Read Flourless to Stop Him for Free Online Page A

and scratched at the back door. I opened it and let him out into the cold, fenced yard.
    “She didn’t know about Tim being implicated in a murder. You need to call her and tell her.”
    “Why? So she can talk me into investigating? Or so she comes to Oiltop with her brood to ensure we’re all behaving ourselves here.”
    Grandma grinned. “She has always been like your father with that. Practical to a fault.”
    “What’s the fault?”
    “No imagination,” Grandma huffed. She turned on her heels and waddled over to the scooter, which she had purchased when the county took away her driver’s license. She drove the thing into any building with access ramps and some without. She also drove it down the middle of the street. My brother had put a tall orange triangle on the scooter so that people could see her coming and get out of the way. “Are you going to help your brother or not?”
    I ran my hand over my face. “I tell you what. I’ll help investigate if Tim asks me. That’s it.”
    “Fine.”
    “Fine.”
    “Good.”
    I narrowed my eyes at the sneaky look in her eye. “Good.”
    “Got to run, kiddo.” Grandma reversed her scooter until I had to yet again jump out of the way to keep from losing my toes. “Give an old woman a kiss.”
    I stepped up and kissed her on her grizzled cheek. “Love you, Grandma.”
    “Love you, too, kiddo,” she said and waved as she scooted out the door. She paused the scooter half in and half out of the front door. “Oh yes, I almost forgot. Mindy is coming for a visit and I told her there was an open room in your house.”
    “Mindy?” I asked and winced inside. Mindy was not my favorite cousin. She acted as if she was too good for the family. “When is she coming?” I mentally did a quick inventory of bedrooms and clean sheets.
    “Soon,” Grandma said. “Don’t forget, you promised to investigate this terrible murder.”
    “If Tim asks, then I’ll investigate,” I said again. “In the meantime I have to get a room ready for Mindy, and I have peanut butter cookies to bake tonight for an online order.”
    “Love the peanut butter cookies. Save me some!” And just like that, Grandma Ruth was gone out the door and down the ramp before I could so much as thank her for thinking of me—even if it wasn’t for the best.

CHAPTER 4

    “I need a place to hide,” Tim said as he stood in the lamplight behind the bakery.
    “It’s four in the morning,” I said as I unlocked the back door. “There’s no one to hide from.”
    “Come on, Toni, this isn’t funny.” Tim followed me inside. He’d never settled down. My oldest brother Richard’s responsible streak had sent Tim in the opposite direction. While Richard worked hard, Tim glided through life. His tall, lanky body and scruffy dirty-blond hair made him a favorite with the ladies. “The cops have someone cruising through my neighborhood once an hour.”
    “Oh, come on,” I said as I flipped on the lights. “It’s not that bad.” The kitchen of the bakery blazed into full view. The scent of natural cleaner filled the air. It was a delicate balance between the health inspector’s standards and the health of my customers. I tended to clean with all-natural products like vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda. People with gluten allergies are often sensitive to theenvironment. Any kind of chemical, even cleaners, could cause a reaction.
    This meant that my kitchen usually smelled like salad dressing until I got the proofer warmed up. Then the scent of yeast rising and cinnamon filled the air.
    “I’m telling you, Toni. The cops are out to get me.” Tim pulled out one of the chairs at the table I had snugged up against the wall opposite the countertops. He flipped the chrome chair with red vinyl cushion around and swung his legs over it. He put his forearms on the back of the chair and rested his forehead on his arms.
    I put my purse on the counter by the coat tree next to the door. Hung my keys up on