The Crêpes of Wrath: A Pancake House Mystery Read Online Free

The Crêpes of Wrath: A Pancake House Mystery
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might burst out of my chest.
    Brett moved over the rocks with the ease of someone who’d climbed them hundreds of times over the years. When he reached the unmoving figure, he stopped and crouched down. I waited, my throat tight, nausea churning my stomach.
    Seconds later, Brett turned away from the prone figure and worked his way over the rocks toward me. His grave expression spoke volumes.
    “It’s Jimmy, isn’t it?” I said as he jumped down to the sand.
    Brett answered with a grim nod.
    I put a hand to my mouth. “Is he okay?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
    Brett’s blue eyes were somber when they met mine.
    “I’m so sorry, Marley,” he said. “Jimmy’s dead.”

Chapter 3
    I sank down on the nearest rock, my legs too shaky to support me.
    “Are you sure?” I asked, even though I knew in my heart that Cousin Jimmy was gone.
    “I’m sure.”
    Dazed, I shook my head, unable to comprehend how this could have happened. “What was he doing all the way out here? I don’t understand.”
    Jimmy’s house was at the opposite end of the cove. Had he decided to go for a walk on the beach upon arriving home and then…what? Collapsed from weakness and exhaustion?
    I raised my eyes to meet Brett’s. “Did he get washed up on the rocks by the tide? Did he drown?”
    “I don’t think he drowned. He’s above the high water mark. I think maybe he got there from up above.”
    My gaze zeroed in on the point. On this side of the landmark, a slope of boulders provided a way up and down for the agile and adventurous, but at its tip a sheer cliff dropped down twenty-five feet or so to the jagged rocks below.
    I closed my eyes as another wave of nausea hit me, accompanied by a deep ache in my chest. Had he fallen off the cliff? Had he died instantly or had he suffered all alone until finally succumbing to his injuries? What was he doing up on the point in the first place?
    Those questions circled around and around in my head.
    I opened my eyes and stared out at the ocean. The tide was on its way out, gentle waves lapping at the wet sand. The surface of the water glittered with sunlight. Everything seemed so peaceful, so beautiful. Yet, steps away, the shadow of death lingered.
    I shivered, suddenly chilled, only in part because of the proximity of Jimmy’s body. Although bright and dazzling, the March sunshine wasn’t quite warm enough to ward off the cool nip in the sea air, and goosebumps rose on my bare arms. It occurred to me that Jimmy must have been cold in his short-sleeved shirt, but then I remembered he could no longer feel anything, not the wind or the sun. I had to struggle to breathe through that thought, my throat constricting before relaxing again.
    Rubbing my arms, I stood up, mentally preparing myself for what I was about to do. Even though I didn’t want to confront the reality set out on the black rocks, I climbed up onto the nearest boulder.
    “Marley, are you sure you want go up there?” Brett asked with concern, reaching up to rest his hand on my wrist.
    “I need to,” I said.
    His hand fell away from mine and I stepped across to the next boulder. I stopped there, Jimmy’s body a few feet away from me but clearly visible. A wave of dizziness hit me and I had to rest my hand on a neighboring rock to keep myself from falling.
    Jimmy was on his stomach, his face turned away from me. He was so still, so lifeless, that I didn’t need to check for a pulse to know Brett wasn’t mistaken. Not wanting to remember Cousin Jimmy that way, I decided I’d seen enough. But as I turned to make my way back down to the sand, tiny sparkles of light drew my attention.
    Staying on the same rock, I leaned forward for a closer look at the back of Jimmy’s white T-shirt. The bottom of it was stained with blood but near his left shoulder, tiny flecks glinted silver and red in the sunlight.
    Glitter?
    I couldn’t make sense of that. I couldn’t make sense of much of anything at the moment.
    Forcing my
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