Bound To Be Dead: Cozy Mystery Bookshop Series Book 3 by Tamra Baumann (best historical fiction books of all time txt) 📗

“Try Sarah Topps. Get it? Triceratops?” I’m cracking myself up with these corny jokes. “Last one. What did the librarian say when asked if she had a book about Pavlov’s dog and Schrödinger’s cat?”

The Admiral says, “I can’t imagine.”

“She said it rang a bell, but she wasn’t sure if it was there or not!” I can’t help the stupid grin stretching my face.

A full-blown smile lights up his face. “Sailor, you’re just like your mom. She could always cheer me up too.” He stands and puts his mug in the sink. “I’ll see you at book club.”

“To add to that cheer, Madge is making a murder board for tonight.”

He nods. “That’ll do it every time. Speaking of Madge…”

Madge barrels through the front door and skids to a stop in front of us. “Sorry that took so long. I got caught up. Nice haircut, Sawyer.”

“Thanks.” I drain my mug and place it next to the Admiral’s in the sink.

The Admiral lifts a hand, “See you, ladies, later. Looking forward to that murder board, Madge. Hope my name isn’t on it.” He doesn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he quickly walks toward the front door.

When we’re alone, Madge says, “Dylan just added the Admiral’s name to the suspect list on account of the roses, but it’s way at the bottom.”

This piques my interest. “Who else is on the list?”

Madge grabs a clean mug and pumps coffee from the carafe. “In no particular order, mainly because I can’t remember exactly, the mayor, your dad, the people at the café who served and made the tea Tina was drinking, the people helping in back with the show, and all the people who touched the roses. Which might or might not include you at some point?” Madge lifts her gaze to meet mine.

I shake my head. “Nope. I didn’t touch the flowers, only wrote out the name tags in my kitchen. But Pattie is near the top now on my list. Along with my uncle.”

Madge’s eyes grow wide. “Do tell!”

After I shared my experience with Pattie, Madge frowns. “So can I add this to my murder board tonight?”

“No! I don’t want Pattie to know I told you. I’ll share it with Dylan later, but that’s it.”

Madge draws a crisscross over her heart. “Your secret is safe with me. But I think you and I need to pay a visit to the Blue Hippo in Monterey tomorrow to see what’s really up with Pattie.”

“Didn’t Dylan go there today?” He’d mentioned he’d planned to last night.

“No.” Madge clears her throat. “He had an emergency over the lunch hour. At Crystal’s house. In her bathroom. There might have been some nakedness on her part involved. Again.”

I refuse to react. Crystal has been trying to steal Dylan away from me since elementary school. And her sticky shower door apparently can’t be fixed. “Everything work out?”

“Yeah. In Dylan’s defense, he told me to send one of the deputies, but they were all at lunch. Together. Crystal’s treat.”

“Naturally.” It’s probably not right that my heartbeat is pounding so loud in my ears, it’s hard to hear.

Madge cringes. “Crystal sent lunch for me too, so I could eat at my desk since I don’t get a full lunch hour. Said it was in appreciation for saving her mom after the car accident last month, when all the guys helped pry her mother out of the wreck. Seemed legit at the time.”

“No worries. I have bigger problems to deal with right now.” My blood pressure can’t take much more today, so I draw a deep breath and then let it out slowly. I read somewhere this works to calm and center a person, but apparently, not for me. “Will Dylan let you off for our snooping session at The Blue Hippo tomorrow?”

Madge shrugs. “I’ll just tell him I have an errand to run. For woman things. He never questions me if I say that.”

I’d chuckle, but my hands are starting to tingle from clenching them so hard. I hope it’s just stress and not the beginnings of a heart attack. “Just one problem. If we find something, Dylan is going to want all the details. If he finds out I was there too, he’ll be onto your scam.”

“You’re a woman.” Madge lifts her hands. “If we go together, it won’t be a lie. We’ll be doing woman things. I’ll pick you up at ten thirty, so we’ll be back in plenty of time for your meeting with Brittany’s mother. See you later for book club.”

“Okay.” I lift the book Nan set in front of me. “Maybe we’ll go through this with the group for some ideas.”

“Good plan. Adios.” Madge jumps up and motors out the front door.

With no other prospects in the empty store, Cooper joins me and leans against my legs for a rub.

After giving my dog some love, I lay my head down on my folded arms and moan. If I lose all the things my mother left me except for the wine collection, I can survive. I’ll get a chef’s job in San Francisco so I can still be near my family and can feed Brittany and me. If I still have Brittany with me.

I’m not sure how my heart would survive losing her along with everything else I have here.

I allow myself a little wallow and give more cuddles to Cooper before anger fills me again. It lights a much-needed fire under me, so I lift my dog’s teddy bear face up and say, “If I can’t beat my uncle in court, maybe I can still send him to jail for the rest of his life for killing Tina. Maybe then there’d be some semblance of justice for you and me!”

Cooper’s tail wags so fast, it makes me smile. There’s nothing like a dog to help soothe the soul.

I give Coop one last pat. “And when all that is over, I’m buying Crystal a new shower door!”

Cooper woofs in agreement as we cross the store and get