Read Death by Chocolate Sundae: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 2) for Free Online

unnecessarily right?”
     
    The kids nodded in agreement.
     
    “Thanks so much Colton for helping us out,” Paige continued then looked at her watch.
    “Isn’t it time you two went and did what kids do during the summer?”
     
    “We know you want to get rid of us so you can talk about the tape,” Sam chortled.
     
    “That’s right Miss Smarty Pants so you two skedaddle,” Paige said as she scooted them out the door.
     
    “I’m surprised you don’t want to turn this in to the police,” I said as I continued to look at the now blurry image of Reginald Brooks.
     
    “Wouldn’t it be something if we confronted him and he confessed!” Paige exclaimed.
     
    “Now you’re starting to think like us,” Stormi stated. “We can’t have that. One of us has to be level headed. If we’re all three flying off the handle hard telling where we’ll end up.”
     
    “Likely in the hoosegow,” I said pushing down the monitor on my laptop to close it. “So how do you propose we get Mr. Reginald Brooks Esquire to town and meet with us?”
     
    “I’m not sure,” Paige answered. “Let me think on it.”
     
    She wouldn’t have to think long because to our surprise Mr. Brooks would come to us.
     
     
     
     
    *****
     
     
     
     
    Paige left the store soon after our little powwow to volunteer at the library in the children’s room. She said she’d return later that day. That left Stormi and I to further discuss the tape and Mr. Brooks between our afternoon customers. Eventually we were so busy filling orders that the tape and what was on it got lost in a flurry of orange pineapple delight cones and strawberry and banana smoothies.
     
    I was honestly glad for the respite. It was only a few months ago the town was rocked by the murder of Miss Greta Haglemier. Now here was another homicide right in my own ice cream Shoppe. As much as I liked to sit on my porch and read a fascinating mystery, I wasn’t sure how I felt being in the middle of one. Especially one hitting so close to home. But then the amateur sleuth in me would win out and like a puzzle, I had to try to fit the pieces together.
     
    Stormi was always my partner in crime. We loved reading mysteries together so we could compare notes to see if we could figure out the culprit before the end. Every year we’d choose several whodunits, get together with hot cocoa and scones in the winter or iced tea and muffins in the summer, and have our own little book club. Years later Paige joined our little group and enjoyed it just as much as we did. We never thought that the three of us would be thrust into not one but two real life murder investigations. But here we were. Maybe all the mystery reading and solving over the years had actually prepared us for these fascinating cases. Who knows, but whatever it was, we were in the thick of it now.
     
    Around 3pm, we had our normal afternoon lull so Stormi and I wiped down the tables and decided to take a break and rest our weary feet.
     
    “I need a new pair of Sketchers,” Stormi announced as she hobbled to the ice cream case to scoop a dip of almond mocha into a cone. Her pink and yellow tennis shoes could blind a person a mile away.
     
    “What colors do you want this time?” I asked knowing whatever colors she chose they wouldn’t be muted. “Oh and get me a dip of coffee please.” I was busy standing behind the counter looking through my ice cream cake orders.
     
    Stormi grabbed two cones, holding them both in one hand and the ice cream scoop in the other. She scooped one dip of almond mocha into one cone and was preparing to land the scoop of coffee into the second cone when it splat on the floor.
     
    “Wow, that’s not like you,” I said as I looked up at her. She was staring at the front of the store. I followed her gaze and gave a start. There he was….Mr. Reginald Brooks standing at the front door of my Shoppe looking in.
     
    “Crimony,” Stormi muttered still holding the cones in midair,