Hot Toddie Homicide (Mystic Bar Mysteries Book 3) by Constance Barker

Author:Constance Barker [Barker, Constance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Constance Barker
Published: 2022-01-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

Fang had not slept well or long. His dreams had been about the Big Bite and Victor’s death. He woke several times, his mind still trying to find the reason for Victor’s collapse. Fang couldn’t do it. As far as he could see, nothing was out of place. He had done all that he could, including pulling his punches. Victor hadn’t died from a behind hit.

Yet, Victor was dead.

Fang dressed and headed for MUNCHIES AND MOCHA. He needed a jolt to wake up. He knew that caffeine was not the best of all stimulants, but he couldn’t be bothered with that. A clear brain might remember something that would be helpful. He needed help.

Helen Parsons was behind the counter, and she was a perky as the coffee. Young, dark haired, in good shape, Helen liked to chat while she concocted the various blends people asked for.

“I’m telling you,” Helen said, “Bridget’s order was as ordinary as apple pie. Nothing special. Everything was already sitting in the case.”

“That’s good to know,” Fang said. “So, I’m guessing Victor didn’t die of anything Bridget brought to the gym.”

“Not as far as I can see. But, you never know what might happen in transit. I mean, people can and do alter things after they’re bought. There was a young man who wanted a day off from his job. So, he added a laxative to the coffee cake he took to work. You can imagine the fuss that caused. The entire operation closed down. He got his day off and he was fired, when the truth came out. His harmless fun wasn’t so harmless.”

“That’s awful. I never thought people would do something like that.”

“Trust me, some people are born troublemakers.”

Tim walked to the counter. “Troublemakers? Did I hear that correctly?”

Fang greeted Tim, who said he was on his way to the station.

“In the past,” Helen said. “I was just telling Fang about an old problem.”

“Well, our current problem is bad enough,” Tim said. “I was going through what I did last night, and I recall another woman being in the shop, while Tweetie and I were here.”

“What did she look like?” Helen asked.

“Let’s see,” Tim said. “Forty maybe but tries to look younger. Blonde hair, brown eyes, starting to get that mid-life spread, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, that was Karen. She comes in and gets a chocolate latte and a cherry tart. She likes her sweets.”

“Karen who?” Fang asked.

“Hendricks, Karen Hendricks,” Helen answered. “This might sound coincidental, but she’s Victor’s ex.”

“Did she get her latte and tart last night?” Fang asked.

“No, no, she didn’t. She ordered coffee, black. I remember, because I was ready to start on the latte.”

“When people step out of the ordinary,” Tim said, “it usually means they’re doing something out of the ordinary.”

“You think she had something to do with Victor’s death?” Fang asked.

“I don’t know. But she was here when Bridgette was, so if the goodies were the problem...”

“They weren’t,” Helen interjected. “At least, they weren’t while they were here.

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