A Zest for Murder (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 5) by Mary Maxwell Read Free Book Online Page B

breath.
    “That doesn’t exactly narrow it down,”
he said. “But it’s something to work with.”
    “What can I do to help?” I asked.
    “Send me that name and number,” he
answered. “And call me back if you hear from her again.”

CHAPTER
13
     
     
    The next morning at five-thirty,
while my bleary-eyed sister was upstairs in the apartment preparing for her
drive to Salt Lake City, I stumbled into the Sky High kitchen. I’d hit the
snooze button three times, so I was running a little behind schedule. Luckily,
Julia, the most punctual person I’ve ever met, was already in her apron and
hard at work. She had the mixer humming and The Eagles playing on the ancient
Boombox we kept on a shelf by the walk-in.
    “Morning, sunshine!” Her usual
cheerful expression dimmed when she saw my face. “Are you…okay?”
    I managed a feeble shrug. “Mind if
I turn that down a little?”
    She hurried across the room and
clicked off Witchy Woman just before sparks flew from her fingertips.
“Sorry, Katie! I watched part of a documentary about them last night on
Netflix. It really put me in the mood to hear some of the old classics.”
    “You didn’t have to turn it all the
way off, Jules. I was just—”
    “Hush, now,” she said in her
soothing Mama Bear voice. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later. Tell me
how you’re doing.”
    I staggered over, pulled down a mug
and filled it from the pot. “I’m okay. I mean, I’m going crazy with worry. And
I didn’t sleep. But I’m…I’ll be better when Tipper’s safe.”
    “Oh, my word!” she gushed
anxiously. “I just couldn’t believe it when I got your text. What’s the
latest?”
    I sighed and plopped down on a
stool. “She called me,” I said, warming my hands with the hot mug. “Last night
around ten-thirty.”
    “Wait!” Julia’s face went pale. “ What ?”
    “Tipper. I couldn’t believe it
myself, but she—”
    “ Tipper ?” Her voice cracked
and her eyes widened. “She called you?”
    “Yes. From a phone that she found
in the trunk of the car that the kidnappers put her in.”
    Julia’s expression changed from a
look of surprise to one of confusion.
    “I know it’s wild,” I added
quickly. “But I guess that whoever kidnapped her yesterday put her in the trunk
of a car. And when she was in there, she found a briefcase that had a phone in
it. So she called me and we talked for…hmmm, less than five minutes. She was
terrified, Jules. Just absolutely terrified.”
    Julia left the mixer and walked
over to where I was sitting. She pulled out a stool and sat down.
    “I can’t even believe this is
happening,” she said. “What’s Trent told you?”
    “Not much yet. I talked to him last
night, after Tipper called me. And I’ll check with him a little later this
morning.”
    “Is it true that…” She cleared her
throat and put one hand on her heart. “Did you really find a dead woman in
Tipper’s kitchen?”
    I nodded. “She’d been shot. And I
thought it was Tipper. I mean, I did at first. But once I got a clear look at
her face…” I shuddered at the memory. “Well, I don’t know who she is. But she
didn’t make it.”
    Julia gasped. “Oh, no…” She shook
her head and made the sign of the cross. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What on
earth do you think was going on over there?”
    “I have no idea. Zack and I drove
by the night before, just to check on her when she didn’t show up at Blanche’s.
There was an old pickup in the driveway. I guess that might’ve belonged to whoever
who took Tipper.”
    Julia processed the news as she
drank some coffee. Then she said, “Is there anything we can do?”
    “Say a prayer,” I answered in a
hushed tone. “The first few hours are the most critical.” My gaze lifted to the
clock on the far wall. “And it’s already been more than twelve.”
    “But if…well, if she called you,”
Julia said with a hopeful tone. “Then maybe…”
    Our eyes locked; we both