Cranberry Glazed & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 10 Read online

  “I believe you,” Heather said.

  Kim hugged Jason and suggested they take the rest of the day off.

  Heather and Amy left the two coworkers to deal with the loss of their friend and the repercussions of discovering the killer.

  “Well, the murderer was caught,” Heather said. “There’s just one more question that needs answering.”

  “What’s that?”

  “What’s going to happen to Miss Marshmallow?”

  Amy groaned.

  Dog Decisions

  “Do we have enough room for everyone?” Lilly asked.

  “We’ll make room if we need to,” Heather assured her daughter.

  They were going to have a movie night that evening and the whole gang was attending. The Shepherds, Amy and Jamie, and Eva and Leila would be there. While this was the usual large gathering of humans, there would also be Miss Marshmallow joining the animal guest list.

  Lilly was selecting a movie when they heard Amy and Jamie arriving with the dog. Miss Marshmallow allowed Dave to sniff her for a moment and then headed to her favorite person, Lilly.

  “How has business been?” Heather asked.

  "It's been good," Jamie said with a smile. "People have been pretty pleased with their pet's grooming."

  “That’s wonderful,” said Heather.

  “Just as long as none of my business relates to one of your murder cases again,” said Jamie. “Then I’ll be very happy.”

  “Let’s bring out some celebratory donuts,” Heather said. “Jamie’s Mobile Groom Room is going strong, and we solved our case in time for our outing tomorrow.”

  Lilly leaped up and grabbed the donuts. The humans all took a Cranberry Glazed Donut and enjoyed the snack.

  “I love celebratory donuts,” Amy said. “But I love every type of donut.”

  “I don’t think you’ll love these ones,” Heather said, showing her friend a smaller batch.

  “What are they? Why not?”

  “These are some doggie donuts that I whipped up,” Heather said. “I tried to match some ingredients from Miss Marshmallow’s food so she would feel more at home.”

  Heather gave each of the pets one of her new donuts. Cupcake played with hers and then happily ate it. Dave ate his in one big bite and then looked around for more.

  Amy ventured a bite of the dog donuts and said, "Actually, they're not bad either."

  Miss Marshmallow just stared at hers. Heather tried not to be too disappointed.

  “It’s okay,” Heather said. “Some foods just aren’t for everyone.”

  “With a name like Miss Marshmallow, she’s not really that sweet,” Amy commented.

  “But what is going to happen to Miss Marshmallow?” Lilly asked.

  “Well,” Heather said. “It doesn’t appear that Mallory Gray had any more family that Melanie Grayson did. There’s no family to inherit the dog.”

  “I did ask Jason Burdey if he wanted to take Miss Marshmallow home, but he said that he thought it would make him too sad. She would be a constant reminder of what he lost,” Amy said. “And you heard that Kim says she’s more of a cat person.”

  Heather nodded.

  “Right,” Lilly said. “But then who is going to take care of her?”

  “We don’t know,” Amy said.

  “What?” asked Lilly. “That’s not an answer.”

  Amy looked at Jamie and then at the others. "Well, we don't know yet. But Jamie and I have agreed to foster Miss Marshmallow until we can find the perfect home for her."

  “But you’re not going to keep her?” Lilly asked. “It seems like fate that she was left with you when all this bad stuff happened.”

  “And it was,” said Amy. “We’re going to be great foster parents until she finds her forever home. But we’re not quite ready to get our own dog yet. Jamie just started a business, and I’m always busy too.”

  Jamie nodded, though with less enthusiasm.

  “And besides,” Amy said. “Miss Marshmallow is nice, but she doesn’t really fit in with us. She doesn’t even like donuts!”

  Miss Marshmallow had begun staring at her snack and regarding it with curiosity. She finally took a little bite of it. She immediately perked up and wagged her tail. She practically danced around with glee as she finished it. It was the first time that they had seen her truly happen after her ordeal, and Heather was pleased that she could be a part of it.

  If Heather had a tail, it would be wagging too.

  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.

  Let me know what you think by clicking here and leaving a review!

  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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