Bun for Your Life by Karoline Barrett Read Free Book Online Page A

Maybe we can go shopping tomorrow.”
    â€œSounds good. I’ll look for my phone.”
    â€œYou really should, Molly. What if you’re out and you need to call for help? When was the last time you saw a phone booth anywhere?”
    â€œI know. You’re right. I’ll find it.”
    â€œUh-huh. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
    I turned in time to see another customer come through the door. It was the guy who came in the day of the Apple Harvest Fair. Same sunglasses, but today he was decked out in tan pants, a navy blue blazer, and a light blue shirt. No tie. My eyes went to his shoes. Wingtip tassel loafers. Not bad.
    â€œHi. You’re back,” I said, smiling at him. “You must have liked our coffee. What can we get you today?”
    â€œI’ll take care of it,” Olivia piped up. “Go, go. You have packing to do.” She turned her attention to the man, giving him a thousand-watt smile. “So, did you enjoy the Apple Harvest Fair?”
    He pulled off his sunglasses. “I’m not here for coffee. I’m here to see Molly Tyler and Olivia Williams.”
    Olivia’s smile dimmed a couple of watts at his brusqueness. “I’m Olivia. This is my partner, Molly. We own Bread and Batter.”
    He pulled out a slim wallet from his jacket and flipped it open. “Detective Sean Corsino. I need to talk to both of you about Calista Danforth-Brody’s murder.”

Chapter Five
    I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
    â€œCalista’s murder?” squeaked Olivia.
    â€œCan you close shop for a few minutes,” he replied.
    His request was delivered as an order; there was no hint of a question mark anywhere in that sentence. Olivia and I exchanged glances. I knew we were thinking the same things.
Detective who?
Followed by
Why does a detective want to talk to us about Calista’s murder?
    Olivia moved to the window and flipped the sign over to CLOSED.
    â€œHow long is this going to take? Can I put a note on the glass that we’ll be back in fifteen minutes?” I asked.
    â€œI think that’s a good idea, Detective Corsino,” Olivia agreed. “We don’t want people thinking we’re closed all day. We get a lot of tourists this time of year. They love to see the fall colors around the lake, then come to the shops in town.”
    He sighed, as if he were dealing with two recalcitrant children. “Go ahead.”
    I went behind the counter, scribbled the note, then taped it to the glass. My stomach was in a turmoil and my heart was beating a little too hard. I’m not sure why; it’s not like I had anything to hide. I certainly hadn’t killed Calista. I was reasonably sure Olivia hadn’t, either.
    I forgot all about wanting to go home to begin packing. Being questioned about a murder tends to push every other thought out of your mind, you know. Up until now, my only dealings with detectives came from watching
Law & Order
in bed while working on a bowl of cookie dough ice cream. “Our office is in the back. We can sit down.”
    He nodded, tucking his badge away. “Lead the way.”
    The three of us made our way to the tiny office Olivia and I shared. Detective Corsino immediately sat behind our antique desk, which didn’t win him any points with me, leaving Olivia and me to share a recently reupholstered armchair that was made for one. I supposed he was trying to establish his authority in case Olivia and I were plotting to stage a mutiny. I let her sit. I was too nervous.
    The detective leaned back in his chair—excuse me,
our
chair—lacing his hands behind his head. He seemed to be giving his jaws a good workout on a piece of gum, which sounds like gun, which made me wonder if he had one. That made me all the more nervous. I tried to remember a breathing relaxation technique I’d learned from the three yoga classes I’d taken at Lola’s. I drew a