A Mouthful of Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery Book 4 (Frosted Love Mysteries) by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott Page A

Cora had come to her with a bizarre story, hoping that she
might be able to help. Missy had immediately called in Chas, and the two of
them were trying to figure out how to help the frightened woman.
    The
couple sat down at a bistro table, in the shade under a green and white striped
awning and ordered their lunch.
    “So,
what’s going on with Cora?” Missy asked, anxious for news.
    “The
unfortunate reality is that she’s definitely not imagining things. There really
is someone coming into her house at night, there are items disappearing from
her home, and there are absolutely no leads as to who might be doing such
things. I advised her to take photos of all of her belongings so that she would
know if anything went missing, and several items have, both inside and
outside.” Chas shook his head, frustrated. “I haven’t come up with a single
lead after talking with neighbors and family members.”
    “You
don’t suppose she’s in danger, do you?” Missy frowned.
    “At
this point, there doesn’t seem to be any indication of a threat to her personally,
but any time there is an intruder in a residence, the potential for danger
exists,” he said grimly.
    “I
wish she had someone who could stay with her.”
    “Well,
I have patrol cars doing surveillance several times a night. If the intruder
keeps returning, we’ll get them eventually,” Chas assured her.
    They
dug into their lunches with gusto, talking about everything and nothing, simply
enjoying each other’s company, until Chas pushed back his plate. “As much as
I’d love to spend the afternoon in your most pleasant company, duty calls,” he
grinned at her fondly.
    “I
understand. I need to get back to the shop anyway.”
    The
busy detective dropped Missy off at Crème de la Cupcake with a kiss on the
cheek and a dinner invitation for later in the week. “Stay out of trouble,” he
teased.
    “Always!”
Missy winked.

Chapter
2
     
    Missy
knew before she went into the shop this morning that it would be a busy day.
Ben had come up with the idea of posting the Cupcake Flavor of the Day on a
signboard in the front of the shop every Monday, for the entire week. Some
varieties were more popular than others, and today’s flavor, Mochaccino with
Caramel Fluff, seemed to be a particular favorite. Just as she had anticipated,
patrons were lined up in front of the store before Ben unlocked the front door,
so Missy mingled and chatted with them while they waited. Once inside, time
seemed to move in fast forward as one customer after another came in, made
their selection, paid and left. A few sat at tables to enjoy their early
morning treat, but most just passed thru on their way to work. When the last
few in line had been served, it was nearly lunch time. Cheryl and Ben had just
finished restocking the glass cases up front, when the bell above the door
jangled again. Missy looked up to see Clara Clements coming in with a woman who
could only be the new owner of the ice cream store that she had mentioned.
    “You’ve
had quite the rush over here this morning,” Clara observed.
    “Yes,
it was a little overwhelming, but the time just flew by,” Missy agreed.
    “This
is the gal who is buying my store. Echo Willis, meet Melissa Gladstone. Missy,
Echo,” Clara introduced the woman who had come in with her. She had an
abundance of coppery-red hair, and wore a gauzy taupe-colored camisole with a
faded gingham skirt and brown leather sandals, looking very California.
    Missy
held out her hand, “Hi, I’m Missy. It’s great to meet you. Congratulations and
welcome to the neighborhood.”
    “Nice
to meet you too, thanks,” the woman smiled, and Missy noticed that she had the
most beautiful jade-green eyes.
    “Let
me get you two a muffin and some coffee and we can sit down and chat for a
bit,” she offered, extending the hospitality for which her home state was
known.
    “Oh,
no, thank you,” Echo demurred quickly. “We have to get back across the street,
the