A Taste of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Alaine Allister Read Free Book Online

know the people personally – she had probably just seen them around town in passing. 
    When she saw crotchety old Mrs. Meddler headed straight for her, Clarissa tried to avert her eyes and edge away.  But sadly, the old woman had already zeroed in on her.  There was no escaping.
    “You’re the reporter!” the old woman announced, pointing a long, bony finger at Clarissa.
    “I uh...not anymore, Mrs. Meddler,” Clarissa corrected her.  “The Gazette closed up shop.”
    The old woman ignored her.  “I know who killed the mayor!” she declared loudly.
    Several people nearby looked over.  Some were grinning.  Others looked uncomfortable.  Everyone around town knew that Mrs. Meddler was a grumpy old lady with nothing better to do than peer out her living room window and jump to ridiculous conclusions about anyone and everyone who was unfortunate enough to catch her attention.
    “Let me guess,” a young man standing nearby said.  “It was the pizza delivery man!”
    Everyone snickered – until Mrs. Meddler thwacked him in the shin with her cane.  Then they all continued to snicker (except for the guy who was rubbing his shin) but they all did it much more discreetly.  No one else wanted a beat-down from awful old Mrs. Meddler.
    Clarissa knew better than to argue with the gossipy old know-it-all.  It was easier to simply humor her, thank her for her time and hope she would go away.  So, mustering up every shred of patience she had, Clarissa forced herself to smile.
    “Why don’t we step over here and talk?” she suggested brightly, ushering Mrs. Meddler away from the crowd.  She knew it was going to take some award-winning acting on her part to pretend to be taking the old woman seriously. 
    Mrs. Meddler seemed to think soap operas were too tame so instead of watching them, she made up her own ludicrous stories about the locals.  It would be kind of humorous if her tall tales didn’t frequently cause inconvenience and embarrassment to those involved.
    “Jed Black was a terrible mayor!” Mrs. Meddler declared impassionedly.  “Have you seen the state of our streets?  The potholes are like craters!  Last month I drove my car right into one and got a flat tire.  Do you think the city would pay to fix it?  No!”
    “That’s...unfortunate,” Clarissa said, biting the insides of her cheeks to try to keep from grinning.  Everyone in town knew Mrs. Meddler had no business driving, yet she still continued to drive.  Apparently even the cops were scared of her! 
    Clarissa had witnessed Mrs. Meddler’s driving firsthand.  The general consensus was that when Mrs. Meddler was behind the wheel, pedestrians were safer on the street than on the sidewalk.  If she had gotten a flat tire, Clarissa had no doubt it was nobody’s fault but Mrs. Meddler’s.
    “Jed Black was a terrible mayor, but you know what?”
    “What, Mrs. Meddler?”
    “ He would have been an excellent mayor!” Mrs. Meddler said, pointing to a baby-faced young man wearing a suit and tie.  He was clearly the best-dressed person in sight, but did that alone qualify him to be Sugarcomb Lake’s next mayor?  Was he even old enough to vote?
    “Um, I’m sorry but who is he?” Clarissa asked.
    Mrs. Meddler pursed her lips.  “I thought you were a reporter,” she chastised, as cranky as ever.  “You’re supposed to know these things!  He’s the Preston boy.  Chad?  Charles?  Oh drat, I forget.  But he’s a dear.  He grew up three doors down.  His mother used to send him over to shovel my front walk every winter.  He’s a nice boy.”
    “So he shoveled your snow and therefore...he should be the next town mayor?”
    “Don’t you know anything?!  He’s a good boy.  He studied hard and went to a good college.  Jed Black mentored him,” Mrs. Meddler told Clarissa impatiently.  “It’s no wonder you aren’t a reporter anymore.”
    Biting her tongue, Clarissa resisted the urge to say something snarky in