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    A Caffeinated Crunch: Caesar's Creek Cozy Mystery Series, #2
    A Caffeinated Crunch: Caesar's Creek Cozy Mystery Series, #2
    A Caffeinated Crunch: Caesar's Creek Cozy Mystery Series, #2
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    A Caffeinated Crunch: Caesar's Creek Cozy Mystery Series, #2

    By Constance Barker

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    About this ebook

    Lily and her aunts find themselves with dates to the same function. Little do they know the event will end with some unfortunate soul staring into the great beyond. And as they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherConstance Barker
    Release dateAug 1, 2016
    ISBN9781533772442
    A Caffeinated Crunch: Caesar's Creek Cozy Mystery Series, #2
    Author

    Constance Barker

    Constance Barker lives in the Midwest with her husband and two Akitas where she can look out from her screened porch onto a wooded area brimming with activity. Since she was a young girl she read mysteries, often given to her by her grandmother. She loved figuring out who the culprit was and sometimes she was right and other times startled at who the author picked as the assailant. Now she enjoys writing mysteries herself. When she isn't writing stories, she can be found in her favorite vacation spot, Las Vegas or shopping for bargains.

    Read more from Constance Barker

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      Book preview

      A Caffeinated Crunch - Constance Barker

      Chapter One

      The town of Sweet Home , Florida finally settled down after being rocked by the murder of Francine Diddlemeier. Not that many people grieved the old girl since she practically vilified almost all the town residents in her weekly paper. However, the thought of a murderer running loose conking people over the head with cookware was certainly unsettling. Mike Barton took his son and moved to Miami while his wife remained in jail in Orlando awaiting trial.  Knowing that his wife was a murderer was pretty shocking and the idea of her happily letting him rot in jail, just because he had an affair was even worse. 

      We finally settled into a groove two months after the murder that occurred in our shop, the Coffee Cabana, which I own along with my two aunts, Essie and Hildie. They are in their 60’s but as spry as spring chickens. I was 30 years younger, yet I acted older and even looked it at times.  I swear they could outrun me in a foot race.

      It was ten in the morning and the rush had simmered down. I saw the familiar shark fin atop one of the many golf carts pull into a parking space in front of the coffee shop. Harvey Davis, one of our regulars had arrived to get his usual, coffee and a chocolate chip muffin that Essie would hold back for him, since most of the pastries Hildie and Essie would bring each morning would be gone by the time he arrived. We would need to hire another baker to keep the muffins, fried pies, crème horns and cupcakes in supply for afternoon stragglers.

      The Cabana was expanding at such a rapid rate, that my aunties couldn’t serve and cook fast enough.  The idea of growing was exciting and frightening at the same time.

      What if I did hire someone and then the crowd stopped coming in?

      What if a new coffee shop opened up nearby, and we could start attracting competition?

      All these thoughts were going through my mind, until Harvey strode in wearing his Tampa Buccaneer hat. Good morning ladies. I hope everyone is in a good humor today.

      That was a strange question. Is that some foreboding pray tell?

      Why? Essie asked, as if she read my mind. Don’t tell me something I don’t want to hear.

      Now my Aunt Essie can have a hard edge mind you, but it’s all a façade. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Harvey has known her for fifty years, so her brash side had no effect on him.  He was used to it and never flinched at her hard exterior.

      Oh you‘ll want to hear this, Harvey said as he took a seat at his regular table.  I heard some gossip around our little community last evening.

      That was all my aunties needed to hear to snap their heads around and ask the magic question, What?

      He knew them too well, and no matter what, both Essie and Hildie loved a bit of gossip.

      Harvey and my aunts lived in a senior gated community just a few blocks away from downtown Sweet Home. All the decorated golf carts populated the town’s streets. The senior community was quite large, encompassing acres inside the town limits. They had their own post office, gym, golf course and recreational building where the residents gathered for pitch-in suppers or to simply get together for gossip fests. My aunties and Harvey were known to partake in the festivities at the rec center and they knew many of the people who inhabited the Sinking Springs Village.

      It had quieted down for the first time in a long time.  Now, there were no other customers besides Harvey, Essie and Hildie in the shop.  Hildie and Essie scuttled over and sat down at his table to be filled in on the latest happenings within the senior society. I stayed behind the counter, reading the manual of my new cappuccino maker, but eavesdropping all the same. My life was boring so I had to live precariously through my elders.

      Harvey took a sip of his coffee and a bite of his muffin. My aunts stared at him impatiently. But Harvey was in no hurry as he savored the taste of the chocolate chip muffin. I smiled as I watched Essie roll her eyes, waiting for Harvey to swallow. Hildie was more patient, wiping the table of crumbs with her damp wash rag.

      Harvey made the sin of taking another sip of coffee to wash down his muffin. Old man, if you take another bite of that muffin before telling us the scoop, you’ll be wearing it as a tie!  Essie yelled at him, grabbing his arm and stopping him from taking another bite.  I had visions of her taking the muffin and stuffing it in her own mouth to make a point. 

      Patience and Essie could never be used in the same sentence.  She didn’t know the meaning of the word, especially when being told that today’s gossip was something that she didn’t know.

      Essie liked to pride herself on knowing absolutely everything.  All the time.  It was like she had a built in radar....she could spot gossip a mile away.

      Harvey gulped hard as he spoke nervously.  Which was weird, because he was the one that started the whole conversation in the first place.

      Land’s sake Essie...you are an impatient soul.

      Essie waved her hand. Just get on with it Harve.  She was turning red and if Harve didn’t tell her what was going on, then I was going to shake it out of him, before Essie exploded.

      Well, Harvey began. Last night I was playing euchre with a few of the ladies at the rec room. Hmmm, now that surprised me. Harvey and three women. Go on....

      They were saying that Mr. and Mrs. Jefferies had a shouting match the previous evening. It seems that Mrs. Jefferies believes Mr. Jefferies is having an affair, and she may be right.

      He folded his arms and waited for a brief second, before picking up the muffin and continuing to eat it. 

      Essie waved her hand. That old coot...who’d want to have an affair with him? My aunt Essie had no barriers, but I didn’t understand it either.  But then again I acted like I was old, even though I was thirty hanging out with my aunts who were double my age.

      Harvey raised his coffee cup to take another sip, seeing as both Hildie and especially Essie were distracted by the news.  He was soon brought back to reality as Essie put it back down with her death stare. Harvey had seen it a million times though. 

      She wanted more information.  Essie had a second to digest that there was gossip, something she didn’t know.  Harvey had started to feed her with information and then he stopped.

      He was in big trouble if he didn’t continue.  It was like going into a candy shop with a kid and saying that you’re going to buy them candy.  Then, stopping in the middle of paying for it to make or even receive a phone call.

      That kid has visualized that candy in his or hers mouth from the moment that they entered the shop.  Every delay and they feel as if they are going to die.

      That’s what Harvey was doing to Essie now.  Torturing her and enjoying it. All he needed to do was spill it all out, The word from the ladies group is Mildred.

      He smiled, hoping that this was his winning ticket to carry on drinking his coffee and finishing his muffin.  Yet, nothing.

      Essie continued to stare at Harvey and this time he was the one that was getting agitated, Huh?

      Proof Harve.  Come on, you know her better now.  Gossip is nothing if you don’t have proof.

      Yup...seems she and Mr. Jefferies, I believe his name is Carl, have been seen together in Sabina.

      That doesn’t mean anything, Aunt Hildie interjected. Maybe they simply ran into one another. Hildie always liked to find the good in people. She

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