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  Banana Chocolate & Murder

  An Oceanside Cozy Mystery Series Book 2

  Susan Gillard

  Contents

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  Banana Chocolate & Murder

  1. Banana Chocolate VIPs

  2. The Bookstore Briefing

  3. Home Sweet Home

  4. Scuba and Shouting

  5. Shelly in Danger

  6. The Other Detectives

  7. The Helpful Assistant

  8. Interviews, Interviews, interviews

  9. The Suspect in the Shop

  10. Walking and Wondering

  11. The Jealous Boyfriend

  12. Who to Hire?

  13. The Ex

  14. Sharing Donuts and Information

  15. Welcome to the Club

  16. A Lovely Beach for Fighting

  17. A Cupcake Clue

  18. Catching a Killer and Seeing Some Sights

  Also by Susan Gillard

  About the Author

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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 2017 by Guardian Publishing Group - 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.

  Banana Chocolate & Murder

  Book 2

  Banana Chocolate VIPs

  “I feel like a VIP,” Eva said. “Entering the shop before it’s open.”

  “It makes me feel like all the donuts are being made for us,” Leila agreed.

  “Well, it’s the least I can do,” Heather said, smiling at her friends.

  Heather and her family had recently moved to Key West so she could open up a second Donut Delights shop. Eva and Leila had basically followed her there. They had wanted to remain close to their friends and the donuts that they loved. Heather was touched that the grandmotherly women had chosen to stay close to her family and, store open or not, was always happy to provide them with freshly baked donuts.

  “So, what’s the flavor of the week?” Eva asked.

  “The flavor just for us?” Leila joked.

  "I will be handing out some samples of this new flavor to drum up more excitement for our grand opening, and I will be using this recipe with the new assistants that we hire as a test run," Heather explained. "But you are my VIPs, and I did make a batch just for you."

  “I can’t take the suspense,” Leila said, dramatically putting a hand to her forehead.

  “But I can take a donut if you’ll tell me what it is,” Eva said with a smile.

  “My newest creation is the Banana Chocolate Donut,” Heather said, revealing them to her friends.

  “I think I’m going to go bananas for them!” said Leila.

  “And I think I’ll order a whole bunch,” said Eva.

  Heather groaned appreciatively at the puns but didn't let it dissuade her from describing the new donut.

  "The donut cake base is chocolate, but it's made with some bananas for both texture and flavor. However, overall, it should still have a rich chocolatey taste. Then the frosting is a new banana flavored icing that I created. I had to balance it so it wouldn't taste artificial, but would still have that nice yellow color."

  “That’s a mellow yellow I’d like to sink my teeth into,” Leila said.

  “And chocolate sprinkles on top?” Eva asked.

  “Of course,” said Heather. “I felt this called for some sprinkles.”

  “I think this calls for us to start eating, dear,” said Eva.

  Leila seconded the idea and Heather agreed. She handed out the donuts and enjoyed seeing the happy looks that always came to their faces when they tried a new flavor. At first, all Heather could make out was "mmm" but when they reached for seconds, she was positive they enjoyed them.

  “It tastes like I’m dipping bananas in fondue,” Eva said. “It’s both rich and light.”

  Heather was about to respond to the compliments when she was interrupted by the appearance of her best friend, Amy.

  “Am I missing donut time?” Amy asked.

  “It’s always donut time,” Heather said, handing her a snack.

  Amy was torn between making a sassy remark and eating her donut. In the end, the tasty snack won out. However, after she had devoured the donut, she said, “I needed that after all the errands I ran this morning.”

  “Is there still a lot to do?” Eva asked. “It really looks like it’s coming along.”

  She gestured around the shop and Heather had to agree with her. The counters, flooring, and tables were all finished. The new location had a beachy theme that would suit the tourists in the mood for tropical donuts. It looked different from Heather’s beloved first Donut Delights with golden floorboards and wrought iron tables, but she felt herself getting used to the drift wood look.

  “The main thing that we still need to accomplish is hiring out staff,” Heather said. “But we have some interviews set up for this week. Then we just need to stock up on a few things for the kitchen, and—“

  “And Heather is using my artistic eye to finish up the décor for the front,” said Amy. “I’ve picked up some things to help with centerpieces for the tables.”

  “Great,” Heather said. “I’m getting used to all the driftwood, but I think that it still needs a splash of color.”

  Eva and Leila giggled at her use of the word splash.

  Amy didn’t miss a beat and said, “That’s not the only splash we’re going to make. Heather promised to take me scuba diving. That’s one of the things I’ve been looking forward to the most about coming here.”

  “I promised that we could go after we hire an employee,” Heather reminded her.

  “You don’t seem as excited about it,” Eva commented.

  “I’m not against it. We’d probably see some amazing sights,” said Heather.

  “But?”

  “Something about it makes me nervous,” Heather admitted. “I guess I feel like I don’t have as much control in the water as on dry land. But it’s silly to be scared of it. We’d have an instructor. And I’ve certainly faced more frightening situations.”

  The other women nodded, thinking of the many close calls that Heather had faced as part of her investigations. Heather had a knack for solving murders, but also had a knack for encountering danger.

  “I’m sure it will be fun,” Heather said.

  “It will be incredible,” Amy said. “Think of all the fish we’ll see.”

  “We’ll see your buddy the clownfish?” Heather asked.

  "But his jokes aren't nearly as funny as mine," Amy said. "Now let me have another donut now. You're supposed to wait a half hour after eating before swimming, so you don't get cramps, so I better eat enough now."

  “We’re not going in a half hour,” Heather said. “We need to hire at least one employee before we go.”

  “We better let you two get down to business,” Eva said. “Besides, we wanted to check out some of the senior activities offered around here.”

  “Yes. And the quicker we get out of your hair, the quicker you can hire someone, and the quicker you can scuba,” Leila agreed.

  “About that,” Amy started.

  Right on cue,
the front door opened and in walked Digby.

  “Good morning,” the young man said, waving to them all.

  “We did already hire someone,” Amy reminded her.

  “Yes,” Heather admitted. “But I meant after we hired someone new. From our interviews. So it felt like we had made some progress.”

  They had hired Digby after his employer had been murdered and he had helped them catch the killer. He was a bit melodramatic but had a good heart. He was also very excited about baking donuts.

  “You might have meant that,” said Amy. “But you said after we hire someone, and we hired Digby.”

  “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Digby asked.

  “Not at all,” said Heather. “At least, not about hiring you.”

  "So let's give him fill out his paperwork, so he's official, and then let's dive into some scuba fun."

  “Not so fast,” Heather said. “You don’t think I’m going to have a new assistant join the team and not immediately bake donuts with them?”

  “Really?” Both Digby and Amy asked. One asked in enthusiasm, while the other asked with annoyance.

  “Really,” Heather said. “It’s time to bake another batch.”

  The Bookstore Briefing

  "Digby is going to be a great addition to the team," Heather said. "He was a quick learner. He was competent."

  “And he ate more donuts that I did,” said Amy. “He’s going to love it there.”

  “I think so,” said Heather. “And he showed ambition by offering to hand out the free samples in front of the store.”

  "I think he enjoys describing the flavor," said Amy. "He thinks of it as a performance. I bet part of him wants to be an actor."

  "It could be," said Heather. "But I appreciate it because it also gives us the opportunity to make our own donut delivery on the street."

  She and Amy were bringing a box of donuts over to Bernadette’s Beachy Books. The owner was one of the few people on the block who had befriended them, and they were eager to maintain the relationship.

  As they walked down the street, they saw one of the people who remained unhappy to see newcomers set up shop. Mr. Rankle was standing outside his store and was giving them the evil eye as they passed. He had accused them of murdering another shop owner on the street and had been disappointed when they had caught the real killer instead of heading off to jail themselves. It seemed that the real crime to Mr. Rankle was not being a local.

  “Good morning, Mr. Rankle,” Heather greeted him, trying her best to thaw his icy exterior.

  "Morning," he said curtly, purposely cutting off the good.

  Heather and Amy walked away with Amy muttering, “I don’t think we’re ever going to get anywhere with him. Write him off as spoiled milk and ignore him.”

  "He's our neighbor, and we've got to try," Heather said. "He might come around eventually. And until then we'll be neighborly with Bernadette."

  They entered her shop and felt cozily surrounded by books.

  "I don't know who you are, but with those donuts, I'm glad to see you," a young woman with a long braid greeted them.

  “Thanks, and hello,” said Amy.

  “I see you’ve met my assistant, Gina,” Bernadette said, joining them.

  Heather and Amy smiled at the woman they expected to see and then shook hands with the new person, before handing donuts out all around.

  “You weren’t exaggerating,” Gina said. “These are delicious.”

  “Gina and I don’t normally work the same shifts,” Bernadette said. “But she was away last week and missed all the excitement, so I had to update her how the new neighbors cleared me of a murder charge.”

  “Too much happens when I’m gone,” Gina said.

  “At least you’re here for the donuts,” Heather said.

  They chatted amicably for a few more minutes and enjoyed the snacks, and then Gina admitted that she had some work to catch up on and excused herself.

  “She seems like a good employee,” Heather said. “We’re about to start our interviews for our new staff.”

  “That can be nerve-wracking,” Bernadette said.

  Heather nodded. “I’d conducted interviews before, but to be honest most of my staff sort of fell into my lap. They were either referred to me, or I met them while investigating a case.”

  “Sleuthing often leads to good employees,” Amy said. “But we can’t use that technique here. We need to hire in the near future.”

  “Well,” Bernadette said. “There is something that I do when I interview potential employees. I noticed it on an interview and then used it myself.”

  “What is it?” Heather asked.

  "I like to ask a question about my shop, but then offer a potential answer. So, if I were interviewing you, I might ask: What sort of mysteries do you like to read? Agatha Christie? And then I see how they respond. It's a balance of accepting the employer's suggestion and offering their own. There's no right answer, exactly. But if they only accept the answer I suggested, then they might not be confident enough to make suggestions on other work things."

  “And if they say your suggestion is the worst thing ever or otherwise insult it,” Amy said, scholarly. “Then you can extrapolate that they’ll be rude to others.”

  “Right,” said Bernadette.

  “Though we might agree that Agatha Christie is the one that we like to read,” Heather said. “I don’t often have time to sit down with a book, but she is a great author. And Then There Were None kept me guessing right to the very end.”

  “And it’s hard to stump Heather,” said Amy.

  “But see,” Bernadette said. “Your anecdote proves to me that you have read her and aren’t just saying the most popular thing.”

  “Thanks,” Heather said. “This might be a good idea to try. I can ask about how they feel about donut flavors.”

  Amy cleared her throat, and Heather smiled.

  “Thank you for your help with that,” said Heather. “But truth be told, we came here for your help in another matter. Something we thought we should ask a local about.”

  “What?”

  “We’d like to go scuba diving tomorrow and were hoping you could suggest an instructor.”

  “How exciting,” said Bernadette. “You’ll have your undersea moment like Pierre Aronnax.”

  “Who?” asked Amy.

  “Sorry. I should have said Captain Nemo. He’s more well known. It’s a Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea reference. It's a funny thing. You know that the twenty thousand leagues don't refer to depth, but rather to how much traveling they did under the water?"

  “No,” Amy said. “And I don’t know where to go scuba diving.”

  “Right,” Bernadette said, thinking about it. “There are two small scuba schools that are very close by, so I’d recommend one of them. There’s Shelly’s Scuba School and Club Scuba. But they’re both named after their owner’s. Club is the man’s last name.”

  “Would you recommend one over the other?” Heather asked.

  “They are pretty similar and close competition,” Bernadette said. “But Shelly comes in and finds good books. She’s a sweetheart. I think I’d chose her.”

  “Great,” Heather said, thanking her. “And Amy, do you believe now that I am going to do this with you?”

  “We could go today and get it over with?” Amy suggested with a smile.

  “I can’t,” Heather said. “I have something much more difficult to do tonight.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Make sure Lilly is set for her first day of school tomorrow!”

  Home Sweet Home

  Heather and Amy returned home, which was now at the same building. They had moved into a three-family home in Key West where Heather and her family lived in one apartment, Amy and her boyfriend Jamie lived above them, and Eva and Leila were next door. It was a comfortable living arrangement because it meant that the friends never had to travel far to see one another. It was al
so easy to share donuts throughout the house.

  It was also helping Ryan and Jamie to become better friends. The two men were watching a baseball game on the Shepherd's TV and having a good time when their significant others returned.

  Heather updated them on their morning and on her reluctant plans to go scuba diving the next day. Ryan and Jamie were eager to accompany them. Heather was still a little nervous that the phrase “sink or swim” would be applicable when they tried it, but she felt a little bit better about it when she realized that three people she cared about would be there with her as she learned.

  “How was your day?” she asked.

  “We went to the beach with Lilly this morning,” Ryan said. “But then we had to come home so that the plumber could work on the upstairs bathroom.”

  “It wouldn’t stop flushing,” Jamie explained.

  “I guess I’m glad we missed one house quirk,” Amy groaned.

  “Don’t worry,” Heather said, shaking her head. “We’ll be around for the next.”

  As much as they loved living near each other and how easy it was to travel to the beach, their house certainly wasn't an island 5-Star hotel. Their new business investor and landlord felt bad about the issue and sent professionals to fix the household problems as soon as they occurred, but unfortunately, more and more professionals had to visit. They became friendly with the plumber, and Heather thought that he didn't mind how often he had to make repairs because he was provided with delicious donuts in addition to his compensation.

  “And then we started watching the game,” said Ryan. “It felt like a real vacation.”