Free When Magic Is Murder (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 4) by Mary Maxwell

lot better.” He held out one arm. “It’s my
new cologne, don’t you know!”
    I leaned forward and sampled the
fragrance on his wrist. “That’s very nice. What’s it called?”
    “Intenso,” he said. “It’s from
Italy. Very popular with the younger set, from what I’m told. My sister sent it
to me for my birthday. She told me to…let’s see if I can recall her exact
words. I believe she told me to ‘stop being an old fart and start living it
up.’” He frowned. “I’m sorry about the language, Katie. I hope that didn’t
offend you.”
    “Absolutely not! I’ve heard far
worse in the kitchen when we get slammed by a busload of tourists.”
    “Not that sweet Julia!”
    I shook my head. “Nope. I’m usually
the one cussing up a storm.”
    “Well, I suppose that’s one way to
let off a little steam,” he said as I pushed back from the table and got up.
    “I’m going to let you finish those
pancakes in peace,” I said. “I need to get back in my office and take care of a
few things. But thanks so much for taking a moment to chat.”
    His smile was warm and infinite.
“Oh, anytime, young lady. Are you sure you don’t want me to call Annie and have
her sister get in touch with you?”
    “That’s sweet, but not necessary,”
I said, leaning down to give him a quick hug. “Have a wonderful day!”
    As I walked away from Reverend
Tuttle, I thought about what he’d just told me and what I’d learned the day
before from Dean at the coffee shop. Annie Dunkin’s sister had purchased a
skinny soy latte and then talked with a man fitting the description of the
victim found in the gazebo. It didn’t explain the cause of his death, but it
possibly shed some light on how a coffee cup marked with the name Bitsy ended
up at the scene.
    When I got to my office and settled
in at the desk, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Dina with the
information about Bethany Dunkin.
    “She’s going to love this,” I
muttered as I composed the note. “One less person to identify and two fewer
dots to connect.”

CHAPTER
14
     
     
    I was organizing the walk-in cooler
at Sky High an hour later when Julia told me there were two people in my
office.
    “Are they from Publishers Clearing
House by any chance?”
    Her face remained tight. “It’s
Connie Larson and some chump with a black eye the color of a Japanese
eggplant.”
    I complimented Julia on the
colorful description. Then I quickly finished the shelf I was arranging, closed
the walk-in door and crossed the kitchen to the small hallway that lead to my
office.
    “…whatever else you do,” Connie was
saying as I came through the door. “You need to be honest.”
    The guy with the shiner was slumped
in one of the guest chairs, elbows planted on his knees and his chin propped up
by two hands the size of baseball mitts. When he saw me enter the office, he
quickly got to his feet.
    “Hi, Katie,” Connie said. “This is
Shane Scott.”
    The man held out one of his fleshy
paws. When we shook, I was glad he went easy on me. He looked like a wrestler,
all muscle, no neck and a crooked nose that had probably been broken more than
once.
    “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Reed,”
he said, lowering his considerable bulk into the chair again.
    “Likewise,” I said. “Thanks for
coming in this morning.” I smiled at Connie, but she was biting her lower lip
like someone trying not to cry. “How was your meeting with Dina?”
    Shane started to answer, but Connie
reached over and put one hand on his arm.
    “It was fine,” she said, removing
the hand. “Shane told her all about the fight with the man Eloise found in the
gazebo. And that’s all we talked about.”
    I nodded. “She actually stopped by
here a little while ago to ask me what I knew.”
    Connie’s mouth trembled slightly.
“Why?” she asked. “Is she upset that I wanted your help?”
    “She was just reminding me that
she’s conducting the official investigation. It’s not a concern, so