Mint Frosting and Murder (Holly Holmes Cozy Culinary Mystery Series Book 9) by K.E. O'Connor

Author:K.E. O'Connor [O'Connor, K.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: K.E. O'Connor
Published: 2022-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The view from my cottage window looked like I lived in the middle of a midwinter scene from a Christmas card. The snow was beautiful as it glistened under the weak winter sun. But as beautiful as it was, this snow couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time.

With Delphine’s body still in the bedroom, all the suspects free roaming, and no sign of the police, we were in trouble.

Rupert walked into the room, rubbing his hands together. “Is it just me, or has it gotten much colder since last night?”

I touched the radiator underneath the window and frowned. It was icy. “The heating hasn’t come on.”

“There’s oil in the tank. It was only topped up last week. We got a delivery the same day as the castle.”

“Let’s head to the castle. They’ll have heat, so it’ll be warmer over there. We can get breakfast and check in on Alice.”

“I’m not sure about it being warmer. It’s hard to keep that place warm. Audley Castle is beautiful to look at, but impractical to live in.” Rupert took down our coats and sorted through a pile of hats and gloves.

“Which is why I love our cottage so much. That is, when the timer hasn’t broken on the boiler.” If that was the problem. I kneeled and petted Meatball.

Unusually for him, he paid me barely any attention, his gaze fixed on the door.

“He’s still got a case of puppy love,” Rupert said.

“I think so.” I scratched between Meatball’s ears. “You’ll see Dottie soon. Stop making me feel guilty for keeping you two apart.”

He whined and gently leaned his head on my hand. Poor Meatball. He was lovesick. All he wanted for Christmas was his cute little fluffy corgi friend.

“What’s the plan for today?” Rupert asked after we’d gotten our coats on and locked the cottage door behind us.

“More sleuthing.” I’d told Rupert what we’d learned about Tabitha last night, and he agreed she had an excellent motive for wanting Delphine dead. “I’m tackling Tabitha. She must be desperate to talk to someone, and I don’t think she gets a sympathetic ear from Paris or Verity.”

“Unrequited love makes people do terrible things,” Rupert said. “I always thought Tabitha was one of the sweetest in the group, though.”

“That’s not saying much if you compare her to Delphine. Or Verity. And Paris has a sharp tongue,” I said.

He chuckled. “True. Those ladies are scary.”

“They are. And I haven’t forgiven you for not coming back to the party on the night they arrived. You left me with those hyenas, and it didn’t take them long to start making jibes.”

He winced. “There’s only so much gossip and giggling I can handle. And the Duke was having trouble figuring out what to give Alice for Christmas. It was a choice between a rifle with a pearl handle or a set of riding gear.”

“Please tell me you went for the riding gear.” Alice wielding a rifle, even a pretty one, would be risky.

“I suggested a gift voucher to her favorite store.

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