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Sweet Scones & Murder

By Caroline Chase

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental.

Caroline Chase

Description

Chesapeake Pointe was supposed to be more peaceful than the big city when I moved here.
I didn’t think it would start off with discovering that Aunt Millie was murdered…

Brynn Monroe has a big problem.
She’s moved to Chesapeake Pointe to escape the hustle and bustle of New York City.
But her idea of peaceful went out the window when she finds her precious Aunt Millie dead.
It’s even more surprising when the cops say foul play was involved.

Who would want to kill dear ol’ Aunt Millie?
Well…it turns out just about everyone.
As Brynn looks into the murder, she sees that her “precious” Aunt Millie wasn’t so precious after all.
Half the town hated her guts. The other half wanted her dead.
The handsome, hunky detective from Brynn’s past, Alec Anders, is no help because he’s too gorgeous.
Every time he comes to ask Brynn questions she starts to daydream about the two of them.
Really stops an investigation when you’re tongue-tied to answer any questions.
But it also makes you a suspect.

With the town beginning to suspect Brynn, she knows that she only has a small amount of time to find the real killer and clear her name.

Before they strike again!

Also by Caroline Chase

About Caroline

Caroline Chase grew up with a profound love of books instilled into her by her loving parents. She always knew that writing was for her and submitted her first book for consideration at age 10. She was turned down but this only made her work harder. She currently resides in a cozy mountain cabin where she creates characters she loves and loves to kill.

Caroline's love of books is only rivaled by her love of her family and her pets, Lightning and Louise.

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Brynn

“Versace, get back in here!” Brynn said as she chased her cat out the door and around the yard. “You have to take a bath!” she yelled as the neighbor stood staring at her. “I'm sorry, Mrs. Cutler, Brynn said to her Aunt Millie's next-door neighbor.

Brynn Monroe never had to chase her cat around a yard before because, since having him, she never had a yard. It was his first experience with grass and running free and he looked as if he'd suddenly broken out of prison and was on the lam.

Throwing her hands up in defeat, Brynn sat down on the curb out front to wait him out. She knew he was too fast for her and she didn't have the energy to go after him. Looking around the quaint neighborhood, she didn't blame Versace for wanting to just take off and see the sights. It was, in a sense, exactly what she'd done when she escaped New York less than a month ago.

Brynn had lived in Chesapeake Pointe from birth to the time she went off to college at the age of eighteen. Although she'd always loved her hometown, her father, Andrew, had pushed her from an early age to get out and see the world. He had been a big influence on Brynn as far as her college degree and her eventual job at the big investment firm Carter Jeffries on Wall Street was concerned.

Brynn loved her father and always wanted to please him, so she felt by following his plan for her life, she would do just that. And it seemed to work. Each time she came home for a visit, Andrew would talk to his friends about the big job she had, the big apartment on the Upper East side, and her designer clothes. It seemed that she was living to please her dad instead of herself and it had brought her much sadness.

Brynn's dad retired from his job of hospital administrator six months before she came back, and he and her mother, Joan, decided to travel the world for a while. Brynn viewed their decision as her opportunity to get her life back on track and live it the way she wanted, in her hometown, working in what had once been her aunt's bakery, but was now hers.

Chesapeake Pointe had something New York didn't have. It had a lot of things the city didn't have, actually. The thing she'd missed the most besides family was the quiet. She missed the ability to sit and listen to absolutely nothing. New York wasn't like that. There was never a quiet moment there, not even on the Upper East side. It had seemed as if the noise would hung in the air like a heavy fog that never moved away, even when there wasn't a siren or a honking horn.

The sidewalks and buildings produced their own type of commotion. Even in the park, there were sounds that seemed to drill holes into her very soul. Maybe it was the dissatisfaction with her life, maybe it was the fact that she never felt safe there, or maybe it really was the quaint little coastal village that overlooked the Atlantic she missed the most. Whatever it was that brought her back, she knew the moment she set foot in town that she had made the right decision.

“Brynn, honey, did you find that cat?”

“No, Aunt Millie, not yet,” she called back to the voice behind her coming from the porch.

“I don't know why you want to bathe a cat in the first place,” she grumbled. “They hate water.”

Mildred “Millie” Stevens was Brynn's father's sister. She was gruff with others, but Brynn had always known her to be full of love. She had practically grown up in her aunt's house and that's what made staying with her, now that she was back home, so special.

Walking up the sidewalk to join her on the porch, Brynn smiled when she saw Millie rocking in her favorite chair. She came to rest on the white, wooden swing and laid back, putting her feet up on the chain as she had done so many times as a child.

“Aunt Millie?”

“Hmm?” she said, not taking her eyes off her knitting.

“Did you ever want to move away from here? You know, when you were young?”

Brynn put one foot on the floor to gently push herself back so that she could swing forward.

“No ma'am, I never did. I didn't have the desire you had to leave.”

Brynn knew Millie had no idea it was her own brother, Andrew who had pushed his daughter to go away, and Brynn would never tell her either. There was already too much bickering between Andrew and Millie.

“I always loved my home and my town. That's why I opened the bakery. I did it for the town. I wanted to share my gift of baking with the people here.”

“Aunt Millie, that's so sweet of you to feel that way.”

“Oh, I know I'm not liked, but I don't care. I still like to be good to others,” Millie said as she continued her knitting.

Brynn knew as well that Millie wasn't well-liked or highly thought of in town, but she could never figure out exactly why. Maybe Millie showed Brynn a side of herself reserved only for those she truly loved. She smiled as she watched Millie wrap the large needle around the yarn.

“I guess I should get back to looking for that cat,” Brynn said as she stood up. “I love you Aunt Millie, and I'm so grateful you're letting me stay here with you until I can find something.”

Millie finally took a break from knitting to look at the one person she loved more than anyone. “Brynn, you don't have to thank me. It's my pleasure to have you. Now if you're gonna chase that fur ball, I'm going in the house to bake you some sweet scones.”

Brynn smiled. “Thank you. Yours are my favorite. The whole time I was in New York, I never found a scone that compared to yours.”

“And you never will either,” Millie said as she laughed.

Brynn watched her go in as a dog came out. “Aunt Millie, Thunder ran out.”

“That's okay, he's probably going to take a poop.”

Thunder was Millie's six-pound Yorkie. He had a mouth on him like no other dog Brynn had ever encountered. He would stand and bark at an animal ten times his size but when something as simple as a storm came, he would run scared, frightened of the thunder claps, hence his name. Millie had owned him for almost four years and he was her little world.

“Come on boy,” Brynn said to him as she walked down the sidewalk. “Maybe you can scare Versace for me.” She laughed as she said it.

At the same time, she saw her big blue Russian cat parading up the sidewalk as if he was the king and every other living creature was his subject. Brynn knew her cat was a snob, but all cats were, she thought.

“Versace, come over here and let me bathe you.” She bent down and held out her hands to him, and, like an obedient child, he went right to her and rubbed against her legs. “Good boy. Are you ready to get a bath?” she asked.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere came Thunder, barreling toward her and Versace like a dog on a mission. “Meow!” Versace shrieked and ran around the other side of the house with Thunder hot on his heels.

“Oh my god! You two need to stop now!”

Brynn waited for them to return and when they did, they passed her and ended up in one giant tangle of fur on the ground, wrestling with each other. Thunder had jumped onto the cat's back and Versace was clawing him relentlessly. Brynn knew Thunder was playing. He was happy to have a buddy around, but Versace hated him from the first day they’d met.

“Alright, you two. I'll get the hose on you,” she yelled out. Brynn went to the side of the house, pulling it loose from the wheel and turned on the spigot. She pressed the handle to soak them, but inadvertently sprayed herself in the process.

“Ugh!” she said, wiping her face. “Now I can't see, thanks to you two mutts!”

Brynn dropped the hose and tried to use her shirt to wipe her face, but soon found it was soaked as well. Finally getting her eyes open, she looked up to see what appeared to be a Greek god standing before her holding both the cat and the dog in his arms.

Squinting one eye, she finally recognized her knight in shining armor. “Alec Anders?”

“At your service Ms. Monroe,” he said with a smile.

Brynn hadn't laid eyes on Alec since high school but today seemed to be her lucky day. “How are you?” she asked as she wiped her wet hands on her jeans and then extended one to shake his.

He laughed. “I'm afraid I've got mine full, so I can't shake,” he said with a pet under each arm.

“Oh, here, let me take them and put them inside.” She took the animals in her arms and started toward the house. “Have a seat on the porch and we'll catch up.”

Brynn dropped them just inside the door and then sat down one of the large rocking chairs. “I'm impressed at how easily you caught them. How did you do that?” she asked.

“I work for animal control. It's what I do,” he said and flashed his perfect white teeth.

“You do?”

Alec laughed. “No, I'm actually a detective with Chesapeake Pointe Police Department. But today, I'm in animal control.”

Brynn watched him as he spoke. He was gorgeous. Tall with thick black hair, piercing blue eyes and the body of a male dancer. She wondered how she could have missed all that in high school. Things were about to get interesting in Brynn Monroe's life, and at the moment, it had nothing to do with the small town.

Alec

Alec sat with Brynn on her aunt's porch, unable to believe it. He had known her since their freshman year of high school but had never really noticed her. His memory of Brynn was someone who was smart and nerdy, in other words, a bookworm. He, on the other hand, was a jock, having played baseball and football, and excelling at both. He did remember that she had cheered the last two years of school, but back then she certainly wasn't the beauty that was sitting in front of him now.

She spoke of how her cat didn't like the dog who only wanted a playmate, but Alec only caught a few words here and there. He was mesmerized by her ability to be a mess with wet hair and clothes and at the same time be completely comfortable with herself.

She suddenly stopped talking and just looked at him. “What?” she asked.

“What?” he returned.

“I don't know.” She giggled. “You were just staring at me blankly.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I was caught up in your dog and cat tale.” He hoped she would buy it and not realize that he was really appreciating her beauty.

“So, tell me, what you've been up to,” he said. “I heard you were living the high life in New York City.”

She shook her head. “I was,” she sighed. “But I got tired of it.”

“Tired of New York?” he asked incredulously. “How can you get tired of a city that has everything you could ever want?”

Brynn stared out into the distance at the house across the street. “Believe me, it's not that hard. Especially when you really don't want to be there in the first place.”

Alec listened as she spoke softly. He watched her delicate hands as she explained things. He suddenly found her very desirable.

Boy, what was wrong with you in high school? Why weren't you trying to date this girl?

“So, what else do you want to know?” she asked.

Alec realized that he had missed half of what she'd said because he was only paying attention to her, not her words.

“Just tell me why you left all that to come back here? I mean, most people wouldn't look back if they had made it as far as you did.”

Brynn smiled. “It's not that big of a deal there, Alec. It's overrated, trust me.”

Alec smiled. “Okay. But why here when you can probably afford to go anywhere? What is it about this sleepy little town that brought you back?”

Brynn laughed. “Probably the same thing that made you stay. The town itself and what it represents.”

She turned to the side to face him. “Alec, New York City is a beautiful place, don't get me wrong. There are museums, and jazz concerts, and little pubs to hang out at with friends, but it's just not home.” She shook her head and sighed. “I know you could’ve left if you wanted to. I remember how wealthy your granddad was. How come you don't just take off?”

Alec chuckled. “For the same reasons you came back. This place is home. It's where my heart is. Where all my memories are and where my future is. So I get it. I really do.”

Brynn smiled as she looked at him.

God, she is beautiful. Even when a wet mess, she's flawless.

“You know which place I missed the most while I was gone?”

Alec closed an eye and thought. “The beach?”

She shook her head. “No, it was this place right here. This porch. I can't tell you how many days I spent out here doing homework or reading a book or just lying on the swing watching butterflies. You can't get that in New York, not like we have here.”

Alec was glad that he'd seen this woman chasing the cat and dog and decided to stop and help. He could tell already that he found her fascinating.

“So, tell me what you've been up to,” she asked.

“Not a whole lot. After school, I went to work for my dad in the office downtown. I hated it.”

“Really?” she asked. “Yeah, I can't see you crunching numbers for the rest of your life.”

Alec laughed. “I stayed there for about two years, then I went to the police academy and became an officer. Last year I was promoted to detective and here I am.”

“Here you are.” She giggled. “That's fantastic. I say do what you love, not what you are told to do. It's your life. You should live it for yourself.”

“Oh, are you trying to convince me or yourself?” he asked.

Brynn laughed. “Me, actually. You know it was my dad who pushed me into getting that degree in finance and that job on Wall Street. None of that was my idea. But I loved daddy and I wanted to make him happy. So I did all that he planned for me.”

“So what did you want to do?” he asked. Alec was genuinely curious about her story.

“I wanted to work in my aunt's bakery. That's all. I love to bake and cook and that's all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life.”

“That's what you should do then.”

Brynn laughed. “It's funny you should say that because it's exactly what I'm doing.” She was all smiles when Alec looked at her.

“Really? That's great.”

“Yes, I am leasing it from my aunt and I finished the remodel this week. We open on Monday.”

“Well, I thought I saw that the sign was gone, and that some work was being done. I just thought Millie had finally loosened her purse and was redoing the place. I had no idea that it was you.”

Brynn smiled. “Yep. I've changed the name from Sea Side Sweets to Playing With Flour. Catchy, huh?”

“Yeah, that's a pretty upbeat name. Very modern. I wish you the best with it.”

“Well, you'll have to bring all your cop friends in for doughnuts,” she said with a grin.

“Now Brynn, that's a stereotype. We don't eat doughnuts. We eat brownies.”

They both laughed.

“Well, I have the best brownies in the world. They are so chewy and full of chocolate.”

“I will definitely stop in for that.”

“So, how about a family? Are you married? Kids?”

Alec smiled. “No, none.”

“Really? Wow, that's some kind of record,” she said.

Alec wrinkled his forehead. “Why?”

“Well, look at you. You're a great catch. You have a really great job, a nice truck,” she pointed to his big oversized pickup out front. “You come from a great family and you're great-looking.”

Alec’s eyed widened. “Well, thank you.” He smiled.

“Well, you know what I mean,” she said, as if she was trying to straighten out her words.

“I know what you mean. I get it.”

“I mean, I hope you don't think I'm trying to ‘catch’ you.” She laughed.

Lady, I think you already have.

“Not at all,” he said. “I bet you have plenty of guys to keep your dance card full.”

Brynn giggled. “Hardly. No. When you work like I did, it's hard to find time to date. I am the least social person you'll ever meet.”

Alec looked at her shiny chestnut hair and dark eyes. She was perfect. Her slender frame and long legs added to her overall beauty.

How is it possible that she hasn’t married yet or at least have a boyfriend?

“Alec, where are my manners? Would you like something to drink?”

“Well, if you have a glass of sweet tea, I'll take that.”

Brynn smiled. “We have a whole pitcher. I'll be right back.”

Alec watched a bird as it landed on the ground out front. All she had just told him made him wonder if fate had played a big role in him stopping to catch the animals. Maybe it was more. Maybe they were meant to cross paths. Whatever it was, he had to find out.

“Here you go,” she said as she gave him the tall glass. She set hers down on the table next to her chair.

“Thank you.”

“So how are your parents?” she asked.

“They're doing fine. Dad's getting ready to take Mom to France for her birthday next month.”

“Oh, how nice,” she said as she took a sip of her tea. “I've never been, but that will be a great trip for her.”

“Other than that, they’re doing fine.”

Alec finished his tea in a couple of drinks. “Well, I guess I'd better be heading back to work.”

“Oh, okay. I'm so glad that you stopped to help me. And that we had the chance to catch up.”

“Me, too. I'm glad the dog was attacking the cat,” he said and laughed.

“So am I,” Brynn replied. “The next time they get into a fight, I'll know who to call.”

“Hey, call me anytime and I'll come running.”

Brynn smiled. “Deal.”

Alec hugged her before he left. “It really was a pleasure.”

“Thank you. Hey, don't forget to come by the bakery on Monday for some freshly baked brownies. I'll reserve one just for you.”

“I'll be there.”

He watched her walk back into the house as he started his truck.

“Thank you, fate!”

Brynn

“Ugh.” Brynn pushed her hair away from her face with one hand as she fumbled for the alarm with the other. She managed to open her eyes just enough to see the outline of the old clock. She felt for the button on the back and pressed it, bringing the loud ringing to a sudden halt. The echo in her ears was enough to jar her from any slumber that tried to still cling to her.

Wow, Aunt Millie, you sure do know how to wake a girl up.

Leaning back on her elbows, she looked around the room for a few seconds trying to figure out her aunt's obsession with lighthouses. They were everywhere she looked. The curtains, the comforter, and the throw pillow in the chair all had some version of a lighthouse embroidered on them.

She rolled her eyes as she swung her long legs off the side of the bed before getting up to begin her day. The hardwood was cold under her feet even though it was spring. Temperatures in New England tend to stay a bit on the chilly side well into late May.

“Versace?” Brynn never started her morning without giving her beloved cat a good massage. “There you are,” she said, pulling back the sheet to see him nestled all cozy underneath. Stroking his back with both hands, she heard him purr softly.

“You like that, don't you?”

She continued to rub his back for couple minutes before heading into the cold bathroom.

I look tired.

Looking in the mirror was something she didn't seem to be doing as much lately as she used to when she lived in New York. Her looks used to be one of her top priorities, but things had changed since she'd moved back to Chesapeake Pointe. Gone were the days of facials, manicures, and shopping. Now, they were filled with questions like how many scones she needed to bake for the lunch rush and whether the plumber had gotten the toilets in working order yet. It was quite the change of pace all right, but a welcome one on her part.

She smiled at her reflection. “I can be happy here,” she said aloud as she thought of her new, simple life.

The hot water felt soothing as she lowered herself into the claw foot tub to soak. She added a couple drops of lavender oil and lay back to take in the scent and meditate before starting her busy day of preparing for the opening of her bakery.

“Versace?” she called out from the bathroom after hearing a loud thud. Quickly drying off, she threw on her fluffy white robe and made her way into the bedroom to investigate. Her eyes scanned the room before spotting him in the corner playing with some yarn that she suspected belonged in her aunt's sewing basket.

“Give me that, you silly cat!” she said as she took it from him and placed the basket back on the dresser where it belonged.

She opened the oversized wardrobe door to find that her designer labels looked out of place against the backdrop of old, antique furniture that now housed them.

I never thought I'd see the day my Jimmy Choos would sit in an old wooden box that smells of mothballs.

She smiled as she pulled out her plain white t-shirt and basic blue jeans.

Even though both had the name Ralph Lauren stitched inside them, no one in town could tell they were expensive. She was trying her best to fit in with her would-be customers. She had known for many years that her Aunt Millie wasn't well-liked by the townspeople and she wondered if that wasn't what had hurt her business. Brynn had her mind made up that she was going to treat people the exact opposite of how her aunt did. She knew that being nice to people was the key to operating any business, especially a small bakery in a small town.

Lightly rubbing her hand over the black, silk dress that hung in front of her, she felt a slight tinge of sadness.

“I'll wear you again one day, I promise,” she said as if the dress needed an explanation as to why it was now taking up residence in an old musty wardrobe instead of the opulent, oversized closet that it once called home in her fancy New York apartment.

“You too,” she said in the direction of her four-inch stilettos that sat on the shelf next to the dress.

She walked back into the bathroom and quickly ran a paddle brush through her thick, chestnut hair before twisting it up into a knot on the back of her head. She secured it with a few pins and was off to start her day, just like that. She marveled at how easy it was getting ready for work now, compared to when she was working in the big city and feeling the need to be perfect each morning before catching a cab down to Wall Street.

The drive to town had always been one of her favorite things to do since she’d moved back home. She loved looking at the perfect cottages with their white picket fences and rose bushes already in bloom. Chesapeake Pointe was a quaint little town full of nice people. Almost too nice, she thought, as each person waved at her when she drove past their homes.

“Hey lady,” Lisa's voice rang out from the back room as Brynn walked in the bakery.

Lisa Newcomb had been her best friend for as long as she could remember. It seems she had always been around. Brynn’s first memory of her was watching her stand up to a six-year-old boy on the playground at school when he had taken her ball. Lisa had always been sweet and quirky, but she had a side to her that would let you have it if you crossed her. Brynn always classified it as an asset, but others saw it as a kind of mean streak. Lisa, on the other hand, didn't care what anyone thought of her.

“I am who I am,” she would always say to Brynn with a smile.

“Hey, yourself,” Brynn said as she headed straight for the coffee pot. “I need a cup of caffeine so badly.” Adding the creamer, she inhaled the aroma coming from the kitchen. “Is that –?” she paused and smiled.

“It is!” Lisa rang out. “Lemon bars!”

“I know they are basic, but they really are my favorite thing in a bakery,” Brynn said, setting her cup on the counter. “They remind me of when I was little, you know?”

“There you go, reminiscing again,” Lisa said with a giggle.

“I can’t help it,” Brynn replied.

“Come on, I’m only kidding. I know it’s why you came back.”

“It really is, you know.”

“I know, and I’m the one who always told you that you’d be back one day.”

Lisa had been right all along. She'd come home to stay.

“I hope we can turn this place around,” Brynn said as she looked at all her new fixtures. “I know that Aunt Millie poured her heart and soul into it, but I think the reason it wasn't more successful was because of who she became as she got older.” She looked at Lisa for reassurance.

“Maybe,” Lisa said. “I think that her attitude was a part of it. But I also think that she didn't change with the times. She wanted to stick to the old formula of a bakery with the same old goodies. You have to find out what's new and what's selling with young people.”

“Yeah, she would never have thought to put Chai Crème Frappuccino on the menu,” Brynn said before bursting into laughter.

“No, it's not exactly her thing,” Lisa said with a loud giggle.

“Well, can you lock up the back door and ride over to the house with me?” Brynn asked as she put a lid on her cup and headed toward the front door.

“Sure, what did you forget?”

“I have all that signage that I need to bring over. You know, the large banner for our grand re-opening, under new management, whatever you want to call it.” She smiled. “It was too much for me to get alone. Besides, you can say hi to Aunt Millie.” She smiled and tilted her head to the side, trying to sell Lisa on the idea that it was a good thing.

“Oh yeah, I'm just dying to see her. She and I have never been each other’s cups of tea,” Lisa said as Brynn locked the front door before they both headed to the car.

After the short drive across town, Brynn parked her SUV and asked the one question Lisa didn't want to hear. “Are you ready?”

“Oh yeah, I'm ready,” Lisa answered. “But just so you know, if that old bat says anything out of the way to me, I'm gonna pop her one.”

Brynn laughed. “You have my permission,” she said, knowing how difficult her aunt could be at times.

“Aunt Millie?” she called out as they both walked in the front door. “Aunt Millie, I have Lisa with me.”

There was silence.

“Maybe she went somewhere,” Lisa said.

“No, her car was out there. Hmm. Maybe she went next door to Myrtle's.”

“Well, let's just get the stuff and be gone,” Lisa said, seemingly in a rush.

“Alright, come on.”

The two walked through the mudroom that led to the garage.

“Wow, what a lot of junk. It's been years since I've been in here.”

“I know. I think Aunt Millie is a pack rat.”

“You mean, a hoarder,” Lisa said with a chuckle.

“Well, I was trying to be nicer,” Brynn said as she put on a cheeky grin.

They made two trips to the car and back, carrying all of the signs and banners that would be needed to open the “new” bakery the next day.

“I need some water before we go,” Lisa said as she huffed. “That was heavy.”

“I know. I didn't realize the banner weighed so much,” Brynn added. “Come on, let's grab a bottle from the fridge.

Walking into the kitchen first, Lisa screamed when she looked down to see Millie's lifeless body lying on the floor in front of her.

“Oh, my gosh!” Brynn screamed. “Call 911! NOW!”

Lisa ran to the phone on the wall and dialed the number. Brynn could hear her giving directions in the background as her head swirled, wondering what to do.

“I don't know,” Lisa said into the phone. “Brynn, does she have a pulse?”

Brynn placed her first two fingers gently on her aunt’s neck and waited a couple of seconds before looking up at Lisa and shaking her head.

“No, she doesn't,” Lisa said calmly to the operator on the other end. “Okay.” She finished the call and placed the receiver back on the box.

“Oh Aunt Millie,” Brynn whispered as she began to cry.

Lisa stood over them. “I wonder what happened.”

“I don't know. A heart attack, maybe?” Brynn said as she stood up and looked around the room.

“It looks like she was eating something.” Lisa pointed to the crumbs beside Millie's body.

Brynn stooped down to examine them closer. “Hey, look, there's her coffee mug under the table.” She picked it up and looked up at Lisa. “Poor thing probably just had finished her breakfast and had a heart attack.”

“Yeah, poor thing,” Lisa muttered.

Brynn looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Come on. I know you didn't like her, but really? Have a little compassion.”

“I'm sorry. I hate that it happened.”

It was all Lisa could muster at the moment. She had stayed behind after Brynn left, and had seen how Millie had treated the others in town who tried to be nice to her. While on the other side of it all, Brynn was living another life in another city and knew nothing of who her aunt had really become.

Both women were sitting on the couch when they were startled by a loud knock on the front door.

“OH!” They shouted in unison as they jumped.

Brynn briskly walked to the door and opened it, expecting to see an EMT or some other kind of medically trained person but instead got quite a surprise.

“Alec? Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I got a call about a possible death at this address,” he returned, seemingly surprised by her question.

“Yeah, my Aunt Millie,” she replied, tripping over her thoughts and words. “She's in the kitchen.” She turned and led the way to the body.

Both Brynn and Lisa stood in the doorway as Alec checked for a pulse. “Yep, she's dead alright,” he said matter-of-factly.

Brynn couldn't help her eyes from roaming his tight body in the uniform that seemed to hug every muscle he had. What was it about Alec that attracted her so? Sure, she'd seen hot guys before, but this one had something that none of the others had. He had some kind of charisma. Yeah, there was definitely something different about him.

“Brynn?” he asked loudly.

She blinked as if she had been in some kind of trance. “I'm sorry. What?”

“I asked if this is how you found her.”

“Um, yes. We haven't moved anything.”

“Well, there was the cup,” Lisa offered. “You found her coffee cup under the table.”

“Where is that cup now?” he asked, sounding very professional.

It was as if Brynn wasn't hearing a word he was saying. She was mesmerized by his strong jaw and tanned face. It didn't matter that her aunt was lying on the floor dead. No, she was checking out the stud in front of her.

Lisa waved her hand in front of Brynn's face. “Hey, are you in there?” she asked her best friend.

“I'm sorry,” she said. “I guess I'm just a little shaken up.”

“Brynn, I'm going to have to ask you some questions if you don't mind.” He looked at Lisa as if to say scram.

Lisa excused herself and walked out of the room so they could have privacy.

“Where is the ambulance?” Brynn asked him.

“They'll be along shortly,” he said as he took her by the elbow. “I need for you to tell me what happened here this morning.”

The touch of his warm hand on her bare elbow was enough to send a shiver up her spine. She looked up at his blue eyes and felt all her senses go numb. She couldn't move. She stood there staring at him, not speaking at all.

“Brynn, I'm going to have to ask you to come to the station with me.”

She snapped back to reality. “What? Why?”

“Well, you're not answering any of my questions here at the house, and so I'm going to have to take you down to the station.”

“You can't be serious!” She was suddenly back to reality at the mere mention of being taken downtown.

Alec

Could this day get any worse?

Alec Anders paced the floor in an interrogation room in the Chesapeake Pointe Police Department. He wasn’t accustomed to this feeling. He liked feeling as if he was in control of every situation, but the murder of Brynn’s Aunt Millie had him reeling. He had brought Brynn downtown to ask her some questions and hopefully clear her name.

“Brynn, who do you know that may want to harm your Aunt Millie?” He sat down across from her in an uncomfortable metal chair that matched the one she occupied.

She lifted her eyes to meet his and he saw they were red-rimmed and puffy from crying. “Alec I honestly can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt her. I just don’t understand what happened.”

Tears fell down her cheeks and Alec found himself wanting to reach over and wipe them away.

Get a grip man. She’s a possible suspect in her aunt’s murder and you are acting like a teenage boy who just saw his first crush.

He pulled himself together and delivered some news that he was sure wouldn’t make Brynn feel any better.

“I know it’s been a while since you lived here, and I hate to sound disrespectful to the dead but your aunt wasn’t exactly everyone’s favorite person.”

Brynn looked taken aback at this statement and quickly stood up, causing her metal chair to scrape loudly on the concrete floor.

“That is a horrible thing to say about Aunt Millie. She was a wonderful person and everyone loved her including me!”

Her sudden outburst had brought the attention of several officers who quickly came down the hall to assist. Having heard Brynn’s statement in favor of her aunt, one of them commented offhandedly, “Wow she really has been gone a while.”

“Come on guys, move along now. Everything is fine here. I just need to ask Ms. Monroe a few more questions.” Alec heard them continue their mumbling as they retreated down the hall. “I’m sorry for their comments, Brynn, but they are not entirely wrong. Sit back down and let’s talk a little more about your aunt.”

She seemed to have run out of steam. She slowly sank back down into the hard metal chair and sat completely silent for a few seconds as she regained her composure.

“So everyone hated her, huh?” Brynn asked him in a matter-of-fact tone.

He felt sorry for her and the situation in which she found herself. He tried to soften the blow, “Well, hate is a pretty strong word, so I will just say they strongly disliked her.”

She frowned a little when she asked. “And her bakery. Did they hate it, too?”

He nodded slightly. “Again, hate is a very strong word.”

She sat back in the chair and took a deep breath before she spoke. “I had an idea that people weren’t too fond of the bakery when I saw the books, but I thought it was just because she hadn’t updated in a while. Everyone loves a modern shop with new items.”

He nodded his head in agreement and waited for her to continue. Brynn seemed to relax a little as she sat back in her seat and crossed her long slender legs.

Alec found himself following the line of that leg up to her toned body and beautiful face. He shook his head as if to clear the thoughts and tried to get back to the business at hand.

“So I asked you earlier if you could think of anyone who would want to hurt your Aunt Millie. Do you have anyone in mind now?”

If she had noticed that he was checking her out, she didn’t let on.

“Well, not right off the top of my head, but since you did bring up the fact that nobody liked her, it could be anyone.”

That was the thing that Alec feared the most, too many suspects. He tried to switch up tactics in order to make Brynn a little more comfortable.

“How are things down at the bakery since the grand re-opening?”

He knew that under her aunt’s ownership the bakery had slowly began to lose business. He hoped it was due to lack of upgrades and not her aunt not being all that likeable.

Brynn perked up a bit as she talked about the bakery. “I feel pretty good about it really. Lisa and I have been working extra hard to make sure that all the items we have to offer are fresh and delicious. I just want it to be the way it was when I was a little girl, you know?”

Alex knew exactly what she meant. He could remember being a young boy and stopping at the bakery when he was out and about in town. Millie had always been so sweet to him and had even slipped free baked goods into his bag. She always seemed to know exactly when he needed a little something extra.

A feeling of sadness draped over him as he realized that as much as he tried to keep himself impartial about her murder, he was really going to miss that old woman. The sadness began to build when he thought about how much Brynn was going to miss her too.

This was her family, her flesh and blood. She has to be innocent, right?

He wanted so badly to believe that Brynn had nothing to do with killing her aunt Millie, but history had shown him that people were not always who they seemed. It had been years since he had really seen Brynn or spent any time with her at all. Who knew what her real motive was for returning to Chesapeake Pointe. Did she kill her aunt so that, if the bakery became successful again, Millie wouldn’t be able to take it back? Was she just putting on a show about how much she loved her aunt when she really just couldn’t take Millie’s meanness any longer? Those were the questions Alec needed answers to before he could eliminate her as a suspect.

“Brynn, I apologize that I had to bring you in for questioning. It’s just standard procedure on our part.”

She quickly recovered her sweet smile and said, “I completely understand, Alec. I mean what kind of detective would you be if you didn’t check out all the facts?”

“I know that you’re just opening up again and I wouldn’t want this to affect your business. We just have to check out all possible leads.”

Brynn nodded in agreement. “Thank you. If rumors don’t abound that I was here, then it shouldn’t. And I know you wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt my business.”

He had a feeling that the bakery would be thriving again in no time. “I know you have been working hard with getting the bakery remodeling finished and getting opened back again. Have you had a chance to go out much?”

What was he thinking? Alec couldn’t believe he’d just asked that. He shouldn’t be flirting with a possible murder suspect.

Brynn’s cheeks reddened as she replied, “Well, thank you for being concerned with my social life, Detective. To answer your question, no, I haven’t had a chance to go out.”

He found himself strangely relieved to hear it and hoped that his face didn’t show his elation. He stammered when he next spoke. “I – I didn’t mean to pry, Brynn. Honestly, I was just wondering if you had gotten a chance to get reacquainted with the town.”

She looked like she was having a bit too much fun with him at this point. “Now Alec, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were flirting with me.”

Now it was Alec’s turn to blush. “Brynn – I – I promise that was not what I was doing.” Pull yourself together, man. She is getting inside your head. You are supposed to be questioning her.

She simply laughed out loud. “Gosh Alec, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I know you’re just trying to make me feel better about this whole situation and I appreciate that.”

“Okay, you really got me there. I guess I should let you out of here since there isn’t much more I can ask at this point.”

Brynn looked both relieved and a little disappointed. He couldn’t be sure if she was guilty of murder, but she sure was guilty of making him sit up and take notice of her.

“Thank you Alec, I know that you knew Aunt Millie too, and this can’t be easy for you either.”

He felt that wave of sadness again, “You’re right. I did know her, and, despite what others thought about her, she was always good to me. I just want you to know that if you need anything, day or night, just call me.” He knew that he shouldn’t have thrown that last part in there, but he couldn’t help himself.

She gave him a genuine smile and replied, “Thank you. I just might take you up on that offer.”

He watched her leave.

There goes trouble.

Brynn

“Hey, are you alright?” Lisa asked through the closed restroom door of the bakery.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Brynn sniffed as she wiped her nose with a tissue.

Swinging open the door, she walked out. “This is so awful. Poor Aunt Millie was poisoned.” Her tears began to flow heavily as she headed back to the restroom, leaving Lisa alone in the dining area again.

“I'm sorry, Brynn. It was a horrible way to die. I can't imagine someone being so cruel.”

Brynn stepped back out and sniffed loudly. “I can't either.” She sat down at the table in the corner. “And I keep thinking of poor Thunder. He’ll lost without her in that house now.”

“I'd say he will be. She's had that little dog for quite a while now.” Lisa joined her with a cup of tea. “Here, drink this. It will calm you.”

“Thanks.” Brynn sipped the warm tea and looked around the bakery. “I never realized when I made plans to move back that this would happen.” She looked around at the display cases and tables. “She poured her heart and soul into this place, you know.”

“I know,” Lisa said. “It was really all she had in life.”

“It was,” Brynn agreed. “Well, other than –” She stopped mid-sentence.

“What?”

“Oh my god, I had completely forgotten with everything that's been going on.” Brynn put her head on the table and began to cry again.

“Forgot what?” Lisa sounded confused.

“Forgot to call Aunt Beulah and tell her.” She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. “I guess I should give her a call sometime today.”

“Wow, I had totally forgotten about that old, crabby sack of wrinkles, too,” Lisa said.

Brynn raised her head off her arms, looked at Lisa, and laughed so loud that it echoed through the bakery. “That's one way of putting it.”

“Well, I'm sorry, Brynn. Your aunts were never really nice to a whole lot of people.”

Lisa was point blank with everything. If she thought it, she usually said it. Brynn had told her many times in her life it was one of her favorite things about her. With Lisa, people knew where they stood. There was no guessing. If she liked someone, they knew it. And if she disliked someone, well, they usually knew that, too. Her thoughts easily became her words, and she didn't care.

“I know. Aunt Beulah is lucky she married and moved away or the whole town would have turned on her as well.”

“Hey, I didn't hate your family. I mean, there were times when we were kids and Millie gave us free cookies and stuff. But as she got older, something happened to her and she just became so hateful and difficult. I think most people liked her until then.”

“You're right. I remember those times, too. We would come in here after riding our bikes by the water and she would have fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies ready for us. They would still be warm and chewy.” Brynn smiled as she recalled her aunt's generosity.

“Yeah, those were fun days,” Lisa agreed.

Both women turned toward the door when the bell rang, signifying someone walking in. Brynn's eyes widened at the sight of her Aunt Beulah. “Oh crap,” she whispered to Lisa.

“Yeah, speak of the devil and he shows up,” Lisa muttered under her breath.

“Aunt Beulah,” Brynn said as she stood up. “I was just getting ready to call you.”

Beulah Michaels was Millie’s sister. She was a tall woman in her late sixties with short gray hair and broad shoulders. Lisa used to joke when they were little that she could have been a linebacker for the Giants, to which Brynn would laugh until she almost cried. Both girls remembered her as being meaner than Millie. Lisa always hated when they ran into her at Brynn's house. She hardly visited, but when she did, she made her presence known with her loud voice and hateful tone.

Beulah strode slowly into the bakery without saying a word, never taking her eyes away from Brynn's. She got within two inches of Brynn's face before finally speaking.

“Why didn't you call me yesterday?” she hissed.

Brynn was dumbfounded and without her voice. “I – I –” she stammered. “I forgot. With all of what happened. I just forgot.” She found the words but struggled to form a sentence.

“Oh, I bet you forgot,” Beulah said snidely. “I'd say you weren't even planning to call me.”

Brynn looked at Lisa then back at Beulah. “I was, Aunt Beulah, I promise. I've just been caught up in Aunt Millie’s death and the bakery,” she trailed off as Beulah pushed past her and walked into the kitchen.

Lisa immediately followed her and Brynn knew her protective instincts would kick in at any moment, probably resulting in a huge fight. Both women were strong-willed, but Beulah had pure meanness coupled with hers. On the other hand, Lisa had never been one to back down from anything.

“So this is your bakery now, huh?”

There it was. The reason for her hostility.

“Yes, ma'am. That's right. I leased the building from Aunt Millie a couple of months ago and began the remodel on it.” Brynn was trying her best not to start a fight.

“You leased it? Don't you mean, you own it?” Her words were sharp.

“Well, I own the fixtures and the appliances because I bought them when I remodeled the place, but I only rent the building from Aunt Millie.” She wondered why it was a big deal.

Beulah turned to her and laughed. “You can't be serious? You expect me to buy that bull!”

Lisa stepped up to Beulah. “Hey, listen here you old –” she stopped when Brynn interrupted.

“Excuse us, Aunt Beulah,” Brynn said as she reached for Lisa's arm and practically dragged her to the kitchen.

“What are you doing?!” she demanded.

“I'm stepping up for you. That old hag's not gonna come in here and step all over you while I'm here.”

“Listen, I appreciate your loyalty, I do. But now is not the time to be starting family feuds. Aunt Millie has been killed and apparently I'm the only suspect they have because I was in the house at the time. Aunt Beulah is here, and I can't handle a fight on top of it all. So please, take it easy for me,” she said in her most pitiful voice.

“All right. But if that old witch says one more word to you, she will get it.” Lisa straightened her clothes and walked back to the dining room to where Beulah now stood.

“I'm sorry, Aunt Beulah. What were you saying?” Brynn tried to compose herself enough to speak with her hateful aunt.

“I was saying, don't play dumb, my dear.” Beulah slowly as she turned to face Brynn.

Her stare was enough to cause a chill to run down Brynn's spine.

“Aunt Beulah, I have no idea what you're talking about.” Brynn backed up a couple of steps as the old woman stared at her.

Beulah shook her head in seeming disbelief. “Don't tell me she didn't make you aware of the fact she left you this place in her will?”

Brynn's heart sank. Her eyes welled with tears. “What? No, I had no idea.”

Beulah chuckled. “I find that hard to believe.”

Brynn looked at Lisa and knew she was on the verge of attacking. “Aunt Beulah, who told you this?”

“Millie herself, that’s who. The last time I spoke with her, almost two weeks ago, she told me if anything ever happened to her, you'd get the building,” she said with a smirk.

“I had no idea,” Brynn said sadly. “That's so kind of her.”

Lisa walked over and put her hand on Brynn's back. “It was very nice of her, Brynn. She loved you so much.”

“Nice? Are you kidding?” Beulah was upset. “This place should have been mine! I'm the one who helped her get it cleaned up all those years ago. I'm the one who loaned her the money when she had to buy a new oven! I'm the one who should have gotten it after her death!”

She slammed her hand on the table so hard that both girls jumped and screamed at the same time.

“You may think you have it Brynn, but I'll contest the will if I have to. It belongs to me more than you. What did you ever do for her?”

Brynn was about to speak up and defend herself when she saw Alec coming through the door with another officer.

Thank goodness they're here. Maybe she'll shut up now.

“Hey, Alec. What's up?” she asked, trying to steer the conversation away from confrontation to something a little more civil.

“Brynn, I need to talk to you in private,” he said.

“Sure, let's go.” She led the way to the backroom where her office was. “Have a seat.”

“We can't. We're gonna have to shut the doors for a while. This is Officer Hazelett.”

“Hi,” was all she offered to him as she kept her eyes on Alec. “What do you mean?”

Her brow furrowed like it always did when she was genuinely confused, leaving a small crease on her otherwise smooth forehead.

“I mean, we have a search warrant to take a look around and see if there's anything here that would be helpful to us.”

“You can't be serious,” she said. “This is my business. I can't just close it down. We just opened!”

“Ma'am, we have a search warrant that says we can,” Officer Hazelett retorted.

“Amos, I can handle this,” Alec said as he raised his hand slightly. “Brynn, it won't be for long and I promise to tread lightly and keep you informed.”

Brynn shook her head. “What choice do I have?”

“None, unfortunately.”

“Alright, I'll be at home. Call me when you're done so I can come and clean up.”

“Will do,” Alec offered.

Brynn walked back to the dining area and looked at Lisa in defeat. “Well, they're running us out for a while.”

“What? Why?” she questioned quickly.

“They have a search warrant and need to check things out.” She looked at Beulah. “I guess we'll go home.”

The girls went to get their purses when suddenly they heard a loud laugh. Turning back to Beulah, they saw her smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

“Is something funny?” Lisa demanded.

“Not funny,” Beulah returned. “Just satisfying.”

Brynn knew her aunt was happy her bakery was closing. She knew the moment Beulah spoke of how it should have been hers that Brynn was going to have a fight on her hands. But there's one thing Beulah didn't know about Brynn. She was tough and she, like Lisa, never backed down from a fight.

“Hey, Alec?” Brynn called out.

He came to the doorway of the dining room.

God, he's handsome.

“Can you lock up behind us, please?”

“Sure,” he said as he followed them to the door. “Don't worry, Brynn.” He smiled, causing her heart to skip a beat.

She nodded slightly and the three ladies walked toward their vehicles.

“I'll follow you to my sister's house,” Beulah said dryly.

Brynn was quiet for most of the drive across town until something hit her mind like a lightning bolt. “Hey!” she shouted in the silence, scaring Lisa.

“Ah! You scared the crap out of me!” she said as she giggled. “What's wrong with you?”

“Nothing. I'm sorry. But I had a thought. You don't suppose Aunt Beulah would have killed Aunt Millie, do you?” Brynn knew it was a bit off a stretch, but it was worth exploring.

“I think she's certainly capable of it,” Lisa said. “I mean, given her greed that we just witnessed about wanting the bakery, I think she could have done it and not batted an eye.”

Brynn chewed her bottom lip as she pulled into the driveway. After parking the car, she turned to Lisa. “Listen, don't mention this to anyone, not even to Alec.”

“Hey, I got your back. Whatever you say stays in here,” she said as she tapped her head.

“You're the best,” Brynn said as she leaned over and hugged Lisa quickly before getting out of the car.

Upon seeing Beulah pull in, the girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Brynn knew they were in for an eventful evening.

“Listen, I'm going to spend the night with you,” Lisa said.

Brynn’s eyes lit up. “Oh, thank you so much.”

“I have a feeling that you're going to need all the help you can get.”

They were inside the house when Brynn tried her best to be polite.

“Aunt Beulah, can I make you some tea or coffee?” Brynn asked her, even though it made her sick to even offer.

“No, you cannot. Whatever I want, I'll get for myself.”

Lisa raised her eyebrows and smiled. Brynn knew what was about happen but didn't stop her.

“How about a muffin, Aunt Beulah? We got plenty left over,” Lisa added with mockery.

Beulah looked at Lisa as if she'd kill her. Lisa shrugged and set the pan back on the stove.

“I'd like to talk to you alone, Brynn,” Beulah announced an hour later, as the girls were fixing a salad for dinner.

“Well, I'm sorry, but Brynn won't be talking to anyone alone,” Lisa said.

Brynn watched as her friend’s protective side emerged and it brought her some relief. She knew she couldn't handle the onslaught of questions Beulah would have for her, let alone the accusations she would make if left by herself with the old hag. She was happy her best friend and confidant was there for her. She looked at Lisa and smiled, then looked back to Beulah and shrugged.

“I guess my attorney is going to be with us tonight, Aunt Beulah,” Brynn added dryly.

“Attorney! Ha!” Lisa cackled. “That's a good one, Brynn. Yeah, I'm her lawyer now.”

Beulah stood up and towered over Brynn. She lowered her face to meet Brynn's and with a cold, dead look in her eyes, she spoke low and slow.

“Let me tell you something, little girl. You're NOT gonna get what's mine, do you understand?!”

Brynn and Lisa both backed up a step. Although Lisa was tough, she knew she'd probably met her match in the wrinkled old trout.

Beulah stepped forward as they moved back another step. “Before this is over, I'll not only have the bakery, but I'll have her car, the house, and all its furnishings.”

With trouble about to ensue, Lisa grabbed her cell phone from the counter and stepped outside the kitchen door, still within earshot of Brynn.

“This is Lisa Newcomb. I'm calling for Detective Alec Anders.” Brynn heard silence from the other room before Lisa spoke again. “This is an emergency. Patch me through to him, please!”

The last thing Brynn needed was for Alec to not pick up.

“Hey, Alec, it's Lisa. Listen, I know you're busy, but you need to get over here to Brynn's house right away. We've got trouble with the aunt.”

Another few seconds of silence and Lisa went into her usual wise-cracking mode. “What do you mean which aunt? The one that's not in the morgue. That’s ‘which aunt’! Get over here before she chews Brynn and me up and have us for dinner!”

She stepped back inside the door to join her them in the kitchen.

“Where's the bat?” she asked.

“She's in the bathroom, smoking.”

“I knew she smoked,” Lisa said snidely. “You don't get a voice that deep for no reason.”

The girls looked at each other and giggled.

“I called Alec. He's on his way.”

“Thank you. I can't handle her on my own. And neither can you, although I appreciate your efforts.”

Brynn heard Alec knock on the door less than five minutes later. Rushing to the living room, she opened it and smiled. “Thank you so much for coming,” she said as she hugged him without thinking.

Pulling away from him, she saw the surprised look on his face. “Oh god, I'm sorry. I'm just so glad you're here.”

“What is she doing?”

“Just screaming and harassing me. I want her to go to a hotel, but I’m afraid that if I ask her she won't leave. She keeps saying she has rights to this house. Please just make her leave me alone.”

“I will. Where is she?” he asked.

“In there.”

Brynn led him into the kitchen, where Beulah was sitting and Lisa was back to chopping the lettuce.

“Ms. Michaels, my name is Alec Anders. I spoke with you on the phone yesterday.”

Brynn was taken aback by his statement. He spoke to her on the phone? What? Was she the one who'd put the crazy idea in his head that I killed my aunt? What was he doing talking to Beulah?

“I want to ask you if you'll go to a hotel tonight and stay there to keep trouble down?”

“No, I won't,” Beulah said plainly.

“Well, if you keep harassing Brynn, I'll have no choice but to arrest you. This is her house and you are a guest. Is that clear?”

Brynn looked at Lisa who was staring wide-eyed at him. “Wow,” she mouthed silently.

Lisa nodded her head and smiled.

Beulah stood up. “Fine, I'll leave, but we're not finished here!”

After Beulah’s forced departure and Alec saying hello to Versace and Thunder, things had calmed down enough to sit and talk.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Brynn asked him.

“No, thank you. I’m kind of glad Lisa called. There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, shifting in the chair.

“Okay, this sounds serious,” Brynn said, jokingly.

She watched as his face seemed to harden. “It is, Brynn.”

“Okay, now you’re starting to scare me.”

Alec rubbed his chin before speaking. “We got the preliminary toxicology screen back this evening and it appears that Millie died from ethylene glycol poisoning.”

Brynn’s ears heard the words he’d just spoken, but her mind had no idea what they meant. “Okay, what is that?”

“It’s the chemical found in antifreeze,” he said softly.

Her heart sank. “Antifreeze? How in the world did she get antifreeze in her body?”

“We don’t know. That’s what we’re trying to figure out now.”

“Okay. Is that something that she could have touched maybe in the garage and then it soaked into her skin or something like that?”

Brynn was pouring over every possible scenario as to how Millie could have gotten antifreeze poisoning.”

“It’s very unlikely that’s how it happened. I don’t think that she could sit in a bathtub full and get enough in her to kill her. No, she ingested it somehow. We just have to find out how.”

“So, that’s why your guys are at the bakery?”

Alec nodded. “Yeah, it is.”

Brynn’s mind was racing and her heart was breaking. Why would someone give Millie antifreeze?

Brynn

With the police not leaving the bakery until well after midnight, Brynn and Lisa decided to wait until morning to try and straighten up any mess the detectives may have left during their “investigation”.

Figuring that it would be a time-consuming job, the two arrived bright and early to find the only things that had been disturbed were the ovens, a few pans, and the sink.

“Wow, that's crazy,” Brynn said as she came back into the bakery kitchen after giving the dining area the once-over.

“What?” Lisa asked as she turned on the hot water to fill the sink.

“For some reason, I thought the whole place would have been torn upside down and we would have this massive clean-up to do.”

“Brynn,” Lisa said as she looked at her with a smirk. “You watch way too much TV”

Brynn picked up the dish towel and playfully swatted her on the shoulder before going to the fridge to take out the dough for baking.

Working non-stop for three hours was enough to cause the girls to yawn in unison.

“Ha ha!” Brynn laughed. “Stop that!”

“Hey, you started it,” Lisa said. “Besides, I'm pooped. I didn't sleep very well in Millie's bed last night.”

“Really? Was the mattress not comfortable?”

“Um, the mattress was fine. It's the thought that she died in the house and I was on her bed.” Lisa shivered as she spoke of Millie. “I'm sorry. I don't mean to make her death sound trivial, but it just gave me the willies around one this morning.”

Brynn tried her best to smile. “I know. I thought about her, too. Leaving me this place was so kind of her. I guess there was some love in her after all.”

“I guess,” Lisa agreed as she spread the glaze on the cinnamon rolls. “It's too bad she didn't share it with others in this town. She'd still be alive if she had,” she said nonchalantly. She licked the excess icing from the spatula and carried the tray out to the case.

Brynn joined her with the eclairs and cream puffs, perfectly lining up each one in its own spot on the shelf. She smiled as she closed the door and admired her work.

“Are you ready?” Lisa asked before flipping on the sign outside.

“Let's do it!”

“Okay, now that we're finished working for a while, let's sit and talk about what happened last night,” Lisa said, carrying two cups of steaming hot coffee to the small round table in the corner.

Brynn joined her and grinned. She knew what Lisa was talking about. “I wondered when you were going to bring that up.”

“Well, you know me. Work first, then gossip.” She laughed at herself, which caused Brynn to laugh along.

“There's nothing to gossip about,” Brynn said as she looked down at the swirls on the marble top table.

“Oh, yes there is.” Lisa paused long enough to sip the hot drink. “I saw the way you were eyeballing him as he was saving you.”

“Eyeballing who?” Brynn gave her a strange look coupled with a slight grin. She was playing with Lisa and loving it.

“Who? Superman, that's who!”

“Well, I don't know if he's Superman, but he is pretty sweet.” Brynn felt her face burn and knew she must be blushing.

“Uh-huh, I knew it!”

“You know what?” Brynn teased.

“You're smitten with the handsome detective.” Lisa winked and smiled.

Brynn shrugged and grinned as her finger traced the curvy lines on the table. “Maybe,” was all she offered to her friend.

“Looks like we have a customer,” Lisa said as she glanced over Brynn's shoulder to see Millie's neighbor coming up the sidewalk.

Brynn looked up as she walked behind the displays. “Good morning, Mrs. Cutler.”

Myrtle Cutler had been Millie's neighbor for more than thirty years. She and her husband Charlie bought the house next door on a whim one day while driving around town. Myrtle had noticed the large white trellis with bright red roses climbing it and had to have the house right then and there. Since then, she'd planted many more flowers, turning her home into the town's showplace for gardening. It was her passion.

“Good morning, sweetheart. How are you doing today?” she asked in a most empathetic tone as she went around the register to hug Brynn.

Brynn was surprised but returned the gesture. “I'm doing alright.”

“Oh dear, I know the shock of what happened must have been too much. I can't imagine,” Myrtle said as she brought her hand to her chest and shook her head.

“It's hard,” Brynn answered, hoping to change the subject. “So what brings you to town?”

“Oh, honey, I'm on my way to pick up my new car,” Myrtle said as she leaned over and examined the croissants.

“New car? Wow,” Lisa chimed in.

Myrtle looked up. “Oh, hi, Lisa. How are you, sweetie?”

“I'm great.”

Myrtle went back to looking for a treat. “Yeah, I got a new Mercedes and they’re getting it ready as we speak.”

The girls looked at each other and smirked. “That's nice,” Lisa said.

“Mmm,” Myrtle muttered.

“Your husband must have left you a fortune when he died.”

“Lisa!” Brynn blurted.

“Oh, it's okay,” Myrtle giggled. “He did, honey. He was a generous man.”

“I'm surprised you haven't married again,” Lisa prodded.

Brynn looked at her and wondered where she was going with this line of questioning.

“Well, you know what they say, ‘You never know what tomorrow holds’,” Myrtle replied.

“That will be four dollars and thirty-five cents, Mrs. Cutler,” Brynn said, hoping to end the Lisa’s interrogation.

Myrtle set her large purse on the counter in front of Brynn and began to rummage through it.

Brynn looked at her strangely. “Mmm, something smells sweet in your purse. What is that?” she asked.

Myrtle looked up. “Oh, I don't know. I must have spilled some perfume or something.”

Brynn watched as she fumbled with the zipper, trying to close it quickly.

Lisa stepped forward. “Let me smell it.”

Myrtle quickly took her tart from Brynn's hand. “Oh, it's just some cologne I spilled, that's all.”

Brynn watched as Lisa moved behind her and sniffed the air around her. “Thank you, Mrs. Cutler.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” she returned with a smile. “You are so much nicer than Mildred. I'm so glad that you're running this place now.”

Brynn smiled. “Thank you, but Aunt Millie wasn't that bad.”

“Oh, yes she was!” Myrtle shot back. “She never would keep that mutt of hers out of my flowers. I've got prize-winning roses in my yard, you know.”

“I know,” Brynn said, surprised that her attitude had taken such an ugly turn.

“Well, I hope the problem is solved now that she's –,” Myrtle stopped mid-sentence.

Brynn saw Lisa's eyes widen as she stood behind Myrtle. “Whoa,” she mouthed as she shook her head. Brynn knew what Lisa was thinking.

“So Myrtle, you still play bingo?” Lisa asked.

“Uh, yeah, a little.”

“Well, Brynn and I are going tonight. How about you meet us there?”

Brynn shook her head as Myrtle looked at Lisa.

“Oh, I don't know. I've got a lot of work to do in the yard. I'm getting ready for the annual Rose Festival.”

“I'd say you're a shoe-in to win too,” Brynn offered.

“Yeah, as long as you keep that dirty little fur ball out of my yard.”

“I promise I'll keep him off your property,” Brynn said.

“Well, that's more than what Mildred ever did. She let that little yapping varmint come over whenever he pleased, digging holes in my beautiful lawn.”

“So, Myrt, you in for bingo tonight?” Lisa interrupted.

“I guess I could meet you down there.” Myrtle turned to Brynn. “Thank you for the tart and the invite.”

“Thank you for your business, Mrs. Cutler.”

They watched her clomp out of the bakery. Her already unkempt salt and pepper hair blew like fuzz in the breeze when she cleared the door, causing Lisa to laugh uncontrollably.

“Man, she's a mess!” she exclaimed.

Brynn giggled. “What was with the questions?”

“Come on, Brynn. You can't be that naive.” Lisa stared at her.

“What do you mean?” She was clearly dumbfounded as to what Lisa was talking about.

“Oh, please. The sweet smell coming from her purse? Her attitude about Millie? The anger towards the dog?” Lisa stopped as if she was waiting for Brynn to catch up. “Brynn. Don't you think it's possible that Myrtle killed Millie?”

“Myrtle?” Brynn laughed. “I doubt that. I know she didn't like her, but murder? I don't think she's capable of it.”

“Well, I did some checking on the internet last night and ethylene glycol has a sweet smell, just like her purse.” Lisa smiled and shook her head as if she'd just solved the mother of mysteries.

Brynn rolled her eyes. “She said the smell was perfume. And why would she have antifreeze in her purse anyway? That's crazy.”

Brynn could tell that Lisa was in deep thought. “Maybe she had it in her purse to transport it?”

“I think you're grasping at straws, Lisa.”

“You never know.”

“Now who's watching too much TV?” Brynn laughed and went back to filling the cases.

With the work day finally over, both girls were getting ready for their “big” night out at the local bingo hall.

“You look cute,” Brynn said as she walked into Millie's bathroom and saw Lisa putting her long blonde hair up in a ponytail.

Glancing her way, Lisa shot back the same compliment to her best friend as she held the bobby pin tightly between her teeth.

“Hey, Brynn?” Lisa asked.

Brynn looked at her and smiled. “Yes?”

“When you were sitting in your fancy New York apartment, did you ever think you'd end up back here playing bingo with a bunch of old ladies on a weeknight?” She laughed loudly as the words trickled from her mouth.

Brynn laughed. “You're not going to believe this, but I actually hoped I'd end up back here.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s home and all that jazz,” Lisa said as she lightly sprayed the fraying pieces of hair.

“There's just something about this place that called me back.” Brynn seemed lost in thought. “I loved New York, but it's just not home.”

“Well, listen, I can't wait to get at Myrtle tonight,” Lisa said, displaying her evil grin.

“Hey, take it easy on her. I don't think she's as bad as you think.”

“Well, she's crabby, that's for sure. She gets bent out of shape about those stupid roses of hers.”

“I know, right? Promise me if I ever get that way, you'll put me out of my misery by taking me shoe shopping or something,” Brynn said as she put her arm around Lisa's shoulder.

“Hey, only retail therapy for us chicks!”

Brynn

“Oh my god, would you look at that,” Lisa remarked snidely as the girls walked through the doors of Chesapeake Pointe Fire Department, ready to play bingo.

Brynn glanced over at her best friend in complete bewilderment. “What am I looking at?”

“The wrinkles and the smoke,” Lisa said as she pretended to cough.

“Ha ha. I know, it's kind of ironic that smoking is allowed in a fire department,” Brynn said as her eyes scanned the room for Myrtle.

“Yeah, I know,” Lisa replied under her breath.

Brynn looked over to see that she, too, seemed to be searching the crowd.

“Hey, look,” Lisa pointed to the far left wall where Myrtle was sitting with a group of older women. “Come on,” she said as she grabbed Brynn's right arm, practically dragging her toward Myrtle.

“Hey girls, have a seat,” Myrtle said as she lit a Virginia Slim and took a long drag.

Brynn elbowed Lisa as she scooted her chair under the table, getting comfortable.

“I wasn't sure you'd come tonight, Mrs. Cutler.”

“Brynn, honey, you've known me for years. Please call me Myrtle.” She smiled and blew smoke into the air above her head.

“So, you feeling lucky tonight, Myrt?” Lisa taunted.

Brynn watched as Myrtle eyed Lisa. She had a feeling her neighbor might just let Lisa have tonight if she continued her badgering.

“I am. How about you?” She raised her eyebrows and smiled. Taking another long drag of her cigarette, Myrtle began to cough deeply.

“Wow, you'd better quit those things,” Lisa said suddenly. “They just might kill you.”

Brynn kicked Lisa under the table and quickly changed the subject.

“So, I'd say there are a lot of people here tonight that I haven't seen in years,” she said as she looked around the large room.

“Yeah, most of them you probably don't want to see, honey,” Myrtle said in her direction. “They're just the same old busybodies they always were. Nothing's changed since you left. Has it, Lisa?”

Brynn quickly looked at Myrtle to see she was staring hard at Lisa.

Was Lisa on to something? Was her theory as crazy as it sounded or could Myrtle really be Millie's killer?

“Hey, earth to Brynn,” Lisa said as she snapped her fingers in front of her best friend's face.

“Oh, I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something.”

“Yeah, no kidding. You were a million miles away. I asked if you wanted a soda.”

Brynn looked around again. “Sure, but I'll go get it. How about you?” she asked Lisa.

“Yeah, get me a Coke.”

“Mrs. – I mean, Myrtle, would you like something?” Brynn asked politely.

“Yes, sweetheart, I would like a cup of black coffee, if you don't mind.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a dollar bill.

Brynn took the money and walked toward the concession stand where she saw a crowd of people. Getting in line, she remembered what Lisa said about Myrtle's purse smelling sweet and she decided to sniff the dollar bill.

Nothing. Come on, Brynn, get a grip. These people are going to think you've lost it if they see you smelling money.

She smiled as she thought how funny she must look with the nasty dollar bill against her nose.

“Well, if it isn't Brynn Monroe!” a female voice called from her left.

Her head spun around to see her high school English teacher, Elsie Fletcher. “Hi, Mrs. Fletcher!” Brynn said as she hugged her tightly. “How are you?”

“I'm great. How are you?” Elsie asked as she pulled away from the hug, but continued to hold Brynn's arms.

“I'm doing well. I've opened the bakery and changed some things. And you know we lost Aunt Millie?” Brynn could feel tears welling in her eyes.

“I know,” Elsie said in a lowered tone. “I'm so sorry, sweetie.”

“Thank you. Are you getting some snacks too?”

“Just some coffee,” Elsie said. “Have they found out what happened yet?”

“No, they're still working on it,” Brynn said. She was uncomfortable speaking of her aunt's death in such a public place.

“Yeah, well, if you ask me, there's probably a long line of suspects to go through,” she said calmly as they took a step closer to the counter.

Brynn tilted her head. “What do you mean, a long line?”

“Well, honey, it's no secret that Millie was hated by pretty much everybody in town.”

How rude. And blunt.

“I'm not trying to be mean, but c’mon, you know what kind of person she was,” Elsie said in a hushed tone.

Brynn shook her head. “I know she wasn't the nicest person ever, but I had no idea that so many people disliked her to the point of wanting her dead.” She was in shock.

“I'm sorry, I thought you knew.” Elsie suddenly looked distraught. “Oh, I wish I'd kept my big mouth shut now.” She put her hand over her mouth as if she'd just given out some top secret government code.

“No, Mrs. Fletcher. It seems there's a lot I don't know that maybe I should.” Brynn smiled at her. “Do you mind if I come sit with you, so you can tell me whatever you think is pertinent?”

“Of course, honey. I don't mind one bit. I'm sitting right over there.” Elsie pointed to her table. “I'll meet you there after I get my coffee.”

Brynn stepped up and ordered their drinks and headed towards the table where Lisa was sitting.

“There you go,” she said to Myrtle as she put her coffee on the table in front of her. “I ran into Mrs. Fletcher from high school and she wants us to sit with her tonight,” she said to Lisa.

Brynn saw the look of shock on Lisa's face but she knew she couldn't explain in front of Myrtle.

“Why?”

“It's been so long since we've seen her and she just wants to catch up.”

“Are you kidding? I just saw her last week down at Grady's Hardware Store. She was buying some tomato stakes.” The serious look on Lisa's face almost caused Brynn to laugh.

“Well, I haven't seen her in a long time. Come on.” She grabbed her purse and motioned for Lisa with her head.

“Alright, you're the boss.”

“Myrtle, I'll see you tomorrow around the house probably,” Brynn said as she hurried away from the table.

“I wanted to sit with her so I could question her,” Lisa said in a huff as they walked away.

“I know, but listen.” Brynn stopped halfway to the table so she could clue Lisa in on what was about to happen. “Mrs. Fletcher said there are so many people in town who probably wanted Aunt Millie dead and she's going to give me a list of suspects, of sorts. So, we have to sit with her. Now, c’mon.”

“Oh okay, why didn't you just say so?” Lisa said as she followed Brynn to the table across the room.

“Hey, Mrs. Fletcher, I brought Lisa with me.” Brynn placed her purse under the table by her feet and got comfortable.

“Hello, Lisa.”

“Hi, Mrs. Fletcher. Did you get your tomatoes lined up?”

“Yes, I sure did. Grady had just what I needed for the job,” she said with a smile. “Brynn, you remember Agnes Stanton, don't you?”

“Yes, I do. How are you, Ms. Stanton?”

“I'm doing fine, doing fine,” Ms. Stanton said in a squeaky voice.

“Do you still have your shop on the waterfront?” Brynn asked. “Curl Up-N-Dye?”

The girls giggled.

“I do. Been at it for over thirty years now. These old gams are getting tired.”

Brynn smiled at her. “It's nice to see that you're still going strong.”

But can we please dispense with the small talk? I mean, conversations with old ladies about tomatoes and varicose veins are NOT what I'm here for. Geez!

“Agnes, I was telling Brynn at the counter all about how Millie had a lot of enemies in town.”

“Oh, she did, she did,” Agnes repeated.

God, I hope she doesn't do that all night.

Brynn leaned in so she could speak lower. “Can you tell me who they are?”

“Sure,” Elsie began but was stopped by the male voice overhead.

“B-12”, he announced. “B-12”

The women took their markers and blotted the numbers on their papers.

“This is gonna be a long night,” Lisa whispered in Brynn's ear.

Brynn shook her head in agreement and rolled her eyes.

“Okay, where were we?” Elsie said.

“You were getting ready to tell the girls about who hates Millie enough to want her dead!” Agnes announced loudly.

“Shh!” Lisa said suddenly. “Come on, keep it between us.”

“Sorry,” Agnes squeaked. “I have a hearing problem. I've mostly lost my hearing in my left ear.”

Oh my god, I'm gonna die of old age myself before I get anything out of these two.

Brynn was becoming noticeably anxious.

“Calm down, sweet pea. We're getting there,” Elsie said.

Brynn smiled. “I'm sorry. I just wonder who did this to her.”

“Well, if you want my opinion,” Agnes said, being the first to speak. “It was the delivery driver that used to make his runs to the bakery. What was his name?” She put her finger to her mouth and looked up, as if in deep thought. “What was his name, Elsie?”

Elsie marked her paper with the O-75 that had just been called and took a short puff of her cigarette. “Dan, I think.”

“Yeah, Dan!” Agnes’ voice rang out in agreement. “Dan Sullivan.”

Elsie put out the butt and continued with the story. “Rumor has it he almost got fired for fighting with Millie.”

“What happened?” Brynn inquired quickly.

“Well, I heard she made him miserable every time he came to deliver her goods. It's been told that's why he quit his job,” Elsie explained.

Agnes shook her head. “Yeah, that's what I heard too.”

Elsie continued. “One day, she screamed at him for not having her large cake boxes and he started yelling back and before you know it, she was on the phone with his boss.”

“Yep, that's what happened.” Agnes agreed again.

“I heard he left his truck outside the bakery, called a cab, and went home. He quit his job and moved out of town.”

“Oh yeah, he did,” Agnes said.

Brynn listened intently as the women recounted the story. “What about anyone else? You said there were more.”

“Well, there's Cole Hancock,” Agnes said.

“Cole? Who's he?” Brynn asked.

“Oh, he's the man your aunt was seeing,” Elsie said before finishing her coffee.

“What?!” The girls said at the same time.

“Aunt Millie had a boyfriend?” Brynn was in utter shock at the prospect.

“Sure, she'd been seeing him for some time, as I understand it.”

“Who is he?” Lisa asked.

“His name is Cole Hancock and he's a real estate developer. She met him a couple of years ago when he started coming into the bakery every day for a chocolate chip muffin,” Agnes said, seeming to know every detail about Millie's business.

Of course. She did own a beauty shop and everyone knows they’re well-known for gossip. It seemed like Agnes could be an asset.

“I heard it was love at first sight for him,” Elsie added.

“Really?!” Lisa said as if she was disgusted. “Ew.”

Brynn looked at her and frowned. “Hey, that's not nice.”

“Yeah, well neither was Millie,” she said to Brynn. “How in the world did she snare a man with that personality of hers while I can't even get a first date? Life isn’t fair,” she said under her breath.

“Anyway, I think if he didn't do it, then you might want to look at Myrtle Cutler,” Elsie said.

Lisa almost choked on her drink of Coke. “I told you,” she said loudly.

“Shh!” Brynn scolded her.

“What did I tell you?”

“Mrs. Fletcher, why do you bring up her name?” Brynn said, beginning to worry.

“Well, everyone knew she was after Cole herself.” Elsie continued to mark her paper, as Brynn and Lisa looked over at Myrtle to see her talking and laughing with the woman next to her.

“No way,” Brynn said. “She's too sweet.”

“Well, you wanted to know what I thought,” Elsie said.

“Yes, and I thank you so much. Is there anyone else you can think of?”

“Brynn, honey, practically everyone in this town had a motive to want her dead. She's ripped off so many people with day-old cakes and pies. She's called plumbers and then wouldn't pay them because she said their work wasn't up to par.” Elsie paused to light another cigarette. “Heck, even I hated her.”

“What did she do to you?” Brynn asked, dreading hearing the answer. Part of her was embarrassed that her aunt was such a nasty person and part of her was angry at Millie for being so rude to people.

“I had ordered some cakes for a picnic the school was having. I was paying for them out of pocket because I wanted to be good to the kids. They'd worked so hard all year and we were going all-out for them. I took a poll of what kind of cakes they liked and they all voted on Seaside Sweets;” Elsie said. “You know, Millie may have been a horrible person, but she sure could bake. Anyway, she agreed to let me have them at a reduced price. I was buying ten, after all. So on the day I picked them up, she charged me full price. I asked about our agreed price reduction, to which she explained that after much consideration, she couldn't do it or she would lose too much money.”

Brynn dropped her head in shame.

Elsie continued. “Anyway, after an argument between us, she told me never to come back to her bakery and she wouldn't even let me have the cakes! Not even at full price.”

“What did she do with them?” Lisa asked.

“She threw them in the big garbage can by the wall while I stood there and watched. Said she'd rather lose all the money than to let me have them at a reduced price.” Elsie shook her head. “That woman was just plain mean, I tell you.”

“Just plain mean,” Agnes squeaked.

It was too much for Brynn to process. “Is there anything else I should know?” she asked the women.

“Not that I can think of tonight,” Elsie told her.

“Lisa, I think I need to go home. I'm pretty tired,” Brynn said.

“Okay, let's go.” Lisa stood up. “Hey, it was nice seeing you guys again.”

“You too, Lisa,” Agnes muttered.

“Brynn, I know this is upsetting for you. I hated telling you all this stuff, but you really should know it all.” Elsie looked sincere as she spoke.

Brynn nodded in agreement. “Thank you, again. Goodnight.”

The women waved at the girls as they gathered their purses.

Outside, Brynn stopped and leaned against the building. “That was a lot of information to take in all at once.”

“Yeah, sounds like the whole town wanted your aunt in the ground.”

Brynn shook her head and bit her bottom lip. “You know, they made it seem so dramatic. But really? Who would kill someone over day-old tarts and overpriced cakes?” She laughed as she finished her question. It sounded implausible to Brynn.

“That's true, Brynn. But the fact remains that Millie is dead, you are the only one the police have questioned so far and we still don't know what happened, how it happened or why it happened.”

Lisa was right. Brynn was going to have to dig more if she was going to find her aunt's killer.

Brynn

“Oh my god, you guys are driving me crazy with all this fighting,” Brynn said as she threw up both hands toward Versace and Thunder. “What is up with you two?” Looking at the food dish, she saw the mess they'd made by scattering the tiny morsels. “Geez! There's more on the floor than in the bowl!” she called out as if they understood what she was saying.

“Meow!” Versace wailed before taking off through the house.

“Thunder, come here!” Brynn yelled as she grabbed the dog and held him so he wouldn't chase her cat anymore. “Hey, listen, he doesn't like you, okay? Can you just leave him alone for a while?”

Opening the screen door to the kitchen, she gave the tiny mutt a slight push with her bare foot. “There, go play in the yard,” she said as she closed the door without thinking of her neighbor or the prize-winning roses climbing the large white trellis twenty feet away.

“I'm going to have a relaxing soak in the tub.”

Brynn walked into the dimly lit bathroom and looked around at the outdated tiles on the walls and floor. She wondered what would become of the house now that Millie was gone. Would her Aunt Beulah get it? She was going to contest Millie's will for the bakery, after all. Maybe Millie left her the house instead.

I can't deal with this right now. It's all too much. I need to relax and clear my mind as much as possible.

After pouring a cap full of her favorite bubble bath under the running water, she undressed and climbed into the tub. Sinking up to her neck, she inhaled the aroma of eucalyptus and smiled as she stretched her long legs and got comfortable.

Her mind was busy with thoughts of her aunt and her horrible death. She felt a tear make its way down her cheek and fall into the water.

Aunt Millie, I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to stop this from happening.

The tears flowed faster as her mind raced with more thoughts of her aunt lying on the floor of the kitchen.

“Wait a minute!” she shouted as she sat upright in the tub. “Wait. A. Minute!” She quickly got out and wrapped the fluffy, white robe around her wet body. Walking briskly into her bedroom, she spotted the knitting basket on the dresser. She remembered hearing a thud the morning of Millie's death and when she'd looked in her room, she just assumed Versace had knocked over the basket and caused the noise.

Was it Aunt Millie falling to the floor that made that sound? Was someone in here with us, without me even knowing or hearing them?

Her thoughts were spinning out of control. She had to stop.

Brynn, leave it to the cops. They will figure it out.

Her stomach told her that lunchtime had come and gone, even if she'd never looked at the clock. As she walked into the kitchen, she heard Thunder bark once from the living room.

“Hey, how did you get back in?” she asked when he ran in to meet her at the fridge. She was puzzled. She'd put him out right before her bath and she knew there was no way he could have gotten back in by himself. The screen door in the kitchen felt secure when she pushed on it, so his being back inside left a lot of questions in her mind.

She shook her head and dialed the phone number of the bakery.

“Playing With Flour, this is Lisa.”

Just hearing the name Playing With Flour was enough to bring a smile to her face when her best friend answered the phone.

“Hey there. I love the sound of that.”

“Hey. Yeah, I love saying it. It's very upbeat and funky, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. It's cute,” Brynn said before delving into what she really wanted to say.

“What's up?” Lisa asked. “Are you enjoying your day off?”

“Well, I was trying to, but the strangest thing just happened and I don't know what to make of it.”

“What? Did Myrtle do something to you?” Lisa's protective side had kicked in. “Or was it Beulah?”

“No, nothing like that,” Brynn explained. “Thunder and Versace were playing and fighting, driving me crazy. So I put Thunder out the door and went to take a bath. But when I came back in the kitchen to make lunch, he was back in the house.” She was hoping Lisa would have a reasonable explanation as to what could have happened.

“Hmm, that is weird.”

“Do you think I'm just going a little overboard? Maybe I'm letting my imagination run wild.” Brynn reached for a frozen burrito and grimaced. There wasn't a whole lot of choices in the refrigerator since she hadn't been to the store lately.

“No, Brynn, I don't. Listen, your aunt was murdered and so far, no one knows who or what happened. You need to be careful.”

Lisa's voice carried the sound of fear and worry. It was something Brynn wasn't accustomed to hearing from her. Maybe her best friend was right and she should be more aware of what's going on around her.

“Alright, well, call me if you need any help. I'm having a frozen burrito for lunch, ugh.” Brynn muttered. “I hope you're having something better than that.”

“I had a croissant and a Coke,” Lisa said as she chuckled.

Brynn hung up the phone and popped her frozen treat into the microwave. She walked to the door and looked around outside to see if anything seemed out of place. She scanned the yard and then Myrtle's house, but everything appeared to be in order. She shrugged and chalked it up to her overactive imagination.

“Hey, hey!” She yelled out as Thunder ran after Versace, around her feet, and under the table, hot on his trail.

They both came to rest in front of the water bowl as if they had called a timeout to refresh themselves. Brynn couldn't help herself from smiling as she watched the two critters. They had a love-hate relationship going on between them. She smiled.

How many times have I been there myself?

Finishing the last bite of her not-so-tasty lunch, she sat for a moment before washing the dish. Suddenly her eyes caught sight of Thunder and his antics again. Jumping in front of Versace as he tried to get some food, Thunder used his paw to knock the feline out of the way.

“Hey, that's not nice, you little mutt!” she scolded. “Let him eat, too.”

She got up and went to the bowl where the animals were fighting. “What is your problem, Thunder? You're just too much.”

She bent over to clean the mess up for the second time that day. As she picked up the small bits of kibble on the floor, she noticed they felt wet.

“Geez, did you spill your water as well?” she said to the dog.

Suddenly startled by a knock at the door behind her, she screamed and jumped. “Ah!” Looking to see who was there, she smiled when she saw Myrtle's face peering in at her.

“Oh, Mrs. Cutler, you scared the life out of me,” she said, opening the door. “Come on in.”

“No, I'm not here to chit-chat. I asked you nicely to keep that little rat-looking dog out of my yard. You said you would, but an hour ago, I saw him on my flowers again!”

Brynn could see the anger in her eyes. Maybe she wasn't the kind woman Brynn thought she was. Maybe she was as mean as Lisa said.

“Oh, I'm so sorry,” Brynn apologized. “That was my fault. He was fighting with my cat and I put him out while I took a bath. He must have come over then.”

She watched as her neighbor stared hard at her, not saying a word and she wasn't sure what to say either.

“Listen, I'll make sure he doesn't come back over anymore,” Brynn said as she offered a smile as a symbol of peace.

“Just see to it that he doesn't. Or I won't be responsible for what happens to him.” Myrtle's face was hard. It was a look that Brynn didn't recognize.

She turned and walked towards her house, stepping over the tiny hedges that separated the two properties.

Brynn stood stoic, paralyzed for a moment. She could feel the hairs on her arms standing on end. She didn't know the woman who'd just spoken to her. That was not the Myrtle she'd known for many years.

She closed the white wooden door and locked it, hoping to feel protected from whoever had killed her aunt. It was the first time in all her life that she'd ever felt unsafe in Chesapeake Pointe and she hated it. This was her hometown. The one place where she had gone out on her bike alone when she was growing up. Not one time did she ever worry that anything would happen to her or anyone else in town.

Had she been naive to think they were safe?

She had been sitting at the table for over an hour thinking of all that had Mrs. Fletcher and Ms. Stanton had told her at bingo. Some of it was hard to fathom, but she knew there must be some truth to what they had said. After all, where there's smoke, there's usually fire.

Brynn

Still reeling from seeing a side of Myrtle Cutler she’d never witnessed, Brynn was pacing the floor of the kitchen when the house phone rang. She looked at it but didn't answer. What if it was Myrtle? Or Beulah? She wasn’t in the mood for conversation with anyone who wasn’t pleasant. She couldn't take any chances. She would just let it ring until it stopped.

Oh Aunt Millie, why didn't you ever get an updated phone with caller ID?

Checking the kitchen door once more to make sure it was locked, Brynn went to the living room to lock that door as well. Myrtle’s unexpected mood swing had put her on edge. She had to protect herself until her neighbor calmed down and until they found out who was responsible for the murder. A murder that took place in the very house in which she was currently standing. A murder that most likely took place while she was in the house, too.

It was mind-blowing to comprehend that her aunt could have died while she was either in bed or in the tub that fateful morning. She took a deep breath and tried to get a grip on her nerves.

Closing her eyes, she stood still in the middle of the living room and tried to find her center. It was something she'd learned from many years of yoga. This seemed like the perfect time to put it to use. Purposefully slowing down her breathing, she took long deep breaths in and exhaled slowly through puckered lips. After several of those, Brynn felt relaxed enough to take a seat on the couch and think.

After less than a minute of sitting, she could feel her nerves getting frazzled again.

“I can't just sit here. I've got to clean or something.”

She stood up and looked around the perfect living room and shook her head.

Aunt Millie, why did you have to be such a neat freak?

Walking into the kitchen, she noticed the dish she'd eaten her burrito on was still in the sink. It brought her almost a sense of relief that she had something to do. After washing it, she wiped the counter down and saw the half-full pot of coffee still sitting there.

“Oh no, I can't believe I've let it sit there this entire time,” she said as she pulled the glass pot from its holder.

Just as she tipped the pot to pour the old coffee down the drain, she caught a whiff of something odd. It was a pungent odor.

“Ew,” she said as she quickly put down the pot and turned her head away. It was enough to make her gag. “That coffee smells rotten.”

Leaving the pot on the sink, she walked to the door and opened it wide, allowing the warm breeze to flow through the screen. Taking a deep breath, she sighed. “That's better.”

Just as she turned back to the sink, she saw Thunder at his bowl.

“Hey buddy, where have you been?” she asked him. She watched as he whimpered while standing over the food. He then turned and walked away. “What's the matter?”

She remembered that he'd acted the same way earlier in the day and how he'd swatted Versace as he tried to eat. Was something wrong with the food, too? Bending down, she picked up a few bits. They were wet, just like the ones on the floor earlier. But these were in the bowl. How did they get wet?

Something strange was going on. She brought the morsels to her nose. The same smell from the coffee pot was on the food.

“Ugh!” she said as she stood up quickly, almost falling backward. “Something isn't right.”

She tossed the food back into the bowl and set it up high on the counter out of Thunder's reach. Fearing Versace would jump up and eat it, she covered it with aluminum foil until she could figure things out. Just as she finished wrapping it tightly, her cell phone rang. Looking at the screen, she saw her best friend’s name in the box.

“Hello?”

“Brynn, are you alright?” Lisa shouted, seemingly excited.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Why?”

“Because I called the house a few minutes ago and no one answered. I thought something happened to you,” she said loudly. Lisa's tone sounded angry instead of just concerned, and Brynn understood because it was one of her traits. She usually reacted that way when she was afraid.

“I know. I was scared to answer after what happened with Myrtle. I locked all the doors and sat down. Are you busy?”

“Actually I closed up and left when I couldn't reach you. I should be there in five minutes.”

“Okay, there's something I need to tell you,” Brynn said as she bit her bottom lip.

“Alright, see you in five,” Lisa said as she hit the end call button on her steering wheel.

Hearing the loud knock on the door was enough to almost cause Brynn's heart to stop beating. She took a deep breath and walked into the living room and unlocked it.

“Hey, what's going on?” Lisa asked as soon as her body cleared the doorway.

“Oh Lisa, its bad. I don't even know where to begin,” she said as they walked to the kitchen.

“Well, listen, I have to show you something,” Lisa said as she dropped the afternoon paper on the table in front of Brynn. “Get a load of what's in there!” she said as she pointed at it.

Brynn looked at her with a confused look. “What is it?”

“Page ten,” Lisa replied. She grabbed a soda from the fridge and sat down opposite Brynn.

Brynn nervously rifled through the paper until she reached the page that had Lisa upset. “Legal notices?” she asked, unsure if she'd found the right place.

Lisa nodded. “Yeah, halfway down.”

Brynn's eyes scanned the page until she saw the tax filing accompanied by a short article.

“Read it,” Lisa said.

Brynn read the article and looked at her best friend. “Oh my god! Cole Hancock wants the bakery property so he can build condos?” She was in shock, unsure if she'd read it correctly.

“Yep. He wants the property so he can tear down the bakery and build some huge, ugly, tourist condo crap!”

Lisa was angry. She had always let her stance be known when it came to issues about turning their quaint little town into a tourist trap. She was against it and had helped in getting petitions signed on two occasions when out-of-town corporations tried to change their little piece of heaven.

“Oh, my gosh, you don't think he would have killed Aunt Millie just to get the property, do you?”

“Hey,” Lisa said. “I don't put anything past anybody. People are greedy and cruel, Brynn.”

Brynn shook her head and stared at the paper. What if was true? What if the man her aunt had been involved with had just been using her? She had to find out.

“Hey, what did you want to tell me?” Lisa said, jarring Brynn out of her thoughts.

Her eyes lit up as she remembered the coffee and the dog food. “Oh, take a look at this.”

She pushed the paper aside and got up. Retrieving the coffee pot, she stuck it under Lisa's nose for her to sniff. “Smell that?”

“Oh crap!” Lisa shouted. “What is that?”

“Take another sniff,” Brynn said as she pushed the pot back in Lisa’s face.

“No way! That junk stinks. What did you put in it?” Lisa asked.

“I didn't make this. It was the coffee that Aunt Millie was drinking the day she died.” Brynn stood staring at Lisa, waiting for her to put the puzzle pieces together.

“Yeah, so, you haven't washed the pot yet.”

“Lisa, what does it smell like to you?” Brynn pushed.

“I don't know, old coffee?” She shrugged.

“No.” Brynn shook her head and set the pot down on the table.

Walking to the counter again, she got the dog bowl and pulled the aluminum foil from around it. “Here, smell this.”

Lisa leaned in and took a sniff of the kibbles. She slowly looked up at Brynn. “Oh my god. Is that what I think it is?” she asked as she covered her mouth.

“I think so. Now smell the coffee pot again.”

Lisa leaned over and inhaled the scent from the old coffee. She stood up and walked to the door.

“Brynn, that only means one thing,” she said as she closed the wooden door and locked the deadbolt.

Brynn shook her head in agreement. “The poison wasn't in my muffins. It was in the coffee pot.”

Lisa's eyes darted from the dog food to the coffee. “But how did it get in the dog food? And when?” She paced around the table. “If it's been in the dog food the whole time, then both animals would be dead by now.”

Brynn could see by the look on Lisa's face that her mind was flowing with ideas about who the suspect was, and how they had pulled it off.

“No. This ,” Brynn said, holding up the dog bowl, “was only put in today”.

“Today?” Lisa was clearly becoming more confused. “But how? You've been here the whole time.”

“Yes, but here's what happened. Sit down and I'll tell you the events that took place.”

Both girls sat down. Brynn pulled her lean legs up in the seat in front of her and wrapped her slender arms around them, hugging them tightly. Taking a deep breath, she explained her version of what took place.

“Here's what I've pieced together,” she began as Lisa listened intently.

“The pets were playing and fighting a little. They stopped to eat and take a drink. Everything was fine because both animals visited the bowl without a problem. Because of the stress of everything and their fighting, I pushed Thunder out the door so I could take a bath in peace.”

She stood up and got a bottle of water from the fridge. After taking a drink, she sat back down and continued. “I remembered hearing the thud the morning Aunt Millie died, so I got out of the tub and re-enacted the basket falling from the dresser. It wasn't loud enough, so I came to the conclusion that the sound must have been Aunt Millie falling in here.”

She took another drink and began again, with a shaky voice. She was on the verge of tears but continued with what had happened that afternoon. “I got dressed and came in here to fix some lunch. That's when I heard Thunder bark.”

“But wait, you said you'd put him out while you took a bath,” Lisa interrupted.

Brynn's face lit up. “Exactly! That's what threw me off. I saw him and wondered how he'd gotten back in. Not giving it another thought, I fixed my burrito and talked to you. A little while before you called me, I saw Versace go to the food bowl. Thunder ran up to him and swatted him away as if he knew there was something wrong. I thought he was being mean and not allowing my cat to eat, but it turns out, he was only being protective.”

Lisa nodded as Brynn went on.

“I picked up the spilled food from the floor and it felt wet. I thought they had spilled their water as well and went about my day. But after discovering the coffee pot by accident, I watched again as Thunder went to the food bowl, whimpered, and walked away. Everything started to click for me and I smelled the food and put it all together.”

Lisa's eyes were huge. She had been engrossed in the story. “Wow, Brynn. The killer was in the house today while you were in the tub! Oh my god! Who could it be?”

Brynn stared at Lisa. “I have no idea, but I'm scared to death, and I'm glad you're here with me.”

“Well, you have to call Alec. They're going to need all of this stuff to test it,” she said as she handed Brynn her cell phone.

Brynn

“Okay, I called Alec and he said he's tied up right now, but he should be here in an hour or so,” Brynn said to Lisa as she emerged from the bathroom.

“Good,” Lisa said as she wiped her face with the wet cloth.

“Hey, I've never seen you like this before. Are you alright?” Brynn asked her best friend.

“Yeah, that was just a lot of information to take in all at once,” Lisa replied as she sat down at the table in the kitchen. “I just felt light-headed for a bit.”

“Have you eaten anything besides the croissant?”

“No, but I'm not hungry either. I just want this mess taken care of right away.”

“Well, we'll just wait for Alec and then order a pizza or something.”

“Okay, that will give me time to settle down,” Lisa said as she giggled. “So much for me being tough.”

“Hey, you're tough in other areas. We've just never dealt with a murder before.” Brynn smiled. She reached for Lisa's hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for being here with me through all of this.”

Lisa smiled back at her. “I wouldn't be anywhere else.”

The loud bang on the front door caused them both to jump. Lisa looked at her phone. “It's only been five minutes since you called Alec. That couldn't be him.”

Brynn walked to the front door and opened it to find a stranger standing before her. “Can I help you?” she asked as she tried to manage a smile.

“Hello, miss. I'm a friend of Mildred Stevens and I'm here to pay my respects. You must be her niece, Brynn,” the stranger said.

“Yes, I am. May I ask your name?”

“Oh, yes, ma'am. I'm Cole Hancock.”

Brynn felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. She knew her face must be pale because she felt light-headed all of a sudden. “Mr. Hancock?”

“Yes, I'm a friend of Mildred's.”

“Oh, yes. Come on in.” Brynn moved out of the way so he could step inside. “Would you like to sit down?” she asked politely.

She was hoping against all hope that he'd decline, stand at the door for a moment, and then get out.

“Yes, I would. Thank you,” he said as he took a seat on the couch.

Brynn sat on the wingback chair on the opposite side of the coffee table. She was at a loss for words. “Can I get you something to drink?” Again, her hospitality took over.

“Uh, yes,” he said. “That would be nice.”

She was shocked. She was praying he wouldn't stay long enough to drink anything.

“I'll have a cup of coffee if you have any. I know Mildred always had a fresh pot brewing.” He smiled at Brynn.

His remark about her aunt always having coffee sent her mind racing with images of him putting the antifreeze in the pot. Her stomach churned as she pictured it and she felt as though she would throw up right there.

“I'm sorry, but I'm all out,” Brynn lied. “I have water, though.”

“Okay, that will do.”

“I'll be right back,” she said as she got up and headed towards the kitchen.

“Oh my god,” she whispered when she saw Lisa.

“What?”

“That's Cole Hancock!” She tried her best to keep her voice down, but her nerves caused it to raise an octave higher.

“What?!” Lisa shrieked.

“Shhh!” Brynn said.

“What are you doing in here?” Lisa asked.

“You're never going to believe this,” Brynn said. She swallowed hard. “He asked for a cup of coffee!”

Lisa's eyes got big and round, causing Brynn to laugh. “What?” Lisa nodded in the direction behind Brynn.

She turned to see Cole standing in the doorway of the kitchen with them.

“Mr. Hancock, I was just telling my friend we have company.”

“Oh, I wondered what could be taking so long. I hope you don't mind me joining you in here,” he said as he pulled out a chair and sat down in the kitchen.

Lisa looked at Brynn still wide-eyed but said nothing.

“Not at all. Let me get you that water.” Brynn opened the refrigerator and pulled out a chilled bottle.

“So, what's your name?” he asked Lisa.

“I'm sorry,” Brynn spoke up. “This is Lisa Newcomb. She's my best friend and right hand at my bakery. Lisa, this is Cole Hancock, Aunt Millie's friend.”

Lisa tried her best to manage a smile for him. “Nice to meet you.”

He nodded his head. “So you work down at the bakery too, huh?”

“I do. Brynn has worked really hard to turn the place around. I believe it will be a huge success.” Lisa was back to her old self and she was ready to pounce.

Brynn smiled. “Yes, that's the plan,” she said as she joined them at the table.

“Well, I hope you can make that happen, Brynn.” His tone had changed as well. He was more relaxed.

Brynn knew he'd come with an agenda. This was no ordinary “I want to pay my respects” kind of meeting. Cole Hancock had something on his mind. If he thought he was going to take advantage of her, he had another thing coming. Brynn felt the fighter in her rising up.

“Yes, I don't think I'll have a problem. I can do anything I set my mind to.”

“I heard that you're trying to get the property, Mr. Hancock,” Lisa spewed suddenly. It was quick, to the point, and surprising to Brynn. And judging by the look on Cole's face, it was to him as well.

He chuckled. “Well, you know. I'm trying,” was all he said.

“I'm afraid that's not gonna happen,” Lisa replied. “That belongs to Brynn now and she's not going to allow anyone to take it and turn it into some big old ugly resort for out-of-towners who know nothing of this place.”

There, she'd said her peace.

Brynn watched his expression change as Lisa gave him the condensed version of what she really had in her arsenal.

He turned to Brynn. “Is that how you feel?” he asked.

“Yes, it is,” she answered softly.

“Well,” he began but was interrupted by a knock at the kitchen door.

“Who could that be?” Brynn asked as she went to open it.

“Oh, Mrs. Cutler, is something wrong?” Brynn asked her. The woman had just been over earlier and Brynn couldn't fathom what she could want again.

“Aren't you gonna ask me to come in?” Myrtle asked.

“Oh, well, I have company right now.”

Myrtle pushed past Brynn and walked into the kitchen.

“Okay,” Brynn muttered.

“Hello, Cole,” Myrtle said as she walked over to where he was sitting.

“Hi Myrtle, how are you?” he asked.

“Oh, you know, I'm hanging in there. Missing Millie though.”

Brynn did a double take. Missing Millie? You hated my aunt.

She looked at Lisa who was watching with raised eyebrows. She knew that Lisa was thinking the same thing.

“I know,” Cole said. “Mildred was a fine woman. Fine woman.”

“Yes, well. If you need to talk about it, feel free to drop by any night of the week. I've always got an ear to listen or a shoulder for you to cry on,” Myrtle said as she put her hand on his arm.

The girls looked at each other and smiled. Brynn suspected Lisa was dying to laugh as loudly as she was.

“Thank you, Myrtle. That means a lot.” He shook her hand and stood up. “Well, Ms. Monroe, I best get going. I just wanted to stop by and let you know where I stand on everything.”

“Mr. Hancock, I'm glad you did. Because now you know where I stand as well,” Brynn said with her best fake smile. “I'll see you out.”

“Goodbye, Cole,” Myrtle said as he left the kitchen with Brynn.

Before he walked out the house, he turned to Brynn one last time. “Brynn, please don't make this hard. I will win, you know. I always do.”

His words felt loaded with threats and Brynn shivered as he turned to walk away. She quickly closed the door and locked the deadbolt. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for whatever it was that Myrtle wanted. When she entered the kitchen, she saw Lisa was alone.

“Where did she go?” Brynn asked.

“She went home right after you walked out.”

“She didn't say what she wanted?”

Lisa grinned. “Oh, I suspect she got what she came for.”

Brynn laughed. “I know, right? Could she have been any more transparent?”

Lisa stood up and walked toward Brynn. Getting close to her, she did her best imitation of Myrtle’s sexy voice. “Oh, Cole, if you need me, you know where to find me.”

Both girls burst into laughter as they mocked their neighbor for her forward behavior with Cole.

“She's got it bad,” Brynn said.

“I wonder if Millie knew that.” Lisa's mind was beginning to work overtime again.

Brynn raised her eyebrows. “I bet she could tell. That Myrtle woman seems just a little loose if you ask me.”

“Loose?” Lisa asked. “Oh Brynn, you have such a way with words. I could tell you what she is, but I don't want to speak that way in front of the children,” she said, pointing to Versace, who had walked into the room.

They both laughed loudly.

“I was so afraid that one of them would spot the coffee pot and the dog bowl.”

Lisa looked at her and smiled. “Brynn, honey, there was so much sexual tension in this room that neither of them would have seen the dog bowl even if it was on fire.”

Brynn laughed. “That's true. I wonder what was really going on in there?”

Another loud knock at the front door startled them from their laughter. “Oh my god, who could that be?” Lisa said.

“Alec?” Brynn said with hope in her voice.

“Yeah, with all that other excitement, I'd forgotten that he was on his way,” Lisa said.

Brynn walked to the door and opened it to find her Aunt Beulah there instead of the handsome detective.

“Aunt Beulah, what are you doing here?” she blurted out before she could think.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Beulah said sarcastically.

Brynn was already worn out and she just didn't have any politeness left in her. She hoped Beulah wasn't there for a fight.

“I'm sorry. Come on in.” She stepped aside and allowed her aunt to enter the house.

Beulah laid her purse on the coffee table and proceeded to look around the living room as if she was taking inventory. “I've come to get some of my parent's things,” she said bluntly.

Brynn was tired. “Aunt Beulah, I'm expecting Detective Anders to come by. Is there any way that you can put this off for another day?” she dared to ask even though she knew what her answer would be.

“No, I will not!” Beulah snapped.

“Well, hello Beulah,” Lisa said as she entered the living room. “What do you want?”

“Why are you here?” Beulah shot back. “You don't even live here.”

“Well, I could say the same to you,” Lisa returned.

Brynn knew that if Alec didn't hurry, it could possibly turn ugly really quickly.

“Aunt Beulah, can you please wait until tomorrow for those things?” Brynn almost begged. “I have no idea where to even begin looking and I am worn out as well.”

Beulah walked up to her. “NO! I will not! Now let me have my mother's things!”

Brynn heard the door open without anyone knocking. She spun around to see Alec standing there in all his handsome glory. She was never so glad to see anyone in her whole life.

“Alec, I'm glad you're here.”

“I heard someone yelling and so I just came in without knocking. What's going on?” he questioned as he walked to the center of the room.

Brynn watched as he took control of the situation by placing himself in the middle of it. In her eyes, it signified control. She smiled.

“I've come for some things that belong to me,” Beulah said sternly.

Alec looked at Brynn. “Do you have her things?”

“No, I don't.”

“I want my mother's stuff!” Beulah demanded.

“What stuff is she talking about, Brynn?” Alec asked.

His eyes were gorgeous and she was lost in them already. She held his gaze as she stood staring at him.

“Brynn, what stuff is she talking about?” he repeated.

“Oh, um, I guess Aunt Millie had some things that belonged to their parents.” She felt embarrassed that he had to repeat himself. She wondered if he knew she was staring at him for purposes other than business.

“Mrs. Michaels, do you know where these things are? Can they be retrieved quickly?”

“No, I would have to go through the attic, the garage, and the rooms,” Beulah said.

“Then I'm going to ask you to leave and set up a day that works for Ms. Monroe. I'm here on official police business and we can't be disturbed.”

Brynn felt her stomach flutter as he spoke with authority. She liked his rugged ability to take control of the situation where she couldn't. She caught herself smiling at him again.

“Alright, fine. I'll leave, but I will be back!” Beulah said as she walked out the door.

“Whew! Thank you so much for that,” she said as she moved closer to Alec. “I just don't have the energy to waste on her this evening.”

His eyes were bluer than she'd remembered them to be since yesterday. They seemed to pull her in, keeping her against her will. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

God, he smells so good, too.

“No problem. Now what did you want to tell me?” he asked.

“Hmm?” she returned.

“You called and said to get over here as fast as I could?”

“Oh yeah,” Brynn said, appearing to come back to reality. “I discovered something today that I think will help with your investigation. Come on.”

She led him to the kitchen.

“Hey, Lisa,” Alec greeted.

“Hey yourself, Superman,” Lisa said, then laughed at her own joke.

He looked at her somewhat confused. “Okay, let me have it,” he said to Brynn.

Brynn walked to the counter and presented him the coffee pot and the dog bowl. “Sit down. I need to tell you exactly what happened.”

Alec took a seat and Brynn began to explain everything.

Ten minutes later, she'd told him every detail, including the loud thud on the morning of Millie's death.

“Wow, this is unexpected,” he said.

“So what do you think?” Lisa asked.

“I can't say anything until we have those things tested for fingerprints and traces of ethylene glycol. Until then, we're right where we've always been.”

Brynn looked disappointed. “Okay, well, I think you'll find your killer once you run the tests on them.”

“Let me call the station and get some detectives down here. They're going to want to do a sweep of the entire kitchen at least.”

Alec got up and went to the living room to make the call.

“God, he's gorgeous,” Brynn said.

“Yeah, I know. And the way he looks at you,” Lisa trailed off when she heard him coming back in the room.

“Hey, I have an idea,” he said to Brynn. “Do you want to grab a bite while they go over the house?”

Brynn was shocked. “I – I have Lisa here. I don't want to just leave her.”

Lisa spoke up quickly. “Hey, I have to stay here and let the policemen in. You guys go eat.” She nodded to Brynn.

Brynn looked at her. “Well, if you're sure, then I guess I could.”

“I'm totally sure. I'm going to order a pizza and hit the sack.”

“Okay. Alec, give me a minute to freshen up and I'll be ready.” Brynn smiled at him and almost skipped through the house.

Once inside her room, she wanted to let out a squeal of delight, but she knew Alec and Lisa would hear her.

“A dinner date with Alec Anders!” she said as she hurried to her closet and grabbed a pink blouse with tiny white buttons and a pair of black Capri pants. Brushing her teeth and throwing on some makeup, she was done in fifteen minutes.

“Wow, you look great,” Alec said when she walked into the kitchen.

“Ooh, sexy woman here!” Lisa said, giggling. “Watch out, Alec. She's hot tonight.”

“Oh stop it,” Brynn laughed as she swatted her hand in Lisa's direction. “Alec, don't pay any attention to her.”

“She's right, you are gorgeous,” he said.

Brynn smiled. “Well, let's go.”

Lisa followed them to the door. “I won't wait up,” she whispered to Brynn.

Hello fabulous readers!

Thanks so much for reading this story. It was an amazing journey, from start to finish. Sometimes ideas come to you fully formed and you're amazed. Others? Well, they surprise you and you discover them as you write. What starts as an adventure ends as something unforgettable, and that was the case with this book. You're reading my discovery of these characters as I discovered them, and I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did!

When you write, the characters can become so real and you almost hate to let them go, but I think that they're safe with you! I hope you enjoy spending time with them as much as I did.

Thanks for being a reader. Authors do this whole telling stories thing for you.

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