Murder on Wheels by Lynn Cahoon Read Free Book Online Page A

many years, the house looked well-tended, even if the paint was a bit faded. I knocked on the front door, but no one answered, so I went around to the garage she’d refurbished as her bakery and opened the door. “Sadie? Are you here?”
    The smell of brownies hit me as soon as the door opened and my stomach growled. I hadn’t taken the time for breakfast, and now the sensory overload of baking chocolate almost did me in. Sadie was at a counter, pouring more ingredients into her oversized stand mixer. She waved me over. “Hold on a minute. I’ll get this started, then I’ll take a break.”
    She hadn’t heard. I could tell by the way she hummed as the flour and cocoa drifted down into the brownie mix. As usual, my friend was dealing with her own issues the old-fashioned way, by baking.
    Sadie pulled her gloves off, poured two cups of coffee from the pot on the cabinet, and met me at a small table in the corner. She pushed a file filled with paperwork to the side and closed her laptop. “What’s got you out on a Wednesday? Brownies will be ready any minute. You can taste-test my new recipe. Double chocolate with dark chocolate chips. They may just be too much chocolate.”
    â€œThat’s impossible.” I sipped my coffee slowly, not wanting to ruin my friend’s good mood. Chicken. I took a deep breath.
    â€œIt’s a great day. I guess Austin changed his mind about using my recipes for his new food truck.” Sadie pulled a loose-leaf notebook out from under her counter. “Look what I found on my front step today.”
    I used a napkin to open the red cover. Sadie’s Marble Cheesecake was written on the first page, with ingredients scratched out and new ones added to make the final product gluten-free.
    â€œYou need to show this to Greg.”
    Sadie laughed. “I don’t think Greg’s going to arrest Austin for conning a silly woman out of her best recipes. Besides, I’m done with that man. I had a long talk with Pastor Bill after Sunday service, and he helped me forgive Austin for his treachery.” She took the notebook back and slipped it under the counter again. “This is just God’s way of telling me the man is out of my life. Whatever punishment He has in store for Austin won’t be pretty.”
    â€œDon’t say that.” I patted the chair next to me. “Come over here, I need to tell you something. Then we need to call Greg.”
    I quietly explained what I actually knew about Kacey’s death, which was almost less than nothing, then dialed Greg’s number when I finished. Sadie looked pale, so I poured her more coffee as the phone rang.
    â€œHey, I’m in a meeting. Can I call you later?” Greg’s voice filled my ear.
    â€œI think you need to come talk to Sadie. She found something on her doorstep this morning.” I pushed a brownie toward my friend, but she just stared at the temptation.
    The pause at the end of the line worried me. “I was planning on stopping by later anyway.”
    That didn’t sound good. Don’t jump to conclusions, Jill. I knew she was watching me, so I put on my best service smile and nodded. “Sooner would be better. I’ll wait here for you.”
    â€œPlease tell me it’s nothing incriminating.” Greg sighed and I could hear him rustling papers on his desk.
    â€œYou just need to see this.” I hung up, not wanting to explain more about the mysterious notebook that at the very least made Sadie look guilty for trashing the food truck. Not that I thought she’d do a thing like that, but maybe someone else had. Nick had been home last weekend. Would he have taken steps to protect his mom?
    â€œGreg will be right here.” I tried to sound soothing, but Sadie didn’t respond. She stood and began to finish the batch of brownies she’d started when I’d arrived. I took a bite of the chocolate heaven and sipped