Lava Cake and Lies (Moonstone Bakery Mystery Series Book 1) by Nova Walsh

Author:Nova Walsh [Walsh, Nova]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Two Worlds Press
Published: 2024-12-17T00:00:00+00:00

16

After I called the police, we waited in a strained silence that made the small space feel even smaller. Vince leaned against his desk, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his gaze fixed on the hole in the wall like he might jump up any minute and try to fill it back in. Lois perched on the edge of one of the folding chairs, spinning her hammer idly, her face calm but her movements tense. Even Jackson, seemingly unbothered by much, quietly stood by the wall with the sledgehammer at his feet, watching for the first crack of drama.

I sat on the edge of Vince’s desk, processing what I knew—or thought I knew—about the gun. How long had it been in the wall? And who had put it there? If it was connected to Marcus, did that mean this gun had some part to play in his murder, or was it just a coincidence? The possibilities ran through my brain faster than I could make sense of them. I was used to piecing things together after the fact, not in the middle of the chaos. The discovery of the gun challenged everything I knew as a lawyer.

Shortcake broke the silence with a loud yawn and stretched across Vince’s papers like he had no clue the world was imploding around us. I scratched his ears absently, finding some comfort in his soft fur, but the quiet dragged on, pressing down on me. Vince fiddled with his key ring and didn’t make eye contact. This had to be hard for him, having already been fingered in Marcus’ murder. Now the shop he owned had a gun buried in the wall. Who knew what Sheriff Donovan would make of it all or what kind of trouble Vince might be in this time around?

The faint sound of boots on the boardwalk outside broke the quiet. I straightened, my heart giving a nervous thud as the noise grew louder. The door creaked open as Sheriff Donovan stepped in, his khaki uniform as crisp as his demeanor. A younger deputy followed, carrying a camera and notebook, his wide-eyed expression suggesting this might be his first real call of significance.

Donovan’s sharp gaze swept the room, taking in each of us before settling on the hole in the wall. “The dispatcher said you all found a gun?” His voice was level, but there was an edge to it that made me nervous.

“We sure did,” Lois said, still gripping the hammer. She gestured toward the gap in the wall. “Jackson and I were doing some demo work, opening up space for new piping when—bam—there it was.” We all jumped as she said the bam part and I gave a little nervous laugh and then reached out to pet Shortcake as I eyed the rest of the room.

The sheriff’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped further into the room, his boots heavy on the worn floorboards. “Demo work, huh? For the bakery, I take it?”

I nodded, feeling a pang of unease, and glanced toward Vince, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

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