Sugared Suspect: Spirited Sweets Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 4 by Stephanie Damore

Author:Stephanie Damore [Damore, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pink Sapphire Press
Published: 2019-03-08T23:00:00+00:00

5

The next morning Ellen met me at the bakery, ready to kick off the adoption drive. I had spent the restless night at the apartment. With so much on my mind, I hadn't been up for company other than Nick and Granny. Nick tried to convince me it was all just a coincidence. I had wanted to believe him, but I was no longer one hundred percent sure of my innocence. I resisted the urge to look up "accidental death charges" online, knowing full well they could use my internet searches against me in the court of law.

"You'll be fine. We'll figure this out," Nick reassured me with a chilly kiss on the cheek. I wanted to believe him, but his comforting thoughts did little to quiet my nerves.

Animal control had left the crates inside Granny's apartment, and Vanessa had agreed to let us in to round up the cats.

"I'm not helping," Vanessa said when she opened the door to let us in.

"No problem. We got this. Right, Ellen?" I said.

"Right!" Ellen replied with more enthusiasm than either one of us felt.

"I'll be outside." Vanessa looked down her nose at us.

"Gosh, she's friendly, isn't she?" Ellen replied under her breath.

"You have no idea," I quipped.

As if they sensed our plan, the cats scattered and hid all around the apartment. One was under the couch. Two sought shelter under the bed. One was behind the television entertainment center, and yet another wedged himself between the wall and the recliner.

"It's the crates. It's making them nervous," I told Ellen.

Granny appeared just then. "Let me help."

I wiped the shocked expression off my face. For a moment there, I was afraid Granny was going to be upset. I took a calming breath. "If you would, that would be great."

"Here, Smudge. Here, Smudgie Smudge. That's a good boy." The dark gray cat came strutting toward Granny. "Come on, Charlie. Tiger, where are you boys?" There was also a Bernie, Oscar, Felix, Snowflake, and Sir. "It's short for Mister," Granny explained. Granny's presence was a godsend. "One by one, the cats came out of hiding. Granny fussed over them, and they followed her instructions, getting into the crates as she commanded.

"That's impressive," Ellen murmured.

I raised my eyebrows in agreement.

"You promise you'll find them good homes?" Granny asked us.

"Yes, I promise. You have my word," I replied.

Granny nodded, then turned back into an orb. Ellen and I took that as our signal to take the cats across the street.

* * *

I was right; the locals turned out in full force to gossip about Granny's passing, and we were lucky enough to find a few of the cats new homes immediately, but we still needed to find homes for five others.

"Thinking about getting a furry friend?" I asked Mike when he stopped in.

"Thinking about it," the county commissioner replied. "I've only owned dogs, but I don't have the time to put into a puppy right now. I heard cats are more independent."

That was true. Milo had been sneaking off more and more lately, and the only time I saw him was when he wanted something to eat.

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