Read Coughing & Donuts: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery Online
Authors: Ava Mallory
“You did this!” Lou lunged for her, but fell into another coughing fit as he neared her.
Thank goodness for pet dander!
Eli spoke. “You faked your own death because you wanted attention? And, they say I'm a narcissist?” He looked at Lou. “And, you got caught because you cough. Ha! That's rich!”
Lou glared at him.
Charlie chimed in. “Seems like everyone around here had their own agendas. Too bad a good cop had to die in the process.”
The flashing lights and sirens outside finally reached the estate.
I said to Rollie, Lou, Brandi, and, unfortunately, Karen, “Your ride is here.”
Reggie and Jill came running with Detective Arnold and another detective behind him. Lou's chin fell to his chest. Rollie stood up, ready to face the consequences.
Soon, the media followed and Rollie finally got what he wanted – fame, but at what price?
“I can't believe I missed it!” Ruby said.
I laughed. “You have to move fast in the cutthroat world of crime solving.”
Charlie waved the waitress over. “We're ready to order.” He looked at us. “Order what you want. Dinner is on me.”
Eli ate like he hadn't eaten for days. I thought he'd make himself sick, but Adrienne assured us that he'd be fine.
I asked her, “Is he going to go home with you now?”
She smiled, rubbing his back. “The doctor says he'll be fine. We still have to wait and see as far as how he'll cope, but I'm hopeful that he'll do better now. I should never have let him go, but I was so angry and hurt over what his father did to me, to our marriage, I couldn't bear with it. I have a lot of making up to do.”
Charlie patted me on the back. “You did good.”
“Thanks, but why do I feel so bad?” I asked.
Hank answered, “Because you lost friends in the process. That will take time to process. I still can't believe it. He did all of this just for attention. If he wasn't your friend, I'd volunteer to treat him. I bet what he has to say would be fascinating.”
“Once a psychiatrist, always a psychiatrist.” I teased.
Eli asked between bites, “So, are you leaving now?”
I looked at the faces of everyone around me and, despite the fact that I really needed the money, I craved the safe confines of my home. It was time to go home and congratulate my ex on the new life he was going to be starting and, hopefully, get some rest.
Charlie said, “I'll be heading back too after I go thank Rose for helping me out. She's a good nurse. I hope she doesn't get in trouble for letting me snoop around and get on the grounds.”
“She won't.” I answered. “Jill said she'd taken care of everything and, with all the information she helped gather, it looks like the hospital should be thanking her for caring so much. It's just too bad that it had to be that way. Poor Jill ended up investigating and witnessing her aunt and uncle being arrested for murder.”
“This is beginning to become a bit of a tradition.” Hank said. “Every time you solve a murder, we go out for breakfast.”
Alma giggled.
I'd forgotten to thank her and her dog for helping me out. I started to, but she stopped me.
“No need. I told the truth and that's all that matters. I shouldn't have to be thanked for that.” She said, hugging me.
Charlie raised his cup of coffee. “To a brighter future.”
“Case closed.” Eli quipped, winking at me. “Thanks for being so nosy. Maybe, next time someone blames me for something, I'll call you.”
We all laughed, but I was inclined to believe that he was telling the truth.
The waitress stopped by the table. “We have fresh house donuts. Would you like some?”
Immediately, we all answered, “No.” The chances of any of us eating donuts any time soon were looking pretty slim. Death by donut didn't sound pleasant, even if we didn't have allergies.
Adrienne asked, “Who do you think made the donuts?”
I had more than an inkling, but I didn't want to say it out loud. That would make it too real. Back when I'd first met Karen, she had told me about some of the foods she missed. Her illness had wreaked havoc on her appetite. One of the things she missed was the taste of her mother's baked cinnamon, vanilla donuts cooked in peanut oil.
I shook my head. “I don't know.”
“Well, I was just curious. If I ever write a story on this, I want to include all the facts.” She said.
Figures, the reporter in her still remained, even after all that her son had endured, she was still after a juicy story. Rollie wasn't kidding when he said Pleasant Cove relied on sensationalism and fame. I just hoped that none of those involved, like Brandi, would be able to exploit this tragic story. For everything that he was, Mike didn't deserve to die and his children deserved to have a father.
Adrienne said, “Well, life goes on, right?”
I thought, yes, for some. I looked at Eli and hoped that he would thrive and I'd never have to lose another old friend in order to save a new one, but if it came to that, I'd take it head on and do what I do best – dig and fight for the little guy.
That's it. It was time to move forward.
I called the waitress to prove that I was stronger than I thought. “I'd like more coffee and a donut, please.”
“I'm sorry, did you say
coughing
and donuts?” The waitress asked.
Everyone around the table gasped, then, ordered the same. We were all moving forward together.
The End
Ava Mallory spends her life chasing stories and eavesdropping on the world. Always having been much more comfortable observing the nuances of those around her, Ava developed the ability to craft stories filled with habits and quirks that remind the reader of themselves or someone they know.
She developed a love of mystery and intrigue with a slice of hijinks after devouring every Nancy Drew book she could find. That interest soon led her to beloved classic television shows like Murder, She Wrote, The Sherlock Holmes series, The Hardy Boys, Charlie Chan and many more. Now, she crafts stories of her own to share with the world.
Ava writes under many pen names and offers tales in several genres for readers to enjoy.
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A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery Series:
Mercy & Mayhem (Book One)
– Available Now!
Traveling nurse Mercy Mares needs three things in life: the unconditional love of her daughter, her best friend and mentor's constant wisdom, and a new engine for her twenty-year old car.
A new job posting halfway across the country promises to satisfy one of those needs, but when her patient's spouse dies within minutes of meeting her, she will soon find out that she's going to need a lot more than car repairs.
What was touted as the friendliest town in America soon turns on her and it will be up to her to connect the dots and find the true murderer, but doing so will be no easy feat. With memory impaired witnesses, a meddling medical staff, and a cast of characters dead set on keeping their community free of strangers, Mercy will need a little help from her loved ones and a lot of luck to get herself out of this jam or risk losing everything she's worked so hard to achieve.
Find out what happens when mayhem becomes synonymous with Mercy in this humorous, slightly irreverent Cozy Medical Mystery novel!
This is book one of "A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery" series!
Fever Rich (Book Three) – Available Now!
When traveling nurse Mercy accepts a job assignment in her hometown, she thinks it will be no trouble at all. Besides, the client is the ten-year-old grandson of a wealthy investor. A maid, cook, gardeners, and a pristine estate, what could possibly go wrong?
Everything if your name is Mercy Mares.
An accountant is found dead. Mercy's young charge has gone missing and her trusty canine, sidekick Barney is up to no good.
This once private family soon becomes the center of attention worldwide and Mercy's left with a lot of explaining to do and a doozy of a mystery to solve. If she can find the boy and prevent her Pug from wreaking any more havoc, she just may be able to catch a killer and keep her job.
Find out what happens when money, power, and spunky, amateur sleuth Mercy claw their way to the truth before the truth kills them.
Along Came A Needle (Book Four)
– Available now!
A girl's getaway is just what traveling nurse Mercy Mares needs to unwind. With her best friend Ruby and her daughter in tow, they set off for a Bed & Breakfast that promises nothing but rest and relaxation, but when one of the eccentric owners dies during their welcome dinner, Mercy finds herself mixed up in a tangled web of whodunit and a heaping spoonful of chaos ensues.
There's no rest for the weary when Mercy comes to town. Can she and her over zealous companions solve this mystery before trouble comes knocking on their doors?
You won't want to miss any of Ava Mallory's Cozy Mysteries With Heart Novels!
Nubbin But Trouble (Book Five)
is available for pre-order now!
Nubbin Schmeckpepper does exactly what he wants to do, regardless of the consequences, and no one, including traveling nurse Mercy Mares, can tell him any different.
When he elopes from Valley Retirement Estates one night, everyone in his small western Nebraska town is baffled. Even more troubling than his sudden disappearance is the fact that no one, including Mercy, has any idea what set him off this time or have any notion about where he could be heading. To make matters worse, a freak snowstorm is forecasted for the area and a group of bank robbers has decided to use the opportunity as a means to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting citizens of Gering.
Now Mercy, being more hard-headed than most, can't help but want to rush back to Nebraska to find her old, curmudgeon friend, but what she discovers along the way, only heightens her fear for her grumpy friend and his well-being.
Can Mercy find Nubbin before he ends up in a whole world of trouble that will make him an internet sensation and her the laughing stock of the small town that hoped to never see her again?
This is Book Five in the A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery series. Each book is a standalone novel
.