Love at First Cyanide: Veronica Swift Mysteries, #6

By Ember Mae

All she wanted to do was organize the perfect date. Unfortunately, nothing ever goes to plan. 

 

Veronica (Roni) Swift's therapist has tasked her with designing the perfect date for her and her fiancé, and this one is special. It's their first Valentine's day together.

 

Conveniently, Last Resort and Spa is hosting their first annual chocolate expo, which includes a fudge making competition.

It's the perfect date. But as with all of Roni's best ideas, chaos quickly ensues. One of the contestants is poisoned!

Unable to find the culprit, the Lasts push for the reopening of the gym to carry on with the competition.

 

Day one goes smoothly, but day two ends in death.

 

Now, Detective Graham Parker and Teddy Swift must find the killer from an audience of over one hundred people, not to mention crew, competitors, and staff before more innocent blood is spilled. 

 

Will Roni and her friends find the killer before the 'no-travel' ban is lifted on the suspects? Will Roni and Liam get their date? Or will the killer go free?

 

If you love the messiness of Stephanie Plum and the twists of an Agatha Christie novel, then get ready to dive into a world full of rich characters and fun mysteries in this, Love at First Cyanide, book 6 in the Veronica Swift Mysteries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emmie B.
• Release date: Apr 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781953798398

Book preview

1

The beige couch I sat on squeaked as I readjusted in my seat and actively avoided eye contact with Dr. Blackwell, and thus making eye contact with a bunch of other beige-colored objects. It was funny how quickly that sound became associated with a safe space for me to share things I couldn’t talk to anyone else about.

Roni, you have to answer the question, Dr. Blackworth told me, patient as he always was.

I squirmed in my seat again. Yeah, but then I have to admit aloud what a bad girlfriend—I mean fiancée—I’ve been, I whined.

He chuckled. I think you’re putting too much pressure on yourself about it. You’ve been going through a lot.

I looked at him. But?

He smirked. But you wouldn’t have brought up the fact Liam makes all the date plans if you didn’t want to talk about it, so spill. What’s going on? Why do you think it is Liam plans all the dates?

Well, I think he does it because he likes planning them, and picking stuff I’ll like to do.

He nodded, rolling his hand to indicate I should keep going.

I sighed. But I feel like I’m not as invested in the relationship as I should be since he is doing all the planning. Ever since I found out that someone probably murdered my dad, I've been focused on that. I mean, name a poison and I can probably list off the symptoms, whether there’s an antidote, and what it presents like in a dead person.

Dr. Blackworth nodded. So, you’ve been obsessing over the poisons, then?

I laughed. You could say that. Any free moment I’m not sewing or gluing shoes together, I’m on my phone looking up another poison. I have to say, it’s a good thing my best friend is engaged to our local detective because if anyone else looked at my internet search history, they would be wondering who I was trying to kill.

He chuckled. Is it important for you to plan the dates or just be more present during the time you’re supposed to be spending with Liam?

Both, I said emphatically, throwing my hands in the air. Liam’s been amazing about it. He hasn’t even mentioned it as a problem, but I think it’s probably not good. It’s like being a workaholic, except over a murder case instead of a job.

One could argue what you’re obsessing over is more important than a job.

Which is why I think Liam hasn’t said anything, but I’m marrying him at the end of the year, so I kind of think I should be somewhat responsible for date nights.

Dr. Blackworth nodded. Right, well, here is my prescription for you this week; I want you to stop researching poisons. Except for a twenty-minute period during the day, you can choose when that’ll be. And secondly, I want you to plan the date for Valentine’s Day, seeing as it’s a couple of days away.

I’m on board, but Liam has been planning our Valentine’s date since the new year. I don’t want all of that planning to go to waste.

Dr. Blackworth shrugged. Then plan something during the day. There are no rules saying that the most romantic dates happen in the evening. It just tends to be the most convenient time for the adults involved.

I laughed. I guess you have a point there.

Besides, I’ll be telling Liam about this brief assignment so he can keep tabs on your researching.

I grinned. Yes, sir.

He smiled before falling back into serious therapist mode. So, how is your father’s case coming along?

Well, I’ve looked through the file thoroughly and I’ve even talked with the coroner about it. Basically, he determined that my dad was probably murdered, but the chief of police at the time, Chief Gunthers—refused to listen. He saved a couple of vials of blood when he did the autopsy, but because they did not declare it a murder, he didn’t have access to the toxicology tests that he could’ve run if it had been.

I see, and are you doing anything with those vials? Could you simply pay for a report about the kind of poison he died from?

I shook my head. That’s why I’m doing the research. There are far too many known poisons and we can’t run his blood for everything. So, I’m trying to create a list of the twenty most likely suspects that present the same symptoms my father did. The problem is, the test is also expensive, and while my shop is doing a good swift business, if I paid for this test, it would send me back to the days where I was unable to make rent. I don’t want to do that again.

Understandable. Dr. Blackworth nodded. So, you’re in a holding pattern until you get the funds or you find new information?

Yeah, I hadn’t really thought of it that way. I was just trying to be as prepared as I can for when we have the money for the test, but I guess if we had some new information that would help to narrow down the poison, that would make it easier too.

Well, maybe have another look through the file and your memories. You might find something.

I nodded. Yeah, and I’ll have Teddy read over everything again too. He wasn’t there when I found Dad—he was at the academy—but he might remember something Mom or I said right after we found him. He’s good with those kinds of details.

I would hope so as a budding detective, he laughed. All right, I think that’s as good a place as any to stop today’s session. I’ll see you next week for an update. Remember, twenty minutes of obsessive research. That’s it.

I saluted. Yes, sir. I’ll see you next week, I concluded, rising from the couch and heading toward the door. I’ll let Liam know it’s his turn.

Excellent. Oh, and don’t forget about the date you’re going to plan.

I let my shoulders slump. I won’t.

About an hour later, Liam and I headed back up the mountain to our home at Last Resort and Spa in his truck. A light snow fluttered against the windshield, adding some more white powder to the ground already littered with it.

So, how was your session today? Liam asked, squeezing the hand that was interlaced with his. I heard you got some homework from the doc.

I sighed. Yeah, I’m limiting my poison research.

And?

I laughed. So he told you everything, huh?

Liam shook his head, the smile of a rotten little kid on his face. Nope, he just said he gave you two homework assignments, and one of them was to limit the research.

I rolled my eyes. Oh, you want me to tell you what the other thing is?

Liam nodded, eyes wide and guileless.

I’m planning a special Valentine’s date, I explained.

He raised an eyebrow. Oh really? And what about the aaaamaaazing Valentine’s date I already planned for us?

I grinned. Won’t be affected. You said it starts at eight that night, right?

He nodded.

Well, I’ll plan it for during the day, then. I shrugged. As I was informed today, the most romantic dates are not only held in the evening.

Liam’s face split into a huge grin. Oh, I’m looking forward to this.

I rolled my eyes again. You don’t think I’m going to beat yours, do you?

He shook his head. My date has romance out the ying-yang.

I laughed. All right then, I’ll just have to out ying your yang.

2

Liam dropped me off at my bespoke shoe shop—Sole Mates—just before it would be closed for our monthly family luncheon. Liam insisted he had something to do and would meet me over at Enchanted Reads and Teas, the café and bookshop my friend and future sister-in-law, Jade, runs.

I was walking across the sidewalk in front of my store when I heard, No! Buffy!

A ball of fur ran at me. I stepped back on instinct, slipped on a section of ice that missed getting salted, and landed flat on my back, all the wind knocked out of my lungs. I managed a groan before the mass of fur was lying on my chest, restricting my breathing even further.

Then came the slobbery kisses. I squished my mouth tight as I considered how my friends and family would react to this being the way I died—smashed under the weight of a large breed dog excited to meet a new person. As far as my death went, it was well in line with my luck. I mean, how many people could say they were involved in five murder cases, three of which nearly got them killed? Add in the fact I was notorious for great acts of grace like that, seen just moments before the hound pounced on me, where I slipped, and it was a wonder I was still walking around at all.

Suddenly, the weight lifted from my chest, and I gasped for air back into my lungs. Apparently, in all my pondering about my death, I missed the fact the dog owner was there.

Are you okay? I’m really sorry about that, a bundled-up person of indeterminate size and shape questioned from above my head.

I grimaced. I think so.

I sat up carefully, remembering how wonky I felt after I had collapsed from a panic attack last October.

It seemed like I somehow managed to keep my head from hitting the ground, and instead, my back and shoulders took the brunt of the force.

"I’m so sorry. Buffy is usually much better behaved. We trained jumping on people out of her when she was a puppy because I knew she’d be