Murder in the Cake: Cozy Murder Mystery (Harley Hill Mysteries Book 4) by Kennedy Chase Read Free Book Online Page A

didn’t know it was a private street —and a quick exit should there be a slavering Rottweiler around the next corner.
    Taking another quick look, I waited until a couple walked past on the street before sticking my picks into the simple lock.  
    Less than fifty seconds later it clicked, and I turned the handle. Bingo . I closed it but left it unlocked as I made my way down the alley behind the café.  
    There was a small yard behind each of the shops, where the garbage cans were kept. Again, walls were good. My biker boots were tough but flexible and I was over Café H’s wall before you could say naughty little cat burglar .  
    I told myself I was just going to have a little look through the window. Unfortunately the window was barred on the outside and the shutters were down.
    Judging by the vents coming out of the wall, I guessed it must be the café’s kitchen. I looked up. The whole time I was there, I swore I was only going to have a nosy round on the outside, but then I spotted the open upstairs window, right beside a drainpipe.  
    What’s a girl to do? It’s like it was meant to be, and who was I to defy fate?
    I put on the pair of soft leather gloves I always kept in my pocket and peered over the wall either side of Café H.  
    The neighbouring premises were both shops and had already closed. There was a light on above one of them, but the curtains were drawn. I tested the drainpipe to see if it was sound. It was, and so up I went like a little monkey.  
    I’m five feet five tall, and despite all the cake I shovel in, I’m still petite, so I was able to lean across, get onto the ledge, and then pour myself through the small, open window.  
    From my position I reached down and opened the catch on the wider part of the window, letting myself in to the upstairs flat above the shop.
    My heart was pounding, but you know what? I kinda liked it. It was exciting. I was here for a good reason, not to steal anything. It’s quite the feeling.
    I dropped to the floor and closed the window quietly, checking again that nobody had seen me.  
    Sure that the coast was clear, I drew the curtains and had a quick look around the room. It wasn’t totally dark yet, so I could still make things out. I didn’t put the light on in case anyone was in the flat.  
    I was in a living room that featured tasteful but boring, typical man-cave stuff: big TV, big couch, no ornaments, an empty beer bottle on the coffee table, no pictures on the wall, except one…  
    On the fireplace was a single photo frame. It was a picture of Chloe!  
    The image was taken from a newspaper cutting. She was at school and had won a prize for spelling, according to the blurb underneath the picture. It looked a couple of years old, the print had faded, the paper had yellowed and Chloe looked a little younger, but it was definitely her.  
    Yes!
    We had our man. On impulse I pocketed the photograph.  
    I might have left the same way I came in, but just then a great ginger moggy darted from under the couch and ran out of the door. When my heart stopped pounding, I followed the silly animal.  
    If the café owner had gone away and left ginger locked in, I had to check that it had food and water. What can I say? I’m a softie when it comes to animals, especially cats. I somehow managed to tame Monty, so I guess I had some kind of cat-whisper skill.  
    I got my phone out and turned on the nifty flashlight app.  
    A beam of ghostly light spilled into the darkness ahead of me and I quietly tiptoed into the corridor. I passed a bathroom that was small, but clean and tidy. It had black and white tiles on the walls and one of those old-style water closets above the toilet. Hanging on the towel rail was a pair of socks and an old school tie in purple and gold stripes.
    After the bathroom I came to a bedroom and peeked inside. The bedclothes were rumpled, but the bed was empty. I went over, removed my glove, and touched the shallow depression where