Read A Caffeinated Crunch: A Cozy Mystery (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book 2) for Free Online Page B

nodded. “Yep. Didn’t figure anyone would want to make off with a golf cart with a shark fin on top. I mean it would be pretty easy to identify. Besides, I always forget where I put them so I just leave them in the ignition.”
     
    Essie shrugged. “Well now we see how easy it was for someone to use your golf cart and try to throw the investigation off. Use the golf cart of a police officer’s father to do the deed.” Essie looked at Toe and motioned towards Carl Jefferies wife who was still sitting in one of the golf carts crying. A few other women had now come out to console her.
    “I take it she found him and was the one we heard screaming?”
     
    Toe nodded. “She was kneeling down beside him when we got here.”
     
    Essie glanced over at Mrs. Jefferies. “Maybe she got tired of his philandering ways and decided his number was up.”
     
    Toe followed Essie’s gaze. “She seems mighty upset.”
     
    “Oh Toe, it’s probably a rouse to throw off the cops…playing the grieving widow,” Essie announced. “I’ve watched many a crime show, and 90% of the time it’s the spouse.”
     
    “But why off him here?” I asked. “This seems like an odd place to commit premeditated murder. She could easily have done it at home or at least somewhere she might not be seen performing the act.”
     
    “That’s true,” Hildie agreed. “I can’t see it being Mrs. Jefferies, although she has plenty of motives with all the women he was seeing.”
     
    “There might be a rather large life insurance policy,” Essie announced. “There’s another motive.”
     
    Toe shook his head. “Lawdy ladies, the man’s still warm…can we have a little breather for the dear departed?”
     
    Essie put her hands on her hips. “He may be departed but there was nothing dear about him.” Essie put her hand up as we started to protest. “I know I know, don’t speak ill of the dead, but as far as I can see the old coot pushed someone too far. If you ask me he was living on the edge canoodling with all these different women, and taking money from them to boot.”
     
    Toes eyes widened. “He took money from them?”
     
    I gave Essie a look. “Well, that’s what I’ve heard. He’d give them some sad luck story about needing money for an expensive medication and they’d give it to him.”
     
    “That’s dirty,” Toe responded and Harvey nodded. “To take a woman’s money is hitting below the belt.”
     
    Now Hildie seemed miffed. “What, you mean the philandering isn’t?”
     
    Toe held his hands up. “Now I didn’t say that Miss Hildie. It definitely is, but taking money from a lady is even more low down.” Hildie and now Essie were giving Toe death stares. “I mean it’s not lower down…I suppose it’s equally low down. Heck, I don’t know what I mean. You women can drive a man to an early grave.”
     
    I looked over at Mr. Jefferies whose body was being place in a body bag. “Seems that’s exactly what someone did to Mr. Jefferies.”

Chapter Five
     
     
     
    The night ended abruptly as we were all asked to leave the event. Of course Harvey didn’t have a vehicle and Eli had to stay for the investigation so we all crowded into Toe’s Lincoln for the ride home. After our conversation in the parking lot, everyone seemed subdued. I was let out first and thanked Toe for the ride and told my aunts I’d see them at the Coffee Cabana.
     
    That evening after putting on my purple silk pajamas and curling up with a cup of cocoa I thought about how the night unfolded. I had hoped to be thinking about Eli and a goodnight kiss, but that didn’t transpire. Instead, another murder had occurred in Sweet Home under our very noses.
     
    Like my aunts, I was intrigued by mystery. I remember watching gory crime shows while Essie babysat me, my Mom having a fit when she walked in on us. But that never stopped her from watching the shows with me. We liked to try and figure out who the murderer was. Hildie would