Read Muffins & Murder (Sweet Bites Book 3) (Sweet Bites Mysteries) for Free Online

like?” I was desperate for something more, something that would lead us to the right answers.
    “No, she had no idea who he was, what he looked like. It was just the letters, and sometimes he left her little presents on the front porch. From Your Prince Charming—that’s how they were all signed.” She shivered a little.
    I considered the new information and tried to narrow down options. “Did she have a cluster mail box, or one that was separate? Most of the people here have individual mailboxes on the street.”
    “It was a separate one. On the street. Why?” Emma dabbed at her eyes with the tissue, catching the tears as they started to fall.
    “I was just wondering how they got in her mail. But if she didn’t have a box that required a key, anyone could have left them in there.” Which meant they may have come through the postal system, but likely not.
    “That’s what I thought at first, but then she said one day the mail lady left the letter with the others when Fran was home.” She brushed the tissue across her cheek. “I don’t know what to think.”
    I squeezed her hand. “Thanks for talking to me. I know Francine’s students are going to miss her a great deal. My best friend’s son has been really sad about it. If you ever come back to town, stop into my shop. I’ll buy you a cookie.” I tapped the logo on my chef’s jacket and stood.
    “Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.” She lifted the goodies. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy this. Whatever it is.”
    “You do that.”
    I returned to my car wondering what else might be going on that I was missing. I decided a trip to visit Francine’s friend at the school was in order. I checked my watch—two and a half hours to go until school let out.
     

 
    Ali Pinkston taught kindergarten and couldn’t have been over five-foot. She had a sunny smile and matching personality that drew people to her. I’d seen her in passing around town but had never spoken to her before. I stopped by the school after the busses pulled out of the parking lot that afternoon.
    When I found her, she was wiping down the white board in her classroom, humming the tune to a funny Halloween song Madison and Chance had been singing on and off for weeks. She turned when I knocked on the outer door to her room, though it was wide open.
    “Hello, what can I do for you?” she asked.
    “Hi, I’m Tess Crawford. I wondered if you might have a few minutes to talk.” I had been trying to figure out how to broach the subject of Francine, but was no closer to knowing what to say.
    Ali nodded and took a seat near her desk, gesturing me toward its twin. “You don’t have a child in my class do you? I thought I knew all of their parents.”
    “No, I don’t. I wanted to speak to you about Francine.”
    Her face paled. “What did you want to know?”
    “I understand you two were quite close,” I said.
    “Close enough, I suppose. We were friendly, but Franny didn’t exactly confide in me. We went to a couple of plays together, ate lunch now and then.” She clasped her hands tightly on her lap. “She mostly talked about quilting and her class, kept her past life to herself. She was so quiet I figured that was just her way. Now I have to wonder if there was more going on she didn’t tell me.”
    “So you don’t know who might have wanted her dead?” I felt a little deflated.
    Her eyes narrowed on me. “Why are you asking me this? You’re not with the police, are you?”
    “No, sorry. I’m a pastry chef, actually.” I didn’t have a chance to continue.
    Her face brightened and a dawning look of understanding came across it. “Of course. You own the Sweet Bites Bakery, don’t you? I heard you solved the other two murders. I knew you looked familiar. I saw the article about you in the paper this summer.”
    My face grew hot with embarrassment. I had made the front page and gave a couple of short quotes for the article. The headline Amateur Sleuth Solves