Cupcakes and Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery (Book 5) (Frosted Love Mysteries)
Read Cupcakes and Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery (Book 5) (Frosted Love Mysteries) Online
Authors: Carol Durand,Summer Prescott
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Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either
the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely
coincidental.
Copyright 2015 by Maven Publishing - All rights reserved.
All rights Reserved. No part of this publication or the information in
it may be quoted from or reproduced in any form by means such as printing,
scanning, photocopying or otherwise without prior written permission of the
copyright holder.
Table of Contents
A light,
late summer breeze made Melissa Gladstone’s golden curls flutter back from her
brow as she held on to the giant pair of shears, along with the Mayor of
LaChance, Louisiana, preparing to cut the ribbon that was draped across the
front door of Missy’s Muffins and More. Her previous shop had been burned down
months before, by some very unpleasant dry goods vendors with whom she refused
to do business, and today was her grand reopening, now that the sweet little
shop had been rebuilt. Her contractor had been a bit puzzled when Missy
insisted that the new shop would be rebuilt as an exact replica of the old one,
but when he learned that she had inherited the business as a result of her
parent’s tragic death when she was only seventeen, he understood completely and
followed her instructions to the letter.
Piece
by piece, bit by bit, the shop that had been her second home ever since she
could remember, was rebuilt. She kept the same lime green and pink color scheme
that had been her choice upon taking over the operation of the store, and had
purchased second-hand wooden tables and chairs that she painted white with pink
and green accents. The commercial kitchen had been outfitted with brand new
stainless steel appliances, and the glass display cases at the front counter
were full and sparkling. Missy’s first day back in her first store promised to
be a busy one, with crowds of people representing the Mayor’s office, the
Police Department, various charities that Missy supported, and townsfolk who
were being supportive of the diminutive but determined “Cupcake Lady” present
and ready to sample her latest creations.
Missy
and her loyal assistant Ben, who was currently the manager of her second shop,
Crème de la Cupcake in Dellville, a neighboring small town, had come up with a
spectacular Cupcake of the Day for this very special occasion. She had chosen
the Grand Opening of the rebuilt store to introduce a new concoction that was
sure to be a crowd-pleasing hit. It was called the Campfire Cupcake and tasted
like a glorious and decadent ‘s’more.’ The cupcake itself was a dense, moist,
chocolate cake, with an ooey-gooey creamy chocolate center, capped off with a
generous dollop of marshmallow fluff that was lightly toasted and sprinkled
with graham cracker crumbs. When Missy and Ben had experimented and created the
first batch, she literally had to stop Ben from eating the entire tray of them.
The sumptuous cakes melted in their mouths and stirred childhood memories for
both of them – they were certain to be a hit with the Grand Opening crowd.
The
Mayor finished speaking, saying very complimentary things about how Missy and
her business were tremendous assets to the community, and the bright pink
ribbon was cut, officially reopening the shop. Nearly everyone who had been
standing on the sidewalk for the ceremony, lined up to be among the first
patrons, keeping Missy and Ben’s girlfriend Cheryl, who had been working in the
other store for the past few months, busy smiling and ringing up sales. Rave
reviews flooded in from happy customers who couldn’t even wait until they were
out of the store to try the Cupcake of the Day, and Missy couldn’t have been
more pleased.
Missy
and Cheryl collapsed into a couple of chairs at a table in the seating area
after the mad rush was over and the ‘Closed’ sign had been flipped over in the
front window. The bell above the front door jangled again, announcing a new
arrival, and the weary shop owner beamed when she saw the striking figure of
Detective Chas Beckett enter. Cheryl suddenly remembered something that she had
to do in the kitchen, and hugged Missy goodbye, letting her know that she was
leaving after she took care of her imaginary task. Missy was too tired to move,
and remained draped over her chair as the handsome detective kissed her on the
cheek in greeting.
“I
heard good things about the opening,” he said, taking the chair that Cheryl had
just vacated.
“Oh
my goodness, Chas, it was crazy! Cheryl and I were busy from open to close – it
was such a great reopening,” she smiled, tired, but delighted nonetheless.
“You
didn’t happen to save me a Cupcake of the Day, did you?” Beckett asked
hopefully.
“Of
course I did, but you’re going to have to get it yourself, I’m taking a
breather,” she teased, indicating a cake keeper on the counter that had exactly
one Campfire Cupcake left in it. Knowing that Chas would want one, Missy had
kept it hidden behind the counter until closing time.
“I
think I’ve put on a couple of pounds since we started dating,” the incredibly
fit detective grumbled, good-naturedly.
“It
suits you,” she observed, admiring Chas Beckett’s impressive form and blushing
when he turned around and caught her. He discreetly chose to let her off the
hook and not reply, when he saw the suffusion of color in her cheeks, and took
a massive bite of his treat instead.
He
closed his eyes at the flavor, and shook his head slowly from side to side. “I
don’t know how you do it, but I have the strangest feeling I’m going to be
gaining a few more pounds if you keep this up,” he remarked, savoring the bite.
“Thanks,”
Missy replied, pleased with his reaction. “But I’m feeling a little…I don’t
know, stagnant I suppose.”
“Stagnant?
What do you mean?” Chas was surprised. “You have two thriving businesses, if
that’s not growth, I don’t know what would be.”
“No,
I don’t mean in that regard. I love the success of both shops, but I want some
fresh ideas – some new and exotic flavor combinations to try out. I’ve been
experimenting, but I feel like I’m running out of innovative ideas,” she
explained.
“Hmm…so
you want some fresh, exotic and innovative ideas? I have an idea that might
just help you out.”
“Really?
What?” Missy asked eagerly. She loved being creative in the kitchen and testing
out all sorts of flavor combinations for her specialty cupcakes, but she had
felt frustrated lately.
“When’s
the last time you took a vacation?”
Missy
was puzzled, not understanding how his question could possibly relate to the
topic at hand. “I’ve never been on vacation. What does that have to do with
anything?”
“You
mean to tell me that you’ve owned this business since you were seventeen years
old and you’ve never had a vacation?” Chas was astounded.
“Well,
I mean, I’ve been to cupcake competitions on occasion, but other than that, no.
There was never time for me to do that – I have a business to run.”
Chas
shook his head, looking at her with admiration and disbelief. “Well,
fortunately, you now have staff members who can take care of things in your
absence.” He leaned forward, gazing at her intently. “Look Missy, I know how
much your businesses mean to you, and I know how hard you’ve worked to make
them as successful as they are, but even the hardest workers need a break every
now and then. You need to recharge, have a change of scenery, and get your
creative juices flowing again. A vacation sounds just like what the doctor
ordered to stimulate your creativity,” he urged, taking her hand and rubbing
his thumb over the back of it unconsciously while he talked.
“Oh
Chas, I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” she protested, a bit overwhelmed at
the thought, but intrigued at the same time.
“I
have an idea,” he smiled, reassuring her. “There is a forensics conference that
I’ll be attending in Cozumel in a couple of weeks, and because I’ve signed up
for the entire week, I can get rooms at a very high-end resort for next to
nothing. Why don’t you come with me? We can get a couple of rooms, and you’ll
have exotic, tropical inspiration every day while I’m in a grand lecture hall,
then we can meet up in the evenings to explore new cuisines and relax. I’ll
take a couple of extra days at the beginning and the end of the conference and
we can do some exploring. You can check out local markets for spices and fruits
– it could be a perfect way to break through your baker’s block. What do you
think?”
“That
sounds so tempting,” Missy nodded thoughtfully. “But what about my shops? I
can’t just abandon them now that they’re up and running.”
“Ben
is more than capable of handling one of the shops, and Cheryl could handle the
other. You said you were going to hire another crew member for the LaChance
shop anyway – you’d have two weeks to bring them up to speed and you’d be fully
staffed while you were away.”
“But
what if Cheryl isn’t ready to take charge of a shop yet?” she worried.
“Didn’t
you say that she’s much more capable than she realizes?” Chas reminded her.
“This could be your chance to boost her confidence and show her that she’s
completely able to take charge. Besides, Ben is just a phone call away if she
panics.”
“That’s
true. So I’d be restarting my creativity, and helping Cheryl overcome her fears
at the same time,” she mused, nodding.
“Exactly!”
Chas agreed. “It’s a win/win, what could go wrong?”
Missy’s
eyes sparkled as she impulsively reached over to hug his neck. “Yes, let’s do
this! Make the reservations,” she grinned.
Missy’s
heart went out to Grayson Myers the moment that she met him. He had an
appearance that might seem scary to many of the folks who frequented Missy’s
Muffins and More, but all that the perceptive owner saw in this quiet young man
was the haunted sadness of his eyes, and the shy, sweet smile that lit up the
room. The fact that one of his ears and his lip were pierced, he dressed in
black and wore his thick, glossy, dark hair long, didn’t distract her from
seeing the sensitive, intelligent person underneath. Their conversation went
well beyond that of discussing the information contained on his application for
employment, and Missy found out that his father had died when he was young, his
mother had worked several jobs to keep her and her baby boy afloat, and that he
was studying biology in college with the goal of saving the planet. His manner
was respectful, his heart was kind and Missy hired him on the spot, knowing
that Cheryl would take him under her wing. Telling him to report to the
LaChance shop bright and early on Monday morning, Missy felt confident that she
had made the right choice.
Missy
took a deep breath, leaned her head back against the headrest, and checked her
phone for emergency texts from Cheryl one last time before shutting her phone
off for takeoff. She and Chas were flying out of New Orleans, and would be
arriving in Cozumel just after lunch. They planned to settle in at the resort,
then find somewhere authentic and wonderful for lunch before heading out to
explore a bit.
The
brilliant blue skies, smell of the ocean, and plethora of brightly colored
exotic flowers nearly took Missy’s breath away when they arrived in Cozumel.
The sun shone brightly, as though welcoming the couple to the tropical
paradise. They checked in at the front desk, cooled by ocean breezes wafting
through the lobby, and received keys to their rooms that were conveniently
located across the hall from each other. Missy surveyed the opulent interior of
her room, taking in the dark rattan furnishings, snowy white linens and
spectacular view of the ocean. She unpacked, placing her things in drawers and
on hangers in the spacious closet and tossing a clean outfit to change into
onto the bed, along with a swimsuit for later. She’d never been outside of the
US before, and planned to make the most of every second in another country. She
turned her phone on to check for texts and saw that Cheryl had texted.
“
I’m
so sorry to bother you while you’re on vacay, Ms. G., but I had a customer who
wanted a box for her cupcakes rather than a bag, even though she wasn’t buying
a full dozen, so I gave her a box anyway to keep the peace. I hope that’s
okay???”
the message read.
Missy
sighed and shook her head, wishing that Cheryl would trust her instincts more.
“
You did exactly the right thing. The customer gets what the customer wants
(within reason). Good job! Don’t feel like you have to ask me about every
decision – if it seems right, do it – I trust you
J
Thanks!”
she replied. Ben had texted to say that all was well in
the Dellville shop, and that his new crew member, Chris Smith, a fellow
Criminal Justice grad student, was the perfect addition to Crème de la Cupcake.
Taking
a quick shower and changing into a white, gauzy sundress that would be perfect
for a day in the sun, Missy freshened up and made arrangements to meet Chas in
the lobby.
A
relaxed smile lit the detective’s face when she appeared, looking casually
beautiful, from her hastily constructed ponytail, to her sandal-clad feet.
Missy was quite taken by his appearance as well – he cut an impressive figure
in his khaki shorts and white linen button-down.
“Ready
for a lunchtime adventure?” he asked, kissing her cheek.
“Definitely!”
she nodded.
Chas
hailed a cab and spoke to the driver in fluent Spanish, impressing Missy with
his accent and skill. When she mentioned it to him, he surprised her even
further by explaining that he also was fairly fluent in French, and spoke ‘just
enough German to be dangerous.’ They arrived at a small open-air restaurant
right on the beach, and were seated at a table with a beautiful view of the
ocean. Missy was thankful that the menu was in both Spanish and English, and
had Chas order her a margarita while she tried to narrow down the lunch
selections. Absolutely everything on the menu sounded amazing, but she finally
settled on Conch Ceviche for an appetizer, and grilled fish tacos for her
entrée. Chas nodded appreciatively and ordered the same for himself.
When
her lovely, light green margarita, topped with salt and a juicy lime arrived,
Missy sipped it slowly, astonished at the smooth, mellow, yet tangy, flavor of
the drink. “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed, staring wide eyed at the delightful
libation. “The margaritas back home don’t taste like this.”
Chas
chuckled at her enthusiasm. “No, they certainly don’t, and there’s a good
reason for that. The tequila that is made right here in Cozumel is from the
Blue Agave plant – it looks rather like a giant blue aloe, and it makes very
smooth and tasty tequila when processed the old fashioned way. There’s a
family-owned place here where they produce and sell tequila that you can’t get
anywhere else in the world. We can tour it while we’re here if you’d like.”
Missy
nodded. “Yes, I think that would be fascinating.” Her phone buzzed, indicating
that a text was coming in. “Sorry, I have to check it to make sure that Cheryl
is okay,” she explained, chagrined.
“What
could possibly go wrong?”
Missy
held up a finger while she read the message, then responded and put her phone
back in her purse. “It was nothing, really. She had a question about placing a
dry goods order.”
“Couldn’t
she have just asked Ben?” Chas asked pointedly.
“Yes,
I’m encouraging her to do that. She just hasn’t quite gotten the hang of things
yet. She’s uncertain.”
“Maybe
the “sink or swim on your own” approach would be more effective in showing her
that she’s more than capable of handling the basic stuff,” he suggested
diplomatically.
Missy
sighed. “I know, I know. I just want to ease her past these first few days.”
She
was spared from Chas’s response by the arrival of their appetizers. She looked
carefully at her Conch Ceviche and tried to figure out what exactly it was.
“This looks sort of like a very fresh version of a seafood cocktail,” she
remarked, trying a bite. “Oh, yum, it’s delicious!”
Chas
Beckett grinned, knowing something about the food that Missy most likely did
not. “Do you know what Conchs are? Or Ceviche?” he asked.
“Not
really,” she admitted. “The menu wasn’t exactly clear on that. What is it?” she
asked, bringing forkful after forkful of the specialty dish to her mouth.
The
much more worldly detective debated inwardly about just how honest he should be
in this particular instance, but ultimately decided that Missy came here to
experience new foods, so she should know what it was that tasted so wonderful.
She was nearly to the bottom of the crystal goblet of ceviche when he
explained. “Well, a conch is a sea creature, sort of a snail…” he began,
watching her for a reaction.
She
chewed more slowly, swallowed and chased her bite with a swig of margarita.
“Well, that explains the texture,” she said thoughtfully. “I love escargots,
and this is somewhere between there and scallops. So, what is ceviche?”
Pleased
and relieved, Chas told her that instead of cooking the conch, the combination
of juices and ingredients marinated the raw conch, causing a reaction that, in
effect, cooked the dish without heat. Missy was fascinated and planned to look
up more info on making the tasty dish when she went back to the states. She had
an equally profound appreciation for the melt-in-your-mouth grilled fish tacos,
and after eating her fill, gladly took Chas’s hand for a short walk on the
beach. Slipping off her sandals, she ran down to where tiny waves lapped at the
sand and lifted her skirt to her knees, the warm waters of the Caribbean
caressing her feet. Closing her eyes, she tilted her face to the sun, basking
in its glow.
“Happy?”
Chas asked softly, slipping up behind her and hugging her around the waist.
“Very,”
she opened her eyes and nodded, turning to face him. “Thank you for suggesting
this. I really needed a break and never even knew it.” Missy stood on her
tiptoes and brushed her lips gently against his.
“You’ve
had quite an eventful year,” he agreed, kissing her back. “I’m glad you’re
here.” The two embraced, looking out at the beautiful crystal blue of the
water, her head on his chest. “You know,” he mused after a few minutes. “If we
go back to the hotel, we can change into our suits and actually swim, or
snorkel.”
“Oh!
I’ve always wanted to snorkel! Let’s go do that,” Missy enthused, dragging him
up the beach by the hand. They caught a cab back to the hotel and went to
change into their swimsuits.
Missy
practically dropped her clothing at the door when she got back to her room, but
paused long enough to make sure that her blue and white nautical bikini was
appropriately positioned to cover everything before heading out to meet Chas.
He was waiting for her at the equipment check-out stand, masks, fins and
snorkels in hand. Missy was a bit intimidated by all of the equipment, but
relaxed when an instructor came out to meet them and led the way to the beach.
Breathing through the snorkel was much easier than she had expected, and the
mask allowed her to see an entirely new world underwater. Kicking her feet
smoothly, she glided among schools of brightly colored fish, their guide Raoul
pointing out corals and other sea life along the way. At one point he grabbed
Missy’s hand, which made her a bit uncomfortable until she realized that he was
trying to get her attention to point out an octopus resting on the sand below
her. If she hadn’t had a snorkel in her mouth, she would’ve gasped with
admiration at the beautiful creature undulating on the ocean floor. Losing
track of time, the trio spent over two hours exploring the reef. When Raoul
gave the signal to surface, Missy was astounded to see just how far from shore
they had traveled, and was glad for the extra propulsion that her fins provided
for the return swim.
“I
can’t thank you enough,” she gushed, handing her equipment to Raoul when they
reached the beach.
“Anytime,
pretty lady,” he grinned, his white teeth a stark contrast to his sun-bronzed
skin.
Chas
piled his gear on top of Missy’s in the muscular instructor’s arms, giving him
a look that escaped Missy’s notice entirely, and took her hand, leading her to
a set of beach lounges with an umbrella shading them. A handsome waiter appeared
as soon as they reclined on the lounges to take their drink order, and Missy
sighed with satisfaction.
“Oh
my goodness, a girl could get used to this,” she drawled, smoothing a towel
over her arms and legs. “Everyone here is so sweet and helpful.”
“It’s
definitely nice to get away from the real world for a bit,” Chas agreed,
stretching out.
The
couple lounged in the sun, sipping ice cold guava juice from tall glasses,
until their suits were dry, then headed in to change for dinner. Both were
tired from travelling in the morning and being outdoors all afternoon, so they
decided to make it easy on themselves and dine in the restaurant overlooking
the ocean at the resort. They were headed toward the reservations stand, when
Missy spotted Raoul and waved. He trotted over, looking fresh and tropical in a
brightly printed button down shirt and white linen trousers.
“You
going to dinner?” he asked, shaking Chas’s hand and kissing Missy’s.
“Well,
we hope so…we didn’t make a reservation, so we’re hoping that they can fit us
in,” Missy replied.
A
broad grin spread across Raoul’s face. “It will be no problem,” he assured
them. “You come with me.” He gestured for them to follow, then went to the
maître d’ for a quiet word. Turning back to Missy, he said, “You go with
Carlos, he will take good care of you. Enjoy your meal,” and with another kiss
on the hand, he left them and went on his way.
“Wasn’t
that sweet of him?” Missy whispered to Chas as they followed Carlos to a
private table for two with an unparalleled view of the ocean. “He got us right
in, and this looks like the best table in the restaurant!”
“Yep,
that’s great,” Chas responded with a tight smile.
Their
entire dining experience was fabulous from beginning to end. The food, the service,
and the delightful live cantina music combined to make a lovely evening. Chas
and Missy talked and laughed like teenagers, then went for a moonlight stroll
on the beach. They hadn’t gone far when Missy yawned and leaned her head
against Chas’s shoulder.
“Time
for bed?” he smiled affectionately at his worn-out companion.
“As
much as I hate for the day to end, I’m afraid so,” she nodded.
They
headed back up the beach, brushed the sand from their feet and continued
barefoot to their rooms. Once inside, Missy donned a thin cotton nightgown and
fell into bed, succumbing to sleep almost immediately. It had been such a
wonderful first day; it wouldn’t have surprised her a bit if she had fallen
asleep smiling.