Baking is Murder (A Bee's Bakehouse Cozy Mystery) (Bee's Bakehouse Mysteries Book 1) by Kathy Cranston

day before and she hadn’t wanted to pry. But it was almost two days since he agreed to have a doctor examine Clarice. Jessie didn’t know how long the tests might take or what they involved. Nor did she want to reveal Clarice’s secret, even to someone who was quickly becoming a friend.
    “I’m sure she’ll get out soon.”
    Julia shook her head sadly. “I wish I had your optimism. No, I spoke to her attorney this morning. She was very distressed. Apparently the cops have some new evidence in the case against her. She’s adamant it has nothing to do with her, of course.”
    Jessie dropped her cup with a clatter. “New evidence?”
    Julia nodded, forking a huge chunk of donut. The seconds it took her to finish it were agony for Jessie. She hoped—no, prayed—that she’d misheard her new friend. It soon became clear that she hadn’t.
    “Mmm, that really is fabulous. If I ever leave Springdale, the first thing I’m packing is Bee Martin.”
    Any other time, Jessie would have smiled happily and basked in the love Springdale had for her aunt’s baking. This time, though, she could barely force herself to nod in acknowledgment before she asked about the evidence.
    “Oh, I don’t know, dear. Something about a letter?”
    Jessie shook her head.
    Julia must have seen the agitation on her face. She reached for her hands, a concerned look on her ruddy face. “What is it, Jessie? You seem to be taking this rather hard. Harder than the rest of us.”
    Jessie shrugged. “I just… It’s hard to sit by when you’re convinced someone’s innocent.”
    “And what gives you that impression?”
    Jessie bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted so much to share what she’d learned with Julia. She knew that might help her unravel some thread of information that she’d missed. She realized she was holding her breath and released it in a short sharp burst.
    “I can’t say,” she said apologetically. “It’s not my place to share it. Do you know what I mean?”
    Julia smiled and nodded. “I think I do. Now is there anything I can do to help that doesn’t involve you revealing a secret?”
    “Actually, there might be,” Jessie said, pulling off her apron and nodded guiltily. She tried to remind herself that these were exceptional circumstances and shirking could be excused when someone’s liberty was at stake. Still, though, she felt guilty rushing out the door and leaving Julia in charge until Tania came back from her morning break.

Chapter 21
    Julia said there was new evidence,” Jessie said, roaring past Chief Daly’s secretary for what felt like the hundredth time that week.
    This time, the chief looked more resigned than bemused. “What is it now, Jessie? My goodness, you’re so like your aunt it’s terrifying.”
    Jessie plonked down in the visitor’s chair in front of his desk. “Chief, I’m terribly sorry for acting like this. Believe me when I tell you it’s out of character. But after our conversation the other day, I would have thought Clarice Jackson might have been released by now. Or at least moved to a secure wing in a hospital.”
    Chief Daly threw his hands in the air. “This isn’t a big town, Jessie. Our hospital is lucky if they’ve got enough beds in the ER. There are no secure wings.”
    Jessie sighed. “How long is it going to take to get the test results back? And what’s this about a letter?”
    The Chief’s expression darkened. “You know I can’t go telling you about evidence in an ongoing investigation, don’t you?”
    Jessie shrugged. “Okay, that’s fine. But you can tell me how long it’s going to take for the test results to come through, right? After all, I was the one that suggested them and I—”
    The chief sighed. “There are no test results.”
    “She tested negative?” Jessie said, sitting forward.
    “There was no test,” he said, rolling his eyes. “She refused to submit to one.”
    “Even though she knew it might clear