"See, no fingerprints," I said as I tried to calm my breathing.
"What, what's going on here?” Becky’s voice shrilled through the garage. “Why is my husband under arrest?"
I was still sitting on the ground and I held up my finger to get her attention. I swallowed before saying, "First, he just tried to kill me. Second, you might not feel too sorry for him once you hear that he had been trying to kill you. But you brought those desserts over to his mother instead and not only killed her but also poisoned your son."
"What? Oh my goodness, Charles? Tell them this can't possibly be true. Why would you do such a thing? I have been so patient. You kept telling me to just hold on another year and then another and you'd retire. I did just that. I've given you everything. I was the best wife you could have ever asked for. And Andrew? You know I gave our son the world!"
"Oh, for once, will you just shut up!" Charles said.
Becky's snapped her jaw shut. I had a feeling Charles had wanted to say that for a long time. Perhaps he should've just talked to her instead of trying to kill her. Just an idea.
8
The next morning, we were all at Mr. Frederick's office, Adele's attorney, for the reading of her will. Well, all of us who could be present—Becky, Andrew, a couple of Adele's nieces and nephews, her younger sister, Madeline. Nick's parents were coming into town later in the afternoon, but they assured us it was fine to go ahead with the reading without them. Charles, on the other hand, well … who knew when he'd be available again. I had no idea how that would go down with his inheritance, but that really wasn't my problem. I was just there to publicly take over the role of being Milo's guardian. Adele and Nick were there too, floating around, mingling if you will.
I had no idea how long this would take, but hopefully it would be quick. I had gotten up early once more and outdone myself in the kitchen. Ellen was running the shop by herself, and it was a mad house.
"Are we all here?" Mr. Frederick asked and then realized it probably wasn't the right thing to say. He cleared his throat. "Very well then. Let it be known that this is the last will and testament of Adele Elizabeth London." We all sat politely while Mr. Frederick read through the articles. Once he got to Article Three, everyone's ears pricked up.
"Article Three, disposition of property. Specific request: I direct the following specific bequest be made for my estate. To my granddaughter-in-law, Claire Marie London, I nominate her guardian of my beloved cat, Milo James London."
"Do you accept?" Mr. Frederick's asked me.
"Yes, I do," I replied.
Becky smirked. In fact, so did Andrew. As if being left a cat was comical.
"As for my residuary estate, I direct one hundred percent of my assets be distributed to my cat, Miloimus James London."
I coughed.
Becky gasped.
Wait, did Mr. Frederick read that right? Did Adele leave her fortune to her cat?
"She can't do that!" exclaimed Andrew. "A cat? A stupid cat? What does it need the money for? This can't be legal."
"Yes, actually it is. Adele was very clear in her wishes," Mr. Frederick said, holding up the papers. "She wanted her entire estate to be left to Miloimus."
Becky and Andrew continued to protest until Adele's sister, Madeline, started laughing in the back.
"This isn't funny!" Becky shouted.
"Oh yes it is. From the looks of it, Adele made the right choice. Oh, I'm going to have to remember this one." At that proclamation, Madeline's kids’ eyes went wide. Adele manifested next to her sister and laughed along with her.
It took quite a while to settle Becky and Andrew down. Of course, they threatened litigation before they left.
"Don't worry, this document is rock solid," Mr. Frederick said to me. "Adele made sure of it, knowing the way her family could be."
"Oh, I'm not worried. I don't care about the money, I just wanted Milo." That was the honest-to-goodness truth. I told Mr. Frederick I would stop back in his office next week to begin all the paperwork. I had no idea what was in store, but I had a feeling I'd be signing a lot of things. I hadn't even begun to process it.
Outside, it was a beautiful fall day. Summer was making a repeat performance and was doing all it could to hold on, even if it was only for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning.
Nick and Adele were waiting for me back at the bakery in the kitchen. Ellen was out front, running her tail off. I quickly tied on an apron.
"You're surprised, aren't you?" Nick asked, playfully.
"You knew about this, didn't you," I said.
"She told me about it yesterday."
Adele manifested at that moment.
"Adele, I don't know what to say. Thank you for trusting me with it all, but mostly for Milo."
"He's the most important," Adele said. We both looked over at the bottom step, where Milo had taken up residency once more. "You take care of him, you hear?"
"Of course I will. I promise you."
As I said those words, a sense of peace washed over the entire kitchen. I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen next, and I was right. At first, I thought it was just the sunlight, but then the bright light filled the entire room, warm and comforting.
Adele looked up.
"What about you?" she asked Nick.
"I'm going to stay here with my girl. Go on," Nick motioned up with his head. "I'm sure Gramps is wondering where you've been."
"Harold." Adele looked back at the bright light that started to come down around her. Nick was careful to keep his distance, moving to stand behind me.
"Goodbye, Adele," I said.
"Goodbye." Her voice was just a whisper now.
With that, she was an orb once more, drifting up to the heavens.
And I?
I had a bakery to get back to.
Thank you!
I sincerely hope you liked the first installment of the Spirited Sweets Mysteries!
Wonder when the next one will be available?
Here’s a look at the series’ upcoming
publishing schedule:
Oct 24th - Bittersweet Betrayal
Nov 7th - Decadent Demise
Nov 20th - Red Velvet Revenge
Dec 11th - Cursed Confections
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a review or drop me an email:
[email protected].
About the Author
I'm a mystery author with a soft spot for romance and humor, too. I love all things girlie with a dollop of danger, have a strong affinity for the color pink (especially in diamonds and champagne), and, not to brag, but chocolate and I are in a pretty serious relationship.
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Also by Stephanie Damore
Beauty meets murder in this sassy cozy mystery series!
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Bittersweet Betrayal: Spirited Sweets Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 1 Page 6
