Page 3 of Macaron Massacre
Something at the front of the bakery catches my eye, and it’s a welcome reprieve from my disastrous train of thought.
My coworker, Lily Swanson, is manning the register so I’m not worried about a customer needing service, but the air out front—it almost looks as if it’s swirling and sparkling.
I take a few blind steps in that direction, ignoring the all-out shouting match that’s broken out between Noah and Everett.
Sure enough, the air glitters into the shape of a woman, an older woman—a familiar frame that I’m both frightened to see—and equally looking forward to.
Slowly her form begins to come in clear in front of me—wrinkly, bent over, a head full of glowing silver hair as if a piece of the moon were alive in it—and that warm smile I miss so very much.
Here she is, in the ghostly flesh. Nell Sawyer looks my way and offers me a lethargic wave as she disappears once again in a sea of sparkling stars.
My heart drums wildly, and my adrenaline spikes to unsafe levels. This is what I’ve been dreading for weeks. Usually it’s a pet that’s crossed over that I see just before disaster strikes. But in the event the person who is about to undergo a severe misfortune didn’t have a favorite pet, a human will do in a pinch. And it seems as if Nell is here in that very dreadful pinch.
The most horrible part is, whoever Nell was called for, here on Earth, must have really adored Nell. And I happen to adore just about everyone who loved dear, sweet Nell.
Someone I love, someoneNellloved, and someone who loves Nell is about to meet their demise. But not if I can help it. If anyone can aid me in circumventing this great tragedy in the making, it’s Nell Sawyer herself.
Death has come to Honey Hollow once again, but I’ll do anything to keep it from finishing the job.
Not today.
Not with anyone who loves Nell.
Chapter 2
The Honey Pot Diner is rather spacious inside, but you wouldn’t know it with all of the bustling bodies fighting for elbow room. Copious amounts of floral perfume clash with vats of expensive cologne as the people of Honey Hollow struggle to circulate through the tight space. Large waxy posters stamped with the face of a handsome older man sporting a flirtatious grin are plastered in every free corner. The wordsReelect Mayor Nashare stamped across every last one of them. There’s a small birthday banner currently being erected by my mother and the hostile birthday boy himself, and I can’t help but scowl. I bet he threatened her within an inch of her life if she didn’t decorate for his shindig, too.
My sister, Meg, pops up next to me and scowls at the two of them right along with me. “Lure him to the kitchen, Lottie. I’ll plunge the knife through his chest.”
Before I can reprimand her, our older sister, Lainey, pops up. Both Lainey and I share the same caramel-colored waves and hazel eyes. We really do look as if we could be blood-related, even though we’re far from it.
Meg was born with flaxen locks but chooses to dye her hair a stark jet-black. It looks gorgeous when juxtaposed with her icy blue eyes. For years, Meg used to work the female wrestling circuit in Las Vegas, but she’s been back in Vermont for the last few months teaching the strippers down at Red Satin some lusty-thrusty moves.
“No death.” Lainey bites the air between us as if the suggestion were mine. “No murder, no homicide. Please kindly take the Grim Reaper off of every invitation list for the next six months. My bridal shower is in less than two weeks, and I’m a nervous wreck that the sickle is going to swing and hex my entire wedding.”
Meg barks out a laugh. “Forget revoking the Grim Reaper’s invite. It’s Lottie you need to put on the no-fly list. You do realize she’s been at the center of every murder investigation in Honey Hollow’s history.”
I cringe because it happens to be true. And how I hate that it is. Since last September, we’ve had an entire rash of murders taking place—one a month to be precise. I shudder just thinking about them. And, of course, seeing that I’m transmundane, further classified as supersensual, I have the supernatural gift to see the dead pets and people alike. It used to be that the dead making a guest appearance meant that something far less drastic than a human soul getting evicted off the planet. But, as of late, it’s almost a given that a proverbial head will roll.
Lainey scoffs at the thought. “Lottie, your invite is safe with me.” She frowns as her eyes fill with worry. “That is, of course, unless you stumble upon another corpse between today and my bridal shower. I really can’t afford a body cropping up between my gifts and my cake. All that bad juju…” She shudders. “I need everything to go off without a hitch.” Her mouth rounds out. “Ooh, before I forget. I’m in love with that tower of macarons! I absolutely need to have that at the shower. Would you? Could you?Please? I really don’t need a cake.” She squeezes her eyes shut as she pleads and looks adorable in the process.
But before I can answer, her fiancé, Forest Donovan, comes up and lands a kiss on her cheek from behind. Forest has wavy chestnut hair and stunning gray eyes. He and Lainey have been in love for as long as I can remember save for a short bout of insanity last fall. He’s a firefighter right here in town, and Lainey is head librarian at the community library. They’re a match made in Honey Hollow heaven.
“Hello, girls.” He dots another kiss to her cheek. “Do you think this will wrap up before five? We’ve got dance lessons tonight.” He makes a face as if he wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.
“Dance lessons?” Meg perks up. “You’re not coming to one of my couples’ courses, are you?”
I inch back from my brash sister as my mouth squares up. “You’re not teaching couples how to strip, are you?” As if I’m immune. It wasn’t so long ago that Everett and I took a class that specialized in exactly that, but it was all a part of a covert operation to catch a killer.
Meg’s chest thumps with a laugh. “Honey, I’m teaching classes on everything under the sun these days, and I do mean everything. I just rented a condo in Lainey’s complex.”
Lainey’s upper lip twitches, a sure sign she’s disgusted. “What kind of couples’ classes?”
“It’s more like couples’ therapy.” Meg looks my way. “You should consider coming, Lot, and bring the hot judge. Heck, bring the hot detective, too. I’m betting some time on your back with two handsome men tending to your needs is just what the doctor ordered.”
Both Lainey and Forest break out into a fit of laughter.
“Very funny. That’s right. Have a good laugh at my expense.” I spot Mayor Nash heading in through the door, and the room breaks out into congratulatory cheers. “Forest, please assure your sweet bride-to-be that not one thing will go wrong on or before your nuptials.” I nod to the three of them. “Excuse me just a sec. I’d better get the last of my macarons finished up.” I head for the walk-through that leads into the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery and bump into a body. I jump back a foot, only to find myself staring at a stunning brunette who could double as the newly-minted Duchess of Sussex’s look-alike.