Murder at the Cooking School: Book 7 of the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series by Dianne Harman Page A

I’ll
thank you properly for it then. Caesar will have to stay here. From the looks
the staff gives him every time they see him, he’ll have a good home. Oh, one
other thing. Does this mean you won’t be talking to Signor Nardo
tomorrow?”
    “I have no idea. It
probably will depend on what we find out when we search Giovanni’s office.
Why?”
    “No reason. Just curious.”
    “Kelly,” Mike started to
say, but she leaned over and kissed him.
    “Mike, we’ve talked
enough, and we’re both tired. Tomorrow looks like it’s going to be just as busy
as today. We need to get some sleep.”
    “All right, but don’t
forget. I want to get up early, so I can have some leftover Granny’s Tart with
my cup of coffee in the morning.”
    “No problem. You know how
prompt I am. I’m sure we’ll be the first ones to get down there.”
    He raised an eyebrow and
looked at her. “Sweetheart, I know how good your intentions are, but if for
some strange reason I happen to get ready before you do, I’ll meet you in the
dining room.”
    “Okay. Love you. See you
in the morning.”
    He glared at Caesar who
had opened one large eye as if he were winking at Mike. Mike turned off the
lamp on the nightstand. His last thought before falling asleep was how romantic
it was with a one hundred fifty pound dog at the foot of the bed. He was sure
if he touched Kelly, Caesar would attack him and take his leg off. He hated to
admit it, but the dog thoroughly intimidated him.

CHAPTER 19
     
    When Kelly stepped out of the
bathroom the next morning, she realized Mike had already left for breakfast, so
he wouldn’t miss out on getting a piece of Granny’s Tart. She just hoped he’d
saved her one.
    She walked downstairs and
took Caesar out to his dog run before she went into the dining room. “Aah,
Kelly, there you are. I saved you a piece of Granny’s Tart, but when you hadn’t
come down for twenty minutes, I thought maybe you were going to skip breakfast
this morning, so I ate it.” He smiled and tried to look sorry. He wasn’t able
to pull it off.
    “Mike,” she said, “let’s
be honest. How long was it before you ate the second piece, my piece, of
Granny’s Tart?”
    “I’m going to be just as
truthful with you as you oftentimes are with me. I waited twenty minutes.”
    “I seriously doubt that,”
she said taking a sip of the coffee she’d gotten from the serving table when
she walked into the room. “Mike, I’ve really gotten to like Italian coffee.
It’s more like an espresso. We might have to get one of those machines when we
get back home.”
    “Okay, your call. I see
the chief standing in the reception area. See you whenever. Love you.”
    “Be safe, Mike. You may be
helping to solve the murder, but promise me you won’t try to be a hero.”
    “I promise, but then again
if my promises are as good as yours, not sure what it’s worth. See you later,”
he said grinning. He stood up and gave her a half-salute.
    Kelly walked over to the
table where the continental breakfast was laid out. It was hard to decide what
to choose with such an array of mouth-watering dishes in front of her. There
was a platter with skewers of sweet Italian sausage and peppers, biscotti,
croissants, miniature pizzas with bacon and scrambled eggs kept warm in a
chafing dish, and a big bowl of fresh fruit with a pitcher of cream. The only
thing that kept Kelly from trying one of everything was the knowledge that
lunch and dinner would be equally wonderful, and she knew if she ate a large
breakfast she wouldn’t be able to do justice to the other two meals. After a
lot of mental debating she ended up with a biscotti and a small dish of fresh
fruit, so she could enjoy what she’d be making in class that morning.
    When she was finished
eating, she walked outside and let Caesar out of the dog run. “Come on, boy.
I’ve got a little time before class, and I need to email Julia.”
    Her daughter Julia and her
husband Brad, along with his young