Fudging the Books by Daryl Wood Gerber

what? Don’t you believe it’s a malicious act?”
    Tito snorted. “No way. This is performance art.” He fanned the air with his fedora. “Whoever is doing it is trying to get attention.” He tapped his temple. “I’ve got a sense for this kind of news.”
    “I think whoever did it should be arrested.”
    “Bah.” Tito chuckled. “Harmless fun. Where’s Bailey?”
    “She’s not here yet.”
    “When do you expect her?”
    “I’m not sure.” I glanced at the telephone by the counter, willing Bailey to call and bring me up-to-date. As if sensing my distress, Tigger bounded from his spot beneath the children’s craft table and leaped onto the stool by the cash register and then onto the counter. He stared at the telephone. No jangle.
    “What is going on?” Tito asked. “I’ve been calling her. I’ve texted her. She’s not responding.”
    “There’s been another murder in town.”
    “No!”
    “Alison Foodie was killed.”
    “Where?”
    “At Coco Chastain’s house.”
    “When?” Tito glanced at the door, the story about the doubloons long forgotten. I could tell he wanted to hightail it out of the shop to scoop the story. “How?”
    I hadn’t signed any confidentiality agreements with the police. I told him what I had revealed to my aunt and father.
    “The shears certainly make a statement,” Tito said. “Did an angry boyfriend show up?”
    “Alison didn’t have a boyfriend.”
    “An ex?”
    “I think Alison lacked a social life. Her career meant everything to her.”
    “Did she have enemies in business?”
    “I doubt it. She was well respected. Besides, she didn’t live in Crystal Cove. Why would an enemy follow her here? Why not kill her in San Francisco?”
    “Good point. Hey, what about her brother? Maybe hethought his sister was domineering. You know, too in his face.” Tito demonstrated. He smelled like Juicy Fruit gum. “Maybe he wanted to cut her out of his life.” He jabbed his chest with his thumb. “Words are my life. The act of cutting. That’s what matters. Trust me.” He didn’t wait for my agreement. He donned his fedora and sped out of The Cookbook Nook.
    His speculation when coupled with my father’s theory sent a shiver through me. Alison had been editing Coco’s material. Had Coco killed Alison for making cuts to her manuscript?
    No matter what, Coco needed a verifiable alibi. I hoped my aunt could convince Cinnamon that she saw Coco at Nature’s Retreat during the time of the murder. If only Coco would reveal the name of her paramour. The police would keep the information confidential, wouldn’t they?
    A flash of color outside the shop caught my eye.

Chapter 7

    N EIL, ALISON’S BROTHER, was charging upstairs to the second floor, leaping two steps at a time. His shoulders were hunched. He wore the same white shirt he’d worn the night before. It was rumpled, the tail loose, the hem smudged with dirt.
    I hurried outside to catch up to him. “Neil,” I called.
    He turned. His eyes looked bloodshot. The usually ruddy color of his complexion was gone. His face appeared more flaccid than ever. His chest was heaving from exertion.
    “I’m late,” Neil said. “The boss will have my head if I’m not there in one minute.”
    “Won’t he let you have the day off, considering the, um, circumstances?”
    “Circumstances?” he echoed.
    A pang of sorrow cut through me. Heck, didn’t he know about his sister? I hated to be the first to break the news, but someone had to. I forged ahead. “Concerning Alison.”
    Neil lowered his chin, as if to study his shoes, and wagged his head. “Yeah, I heard she’s dead. It’s horrible, isn’t it?”
    Gack! If he knew what had happened, then why was he on his way to work? Was he a miserable, heartless creep?
    “She was stabbed,” he went on. “Some jerk broke in.”
    “No. That’s not true. No one broke in.”
    Neil lifted his head and made eye contact. “How would you know?”
    “Because I was there this