SLAY PAIRS WITH ROSE (The Kelly's Deli Cozy Murder Mysteries Book 3) by Sophie Brent (phonics reading books .txt) 📕

“Not at all,” he replied with a polite smile. He lifted the handle and released the lock, then stopped. “Better step back ladies. We put a lot of dry ice in here last night to control the temperature and most of it will have evaporated by now. Let’s give it a few seconds to clear.”

Erin and Fiona walked over to the nearest stainless-steel bench and watched Mr. Blake swing open the heavy freezer door and hold it open wide.

He stared into the space for a few seconds before turning back to them, his face ashen white.

“Call an ambulance. There has been a terrible accident.”

“What is it?”

Erin stepped forwards but he stopped her and blocked the view with his body. “Please stop. You don’t want to see this.”

Too late for that. Fiona had already started screaming.

Emma Wilson was lying on the floor of the freezer with her feet facing the door. Clouds of dry ice vapor rose up around her and Erin could see that one of her sandals had slipped off.  Her toenails had been painted in a shade of dark red nail polish that matched the colour of the stain on the side of her head. But her skin was as blue as ice.

Chapter Three

When Erin was studying for her degree in hospitality and hotel management, she’d spent a year of practical training in Italy, working for the Russo family restaurant. Her mother’s family had been so welcoming and warm to a strange red-haired girl who had arrived barely speaking Italian.

She’d soon learned that the heart of any hotel or restaurant was the manager’s office and it didn’t matter whether that was in Florence or Florida. Erin had seen a lot of hotel offices over the years and the one at Abbotsdown Hall was not so very different from the rest.

It had fresh orchids on the desk instead of stray samples of new pasta varieties, and the biscuits had been made in the hotel kitchen rather than the local supermarket.

Right now, they tasted like nectar. She needed that hit of sugar washed down with scalding hot coffee like never before. The sun might be burning hot outside, but Erin could still feel the chill of the dry ice in that freezer deep inside her bones.

It was going to take a lot of hot coffee to warm away that shock.

“Have another biscuit, Fiona,” Maya said calmly, as she cuddled her friend closer. “You hardly ate anything at breakfast.”

Fiona replied with a shake of her head. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t invited Emma here for the wedding, then....” Her head fell forward and more deep sobs shook Fiona’s thin body. Maya held her closer, but Erin could see the tears streaming down Maya’s face.

She had only met Emma for a few minutes, but these girls had known her for over ten years. They had seen and loved a different Emma to the one Erin had met. One who they had cared about and understood.

That was special. And now their friend was gone.

Erin looked across at Zoe who was standing outside the office in the reception area of the hotel, talking to an older man in a suit who must be the hotel manager.  The deputy manager, Mr. Blake, who had opened the freezer door, was still being interviewed by Constable Harris and Sergeant Murphy. The police had arrived within ten minutes of the call, which by Kingsmede standards was something close to a miracle.

Constable Harris had only taken a few moments to realize that Fiona was too much in shock to answer any of his questions, so Erin had told him what had happened and explained why Emma was staying at the hotel. He looked as horrified as they were but did his job and noted down what she had told him. He was the one who asked if he could take the girls to a private office rather than abandon them weeping in the bar breakfast room which had filled up with other hotel guests.

Fiona’s bridesmaid and future sister-in-law Kate was standing next to Zoe for moral support and Erin could see the anxiety on her face.

She couldn’t imagine the pain she would feel if anything happened to Zoe, Prisha or Carol. They had been her best friends since junior school, and they had stuck together through thick and thin. Even her father used to call them the three musketeers. You only got a few real friends in your life and she felt lucky to have three of them.

Emma had been Fiona and Maya’s best friend from university. That might have been ten years ago, but the bond was still there. She could see that there was no place for criticism and her heart broke for these friends.

“Is Ethan coming over?” Erin whispered to Fiona when she lifted her head and took a sip of coffee.

Maya nodded and answered for her. “He’s on the way now. Ethan and his family are staying at the Manor House. Do you know it?”

Erin nodded. “It’s on the other side of Kingsmede, but it shouldn’t take them long to get here.”

Maya replied with a small smile, grateful for anything close to good news at that moment.

To make it worse, other guests were coming in and out of the reception area, laughing and having fun, clearly oblivious to the tragedy that had just occurred while they were cuddled up in their luxury suites.

Suddenly Zoe and Kate said something to the hotel manager and as Erin watched he walked briskly over to the front entrance of the hotel and ushered an older man and woman into his office, followed by Zoe. Erin vaguely recognized Fiona’s