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  Blackberry Cream & Murder

  An Oceanside Cozy Mystery Series Book 5

  Susan Gillard

  Contents

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  Blackberry Cream & Murder

  1. The Aquarium Outing

  2. Blackberry Cream Planning

  3. B&B By The Sea

  4. A Late Night Fight

  5. The Other Guests

  6. Pickiness and Poison

  7. Breakfast Table Crime Scene

  8. A, Bea, See

  9. Clues to Feast On

  10. The Other Victim

  11. Wife Turned Widow

  12. And the Trail Leads To…

  13. Asking Agnes

  14. The Couples

  15. Not Quite the Vacation They Were Planning

  16. Conferring with the Detectives

  17. Confession

  18. Bed and Breakfast at Home

  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.

  Blackberry Cream & Murder

  Book 4

  The Aquarium Outing

  Lilly giggled. “It’s different from petting Dave or Cupcake. No fur. And much wetter.”

  Heather grinned at her daughter. She expected petting a sea creature to be very different from petting her beloved dog and kitten. She wasn’t expecting it to be as enjoyable as the smile on Lilly’s face declared it to be.

  “I’ll give it a try too,” Heather said, moving closer to the Touch Tank. She had listened to the guide’s instructions and put her hand into the water. She gently touched the sea star.

  “Is it slimy?” her best friend Amy asked.

  "No," Heather assured her. "And the guide told us that nothing would bite or pinch us. Why don't you try?"

  “I’d like to,” Eva piped up.

  “And I’ll dip my toes in,” Leila said. “Sort to speak.”

  It wasn’t every day that Heather got to pick up hermit crabs and pet sea cucumbers. She was usually either covered in sugar baking delicious donuts or looking for clues in an investigation. However, today she was visiting the Aquarium with her friends and family.

  They had decided that they would have an outing together every Saturday to make sure that they enjoyed every exciting activity that their new home in Key West had to offer. They had recently moved to the island so Heather could open up a second Donut Delights shop. Though it had been a bit of a bumpy start, they were now open and were providing freshly baked donuts to happy customers.

  They made for a large group at the Aquarium, and Amy kept joking that they were like a school of fish in their own right. The Shepherd family consisted of Heather, her husband Ryan and their daughter Lilly. They were joined by their senior friends Eva and Leila who kept joking about how they wanted to swim with the sharks for a thrill. Amy’s boyfriend Jamie was also part of the group.

  Jamie joined them at the Touch Tank and allowed a giant hermit crab to crawl over his hand. “I don’t think I’d have any of these animals as clients,” he said. “But they sure would be easy to bathe.”

  Jamie was going to talk to their investor friend that afternoon about starting his own pet grooming business in the area. He was a little nervous about it and kept making comments about the sea creatures in relation to his business.

  After they finished getting up close and personal with the Touch Tank and washed their hands, they tried to decide where they wanted to go next. They had already watched the stingrays' feeding and saw tropical fish swim around in a living mangrove ecosystem exhibit. The colorful fish had trickled in and out of the mangrove tree roots and some quick ones had only looked like flashes of red or yellow.

  “What should we see next?” Heather asked, consulting a tour map.

  "Anything except the Man-Of-Wars," Amy said, making a face. Those deadly jellyfish had been used as a murder weapon in a case they investigated before, and Amy was not eager to see them again. Heather nodded. It wasn't the animals' fault that they had been used to kill, but she also couldn't look at them without thinking about the case. Today wasn't a day for looking murderers but was for spending time with loved ones and sea creatures.

  “How about the sea turtles?” Lilly suggested, and they all agreed.

  “They have a conservation tour that will tell us how they save the turtles that need help,” said Ryan. “And I think they even have a turtle with a prosthetic flipper.”

  “Let’s swim on over there and see it,” Amy said.

  They started walking over to the exhibit.

  “This has been such a nice visit,” Eva said. “Watching the fish is both fascinating and soothing. And we’ve learned so much about the different types.”

  "And how some of them feel to the touch," added Lilly.

  “It’s nice to just get out of the house,” said Heather.

  “Especially right now,” agreed Ryan.

  They loved their new house because it allowed the three families to live next to one another, and because of its beautiful location. However, there kept being problems with their new home in paradise. This weekend it was the air-conditioner in the Shepherd house that was on the fritz and had instead started blowing heat into the home. It was sweltering inside their place, and they were told that a maintenance specialist couldn't fix it until Monday. They were going to have to sweat it out.

  "It will be all right, dear," Eva said. "We can find more comfortable arrangements for everyone. You can either stay with Leila and me, or with Amy and Jamie."

  "I hate to intrude, but if it stays this hot, then I think we will have to accept the offer," Heather said.

  "Dave and Cupcake already did," Amy said, reminding her that her pet dog and cat were already staying in the upstairs apartment to stay cool. "I just hope that they aren't making themselves too much at home and marking it as their own."

  “I’m sure they’ll behave themselves,” Heather said. “They know if they misbehave, they won’t be getting any donut treats when we get home.”

  “I could use some donut treats myself,” said Eva.

  "After the Aquarium, I'm going to head over to Donut Delights to whip up a batch of my new flavor to try to deliver at a bed and breakfast," Heather said. "You're welcome to join me."

  “You don’t need to ask me twice,” said Eva.

  “But first, the sea turtles,” said Lilly.

  "Yes," Heather agreed. "First, the turtles."

  The gang headed over to the exhibit and watched the sea turtles swim. They learned about the conservation efforts to keep them safe from boating accidents.

  Heather loved the exhibit. She was happy to see how the graceful creatures were being protected in their moment of need.

  Lilly leaned against her as they watched the animals and she hugged her daughter. She was grateful that she was able to enjoy this experience without any other responsibilities hanging over her head. However, based on how busy she usually became with both her donut business and her investigations, she w
as certain that this peacefulness wouldn’t last for long.

  Blackberry Cream Planning

  "How is it going today?" Heather asked as she entered Donut Delights and saw her three assistants.

  “No trouble from Mr. Rankle. He’s given up on any pranks today. And business has been pretty good. People are grabbing donuts on their way to the beach,” Digby reported happily.

  “And they are loving the new flavor,” Luz said. “Blackberries don’t seem to be used in too many desserts, so it seems exotic.”

  "I wanted to try out some new berry flavors," Heather said. "I thought it would go well with the bed and breakfast we're trying to impress. These flavors should complement the jellies that they serve with their toast and waffles."

  “Then I’m glad that we’re trying to impress them,” said Luz. “Because you created something delicious for it.”

  “How were the fish?” Digby asked.

  "It was a lot of fun at the Aquarium," said Heather. "And I think we're going to have an influx of business soon because the rest of my group are following me here with the promise of fresh donuts."

  "I'm a little worried about this," Nina said. "We've been keeping up with supplying the shop with donuts even when it gets busy. But if we're going to start filling the online orders as you said we would, then we might end up short-staffed."

  "Don't worry," Heather said. "The online orders will be split between here and the Hillside location so that we won't get overwhelmed. But if it does start to seem too busy for you all, then I promise to hire some more help."

  Heather was willing to fulfill this promise but wasn't looking forward to the hiring process again. It had been quite an ordeal finding the proper staff, but she was more than pleased with the results. Her new staff was exactly what she needed at the shop.

  She knew they would be able to face any challenges that came their way, and she knew they would be able to handle the increased baking by filling online orders.

  This had been one of the main reasons that Heather had agreed to the move and second location. Besides the excitement of the change, it also made sense to open Donut Delights – Key West because it meant that there would be two kitchens to fulfill the rapidly growing online orders instead of just one.

  However, Heather thought it was more important to deal with the orders in front of her. She started filling a box for the bed and breakfast order but paused as her family and friends entered. Then, she joined her assistants putting the flavor of the week on plates for them.

  “Just one for the road,” Jamie said. “Then I need to go meet Rudolph Rodney.”

  He enjoyed one bite of the donut and then kissed Amy goodbye. She commented on how sweet his kiss was and then turned to the rest of the group.

  “So, tell us about this flavor,” Amy said.

  Heather smiled. “You are all about to enjoy the Blackberry Cream Donut.”

  “You used blackberries in a recipe?” Ryan asked.

  “I told you people thought it was exotic,” Luz piped up before going to serve another customer.

  “They can be a tart berry,” Eva commented. “But I’m sure you’ve done something to make them sweeter.”

  "That's right," said Heather. "The donut cake base is a blackberry and cream flavor, and the rich, creamy taste keeps the berry from being overpowering."

  “Good.” Leila joked, “I wouldn’t want to be overpowered by a berry.”

  "Then it's filled with a blackberry jelly. And it's topped with a creamy frosting that keeps everything tasting sweet," Heather finished.

  “I like the way it looks too,” said Lilly. “Normally only the chocolate donuts are dark colored, but this is a purplish-black color that’s pretty.”

  “Not too pretty to eat though, I hope,” said Heather.

  Lilly shook her head definitively. She was planning on eating it.

  “You know the phrase “You can’t have your donut and eat it too”? Well, let’s choose to eat them,” said Amy.

  The group agreed and started eating. Only after they had finished one and were reaching for seconds were they able to compliment the taste.

  “I always loved strawberries and cream,” said Eva. “But this might be my new favorite berry.”

  “Yes,” agreed Leila. “I love it berry much.”

  “You’re lucky this donut has put me into too good of a mood to groan at that,” said Amy.

  They all laughed. Then, their topic of conversation led to a discussion of what to do at the house that night.

  “Leila and I were thinking that we’d love for Lilly to sleepover at our part of the house tonight,” Eva said. “She’s promised us a new dinosaur story.”

  “It’s true,” said Lilly. “Seeing all the fish and sea turtles and alligators today made me want to write one of my stories about the aquatic dinosaurs. I could have a Pliosaurus character.”

  “Gesundheit,” Amy joked.

  "Or an Elasmosaurus,” said Lilly.

  “What long names,” said Leila. “With our mouths full of donuts, I’m surprised you can say any of them.”

  “Lilly is great with scientific names,” Eva said. “She’s a very bright child to be so adept at both science and literature.”

  Lilly blushed. “I only know a few of the dinosaurs that lived the in water. But I would like to write a story about them.”

  “We’d be happy to let you sleep over there and read the story,” Heather said. “As long as I get to hear it too.”

  “Of course,” said Lilly.

  “And we could set up the blowup mattress for the pair of you to keep you out of the heat of your home,” said Eva. “Would you like it in our living room or Amy’s?”

  “If it’s my room, I might have to insist that we watch Beaches,” said Amy. “We haven’t watched it since we arrived. And, hello, we’re surrounded by beaches now. It’s a sign we should watch it.”

  Heather laughed. “How about I decide after I deliver these donuts to the B&B By The Sea? I need the owner to sample them to see if she’ll become a regular customer.”

  “I can come with you to help you carry things,” said Ryan.

  “And I can come with you to help eat the things,” said Amy.

  “I think we’ll head home and rest for a bit,” said Eva. “And we can check on the pets for you.”

  “Do you mind if I go with them too?” Lilly asked. “I want to get started writing on my pink typewriter.”

  Heather agreed, and the group started to go their separate ways, but not before Heather had filled some donut travel boxes. One was for the bed and breakfast, but the other was for midnight snacks.

  B&B By The Sea

  “They do smell good, but the taste is everything.”

  Heather nodded, waiting for the owner of B&B By The Sea to sample a donut. Bea was a middle-aged woman with a tight bun on her head. She wore a festive apron and Heather suspected that she had a variety of options to choose from. Today's apron was decorated with a sugar and spice theme.

  "I usually do all my own cooking and baking, but I've wanted to leave some things to snack on out in the dining room in the afternoon, and these might be just the thing."

  “I think they’re a great afternoon snack,” Amy said.

  Bea raised the donut to her mouth but then paused. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to contact you. I know that you’re new to the area.”

  Heather and Amy exchanged a look. Their one shop neighbor Mr. Rankle had given them quite a hard time about opening shop without being a lifelong local, but they had hoped that the sentiment wasn’t held by everyone.

  “But Bernadette from the bookstore said that you were very nice and made good food. I get all my coffee table books from her, so I know she has good taste,” said Bea.

  “We’ve found her to be a good neighbor,” said Ryan.

  “But I do have very high standards about what I serve here,” Bea continued. “So, this would have to meet those standards.”

  “Why don’t you just ta
ke a bite?” asked Heather.

  Bea relented and tasted the Blackberry Cream Donut. Her eyes lit up. "I think we can do business together."

  “I’m very glad to hear that,” said Heather. “I’ve brought several samples of our jelly donuts. Besides the Blackberry Cream, I’ve brought Classic Strawberry, Wild Raspberry, and a few others. When Bernadette mentioned your bed and breakfast to us, she mentioned that you have wonderful jellies to go with your pancakes.”

  “I try to serve fine jellies,” said Bea, proudly. “You wouldn’t happen to have an elderberry donut, would you?”

  “I’m afraid not,” said Heather. “But I could experiment with the taste and come up with one. It could be one of my weekly new flavors.”

  “No. It’s all right,” said Bea. “I didn’t expect you to have it, but one of my guests is very insistent on having elderberries.”

  “I didn’t think it was that common,” said Heather.

  “It’s not,” said Bea. “I’m having one heck of a time finding elderberry jelly that I can serve to him in the morning. I think I finally have a lead and can have it for breakfast so I won’t have to hear another tirade. Thankfully he’s only here for the weekend.”

  “I’m sure he’ll like one of these donuts,” Amy said.

  “If he has proper taste buds, he will,” Bea agreed.

  “Thank you,” said Heather. “So, should we bring more donuts over tomorrow for your dining room?”

  A thought occurred to Bea. "If I haven't scared you off with my description of the grumpy guest, I'd like to invite you to stay over tonight and see how my breakfasts usually work. I'll provide this breakfast in exchange for some donuts, and then I will buy them properly for future meals."