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  “Eva's Delicious Mystery: A Donut Hole Spin-Off”

  Strawberries & Chocolate & Murder

  An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 19

  Susan Gillard

  Copyright 2017 by Guardian Publishing Group

  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.

  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.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  Strawberries & Chocolate & Murder

  1. Screams and Strawberries

  2. Maybe Valentines

  3. The Crime Scene

  4. Candy and Crime

  5. Neighbor Drama

  6. Window Witness

  7. Home Sweet Home

  8. The First Suitor

  9. The Restaurant on the Beach

  10. The Second Suitor

  11. The Third Suitor

  12. Dinner, Take Two

  13. The Noise

  14. Love at the Counter

  15. The Fourth Suitor

  16. The Fifth Box

  17. The Stake Out

  18. Happy Valentine’s Day

  About the Author

  Also by Susan Gillard

  Strawberries & Chocolate & Murder

  Screams and Strawberries

  “I’ve heard of screaming for ice cream, but screaming for donuts?” Amy joked.

  “I’m sorry,” Bernadette said, taking a breath to recover after her scream.

  “Is everything all right?” Heather asked, beginning to search the bookshop for signs of danger.

  Heather and Amy had come to Bernadette’s Beachy Books to visit their friend and bring her some samples of Heather’s latest donut flavor. Bernadette often gave them advice on things to do in Key West and they were hoping to pick her brain about romantic restaurants. They were expecting to chat with one another and not be greeted with a scream.

  Bernadette was starting to look like she was embarrassed by her outburst, but Heather had investigated too many cases to let her guard down now. Could a murderer be hiding in the mystery section right this minute?

  “Is there someone here?” Heather whispered, adjusting her box of donuts so she would have a free fighting hand. “Are you in danger?”

  “I’m sorry to have alarmed you. It’s nothing like that,” Bernadette said, blushing. “It’s just that, well, it’s almost Valentine’s Day.”

  “Yeah,” Amy teased. “That makes me want to scream too.”

  "You see," Bernadette explained. "Being single around Valentine's Day can make me feel blue, so I forgo reading any romances or happily-ever-after sort of books and go to the opposite extreme. I read a lot of horror stories in February, and it makes me a bit jumpy."

  “And liable to scream?” asked Heather.

  “Maybe we should bring earplugs if we keep visiting this month,” said Amy.

  "I was just reading a part about where a monster sneaks in and kills a young woman while her attention is distracted when you entered, and well, for a moment, I thought you were a monster," Bernadette said sheepishly.

  “Well, before I’ve had my coffee and if I’ve been deprived donuts, I might be mistaken for an angry monster,” Amy joked.

  “I hope I don’t scare away any customers,” Bernadette said to herself.

  “I understand though,” Heather said. “Before I met Ryan, Valentine’s Day reminded me how I couldn’t seem to find my soul mate. I would just focus on baking to cheer myself up.”

  "It can be difficult around this time," Bernadette said. "I feel very unlucky in love all the time. And at the beginning of February people are coming into the shop to buy presents for their significant others. Or couples are on vacation at the beach and stop in to shop together. And people are always asking for advice, which unfortunately just rubs it in. Would my girlfriend like this novel? What's a good coffee table book that would look good in our new home together? Oh, and while we're here, what's a good restaurant you would recommend in town?"

  Heather exchanged a look with her bestie. Amy shrugged. Bernadette took a deep breath and her rant and then sighed.

  "I'm sorry," said Bernadette. "Were you going to ask about restaurants?"

  “Well, we were…” said Amy.

  “But, not if it’s going to make you feel sad,” said Heather.

  “Not if it’s for a friend,” said Bernadette. “And especially if you brought me donuts.”

  Heather showed off her newest creation. “This is a Strawberries and Chocolate Donut.”

  “It sounds perfect,” said Bernadette. “I love chocolate covered strawberries.”

  “That’s what I was going for with these donuts,” said Heather. “The base is a strawberry cake, and it's filled with a sweet strawberry jelly. It's covered with chocolate icing and with chocolate chips. And, as you can see, each donut is also topped with a slice of strawberry."

  "It looks like a slice of heaven," Bernadette said. "I might have to eat one before I can give any advice."

  “Go right ahead,” Heather said, handing her the box.

  “After hearing that description again, I think I need another donut too,” said Amy.

  They all grabbed a donut and took a bite. The conversation lulled as they all enjoyed the flavor. When they were finished, Bernadette said, "This is the perfect antidote to the scary stories I've been reading. I feel happily content right now. So, what was it that you wanted to ask me?"

  “I was hoping to get your advice on a restaurant that Ryan and I could go to this week,” Heather said. “Valentine’s Day itself might be really busy, but Ryan and I want to go to a nice place and have a candlelight dinner one night this week. We can get so busy.”

  “What with the dog and the cat and the kid and the donuts and the business and the murder investigations,” Amy said, rattling off a list.

  “So, I said we just need to make time to go to one romantic meal this week, and I’ll be happy. We like Italian food a lot. Is there a good restaurant nearby?”

  “I know the perfect place,” Bernadette said. “There’s an Italian restaurant on the beach called Bella’s. They have wonderful food. It’s an intimate and romantic setting.”

  “Grazie,” Heather said, thanking her friend in some of the little Italian she knew.

  “Do you need a restaurant suggestion too?” Bernadette asked Amy.

  She shrugged. "I think Jamie and I decided to have a low-key Valentine's Day this year. There is going to be a chocolate tasting and dance the weekend after Valentine's that we're all going to be involved in and go to. So for the day itself, Jamie and I are just going to watch a movie at home. Besides, we have the dog to keep an eye.”

  “Right,” Heather said with a knowing smile. “The dog you’re fostering but not adopting.”

  “We are just fostering her,” Amy protested.

  “I haven’t seen you interview any candidates for adoption,” Heather said.

  “Well, we can’t do it right now,” Amy said. “We don’t want a couple getting a dog on a romantic Valentine’s Day whim and not be prepared to care for her for the rest of her life.”

  Heather nodded. She knew arguing her point wouldn't do any good. Amy was set on denying that s
he wanted to keep Miss Marshmallow.

  “It’s nice that you’ve reached the point in your relationship where you can just relax with one another to celebrate a holiday,” Bernadette said.

  “It is nice,” Amy agreed, but she wasn’t quite smiling. Heather knew something must be on her friend’s mind.

  "You two finding such good men gives me hope that it can happen to me too," Bernadette said. "But until then, near Valentine's Day, I'll be reading up on werewolves and Nosferatu and possessed cars and demons and clowns."

  “Hopefully, nothing off the page will give you a reason to scream,” Amy said.

  Heather nodded. “Sometimes the amount of cases we need to investigate is scary enough.”

  Maybe Valentines

  Heather and Amy strolled down the street from Bernadette's bookshop back towards Donut Delights. It was a beautiful sunny day, and nothing could spoil their good mood – not even seeing their crotchety old neighbor who liked to cause them grief.

  Mr. Rankle had just collected his mail from the mailman and was flipping through it before he returned to his store Sun and Fun Novelties. He paused as he saw a certain envelope.

  “Good morning, Mr. Rankle,” Heather said, waving.

  “What? Is it good? I hadn’t noticed. What makes it good? What are you referring to?” he asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

  “The nice weather,” Heather offered, having not been prepared to back up her statement.

  “Bah,” he said. He held the envelope close to his chest and hurried inside his shop, leaning on his cane.

  “What was that about?” asked Amy. “He’s avoided greeting us before because he hates that we opened up the donut shop here, but he’s never acted so squirrely before.”

  “His mail did seem to affect him,” said Heather. “Do you think it’s possible that he was getting a Valentine?”

  Amy laughed. “Who would want to be that old meanie’s Valentine? He probably thinks he won something in the mail and doesn’t want us to think that he’ll share.”

  They were stopped from speculating on Mr. Rankle’s mail anymore when they saw Detective Peters pacing outside of Donut Delights.

  Miguel Peters was Heather’s husband’s partner on the Key West Police Force. Detective Peters was a young detective who always did his best to solve a case, but was often insecure about the best course of action to take during an investigation. He would often look to his partner to make sure that he was doing the right thing.

  As they listened to him mutter outside the shop, it seemed like he was also insecure about his personal life.

  “Janae, I know that we ride well together during your bike tours. And I love discussing things with you over donuts. And Valentine’s Day is approaching. And if you’d like flowers, I’ll get them for you.”

  Peters sighed about the way his practicing was going and then sighed again when he saw that Heather and Amy could see him.

  “Oh. Hi,” Peters said. “What a surprise seeing you here.”

  “Yeah,” Amy said. “It’s really weird to see us at Heather’s donut shop.”

  “Have you been here long?” Peters asked.

  “We might have heard a bit of what you were saying,” Heather admitted.

  Peters groaned. “Well, I guess since you know anyway, I might as well ask. Do you think I’m too old to ask someone to be my Valentine? Is that just for children? Or can I use the phrase Valentine? I don’t want to ask for anything too serious beyond that. I don’t want to scare her off.”

  Heather had known that Detective Peters had a crush on her assistant Janae for a while. She also knew that he was hesitant to admit it outright.

  “I think asking someone to be your Valentine is perfectly acceptable no matter the age,” said Heather.

  “Even if you’re as old as Mr. Rankle,” Amy agreed. “But who would want to be his Valentine?”

  “Thanks,” Peters said. “I’m going to do it. I’m going to go ask her to be my Valentine.”

  However, he stayed rooted to the spot and didn’t move.

  “Go,” Amy said. “Before someone else does.”

  Peters nodded and hurried inside the store. Heather and Amy followed at a distance behind him.

  “Do you think everyone is going to be weird about romance this week?” Amy asked.

  “It’s possible,” Heather said. “But I think we’ll sell a lot of the Strawberries and Chocolate Donuts because of it.”

  Janae smiled as Detective Peters came up to the counter. Her long red hair was pulled back in a braid.

  “Hi,” Peters said. “Maybe you know why I’m here?”

  “To try one of the Strawberries and Chocolate Donuts?” Janae guessed. “They’re delicious.”

  “Yes,” Peters said. “No. I mean, yes and no. I’d love to have one of those donuts. They sound great. But I’m here for another reason too.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Well,” Peters said, before putting up a façade of macho cop bravado. “As part of my duty as a detective on this island, I travel around and make sure things are safe. And I do always want to make sure that you are safe and that all the donuts are as well. And I’m proud to uphold this duty.”

  Digby, another one of Heather's assistants, stopped cleaning the counter when he heard this. He rolled his eyes. Then, seeing Heather and Amy, he joined them.

  “I don’t know what I’d do if I had suitors like Janae, fawning all over me,” Digby said.

  “I don’t think she always knows that they’re interested,” Heather said. “Sometimes these suitors can be confusing.”

  They heard Peters begin to talk about all the traffic tickets he had written in his time and shook their heads. That was not a good segue to romantic talk.

  Amy wanted to distract herself from the train wreck of Peters’s love proclamation and asked Digby, “Do you have a Valentine this year? Maybe someone in your theater cast?”

  "Nah," Digby said. "My standards are too high to find someone easily. But I might ask someone to be my Valentine more as a friend as an excuse to share donuts."

  They listened as Detective Peters finally seemed to strike up the nerve to say what he really meant. "So anyway, Janae, what I really wanted to ask you was if this fourteenth you—”

  His cell phone began to ring, and he excused himself to answer it.

  Amy threw her hands up in the air in frustration and Digby mimed ripping his heart out. Heather also felt bad that Peters was interrupted, but couldn’t help wondering what his call was about. Was he being called to investigate a crime scene?

  “Sorry,” Peters said to Janae. “Duty calls. I’ll be back though.”

  Janae handed him a donut for the road. “See you soon.”

  Peters smiled a goofy smile and then hurried out the door.

  “What bad timing,” Amy said.

  “I wish one of these guys would just ask Janae out already,” Digby said. “It’s painful to watch them stumble over themselves. Both Peters and that firefighter do the same thing.”

  “I have a feeling it was a serious call that called Detective Peters away,” Heather said.

  Her suspicions were confirmed when her cell phone also rang. She saw it was Ryan calling and answered it.

  "Let me guess," said Heather. "You have a new case, and you want Amy and I to come over to the crime scene?"

  “How did you know?” asked Ryan, impressed.

  “I’m a good investigator,” Heather said. “And I picked up on a clue.”

  The Crime Scene

  Heather and Amy approached the house that was being designated a crime scene. They met Ryan at the yellow tape that was roping off the door, and he let them inside.

  “Peters was telling me that I chose an inopportune time to call him to the case,” Ryan said. “I hope I didn’t do the same to you.”

  "No," Heather assured him. "We're always ready to help with a case when need it. And besides, the donut shop is all set with the new flavor, and Amy and I had alrea
dy spoken to Bernadette like we wanted to today. She suggested we go to a place called Bella's for a romantic dinner."

  “Sounds nice,” said Ryan.

  "And actually, it was good that you called us after that," Amy said, thinking about it. "If you told us to come investigate a murder while we were at Bernadette's, it might have caused her to scream more."

  Ryan raised an eyebrow in confusion.

  “I’ll explain later,” Heather said. “Why don’t you tell us what you know about this case?”

  They walked further into the living room. It was decidedly feminine with pink curtains, and a leopard spotted couch. There were inspirational signs on her wall encouraging her to love, laugh and live.

  Ryan gestured to where the body had been found.

  “The victim was a young woman named Stephanie Jordan,” Ryan said. “Her next door neighbor saw her lying on the floor through the window and called for help.”

  “The neighbor could see her from their house?” asked Heather, looking to the window.

  “No. She came by to return something that she had borrowed from the victim and saw her,” Ryan explained. “We’ve asked her some preliminary questions, but you’ll be able to talk to her later if you’d like. She seemed upset. She said she was friendly with the victim.”

  “I’d be upset too if I went to visit my neighbor and saw her dead body through the window!” Amy said.

  “You’d also be upset because if you saw your dead neighbor, it would have to either be me or one of the two sweetest old ladies ever: Eva and Leila,” Heather pointed out.

  “True,” said Amy. “But I don’t like seeing dead bodies, in general. Not that anyone really does. With the exception of some crazy killers.”