Read Thrown Off: A Cozy Mystery (Brenna Battle Book 3) for Free Online

cream,” I announced.
    “You want to go to Shaw’s for a sundae?” Blythe checked the time on her phone. “I think we can just get in before closing.”
    Shaw Drug and Hardware Store was the oldest continuing operation of its kind west of the Mississippi and north of the Columbia. In addition to its ghostly legends that helped attract visitors to Bonney Bay, it also featured the best ice cream sundaes on the planet. My mouth watered at the thought of hot fudge oozing over whipped cream topped with chopped peanuts. Not to mention, mocha fudge was the featured flavor this week. Snap out of it, Brenna! I was on a mission. I had to know if Millie was murdered, and if the Bonney Bay PD was doing anything to find out.
    “No, it is pretty late. I think I’m just going to go pick something up at the Cherry Bowl real quick.”
    “Oh, okay. I’ll come with you.”
    I hesitated. “We need to compile that student mailing list, remember? Do you think you could do that while I go pick something up?” I gave her a cheesy smile.
    “Well…”
    “I’ll feel so much better when it’s done. What should I get for you? Mint chocolate chip? Some sugar cones?”
    “Yes! See if they have the chocolate dipped cones.”
    “Okay.” Distraction successful! I didn’t want to involve Blythe in this just yet. Especially since there was technically no murder. She didn’t have quite the tolerance for snooping that I did. I had to save up that gung-ho sidekick capital for when I really needed it.
    I decided to walk to the Cherry Bowl. It was just a few blocks away, and it was such a beautiful evening. The air was cool and all along the street, sprinklers were on. The air smelled like fresh water and salt air and flowers, the way only a summer evening in a little coastal town can. I breathed deep. It made me want to run all the way down to the beach like a kid and splash in the surf. For a second there, I forgot how cold the water was, even on the warmest days, thanks to currents from Alaska. No, this wasn’t Costa Rica. But it was beautiful.
    I paused outside the Cherry Bowl. I felt drawn to the side of the building, where I’d last seen Millie. The crime scene tape was gone. Someone had pressure-washed the pavement. You could hardly tell any paint had spilled there. You’d never know that a terrible accident had occurred there, that a life had been cut short. I looked up at the mural. Empty, ghostlike outlines of buildings beneath a sky so well depicted, it seemed like the feathery clouds could float right by with the breeze. What would Takashi do with the mural? Hire another artist? Paint over it? Poor Marvin. What was he going to do? His life with Millie was no doubt left unfinished, just like her mural. They must’ve had all kinds of plans.
    I headed inside and grabbed a bright red plastic shopping basket. Instead of heading straight for the ice cream aisle, I wandered toward the bakery and deli. I needed to do a little chit-chatting.
    “Attention, shoppers,” Takashi said over the intercom. “The Cherry Bowl will be closing in fifteen minutes. Please bring your final selection to the checkout. We hope you’ll come back soon, and that your evening is a bo-o-o-wl full of cherries.” His voice was smooth and deep. Though he said the same thing every night, he never sounded bored. He sounded more like he was announcing a prize fight than a store closing.
    I ran into Amy near the bakery. She was moving old baked goods onto the bargain rack.
    “Brenna!” To my surprise, she hurried to me and gave me a quick hug.
    When she released me, I could see the loss and weariness written all over her face. She had that kind of fair, pink-cheeked complexion that typically looked so young and fresh and carefree. It was so strange to see Amy like this.
    Roberta, the deli lady, saw me and came out from behind the counter. Her apron swished over ample hips. “Brenna,” she said quietly, “you saw that picture the tourist took, right?” There