Poisonous Pies & A Monkey's Demise: A Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery by Peyton Stone

Author:Peyton Stone [Stone, Peyton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Authors Writes, LLC
Published: 2024-07-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

The four friends leaned against the car, each lost in their own thoughts. Avery's eyes were fixed on a patch of grass, its deep green turned golden in the fading light. Her leg bounced restlessly as they waited, the silence broken only by the distant wail of approaching sirens.

Five minutes after Avery's call to Chris, police cars swarmed the scene. Officers rushed by, barely sparing them a glance. One barked at them to stay put.

A familiar car screeched to a halt nearby. Chris burst out, his clothes more rumpled than they'd been that morning. He sprinted toward them, his face etched with concern.

“Are you all right?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Avery gave a shaky smile. “Definitely been better, though.”

He nodded as if that was about the response he had expected. “You four stay here,” he ordered. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Chris marched away at Avery's nod. She stood rooted to the spot, her pulse still racing. Logan's startled, horrified expression flashed in her mind, haunting her. What terrors had Logan faced in her final moments?

Nearby, Jess and Elle's hushed voices drifted on the evening air. Avery barely registered them, lost in the whirlwind of her thoughts.

“You hanging in there?” Oliver asked, coming to stand beside her.

“Yeah, I think so. I'm a little shaken up about Logan."

“Yeah, me too.” Oliver bit his thumbnail, his go-to gesture whenever his anxiety got the best of him. “Two bodies in a week. I’m taking back everything I said about Brook Acres being boring,” he mused. “Because I was dead wrong on that front.”

Avery gave a soft snort. “That was a terrible pun.”

Oliver wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a side hug. She leaned in, sensing it was as much for him as it was for her.

“It’ll be alright,” he promised.

“I’m not sure how you’re supposed to know that,” she replied.

“We’ve known each other for over a decade. You haven’t realized I’m psychic by now?”

Avery grinned. “You mean like the time when you got an ‘F’ on that pop quiz in Mrs. Landon’s class Junior year?”

“That was a fluke,” he protested, grinning.

The laughter pierced Avery's stunned haze, scattering her muddled thoughts. As the fog lifted, pieces began to fall into place. A theory took shape in her mind, each detail clicking together like a puzzle.

Footsteps crunched on gravel. Avery looked up to see Chris striding toward them, his face grim.

Chris planted himself in front of Avery, arms folded. His eyes narrowed. "Care to explain why you're here tonight?" He kept his voice low, but the edge was unmistakable. "I thought we agreed to meet here tomorrow. I don't recall the part where you and your friends decided to confront Logan on your own."

“That one is on me.” Elle raised her hand. “I kind of didn’t give them the option.”

When he looked at Avery for an explanation, she elaborated. “She may have seen the journals, found out about Logan cheating, and wanted an explanation from her. It was either let her come here on her own or follow her.

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