BlueBuried Muffins (Black Cat Cafe Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) Read Online Free

left because I thought Max might be in trouble and I didn’t want to get sucked into his drama, but I didn’t think it involved me. Not yet anyway.”
    She turned away as Max’s body was carried out.
    “If Max followed you here, maybe someone followed him and will be after you next. Be careful, Annie,” Tyler said with concern in his voice. “Where are you staying?”
    “Leona found me an apartment on the lake. I’ll be fine.”
    “The Cobblestone Cottage by any chance?”
    “Yeah,” Annie said, surprised. “How did you guess?”
    “Lucky guess.” Tyler smiled. “Leona and Jason Hunter, the owner, have been friends for a while. Listen Annie, take care of yourself. I’ve got to get to these other people now.”
    Tyler walked to where Jake sat, jittering his foot and chewing on his thumbnail. Roy and Leona were arguing on the far side of the room. Roy grabbed Leona’s arm but she pulled away, heading toward Annie.
    On an impulse, Annie picked up her camera and clicked a few photos. She didn’t know why, but when she looked at her photos, she could see a moment in time more clearly than in real life. It always helped her analyze a situation. She thought something might become more important or a clue might stand out when it was frozen in time.
    Leona nudged her with an elbow. “Hey. Want to take a walk? Tyler said he’s closing the café for the day so I thought you might like to do some sightseeing, have some fun before we get back to baking tomorrow.” Leona’s eyes moved behind Annie to the café entrance and her lip twitched up in the start of a grin. “Don’t turn around now, but a real hunk is watching this drama. About six feet tall, dark, almost black eyes, probably late thirties.”
    “A little young for you, don’t you think, Leona?”
    “I’ve been called a cougar before, but if you want dibs, let me know.” She lowered her voice. “He’s coming over to us.”
    “Is one of you Annie Fisher?” a smooth deep voice asked.
    Leona smiled her coy, flirty smile. “Why yes, my friend is Annie Fisher, and who might you be?”
    A hand settled on Annie’s shoulder. “Come with me, please. We need to talk.”

Chapter 4
     
    Annie twisted her body away, remembering the words on Max’s note—don’t trust anyone. “Who are you?”
    “Detective Neil Jaffrey.” He pulled his badge out and flicked it open for Annie to study.
    Annie glanced toward Tyler, wondering if they were working together, and she saw a frown on his face but he didn’t interfere. She nodded at the detective. “Alright, but I’m not leaving the café.”
    He cocked one eyebrow. “You seem nervous Ms. Fisher. What are you hiding?” He took her arm again and led her away from everyone else to a corner booth. “Sit there.” He pointed to the left side and he slid into the right. He methodically took a pad and pen from his jacket pocket, placing it on the table between them as he continued to stare at Annie. “Are you acquainted with Max Parker?”
    Annie looked away. “We met at an art show in Cooper, New York, where I lived.”
    “Are you an artist?” he asked, pointing his pen at her camera.
    “I’m a photographer.”
    “And Max?”
    “He owned the gallery in town.”
    “Was Max involved in something illegal?” Detective Jaffrey put his pen down and stared at Annie with his elbows on the table and his fingers intertwined in front of his chin.
    Annie stared back into those dark eyes without flinching. “No.” She slid to the outer edge of the booth getting ready to leave.
    Detective Jaffrey held her arm. “Are you sure? How well did you know him?”
    Annie fidgeted and looked away from his searching eyes. “How well do you know anyone?” she muttered more to herself. “I wasn’t aware of anything.”
    He tucked his pad back into his pocket. “You can leave for now, but we aren’t done.” He lowered his voice so only she could hear him. “Be careful who you trust.”
    Annie blinked when she heard