The Baker and the Body (Blythe River Mysteries Book 1) by Jesse Leigh Murray

Author:Jesse Leigh Murray [Murray, Jesse Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hellzapoppin Press
Published: 2024-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Hunter opted to stay in the cafe and clean up after the police with the help of Mary-Alice. He gave Ben a kiss on the cheek and a tight smile before they left and said, “Go play detectives with your friend and try not to get yourself killed.”

“If I do die,” Ben said, “just remember that your last words to me were condescending.”

“And if I die before you get back,” Hunter retorted, “I hope you recall that you were not the least bit helpful.”

“You don’t love me because I’m helpful. You love me because I’m beautiful.”

Now, Ben and Maddie sat in Hildy Krupp’s bookstore, each with a cup of tea that smelled like cat dander, staring at Millicent the dog as she scratched ruthlessly at her ears with her back leg.

“Here we are, then,” Hildy said, rushing in from the back room. She was holding something that looked like a tiny sweater, which she expertly slid over Millicent’s head and pulled her tiny paws through the holes. Maddie saw that it had a knitted Christmas tree on the back. Millicent wagged her tail wanly and Hildy stroked her head, murmuring, “Pretty baby.”

Seeming to remember them, though, she stood up without an ounce of self-consciousness and fixed them with an icy stare.

“So what do you two want, anyway?” she said pointing at Ben. “Maddie’s here all the time, but I’m not certain you even know how to read.”

Hildy came over to the third chair in the shop, and settled herself in, picking up her own cup and slurping noisily.

“Do you like it?” she asked Maddie. “It’s a new blend. Supposed to be good for gout.”

“Do you have gout?” Maddie asked.

“No. But if I ever get it, I’ll be all set.”

Maddie took a sip as Hildy stared her down and forced herself to swallow. It tasted as bad as it smelled.

“Yum,” Maddie said.

“I notice you didn’t bring me any treats,” Hildy said.

“I would have,” Maddie admitted, “but the police are a little bit grumpy about that. As I’m currently their favorite suspect.”

Hildy sniffed, looking down into her cup, and feigned innocence. Badly.

“I hadn’t heard.”

“There’s nothing you haven’t heard,” Ben said. “You’re worse than me.”

“Better, you mean,” she said and grinned. She was missing one of her canine teeth, giving her the look of a kindly grandmother when she smiled, but Maddie knew better. Hildy was a shark. She said, “You didn’t come to tell me about your collective businesses being searched by the police. What do you really want?”

“Information,” Maddie said. She set her cup down on the small table beside the chair and met Hildy’s hard eyes. “I want you to tell us everything you know about Otto St. James. You knew him, right?”

“We were friends once,” Hildy said after hesitating, sizing Maddie up, apparently deciding to answer her question. “Before he met Diane, we were fairly close. He was a different man then. You would hardly recognize him. Lord, it was ages ago.”

“Why did you stop being friends?” Maddie said.

Hildy shrugged.

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