Murder and Macchiatos (Coffee Truck Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Justine Maxwell

Author:Justine Maxwell [Maxwell, Justine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-22T16:00:00+00:00

NINE

“Hello, mighty officers of the law,” I greeted my brother, Nico, and Nate, Ryan’s previous partner. “Since you are the only ones legally allowed to investigate crimes, we come bearing gifts.”

The guys looked at the donuts nestled in neat rows in the pink box in Lexi’s arms. Then, they zeroed-in on the cardboard drink carrier in my hands, and the three to-go cups in the pockets. Do they look suspicious? Give me a break.

“Gifts, huh?” Ryan asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Those look more like bribes.”

“Bribes or not, I’m in.” Nate reached forward to grab a donut, but then he shook his head and pointed at the coffee I held. “But I don’t want any of your poisonous coffee, Haze. I’m no fool.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You are if you think I’d be crazy enough to poison my brother and his fellow detectives in front of the entire police force.”

Ryan smirked and took a coffee. “She’s got you there, Nate.”

“Whatever. I’m good with the sludge in the break room.” He took a giant bite of the strawberry jelly-filled donut and groaned. “Oh, but this? I wouldn’t pass one of these up even if I knew it was poisoned.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lexi teased.

I couldn’t help but notice that Nico still hadn’t moved from his spot leaning against the doorframe of his office. He was watching us, quietly observing, expression totally blank.

Lifting my chin, I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re not a big fan of coffee and donuts, Detective Baretti?”

“I’ll pass, but thanks.”

I glared harder. “Oh, come on. I’m here to give you a break in the case so you’ll know for sure it wasn’t me who poisoned Mark. You can trust the coffee.”

At this, Ryan held up a hand and gave me a dark look. “Wait, what do you mean you’re giving us a break in the case? How would you get a break in the case if you weren’t investigating it?”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic, Ry. I simply heard a few things thanks to a visit with a friend. You know how powerful the town rumor mill is. You can’t seriously call that police work. If so, you guys need to step up your game.”

“It may not be police work, but it is sticking your nose into an active investigation,” Nico said, pushing off from the doorframe and stepping closer to me. He loomed over me and lifted his chest, causing a sense of dread to creep up my spine. “An investigation that you’re currently a suspect in. In fact, depending on what you did to obtain this information, I may even call it obstruction of justice.”

I raised my chin, meeting his challenge. “Relax, Cujo. It’s not that serious.”

“What did you find out, Haze?” Nate asked, taking another massive bite of donut.

“Well, Lexi and I brought some flowers to Mark’s grieving widow,” I explained, ignoring Ryan’s eye roll. “While we were there, she told us something very interesting about a guy we went to high school with.

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