Read Rum Cake Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 8 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) for Free Online

been at her heels from the moment that she came in, wagged her tail excitedly when Missy jogged back downstairs and snapped the leash onto her collar. Taking the usual backpack of items, dog and owner headed to the park. Missy could walk, run and toss her frustrations about, and Toffee would joyfully be on the receiving end of it. The two ran and played hard for over an hour, then headed home for dinner.
    After a long, hot shower, Missy made a simple meal of red beans and rice with slices of spicy andouille, and curled up on the couch to find escape in a movie. The text tone on her phone pinged and she picked it up, seeing a message from Chas.
    “ There’s been an accident. I’m five minutes away from your house and will pick you up. ”
    Missy couldn’t imagine what kind of accident Chas might be talking about, but accidents in general were never good, so her heart rate accelerated a bit as she reached for her shoes. She ran a quick brush through her hair, and heard Toffee enthusiastically greeting the handsome detective. She practically flew down the stairs.
    “What accident? What happened?” she asked breathlessly.
    “Ben lost control of his car and it went over an embankment. He and Cheryl are in the hospital. She’s conscious, but is pretty shaken up, and Ben…” he hesitated.
    “Ben what? What about Ben?” Missy panicked, grabbing Beckett’s arm.
    “He has a head injury and hasn’t regained consciousness yet,” the detective broke the news to her as gently as possible.
    Her hands went to her throat as tears welled. “Oh my goodness, Chas, is he going to be okay?” she whispered.
    “I don’t know, sweetie. I wish I did,” he pulled her into a brief embrace, then led her out the door.
    Cheryl was being questioned by a police officer when they arrived, and would be allowed to go home with bandages and pain meds as soon as they were finished. Ben was in intensive care, and couldn’t have any visitors as yet, so Missy and Chas sat in the IC waiting room, hoping for the best. The officer who had been speaking with Cheryl when they came in, entered the waiting room quietly and asked to speak with Chas, who left the room with him immediately.
    Missy shivered in the chilly waiting room. The chairs were uncomfortably firm and covered in a waterproof, stain-proof fabric which featured a pattern of green leaves on a dark purple background. A vending machine hummed in the corner, and the scent of hand-sanitizer and antiseptics permeated the space. Missy noticed that it was the most cold, impersonal room that she had been in in quite some time, and felt somehow that she deserved to be in the imposing space. She berated herself for being nasty and short with both Ben and Cheryl before their accident.
    She didn’t know what she’d do if something awful happened to Ben. He just had to get well, so that she could apologize to him and thank him for his loyalty and hard work all the years that she’d known him. He was like family to her and she’d mistreated him because she was worried and stressed. Cheryl was a new addition, but family nonetheless, and she had treated her poorly because she may have committed a crime of passion. Missy didn’t know whether the girl was innocent or guilty, but, if she was being honest, she hadn’t even given her the benefit of doubt.
    She stood when Chas came back in, looking at him expectantly. He sat down next to her to explain what he had found out from the investigating officer.
    “Cheryl said that they were driving along just fine, but when they came to the part of Sheldon Road that has a steep incline with a curve at the bottom, Ben tried to use the brakes and they didn’t work, so the car slid right through the guard rail and over the embankment. The ground was muddy and soft because of the rain we’ve had recently, which cushioned the fall a bit, but the car didn’t stop moving until it hit a tree, which smashed in Ben’s door and gave him the head injury. The rescue