Cranberries And Crime – Kathleen Suzette

I arranged my face into what I hoped passed for an expression of gentle concern rather than nosy curiosity. The door swung open, and I blinked in surprise. Standing before us was an older man with a shock of white hair and thick eyebrows that looked like they had a life of their own. His gaze shifted from me to Lucy, assessing us both. “Yes?” he said finally, his tone polite but guarded.

“Oh, I hope we’re not disturbing you,” I said quickly, giving what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “We were looking for Lacey?” He studied me for a moment longer, then nodded. “Lacey has gone to the funeral home,” he said, his voice gravelly. “Took her daughter and her family with her.” There was a slight pause at the end, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that last part was added to make it clear he hadn’t been included in the outing.

Something about the way he said it carried a hint of sadness. “Oh gosh,” I said softly. “That’s poor timing on our part. Are you, um, Richard?” He nodded, his expression softening slightly. “Yes, I’m Richard. Did you need something?” I shook my head. “No, not really. We just wanted to check on Lacey and see how she was holding up.

I’m so sorry for your loss, Richard. We didn’t realize you lived here too, or we would have paid our respects sooner.” I gestured toward Lucy. “I’m Allie Blanchard, and this is Lucy Gray. We knew Davis from the library.” Something flickered in his eyes, followed by a wave of sadness. His mouth trembled a little as he spoke. “Oh, so you worked for Davis?” “No,” Lucy said gently.

“We didn’t work for him, but we were regular patrons. Davis always made time to visit with us when we stopped in. He was very kind. We’re truly sorry for your loss.” Richard sighed heavily; the sound filled with weariness. “Yes,” he said after a moment, “I have to say that finding out what happened has been the shock of my life. When my wife passed away, she had been sick for nearly two years, so it was somewhat expected.

But this? No.” He shook his head slowly. “No, this was not expected at all. I still can’t get over it.” He pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose and looked past us, as if seeing something only visible to him. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without Davis,” he said quietly. “He was a good son.” “I can’t imagine what you must be going through,” I said quietly, trying to keep my voice gentle.

Copyright © 2025 by Kathleen Suzette. All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination, or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher. Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kathleen-Suzette-Kate-Bell-authors-759206390932120 Follow me on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kathleen-Suzette/author/B07B7D2S4W Created with Vellum OceanofPDF.com CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Books by Kathleen Suzette: A Christmas Shop Mystery A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery Series A Cookie’s Creamery Mystery A Lemon Creek Mystery A Rainey Daye Cozy Mystery Series OceanofPDF.com L CHAPTER 1 ucy and I stepped into the Cup and Bean Coffee Shop, and I inhaled the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

The warm air enveloped me, carrying with it hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and the faint sweetness of caramel. It was a comforting welcome that made me forget, at least for a moment, the sharp bite of the November wind that had chased us in from outside.

Lucy elbowed me as I paused just inside the doorway. “Hurry up,” she whispered with a grin. “There are only two people in line, and if we don’t get moving, someone else will squeeze in.” I chuckled and followed her, our boots clicking against the worn floor as we joined the short line.

The barista, a cheerful young woman with her hair in a messy bun, was just finishing with a customer. A young mother held a baby in her arms, balancing a diaper bag on one shoulder. She laughed at something the barista said, the sound bright and warm, then picked up her cup of coffee and headed toward the door, cooing at her little one.

The man ahead of us didn’t move forward, though it was clearly his turn. Harold Woods stood rooted to the spot, hunched over, holding his old, beaten leather wallet. His fingers fumbled with the cracked seams as he rifled through the contents searching for something that didn’t want to be found. Lucy shifted beside me, her impatience barely masked.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 0533f18e7afd4660
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 1,903,676 bytes (1.815 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 112
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 177.66 minutes
• Total Words: 35,532
• Total Characters: 194,925
• Average Words per Page: 317.25
• Average Characters per Page: 1740.4

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