Raspberry Revenge by Jessica Beck

probably lock me up.”
    “That’s not going to happen though, not unless you did it.”
    “ Saying that I’m innocent is pretty worthless, isn’t it?” he asked.
    “Not to me,” Jake said. “Let’s go somewhere and figure out how you fit into this.” He turned to me. “Nobody’s outside waiting to get in, but we can’t hang around much longer. Suzanne, we’ll talk later.”
    “Sounds good. Now go.”
    I walked out with them, and after the two of them made it safely outside without being seen, I turned to Emma. “Thanks for not calling your father.”
    “Susanne, I would never betray your trust like that. You asked me to keep it quiet, and that’s what I’ll do.” She hesitated a second, and then she asked, “Exactly how long does that have to be?”
    “I’d rather you didn’t say anything about this happening at all.”
    Emma nodded. “Consider it done.”
    Hillary Teal, the older woman who often made costumes for Max’s seniors’ theater group, came in. “Suzanne, did I just see your husband with the mayor?”
    “I don’t know, did you?” I asked her, trying not to give anything away.
    “I don’t honestly know myself. I really must go see Dr. Sedgewick. I believe my eyesight is getting worse by the minute.”
    “What can I do for you, Hillary?”
    “I’ll take a dozen of your most deadly donuts, dear,” she said with a grin. “The girls and I are having a little party, and they all so love your tasty treats.”
    “I’m honored,” I said as I put together a nice selection. After I took her money and made change, I asked, “Are there any new plays on the horizon?”
    “I’ve been meaning to ask Max that very question. He’s so in love these days that there’s not as much time for us anymore.” Her face reddened for a moment as she quickly added, “That was rather tacky of me, wasn’t it?”
    “No worries on my account. I’m happy for Max. He found Emily, and what’s even better, she found him. It’s hard enough in this world to find someone you belong with, so I won’t begrudge either of them their happiness. After all, if Max hadn’t cheated on me, I never would have found Jake.”
    “You are wise beyond your years, Suzanne Hart.” With a twinkle in her eye, she added, “But not beyond mine.”
    “Well, I hope there will be time enough for me to get there, too.”

    The donuts were selling briskly, and I was already out of my latest experiment of pumpkin apple spice treats. I might just have a winner on my hands, but one day’s sales weren’t enough to give me reason to put it in the rotation of my offerings. I’d have to have at least two more successful runs before it made the grade. I was just returning from the kitchen after dropping off the empty tray to Emma for a sound cleaning when I saw someone unexpected waiting for me at the counter out front.
    Nathaniel Bloom was paying a visit to my donut shop, something that was definitely out of the norm for him.

    “Good morning. What can I do for you, Councilman?”
    “Nathaniel will do just fine,” he said. “I’ve got a meeting in an hour, and I thought a dozen donuts might make for a nice change of pace from our usual fare.”
    “You came to the right place, then,” I said as I grabbed an empty box. “Do you want anything in particular?”
    “Let’s make it half a dozen plain glazed, and you can pick out the rest.”
    “I can do that,” I said as I chose some of my slower sellers to fill out his dozen. He shouldn’t mind, since he had made it my choice, and besides, he was one of my suspects. If he was a cold-blooded killer, I didn’t feel good about giving him the best I had to offer. It might have been petty, but I could live with myself doing it, especially since I never sold anything that I wouldn’t eat myself. “We don’t see you around here all that much,” I said as I collected his donuts.
    “I realize that, and I decided it was high time I changed that,” he said with a grin. The