Tea Room Toxin: Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mystery #5 (Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mysteries) by Bates Brianna

Author:Bates, Brianna [Bates, Brianna]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2016-03-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Missy was late getting to the bookstore.

“Hey, Missy.” Brett smiled. “I’m glad you came back.”

“I need the money.” No point in lying.

She dropped her stuff in the back and went into the bathroom. The bags under her eyes screamed a poor night’s sleep. Splashing some water on her face, Missy thought about what she’d learned today. Everyone she’d talked to had a reason to kill Tonya. She wanted to consider that progress, but to her it felt like running on a treadmill: a lot of hard work to go nowhere.

Emile Krauss was next on her list. During the school year, she could have just shown up after class to talk to him. But since it was summer, she’d have to find another way to talk to him.

When she came out of the bathroom and returned to the main room, another person had come into the store. Unfortunately, Detective Evanski wasn’t a customer.

“Good afternoon, Melissa.”

The detective was dressed in a formless grey jacket and dull black pants that had been through the washer one too many times. Missy smiled.

“Hello.”

Brett cleared his throat. “Missy, the detective wanted to see you.”

Evanski’s eyes were glued to Missy.

“Okay. Should we go outside?” Missy asked.

“That’s fine.”

Missy told Brett she’d be back in a few, though she really had no idea how long this was going to take. On the bright side, Detective Evanski would have arrested her already if that was what she was here to do. So the Castleton police were still fishing.

Outside, the day was bright and getting hot. Missy led the detective away from the store and toward the shade under the trees by the roadside. Long ago, someone had put a bench there. The boards were warped and sagging in the middle. Missy never thought for a moment she’d miss this bench…but she was going to.

The detective remained standing. With her eyes on Missy, she took her notebook out.

“I wanted to go back to something we discussed yesterday,” Evanski said.

Missy remembered to smile. “Sure.”

The detective peered down at her notebook as if trying to recall a certain detail. “When we asked you about your relationship with Tonya, you said you two were always civil. Do you remember saying that?”

Missy nodded, unsure where this was going. “Yes.”

“How do you define civil, Melissa?”

Missy felt a lead ball forming in her stomach. Obviously, the detective had something but Missy couldn’t think of what. Sure, she and Tonya had had their disagreements in the short time they’d known each other, but nothing serious had ever happened between them.

“We were polite,” Missy said. “Even though it was obvious we didn’t care for another.”

“Did you ever fight?”

“No, I wouldn’t say we ever fought.”

“Well, what would you say?”

Missy couldn’t tell if the detective actually had information or if she was just fishing. She decided to make Evanski work for it, whatever it was.

“I don’t understand what you’re asking.”

“Here’s what I’m asking.” Evanski uncapped her pen. “You and Tonya got into several disagreements.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

The detective ignored her.

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