Bourbon Street Secrets: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery by Corrine Winters

Author:Corrine Winters [Winters, Corrine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

“It’s been dead all day,” Daisy said, breaking her silence after an hour of pondering. “Maybe we should just close up and leave.”

“Why?” Zoe asked, looking concerned for her friend. The timer went off, and she grabbed the oven mitt. “We’ve had dead days before. We can make it through this, it’s just a little hiccup is all.”

“I just can’t get over the note that was left for me,” Daisy admitted, wringing her hands. “It could be anybody.”

“Don’t worry, Daisy. We’ll find who threatened you, and they will answer for what they did,” Zoe said confidently, bringing the rolls out of the oven. “You don’t deserve any of this. You are a good person.”

Zoe walked over to some pastries she took from the oven five minutes earlier, and handed one to Daisy on a plate. “Here, you should treat yourself,” she said with a smile. “And look at the few customers you still have sitting out there. They still support you.”

Before Daisy could respond, she caught a glimpse of a familiar woman passing by in the window. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see this person or not, so she braced herself for her presence. Sure enough, Amanda Shirley entered the bakery.

The tinkle of the bell above the door announced Amanda's arrival, but it was her aura of barely contained rage that commanded the room. She strode forcefully up to the counter, arms crossed so tightly over her chest that her manicured nails dug painfully into her skin.

Her eyes flashed like flickering flames as they bored holes into Daisy, threatening to ignite at any moment. Daisy braced herself under that scorching glare, meeting it steadily with composure despite her pounding heart.

"Well?" Amanda spat, tapping jagged nails rapidly against the polished wood. Her lips were pursed into a bloodless line so thin they almost disappeared. "Are you going to explain yourself?"

Keeping her voice measured, Daisy raised a brow. "Explain what exactly?"

A scoff tore from Amanda's throat, ugly and derisive. She leaned menacingly over the counter, putting her contorted face mere inches from Daisy's.

"Don't play dumb with me, girl," she growled, hot breath hitting Daisy's cheeks. She jabbed an accusatory finger down for emphasis. "I want to know why you've been slithering around telling lies, accusing me of poisoning my own daughter-in-law!"

Her last words shattered the air between them, splintering the tension like lightning cracking open a storm-heavy sky. For a split-second, all that could be heard was the labored hiss of Amanda's breath as Daisy held her ground unflinchingly.

From the corner of her eye, Daisy saw Zoe inch subtly closer. She poised herself just behind the counter, muscles tensed, ready to intervene at a moment's notice should Amanda's rage combust.

Motley bristled beside Daisy, meeting Amanda's accusatory glare with a challenging stare of his own. Through their telepathic bond, he sent waves of calm reassurance to Daisy.

"Do not let her threats disturb your search for truth," he urged silently. While baring his teeth was instinctual, violence would not serve them. But neither would he stand idle if Amanda's rage overflowed its banks.

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