Lance’s chest and breathe it in for the next hour.
    â€œIt’ll be okay,” he soothed. “This sort of thing will blow over eventually.”
    â€œI wish I could believe that.” It seemed like with every passing minute, things only got worse. What if David had been killed before I got to Death by Coffee? He could have been whacked beside the cutout, splattered blood on it, blood I’d somehow overlooked, and then been dragged upstairs to be stashed behind a bookshelf. If that was the case, I’d have a heck of a time talking my way out of a murder charge.
    I thought frantically back to when Misfit had clawed me during the Flossing Incident. Had I gone into my bedroom before Paul took me away? What about after? Had I still been bleeding? Or could Misfit have had my blood on his claws, which he shook off onto the cutout? If so, my goose surely would be cooked.
    â€œI still can’t believe this has happened,” Jules said. “I didn’t know this David fellow all that well, but I had seen him at Ted and Bettfast. He seemed nice enough.”
    I looked up, brow furrowed. “Ted and whatfast?”
    Jules waved a flippant hand. “Ted and Bettfast. It’s a little bed-and-breakfast down on Elm. Ted and Betty Bunford own it. She goes by Bett, by the way.”
    â€œOh.” Why wasn’t I surprised?
    â€œThe Cherry Valley folk always stay with Ted and Bett during the book club week when we have it here in Pine Hills. We saw David out by the pool with Sara Huffington all over him, didn’t we, Lance?”
    Lance nodded and squeezed my shoulder. “They looked very close, if you know what I mean.” I could almost feel his wink