Buttercream Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 7 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott Read Free Book Online

yard and my back door is partially open,” she explained, her panic evident.
    “Where are you now?” Beckett demanded, his tone urgent.
    “Standing behind the garage, watching the back door.”
    “I want you to get back in the car and stay there until I arrive. If anyone comes out of the house, drive away immediately, understand?” he directed.
    “Okay, I will,” Missy agreed, nodding, despite the fact that he couldn’t see her. She hung up the phone and walked quickly to her car, trying her best to open her door without making a sound, then pulling it softly shut once inside. Toffee was there to greet her with sloppy kisses, picking up instantly on her fear. The sensitive dog huddled close, her head resting on Missy’s shoulder over the seat as her mistress watched the house. The minutes dragged on endlessly while they waited for Chas to arrive, and Missy’s heart skipped a beat when she finally saw his car come around the corner.
    He parked behind a stand of trees by the neighbor’s house and skirted around the side yard so as not to be seen approaching. He crouched by the side of Missy’s car, speaking to her quietly.
    “I’m going in to the house to make sure that whoever opened that door isn’t still inside. Wait here and don’t get out of the car until I give you the all-clear, okay?”
    Missy nodded, unable to speak as her eyes welled with tears and her hands trembled on the steering wheel. Chas leaned in briefly, kissing her cheek, then moved with great stealth past the garage toward the back door. Seconds seemed to take hours as she waited, barely breathing, for him to come out. If anything happened to Chas Beckett, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself. Toffee snuffled softly against her neck, showing her support, and Missy reached back absently to stroke the retriever’s silky golden ears. An eternity passed before Chas finally came out the front door, walking normally, his service pistol back in its holster.
    Missy practically leaped from the car, running toward him and throwing her arms around his neck, sobbing. “Oh Chas, I was so worried. I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to you.”
    He held her close for a moment until the storm of tears had passed, then pulled back and spoke softly, so as not to alarm her. “You’re not going to be able to go back in the house right now, sweetie. Some officers from the LaChance PD will be here shortly to do an investigation, so I can’t let you back in until they’ve completed their work,” he explained, concern coloring his gaze.
    “Investigation? What are they investigating, Chas? What happened in there?” Missy asked, suddenly terrified.
    “We’ll talk about it later tonight, I promise. For right now, I want you to go to my house with Toffee. Order some pizza for dinner if you don’t feel like cooking – I may be here for quite a while.”
    “Chas…is Echo…?” Missy couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.
    “She’s not in there, sweetie,” he assured her, hugging her close as tears of relief flooded her eyes. The first of several LaChance police cars arrived, and he opened the car door for her, making sure that she was okay to drive before sending her on her way.
    Missy used the key that she’d been given to Chas’s tidy ranch house for the first time, and let herself in. It felt a bit strange being there without him, but she made herself at home by setting out the dishes that he kept on hand for Toffee, filling them with food and water. The loyal Golden stayed by her side as she went through the motions of daily life as though her world hadn’t been turned upside down. She sat down in the corner of the detective’s sleek leather couch, clutching a burgundy colored silk throw pillow to her chest, and for the longest time she just stared into space, not moving, hardly breathing.
    Her phone rang, shattering the silence and making Missy nearly jump out of her skin. She looked at the screen and saw that