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“SHE’S DEAD?!” DANA felt her heart explode in her chest. “B-but, how could that be? I...I just spoke with her ten minutes ago.”
Dana’s stomach felt queasy when she remembered the snarky comment Shags made about not wanting to eat any of the killer cupcakes.
But then it looked as if she’d eaten one of her cupcakes. And now she was dead!
Dana observed the body closely and noticed that Shags’ gold tiara was missing, and...
Shags had what looked like a puncture wound in her back! There was a small circle of blood. But there was no knife around or sharp object that could have caused it. Not that Dana could see. Did Shags fall on something sharp when she...passed out? Or was she stabbed with a small sharp object first?
Dana gasped.
“Oh, no!” Dana covered her mouth with her hands. Troy leaned in and hugged her shoulders.
“It’s all right, Dana.” Troy then sighed heavily, his eyes filled with hurt.
Troy might be a cop, but Dana noticed that he always took his job seriously and despite what he did for a living, it tore him apart to see a murder victim. He’d told her that once. She really appreciated a guy who was tough on the job but one that also had a heart.
Troy then showed his badge to the rest of the guests who’d hovered around the area to see what was going on.
“It’s okay, folks. I’m a detective. Nobody move, please.” Troy then made a call for back up at the station to have his team there pronto.
This was a nightmare. Dana could not believe what was unfolding before her eyes. And good heavens! Another murder involving one of her Grandma Rae’s famous cupcakes? Unbelievable!
Dana glanced around the room. Where were Bea, Katie and the mayor?
Who could have done this to Shags?
Then again, from what she’d heard from Bea, everybody could have a motive for wanting Shags Morefield silenced permanently. This was going to be a difficult case. Everybody also had a means and an opportunity. Especially during the black out!
Frank, the photographer, came out of the bathroom with his camera still in his hand.
Frank might have some clues caught on film.
Oh, Dana. What are you thinking? It was dark. No one might ever know who did it?
Shags might not have been the nicest person on the planet, but she sure did not deserve to be killed!
Dana went to the kitchen to grab an ice pack for her ankle that hurt after she’d tripped and fell over Shags’ body. She placed the ice pack to her throbbing ankle. It looked as if it might have been twisted. She sat in the kitchen holding it to her leg, trying to imprison a sob from escaping her lips. She felt terrible about Shags. She felt terrible that her cupcake was at her lips. Or somebody had probably smeared it over her lips, trying to frame Dana’s café once again. When she first moved back to the small town, not everyone was kind to her. She was like an outsider. They’d missed Grandma Rae. Those were tough shoes to fill. But now, she felt as if somebody had a lifelong vendetta to get her out of town. But she would not budge. She was going to stay there. No matter what. And she would carry on her grandmother’s legacy. She wasn’t going to frighten so easily.
“Hey cuz, you okay?” Katie’s concerned voice sounded as she came into the kitchen.
“I’m fine as can be. Just a little shaken and stirred.”
“Speaking of which. I could use a stiff drink myself,” Katie murmured. “What happened to your ankle?”
“I tripped over Shags’ body.” Dana kept the ice pack pressed for fifteen seconds on then fifteen seconds off as she’d learned in First Aid.
“Oh, no. I’m really sorry she’s...dead. But I didn’t do it.”
“Katie, I don’t think for one moment you could be capable of...murdering Shags.”
Dana then got up and went back out into the hall with Katie’s assistance.
“Are you all right,” Troy asked concerned as he held her arm.
“Oh, I’ll be quite fine, Troy,” Dana reassured.
Sirens sounded almost immediately.
Moments later, Troy left Dana’s side to speak with the officers at the scene. They then sealed off the area where Shags’ body lay.
A forensic photographer came to the scene.
“Looks like the victim passed out then fell on something sharp that punctured her back,” the forensics guy commented.
“I see. Make sure you get all the angles,” Troy said.
“Will do,” he said.
So Dana’s hunch was right. Shags must have fallen on a sharp pointed object.
Oh, no.
Just then a flash went off in Dana’s mind. Frank! Frank the Gazette freelance photographer. He must have seen something. He’d been busy taking snapshots of everyone all evening.
She would speak to Frank soon to ask him if he’d taken pictures of the area where Shags’ body lay. No, wait a minute, the last thing she wanted to do was step on Troy’s investigative toes. She would ask Troy to ask Frank about his photos on his camera.
There must be some clues there. Was the cupcake poisoned? Was that why she passed out? Dana’s stomach twisted into knots thinking that one of her cupcakes was again at the center of a crime. But she also wanted to know who stood near the dessert table moments before Shags was murdered.
Dana felt her stomach tighten when a forensic scientist carefully picked up the cupcake by Shags’ side and placed it in a clear evidence bag.
“Oh, great. Another cupcake off to the lab.” Her cupcakes must have seen the inside of more police labs than a criminal’s DNA on an episode of CSI.
Dana really felt that her cupcakes were not the cause this time. She just felt it deep in her soul. Everyone knew about the last few murders that happened to have cupcakes from the Cozy Cupcakes Café on the scene either eaten by the victim or near to the victim. Besides, in this case, there was a stab wound on the victim’s back. Maybe Shags didn’t fall on something sharp. Maybe she was stabbed first?
Dana gasped again. She saw a long red long-feathered earring near the table, near the body.
Oh, no. Bea wore that earring. Her heart raced in her chest.
She remembered Bea saying that she had to speak to Shags later about some payment. Did they meet? Did they have a disagreement?
Either way, Dana had to speak to Troy. And fast, before the murderer splits the scene.
A chill slithered down her spine. No matter which way she sliced this cake, there was a murderer amongst them—right this moment. And he or she could strike again.