Page 24 of Midnight Secrets

Snow flurries danced in the air as I hustled down the sidewalk toward my favorite pet bakery. Pebbles needed more of her favorite peanut butter and yogurt bones.

My prissy little dog, nestled under my arm, had her nose in the air, sniffing as we walked. I always brought her with me when I visited Wags of Wuv.

But first, coffee.

Turning the corner, I spied the front entrance for The Cozy Cup. As I approached, the rich, warm scent of coffee assailed me. A smile lit my face.

Yes, coffee was exactly what I needed.

This week had been one for the books. It was all over town that I found Marie Hammond’s body, so Monday and Tuesday, reporters tied up my phone lines, and one enterprising soul even showed up at my office after I rebuked his request for a comment over the phone. Tamara put on her bulldog cloak and sent that poor sap packing with his proverbial pen shoved where the sun didn’t shine.

I treated her to lunch that day.

Tuesday, and part of Wednesday, I spent negotiating the sale of the space next to The Cozy Cup. Miranda tried to slip in somelanguage that could have endangered Mina’s pocketbook if the inspection came back with unsatisfactory results. Mina wasn’t opposed to paying for repairs, but she wanted the option to ask the seller to fix them or to come down in price to offset some, or all, of the cost.

I really didn’t like Miranda Bennett.

This wasn’t the first time she’d tried such a thing. And I wasn’t the only agent she tried it on. Most of us had wised up to her, though. But she still tried. Every time.

Pushing in the door, I stepped into the coffeeshop. The aroma here was ten times stronger, making my mouth water.

Mina, stationed behind the counter, spotted me and waved.

Smiling, I waved back as I got in line.

Pebbles gave a little bark when we reached the front, vibrating in my arms. Mina had a treat from Wags of Wuv in her hand.

“Who’s Auntie Mina’s good girl?”

Pebbles barked again.

Chuckling, Mina handed over the treat.

“She’s so spoiled.” I shook my head, grinning.

“That is not entirely my fault.”

“True.”

Amusement dancing in her eyes, Mina slipped Pebbles another treat.

“What can I get for you?”

I eyed her latte menu. “Let’s go with the toasted marshmallow mocha.” A little s’mores action sounded good.

Mina lifted a cup off the stack and wrote my name and drink order on it with a black marker. “You want a muffin?”

“No, but I’ll take a cookie.” The plate-size chocolate chunk cookies were calling my name.

She added that to the order on the screen, then read off my total.

I added a tip on the screen facing me, then slid my debit card into the reader and entered my PIN. Mina bagged up my cookie and handed it to me, then moved to the espresso machine to start my drink.

I stepped to the side and waited.

With my back to the counter, I perused the small café. In the far corner, two men caught my attention. The one facing me looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him.

He looked my way. I quickly averted my gaze, looking at Pebbles and scratching her behind the ears.

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