1 Cookie Calamity: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Cookie Corner Paranormal Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Cindy Stark

Author:Cindy Stark
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Blackberry Moon Publishing
Published: 2022-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

I stepped out from the Cookie Corner into a brisk wind that hadn’t been there when I’d arrived earlier. It whipped around me, tossing dark strands of hair into my face. As I fought to clear them, I could hear the wind snapping the town’s banners and flags near me. Energy sizzled in the air, and ignited my senses.

Chief Bexley forced the bakery’s door closed behind him. “It’s a good thing you’re leaving. It’s starting to get wild.”

I glanced upward at the darkening clouds hustling across the sky. “I might have waited too long.”

He shook his head. “I think you’ll be okay since you’ll be traveling ahead of the storm. Where’s your car?”

I pointed in the direction that I’d parked and began walking against the wind.

Chief Bexley placed a hand lightly on my elbow as we stepped off a curb to cross the street. “You mentioned to Chloe that you’ll be back soon. How soon is that?”

Though I didn’t need his assistance to cross the road, his protective gesture seemed sincere. I appreciated it, but his touch, brief though it was, also left me feeling awkward. I swallowed those thoughts before I answered. “Sometime in the next week or so. I want to go through Aunt Birdie’s things before I put the house up for sale.”

He kept his eyes on the sidewalk ahead of us but lifted his chin in response. “Don’t stress yourself. There’s no need to rush.”

Was I rushing? I didn’t think so. And why did he care? “I know. I’ll just feel better when everything isn’t up in the air.”

He glanced at me then, the scar through his eyebrow drawing me to his unreadable gray eyes that mimicked the dark color of the sky. “If you want, some of us in town could box up stuff for you. After all, Birdie was like family to us, too.”

I tilted my head, wondering at his motivations. It appeared he was trying to be helpful, but I sensed something hiding amongst his words. I wish I knew what. “That’s really nice of you to offer, but I’ll be okay.”

He lifted his chin in acceptance. “If I’d known you’d parked so far away, I would have given you a ride.”

I smiled. “If I would have known it was going to be so crazy out here, I would have accepted.”

He chuckled, and the sound of his voice eased tension that I hadn’t realized I was carrying. I squinted to protect my eyes from flying dust. “I’m just up ahead.”

Chief Bexley saw me safely to my car and waited for me to fasten my seatbelt. Once I’d finished, he stepped back from the door. “Drive safe.”

I responded with a smile. “Yes, sir. Hey, would you like a ride back to your car? It’s awfully blustery out.”

The grin he gave me brightened his whole face. “Sure. That’d be great.”

It wasn’t until he was seated in my passenger seat that I realized something was terribly wrong. I inhaled a sharp breath as panic overtook me.

He jerked his gaze toward me, all traces of his smile gone.

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