A Taste of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Alaine Allister Page A

office could nonetheless be a productive one.  She hoped Adam Burke was still feeling talkative.
    Unfortunately, what she found in the reception area was a pasty looking Adam sitting with his head between his knees.  Parker was standing over him.  He was looking down at Adam as though he couldn’t quite decide what to make of him. 
    “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you home?” Clarissa overheard Parker ask.
    “No, I’ll be fine,” Adam assured him.  “I don’t know what’s come over me.  I’ve just been under a lot of stress lately, that’s all.  Thank you, though.  And I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet with the two of you about whatever you came in for.”
    “It’s fine,” Parker said. 
    “We’ll show ourselves out,” Clarissa added, grabbing Parker’s arm and practically yanking it out of its socket as she dragged him back out to the elevator.  “Feel better!”
    “Ouch!” Parker hissed as soon as they were out of earshot.  “What was that all about?”
    “What did you say to him?” Clarissa demanded.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Did you tip him off?  You have to be discreet when you investigate,” Clarissa informed him, even though moments earlier she had been anything but discreet while talking to Liz.  She didn’t bother to mention that part as it wasn’t relevant to the lecture she was prepared to launch into.
    “I didn’t say anything,” Parker interrupted.  “I’m not the idiot you seem to think I am.”
    “Okay, sorry, that was out of line.  But are you sure Adam isn’t faking being sick so he doesn’t have to talk to us?” Clarissa asked suspiciously.  “It would be an awfully convenient excuse to get out of answering uncomfortable questions.”
    “Yeah, but he looked legitimately sick if you ask me.  He was turning green.”
    Clarissa pursed her lips as she tried to gather her thoughts.  Her head was spinning.
    “What is it?” Parker demanded, looking at her expectantly.
    “Quiet, I’m trying to think!”
    “Why don’t we go grab a coffee someplace quiet and talk this through,” Parker suggested as they got off the elevator and exited the building together.  “We can compare notes and try to make sense of everything.”
    “You mean you don’t just want to stalk me instead?”
    “I wasn’t stalking you,” he protested as they walked out to the parking lot.
    “You kind of were.  You were following me!”
    “Well yeah, but that’s not the same thing,” he argued. 
    “Isn’t it?” she shot back as she pulled her car keys from her purse.
    Parker looked flustered.  “Do you want to go for coffee or not?” he demanded.
    “Not,” Clarissa replied as she climbed into her car.  “I need to get home,” she informed him.  “Besides, I already told you:  I work alone.  You’re going to have to find someone else to compare notes with.”
    She stuck the key in the ignition and started her car. 
    Then she happened to glance down at the dashboard.
    “Oh no,” she muttered.
    Parker leaned down to the open driver’s side window.  “Is everything okay?” he asked.
    “Yes,” Clarissa fibbed.  “Everything is peachy.”
    “Then why do you look like you’re about to cry or break something?”
    She sighed.  “My gas tank is almost at empty and my uh....my wallet is at home,” she said, thinking quickly.  She was too proud to admit that she couldn’t afford to fill the tank.  She especially didn’t want to tell that to the guy whose newspaper had left her jobless!
    “Oh.  Well that I can fix,” Parker said, reaching into his coat pocket.  He pulled out his wallet, extracted a crisp new twenty dollar bill and held it out to Clarissa.  “Here.  This ought to help you get back to town.”
    “I can’t,” she protested, refusing to take the money from him.
    “Why can’t you?” he asked, looking utterly confused.
    “I don’t want to owe you anything,” she admitted truthfully. 
    “Then consider it