With Arsenic Sauce: A Candle Shop Cozy Mystery (Wicked Wick Mysteries Book 5) by Melrose McFadden & Elizabeth Thomas

Author:Melrose McFadden & Elizabeth Thomas [McFadden, Melrose & Thomas, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Melrose Cozies
Published: 2023-03-13T23:00:00+00:00

Paloma slid onto the barstool next to Braxton. When Braxton and Nicolette halted their conversation to turn and gape at her, she put on a wide, sweet smile. “You two don’t think Jason actually killed Won Shin, right?” she asked. “That was just some kind of performance art, wasn’t it?”

“None of your business,” Nicolette said defensively, meeting Paloma’s eyes.

Braxton shrugged with one shoulder, his head tilting sideways in an almost childish gesture. “Maybe,” he mumbled.

“Is it possible that the two of you are so distraught over your friend’s death that you’re lashing out a little? Grasping at straws?” Paloma asked.

Braxton looked up at Nicolette, but she avoided his eyes by staring right at Paloma instead. Long seconds ticked by as the two women stared each other down. Paloma forced herself to not blink or look away, but rather to study the younger woman’s expression, looking for any twitch or movement that might give something away.

“He definitely stole our case of stuff,” Braxton said.

Paloma jerked back at the word and blinked hard, unable to control her response. The mention of the mystery case caught her totally off guard. “What?” she asked. “What case?” Had they seen the case in the meeting room after all? Had they spotted it somehow beneath Jason’s jacket at some point? Or had they just noticed it missing and put two and two together?

“If he could steal our stuff, he could easily probably kill someone. That’s my reasoning,” Braxton said. He nervously pressed down the points of his shirt collar while keeping his eyes trained on the shiny wooden bar top.

Nicolette narrowed her eyes at Paloma, ignoring Braxton for the moment. She raised an eyebrow, studying and calculating something.

Paloma could almost feel the wheels turning in Nicolette’s mind and hoped the woman didn’t register Paloma’s surprised reaction at the word case and put together what that might mean. A long silence dragged out between them all. Braxton pulled out his phone and checked it for a signal, then tucked it back away after finding none.

Footsteps behind Paloma caused her to turn around and end the odd moment between them.

“Hey,” Cole said, taking Paloma’s elbow and giving her a gentle tug. His hand was freezing. “Can I speak to you for a moment?” He completely ignored Braxton and Nicolette as he steered Paloma to the far end of the bar. He paused for a long moment, collecting his thoughts.

“What’s up?” Paloma asked. “You okay? Where’s Adam?” She craned her neck to try to get a view of the front door, but Adam wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“He’s fine. I’m fine.” Cole’s eyes shifted from side to side as he scanned the entire lobby behind her. He brushed snow from his eyebrows. “But my snow chains are missing.”

“Wait, what? Are you sure?”

He set his jaw, clearly frustrated and growing more so by the second. “Absolutely. Stolen. I always have them in that tool box in my truck bed, just in case. I just saw them in there the other day.

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