Read Black Bottom Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery Book 6 (Frosted Love Mysteries) Online
Authors: Carol Durand,Summer Prescott
Black Bottom Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery Book 6 (Frosted Love Mysteries)
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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
Melissa
Gladstone bit deeply into her latest creation, an orange marmalade cupcake with
ginger cream cheese frosting, and sighed with satisfaction. It was everything
that she hoped it would be, and she was glad that she had added a sprinkle of
crunchy pepitas on top for a dash of salt and texture. Having just returned
from a whirlwind trip to the Caribbean, she was eager to put what she had
learned about new flavors and spices into practice. This recipe would
definitely be used for a Cupcake of the Day sometime in the upcoming week in
both of her two thriving cupcake shops, Missy’s Muffins and More in LaChance,
Louisiana, and Crème de la Cupcake, just down the road in Dellville. Missy made
a note to stock up on marmalade and ginger, as her loyal LaChance store
manager, Ben, a grad student in Criminal Justice, appeared at the back door, sniffing
the air appreciatively.
“Wow,
whatever that is, did you save some for me?” he asked with a grin.
“Of
course,” Missy handed him a cupcake. “We’re going to put this on the schedule
for a Cupcake of the Day next week.”
Ben
took a bite, chewed slowly and nodded. “Good call,” he agreed, through a mouthful
of cupcake. His assistant, Chris, a buddy from grad school, came in shortly
thereafter and had a similar reaction, indicating his approval with an
enthusiastic thumbs-up. Missy arranged the remaining cakes on a platter, helped
the guys set up for the morning rush, and when she was satisfied that they were
ready to open, headed for the Dellville shop. It was a beautiful Louisiana
morning, and the drive to Dellville was pure joy. The windows were down, the
air was cool, and the sun sparkled in a clear, blue sky. Knowing that her
blonde curls would be a tangled mess when she arrived, Missy threw caution to
the wind and enjoyed the air with carefree abandon, singing along to classic
rock on the radio.
Cheryl,
the manager of Crème de la Cupcake, and her dark-haired, pale-skinned assistant
Grayson, had just finished stocking the cases and flipped over the ‘Open’ sign
on the front door when Missy pulled up. The early morning crowd, folks on their
way to work, milled about while they waited for Grayson to unlock the door and
let them in. Missy chatted with several customers that she knew as the line
moved into the shop, excited to see that people actually left their homes early
in order to grab a breakfast treat. Once inside, she moved behind the counter
and helped Cheryl move the line as quickly as possible, while Grayson packed
orders that needed to be delivered later in the morning. When they finally had
a lull in the morning madness, Cheryl and Grayson tried the new cupcakes that
Missy had invented, and were equally as impressed as Ben and Chris had been.
As
she worked alongside him, Missy discreetly watched her newest employee,
Grayson, with pride, pleased that he was doing so well. The quiet youth might
look dramatic, with piercings, dark clothing, and hair that was longer than
hers or Cheryl’s, but he had a heart of gold, despite his troubled home life.
His sweet smile and quick wit had made him a fast favorite with customers,
despite some initial reservations early on, and he was blossoming with more confidence
every day.
Glad
to know that Grayson was more than capable of handling any customers who came
in, Missy drew Cheryl back into the kitchen for a chat. There was a Cupcake
Convention taking place in East Texas the following weekend, and she felt that
the young manager could really benefit from attending with her. Cheryl was
organized, intelligent and creative, but lacked the self-confidence to take her
creativity to the next level. Missy wanted to boost the young woman’s
self-esteem, and bring her to this event where they would both be inspired to
try new things and push themselves harder. Both shops were doing very well, and
part of the reason why, was the continued introduction of new products as a
daily event. Keeping fresh ideas flowing had become a bit of a challenge, which
is why Missy had gone to the Caribbean, hoping for new inspiration. She had
never been one to rest on her laurels, and considered grooming Cheryl for
success to be a responsibility that would benefit them both.
“Next
weekend, there’s a Cupcake Convention in Texas that I want you to attend with
me. It’s on Saturday and Sunday. We could leave Friday after closing. Sound
fun?” she asked the young manager.
Cheryl
hesitated. “Well, yes, that sounds amazing, but…”
“But
what?” Missy prodded with a smile, knowing that whatever argument the timid
girl came up with, she’d cheerfully dismiss, for her own good.
“But…what
about the store? Grayson is awesome, but there’s no way that he can handle
weekend traffic by himself,” she worried.
“I have
that under control,” she assured her conscientious protégé. “Ben has another
friend from grad school that will help Chris out at the Dellville store,
leaving Ben free to work with Grayson while you’re gone.”
“He’s
in on this, isn’t he?” Cheryl grinned and shook her head. She and Ben had been
dating for quite some time, and she knew her fellow manager well enough to know
that he’d almost certainly been a willing participant in Missy’s plan to make
her step outside of her comfort zone.
“Of
course he is,” her boss chuckled. “Look honey, we both want what’s best for
you, and I think this convention will be just the thing to kick-start your
creativity and give you the confidence to try new things. There’s no sense in
arguing…I already registered us and paid for our workshops,” she confessed,
giving the hesitant girl a reassuring hug. “It’s going to be fun!”
Missy
watched with amusement as Cheryl wandered, wide-eyed, through the exhibits at
the Convention Center. They had arrived late the previous night, and were in
line when the doors opened this morning. Both were fascinated by a cupcake
artistry booth, where cupcakes were literally presented as edible sculptures,
some of which were breathtakingly beautiful, featuring edible jewels, candy
lace, and more.
“Wow,”
Cheryl breathed, awestruck. “We’ve been totally focused on how the cupcakes
taste, but if we could do something like this…” her voice trailed off while her
mind spun with possibilities.
Missy
nodded her agreement. “Think about the possibilities for weddings, children’s
parties, all kinds of occasions.” Her words were acknowledged with an
absent-minded “Mmhmm,” as her young manager took pictures of the gorgeous
creations.
The
next booth featured innovative fillings that melted in their mouths and inspired
Cheryl to take copious notes. They explored “alternative cupcake” recipes to
address the needs of customers with special diets, sampling vegan, gluten-free,
lactose-free, and sugarless cakes, each one as delectable as the last, and
stayed for quite some time at a quirky cupcake topping and toppers booth.
“I
had no idea that there were so many different options other than frosting for
topping cupcakes,” Cheryl admitted, impressed and excited.
“Getting
some good ideas?” Missy asked, smiling at the enthusiasm that she had known the
young woman would enjoy.
“My
head is spinning with ideas! I think I could come up with a new cupcake every
day for a year and not use them all,” she exclaimed, her eyes darting in all
directions, searching for the next “booth of wonders.”
“And
this is only the first day,” Missy reminded the excited girl. “Tomorrow, we’ll
learn the latest tips and techniques for creating better recipes and increasing
kitchen efficiency.”
“Oh
my! I’ll take lots of notes,” Cheryl assured her.
The
duo spent the rest of the day visiting more booths, talking to fellow “cupcake
people” and gathering ideas to try upon their return. After a buffet dinner
where they met and chatted with more fun and creative people, Missy and her
newly motivated manager headed to their rooms and were both asleep the moment
their heads hit the pillow. Up early the next day, eager to get to the
conference rooms early and find a good seat, they grabbed a quick breakfast
from the coffee shop in the hotel and made their way back to the Convention
Center.
Missy
took a break in between workshops, leaving the room frowning at her phone,
concern etching her features. She had received a disturbing voicemail from
Echo, her friend who had recently moved to Dellville from California and purchased
the ice cream shop across the street, turning it into a vegan “ice cream” shop.
The clearly distraught woman’s words in the message were garbled by tears and a
bad connection, and Missy couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was saying.
Worried, she texted her friend to let her know that she didn’t have time to
call at the moment, but that she’d be in touch as soon as she was done for the
day. Her mind wandered with concern for her friend throughout the day, and as
soon as the last seminar ended, she excused herself and dialed Echo’s number,
frustrated when her call wasn’t answered.
Sweet
Love, Echo’s vegan frozen treat shop, didn’t open for several hours, but Missy
headed over there anyway, knowing that her carefree friend usually experimented
with new “ice cream” flavors in the morning, when there were no customers. The
front door was locked, which was unusual. Practically the only time the
diligent owner was absent was when she went home to her meals, and she was
consumed with the art of creating new and exciting flavors in her “spare time.”
Getting
no answer to repeated knocking on the front door, Missy tried the back, with
the same result. Worried, she called Detective Chas Beckett, whom she’d been
dating for a few months, to ask if he’d heard from Echo or knew what was going
on.
“Are
you sitting down?” the handsome detective asked, his voice serious.
“Oh
goodness, what happened, what’s going on Chas?” Missy demanded.
“Echo
was questioned by the Dellville police this weekend in connection with a
homicide.”
“A
homicide? Who? Why would they question Echo?” she exclaimed, worried about her
friend.
Beckett
sighed, hating that he couldn’t break the news to Missy in person. “One of her
customers died shortly after eating one of her desserts, and preliminary
reports indicate that he was poisoned,” he explained.
“Oh
my goodness, that’s awful!” Missy gasped. “But why on earth would anyone
suspect Echo? She wouldn’t hurt a fly. I mean, literally – when a fly gets
inside, she shoos them out rather than swatting them. She loves all creatures,
she’d certainly never kill someone,” she asserted.
“I
understand your concern, but how well do you really know this woman?”
His
question made her bristle. “I know her better than anyone else in this town, and
I’m telling you that there’s no way in the world that she could’ve done this!”
“Okay,
okay. I understand you’re upset, but let’s just give the police room to work on
this and not interfere,” he cautioned her, knowing her tendency to attack
situations head-on when she felt frustrated by lack of progress.
“How
can you say that, Chas? Echo is my friend. I’m going to try everything I can to
help her out, and I’m shocked that you wouldn’t want to do the same,” she
admonished him.
The
detective was trying his best to not let his frustration show. He hadn’t been
able to see Missy for quite some time due to her commitments to work and his
own, and didn’t want to waste time arguing. “Well, it’s out of my jurisdiction
for one thing, but let’s just table this discussion for now. Are you free for
dinner?”
Missy
sighed and tapped her foot, trying to decide how to answer. She wanted to
continue talking about what had happened to her friend, and was frustrated with
Chas’s seeming nonchalance in the matter. She missed the detective badly, not
having spent nearly enough time with him recently, but was torn by her desire
to help her friend. “I…I don’t know,” she sighed. “Let me check on Echo and see
if she needs anything, and I’ll let you know.”
“Okay,
I’ll talk to you later then,” he replied, hanging up quickly. She heard the
disappointment in his voice, but was resolved to try to get to the bottom of
what was going on with her friend.
When
Missy stood on the front porch of Echo’s quirky bungalow and rang the doorbell,
she was surprised to see a younger woman in tight-fitting and revealing
designer clothing answer the door.
“Hello,”
Missy smiled, receiving a blank stare in response. “I’m looking for Echo…is she
here?”
“Who
are you, a cop?” the girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously, chewing her gum.
“Oh,
goodness, no,” she shook her head. “I’m her friend, Missy,” she extended her
hand. “And you are..?”
The
girl looked down at Missy’s hand, raised an eyebrow at her rudely, and turned
away, calling out, “Echo, one of the townsfolk is here to see you.” She turned
back to Missy and said, “Wait here,” leaving her standing on the porch.
Moments
later, a scared and weary Echo opened the door. “Oh gosh, Missy, it’s so good
to see you!” her friend exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. “It’s been so
awful.”
“Oh
honey, I can imagine,” she sympathized, following her into the house.
“Would
you like some tea?” Echo asked, blotting her eyes with a linen cloth.
“Only
if you’ll have some too,” Missy replied, concerned.
The
rude girl who had answered the door brushed past them as they went into the
kitchen so that the distraught woman could fill the tea kettle.
“That’s
my sister, Safflower,” she explained apologetically. “She arrived the day
before the world turned upside down – she’s not taking it very well.”
Missy
nodded her understanding without speaking, keeping her thoughts about Echo’s
less than hospitable sibling to herself.
“Honey?”
Echo held up a clear glass jar with a drenched honeycomb inside.
“Oh
yes, please.”
Mugs
of steaming tea with honey in hand, the women went to the eclectically
decorated living room to talk. Safflower was in the adjacent dining room,
paging moodily through a fashion magazine that she must have purchased for
herself, her sister didn’t subscribe to such displays of conspicuous
consumerism.
“So
what happened?” Missy asked in a low voice, once they were seated on a Moroccan
print sofa. Incense gave the room a pleasant, smoky aroma.
Echo
related essentially the same story that Chas had told her, dabbing at the tears
that rolled down her cheeks at the recollection.
“So,
who was the…victim?”
“It
wasn’t someone I knew. I didn’t even serve him. I had run out of basil for the
new flavor I was making – Lemon Basil gelato made with rice milk, it’s amazing,
you’ll love it,” her mind wandered a moment in her distress. “…So I went to the
store, leaving Donna, my helper in charge. She was in the back when this
gentleman came in, so Safflower made him a Honduran Coffee cone. He started
eating it before he left and seemed perfectly fine, but apparently died shortly
after coming home.” She wrung her damp handkerchief miserably.
“Was
he a local?” Missy asked, probing gently. Safflower looked up from her magazine
briefly, glaring at the two, unnoticed.
“Yes.
He drove a tow truck or something.”
Missy
sat back as a sudden realization hit her. “Was it Sid Hixon?” she asked.
“Yes,
that was his name,” Echo nodded with surprise. “How did you know?”
“He’s
one of the few tow company owners in the area…and he has a bit of a
reputation,” she replied tactfully.
“A
reputation? What do you mean?”
Missy
glanced over toward Safflower, lowering her voice unconsciously. “He was never
known to be a pleasant person. He brawled at the taverns, belched in the cafes
and was rumored to have treated his wife, Mavis, pretty roughly,” she explained
sadly. “He’d tow people in a no-parking zone no matter what the reason. The
other drivers around here make exceptions for certain situations, but not Sid.
He once threatened to tow a car parked in front of the hospital when the owner
was giving birth in the back seat.”
Echo’s
mouth dropped open in shock. “Wow, that’s crazy!” she exclaimed, shaking her
head in disbelief. “But that still doesn’t mean that he deserved to die, and I
didn’t even know him – why on earth would I poison him?”
“Exactly
my point,” Missy leaned forward. “No one, that I know of anyway, liked Sid. He
had no friends, and lots of people who had reason to be upset with him. His
prices were the highest in three counties, and he would sell folks’ cars right
out from under them if they couldn’t afford to pay. It’s silly for the police
to point at you as the suspect when there are so many other possibilities.”
Echo
nodded sadly. “You and I know that, but I’m a newcomer around here. I don’t
have the same accent as everyone else, and my lifestyle is a little
weird…different. It’s easy to suspect the outsider.”
“Especially
when these ignorant hicks couldn’t find a criminal if he came up and seated
himself in their patrol car,” Safflower sneered from the other room. Echo
glanced in her direction and ignored the comment as Missy frowned and pursed
her lips, refraining from pointing out that at least “ignorant hicks” have
better manners than certain visiting sisters.
“Well,
now that I know who the victim is, I can help by asking around and trying to
find out who might’ve been angry enough with Sid to kill him,” Missy assured
her rattled friend. “I’m having dinner with Chas tonight, I’ll see if he has
any ideas.”
“Thank
you so much, Missy. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Echo hugged her
friend gratefully, while Safflower sighed audibly from the other room.
Finishing
her delicious tea, Missy stood to go. “Well, I don’t want to keep you. Hang in
there, okay? We’ll get this figured out, and tomorrow I’ll stop by with some
vegan cupcakes to raise your spirits,” she promised.
“Yeah,
that’ll make everything all better,” Safflower drawled sarcastically.
Missy
looked at her, raising a reproachful eyebrow and noting that the insolent girl
didn’t even have the common decency to appear chagrined. She made her way to
the front door, Echo trailing along behind. When she stepped onto the porch,
she was surprised that her friend followed her.
“Look,
I’m sorry about the way that my sister is behaving. She didn’t want me to move
to Louisiana in the first place. We have different…priorities,” she explained
awkwardly. She loved her little sister, but was mortified at her appalling
unwillingness to be polite.
“It
certainly seems that way,” Missy responded, choosing diplomacy over expressing
how she really felt about the rude visitor.
“Thanks
for understanding,” Echo hugged her again. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Missy
texted Chas when she got into her car, letting him know that she was available
for dinner. She wasn’t looking forward to another encounter with Safflower the
sourpuss tomorrow, but was resolved to be there for her friend until this mess
was resolved. She was relieved to open her own front door to an exuberant
welcome from her golden retriever, Toffee. Sloppy kisses and running her hands
through silky fur really helped melt the stress away at the end of the day, and
taking the sweet and gentle animal to the park for some fresh air did both dog
and owner a tremendous amount of good. Chas texted while they were in the
middle of a game of fetch to let Missy know that he’d pick her up at 7:00 for
dinner. Glancing at her watch, she noted that there was plenty of time to
finish her game with Toffee, walk home at a leisurely pace and get showered and
ready for dinner.