Susan Gillard - Mint Chip Murder

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2016 by Guardian Publishing Group - All rights reserved.

All rights Reserved. No part of this publication or the information in it may be quoted from or reproduced in any form by means such as printing, scanning, photocopying or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Heather shut the back door of Donut Delights behind her and jogged down the steps to her car, which was parked in its usual spot next to the tiny back porch. One of the perks of owning your own business was that sometimes, you could skip out early for lunch with your best friend.

She slid into the drivers seat and flipped the switches on the ventilation system to Cool and A/C On. Ridiculous! She thought. Here it is two weeks before Thanksgiving, and the high temps are still hitting the upper 70s every day.

Not that she wasnt used to it. Shed grown up here in Hillside, Texas, and lived in the same house until she went off to college. College, of course, was where she met Don. Theyd dated during their junior and senior years, and then gotten married the week after graduation. Things had been fine for awhilewell, for a few months, anywayuntil Don accepted a job offer with a firm in New York City.

Moving to New York City, as a newlywed with Don had brought one shock after another. First, there was the shock of trying to get used to living with Donwho, as it turned out, was nothing like the considerate, understanding boyfriend hed been while they were dating. Instead, New York City seemed to have changed him into a grasping, controlling, get-ahead-at-all-costs kind of guy.

Or maybe hed been changing for a long time, and it was just the hustle and bustle of New York City that seemed to bring it to the fore. That, or the extremely cold winters that seemed to bring out the crankiness in everyone. Or the way everyone seemed to mind their own business, and people just didnt reach out to each other the way she was used to.

Or, she sighed, lifting her long, curly red hair off the nape of her neck and then letting it drop, maybe it just wasnt meant to be for Don and me.

Theyd hung on for a few years. But finally, they simply realized theyd each become so different from the person they thought theyd married that they just couldnt make it work anymore. After the divorce, Heather had taken her part of the settlement and used it to move back home and start Donut Delights, a shop that sold gourmet donuts, served with coffee and elegance.

Owning her own business had been Heathers dream since college, but her dream had gotten pushed to the side so that Don could pursue his. It was when Heather finally faced that fact that climbing the corporate ladder had replaced her as Dons dream that she knew the end of their marriage was only a matter of time.

At the sound of a horn honking impatiently behind her, she shook her head to clear out the thoughts of the past and glanced up at the stoplight ahead of her. It was green, and cars from the other two lanes had already moved forward into the intersection.

She tossed a wave at the driver behind her as she pulled forward. That was enough time spent thinking about the past. The present was much more pleasant, anyway.

She felt her lips curve into a grin that probably looked silly. But so what? She was in love with a man who was very, very different from her ex-husband. Don had been good-looking in a flashy, make-you-take-a-second-look kind of way; Ryan Shepherds good looks were much more subtle. Or maybe it was simply that Ryan didnt need constant affirmation, or to always be the center of attention.

As a detective with the Hillside Police Department, Ryan spent a lot of time working, as Don had, but only because he wanted to and was good at it. Not because he had to depend on his job to give his life meaning. When his duties interrupted their time together, he always seemed to regret itand he always made it a point to call, text, or drop by as soon as he could to pick up their meal, or conversation, wherever they had left off.

Thats what she wantedsomeone who loved her more than he loved his social status or his paycheck.

With Ryan now occupying her thoughts, she didnt notice the police cars parked in front of the shopping center where she was headed until shed driven into the parking lot. Automatically, her foot hit the brake. What in the world?

She eased off the brake and drove slowly through the parking lot to the dry cleaners, which had been her destination, a quick errand before she met Amy for lunch. There were several patrol cars parked in the general vicinity of the yellow crime scene tape that blocked off the front of the hair salon next to the cleaners. And wasnt that Ryans car? Yes, of course it was.

Heather pulled into a parking spot in front of the cleaners, stopped the car, got out, and locked up. A uniformed officer exited through the front door of Shear Beauty and headed toward one of the patrol cars. Heather tried to see into the interior of the shop, but she couldnt see much from this angle.

Briefly, she considered walking past the front of the shop, or at least as close as the crime scene tape would allow her. But no, she needed to keep her distance and let Ryan do his job. Besides, hed call her or text her as soon as he could, anyway.

She pushed open the glass door to the dry cleaners as a bell tied to the handle jingled. The short, wiry woman behind the counter looked up. Hello there. You come to pick up your dry cleaning?

Yes, please, Heather said. She set her purse down on the counter and dug for her wallet as the woman, whom Heather recognized, but whose name she could never remember, flipped a switch that caused a metal rack with garments hanging from it, bundled together in plastic bags, to begin to slide by.

She located Heathers clothing in short order and brought it to the counter, hanging it on a metal stand. Do you have any idea whats going on next door? Heather asked.

The woman frowned. Oh, no, I dont know. But it must be something pretty bad if all those police officers are out here. And a detective, too. And some other people going in and out.

Probably crime scene, Heather thought, knowing the woman was right. It must be something bad, or there wouldnt be crime scene tape strung across the front of the building. Had someone been murdered?

I guess well read about it in the paper, Heather heard the woman say.

I guess we will, Heather said. By the waywhats your name? Im sorry I dont remember.

My name is Amala, she said with a smile.

Ill remember that, Heather said. I promise. See you next time.

As she stepped through the doorway and back onto the sidewalk, Heather glanced to her right, toward Shear Beauty. Ryan stood on the sidewalk, talking with the same uniformed officer Heather had seen coming out of the salon earlier. Ryan glanced up, and their gazes met. Heather gave him a small smile and nodded at him as she continued walking toward her car. One corner of Ryans mouth twitched upward briefly before his expression became businesslike again and he turned back to the patrolman.

Despite the curiosity that was driving her crazy, she knew she had done the right thing. Her willingness to wait for the information she desired would give him the chance to do his job. It would also show him that she had confidence in him and in their relationship.