I turned in time to see Gil and Stan walk in. They were both awkwardly dancing to the music playing. I cringed for them. When they saw us they waved and walked over.
“Oh yeah,” Stella said, “we invited the ghost touchers over.”
“Ghost hunters,” Gil corrected. “We are ghost hunters and our little post about the bakery got mad traction online. I think this is going to be huge,” he said.
Stella grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the bar, “come on ghost fondler, I want to buy you a beer and pick your brain.”
“That’s worse than touchers,” Stan squeaked and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Rose came off the stage and walked over to applause from the sparse amount of people in the bar. Masie, forever the group’s cheerleader, gave her a loud whistle.
“Well as long as it doesn’t mess with my girl’s bakery,” Rose said putting an arm around me.
“How about we don’t have any more adventures like that,” Masie said.
“I think we should be clear from any more murders in the bakery,” I said cheerfully.
“Not necessarily,” Red said shaking a fist at Stella across the room.
“You two need to work that out,” Rose said shaking her head at him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Over the next few weeks after my brush with death, the customers kept coming. I got several custom orders after the success of our first one.
While the bakery had been doing well, the death of Tom hung around. I agreed to let the paranormal investigators come back at night for a small fee. I was a business woman after all. They’d really taken a liking to the two older vixens, or the vixens had to them.
Red forgave Stella though they continued to banter back and forth.
As they walked in together, Stella said something about the weather, and he said something that got him elbowed in the stomach.
Funny somehow Vivian never got called out for blaming Red. She’d been right there with her bestie. I couldn’t complain. My bakery was doing well, and my friends were always around.
Logan came over for a doughnut on a Thursday afternoon and we talked about my near-death experience.
“You were pretty brave,” he said with a smile as he bit into one of my giant jelly doughnuts.
“I owe you a million of these for saving my life,” I told him.
“Just go to dinner with me one night,” he said, and I found myself too surprised to respond.
Finally, I said, “okay buddy,” and then mentally slapped myself for being so dumb.
“I’ll put the ball in your court Coco,” he said reaching over to tuck hair behind my ear. “You tell me when.”
“Okay,” I told him and watched as he walked out of the diner.
“You didn’t make him pay for that donut Coconut,” Scooter said from behind me. I’d ordered him a custom scooter with the words cake destroyer and some graphics that looked like cakes that had come to life and then been turned into zombies. It hadn’t arrived yet, but I knew he’d be excited when it did.
“She’s never going to make him pay for a donut again,” Masie said. “She’s got a crush.” Masie started to sing the phrase and only stopped when Stella and Vivian came in.
“Did you tell your boyfriend about the case we solved at the senior center?” Stella asked puffing her chest out.
“He’s not my boyfriend and I didn’t tell him because you didn’t tell me.”
“Well,” Vivian started.
“I’m telling it Viv,” Stella said with a little bite in her voice. Vivian put her hands up and backed away.
“So, someone always eats all the raspberry jam donuts every morning right when Delilah puts them out,” Stella started.
“Delilah is the one with the nice personality,” Henry said with a very over-exaggerated wink.
Stella rolled her eyes but didn’t acknowledge him, “Anyway,” she continued, “so we couldn’t figure out who was always eating them because the person was literally hiding under the table grabbing them.”
“No,” Vivian said, “you told that story wrong. The mystery was revealed when we caught the idiot swiping them from under the table.”
“I don’t think the two of you are going to make detectives anytime soon,” Red said with a chuckle. He came up to me and fist bumped my hand. “I got a good one for you.”
“Lay it on me,” I said waving him on.
“Two guys walk into a bar, the third one ducks,” he said.
It took me a minute and then I laughed loudly and clapped him on the back. That was a good one! Everything was finally getting back to normal.
Don’t miss the next book in the Mad Batter Cozy Mystery Series:
Crepes and Crimes
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Catalog of Books
The Happy Blendings Cozy Witch Mystery Series
The Potion Commotion
A Pumpkin Potion Explosion
A Drop in the Potion
A Notion of a Potion
A Deceptive Potion
CALAMITY CORNERS COZY Witch Mystery Series
Calm Before the Witch Storm
The Witch is in the Details
Better the Witch You Know
A Witch Axe to Grind
A Cauldron of Witch Tricks
TRIPLET WITCH SISTERS Mystery Series
Two’s Company, Three’s a Coven
Resting Witch Face
Bewitched and Bewildered
Triple Toil and Trouble
THE GRUMPY CHICKEN Irish Pub Series
A Frosty Mug of Murder
Treachery on Tap
A Highball and a Low Blow
Cursed With a Twist
A Whiskey Sour Wipeout
OLD SCHOOL DINER COZY Mysteries
Murder at Stake
Murder Well Done
A Side Order of Deception
Murder, Basted and Barbecued
Murder Ala Mode
The Candy Cane Killer
The Blue Plate Slayer
A Drizzle of Murder Page 9
