The Smoking Bun (Apple Orchard Cozy Mystery Book 10)

by Chelsea Thomas

  You know those days when the air is the exact right temperature, so that it’s not cold in the shade but the sun still feels like a welcome heat whenever the breeze stops blowing? That was the kind of day we had. And I wanted to enjoy it. But I couldn’t get my head out of the turtle-shaped clouds.

  The prior night I had barely slept, tossing and turning and thrashing and sweating because I felt so bad for the way I had handled Germany’s proposal.

  I hadn’t given enough thought to Germany’s promised surprise prior to the Fall Festival. If I’d considered it for even one minute, I could have anticipated what was coming and prevented Germany from embarrassing himself by proposing in such a bold and public way. We could have talked in private and we both would have felt so much better. But as it stood Germany was humiliated, which was incredibly rare for him. He had a high tolerance for shame, but I’d hurt him. I felt guilty and confused and, like I said, distracted.

  Petey approached my apple cider table with a little wave. “Hi, Chelsea.”

  “Hey, Petey. You came to the party. Even though we hardcore suspected you of murder.”

  “I know how it is,” Petey said. “You suspected me because you had plenty of good reasons. I’m not going to hold that against you. Pine Grove is lucky to have all three of you. Can I get some of that cider?”

  I poured Petey an apple cider and handed him the cup. He sipped it. “Mmmm. This is so smooth. It warms my whole body.”

  “I know, it is delicious,” I said. “I drink way too much of it, though. I guess that’s part of life when you live on an orchard. Apple cider flows like water around here.”

  Petey laughed, then got serious. “Hey, so have you heard the news?”

  “So much has happened in the last day, I’m not sure which news you mean.”

  “I guess it’s kind of personal news for me. I’m closing down Peter’s Land and Sea. Yeah. Bummer. But Teeny hired me on as the manager over at Grandma’s. She’s gone so much these days, working cases with you and your aunt, she needs the extra help. I think it’s going to be nice. And it’s definitely going to be less stressful for me. I was losing a ton of money on the restaurant.”

  “That sounds great,” I said. “I think Teeny always secretly wanted you back.”

  Petey wandered away, sipping his apple cider. And I did my best to stay present and keep my mind from drifting back to my feelings.

  Then I heard barking from across the party. It sounded like Steve the dog. And he didn’t sound happy. I left my post at the apple cider station and hurried toward the sound of the barks.

  I soon found Steve in the arms of Amy, the dog groomer. She spoke in a gentle voice but Steve kept barking. “Hey, buddy. It’s OK. Look. Chelsea’s here. See? Chelsea?”

  I looked Steve in the eye. “What’s going on, Steve? Why are you freaking out?”

  Steve barked a few more times, then broke free from Amy and trotted out toward the orchard. He stopped at the edge of the trees and turned back to me with an expectant look.

  “Maybe he has to go to the bathroom?” said Amy.

  “Maybe,” I replied. But I knew something more was going on with Steve and I feared the worst.

  Once we were about a hundred feet out into the orchard, Steve started digging. My mind flashed back to the end of our prior mystery. That time, Steve had unearthed a human foot for me. Some congratulations gift, right?

  “Relax, Steve,” I said. “Everything’s OK. Go ahead. Show me what’s in your hole.”

  Steve stepped aside. I squatted and looked into the hole. My stomach turned. There, unmistakably identifiable in the dirt, was a disembodied human hand, clearly severed from the same body as the unidentifiable feet.

  There were three big, chunky rings on the fingers. And that’s how I knew whose hand it was.

  Deep down, I prayed the man was alive. But deeper still, I knew he was dead. The man had been famous in Pine Grove. Or infamous, depending who you asked. And no one had even reported him missing.

  So how had this local legend ended up in pieces scattered around our orchard?

  I wasn’t sure of the answer, but I was sure of one thing… It was time to solve another mystery in Pine Grove.

  The End

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading The Smoking Bun. I hope you enjoyed this mystery and that you had a good time following the twists and turns along with the girls.

  Chelsea knows the identity of the mysterious dead body on the orchard. Do you want to find out too?

  Adventure awaits you in the next apple orchard cozy, Dropping Like Pies.

  You’ll love this cozy because everyone loves exciting mysteries with quirky amateur detectives.

  Get it now.

  Best,

  Chelsea

  52

  Join the Club

  Apple Pie Cookies. Warm cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing. French Toast perfect for a Sunday morning…

  Do you want a free cookbook packed with secret recipes from the apple orchard bake shop?

  Subscribe to Thomas Tuesdays and you’ll get Miss May’s cookbook delivered to your inbox today.

  Click here to subscribe.