Green Velvet Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 16 by Susan Gillard Read Free Book Online

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the donuts out of my fridge yesterday. We both know that was you.”
    “I deny all allegations,” Amy said.
“But I get your point.”
    Dave’s head popped up, and he sniffed
the air for the scent of fresh-baked or fried donuts. No luck. It was all
carrot sticks, water, and protein powder today.
    “More evidence.” Amy swiped up her
headband and flopped it against her palm. “More evidence.”
    “Unfortunately, saying it won’t make
it materialize.” Heather sighed and leaned her head back on the sofa. She
stretched her throat and eased breaths in and out of her nose. An Amy Yoga
trick.
    “But what if it does? Let’s break it
down.”
    “All right. Karly and Tiny are out
main suspects. Geoff can wait,” Heather said, then waved a palm. “He’s too
panicked to bother for now.”
    “Tiny’s missing. Absent without
leave.”
    “Right. And that leaves Karly,”
Heather replied. “What do we know about Karly?”
    “Karly hated Bernie. She lives in a
brick-faced building. She wears black velvet. She likes hazelnut cappuccinos,”
Amy said, then chuckled. “Yeah, that doesn’t help much, does it?”
    “Wait a second, what did you just
say?”
    “She wears black velvet?”
    “No, about the coffee.” Heather sat
straight and met Amy’s gaze. “How do you know that?”
    “Because I served her at the store?
Remember?” Amy blinked at her. “What, you look like you’ve seen the ghost of
donut past?”
    Heather hopped off the sofa. Dave
scrambled up with her. She groaned and gripped her thighs, then hobbled to the
entrance to her living room.
    “What’s going on?”
    “The cameras,” Heather said. “I
installed cameras in the store. We might be able to get something from them.
It’s not much, but it’s a lead.” She hunched over and stumbled to the entrance
hall table, then snatched up her keys.
    “All right,” Amy said, then grabbed
the car keys from Heather’s outstretched palm. “But I’m driving.”
    “Good. I don’t trust my legs to work.
Did I mention this is your fault?” Heather asked. Dave licked at her ankles,
but she didn’t have the will to bend down and stroke him on the head.
    “Only like a billion times. Let’s go,
bestie.”

Chapter 12
    Heather squished herself into her
office chair, then dragged the laptop across the desk.
    Amy tugged the chair from the front
around to her side. “I’m tingling with excitement. That might be the after
exercise glow, though.” She plopped into her chair.
    “Or, you know, the lactic acid raging
through our muscles,” Heather replied.
    Amy nudged her. “Come on, let’s check
it out. I can’t wait another second.”
    Heather bit her lip. Crickets chirped
outside the window, and a soft, breeze twirled through the office, bringing the
scents of late afternoon and early evening. An amalgamation of residential
smells and dark earth, green leaves.
    Serenity.
    “Did I stutter?” Amy asked.
    “Oh relax, I’m getting there,” Heather
replied. She clicked through to the copies of the surveillance ‘tapes’ from the
last week.
    Truthfully, nothing was taped in the
traditional sense anymore. The cameras in Donut Delights were linked to a hard
drive or a drop box account or – she couldn’t begin to sound smart. Ken had
sorted the whole system out for her.
    Heather scrolled through the files,
then found the one from the Monday. “This is it.”
    “They came in bright and early. It
shouldn’t take too long to find.” Amy clasped her hands together and rested
them against the edge of the desk. “I’m nervous. Why am I so nervous?”
    “You’re not used to the pressures of
an investigation,” Heather replied, sagely.
    “Whatever,” Amy said. “I managed the
whole disgusting rat thing, just fine.”
    “True.” Heather clicked through the
first hour or so of surveillance after Jung, Ken and Angelica had come in for
work.
    Amy appeared on the screen. She gave
Maricela a thumbs up, then disappeared into the