Murder in the Cake: Cozy Murder Mystery (Harley Hill Mysteries Book 4) by Kennedy Chase

fear that the car might break down at any moment that I had to worry about. Today I had that and a huge dog trying to climb over the backseat and onto my shoulders that I had to worry about.
    I’d forgotten how excited he got in cars since we brought him down from Scotland. I quickly remembered, as I had to fend him off and not get too much doggy drool in my hair.
    When we pulled over, I opened the door and got trampled by a very excited hound as he leapt from the car, woofing happily. It was a clear crisp morning, the sky was silvery blue, and the grass sparkled with frost-kissed dew.
    We found a coffee and doughnut vendor by the park gate and stocked up for our ramble. While we scoffed the custard-filled goodies, we had a good snigger at the early-morning joggers who all looked like they could do with a doughnut or two.  
    Hyde Park is a royal park and one of the largest in London. It has been open to the public for hundreds of years. If you really want a laugh, you can head over to Speaker’s Corner, where open-air public speaking is allowed.
    All kinds of people air their thoughts on the corner, from the sensible to the downright insane. The one thing you can be sure of is that it’s never boring. Today, however, we were here to give Max a good run, let him stretch those long legs of his.
    There are certain places where you can’t let dogs off the lead, but in the wilder areas off the beaten track, it’s okay, so long as you make sure to scoop the poop.  
    “So, Ms. Silvers, I take it you and my brother are now an item?”
    “An item?” she said as though I were speaking another language.
    “Yes, you know, an item: going steady, walking out, loved-up.”
    She blushed. “Well, I wouldn’t put it quite like that. But, yes, we’re… very good friends.”
    I chuckled. “With benefits, huh?”
    “Really, Harley, don’t be vulgar.” She tried to sound serious, but she couldn’t help smiling. “He’s lovely,” she cooed and absentmindedly twirled her big bouncy curls. “He’s so kind and gentle. Everything that Alex never was.”
    “Oh, was Alex really that bad?” I asked casually. “I mean, you married him; he couldn’t have been that bad, surely?”
    She stopped walking. Max bounded out of the undergrowth and came over for a reassuring stroke before bounding off again. “Yes, actually, he was. He was vain, selfish, a terrible flirt. I thought I liked ‘bad boys’. I thought I could change him. I was wrong.” She looked really sad and gave Max an extra fussing. I felt like a heel. I didn’t want to make my partner feel sad; I wanted to make myself feel better for liking Alex. I gave her a hug.
    “Well, sod him. He’s out of your life and Michael is in. You deserve a nice guy.”
    “Oh, Harley, thank you, dear.” She hugged me back. “I know you haven’t known Michael for long, but your approval of our relationship is important to me.”
    Because Max was having such a good time exploring, we headed deeper into the wilder, more natural areas of the park.
    “Anyway, never mind me, what about you and Cole?” Cordi nudged me in the ribs.
    I shrugged. I wanted to blurt out all of my worries. I wanted to tell her how confused I was, that I didn’t know if Cole wanted to break up with me and that I had feelings for Alex even though I knew he was bad news. I wanted to cry on her shoulder and tell her everything. But I couldn’t harsh her buzz and I definitely couldn’t tell her about Alex.
    “Well? When are you seeing him again?”
    “As soon as this forgery case he’s working on is finished… I think.” I guess I must have looked like I felt because she put her arm around my shoulder.
    “Are you all right, Harley?”
    “Well…” I was on the verge of breaking and telling her about my worries over Cole when we rounded a clump of shrubs and saw something really strange.
    Standing beside a shaded pond was a guy with a beard and wearing a long, scarlet hooded robe and wielding a staff.