Cupid, Cupcakes and Carnage by Kaz Delaney

Author:Kaz Delaney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Cozy, Mystery
ISBN: 9781958686614
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

My big cowboy was known to be a bit of a showoff on the dance floor, so as the music picked up pace, our Texas two-step was aggrandized by several dips and twirls, much to my dismayed giggles. One such dip, though, caught my breath, sobering me with more haste than if I’d been splashed with ice water, and if not for Jonah’s firm grip, my misstep would have caused us both to topple.

“Rosie? Darlin’? You okay?”

No, I wasn’t okay. In fact my pulse was racing as I scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of what I was sure I’d just seen. Frustration burned as the bodies before me swayed and blended; obscuring my view—swallowing her up.

“Honey, what is it? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

I didn’t dare take my eyes off the crowd. “No, not a ghost,” I muttered back. “But certainly someone I didn’t expect to see here. At least I think I did…”

When it was obvious I’d lost her—or the woman I thought was her—I began scanning for Frank. I’d caught a glimpse of him earlier and I knew he was out of uniform, but I also knew he was half on duty. There was a lot of out-of-towners here and I knew he’d be watching for any trouble. Not that there was any trouble to report, but I was pretty sure he’d be interested.

With Jonah trailing, I started circulating, searching for the woman, as well as keeping an eye out for Frank, hitting second prize when I spied one of them heading out the front door with a soda in his hand. Of course, following Frank through that mass of people took time and effort, all of which proved fruitless when I saw him suddenly hurrying back into the hall.

It was the scream that had done it.

Just as it had stopped me dead in my tracks.

And sent my thoughts scurrying in a dozen different directions. I’d been on my way to report something suspicious and now someone was screaming. Could the two be connected? That was something I needed to discover. Urgently.

But not so easy to accomplish.

The sea of bodies I’d had trouble penetrating earlier was now a solid wall, with everybody surging forward, craning to see what was going on. Any thoughts I had of using my small frame to squeeze through proved to be an immediate failure, and as my desperation grew, I seriously considered ordering Jonah to use his bulk and ram his way through. For a moment, anyway.

Help, however came from behind. In the guise of Deputy Bobby Don McCauley to be precise.

“Police! Coming through!”

It was all I needed. As soon as he’d leveled with me, I grabbed onto the back of his belt, tucked my head low and held on for grim death.

And succeeded. When he reached Frank a minute or so later, I popped out from behind, noting the only reaction from either man was the sheriff’s briefly raised eyebrow. There was just sober resignation when first Jonah appeared beside me, and then Midge close on his heels.

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