Choc Churro Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 25 Read online

  “Kenneth Kenny,” Heather replied, even though Georgia had to know who she’d meant.

  “I saw him yesterday. He argued with me about my new investment. Look, if you’re here because of the donut store, just say so. There are more constructive ways to conduct a conversation.” Georgia sat up and pursed her lips. “Enough with the leading questions.”

  “We’re not here about the donut store,” Heather said, though what did Donut Delights have to do with anything?

  And why had they argued about it?

  “Then why are you here?” Georgia asked, and a frown flickered across her Botoxed brow.

  “Kenneth Kenny was murdered last night,” Heather replied. “We’re conducting the investigation with the aid of the Hillside Police.”

  “It’s supposed to be the other way around, Heather. We’re helping them, remember?” Amy whispered.

  Georgia stared at her. Color drained from her cheeks, and she turned ice white. “What did you – pardon?”

  “Kenneth was murdered last night in his own home,” Heather replied.

  “No,” Georgia said, and raised a palm. She forced it toward them as if to push the knowledge away. “No. It can’t be true.”

  “I’m sorry, Georgia,” Heather said. Though, she had to remain removed. Georgia could be the murderer, and this could be an act to cover her tracks.

  Georgia Summers collapsed against the lip of chaise lounge. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over her lids. “I don’t believe it. I spoke to him yesterday.”

  “Yeah, the argument? Miss Summers, could you elaborate on that?”

  Georgia slapped the tears from her cheeks. “Ugh, Kenneth has been short-tempered of late. Ever since his daughter was locked up and his wife, oh you know the story. Ever since then he’s struggled to come to terms with everything.”

  “I see,” Heather said but didn’t take out her notepad. Sudden movements might spook the woman opposite her. “And he argued with you?”

  “Yeah, about the donut store. He wanted to pull out of it,” she replied and cradled her forehead in her palm.

  Heather’s throat closed. Oh, gosh, surely Georgia wasn’t involved with Kate.

  “Which donut store are you referring to, Georgia?”

  “Delightful Donuts,” Georgia replied. “We’re bringing it back.” Summers didn’t have the presence of mind to look apologetic about stepping on Heather’s business toes.

  She merely massaged her temples, then reached for her champagne flute. “This can’t be happening.”

  But it was.

  “Is there anything else, Miss Summers? Anything at all?”

  Georgia sipped her drink and sighed. “No. He came to talk to me, we argued and finally agreed to continue with our investment plans, and then he left. I haven’t heard from him since. I assumed he was mulling it all over again.”

  “Thank you for your time, Miss Summers,” Heather replied.

  Chapter 4

  The butler hustled them toward the exit.

  Amy looped her arm through Heather’s and gave him disparaging looks, but he lifted his nose higher and continued his walk down the wide marble hall, toward the front door.

  Click, click, click. His fancy dress shoes probably cost more that Heather’s entire outfit.

  All right, so she was in jeans, a blouse, and a coat, but still.

  The butler grasped the door handle, then opened for them and held the door.

  Heather and Amy stepped onto the porch, and it slapped closed behind them. An ominous clang which rang through the early afternoon.

  “Well, that was fun,” Amy said. “Do you think he likes us?”

  “If by like you mean hate, then yes.”

  Heather led Amy down the stepping stone path toward the whimsical golden gate at the end of the garden.

  “I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole, without the white rabbit and weird tea party,” Amy said.

  “I’m sensing a literary theme from you this week. First Lord of The Rings, now C.S. Lewis,” Heather replied.

  Amy chuckled and stuck out her tongue. “I’ve been trying out fantasy for a change. Makes a break from the boring law books Kent has lying around his office.”

  The gate swung open, and Kate Laverne stepped through the opening. She paused mid-stride, then lowered her heeled boot to the ground and glared at them. “Surprise, surprise, what are you doing here?”

  Heather kept her face impassive. Inside, butterflies bounced around on trampolines and hit her stomach lining.

  Kate’s leering older brother stepped up beside her, but Geoff didn’t follow.

  “What are you doing here, would be the more appropriate question,” Heather replied. “Can you explain, Kate?”

  Kate Laverne clicked her tongue. “You’ve changed. You used to be less, hmmm, less pushy.”

  “You mean, more of a pushover,” Heather replied. And she had been. She’d put up with a lot of garbage for a long time.

  “You said it,” Kate replied, and showed them her perfectly white teeth. She brushed her fingers through her short cut blond hair, then fluffed her fringe. “Out of my way.”

  “We’re here on official business, Mrs. Laverne,” Heather replied. “I’m afraid you’re interfering with that business.”

  “Official business,” Kate said and glanced back at her brother, Charles. They shared a chuckle. “And what might that be.”

  “We’re investigating the murder of Kenneth Kenny,” Heather replied.

  Kate’s mirth slipped off her sharp features. Charles copied his sister’s expression.

  “We’ve just been informed that Kenny was an investor in your company,” Heather replied. “Delightful Donuts.” She had to bury her anger at saying the ripped off name.

  “And so? I had to find new capital after you ruined Geoff’s business,” Kate replied.

  “Ruined – are you – what are you –” Amy spluttered and clenched her fists. “He digs through our trash cans and harasses our customers.”

  Heather raised a hand. “Kate, where were you on the night of Kenneth’s murder?”

  Kate’s smug satisfaction at Amy’s reaction dissolved. Her mouth twisted to one corner. “I don’t have to tell you anything. You’re not authorized to talk to me about this kind of thing.”

  Heather drew herself upright. “I’m a consultant for the Hillside Police Department. I’ve been hired to investigate this case. Please, call the lead Detective Shepherd if you have any doubts.”

  “Detective Shepherd?” Kate asked, then guffawed. “Are you serious? You’re married to the detective? Oh, gosh, I expected better from you.”

  Amy growled, but Heather placed a hand on her arm and squeezed.

  Kate Laverne had manipulation techniques mastered. She’d twist every word to suit her purposes if she could.

  “Your alibi, Mrs. Laverne?” Heather repeated.

  “My alibi is with my lawyer, Mrs. Shepherd. I suggest you speak to him about it,” Kate replied.

  She pushed past Heather and stomped up the path to the porch.

  “What are you doing here?” Amy yelled, then pressed her fingers to her mouth.

  Kate didn’t answer.

  “We live here now,” Charles grumbled. His voice echoed across the garden, and Kate froze on the porch.

  “Get up here right now!” She screamed at him.

  Charles jumped about a foot into the air, slammed down to earth, then rushed up to the porch. Kate herded him into the house, then shut the door behind them.

  “No butler for her,” Amy whispered.

  “They’re probably best friends by now. The mean butler and the equally mean New Yorker.” Heather led Ames toward the gate and out onto the sidewalk.

  Amy pulled the golden creation shut behind her, then sighed and joined Heather. “That woman makes me fume.”

  “She’s actively trying to make you fume,” Heather replied. “Don’t let her.” She walked to her car, then unlocked it and got into the driver
’s seat.

  Amy followed a second later and zipped on her seatbelt.

  Heather turned to her and wriggled her nose. “It’s a control thing with Kate. She embarrassed me frequently in front of people at all the high society parties in New York. She thought she was better than me and for a while there, I believed that too. I don’t anymore.”

  “Good,” Amy replied. “Because you’re awesome.”

  “Thanks, Ames. But this case isn’t going to be awesome at all. It’s going to be a true mystery. I can feel it in my bones.” Heather replied.

  She looked up at the Summers’ home, then started her car.

  Why on earth would Kate Laverne stay with Georgia Summers? How did they even know each other?

  Chapter 5

  Heather planted a kiss on Lilly’s forehead, then checked the bright, pink covers weren’t too tight.

  It was already past midnight, but Heather couldn’t sleep. Lilly didn’t have the same problem. She snored, gently, one arm above her head and the other rested on a fluffy pink cushion beside her.

  Dave twisted his warm little body just beneath it. He wasn’t technically allowed to sleep on Lilly’s bed, but Heather had let it slide too often to change the pattern now.

  Besides, they both loved the comfort.

  “Goodnight, honey,” Heather whispered, then tiptoed to the door. She opened it and slipped into the hall, the shut it behind her.

  What a night.

  Externally, everything had pretty much seemed the same. She’d made them dinner, helped Lilly with a few of her math problems, watched an episode of Planet Earth 2 and tucked in Lils – and Dave – before bed.

  But the run-in with mean Kate Laverne had lodged itself in her brain. It ran on a loop, in repeat, and she couldn’t shake the image of the woman on the porch, glaring back at them.

  “What are you up to, Laverne?” Heather whispered and traipsed down the hall to the top of the staircase.

  Could she have been involved somehow? Heather had ceased believing in coincidences.

  Kate Laverne and her entourage had appeared in Donut Delights, and that night a reluctant investor in Kate’s bakery fell victim to a gunshot.

  The front door opened downstairs, and Ryan walked in. His keys jangled, and he stifled a yawn, then locked up the front.

  Heather traversed the stairs and hurried toward him. “There you are,” she said.

  He dropped the keys on the entrance hall table and turned to her. “And hello to you too, my love. This midnight greeting has become a habit.” He swept her into an embrace and kissed her forehead. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “I couldn’t sleep,” Heather replied. “Wait, I’m so rude. You’ve just gotten in. Do you want to have coffee or hot cocoa or something?”

  “Yeah, let’s have some hot cocoa and chat. Then I’ve got to –” he cut off, and his jaw creaked with a yawn.

  “Get some sleep?”

  Ryan nodded, his eyes teared up from the exhaustion.

  Heather hurried to the kitchen and brought out the milk, hot choc, and sugar, then clicked on the kettle.

  Ryan sat down at their kitchen table. “So what happened?”

  “Ugh, I ran into Kate Laverne again,” Heather said and spooned sugar into the mugs. “She was at, get this, the Summers’ mansion. Apparently, Kate and Charles, her brother, are staying there.”

  “That’s weird,” Ryan said and slipped off his shoes. “Why not stay at a hotel?”

  “Maybe none of the hotels are good enough for Mrs. Laverne,” Heather replied, and doled out more of the ingredients for their hot chocolate. “Or maybe the reason is more sinister. Whatever it is, she wasn’t happy to see us there, that’s for sure.”

  “You spoke to Georgia?”

  “That’s right. And she seemed downright shocked about Kenneth’s death. ‘Seemed’ is the active word in that sentence.” Heather finished off their hot cocoas, then carried them to the table and placed one mug in front of her husband.

  He took it and waved his hand over the surface to collect the aroma. He wafted it up to his nose. “Oh, that smells good.”

  Heather sat down beside him and took a sip of her creamy, chocolatey drink. “She mentioned that both she and Kenneth had invested in Delightful Donuts recently. But that Kenneth wanted to pull out of the deal, and she stopped him.”

  “Oh boy,” Ryan said.

  “Yeah, it sounds pretty bad to me too,” Heather replied. She took another sip of her drink then placed the mug on their table and sat back. “Did you hear anything else? Interesting, now that you’ve interviewed Georgia.”

  “What is it?” Excitement bubbled across her mind, and the sleuthing gene went crazy.

  “No DNA at the scene, nothing discernable apart from the victim, and no fingerprints either,” Ryan replied. “But, there was perfume and bright red lipstick on Kenneth’s collar.”

  Heather raised her eyebrows. “Are you serious?”

  “I know, it sounds a bit obvious. But it looks like it might’ve been a woman, perhaps someone he was interested in who tricked him somehow.”

  Heather chewed the inside of her cheek, then released it. “Georgia spoke to him, but she wouldn’t have smooched the guy. They were business partners.”

  “Or so she said.” Ryan drank from his mug and groaned his appreciation.

  “Right. There were those rumors about Kenneth and Georgia,” Heather said. “Romantic rumors, but they both dismissed them the last time we spoke. I’m not sure.”

  Silence fell between them, except for the tick-tock of the clock on the wall.

  Ryan yawned again.

  “It could be a setup,” Heather said. “Any man could use lipstick and perfume to make it look like a lover’s spat.”

  “True,” Ryan said. “But we don’t have enough evidence or information to draw solid conclusions just yet.”

  “Right,” Heather replied. She threw back the last of her drink, then collected Ryan’s mug and brought them both to the sink. “I guess we should sleep on it.”

  “I agree.” Ryan got up and stretched his muscles.

  Together they walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Ryan didn’t say another word, his gaze fixed on the corner which led toward their bedroom door.

  Heather grasped his hand and squeezed, gently.

  Her eyes dropped, but full-scale exhaustion hadn’t set in, yet. She had to figure out where the lipstick had come from.

  And why Kate had holed up with Georgia Summers. The two women were perfectly opposite versions of each other.

  Suspicion balled up in the back of her mind. She dismissed it for another day.

  Chapter 6

  Heather paced along the counter and checked the donut display. Each one of their creations glistened beneath the downlights beneath the glass. Gorgeous round treats. Caramel Glazes and Choc Churros, their sugared, deep fried bases twisting to meet at both ends, and dripping ganache.

  “Are you all right, dear?” Eva asked, and touched Heather on the arm.

  “Oh, hey Eva. I’m fine. I’m just a bit preoccupied with another case,” she said and tapped at her temple. “Can’t get it off my noodle.”

  Eva smiled and patted her on the forearm. “But that’s always the case with you, dear. You’re single-minded when it comes to doing the right thing.”

  Heather blushed at the compliment. “Can I get you anything, Eva?”

  “I’ve love one of those Choc Churro Donuts and a cup of coffee. Bitter black, please. I have to watch my sugar intake.” Eva winked and scurried off to her favorite table.

  Heather walked around to the other side of the counter, then pressed a few buttons on the coffee machine. She fed a donut onto a sparkling white plate. The coffee machine gurgled and brown liquid spouted into the mug.

  She topped it up with hot water, then walked Eva’s order over to her.

  Heather placed it on the table, then sat down in the seat opposite her friend and one of the best advice givers she k
new.

  “Thank you,” Eva said and shifted the mug closer to her. “Tell me about your case, dear.” She pushed a magazine out of the way and grasped the plate, then dragged it closer.

  “I just – wait, what’s that?” Heather asked and pointed at the tabloid magazine.

  Eva gave a sour grunt. It sounded like a bear noise from a mouse. “Some woman forced it on me this morning. It’s Hillside’s newest tabloid magazine. She was giving them out for free on the corner. Don’t even concern yourself with this trash, Heather.”

  But Heather’s gaze didn’t shift from the front cover.

  Charles Lawless’ face stared up at her, upside down.

  “May I see that?” She asked.

  “Of course,” Eva replied. “These things only upset me. They have such horrible news most of the time.” She handed it over and grimaced, then returned to her coffee and donut.

  “I agree,” Heather replied. She scanned the image on the front page.

  Charles didn’t look at his best. The pudding bowl haircut, particularly, and fared well in the paparazzi-style shot of the man.

  “What’s the matter?” Eva asked.

  Heather put down the magazine and sighed. “The plot thickens,” she replied and tapped Charles on the pudding bowl haircut. “This guy is my main suspect’s brother. And this magazine claims that he used to be a hired killer.”

  “An assassin,” Eva gasped. “In Hillside?” She shuddered and pressed her fingertips to her lips. “You can’t be serious.”

  “It’s a tabloid,” Heather said. “I can’t be sure if any of this is true, but it’s worth investigating. Maybe I should give the paper a call and chat to their researcher. See where they got the information.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Eva said, and finally dropped her hand. “I might need another donut after this shock.” She took a massive bite of her first one.

  Heather wriggled her phone out of her jeans’ pocket, underneath the Donut Delights apron. She made a habit of never keeping it in the exterior, front pouch, just in case.

  Her time in New York had imparted strange traditions on her, and she still couldn’t shake them.

  Heather googled the local tabloid, then clicked on their contact number on their website. She dialed it and pressed the phone to her ear.