Murder for Millions (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 7) Read Online Free Page A

too.”
    “Was she victorious?”
    The girl frowned. “Was she what ?”
    “Did she get her dress?”
    “Well, she took it, if
that’s what you’re saying. Me and Missy were doing our best to explain the
policy, but the freak just, like, barged her way around the counter when she
saw the dress go by on the conveyor. She grabbed it, refused to pay and ran out
the—”
    “Okay!” Melissa Taggart
interrupted, grinning at her coworker. “You will not believe who just
called.”
    I raised my hand. “Marla Soble?”
    They both looked at me.
    “How did you know?” Melissa asked.
    “Lucky guess,” I said. “We were
just talking about her and—”
    Melissa grabbed the other girl’s
arm. “You told her? My parents said we should never gossip about people
with other customers.”
    “It’s okay, Missy, “I said. “I’m a
friend of your mom and dad. They come to Sky High all the time.”
    She frowned. “Uh…” Then she
squinted to get a better look at my face. “Oh! You’re Kathy, right?”
    “Kate,” I said. “Kate Reed.”
    “Yeah, right. But still…” She shot
another disapproving look at the other girl. “We’re not supposed to.”
    “Well, sorry,” the tittle-tattle
artist said. “She had a copy of Marla Soble’s receipt, so I thought maybe it…”
She stopped when the harsh expression on Melissa’s face held steady. “But I
guess not, huh?”
    Melissa swallowed hard. “Will you
please not mention this to my mom and dad, Kathy? They said that if I did
really good working here in the afternoons there was a chance they’d pay for my
trip to Cabo next year.”
    I smiled, deciding not to correct
the error with my name again. “That’s awesome!” I cheered. “Going to Mexico
sounds like a blast!”
    The other girl muttered something
in agreement. Then she asked again if I had anything to drop off or pickup.
    “Actually, no,” I said. “The reason
for my visit was to see if I could find out who the dry cleaning receipt
belonged to.”
    Melissa lightly poked the other
girl in the side. “Don’t say her name again! Don’t say it!”
    The other girl giggled. “Marla
Soble! Marla Soble! Marla Soble!”
    I put the copy of the receipt in my
pocket. Then I thanked the duo for their time and made my way back outside. As
the door closed behind me, I could still hear the singsong refrain.
    “Marla Soble! Marla Soble! Marla
Soble!”
    I’d lived my entire thirty years
without once hearing that name, and in the space of about two or three minutes
it had peppered my ears nearly a dozen times. After getting back in the car, I
sent a text to Trent: Do you anybody named Marla Soble?
    What’s it worth to you? he
replied.
    I smiled. Package of that
teriyaki beef jerky you love?
    Deal , he wrote back. Marla
Soble is Ira Pemberton’s on/off girlfriend.
    I stared at my phone for a few
seconds. Then I quickly asked the next logical question: Why do you know
that?
    Long story , Trent replied. Not
enough time now, but ask me later .
    I promised to remind him the next
time we spoke. Then I dropped the phone on the passenger seat, started the car
and headed for home.

CHAPTER 5
     
     
    A few minutes after eight that
night, I was sitting at a table in the Sky High dining room with my laptop, a
pile of invoices and a spreadsheet that looked like someone had spilled red ink
on an intricate network of black squiggles. I’d tried working in my office, but
the windowless nook felt even more claustrophobic than usual. I decided the
empty, expansive front room would be more conducive to finishing the bills
before midnight.
    “Well, Nana Reed,” I whispered to
my beloved culinary mentor, “here I am, wearing my fuzzy slippers and drinking
wine while I attempt to balance the books.”
    The lights were dim, an old Bonnie
Raitt CD was playing softly and I still had a few sips left in the glass of
merlot that I’d brought downstairs from my apartment.
    I was in such a relaxed state that
I literally jumped out of