Nun the Wiser (A Deadly Habit Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Morgana Best Page B

now.
    A hermit’s life wouldn’t be so bad. I had cable, internet, and my shop was right underneath my home. I could even have groceries delivered nowadays. Then there would be no chaos, no walking into rooms with dead bodies, and definitely no psychotic man-nuns.
    Of course that also meant sacrifices, such as no hazelnut lattés from the café, no nights out with my friends, and no nibbling expensive cheese at an art viewing. Perhaps a hermit’s life wasn’t so good after all.
    I eyed the assortment of finger foods and treats that had been set out. Shrimp, along with a dozen different cheeses and a variety of fruits and nuts. There was also a very nice assortment of wine and sparkling waters to wash it down.
    “Psst, Rose.”
    I turned to see Bunny standing behind me. She appeared to be in a state of distress. I looked around to see if any cats were present, but soon dismissed that idea. Cats would hardly be present at a posh art exhibition. “What’s wrong, Bunny?”
    “This is bad, Rose.” The woman glanced around as if to make sure no one was listening, and leaned in closer.
    I felt my heart clench in fear as I looked for anything out of the ordinary. I didn’t see anything odd, and there was not a nun in sight, so I leaned in closer. “What is it?”
    “Rose, someone forgot to cook the shrimp.” Bunny used a hand to veil her mouth as she pointed to the platter of cocktail shrimp on the table. “They are cold! And they didn’t even batter them. Someone should tell the caterer to take it back, don’t you think?”
    I felt a wave of relief. Bunny was a sweetheart, but I had no idea how she had managed to survive this long unsupervised. “Don’t worry — they’re cooked.”
    Bunny looked skeptical as she carefully avoided the shrimp, and proceeded to load her little plate as if she were in a buffet line. I could hardly point that it was not the done thing. Apparently wherever Bunny had previously lived didn’t have cheese tastings or cocktail shrimp.
    “There you are,” Gemma’s voice chimed in as she wove her way through the crowd. Her oh-so-tight red leather dress looked as if it been attacked by an angry, small child with finger paint and a paintball gun. It was splashed, blotched, and striped with all manner of colors. Gemma smiled and did a circle to let me admire her latest fashion trend. “You like it? Custom made.”
    “It certainly looks one of a kind.” This was a tad over the top even for Gemma. Her heels were so high that I was afraid she would tumble over.
    “You look like you should be hanging on someone’s refrigerator,” Janet said, as she made her way to the group.
    “Well, at least I dressed for a show and not a funeral.” Gemma looked Janet up and down and then nodded at her elegant black dress, pearl jewelry, and hair slicked back into a perfect bun.
    “An art show, not a circus.” Janet faked a pleasant smile.
    “I’m glad you guys could make it,” I said in an attempt to divert their attention from making a scene. I glanced back to the table, and saw Bunny having difficulty balancing a mountain of food on a tiny plate.
    “You really should have let me come and pick you up, Rose,” Gemma said, as she picked up a plate and placed a sample of each cheese on it.
    I shrugged. I wasn’t ready for a private interrogation, which is precisely why I wanted to meet them in a public place. The way they had reacted on the phone had forewarned me that I was in for one mighty lecture. At least in public, the lecture wouldn’t be so bad — at least, I hoped not.
    “Does Bunny know anything?” Janet asked as she eyed the spread.
    “Nothing,” I assured her.
    “Why did you invite her?” Gemma asked. “You do realize that Bunny’s stuffing some grapes into her little handbag, and not too discreetly at that.” She sighed dramatically. “Anyway, it’ll be harder to talk with her here. I didn’t think she’d be into fancy-schmancy artsy stuff.”
    “You were the one who