Killer Breakfast Specials (A Sage and Dash Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Molly Dox Page A

old, rest his soul. We all only have so much time on this planet, but there are whispers that this wasn’t due to his advanced age. He was in there for physical rehabilitation after a couple of falls. Balance issues, not heart issues. So, you tell me, how does the man up and croak?” Myrtle caught her breath and settled into her favorite seat.
    Gloria took over where Myrtle left off. “And, there’s word that his daughters are screaming for an autopsy. I mean, really, the man wasn’t there to buy time, but he bought the farm and all the livestock that went with it.”
    “I was just there this morning. How odd. Oh, my mother was a peach today,” he added sarcastically. Owen Masters turned to face the others, twisting on the counter stool. “In fact, I saw one of his daughters while I was there. Well, one of the twins. I can never really tell them apart to this day. The place reeked of perfume. I’m not sure what scent it was, but the cloud I was forced to walk through left me gasping for air. That woman has a heavy hand when it comes to using her fragrance.”
    Libby nudged for more information.
    “Myrtle, what else did you hear?” She wanted to ask what her source was, but she knew that was pointless. Myrtle rarely gave that information out.
    “Not a lot on this one, but it seemed like he was perfectly fine the first time the nurse went in to see him, then the second, not so much,” she finished.
    Ray Shaylon, the local FED-UPX driver, paid his tab and excused himself. “I better get back on the road. Another batch of packages to deliver.”
    Patsy whispered to Viola and glanced over at the other women.
    Rosie wiped the counter down and cleaned up the dishes from where Ray sat. What could have happened? On the other hand, he was eighty. It was odd there was such a racket over an old man passing, when he was well up in age. Yet, somehow this was different. She wished she knew more details, especially knowing that she’d sent a batch of her muffins over to the nursing home earlier.
    Rosie excused herself and made her way through the swinging door to the kitchen. She pressed against the cold stainless steel prep table and slowly went through the list of ingredients she’d used. No, she was good. There was no correlation. Besides, it’s not like he choked on it, and she couldn’t be sure if he was even one of the patients who was given a muffin. He didn’t have a blueberry allergy, did he?
    The timing left her jittery though, she’d just started the donation earlier in the month. The last thing she needed was her name tied to another scary situation. After another man dropped dead in her restaurant – well, at least she was found innocent. That was a relief. She was probably just over reacting. Still cagey from Peyton Darling’s death. The entire ordeal had left her on edge. Just when things seemed to be getting back to normal, another death.
    That’s ridiculous. It’s an old man in a nursing home. It’s going to be due to natural causes. You’re getting carried away. The idea of any more news tied to The Nook would surely put her out of business.

Chapter 3
     
    When Gary Snyder showed up at The Nook, Libby was less than thrilled. She’d never done well in his company. The two stubborn fools butted heads like charging rams. Oil and water got along better than Gary and Libby.
    Gary smoothed his hair, combing it to the side five or six times, a habit he rarely noticed anymore. Others did, but he was oblivious to the nervous action.
    When Mr. Jones died, there was cause for concern. His daughters were up in arms, screaming for an autopsy. With both of them in his face, it was hard to ignore them. They had a way of getting under your skin, pushy and rude, then sweet as sugar the next, trying to smooth things over.
    It’s not that Gary thought Libby or Rosie had anything to do with the crime, but the chance to inconvenience Libby was well worth his time.
    Twyla and Lila Jones were identical twins,