Brownies & Betrayal (Sweet Bites Mysteries, Book 1) by Heather Justesen Read Free Book Online Page A

“How about you, Dahlia?” she asked the girl.
    “Chocolate.” Dahlia was very decisive, though she also looked very sad and a little cross.
    “Great choice.” I handed the slices over. “I saw you here a couple nights ago,” I said to Dahlia.
    The woman answered as Dahlia stuffed a huge bite of the cake in her mouth. “Yes. She’s Valerie’s little girl.”
    I studied the woman more closely. “You must be a sister. You look a lot alike.”
    “I’m Lidia, Valerie’s older sister. I arrived last night after they let me know.” Her voice broke and she paused to get it back under control. “My apologies. Did you know my sister well?” Her pain was palpable.
    “No. We spoke only the one time Friday evening.” I chose not to tell her the subject of our conversation. No need to bring it up now, after all. “I’m surprised you’re here tonight. It’s such a tragedy for you.”
    Lidia touched a hanky to her cheek. “Yes, but Tad insisted that he wanted Dahlia here, to get her mind off things, so I brought her for a while.” Her breathing hitched and she gave me a watery smile. “I think the plan backfired.”
    “I’m so sorry.” My heart went out to this woman. Even if Valerie hadn’t exactly been the nicest person ever, it must still be hard for her sister. “Are you going to be in town for a while?”
    Lidia nodded. “For the next few days while they sort everything out. Dahlia and I are all she had, so I’ll be settling the estate.” She turned her head as someone called her name from the crowd, and I looked up to see Tad gesturing to her. “Looks like I’m being summoned,” she said to me. “It was good to meet you.”
    “Same here.” I watched with sympathy as she led the little girl back into the crowd. Settling a family member’s estate was never easy. I’d done it first after my parents’ deaths, then with my grandma, so I was intimately aware of the stresses involved. Dahlia stretched her arms up to Tad, and he passed the cake to Lidia, then scooped up the little girl. She snuggled into him, tucking her face into his chest, looking lost.
    My resolve to investigating the murder strengthened. That child needed answers, and knowing her pain, I was going to be make sure she got them.
    A few minutes passed as I continued to hand out cake to guests before Honey ambled over and scooped up a slice of chocolate.
    “Learn anything interesting?” I asked.
    “It’s hard to interrogate people without letting them know what you’re doing, but I did manage to get a little information.” She closed her eyes as she savored the first bite. “Oh wow, I forgot what this was like. You so need to live in the area where I can taste-test for you all the time.”
    I laughed. What was a best friend for if not to fawn and praise once in a while? “You’ve got me. Now, what did you learn?”
    “Analesa’s mom confirmed that all the bridal party, as well as family members, were staying here in the hotel. Their house has been leased, you know.” She said this in all seriousness, as if I was in the loop on local gossip and of course I would know.
    “Why did they do that?”
    “Mr. Plumber’s company transferred him out of the area a couple years back so they moved, but he plans to retire in another year or two. They didn’t want to sell.”
    “But of course they couldn’t leave the house vacant,” I answered the question myself. “That explains why everyone stayed here.” Honey consumed the cake with gusto while I reined in my own longing for a slice. Working with sugar and fat all day showed on my hips. I knew I needed to stay away from the goodies, or at least try to refrain from eating more than one piece.
    Especially after enjoying two éclairs the previous afternoon and a brownie last night. Fat city, even if they were delicious. I really needed to start working out again.
    Instead of obsessing about the food, I turned the conversation. “Okay, so everyone was here. Jeff told me the