Epilogue
A week later I was amazed how much I could accomplish toward getting the business set up when I wasn’t running around interviewing murder suspects. As I waited for Honey to pick me up for the drive to the airport, I took stock of the restaurant-turned-bakery. My sign was in the window, the paint and trim finished. All the supplies and equipment that had come in were put away, my oven was installed and I’d placed an order for baking supplies, the delivery for which Honey would come accept on my behalf while I was gone.
I’d even had a display case delivered the previous afternoon to show off my cupcakes and cookies and any other fun desserts. I was proud of what I was doing, and couldn’t wait to hear the bell ringing as customers came in to buy something to please their sweet tooth.
I heard the kitchen door open and crossed back there to see Honey standing in the doorway. “About time you made it,” I teased, though she was less than two minutes late. “I have a plane to catch, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, tell it to someone else. You ready to go?”
“Definitely.” We went out and she loaded the bags I’d left by the back door into her trunk—I claimed that lifting hurt my wound, which was true. I locked the door and turned to hand the keys to Honey. “You’ll remember to let the delivery guy in on Wednesday?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about it. I have everything under control.”
Of course she did. She was superwoman. I slid into the passenger seat and buckled up. “I heard Dahlia is staying at Tad and Analesa’s,” I said when she had started the car.
She sent me a sideways glance. “Been talking to Shawn again?”
I allowed a smile to curve my mouth. “I might have. He said Analesa got over her anger pretty fast when she got all the facts. It could hurt Tad’s chances at a senatorial seat someday, but they’ve decided not to worry about that now. I guess her parents and Tad’s are over the moon about having a granddaughter.”
“Yeah, but rough on Dahlia, don’t you think? Can you imagine being in her place?”
That was one issue I hadn’t been able to resolve. The poor baby. I still woke at night with visions of her running into that room, crying for her mom. “No. She’s the biggest victim in all of this. How confusing for her.”
“But back to Shawn—so, you know. What’s up?” She maneuvered the car onto the freeway and we headed south for Phoenix as I laughed.
“I guess the only thing that will answer that question is time.” And as I looked ahead, I knew there would be time to figure out answers to all my questions.
Coming February 2013
Sweet Bite Mystery, book 2
Pistols & Pies
Tess thought her sleuthing days were behind her after she nearly died solving her first murder, but when a city councilman is killed at the opening of the new fitness center, and his step son is the detective’s favorite suspect, she gets roped into proving the teenager is innocent. When the killer ups the stakes, Tess is forced to put herself in danger or risk the life of someone she cares about.