Eggnog & Extortion (Sweet Bites Mystery Book 4) by Heather Justesen

Author:Heather Justesen [Justesen, Heather]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: culinary mystery, romance, recipes, cheesecake, turron, Christmas recipes, yule log, hot cocoa, crime, women sleuths, cozy mystery,
Publisher: Jelly Bean Press
Published: 2016-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Five days had passed since the Christmas party and my investigation was in full swing—that was the best I could claim. After all, I was still struggling to find viable suspects.

It was great having Lenny back at work the next day. He came in early to do the baking and I joined him an hour later to help. I dragged out a description of the fun he’d had shopping with his wife and seeing some of the local sights the previous day. He wasn’t so thrilled about The Nutcracker performance they had attended, but apparently she’d been glowing with excitement afterward, so he didn’t complain much.

Kat came in with Lenny’s lunch a little early this time. Her face was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. “Hey, haven’t you been taking care of yourself? You aren’t letting him keep you awake with his computer games?”

She smiled weakly. “No, I stayed up late working on a painting for a client’s Christmas gift. It has to be done next week and it still needs a few more layers of paint.”

I knew just enough about painting to be aware that it needed to dry in between so the colors didn’t mix or smear. “Sounds like you need to squeeze in a nap sometime today.”

“Definitely. Also, I can’t believe I broke out like this.” She touched her face, which looked red and rashy—I’d noticed but hadn’t wanted to say anything.

“Weird,” I agreed.

“I’ve been using my usual medicine, but ever since I started using that new makeup Lenny brought home, my face has been more sensitive than ever.” She frowned. “I switched back yesterday so hopefully it clears up soon.”

“But it was supposed to be better for sensitive skin.” Anise had praised it like she thought Doctor Oz was going to feature it on his show or something.

“It is. I can’t figure it out. I love the way it spreads on my face and how my skin looked the first day or two from the makeup, but I definitely have to stop using it.” She looked bummed.

“It’s hard to find the right products, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but usually if they say they are sulfate free, then I don’t have problems with them. I shouldn’t have problems with this stuff, considering how much Lenny said it costs normally.”

“No kidding.”

I went back into the kitchen to make some more fondant, but my mind wasn’t fully on what I was doing. If there was something wrong with the formula for the makeup, could that be something Deanna knew about? Could Anise have been cutting corners? Maybe one of the chemists? But then how would Deanna learn about it? She didn’t work in a department that would handle that kind of thing. But Nathan might in quality control. Hmmm. Maybe he told her something she shouldn’t know?

It would be worth checking on. Before Kat took off, I asked her to bring in what was left of her cleanser sample. Maybe I could have it tested.

“You didn’t get enough of your own samples?” Lenny asked when Kat was gone.

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