The Body in the Bar: A BRAND NEW intriguing cozy mystery (Jim and Ginger Cozy Mysteries Book 6) by Arthur Pearce

Author:Arthur Pearce [Pearce, Arthur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2025-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

The door swung open with agonizing slowness. I held my breath, the small ring of keys growing slick with sweat in my palm. Through the gap appeared Officer Jones, his uniform bore evidence of recent napping, his face that of someone still negotiating terms with consciousness. A coffee stain decorated his tie in a pattern that looked suspiciously like Miller’s filing system – chaotic yet somehow maintaining its own internal logic.

“Can’t believe he left another one,” Jones muttered, heading straight for Miller’s abandoned maple bar near the entrance. “Man leaves pastries like breadcrumbs through a fairy tale. Found three jelly donuts in the break room last week. Week before that, discovered a bear claw behind the copy machine.”

I pressed myself against the far shelf, trying to become one with a box labeled “Things Found Near Places Where Other Things Were.” The fluorescent light above flickered erratically like someone practicing amateur Morse code. Jones continued his drowsy monologue, scooping up the maple bar as carefully as if handling fragile evidence. Or possibly just protecting his uniform from additional stains.

“Door’s open too,” he yawned, barely glancing around. “Probably forgot to close it. Like that time he left the coffee pot running all weekend – created a new kind of crime scene, that did. Took three days just to chisel the burnt coffee remains out of the pot. Had to file an incident report under ‘Caffeinated Catastrophes.’”

Just as Jones turned to leave, my phone erupted in what sounded like an entire gospel choir’s enthusiastic interpretation of “Stayin’ Alive.” Several of Emma’s meditation apps tried to join in, creating a cacophony that probably qualified for its own noise ordinance violation. The irony of the song choice wasn’t lost on me as I fumbled to silence it, heart pounding harder than the disco beat. Sarah’s name flashed on the screen like a beacon of unfortunate timing.

Jones froze mid-step, the maple bar hovering halfway to his mouth. A few crumbs escaped, creating their own evidence trail on the floor. “Hello? Someone there?” His voice cracked slightly, caught between lingering drowsiness and possible concern about supernatural phone calls. “First Martinez with his ghost pastries, now phantom disco? What’s next – possessed paperwork organizing itself?”

What followed probably deserved its own training manual in police evasion techniques. As Jones began a methodical search behind each shelf, I executed a series of moves that would have impressed professional dancers – if they specialized in panic-induced choreography. Each shelf presented new challenges in creative concealment, while various evidence boxes threatened to expose my position with poorly timed avalanches.

“Swear I heard something,” Jones muttered, checking behind a box marked “Evidence (Probably).” His flashlight beam cut through the darkness like an enthusiastic rookie on their first case. “Unless phones can be haunted now. Martinez probably infected the whole department with his ghost stories. Next thing you know, we’ll have haunted filing cabinets rearranging Miller’s donut receipts. Though that might actually improve his organization system.”

Every few seconds, another meditation app tried to activate on my phone, requiring increasingly creative silencing techniques.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.