Funfetti Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 52 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

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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.

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 1

  “I can see how this donut gets its name,” Lilly said. “The Funfetti Donut is lots of fun!”

  “Then it’s a success. That’s what I was going for,” Heather said with a smile. She felt it was an especially sweet moment, both because she was able to spend some quality time with her daughter and because they covered in a thin layer of sugar. Finding the exact balance of color and donut-cake-base had been a deliciously dusty experience this time, but Lilly didn’t seem to mind. She had a huge grin on her face.

  “I bet we’re going to raise a lot of money with these,” Lilly said.

  Heather nodded. She chuckled as she admitted that it was always her aim to make money with her treats when she sold them at her shop Donut Delights. However, profit wasn’t the main reason for her business. She loved bringing joy into people’s lives with something she had a talent for, even if it was just for snack time.

  The Funfetti Donuts that she and Lilly were cooking up weren’t for the display counter at Donut Delights, however. They were for a bake sale that Lilly’s school was having. The PTA seemed to be banking on parents having time to help with the fundraiser in between school letting out and summer plans beginning. It did seem to work in Heather’s case. She was happy to help with Lilly’s school, especially when it came to bake sales. She would much rather whip up some of her world-class donuts for a cause than to sell raffle tickets or help with a car wash. However, her world had seemed very busy of late. It was sometimes hard to balance motherhood with owning a small business and, of course, solving the occasional murder.

  Luckily, she and Lilly were able to team up and create a donut for the event together. Working together creatively as mother and daughter had been as satisfying as the confectionary concoction they came up with.

  Lilly had suggested that they make something eye-catching and colorful so it would stand out on the bake sale table, and Heather had happily obliged. Using that idea as a springboard, Heather had come up with the cheerful Funfetti Donut. It was a basic vanilla flavor so it wouldn’t scare away any potential buyers, and it had bursts of every color of the rainbow.

  They were just about to bite into a sample of their hard work when they were joined by other hungry mouths. Heather’s best friend and partner in solving murder cases, Amy, had come in to investigate the source of the delicious smell. She was joined by Heather’s newest Donut Delights assistant Emily Potts.

  “Are these the donuts for the bake sale?” Amy asked.

  “Yes,” Heather replied. “But there might be a few that can stay here for our enjoyment.”

  Lilly giggled as Amy and Emily Potts inched forward toward the colorful dessert. Amy picked up a donut right away to begin her edible enjoyment. Emily Potts was more reserved. She was Heather’s most studious assistant and carried a notebook around with her to take notes on the new flavors. True to form, she opened her notebook to a blank page and prepared herself to write about the newest donut.

  “What is this colorful one called?” Emily asked.

  “This is the Funfetti Donut,” Heather said. “It was Lilly’s idea to make something so colorful to attract attention at the sale.”

  Lilly beamed and then helped Emily Potts with her notes, making sure she spelled “Funfetti” correctly. To make the note page match the fun theme, Emily Potts allowed her to doodle some happy donut drawings in the margins.

  “I think it will work,” Amy said. “I can’t take my eyes off them. Or at least I can’t until they’ve all been devoured, which I think I’m about to embark on.”

  Heather jokingly hit Amy’s grabbing hands away from the table, but did say seriously, “We can’t eat them all. They’re for Lilly’s school.”

  “But school’s out for the summer,” Amy pleaded.

  Heather allowed her friend to have a second helping, but then started boxing up the other donuts to hide temptation.

  “They’re raising money for new playground equipment,” Heather said. “I think the hope is that they will raise enough with this event that they can start ordering and building soon. Ideally, the new playground would be ready when school opens in the fall.”

  Heather was being very efficient with boxing up the donuts and had almost put them all away before she realized that Emily Potts had never had her sample. She handed one to her grateful assistant.

  “It’s delicious,” said Emily. “Sweet and simple, but beautiful to look at.”

  “It’s a vanilla cake base with Funfetti sprinkles inside to give it a colorful look. Then it has vanilla icing on top with even more sprinkles.”

  “It’s like a cake and a donut at the same time,” Amy said. “I love when you combine my favorite desserts together. Whether it’s cake and donuts. Or pie and donuts. Or cinnamon rolls and donuts. Basically, anything and donuts.”

  Emily Potts finished her donut and notes with a smile. “I’m sure everyone at Donut Delights will love these as much as we do.”

  “I hope so,” Heather said. “But these guys are headed to the bake sale first. Then I’ll display them here.”

  “Do you need any help bringing them over to the sale?” Emily Potts asked, always willing to assist.

  “Amy is going to help me,” Heather said. “If I can still trust her around the donuts.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Amy. “If I eat any of the donuts at the bake sale, I’ll pay for them and donate to the cause. I bet they could get a new swing set with all the donuts I eat.”

  They all laughed. Then Heather got down to business making sure that Emily Potts and the other assistants could run the business while she was out. Amy and Lilly helped Heather bring the boxes of Funfetti Donuts to her car.

  “Thanks for doing this, Mom,” Lilly said.

  “I’m happy to,” Heather said. “And let’s hope our Funfetti will lead to fun
on a new playground!”

  Chapter 2

  “Here you go,” Heather said, handing Funfetti Donuts over to a mother and son who were patrons at the bake sale. It was hard to tell who was more excited about trying the fun flavor because they both had big grins and expectant eyes. They took appreciative bites and walked off together in good spirits.

  Heather and Amy were selling their donuts at a table and enjoying the atmosphere. The sale had only wanted parent volunteers, so they had dropped Lilly off with her dad who was planning a trip to the movies for the two of them. Ryan had kissed Heather and told her how happy he was to have an afternoon off from investigating murders. The detective had made sure to knock on wood after that comment, and Heather and Amy had left him on his own to see if the superstitious behavior would hold up.

  The bake sale was set up under a veranda in one of Hillside’s parks. The location’s original intention was to allow for bands to play for residents who could either wander around in the park’s natural beauty while listening to music or to set up lawn chairs and enjoy a concert. School marching bands and an occasional garage band did play songs there, but the veranda was used just as often for other fundraising activities.

  Heather had been concerned about all the sweet goods being out in the Texas heat for the bake sale, but the weather was being mercifully kind and wasn’t baking them and the desserts in its sun. As she looked around, she saw that other members of the PTA had planned ahead and had coolers for the items that should stay chilled and for beverages. She was also proud to see that her donuts were one of the fastest selling items on the tables. Either the knowledge that they were from the Donut Delights baker or Lilly’s idea about bright colors (or a combination of the two) were causing her Funfetti Donuts to be quite a success. This was not lost on Amy.

  “Your donuts are really flying off the shelves. Or table, rather.”

  “I know,” Heather said. “And if I see who I think I see coming, they’re about to disappear even faster.”

  Heather smiled as her suspicions were confirmed. Her favorite customers at Donut Delights and now her close friends, Eva and Leila, were approaching the table. The two older ladies looked ready to buy a good amount of the bake sale and carry it away with them. They were carrying a huge tote bag between them.

  Heather knew how much the two ladies loved their sweets, but she was a tad concerned about how much they might end up bringing home with them. This was mainly because they were still staying with her until their house was repaired after it was a victim of arson. Her kitchen cabinets were already bursting with sweet treats, and she wasn’t sure how much more they could hold.

  “I don’t know how I feel about this.” Eva joked, “You’re hiding a new flavor from us.”

  “After all our loyal years of patronage at Donut Delights, you’d hide this colorful fellow from us?” Leila asked with mock sorrow and indignation.

  “I’m not hiding anything,” Heather laughed.

  “You did find us pretty easily,” Amy added.

  “These donuts will be at Donut Delights soon, and I’m sure some will appear in my kitchen tonight so that you won’t be missing out on any donuts.”

  Eva and Leila looked at each other.

  “I’m not sure we can wait that long,” Eva said.

  “No new donuts until tonight?” Leila wailed.

  “That won’t do. We’ll have to buy some now,” Eva said with a wink.

  Heather prepared the donuts for her friends, and they happily took a bite.

  “I know I say this about all your donuts, but this is delicious,” Leila said.

  “And we’re very happy to support the school,” Eva said. “Especially if we get something tasty in return.”

  “Speaking of getting tasty things, I can’t help but notice the giant bag you two brought to the bake sale,” Heather said.

  “We’re professional investigators, and I have a suspicious mind now,” Amy said. “You’re not trying to get rid of a body in that thing, are you?”

  The two older ladies laughed.

  “No, no. Nothing like that,” Eva said. “This is just for snacks.”

  Heather’s eyes widened, but Eva and Leila quickly reassured her.

  “It’s not all for us, dear,” Eva said.

  “Even I couldn’t eat that much,” Leila said.

  “We’re going to check on the crew that is repairing our house and bring them some refreshments in exchange for their hard work,” Eva explained.

  “Taryn Turner said that we could stop by anytime,” Leila said.

  “Though we might have to wear a hard hat if they’re working on the wall structural damage.”

  “Luckily this outfit goes with anything,” Leila joked. “Even hard hats.”

  Heather laughed. She was glad that the repairs were going well. They had first met their home renovator when she was under suspicion of murder, but since she had been cleared of wrongdoing, she had proven herself as a capable and enthusiastic home design and repair expert.

  It looked as if the renovations might be done soon and Eva and Leila would be able to return home. Heather had mixed feelings. She knew the ladies loved their home and would be happy to return to it. Heather wanted them to be as comfortable as possible, but she had to admit she would miss them when they moved out of her living room. It had felt like she had two grandmothers that were living with her. She loved both Eva and Leila in their own right, but because she missed her own dearly departed grandmother it was nice to have matriarchal figures at home.

  Then again, she knew that these friends would never be far from her life. Regardless of where they lived, they all felt like a family, and they would stay close, especially if Heather kept cooking up new donuts for them to try.

  Eva and Leila bought some more Funfetti Donuts, both for themselves and for the crew. Then they went to browse the other options at the bake sale and walked away talking about their preference between blondies and brownies.

  “With so few donuts left for sale, I won’t feel too bad when I run away from you,” Amy said.

  “It’s almost that time?” Heather asked.

  Amy nodded. Heather had been grateful that her bestie accompanied her today, both because she loved spending time with her and because it meant she had an ally at the event. Heather felt like she wasn’t great making small talk with the other parents, especially with the President Marcia Lindau and her cronies. They seemed to make everything into a competition. Heather knew that emotionally she would always think Lilly was the best child in the world. When it came to markers that could be compared objectively, well, Heather didn’t really care who jumped the furthest or scored the highest. She wanted Lilly to do the best that she could do, and strive to accomplish her own goals. Heather also didn’t like to wave her child’s accomplishments around like some sort of flag.

  Heather liked to talk about Lilly when people really cared about hearing how she was doing, or when another parent wanted to talk and relate to how tricky parenting could be. However, she didn’t like to try and “one up” the other parents, and that seemed to be the main hobby of Marcia Lindau and friends.

  Amy had told her that she couldn’t stay the whole day though. She and her boyfriend Jamie had just selected the house they were going to rent together. They had plans to go out to dinner and then start making the tough decisions about furniture.

  “I’m not sure which couch is going to win out,” Amy said. “I think mine will match the new space better, but his is more comfortable.”

  “Maybe you could put a slipcover over his?” Heather suggested.

  “Maybe,” Amy agreed.

  Heather’s thoughts turned to the unpleasant task ahead of helping her friend move. It would probably feel like double the work because items would be coming from both her and Jamie’s former homes. However, she didn’t want Amy to think she wasn’t excited about the move and pushed the heavy lifting thoughts away before she grimaced.

  Amy left, and Heather sold
her last few donuts. She wondered if she should have brought more supplies, but decided she had already brought in more than some of the other volunteer bakers.

  She also realized that she shouldn’t just leave after all her goods were sold. She should probably check in with some of the other PTA members and see if there was anything else she should do. She took a deep breath and went to face the music.

  Chapter 3

  “It looks like the bake sale is going well,” Heather said as she joined Marcia and a few other young moms by the pie table. Marcia looked impeccably made up and was wearing a stylish cardigan that matched her slacks and her painted nails. She was wearing heels that Heather thought were rather impractical for a bake sale in a park.

  “I’d agree and say it has been very successful,” Marcia said. “Our hard work has paid off, and I believe we’ll be able to get the new playground equipment. The children will be provided for.”

  The three moms who she had been talking applauded at this mini speech. Heather wasn’t quite sure why and refrained from clapping herself.