Mint Fudge & Murder Read online

  Mint Fudge & Murder: Book 34

  An Oceanside Cozy Mystery

  Susan Gillard

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  Copyright 2018 by Guardian Publishing Group, LLC

  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

  1. Biking

  2. Mint Fudge Plans

  3. The Cave In

  4. The Victim’s House

  5. Morning Catchup

  6. S.A.N.D. Castle Competition

  7. Hammocks

  8. Larry

  9. Dinner Table Discussions

  10. Paranoia

  11. Pretty Pictures

  12. Gardenia

  13. The Alibi

  14. Rusty

  15. The Milburn

  16. The Shed

  17. The Killer

  18. Playing in the Sand

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  About the Author

  Also by Susan Gillard

  Biking

  “I can’t get over how gorgeous the island is,” Josie said.

  “I think I’d appreciate it more if I weren’t pedaling so hard,” Amy answered while trying not to pant.

  Heather smiled at her friends. The truth was that she agreed with both of them. She thought that she would eventually become numb to the beauty of her home in Key West, but she was still captivated by the pristine beaches and clear ocean water. She also loved the sights of palm trees and tropical flowers.

  They were seeing many of these lovely sights while on a bike tour of the island. Their guide Janae, who also worked in Heather’s donut shop, knew the best route to impress visitors. Heather was glad that they had her as a guide because she wanted Josie to enjoy her time with them.

  However, biking wasn’t something that Heather usually did, and she had to admit that it was tiring her out. She and Amy had started taking some yoga classes because their neighbor was an instructor, but most of their exercise was involved in chasing down criminals when they did work as private investigators. That work ended up being a combination of mental exercise and legwork.

  “Is everyone doing all right?” Janae asked, addressing the group.

  “Fantastic,” Josie said, happily.

  “Well, nothing a hot bath later tonight won’t be able to solve,” Amy grumbled.

  “We’re a little ahead of the gentlemen in our group though,” Heather said.

  Janae pulled over to the side, and the three others followed her. She frowned.

  “I thought they were right behind us before we turned the bend.”

  “Don’t worry,” Amy said. “They were probably just tired and wanted to rest a moment. But they’ll deny that, of course, and have some silly excuse about why they stopped.”

  “We could have done an easier path,” Janae said. “I’m sorry if I chose one with too many slopes.”

  “No,” Heather said. “This ride has been perfect. We wanted to show Josh and Josie the scenic route, and this has been picturesque.”

  “It really has,” Josie agreed. She nodded enthusiastically and her dark hair cascaded around her shoulders under her helmet. “I’m so happy that Josh asked Jamie to be his best man in our wedding. That means that we have an excuse to visit our friends and see their lovely home.”

  “Speaking of excuses,” Amy muttered as Josh and Jamie rounded the bend and joined them. Jamie smiled at Amy, and Josh blew a kiss to fiancé.

  “Sorry to fall a little behind,” Jamie said.

  “We thought we saw a lizard,” Josh explained.

  “Sure,” said Amy, clearly not believing them.

  “Are you all ready to keep going?” their bike tour guide asked. “There’s a lovely ocean view just a little further down. You can see the lighthouses too.”

  “Of course, we’re ready to keep going,” Josh said, heartily.

  “But why don’t we slow the pace down a little bit?” Heather suggested. “I want to hear more about the newly-engaged couple’s plans.”

  Janae nodded and began leading them at the more relaxed pace, for which everyone was grateful. They were a decently large group on the tour, but Heather had been part of a larger group as well. Unfortunately, her husband Ryan had to work that morning, so he wasn’t able to join the ride. Their senior friends, Eva and Leila, also often joined them for outings, but they were practicing for a bowling competition.

  “I’m afraid we haven’t gotten very far with our wedding plans,” Josie said to Heather. “We just know that Jamie and my cousin will be in our wedding party. She’s the only real family I have, and she’s agreed to be my maid of honor.”

  “What about a date?” asked Heather. “Do you have a month in mind?”

  “One down the line?” Amy asked. “Maybe even in a year or two?”

  Amy had been concerned about how quickly the others decided to jump into marriage. Josh and Josie had only been dating a few months before he proposed. Though they both seemed very happy, Amy was nervous about anyone moving too quickly into a life-changing decision and was hoping a long engagement would even the proposal out.

  “We haven’t decided,” said Josh. “It will depend mostly on the venue.”

  “I’d marry him tomorrow if I could,” Josie said, smiling.

  “But you deserve a wedding as special as you are,” Josh responded.

  Amy tried to mime that she was going to be sick, but found it difficult because she was still on her bike.

  “Are you all right?” Jamie asked, moving closer to her and looking concerned.

  Heather tried not to laugh because she knew what the situation really was.

  “I’m fine,” Amy said, opting not to explain.

  “We do have some plans for this visit though,” said Josie. “We are going to discuss some ideas for the wedding, but really, I’d just like to get to know you all better.”

  “And I like doing all the tourist stuff,” said Josh. “I didn’t get a chance to do much of it the first time I came to Key West.”

  “Being the prime suspect in a murder investigation would prohibit your fun activities,” Heather agreed.

  “And last time, even though we did some stuff, I was distracted by planning my proposal,” said Josh. “This visit will be able having fun with friends.”

  “I like that idea,” Heather agreed. “And I bet you have some trip ideas planned already.”

  “There’s a giant sandcastle contest that’s going to be judged while they’re here,” said Jamie. “I thought that could be fun to see.”

  “My friend who owns the art studio asked if I’d be interested in participating because she isn’t able to this year,” said Amy. “But I said I didn’t know enough about working with sand to build something competition worthy.”

  “You never built a sandcastle?” Josh teased.

  “The sandcastles in this competition need to be big enough for a person to sit inside,” said Amy. “And I didn’t want a roof to collapse on me.”

  “Good point,” Josie agreed. “But that will be fun to see.”

  “I’m going to take everyone out to dinner while we’re here too,” sai
d Josh. “It will be like an engagement party for our friends here.”

  “If that’s the case, we should take you out,” said Heather.

  “But because I’m a professional chef, I’m very picky about what restaurant we go to,” Josh said. “I’d rather pick it out and take you all out.”

  “I won’t complain about someone wanting to treat us to dinner,” said Amy.

  They laughed and continued pedaling.

  “I know this is going to be a fun trip and nice chance to get to know each other better,” said Josie.

  “As long as Amy and Heather don’t get pulled away to solve another murder,” Josh teased.

  “I certainly hope not,” agreed Heather.

  Janae shouted that they were almost there, and the group rushed to catch up. When they reached the area that Janae wanted to show them, the conversation stopped. They simply enjoyed the view.

  Finally, Josie said, “It’s started off so wonderfully. I bet nothing could spoil this trip.”

  Mint Fudge Plans

  After their bike ride, Josie was the only one who was still full of energy. She hugged everyone, despite how sweaty they were and told them what a great time she had.

  Janae thanked them for coming on the tour and told Heather that she would see her at the donut shop the next day.

  “I should probably head over to Donut Delights now and make sure that everyone is still set for the rest of the day,” Heather said to her friends.

  “Do you want us to come with you?” Josh asked.

  “If you have other island activities you want to take part in, I won’t stop you from doing that,” Heather said. “And it sounds like you want to do some research about the special restaurant you want to eat at.”

  “Maybe I’ll start my search at your shop,” said Josh.

  Heather laughed. “I only serve donuts. Not dinner. But you’re welcome to come with me if you want to.”

  “Of course they want to,” Amy said. “If they come with you, they’ll be able to sample this week’s new flavor.”

  Heather nodded with understanding. “After all that bike riding, I could use a donut. And I think you’ll like the newest flavor.”

  Finding the enthusiasm to start moving again, the group followed Heather and they traveled over to the donut shop. There were some customers in the shop, enjoying their treats, but because of the afternoon hour, it wasn’t overly crowded.

  Heather told her friends to take a seat at the table while she prepared a platter for them. They seemed happy to sit down and were eager to try the new treat.

  “How’s it going, boss?” Digby asked when Heather joined him behind the counter.

  “Janae took us on a lovely tour that completely tired us out,” Heather replied. “How has it been here?”

  “The newest flavor is doing great.” He looked mischievous as he said, “But it’s been hard for your assistants not to have sticky fingers with them.”

  “As long as there are enough for the customers, you’re all entitled to a free sample. It’s a perk of the job.”

  “Best job ever,” said Digby.

  She smiled, and he helped her fill her platter with a dozen donuts. She brought it over to the table and saw her friends’ face light up.

  “What flavor is this?” asked Josie.

  “It’s the Amy Needs to Eat One Right Away,” Amy joked.

  “How is that any different from any of the other flavors?” Jamie teased her.

  “Touché,” she agreed.

  “This is the Mint Fudge Donut,” Heather said. “The cake base is a chocolate mint cake swirl. I think the green swirled in with the chocolate really makes the color pop. And it’s covered with a thick chocolate fudge icing. Then, there a few green sprinkles added to the top for decoration.”

  “I love mint flavor,” Josie said. “And I’m sure I’ll love this donut.”

  “Go ahead and try it,” said Heather.

  They each picked one up and took a large bite. Then, they all kept eating. Heather heard a lot of “mmmm,” which she took as a compliment.

  When they had finished their snacks, she heard some verbal compliments as well.

  “It’s as good as I could have imagined,” said Josie.

  “This is one cool mint,” Amy agreed.

  “You always impress me with your use of flavors,” said Josh. “And that is a tough thing to do.”

  Jamie just asked for a second donut, and she handed him one. They were enjoying their snacks and talking about their plans for the week when Heather saw another familiar face enter the shop. She waved him over to the table.

  “Josie, this is Rudolph Rodney, my investor and friend.”

  “And grateful receiver of her investigative skills,” Rudolph Rodney said before tipping his hat and saying how pleased he was to meet them. “Any friend of Heather’s is a friend of mine. She saved my life recently, and I’ll never forget that.”

  “Why don’t you join us for Mint Fudge Donut?” Heather suggested.

  He accepted and sat down, happily chatting with the others.

  “What brings you to Key West?”

  “We just got engaged, and we’re visiting the best man,” Josie said. “And having a little vacation.”

  “It sounds like a swell one. How long are you here?”

  “All week,” said Josh. “The restaurant I work with now is probably glad to have me out of the kitchen for a while. I can be a little hotheaded when I’m cooking.”

  “He’s passionate,” Josie said. “And he is a wonderful chef.”

  “Really?” asked Rudolph Rodney. “I’m a fan of fine foods. That’s how I first befriended Heather – by trying her donuts.”

  Heather was about to add to the memory of their first meeting, but her cell phone started ringing, and she had to answer it instead.

  “Sorry to bother you while you’re out with friends,” Ryan said.

  “It’s all right,” Heather assured him.

  “We’ve just gotten a new case, and I think we could use some extra help on it.”

  “Amy and I would be happy to assist,” said Heather. “But what’s the situation that you know you’ll need the help so early.”

  “Well,” Ryan said with a slight hesitation. “We’re afraid some evidence might be buried.”

  The Cave In

  “You can’t yawn at a crime scene,” Heather said.

  “Sorry,” Amy said, trying to stifle it. “It’s been a very tiring week.”

  “It’s only Monday.”

  “I know,” Amy said with a sigh. “I don’t know how I’m going to make to the weekend. Jamie and I were rushing around cleaning up before the guests came. Then, Josh and Josie arrived last night, and we were up too late catching up. Miss Marshmallow was restless because there were new people staying in the house. She kept barking, and that meant that I didn’t sleep well. And that bike trip took the last out of me.”

  “And now it looks like we might be adding an investigation to the list of things to do.”

  “Maybe this will be a case where the killer will just return to the crime scene and confess,” said Amy, trying not to yawn again. “Well, I can dream, can’t I?”

  They arrived at the address that Ryan had told them to go to and climbed out of Heather’s car. It was a small house that was right on the beach. It was surrounded by sand. They headed towards the side of the house where they saw a large black canopy tent.

  Ryan saw them and walked over to join them.

  “You secured the crime scene quickly,” Heather said. “That tent looks like it will preserve the evidence from the outdoor elements well.”

  “I wish I could take credit for it,” Ryan said. “But the tent was set up by the victim.”

  “He wanted to preserve his own crime scene?” Amy asked, confused.

  “No,” Ryan said, realizing he should explain the whole situation. “The victim, Mac Dugan, was building a giant sandcastle.”

  “We were talking about that c
ompetition earlier,” Heather said. “Apparently, the sandcastles need to be large enough for a person to sit inside.”

  “The castle might have been at some point,” said Ryan. “However, now it’s just a pile of sand.”

  “I’m confused,” said Amy. “Maybe I’m just too tired to process this all. But are we investigating a sandcastle that was knocked down or a murder?”

  “Well, both,” said Ryan. “Mac Dugan was found dead inside the castle. Detective Peters and I have been working to exhume the body with some help from the uniformed officers.”

  “You mean the body is still here?” Amy asked.

  “I try to get the medical examiner to remove the body before I call you in if I can help it,” said Ryan. “But removing the sand carefully so it can be checked for evidence is a time-consuming process.”

  “How are you sure it’s a murder if you haven’t completely exhumed the body?” Heather asked.

  “We’re certain that he is dead because his legs were poking out of the sand.”

  “Gross,” said Amy.

  “But could it have been an accident?” asked Heather.

  “We’re approaching this as a suspicious death until we hear otherwise,” said Ryan. “We found some blood on the inside of the tent. It might have splattered from an attack against the victim, which also caused the castle to collapse.”

  “That does make it sound more suspicious,” Heather agreed.

  “Peters was also telling me that Mac Dugan had a reputation for building extravagant sand sculptures,” Ryan said. “He was experienced, so it seemed unlikely that he would have built something with the possibility of endangering himself.”

  Right after he said that Detective Peters emerged from the tent.