When Magic Is Murder (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 4) by Mary Maxwell Read Free Book Online

rolling his eyes.
“They were six deep at the counter, Katie. And, like I told you, the toilet was
overflowing and Jeremiah had screwed me over. On top of that, Reverend Tuttle
was here with his weekday Bible group, so the place was packed.”
    “Sounds like it was kind
of…hectic?” I offered a sympathetic smile as Dean put my cappuccino on the
counter.
    “You can say that again. It was
busy and people weren’t happy about the hall over there being flooded.” He
shrugged. “Not that I could do much about it besides keep running back with a
mop.”
    “Right,” I said. “Or close down
until Homer came to the rescue.”
    Dean finally managed a weary smile.
“Which he did, actually. Right about the time that redhead in the stretchy
pants was leaving.”
    “With the soy latte marked Bitsy ?”
    When I reached into my pocket, he
waved one hand and said it was on the house. Then he said, “Oh, yeah! I almost
forgot—the redhead stopped to talk to someone from the Bible group.”
    “Do you recall who it was?”
    He frowned. “I wish I could, Katie.
But Homer was coming in, two old guys were arguing over by the window there
and…” A groan finished the list. “You know how it goes? Some days are crazier
than others.”
    “Yeah, of course. And don’t sweat
it; Reverend Tuttle comes into Sky High just about every day, so I can ask if
he happened to know the woman.”
    “Cool,” Dean said with a grin. “Why
are you so interested in the redhead?”
    “I was just curious about
something,” I said. “It’s an old habit from my days in Chicago.”
    “Oh, right! I get that; once a
detective, always a detective.”
    “Much to the consternation of some
people named Trent Walsh.”
    Dean chuckled. “He was in this
morning.”
    “How was Deputy Chief Walsh?” I
asked. “Did he mind his manners?”
    “Always. He and Dina were in with
some guy from Denver.”
    “Oh, really? I wonder if it was
Adam Caldwell.”
    Trent had introduced me to Adam
when I was conducting another recent investigation as a favor to my neighbor.
Besides being a nice guy with impeccable manners, Adam Caldwell was a top-notch
detective with the Denver Police Department.
    “I didn’t catch his name,” Dean
said. “It looked like they were discussing police business, so I didn’t try to
make small talk.”
    “Wise choice,” I said. “Trent can
get pretty crabby if you—”
    Dean’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
    “—interrupt him when it’s a serious
conversation.”
    “Hey, if you don’t mind, I should
take this,” he said, glancing at the screen. “Good seeing you, Katie! I’ll have
to stop by soon for breakfast or lunch.”
    “Or a slice of pie!” I said,
heading for the door.

CHAPTER
9
     
     
    Luigi Benedetto was pacing on the
sidewalk in front of his namesake restaurant when I arrived a few minutes
before eight. His hand was wrapped in a white towel, he was sipping a glass of red
wine and the few words I heard him mumble were common vulgarities that sounded
slightly less offensive in Italian.
    “Hey, Luigi!”
    He wobbled around in my direction.
“Miss Kate! I’m glad to see you!”
    I nodded at his swaddled hand.
“What happened?”
    He touched the glass of wine to his
forehead. “My stupid brain is what happened! I was on the line, sautéing a
beautiful piece of veal, when I somehow slipped on the floor. Instead of
reaching out to the left for the opposite counter, I went to my right.” He chuckled
loudly. “And, kaboom ! Wouldn’t you know it! My hand went down on the
grill before I could stop myself!”
    “Oh, no! How bad is the burn?”
    He chuckled and made a face.
“Nothing I can’t handle! My wife sent me out here with a splash of
Châteauneuf-du-Pape and an ice pack.” He raised the injured hand. “As soon as
the wine is gone, I’ll be right back inside. I can’t leave Bruno alone in the
kitchen too long. We’ve got a full house and a bunch of chattering hens took
over the private dining room