Death with a Cherry on Top: A Beach Themed Cozy Mystery (Twisted Sisters Ice Cream Cozies Book 1) by Molly Dox Page A

not that kind of trouble! She's been arrested. We need to find out more. I only heard fragments. They wouldn’t tell me anything on the phone. I need to get over there." Gina sighed. Giuseppe, her youngest son, was usually the one who stirred up trouble. Carla was the last person she expected the police to call her about. There had to be a mistake.
    It’s not that Gina Ambrogi was unfamiliar with chaos. Not at all. She lived in chaos. A big family, businesses to run, and so much more. While Gina liked the craziness most days, Lottie preferred the quieter life of being single. Lottie was a fabulous aunt, but had no desire to be a mom. Besides, now that her mother had passed, she looked after her father.
    Lottie stopped what she was doing and locked up the ice cream stand. Together, the women rushed to Lottie's car. Gina grabbed the keys. “I’ll drive.”
    It wasn’t up for discussion; there was no stopping her.
    Getting in the car, Lottie buckled up. Her sister had a lead foot on the gas pedal as it was, but with Carla in trouble…
    Gina rambled, not sure what she’d learn when she got to the police station. Her husband worked in another town. "I called Rick, he's on the way. We need to figure this out."
    Gina’s slammed the gas pedal down, pushing her car to move faster than it wanted to. With so many stop signs along the way, her aggravation percolated. Finally, they pulled up to the station. She threw the car into a parking spot and was out the door in seconds. Lottie tried to keep up as her sister scrambled through the entrance.
    "It's not good," Tracy said. The stout woman sat behind the desk, noting Gina’s arrival. She recognized her from previous visits. "I can't say anything else. I'll get the Sergeant."
    Gina's heart raced. What on earth could Carla have possibly been arrested for?
    Sergeant Galloway made his way to the front of the station. “This way,” he said gesturing down a hallway.
    Once seated at the Sgt. Galloway’s desk, they waited as he cleared his throat. He stopped to adjust his glasses, and then spoke. “Mrs. Ambrogi, your daughter Carla has been charged with murder.”
    Both women gasped in unison.
    The officer continued. “As you know, she’s an adult, but she’s made it clear we could share the information with both you and her father.”
    Lottie repeated the words back to the Sergeant. "Murder? Our Carla was arrested for murder? How is that even possible?"
    "There's more," he continued. His eyebrows sank lower, exaggerating his grim expression. "She was found with a weapon in her hands. Not just any weapon, but the murder weapon."
    Gina's heart sank to her stomach. Her mouth gaped, but no words came out. It was a rare moment for the usually perky woman. She stared at the officer, as if he was speaking a foreign language.
    Lottie reached out and patted her sister's hand. "We'll fix this. It's going to be okay. There's no way Carla killed somebody."
    Gina nodded, feeling like a little girl. "We need to tell Pops. He can help. Right?"
    "I'm sorry," the Sergeant finished. "It doesn't look good. She’s asked for a lawyer, so hopefully, you have somebody in mind. This is big, Mrs. Ambrogi. Serious business. Somebody was killed."
    Gina stared, lost in a daze.
    Sgt. Galloway stood. “I’ll show you to the door.”
    “Wait. I need to see my daughter.”

Chapter 2
     
    "I've spent plenty of time picking up Giuseppe at the police station, but Carla?" Gina was exasperated. "I just...it's not possible."
    Lottie nodded in agreement. Giuseppe was more familiar with the wrong side of the law; that was true. He wasn't a bad kid, he just had a way of finding trouble. And if he wasn't looking for trouble, trouble was looking for him.
    Gina had a handful of kids. Lola, the brains of the family, was wrapping up her undergraduate degree at MIT. She planned on spending one last summer at home, before running off to conquer the world.
    And Carla, she’d made strides. Lottie couldn't see her throwing