Murder By Muffin (Lucy McGuffin, Psychic Amateur Detective 3)

“Tara was poisoned so that Gilly could take her job.”

“I thought Tara was on drugs and that’s what killed her,” says Brittany.

“The toxicology report isn’t complete yet, so officially we don’t know what killed her until it comes back. As for the drug rumors, I’m pretty sure Gilly started them.”

“Rumors,” says Darren, shrugging. “Small town, lots of wagging tongues. Catfish Cove is the same way.”

“The night I went to bring Tara the muffins, she didn’t look well. And she was anxious about something. I thought she was going to tell me something important, but she didn’t. She called me later, but I didn’t answer.”

“What do you think she wanted to tell you?” Brittany asks.

“I don’t know. But I think she was in trouble.” I look at Darren. “What do you think?”

“Me? How would I know?”

The hair on my neck is practically square dancing.

“At first I thought it was Gilly who poisoned Tara, because she had the best motive since she ended up getting Tara’s job. Only Gilly told me she didn’t poison Tara, and I believe her now. The thing is, I asked her the wrong question. I should have asked her if she knew who the killer was. Gilly might not have actually given her the cyanide, but she helped whoever did it by covering it up and starting those drug rumors.”

Brittany gasps. “You mean Gilly was the killer’s accomplice?”

“Yep.”

Darren looks shocked, but it’s an act. Paco can sense it too because he starts to growl.

“What’s wrong with Paco?” asks Brittany.

“He doesn’t like it when I’m being lied to.”

“Lied to?” Brittany chuckles nervously. “Lucy, what’s going on? You’re kind of freaking me out.”

“I didn’t put two and two together until now, but something Gilly said the other day has stayed with me. When I asked her if she poisoned Tara, she denied it, but she specifically said she never wanted Tara to get hurt. At the time, I thought it was an odd way to word things, but now I’m pretty sure she said it because she knew Tara was being poisoned. Only Gilly and her accomplice didn’t mean to kill her. They just wanted to make her sick enough that Gilly would take over the producing job and move the show to Catfish Cove.”

I stare at Darren with my best I’ve-got-you-now look. “You didn’t watch the FSU football game because you were at the beach house with Gilly that night. I heard the two of you talking.”

Brittany looks between me and Darren. “What are you saying? Darren killed Tara? Lucy, don’t be absurd. He’s head of the Catfish Cove Chamber of Commerce and president of the Rotary Club. He can’t be a murderer, silly.”

“He slowly poisoned Tara in the hopes of making her sick enough that Gilly would take over her job. But how were you so certain that Gilly would move the show to Catfish Cove? What did you promise her?” I ask him.

“Brittany is right,” Darren snaps. “This is ridiculous. Besides, you can’t prove anything.”

“Oh, but I can. I have a feeling that under the right circumstances, Gilly will crack like a nut.” I pull out my cell phone. “I think the Whispering Bay police department is going to find all this pretty interesting, don’t you?”

Before I can dial Travis’s number, Darren yanks Brittany by the arm and pulls her up against his chest. Brittany screams. “What are you—” He grabs a steak knife off the dirty dish tray and holds it up to her throat.

“Put that phone down or I’ll slit her throat,” he says in a tone of voice I’ve never heard from him before. It’s like I’m seeing him for the first time.

“Boy, you really are a zucchini chocolate chip muffin, aren’t you?”

He scowls. “What are you talking about?”

“Never mind. I should have listened to my gut. You totally had me fooled with that boring blueberry routine of yours.”

“Lucy,” Brittany whimpers, “how can you be talking about muffins at a time like this?”

“Sorry.” I make a deliberate show of putting my phone on the desk so that Darren doesn’t do anything stupid. “You’ll never get away with this.”

“I would have, if you hadn’t stuck your nose where it didn’t belong.”