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

kitchen.
    “Stealing donuts?” Heather asked.
    “Hey, you give us an allowance of one
a day,” Amy replied. “And I may have bought two others that morning. Who’s
judging?”
    Heather chuckled, then focused on the
screen. “Oh, here they come. Here they are!”
    Bernie and Karly entered the store.
Karly burst through first, chattering nonstop, and dearly departed Bernadette
followed, nodding once or twice. They took a seat at the table beside Eva’s.
    “Oh, and here’s the part where Karly
sees me,” Amy muttered.
    On screen, Amy froze mid-order behind
the register. She raised a hand, waved, then dropped it to her side.
    “I’m already quaking in fear at this
point.”
    “Drama, drama,” Heather muttered.
    Onscreen Amy hurried to the table and
placed two cappuccinos or coffees in front of either woman.
    Karly gave her the once over.
    “I hate it when she does that,” Amy
muttered.
    Bernie got up from the table and
walked out of sight, probably to the ladies room. Karly whipped out a flask and
poured clear liquid into Bernadette’s coffee, looked around once, then stowed
the flask back in her pocket.
    “What the –?”
    “She spiked her.” Amy slammed her hand
over her lips. “Now, do you see why I’m terrified of the woman? She spiked her
drink!”
    “I saw it.” Heather nodded. “I saw it
all right. Looks like we’re going to have to pay Karly Belushi another visit.”
    “And forward this to Ryan, right?” Amy
asked.
    “That’s right.” Heather whipped out
her phone, then swiped through to her messaging application.
    Got new evidence in the Belushi murder
case. File too big to email. Will bring laptop home. Surveillance from the
store shows Karly poured something in Bernie Belushi’s drink.
    Heather sent the text, then slammed
the lid of the laptop shut.
    “You should never do that. Isn’t that
bad for the computer?”
    “I don’t know, and I don’t care, right
now. We’ve got an old, grumpy lady to interview,” Heather replied, and rose
from her leather office chair.
    “Do we gotta?” Amy whined, in true
Dave style. Dave without a donut on a brisk walk.
    “Yeah, we gotta. Put on your big girl
panties, Ames. It’s sleuthin’ time.”
    They hurried out of the store, Heather
locked up behind them, then got into Heather’s car. Amy kept her silence.
Heather hummed along to the radio, something about Nae Nae and whipping, then
started the car.
    “I can’t believe the music these
days,” Heather muttered.
    “You don’t seem to mind humming it.
Besides, it’s kinda of catchy,” Amy replied.
    “Catchy like the common cold.”
    They drove down the road, took a left,
right, left, then sailed to a halt in front of Karly Belushi’s house. They
stared up at the brick face. Two windows glinted yellow from the lights inside.
    Amy gulped. Heather patted her
forearm. “Don’t worry, honey, I’m right here. I’ll protect you from the big,
bad witchy poo,” Heather said, in a baby voice.
    “Whatever,” Amy replied, and shrugged
her off.
    They got out of the car. Heather
marched up the path, determination burning in her muscles. Nope, that was the
lactic acid from leg day. At least, she could walk this time.
    Heather stopped on the porch, raised
her fist and knocked.
    Amy hovered behind her, flitted back a
step, then forward, then back.
    “Oh for heaven’s sake,” Heather
hissed.
    “I can’t help it.”
    The door swung inward, and Karly
appeared, hair in curlers, robe gathered at her throat. Fluffy slippers
completed the look. “You again.”
    “Heather, actually.” She smiled and
nodded once. “I’m the one helping to clear your name?”
    “Yeah,” Karly grunted and shifted the
door so that a sliver of her face peered through the crack.
    “Except, I don’t think I should clear
your name anymore. I want the truth, Miss Belushi,” Heather said, and slapped
her palm against the door.
    Karly flinched. Amy gasped.
    Good cop, bad cop, indeed.
    “The truth?”
    “Yeah.