Death at the Dinner Party (A Secret Bookcase Mystery Book 3) by Ellie Alexander

Author:Ellie Alexander [Alexander, Ellie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2024-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

When I finally turned onto Woodlawn Terrace and my cottage came into view, I nearly burst into tears. I’d been holding it together for hours, and now that I was home, it was like my body knew that it could let go. I steered the car into my driveway. The air was thick with the scent of the rain-soaked earth, and the solar street lamps in our small complex of ten cottages punctuated the cul-de-sac and courtyard with a welcoming touch of warmth.

Professor Plum greeted me at my front door. Never before had I been quite as happy for the sight of the sweet twinkle lights strung along the eaves of my butter-yellow cottage and my favorite furry friend mewing at my feet.

“Good evening, Professor Plum,” I said, bending to pick him up. I nuzzled his soft head and kicked off my shoes. “Do you want to hear about tonight? It’s a doozy.”

I’d had a habit of treating Professor Plum like a human since Scarlet died. He was intended to be her cat. She adopted him shortly before she died, so there was no question that I would take him in. He’d been my faithful companion ever since.

I gave him a handful of his favorite salmon treats and made myself a cup of rose cardamom tea. Then I curled up on the couch, tucking my feet under a fluffy blanket. Professor Plum made himself at home on my lap, kneading my stomach like bread dough until he was sufficiently comfortable.

“Are you satisfied, sir?” I asked, cradling the tea in my hands.

He meowed in response and adjusted his head so that I could pet it better.

Sometimes, I would almost swear that he was Scarlet reincarnated. His eyes seemed to penetrate through me like he could read my mind.

I sipped my tea and recounted the events of the evening. Like any good listener, Professor Plum stretched his tabby paws and nodded in response every so often. I didn’t have a breakthrough or come up with any new theories, but it did feel good to release all the thoughts taking up space in my head.

The problem was I knew myself too well. I wasn’t going to be able to let go of Curtis’s murder until his killer was behind bars, which was going to distract me from making progress in Scarlet’s case.

There’s nothing you can do about it tonight, Annie.

I reached for a book, thinking that I might read for a while, but proceeded to fall asleep two pages in.

When I woke the next morning, the storm had blown over, giving way to remarkably blue skies. I padded into the kitchen in my fuzzy slippers and flannel PJs and surveyed the damage out my eating nook windows while I waited for the coffee to brew.

My neighborhood didn’t appear to have been hit too hard. Colorful leaves in autumnal tones of cranberry, burnt orange, and maize littered the street and sidewalk like confetti. The professionals would need to remove larger evergreen branches from the redwoods and cedars, but otherwise, the cottages looked like a scene from a warm and cozy fairytale.

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