Dog biscuits and dead bo.., p.15
Dog Biscuits and Dead Bodies,
p.15
“You don’t have to kill me,” she said when she saw Allen level the gun at her more firmly. “I won’t tell anyone what I saw here.”
He snorted. “Like I’m supposed to believe that. The first thing you’ll do is put it on your podcast.”
“I don’t have a podcast,” she said quickly. “I made that up so I could find out who killed Conrad.”
“Why do you care so much who killed him?” Allen demanded.
“Because…”
Tassie hesitated. If she told him the real reason was because the woman arrested for his murder was her friend, Allen would never let her leave here alive. And if there was even the smallest possibility that he might, she couldn’t risk it.
His face darkened with rage—and fear. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I just need to make sure you never tell anyone who killed him.”
Oh, no. Allen was starting to look a little unhinged.
She couldn’t wait for Jack. She needed to get herself and Baxter away from this guy now.
Tassie looked behind Allen, pretending to sag with relief. “Jack! Thank goodness you’re here!”
As she’d hoped, Allen quickly spun around, a panicked expression on his face.
Tassie rushed past Allen, giving him a hard shove on the way. He stumbled, catching himself against the wall with his free hand. Tassie kept running, sprinting down the hallway to the staircase. Navigating the slick steps at this speed was probably asking for trouble but she didn’t slow.
Behind her, Allen had already gotten his feet under him again and was coming after her and Baxter.
She nearly fell down the bottom half dozen steps, catching herself just in time.
Allen wasn’t as lucky, sliding down them and hitting the floor of the entryway hard.
Tassie hurried to the door but before she got halfway there, it opened and Jack burst in, gun drawn. He wrapped his free arm protectively around her, turning slightly to put himself between her and Allen, keeping her and Baxter as far away from the man as possible.
“Drop it!” Jack ordered.
On the floor, Allen glared at them, gun still in his hand.
“Now!” Jack added.
Muttering something under his breath, Allen angrily placed the gun on the floor and held up his hands in surrender.
Jack glanced at the uniformed officer with him and gave him a nod. Henry quickly holstered his gun and hurried over to put Allen in handcuffs. Only after that was done and Henry helped him to his feet did Jack slide his gun in the holster he wore and turn to her.
“Are you and Baxter okay?” he asked, looking her over with concern on his face as he gently cupped her shoulders in his hands.
Tassie nodded, her breathing and heartbeat finally slowing to normal. “We are now. That’s the second time you saved our lives today.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Just doing my job. I’m only glad I got here in time.”
She returned his smile. “Me, too. Thank you.”
Before either of them could say anything else, Baxter leaned forward to lick Jack’s face, then grinned. Tassie and Jack both laughed. That’s when she realized how close Jack was standing.
Gaze holding hers, he slowly lowered his head to kiss her, and her pulse sped up again, for a different reason altogether this time.
“Detective.”
She and Jack immediately stepped away from each other at the sound of Henry’s voice. Tassie felt herself blush as Jack cleared his throat.
“What is it, Henry?” he asked.
To his credit, Henry didn’t act as if he’d interrupted anything. Or maybe he didn’t know?
“Just wanted to let you know that we’re going to bring the suspect to the station for booking,” he said.
Jack nodded, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “That’s fine. I’ll be down there in a few minutes.”
Henry gave them both a nod, then disappeared outside. Jack looked at her, his gaze lingering on her lips for a moment. “Um… The chief is going to want a statement from you.”
“Okay. I’ll follow you to the station then.” She reached into the purse for the keys Tristan had given her. “You’ll need these. There’s a pair of boots in the closet upstairs with blood on them that’ll prove Allen murdered Conrad.”
Jack took the keys as he closed the door behind them, his fingers brushing hers.
As they walked over to where her SUV was parked, a thought occurred to her and she frowned. “You didn’t really think I broke into Conrad’s house, did you?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“So much for Bluewater Bay being the quiet, little town you thought when you took this job, huh?” Tassie teased. “Although, if it were that quiet, little town, we might not have met.”
Jack chuckled. “I don’t know. I’d still bring Gus to the dog park or stop by Pupcakes to get him treats. I get the feeling that we would have met anyway.”
That was true, she supposed. But would she and Jack have had any reason to hang out together if there hadn’t been a murder to solve? Sitting beside him on the bench at the dog park while Baxter and Gus frolicked and played nearby, she decided the answer to that question was yes. Something told her that their pups would have brought them together.
Not that they were together together yet. It had only been a week since they’d solved Conrad’s murder. But he and Gus had come into Pupcakes a few times already and this was the second time they’d run into each other at the dog park, so things were trending in the right direction.
“Thanks for keeping my name out of things as much as possible,” she said. “I’m not sure Chief Pennington would have appreciated my help in the investigation.”
She’d been concerned about what to say in her statement so Jack had suggested saying that Tristan had given her the key so she could get an early look at the items that’d be available at the estate sale. She wouldn’t be interested in anything in Conrad’s home, but the chief didn’t know that. As for everything else in the inheritance, because Conrad came by the lottery money illegally, unfortunately, Tristan wasn’t entitled to any of it.
“Maybe not,” Jack agreed. “But the mayor would have calmed the chief down. Poole couldn’t be happier that we solved the case before the TV people get here for that baking competition. He’s convinced it’ll put Bluewater Bay on the map.”
She smiled. “If the mayor said that to me, I would have a hard time resisting the urge to pull up Google Maps on my phone and show him that Bluewater Bay is already on there.”
Jack let out a chuckle. “That’s why I like you. You’re quick on your feet and you make me laugh. Among other things.”
Tassie wondered what those other things were, but Baxter and Gus chose that moment to run over for pets and kisses. By the time they went back to playing, Jack had already changed the subject.
“So, what’ll you do with all your free time now that there isn’t a murder to investigate?”
Was that his subtle way of trying to ask her out?
Or was he waiting for her to make the first move?
“Go back to what I usually do,” she said. “Bake doggy treats, run Pupcakes with my sister, and plan Lucy’s baby shower.”
He flashed her a grin. “Ah. The one where you might need police presence if the cupcakes start flying.”
She laughed. “That’s the one.”
“Well, remember that my offer still stands if you need a cop there.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Tassie watched Baxter and Gus playfully chase each other up and down the agility ramps for a moment before glancing out at the blue water of the bay. It was hard to believe that a couple of weeks ago, not one but two murders had rocked the town. But today, the sun was shining and the weather felt decidedly springlike. In the distance, she could hear the horn of a tugboat and closer, the barks and honks of harbor seals. It was nice to have things back to normal.
“You know, it’s quite possible that Bluewater Bay will turn into that quiet, little town again,” she said, looking at Jack.
“I don’t know about that,” he said, a teasing glint in his eye. “I have a feeling that with you, things are always going to be interesting around here.”
Something in Jack’s voice made Tassie think he was looking forward to that.
And so was she.
* * * * *
Tassie and Baxter are back in Cupcakes and Corpses to help their favorite detective investigate the murder of a local celebrity influencer who’s killed at a baking competition!
Pupcakes Bakery owner Tassie Drake is ready for life to return to normal––or as normal as possible, given just last month, she and her Chiweenie, Baxter, helped the hunky new town detective, Jack Sterling, solve a murder. But spring is in full bloom, and that means tourist season is too. Adding to the excitement, The Dessert Channel is filming their TV show Cupcake Combat in the park. And Tassie’s a firm believer that something sweet can fix just about anything. Except murder.
When one of the cupcake judges drops dead on set, all clues point to murder. But who had the most to gain from the YouTube foodie sensation being killed? Everyone on stage that day is a suspect––two of whom are Tassie’s friends. While the last thing Tassie intended to do was get involved in another mystery, spending more time with Jack is icing on the cupcake, especially since their official first date keeps getting interrupted.
But as Tassie and Baxter discover, the dead woman made several enemies on her climb to the top, and someone took sweet revenge. Someone who isn’t afraid to kill again…
https://books2read.com/CupcakesAndCorpses
About the author
Paige is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of cozy mystery, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband!) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog!).
You can find Paige’s books in eBook, paperback and audio book online and at bookstores everywhere.
https://paigetylertheauthor.com/
Paige Tyler, Dog Biscuits and Dead Bodies
