Donuts, Delights & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 1 Read online

  “And how well did you know the victim?” Detective Smith asked. “You had just met him?”

  “We didn’t even get the chance,” Heather said. “He wasn’t open yesterday. We came today to introduce ourselves. I think another neighbor said his name was Covens? But that’s all we know about him.”

  “Percy Covens,” Detective Smith confirmed.

  “He’s had the fish shop here for years and years,” Detective Peters said. “I used to come here after school for the specials.”

  “And when was that exactly?” Amy asked.

  Heather shot a look at her friend. Now wasn’t the time to tease the policeman about his youth.

  “Was he poisoned?” Heather asked, trying to focus on the case at hand.

  “What leads you to that conclusion?” Peters asked.

  “Unfortunately, we’ve had some incidents with poisons,” Heather said, neglecting to mention that she had been poisoned by a killer herself. “And I noticed some foam by his mouth.”

  “The medical examiner still needs to complete his autopsy,” Detective Smith said. “And we don’t share the results with civilians.”

  “Can’t you tell us?” Amy asked. “Remember how helpful we were last time?”

  “I remember a deadly snake on the loose,” Detective Smith said.

  “And you were the people who stumbled across the body,” Peters said. “That makes you people of interest.”

  “Come on,” Amy said. “You don’t really think we had anything to do with this, do you?”

  “Do we?” Peters asked his partner, nervously.

  “I don’t really think that you’ve traveled across the country to murder a man you’ve never met,” Detective Smith said. “But we will have to double check that you’ve never met him.”

  “Tell us a little bit more about him so we can make sure we’ve never met him,” Heather said, fishing for information.

  “Percy Covens was well liked by everybody,” Detective Peters began. “He was one of the street’s most eligible bachelors too. My sister used to have a crush on him.”

  “Peters,” Detective Smith said, stopping the flow of information.

  “Sorry,” Peters said, retreating behind his notebook.

  “I wonder why the killer chose poison,” Heather said, thinking aloud and hoping the law enforcement agents might join in. “Does it mean that they were incapable of using a more physical means of murdering Percy Covens?”

  “Maybe the killer was small or weak,” Amy agreed.

  “Or they wanted to give themselves a good alibi,” Heather said. “If they used poison, it was definitely a premeditated murder. The killer didn’t want to be nearby at the time of death. Do you know when the time of death is?”

  “The medical examiner is still conducting his autopsy,” said Peters. “But it was sometime this morning, probably between 9 a.m. and—“

  “And we don’t share this type of information,” Detective Smith said.

  “I’m sorry,” Peters said. “It’s just that they are private investigators and are related to Detective Shepherd.”

  “And told me this morning that they had a donut shop to set up and weren’t going to get involved in any cases,” Detective Smith said.

  “You’re right,” Heather said. “We know that you can do your job and we will be very busy with my store’s opening. It’s just that this feels personal.”

  “You said that you never met the man,” Peters reminded them. “Did I catch you in a lie?”

  “It feels personal because he’s in the building right next to me. And when did the killer strike? If we had visited with our donuts a little earlier, we might have been able to prevent this tragedy,” said Heather.

  “You can’t blame yourselves,” Peters said. “Unless you were actually the killers and poisoned the man. But, otherwise, it’s not your fault.”

  “I saw a coffee mug,” Heather said. “Could that have held the poison?”

  “We have to do tests—that will not be shared with civilians,” Peters said and then covered.

  “It was one of those #1 Boss mugs,” Amy said. “It gives me the creeps to think that it could have held something deadly.”

  “Remind my future employees never to get one for me around the holidays,” said Heather. “I don’t think I could get this crime out of my head and take a sip from it.”

  “Are you going to let this go?” Detective Smith asked.

  Heather sighed. “We won’t get in the way of your investigation,” she promised.

  7

  Spoiled Rotten

  “There,” Heather said. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s hard to focus on pre-opening chores when a dead body was found next door,” Amy said.

  Heather had to agree. “But Detective Smith doesn’t want our help on this case.”

  “His loss,” said Amy. “We’re great at finding the piece of the puzzle that others miss.”

  “I think we were starting to become spoiled by having Ryan hire us to help the Hillside Police.”

  “I don’t mind being spoiled,” Amy said. “In fact, I’d appreciate a little bit more of it. If they would just tell us the results of the lab test, we would probably have caught the killer by now.”

  “We might not like the answer we find,” Heather said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Detective Peters said that Percy Covens was an eligible bachelor. That doesn’t sound like a wife or children wanting to kill him for their inheritance. If we ignore the family angle, which is a common motive for murder, then it has to be something else. And it might just relate to one of our new shop neighbors.”

  Amy shivered. “One neighbor dead, and another a killer. You know? This happened to me before. I didn’t like it then, and I don’t like it now.”

  “I don’t like it either,” Heather agreed.

  Amy decided to go back to Heather’s original question and looked at what she had written. Even though they were distracted, they had solidified their menu of regular flavors that morning. Now they were creating a “Help Wanted” ad they could post for hiring assistants in the shop. The new staff had to be pleasant and helpful with customers, they would have to bake the many flavors of donuts while following safety regulations, and they would have to keep the store sparkling clean. They would have a lot to live up to too, after how wonderful Heather’s Hillside staff was.

  “Do you think it adequately describes the work without scaring applicants off?” Heather asked.

  Amy nodded. “But maybe we should add something about how they might have to handle store operations as a team while management runs off to solve a murder.”

  “It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen soon,” said Heather. “So maybe we can work our way up to telling them about that.”

  "I wish Ryan was handling this case!" Amy said.

  “Me too,” Ryan said, joining them.

  “I’d say speak of the devil, but that’s as far from the truth as it could be,” Heather said. “But we were just talking about you.”

  “I know you left me a message saying you had to talk to Detective Smith again. Does this mean what I think it does?” asked Ryan. “Has there been a murder?”

  “Unfortunately, the owner of the seafood restaurant next door was poisoned,” said Heather.

  Ryan shook his head. “I was all set to enjoy some vacation time. I fixed our faucet this morning, so it’s easier to turn.”

  “Did you fix the only hot water and only cold water thing too?” asked Amy.

  “Not yet. But the first step has been taken,” said Ryan.

  “Why do I feel like there’s still a marathon to run?” asked Amy.

  "Eva and Leila and I were going to take Lilly to a dog beach today so she could bring Dave and Cupcake to enjoy the sand," said Ryan. "But how can I do that when I should be investigating a case?"

  “Don’t worry about it. This is Detective Smith’s responsibility, not yours,” said Hea
ther. “Though I would be careful about bringing Cupcake to a dog beach. Most dogs aren’t like Dave. They don’t like kittens.”

  “We looked into it, and found a beach that we think will be safe,” said Ryan. “But will you be safe? Is the killer after others on the street? Will he come after you two?”

  "I think we're all right," said Heather. "Right now, I'd assume that the killer was only after Percy Covens. Poison is deliberate. I wish we knew the time frame of his activities though. That would help us determine when the killer had to strike."

  “He’s closed on Mondays,” said Amy. “Could someone have broken in then? Or did it have to be set up Tuesday morning?”

  “The door we entered through didn’t look tampered with, but that’s not to say the killer couldn’t have come in another way,” said Heather.

  “I don’t like not being able to get lab results,” said Ryan. “Do you know anything about the poison used?”

  “It caused some foaming at the mouth,” said Heather.

  “It might have been Potassium Cyanide,” Ryan thought aloud. “If it caused foaming at the mouth and death after being ingested.”

  "It looked fast-acting," said Heather. "His coffee mug was set down, but he didn't have time to do anything else. I didn't see any cell phone at the scene, and he didn't make it to the store phone. He wasn't able to call for help."

  “Are you sure the coffee mug held the poison?” Ryan asked.

  "Without Detective Smith's help, no," said Heather. "But it is what makes the most sense. Coffee could mask the taste of the poison, and it was the only edible item out in the open."

  “If that’s what’s in the #1 Boss mug, I’d hate to see what’s in the #2 one,” said Amy.

  “If I were on the case, I’d love to talk to the employee who gave him that mug,” said Heather. “Did something happen to change the employee’s idea of his boss?”

  “If you were on the case?” asked Amy.

  “There’s no reason to get involved right now,” Heather said. “When we started helping in Hillside it was because we knew things about the suspects that other people didn’t know. That’s not the case here. We are great at finding clues and figuring out how they go together, but I bet Detective Smith and Peters are good at it too. I don’t want to make trouble for Ryan at work before he even starts.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me,” said Ryan. “You’ve proven your skills again and again, and this police force will see that too. You’re licensed now as well, and I believe Florida accepts other state’s licenses.”

  “Maybe I will look into updating my P.I. license,” said Heather. “But not today. I promised Detective Smith I wouldn’t get in the way of his investigation.”

  “You’re sure?” Amy asked.

  “Well,” said Heather. “Unless something forces us to get involved.”

  Then they heard the yelling outside.

  8

  What Will The Neighbors Think?

  “There were never any murders here before,” Mr. Rankle was yelling. “Not until they came here!”

  Heather, Amy, and Ryan emerged from the soon-to-be Donut Delights and saw that most of the other shop owners had gathered in the street. Mr. Rankle was leaning on his cane with one hand and pointing angrily at Heather’s building with the other.

  The other neighbors started muttering amongst themselves. Heather noticed all of the people that they had handed donuts out to, along with a few of their staff members.

  “What’s going on?” Heather asked.

  “As if you didn’t know,” Mr. Rankle said. “Percy Covens was murdered.”

  “Yes. We do know that,” Heather said. “But what does that have to do with us?”

  “Do with you? It’s obvious you killed him,” Mr. Rankle said.

  “How can you think that?” asked Amy.

  “We never had any trouble like this before,” Mr. Rankle said. “And then you show up and right away a man is killed.”

  "Doesn't that help prove that they didn't kill him?" Bernadette from the bookstore offered. "If he was murdered right after they arrived that doesn't give them time to get a reason to kill him."

  “You would side with them,” Mr. Rankle said.

  “I miss Bianca,” Don said, and Juan agreed.

  Bernadette rolled her eyes.

  "And the reason is obvious," Mr. Rankle said. "They came here just to cause trouble. First, they came here handing out donuts."

  “Was something wrong with the donuts?” Delilah from the bikini boutique asked. “Were they poisoned? Is this going to happen to all of us?”

  “I sincerely hope not,” said Mr. Rankle. “But now do you understand why I don’t like newcomers? Maybe it’s perfectly all right to murder your neighbors wherever they come from in Tennessee.”

  “Texas,” said Amy.

  “But it’s not all right here. And we won’t stand for it!” said Mr. Rankle.

  “Let’s all remain calm,” said Ryan.

  “And who are you?” asked Delilah.

  “I’m Detective Ryan Shepherd, formerly of the Hillside Police, and currently transferring to the Key West Force. Now, this isn’t yet my jurisdiction,” he said. “But I can tell you something about the law. Gathering like this and with all the yelling you’re doing is causing a public disturbance. I recommend you all return to your places of business.”

  The woman from the yoga studio and man from the hammock shop and a few staff member from the stores left after this speech, but the others were more reticent to move.

  “You expect us to just go about our day with a killer on the loose?” asked Mr. Rankle.

  "I expect you to let the police and professionals investigate this matter," said Ryan. "If you have any leads based on more than irritation about a new store opening, then report it to them. But otherwise, yes. You should return to your work."

  “It’s just hard to feel safe with them here,” Delilah said. She gave them a dirty look and then retreated.

  Juan and Don also warily left.

  “I’m sorry about this,” said Bernadette. “It looks like you’re going to have an even rougher time fitting in than I did. But I won’t ever be scared of eating your donuts.”

  She gave them a small smile and walked away, leaving them alone with Mr. Rankle.

  “You don’t fool me,” he said. “And I’m going to make sure that the whole street knows that you’re a bunch of cutthroats.”

  "Mr. Rankle, we didn't have anything to do with his murder," Heather said. "And we want justice served as much as the next person."

  “It will be served when you’re off of this street,” Mr. Rankle said before abruptly turning around and leaving.

  “We’re surrounded by palm trees and shining waters,” said Amy. “And yet, this day keeps going from bad to worse.”

  Heather didn't respond. She was scanning the area where the crowd had been, trying to determine the direction that everyone went.

  “You have that look on your face,” Ryan said. “Are you taking on this case?”

  "Well," Heather said. "I believe I only promised that I wouldn't get in the way of Detective Smith's investigation. There's no reason for our sleuthing to interfere with his work. And yes, I think we do need to start working on it. Everyone on the street is going to blame us for Percy Covens’ death unless we find the real killer."

  “Hey,” Amy said. “Maybe if we find the real killer, then they might even like us. Maybe we’ll be heroes of the block.”

  “It might depend on who they end up arresting,” said Ryan.

  "I hope it's Mr. Rankle," said Amy. "Please, could it be him."

  “So, what’s your first move?” Ryan asked. “We don’t have any lab results or confirmation about facts in the case.”

  "First, I'm going to let you take Lilly and everyone to the dog beach as you promised," said Heather.

  “Really?” asked Ryan.

  “You wanted to be on vacation,” said Heather.

  “I g
uess so,” he said, not seeming as excited as before.

  “This way you’re not ruffling any feathers with the police force if they happen to get annoyed with us,” said Heather.

  “Not that we’re ever annoying,” said Amy.

  “What are you going to do?” Ryan asked.

  “Did you notice everyone that was in the crowd?” Heather asked. “How there were some employees gathered as well as the owners?”

  “Yeah,” said Amy.

  “I think I saw someone wearing a shirt for the seafood restaurant,” Heather said.

  “He might work there,” said Amy. “He might be the one who gave Percy Covens the #1 Boss mug.”

  “And he might know something about the murder,” said Heather.

  9

  Out In the Cold

  Heather and Amy found the employee sitting next to the seafood restaurant looking downcast.

  “We thought we saw you on the street,” said Heather.

  “I tried to do what the policeman said and return to work,” the young man said. “But then I realized that I don’t really have a place to work anymore. I don’t think it will ever open its doors again. All because of a horrible murder.”

  He sighed theatrically. Heather sensed that he was upset about what had happened, but that he also enjoyed the drama of it all.

  “So, you worked for Percy Covens?” Heather asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “I was his assistant. I was supposed to make sure things went smoothly when he wasn’t there. But I’m not really sure I should be talking to you about this. Couldn’t you both be guilty? Am I talking to killers now? Should I be afraid? Should I scream for help?”

  “I should have brought earplugs,” Amy muttered.

  “We had nothing to do with the murder,” Heather assured him. “Back in Hillside, we actually helped solve murders. We haven’t called attention to it here, but we are licensed private investigators.”

  “And are you going to solve Percy’s murder?”

  “We’ve been pulled into the investigation,” Heather said.