A Taste of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Alaine Allister

his grandson.  “When he’s old enough I’m going to take him hunting and fishing...you know, man stuff.”
    “My dad only had daughters, so he tried to do man stuff with us.  He really only convinced my sister Jasmine to go dirt biking and stuff.  Everything he tried to do with me just ended in a tea party,” she recalled. 
    Come to think of it, perhaps that was when her addiction to chocolate chip cookies had started.
    “There’s nothing wrong with having daughters!” Will declared.  “I wouldn’t trade those two for the world.  But my girls were like you – not interested in the hobbies I wanted to share with them.  I’m pretty excited to finally have a boy in the family.  Boys are different.”
    “So this is Bonnie’s sister?” Clarissa asked, pointing to the photo of the bride.
    “That’s my youngest, Jane.  She’s an elementary school teacher – third grade.  She lives three hours away.  And that’s her husband, Paul.  He’s a schoolteacher too...that’s how they met.  He’s a good kid – not much into outdoor activities, but he makes my daughter happy.  He’s good with the baby, too.”
    “That’s great,” Clarissa replied, though it didn’t exactly help her investigation much.
    She got the impression Will was desperate to talk about something – anything – other than Bonnie’s awful predicament.  She could only imagine the anguish he must be feeling.  His daughter was locked up for a crime she hadn’t committed and there was nothing he could do to help.  What an awful feeling that must be!
    Of course, if Bonnie was locked up for a crime he had committed...well, that was a different kind of anguish altogether. 
    “I’m just sorry about the awful timing,” Will sighed.  “We promised Jane and Paul we’d go out and help when the baby was born.  Then we got the call about the murder, and, well, we had no choice but to cut our trip short and come home.  The most infuriating part is we haven’t even been able to visit Bonnie yet.  Those good for nothing cops are –”
    “Wait,” Clarissa interrupted.  “You were visiting your daughter when Jed was killed?”
    Will nodded. 
    “And she lives three hours away?”
    “That’s right.”
    Clarissa hesitated.  “I hate to ask this, but is there anyone who could vouch for that?  Preferably someone who isn’t a family member?  I don’t mean to sound like I’m accusing you of lying, it’s just that –”
    “I wish those idiot cops had half the sense you do,” Will interrupted.  “We stopped to fill up with gas before we drove back here.  I have a receipt somewhere that ought to show the time of purchase,” he added, walking over to a desk and rifling through a pile of papers.
    “That’s perfect!” Clarissa couldn’t help but exclaim. 
    Well, it was kind of perfect.  The good news was that if Will had an alibi, then he couldn’t be the killer.  So she wasn’t standing in a murderer’s living room.  The bad news was that now she was back to square one.
    Will handed Clarissa a receipt from a gas station three hours away.  The date and time backed up his claim.  His story seemed to check out.
    “I wish I knew what else to tell you,” Will said, shifting from foot to foot.  “All I know for sure is the cops have it wrong.  My little girl is no killer.  I’m sure most parents say that – denial, right?  But I know my Bonnie.  She would never do this.”
    “Not even in self-defence?” Clarissa couldn’t help but ask.
    “That’s different.”
    “I see.”
    “Bonnie didn’t do it!” Will insisted.  “She couldn’t have!”
    “Okay.  So word on the street is that the weapon was a gun of yours.”
    “Yes.  It has my name engraved on it.  It was a gift from my father years ago.”
    “Do you have any idea how the killer would have gained access to your gun?”
    Will hesitated.  “I know this might sound bad, but I gave it to Bonnie a few years back.  I’m a gun