Read Brownies and Broomsticks: A Magical Bakery Mystery for Free Online Page A

leather briefcase on a chair and sank into the one next to it. Her lips pressed together as she smoothed her navy suit skirt against her leg, weighing what to say. “Is there any coffee?” she asked. “Just plain old regular coffee?”
    “I’ll make fresh.” Grabbing my apron, I hurried to the counter.
    Ben urged Lucy into a chair. Declan continued to lean against the wall. The light began to angle through the slats of the window blinds. It had been a long day. I set up the coffee to drip. The sharp smell of dark roast beginning to brew hinted at invigoration, and suddenly I craved a cup, too.
    I returned to the table where Jaida sat, and we all waited for her to speak.
    “There was a witness.” The tone of her voice made my throat tighten. “A woman,” she continued. “She saw a man hurrying away from Mavis Templeton’s car moments before Mavis was discovered with a broken neck. The woman’s description fits Ben to a T: tall, brownish-red hair, beard, glasses.”
    Lucy stared at Jaida, then at me, then back at Jaida. “No. No, that can’t be.”
    “Add the fact that several people who attended the DBA brunch this morning saw Ben and Mrs. Templeton have a rather serious altercation, and it doesn’t lookgood. Not good at all. Especially since at least two of the witnesses to that argument cited Mrs. Templeton’s threat to put the Honeybee out of business. Both assured Detective Quinn that while a threat like that from someone else might be mere posturing, Mavis Templeton was well known for her ability to ruin the lives of those who crossed her.”
    Ben leaned forward, grasping Lucy’s tiny hand in both of his. “But they had to let me go.”
    Jaida inclined her head. “True. See, Quinn wanted the witness to see Ben.”
    Declan pushed away from the wall. “They put you in a lineup?” He seemed almost as upset as Lucy.
    My uncle’s dry laugh fell short of humor. “Can you believe it?”
    “She didn’t identify him,” Jaida said. “But—”
    “Because it wasn’t him!” Lucy punctuated her statement with a stamp of her foot under the table.
    A smile played around the edge of Ben’s mouth. “Well, of course it wasn’t me. I was out in the back alley taking deep, calming breaths.”
    “Detective Quinn let you go because he couldn’t get a positive identification from the witness, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.” Jaida’s coffee mug banged down on the table. “I was right there. She pointed you out to him, then changed her mind. Said she couldn’t be sure enough to put a man in prison.”
    We were all quiet as that sank in.
    Jaida spoke again. “Ben, you’re sure no one saw you in the alley after your fight with Mrs. Templeton?”
    “It wasn’t a fight,” Lucy insisted.
    “It wasn’t a love-in,” Jaida countered. “Ben?”
    “I don’t remember seeing anyone, but someone may have seen me. Not that there are many windows out there. A couple up high, I think. My attention was focused on calming down so I could figure out how to get Mavis to pay the full bill for the brunch without having the whole mess backfire in my face.”
    “Quinn said they’d check out your story, and that will likely include talking to anyone who might have seen you. But if no one did, then he may try to make a case against you despite the unsure witness.”
    “I’ve known Peter Quinn for over twenty years,” Ben said. “He’s not going to railroad me.”
    Jaida said, “He’s an honest man, but honest men have been known to make honest mistakes. I’m sorry to have to be so blunt, but we have to be realistic.”
    Tears filled Lucy’s eyes. “We have to do something,” she choked out.
    “We will, honey.” Jaida took her other hand. “We will.”
    Lucy began crying in earnest.
    Ben cleared his throat. “Let’s go home, Luce. There’s nothing else we can do right now. Katie, will you close up? We can reconvene here in the morning after a good night’s sleep.”
    I nodded. “Of