Green Velvet Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 16 Read online

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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 2016 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.

  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 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 1

  Heather stripped off her apron, then hung it on a hook beside the door in the kitchen of Donut Delights.

  The chocolate scent of her newest creations wafted through the air. Rich, creamy, deep-fried and double-dipped in a green glaze. Oh yeah, the Green Velvet Donut would be a resounding success.

  Heather opened the kitchen doors and strode out into the store, excitement squirming through her belly.

  So much had changed in the past few weeks. Donut Delights had grown beyond her wildest dreams, and there’d be more to come if her new prospective backer had his say.

  Glowing light filled the inside of the store, glancing off the glass tops of her wrought iron tables, and the golden boards beneath them. Chatter hummed through the space, broken by laughter or the clink of cups on saucers.

  Serenity – this was her happy place.

  Amy waved at her from the counter, lips taut. She mouthed something then pointed at one of the tables at the front of the store.

  Heather frowned. “What?”

  Amy pressed her finger to her lips. What had gotten into her bestie this time? Ah well, as long as it didn’t have anything to do with leg day.

  Heather hurried to the counter, then halted beside her bestie. “What’s wrong?” She asked, underneath her breath.

  “That’s what’s wrong,” Amy replied, through her teeth. She made eyebrows at two women sitting at next to Eva’s usual spot.

  The shorter of the two had cropped brown hair, streaked gray and a homely smile. The blonde – totally dyed, she had to be at least sixty – across from her picked up her mug of coffee and sipped, gaze shooting daggers.

  “What about them?”

  “See the blonde?” Amy asked and masked her words by grinding up coffee beans. “That’s Kent’s Aunt. Aunt Karly. She’s new in town and boy does she hate my guts. If she spots me, she’ll call me over and –”

  “Amy,” the blonde yelled, and waved her hand. “Amy, we need a refill over here.”

  “No,” Amy said, under her breath, and accompanied it with a groan.

  Maricela appeared, her Donut Delights apron coated in confectioner’s sugar, and blinked at the two of them. “Everything is all right?”

  “Actually, your timing is perfect,” Heather replied. “Would you mind keeping an eye on the counter for me? Amy and I have a social call to attend to.”

  “Sure. Anything for you, boss,” Maricela replied, then bumped Amy to the side with her hip. She grabbed the coffee grinder and gave it a buzz.

  “You’re the best,” Amy said and patted Maricela on the shoulder. She pointed at Heather. “Don’t even get me started on you.”

  Heather strode to Amy’s side, curiosity driving her step for step. Why didn’t this Karly woman like Amy? And who was the other lady with her?

  Amy looped her arm through Heathers, and they walked to the table. They halted in front of the two women, at last.

  “There you are,” Karly said, then peered at Amy’s hands. “But you didn’t bring me any coffee. Ridiculous service in this place. And who’s this? Another waitress friend of yours?”

  Heather tilted her head to the right. No wonder Amy didn’t like the woman. “I’m Heather Shepherd, the owner of this store. I’ll have Maricela bring you another cup of coffee.” She turned and waved at her assistant by the counter, then held up a finger. “Is your drink still full, ma’am?” She asked the dark-haired lady who had the displeasure of keeping Aunt Karly company.

  “Bernie, please call me Bernie. And no, thank you, I’m still full –”

  “She’s fine,” Karly said, then rolled her eyes. “Bernadette takes an age to say anything these days. Must be that slow brain of yours.” She tapped her temple. “Old age, such a pity.”

  “You’re a year older than me, sister,” Bernie replied, in soothing tones.

  “What brings you two lovely ladies to Donut Delights?” Heather asked, tightening her grip on Amy’s arm.

  The last rude woman she’d met had lived above a rat-infested restaurant. She’d been a little senile, though, and Karly was in possession of all her faculties.

  “Ugh, we just moved here from Dallas,” Karly said and did another teenage eye roll.

  “I love it." Bernie smiled. “And your store is just lovely. The donuts are –”

  “I raised Kent,” Karly said, talking as if her sister didn’t exist. “The poor boy needs moral support, so I picked up and moved here, along with the rest of the Belushi family. That includes Bernie, here.”

  Heather put up her best customer smile. “Well, if you need anything, you just let me know.”

  “I need coffee,” Karly replied and tapped the side of her mug. The porcelain tinged. “I believe I said that already.”

  “Please, there’s no need to be rude,” Bernie said. “I’m sorry, my sister can be –”

  “I can’t understand why Kent would want to move to this bottom feeder town,” Karly said, loudly, and her gaze swept up and down Amy’s length. “I understand he had the motivation, though it doesn’t look all that strong.”

  That was enough. Heather hadn’t been rude to a customer in the entirety of Donut Delights' existence, and she didn’t plan to start now. She swiveled her head and tapped Amy on the forearm. “Amy, please go to the kitchen and check on my Green Velvet donuts. I’m sure Bernie would like to taste one,” she said.

  Amy jumped as if she’d been goosed, then hurried off without another word.

  “Green Velvet, that sounds interesting.” Bernie straightened and peered at the kitchen doors. The first full sentence she’d gotten out since the conversation had started.

  “Yeah, Amy helped me plan them. She’s a whizz in the kitchen,” Heather said, then turned and walked back to the counter, anger whipping up and down her spine.

  “Amy helped make them?” Aunt Karly said, in a stage whisper. “You’d better stay away, then, Bernie. That girl can’t cook to save her life. Come on, let’s go to the donut store on the other side of town.”

  Heather counted to ten, then finally faced the front of Donut Delights again. The horrible woman was gone, and she’d forgotten to pay for her coffees, too.

  “Good riddance,” Heather said.

  “You want I get the rolling pin?” Maricela as
ked, and wriggled her eyebrows.

  Heather’s laughter bubbled up from the tips of her toes.

  Chapter 2

  Heather handed the leash to Lilly, then rubbed her palms together and stretched her neck. “What’s our route today, Miss Lils?”

  “What about the park? We haven’t taken Dave to the park yet,” Lilly replied, then scratched her favorite dog between his fluffy ears. He barked and wagged his tail – her plan had his approval, already.

  Heather wriggled her nose. She’d never liked the park. The pollen drove her sinuses crazy and the memories there? Not the best. Like the time she’d run into Geoff Lawless after Jelly Polinski had stolen her recipe book – she still hadn’t gotten it back from the cops.

  “All right, if you two insist,” Heather said, at last.

  They paced down the sidewalk, Dave trotting at his pace, the sunshine warm on Heather’s cheeks. Another perfect morning in Hillside. She’d taken off from work because it was the last day of Lilly’s summer holiday and she didn’t want to miss out on all the fun.

  Or rather, Dave wouldn’t forgive her if they did.

  “I can’t wait to go back to school,” Lilly said and turned her face up to catch more of the sun. “I didn’t get to ride my bike all holiday.”

  A crisp breeze brushed the back of Heather’s neck, shifting her hair from the nape of her neck. “Oh? Why not?”

  Dave barked and gave Lilly a quizzical ‘why not’ doggy look.

  “Because Bill and Colleen don’t want me to bust up my knees. They got me those dorky knee guards and everything. But still, they don’t let me ride,” Lilly said. “This is the first time I’ve ever had a bike of my own!”

  “I’ll give Colleen a call. Chat to her about it. I’m sure she just wants you to stay safe,” Heather said. Everyone wanted Lilly to stay safe. The residents of Hillside, at least the ones who frequented Donut Delights, loved Lilly.

  “Thanks, Au - Heather,” Lilly said, then coughed to cover her slip-up.

  “Auheather? Is that my new name?”

  Lilly opened her mouth to answer but didn’t get the words out. She stared at a point past Heather’s shoulder and blinked.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Shepherd!” A man yelled.

  Heather flinched, Dave barked, and Lilly blinked a couple more time. “That man’s big,” she whispered.

  Uh oh, that could only mean one thing.

  Heather turned to face the bald, bearded guy loping down the road. “Geoff Lawless,” Heather murmured. “Honey, do me a favor and take Dave to the tree over there?”

  Lilly nodded and walked off, dragging her feet each step. The girl hadn’t given up on her aspirations of becoming an investigator at the fresh, young age of ten.

  Geoff jogged up to Heather, then stopped. He bent and gripped his knees, sucking in breaths of air, then puffing them out again. A rhinoceros after a sprint through the grass.

  “Geoff?” Heather asked, and tucked her arms behind her back.

  Dave barked and ran around in circles. He’d never liked Heather’s rival donut maker.

  “Gimme a second,” Geoff said, raising a finger, still doubled over. “Ran from the store. Had to come.”

  “Take all the time you need,” Heather replied. She pursed her lips. Hopefully, all the time he needed wasn’t longer than five minutes. She glanced at Lilly, and the girl waved back.

  Geoff straightened and coughed into his ham of a fist. “I came as quick as I could.”

  “I can tell.”

  “Woman’s been murdered. That new one in town. She came to my store yesterday. The cops will think it’s me.”

  Heather hadn’t had too many conversations with Geoff. Was this how he usually spoke or had the run robbed him of his conjunctions?

  “Wait, slow down. Start again. Someone’s been murdered?”

  Geoff clicked his tongue, then stamped his feet against the concrete. Not a great start to an amicable discussion. “Bernadette Belushi,” he said. “She was found dead in her hotel room this morning.”

  “Oh no,” Heather said, and her stomach jolted. She’d met Bernie for all of two minutes, but the woman hadn’t deserved this. She’d been a real sweetheart. “Wait, what’s this got to do with your store?”

  “She choked to death on one of my fudge balls,” Geoff replied.

  Heather hissed and glanced askance at Lilly. “Keep your voice down, Geoff.” She scratched her temple, then pointed at him. “Fudge is usually soft.”

  “Not my fudge. My fudge is the worlds hardest. And the best. You have to suck it to get the flavor out.”

  Flashbacks of the 90s teen movie, Jawbreaker, sailed through Heather’s thoughts. “And the cops have come to talk to you?”

  “Not yet. But it’s all over town this morning. They say there was a fight first. And then it happened,” Geoff said, lowering his voice. His gaze darkened and his beard waggled in the breeze. “I had nothing to do with this, but they’re gonna think it’s me. It was my fudge that choked her.”

  Heather ran her fingers through her hair. Poor Bernie. And, she couldn’t believe this, but poor Geoff. The man had proved himself hapless on countless occasions. Was he capable of murder?

  Probably not. But he was a suspect in her books too. Not the main suspect, no.

  Karly Belushi’s sneer appeared in her mind’s eye.

  “You gotta help me, Shepherd. I know we don’t get on, but you gotta help me.”

  A hard fudge ball. “Just how big are your fudge balls, Geoff?”

  Geoff held up his two fingers and made a circle slightly bigger than a golf ball.

  “Oh boy. All right. I’ll look into it,” Heather said. “But off the record. And on one condition.” She raised a finger.

  “What?” Lawless asked, and dry-washed his hands.

  “You stay away from Donut Delights. No more sneaking through my trash for recipe ideas. Got it?”

  Geoff stepped back, turned, then paused. “All right,” he said. He bounded off down the road again, without a ‘thank you’ in classic Lawless style.

  “You’re welcome,” Heather muttered.

  Lilly tugged on her sleeve. “What was that about?” The girl asked, excitement beaming from her eyes. High beams. Lights that would surely see through any lies.

  “None of your business, young lady – oh!”

  “What?”

  Heather sighed and wiped her forehead, gathering dampness beneath her fingertips. “Nothing. I just forgot to tell Geoff that my trash cans at home were out of bounds, too.”

  “Huh?” Lilly arched an eyebrow.

  “Forget about it,” Heather said – advice she’d never been able to follow herself – then patted Lilly on her back. “Let’s get back to our walk.”

  Heather set the pace, questions and images popping in and out of her brain. A single name in vibrant green letters: Karly Belushi.

  Chapter 3

  Heather wormed around in her seat and glared at the photos on the wall opposite.

  “What’s wrong, love?” Ryan asked. He grasped her hand and squeezed gently. “You’re never this anxious when there’s Mexican food on the line.”

  Amy sighed and leaned her head on Kent’s shoulder. The happy couple sat in the love seat opposite Ryan and Heather, their backs to the wall of photographs.

  “It’s the case, isn’t it?” Ryan asked, under his breath. Kent hadn’t been too close with his Aunts but discussing the murder at dinner wasn’t the best idea.

  “You can talk about,” Kent said and reached for his soda. He lifted the glass to his lips and the ice clinked inside. “I don’t mind.”

  “Are you sure?” Heather asked. She stopped fidgeting right away. Geoff’s plea rang through her mind, over and over again. The man might need help, but Bernie’s killer had to be brought to justice.

  For the sake of Hillside. And for Kent and Amy too.

  “I’m sure,” Kent replied. “I want to know who did this and why. Aunt B was the nices
t woman I ever met, present company excluded.” He slipped his arm around Amy’s shoulders and hugged her to his side.

  “Weird,” Amy muttered.

  “What?” Heather asked.

  Her bestie flushed bright pink, then cleared her throat. “I just meant, uh, ahem.”

  “Uh, ahem? It’s all clear to me now,” Heather replied.

  Kent wiggled Amy against his side, then kissed her on the top of the head. “It’s okay. You can say whatever you have to say. I’ll understand.”

  Amy’s flush faded, slowly. “I just don’t understand how Bernie and Karly are related. Bernie is sweet and nice, and Karly, well, you know.”

  An Awkward silence spread across the table. Heather and Ryan exchanged a glance.

  “She’s crazy,” Kent said, then puffed out his cheeks.

  Everyone stared at him. Heather raised her eyebrow. “What do you mean?” This might be her first lead in the case.

  “She’s never approved of Amy, for one. She’s a bitter old woman and she hated Bernie. Hated her with all her cold, black, shriveled heart,” Kent said, then took another sip of his soda.

  “Kent!” Amy hissed and swatted him on the arm.

  “I’m serious. You have no idea what Karly put Bernie through.” Kent clammed his mouth shut.

  The waiter arrived and placed a platter of nachos in the center of the table. “Nachos to share,” she said, then spread her arms. “The perfect appetizer. Are you folks interested in ordering mains?”

  “Not right this second, thanks,” Ryan said, then turned his gaze on Kent. “You were saying?”

  The waitress faded into the background, her cheesy smile slipping from her lips.

  “Is this on or off the record?” Kent asked, looking from Heather to Ryan and then back again. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’d have to tell the cops about it anyway. There was no love lost between my aunts. Their rivalry stretched back years.”

  “What started it?” Heather asked. Her arms tensed. Ryan massaged her neck, but his grip was tight. He wanted leads too.

  “Something about a boyfriend. I don’t know, exactly. It was a high school feud involving Tiny’s father.”