Read Bound To Die: A Cozy Mystery (Strawberry Shores Mystery Book 1) for Free Online Page A

so maybe Emily was being a bit optimistic, but just the same we were selling a lot, and we were selling fast.
    The crowd around our tent lulled and I stepped out from under the awning to survey the sky. The sun was setting, painting the sky a bright reddish-orange, and I could already see the moon and a few stars coming into view. The parking lot was alight with laughter and chatter.
    I propped my hands on my hips and breathed in deeply. The smells of food. The ethereal light. The sounds of the Strawberry Shores townsfolk laughing and talking. The night was perfect.
    And then we heard the scream.
    At first we thought it came from the library. It was high pitched and ear-piercing. Looking around at the horrors on everyone’s faces, you just knew that everyone heard it. An uneasy hush fell across the crowd. Jane Brooks rounded the corner of the library—the side with the woods—which had been raked and cleared in the previous days. “Someone call 911!”
    Harold pushed his way to the front of the crowd, phone in hand. He didn't need to call, however, because Dr. Tracy raised his hand. “I'm a doctor! What's wrong?”
    The crowd parted for Dr. Tracy. “It's Edward!” Jane cried. “He's dead!”
    The townsfolk fell into line behind Dr. Tracy. We all headed around to the backside of the library. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd with Emily and Alex The three of us stood at the entrance to the secret room watching as Dr. Tracy pushed his way through the caution tape.
    Sure enough, there was Edward, lying in the secret room. An empty red Solo cup sat on the ground beside his hand. Nearby lay an empty bottle of rat poison.
    “Stand back,” Dr. Tracy said, raising his hand to keep everyone at bay. He pressed his pointer and middle finger against Edward's jugular and did a few chest compressions. Then, he set his head against Edward's chest.
    “Is he going to be okay?” Jane asked.
    Dr. Tracy looked up at her. “I'm afraid he's dead,” he said solemnly.
    Silence swept across the crowd. The only noise was that of Sheriff Caldwell's voice, which grew louder as he moved toward the front of the group. As he eased his way past me, I picked up the distinct odor of whiskey.
    “Everyone back away!” Frank said, raising his hands. He glanced over his shoulder at Edward. “This is now a crime scene.”

Chapter 11
    We sat in my living room.
    I didn't have a fireplace, so there was a fireplace screen saver on my television. We all had wine. Emily sat in my armchair wrapped in a blanket, her legs folded under her. Alex lay sprawled lengthwise across the couch in boy shorts and a t-shirt, her milky white legs stretched out and her bare feet propped on the arm and crossed at the ankle. And I sat on the other couch.
    It had been two days since the carnival and no progress had been made.
    A dark cloud had fallen over Strawberry Shores. The three of us had tried to combat it with a slumber party, but as the night settled in and the wine took effect, we were helpless to resist it. The remnants of a hurricane had come up to Strawberry Shores from the southwest and outside, the wind howled and rain battered the siding.
    “Who do you think killed Mr. Brooks?” Emily asked quietly. She was holding her wine glass with both hands and when she spoke, she spoke into the glass, muffling her voice.
    “It's hard to say,” Alex said. “There are a lot of people it could have been. Mr. Brooks wasn't very popular.”
    “Well, at least now we know what to do with the secret room!” Emily said, her voice rising. Her optimism was ill met. She went back to her wine glass.
    “Some are more likely than others,” I said.
    Alex contorted her body so she could look at me. “How do you figure?”
    I shrugged. “Look at the days leading up to the carnival. Everyone was pretty annoyed with Edward, but there were a few who were really smoking at the ears.”
    “Like who?”
    “Well,” I set my wine glass down so I could count with one hand.