Digging for Dirt (Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery Book 9) by Cindy Bell Page A

around a bit. She didn’t see anything wrong with it either. She had been too shocked to take a good look. Although, it was very likely that Freida had passed from natural causes, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. You never know what you might find.

Chapter 9
    V icky and Ida pushed aside some of the crime scene tape and stepped inside Freida’s room. One of the first things Vicky noticed was the empty food tray on the table. Vicky knew that the food had been collected out of caution, but it still made her a little uneasy. She couldn’t imagine taking a bite of food one moment and then dying the next. At least she was certain that Chef Henry’s pasta was some of the best that Freida had likely ever eaten.
    “Look at this, Vicky.” Ida hovered beside the bed.
    “What is it?” Vicky joined her. Ida pointed out some papers that were sticking out from under the bed. Vicky found this odd as the staff kept the rooms impeccable, and that included under the bed. Ida crouched down and pulled the papers out. They were crumpled up. Ida handed one of the papers to Vicky and began smoothing out the other one herself. Vicky read over the text on the paper. It seemed to be the introduction of an article.
    With the number of lies being bantered about on the campaign trail, please allow me to interject some honesty.
    “What does yours say?” Vicky asked. She peered over her aunt’s shoulder.
    “It’s similar, just worded differently. She must have been trying to figure out the best introduction.” Ida set the paper down under the bed where she had found it. “I guess this article isn’t ever going to see the light of day.”
    “I guess not.” Vicky frowned. A buzzing sound alerted Vicky to a cell phone ringing. She followed the buzzing and crouched down to see the phone on the floor. It had fallen under the bedside table. Vicky picked up the phone nervously. She didn’t want to be the one to notify next of kin, but she knew that if she was a friend or family member, she would want to know. The caller ID indicated that it was ‘Heather’. She answered the call.
    “Hello?” Vicky spoke tentatively.
    “I’m sorry I must have dialed the wrong number, I’m trying to reach Freida Frans.”
    “You have the right number. May I ask who’s calling?”
    “This is her editor, Heather. Why do you have Freida’s phone?” The woman’s voice raised with urgency.
    Vicky cringed as she knew that there was no easy way to put this. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Freida passed away this morning.” Vicky tried to be as gentle as possible.
    “What? Is this some kind of joke?” Heather demanded.
    “No, I’m sorry it’s not. My name is Vicky, I’m one of the owners of the inn she was staying at. I’m afraid we found her this morning, she had passed away some time during the night.” Vicky looked over at Ida who nodded her head in support.
    “Oh no! This can’t be happening! I knew it! I knew that bastard would kill her!” Heather sounded hysterical. Vicky couldn’t understand everything she was saying.
    “So far it looks like she died of natural causes, there’s no indication of foul play.” Vicky tried to get her message across, but Heather had already hung up the phone.
    Vicky felt a dull ache begin in the center of her chest. Was Heather the same person that Freida had been on the phone with when she said she wasn’t afraid of Roman Blade? Vicky pushed the thought out of her mind. The clearest assumption was that Freida had died of natural causes. She led a very stressful life, and perhaps that stress had finally caught up with her.
    “What did she say?” Ida asked. She could tell from Vicky’s wide eyes that it had been unexpected.
    “She said she knew that bastard would kill her,” Vicky explained. “At least that’s what I think she said. It was hard to tell as she was so upset.”
    “We’ll know soon enough if there was anything suspicious about her death.” Ida sighed. “It looks like there