Blackberry Cream & Murder Read online

They all laughed. Then Heather suggested that they hear Lilly’s new dinosaur story. She was more than pleased to read it to them. It was a dinosaur detective story where the T-Rex land detective had to team up with a Pliosaurus water inspector so they could solve a mystery on the beach. Working together, they uncovered the dastardly caper and saved a triceratops from being accused of theft.

  “That was a wonderful story,” Heather said. “I don’t know how you come up with them.”

  “I don’t know,” Lilly said. “Maybe the same way that you’re able to come up with answers to cases.”

  Heather smiled. “Here, have a stegosaurus pancake.”

  “It doesn’t look a stegosaurus,” Lilly said.

  “Maybe if you squint,” Heather suggested.

  They enjoyed their meal and their time together, and there were no terrible tragedies to ruin this “breakfast.”

  In fact, Jamie had good news.

  "Rudolph Rodney called me this afternoon. He spoke to one of his friends that works in the permit office. It's not going to be such an uphill climb after all. His friend said it should actually only be a few simple forms and choosing the proper vehicle."

  “That’s great news,” said Amy. “See? You were worried for nothing.”

  Dave barked.

  “Do you want to be my first client?” Jamie asked.

  The kitten Cupcake felt like she had been ignored for too long and made her presence known at the table.

  “Or do you want to be my first client?” asked Jamie. “How do you feel about baths?”

  Cupcake made her feelings about baths know by leaping away from him and traveling to Lilly for support. Lilly laughed and pet the kitten to let her know she was safe from baths, at least for this day.

  “Now tell us a little more about this case,” said Eva. “You solved it very quickly.”

  “Well,” Heather admitted. “There were five of us investigators and one smell-hound on the case. And all the suspects were under one roof. So I guess we were prepared for it. It didn’t feel quick though.”

  Amy agreed. “It felt like we were knocking on doors and figuring out who snuck out for a midnight murder instead of a midnight snack forever.”

  “But we did catch the killer,” said Ryan. “And Bea’s bed and breakfast business will be all right in the end. Soon she’ll be serving donuts to keep the customers there happy.”

  “After she installs some more security in her kitchen,” said Heather.

  “Come on,” said Amy. “What are the odds of this ever happening again?”

  “How did you know that the person there wasn’t who they said they were?” asked Lilly.

  “Well, one of the other suspects had legally changed their name, and that got me thinking whether anyone else could have used a pretend name. The only reason why we knew people were who they said they were was because of their say-so,” said Heather.

  “But they were already lying about other things,” agreed Amy. “Mike was lying about bringing Kylie there for a spontaneous romantic trip. Trish lied about her parents. Cara lied about knowing about her husband’s infidelities.”

  "Right," said Heather. "So, I started thinking about what lie would make the most sense if someone were committing a murder. For this case, it was pretending that they were a person that didn't know the victim. Then it was just figuring out how they were able to maintain this lie. And figuring out the real motive."

  "Maybe I'll use that in one of my stories," Lilly said. "A Brachiosaurus could be pretending to be an Apatosaurus so they could commit a crime.”

  “It sounds like a classic,” said Heather.

  However, after they finished their doughnut desserts, Heather announced it was time for bed. It was a school night, and Lilly had to get some sleep. After the long day they had all had, the adults were ready to call it a night too.

  With a murder solved and permits looking hopeful, Amy and Jamie returned to their upstairs apartment with peace of mind. Lilly went to sleep on the small bed in Lilly and Eva's guest room, while Heather and Ryan set up a blow-up mattress for them to use.

  “Goodnight,” Eva said.

  “Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” said Leila. “Though I’m sure you’d catch them. You catch every wrongdoer.”

  Heather and Ryan wished their friends a good night too and then settled in to sleep for the night.

  “That was a long day,” Ryan said. “But it felt good to be involved in an investigation again.”

  “You be officially again soon,” Heather assured him. “And then you can solve all sorts of cases.”

  “Will you still be at my side?” Ryan asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Then I can’t wait.”

  They smiled at each other.

  “I also can’t wait to be back in our own bed,” Heather said. “Do think the air conditioner will be fixed tomorrow?”

  “I hope so,” said Ryan. “These housing problems are adding up.”

  Heather nodded. Then they both reached for another blanket.

  “You don’t think it’s getting colder in here, do you?” Ryan asked.

  “Could the air conditioner be malfunctioning here too?” Heather asked. “But in the opposite way?”

  Ryan groaned and pulled the blankets over them. "Just bundle up tonight, and we'll deal with it tomorrow. We already have a professional coming to look at one problem. Why not two?"

  Heather was considering whether they really should do something about it that night but fell asleep before she could come to a firm decision. From breakfast to breakfast, it had been a long day.

  * * *

  The End

  Also by Susan Gillard

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  To each and every one of my Amazing readers,

  I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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  Stay Curious,

  Susan Gillard

  About the Author

  Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.

  Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters

  Get In touch with Susan

  suangillard.com

  [email protected]

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