Sweet Suspects (The Donut Mysteries) by Jessica Beck Read Free Book Online Page A

it?”
“Don’t worry about it, Chief.”
“If you say so,” he said.   “Who else have you two spoken with since I left you?”
I smiled.   “Don’t act shocked and surprised.   You knew that we were going to investigate.”
“I did, but I figured I had at least until the donut shop closed for the day.   You didn’t shut it down completely, did you?”
“No, Emma and her mother are running it today.”
The chief whistled.   “Suzanne, you’re not playing around here, are you?   I’ve never known you to drop Donut Hearts for a murder investigation.”
“What can I say?   It’s important to us.   We’ve already started a suspect list.”
“Go ahead, then.   Give me some names.”
I told him about our earlier conversation with the widow, and our plans to speak with Billy Briscoe next.   “I’m guessing that you don’t want us talking to Billy before you do, though, is that right?” I asked.
“On the contrary, I think that you should both go speak to him right now,” the chief said.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s just not like you to give us a green light to speak to someone that you haven’t questioned yet,” I said.
“Maybe I want you to break the ice with him first, and then I’ll follow up before he has a chance to collect his wits.”
“Are we playing ‘good cop bad, cop’ here?” Grace asked with a smile.
“No, mostly because you two aren’t cops,” the chief said.   “I just think this one time in particular that it might not be a bad idea for you to go first, unless you don’t want to.”
“We want to,” I said as I tugged at Grace’s arm.   “Come on, let’s go.”
“Call me the second that you’re finished with him,” the chief said.
“We will,” I said as Grace and I headed down the hallway to room 207.
“Why did he have a sudden change of heart like that?” Grace asked me as we hurried toward Billy’s door.
“I’m not sure, and I don’t want to give him any time to second-guess his decision,” I said.
We were there, so Grace said, “Then it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and knock.”
“Here goes nothing,” I said, and I tapped lightly on Billy’s door.

 

 
CHAPTER 5

 
Of course he didn’t answer.
“Knock again,” Grace said.
I repeated it, but there still wasn’t a response.
“Is he ignoring us, or is it something more sinister than that?” I asked Grace after another few moments.
“What do you mean?   You don’t think somebody might have killed him too, do you?”
“Not until you just said it I didn’t,” I said.   “I was thinking more along the lines that he might have skipped town.”
“Wouldn’t he realize how that would make him look?” Grace asked me.
“Maybe he doesn’t care,” I said.   “Let’s go find the chief and see what he thinks.”
Grace laughed a little as we made our way back to the reception area.
“What’s so funny?” I asked her.
“Doesn’t it strike you as a little odd that we’re cooperating so fully with the police these days?   When we first started investigating murder, we had to hide what we did from Chief Martin, and now it feels as though we’re working hand in hand with him.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said as we came out into the lobby.
“Even you have to admit that it’s not like it used to be,” she said.   “Hey, where did the chief go?” Grace asked as she looked around.   He clearly wasn’t in the lobby anymore.  
  “Maybe he got a bite to eat,” I suggested, but a quick examination of the dining room gave the same results.   The police chief was gone, just like Billy.  
It was getting to be an epidemic.
“What should we do now?” Grace asked.
“I’m going to give him a call,” I said as I pulled out my phone.
“Billy?”
“No, not him.   I don’t have his number,” I said as I hit the speed-dial for the police chief.   “I’m calling Chief Martin.”
“Okay, that makes sense.”
“Martin,” he said