“Twenty what?” I squawk. “Forget it. I’d rather defend myself. Or blackmail you into doing it for me. Mom still doesn’t know it was you who dented her old Corolla. She still blames that woman who used to live across the street.”
Hux ticks his head to the side. “She made an educated guess. What can I say? Dianna Longhorn had more than her fair share of nightly visitors. Any one of them could have done it.”
My lips pull back into a greedy grin. “But the point is, you did it. But you built a good case for your innocence at that time, and if it comes down to it, I’m sure you’ll build a good case for mine.”
His phone bleats and he glances down. “Gotta run. Don’t do anything foolish like talk to the press, or return to the scene of the crime. The public seems to think killers always do that.”
Macy nods. “As a member of the public, let the record show we tend to be right.”
Hux jumps out of his seat just as Mackenzie Woods crops up like a bad apparition.
“Mayor Woods,” I say it stiff. I can’t help it, though. After that whiskey barrel incident, I haven’t exactly been Mack’s biggest fan.
Her hair is pulled back into a tight bun, and that navy pant suit she’s sporting looks a bit too fitted and too stifling for this clammy day. Come to think of it, everything about Mack looks a little uptight.
“Lounging around, I see.” She smirks my way. “Must be nice to have a job that doubles as a vacation.”
Hux laughs. “Well, I wouldn’t know. Good to see you, Mackenzie. Much like you, I’ve got a real job.” He takes off, and she steps in closer to the table.
“Main Street is hosting its first summer nights party. It’ll be kicking off in just a few weeks. All of the businesses on Main are having a sidewalk sale each Friday night starting at the end of this month through the end of August. Lucky for you, Macy, Lather and Light is right in the thick of the action. As usual, you are the brighter of the two Baker sisters.”
Macy straightens in her seat. “I’ve always liked you, Mackenzie.”
Fish yowls in protest.
I give Fish a quick pat while looking at my sister. “They have a name for people like you who like to pucker up.”
“Brilliant?” She gives a few sarcastic blinks.
Mackenzie rolls her eyes. “All right, Bizzy. That wasn’t a put-down. It’s not like you own this beautiful inn. You’re just the lackey that tends to the grounds.”
“No, that would be Jordy.” I don’t mind correcting her at all. “I’m the manager. What do you want, Mack?”
“I was going to offer the Country Cottage Café a booth, but since you’re too wrapped up in your ego, I’ll just—”
“I’ll take it!” I say quickly. “In fact, I’ll put up my booth right next door to Lather and Light. Who knows? Maybe my sister’s business acumen will rub off on me, and I’ll actually pick something up. ”
Mackenzie squints out in the direction of the café. And maybe I’ll pick something up, too— like, say, Huxley Baker.
“Try not to commit another homicide, would you?” Mackenzie doesn’t bother with goodbye. She simply takes off in the direction of her prey, aka my brother.
“I think she has the hots for Hux.” I stick my finger down my throat as I say it.
Macy shudders. “Here comes divorce number four. Don’t say I didn’t call it.” She opens her purse and drops in the remaining lemon tarts.
“Really, Macy?” I shake my head at her. “I would have given you the plate.”
“Spoken like a true up-and-coming felon. I don’t take what’s not mine, Bizzy. And I don’t kill people either. If I were you, I’d take a page out of my book.” She starts to take off. “Try not to slaughter anyone while I’m gone. I prefer to have front-row seats.”
I watch as she quickly disappears down the stone-cobbled path that leads to the parking lot.
“I’m going to kill someone, all right,” I say as I land a kiss to Fish’s furry forehead.
Sherlock lets out something between a moan and a bark. How about we take a walk, Bizzy? Right down Main Street. I want to see this bookstore for myself.
“Not a bad idea.” I hop to my feet and Fish hops right out of my arms.
I think I’ll stick around here before this gets way out of hand and someone stages a protest.
“About what?” I call out after her as she trots toward the front of the inn.
About the Cider Cove Killer.
Fish is right. This is about to get out of hand.
I’m about to head to Main Street, straight for Killer Books, much against the legal advice of my attorney slash brother.
And maybe, just maybe, I can get a piece to this murderous puzzle.
Chapter 5
The Country Cottage Inn sits at the base of Main Street just a few hundred yards from Killer Books itself, so all I needed to do was ask Nessa and Grady to watch over the front desk while I grabbed a leash for Sherlock.
The sun is searing, so I make sure to stop by my cottage and pick up a baseball cap—Jasper’s baseball cap to be exact, the one that reads SSD, which stands for Seaview Sheriff’s Department.
“How do I look?” I give the bill of the cap a cheeky tug as I model it for Sherlock.
He lets out a friendly yip. Cuter than Jasper.
One of the biggest perks of being Jasper’s girlfriend—fiancée—is that I get free access to his closet, hats, and comfy thick socks included. Not only have I doubled my heart with him in it, I’ve just about doubled my wardrobe.
We head back out onto the blue cobbled walkway that snakes around the arteries of the inn to the edge of the property until we’re officially on Main Street. All of Cider Cove is inlaid with
