Cranberry Orange Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 29 (A Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) 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 2015 by Maven Publishing & Summer Prescott Books - 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.

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  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 1

  Melissa Gladstone Beckett’s usually cheery demeanor was more than a bit subdued on this grey January day. The bed and breakfast and cupcake shop owner had received some bad news about the health of her very dear friend, local, but world-renowned, artist, Phillip “Kel” Kellerman. That, coupled with the fact that the last murder case that her husband, Detective Chas Beckett had solved, had sent a sweet young man to trial for the murder of his horribly abusive father, served to dull the sensitive forty-something’s perpetual smile and good humor.

  As usual, when Missy was distressed, she tried to take her mind off of her troubles by baking. This morning’s new creation at the cupcake shop was a cranberry orange cupcake with cream cheese filling. She used just a touch of orange zest in her cupcake batter, and blended walnuts and honey into cream cheese for the filling. Topping the cakes off with an orange juice buttercream frosting, she drizzled pureed cranberries with ginger over the top for a tart and tangy zing. After the elegant cupcakes had been frosted, drizzled and arranged in the display case in the front of the shop, Missy sighed unconsciously, not drawing any pleasure from the pretty arrangement of the tasty treats.

  Kel, and her best friend Echo, were due at any moment for their morning coffee and cupcakes. The three friends met nearly every morning to catch up on what was happening in each other’s lives. Kel, who had been born and raised in Calgon, Florida, where Missy, Echo and Chas had moved to from Louisiana several months ago, felt that it was his civic duty to bring the ladies up to speed on all of the local gossip and community happenings, and typically enjoyed eating his fill of Missy’s sublime cupcakes. Since he’d been to Boston and discovered the challenges that he faced health-wise, however, his appetite had been off. The difficult part for Missy was that he’d asked her not to share his news with Echo. He had profound feelings for the red-haired former Californian, and wanted to break the news himself. Unfortunately, Echo had noticed his odd behavior of late, and attributed it to the idea that Kel must be seeing another woman. The drama and pain made Missy’s head spin, and she didn’t quite know what to do with it.

  She took a deep breath and put the coffee on, looking up when the bells over the front door jangled, announcing an arrival.

  “Hey girl,” Echo breezed in, looking happier than she’d been in a while. “That coffee smells delicious. What vegan delights do you have for me today?” she asked.

  Echo had operated a vegan ice cream shop across the street from Missy’s cupcake shop when the two of them had lived in Louisiana. That’s how they’d met, and had been fast friends ever since.

  “I made a vegan version of my cranberry orange delights, I think you’ll like them. I used a tofu-based “cream cheese” for the filling,” Missy replied, taking a tray of the cupcakes to the bistro table where the three friends always sat.

  “Sounds perfect,” her flame-haired friend replied, pouring two mugs of coffee and taking a seat across from her.

  “Someone is awfully cheery today,” Missy smiled faintly.

  “And someone is decidedly not,” Echo frowned, peering closely at her friend. “What’s up?”

  Missy hesitated, knowing full well that she had promised Kel not to tell Echo what she’d learned, so she decided to go with the other truth of what was bothering her.

  “I just feel so bad for Benson,” she hedged, referring to Chas’s last case. “He and his mother and sister suffered so much abuse at the hands of his father.”

  Echo nodded. “Hopefully the judge will take that into consideration.”

  “Yeah, hope so,” Missy murmured.

  “Is that all that’s bothering you?”

  Not looking up from her cupcake, the petite blonde slowly removed the paper from the base of her treat and nodded. Echo took her at her word and decided to turn the conversation to more positive matters.

  “Well, I have some news that might make you smile,” she grinned.

  “Really?” she looked up, surprised. Echo had been in a bit of a funk lately because of the stress of thinking that Kel was involved with someone.

  “Yup.” She held up a keychain with two keys on it. “Guess what these are.”

  “I don’t know…did you buy a car?” Missy asked astonished. Echo hadn’t owned a car since she’d known her, she was adamant about minimizing her carbon footprint.

  “Ew, no,” she made a face. “These are the keys to my new candle shop. Bernetta and I met at an attorney’s office yesterday and finalized the sale,” she announced proudly.

  “Oh, Echo, that’s so exciting! I didn’t know that you had decided to do that,” she brightened.

  “I wrestled with it for quite a while before deciding to go for it, and when I finally made up my mind, I called Bernetta and took care of it right then. My candle sales have increased to the point where I’ll be able to comfortably afford a retail store, and now that Spencer has been helping me with the dipping and sculpting, I’m able to keep up with orders.”

  Spencer Bengal worked for Missy and Chas as a handyman, server and bartender for their Beach House Bed and Breakfast, and helped with the cupcake shop as well. When Echo had begun creating candles that were scented like Missy’s cupcakes, demand for the sweet-smelling, gorgeous wax sculptures had overwhelmed her rather quickly, so she’d enlisted Spencer, a young, handsome, Marine veteran, to help her out.

  “That’s fantastic, I’m so happy for you!” Missy grabbed her friend’s hand across the table and gave it a squeeze. “When do you open?”

  “I’m not quite sure yet. I need to build a significant inventory, and there are some things I’d like to do to the interior of the shop, so I’ll probably give Carla a call and have her come take a look at it.” Carla Mayhew was an Interior Decorator who was Missy’s first friend when she moved to Florida. She and Echo disliked each other intensely at first, because Carla envied Missy’s relationship with Echo, but the women had worked past those issues, and now were on their way to becoming friends.

  “That’s great, I’m sure she’ll be excited to take a look. But honey, h
ow on earth are you going to have the time for all of this? I can manage here in the mornings if you don’t come in, but you’re Kel’s Gallery Manager…how is that going to work?”

  Echo’s face went blank, but not before Missy saw the intense pain that was hidden behind the mask of determination.

  “I’m going to quit. I’ve already emailed him,” she said, staring straight ahead, her jaw set.

  “You emailed him about this, rather than talking to him? Do you really think that that was the best way to handle this?” Missy’s mouth dropped open in shock.

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Maybe whoever he’s spending all his time with will be able to lend a hand,” she shrugged.

  “Echo, that’s not…” she began, but was interrupted by her friend holding up her hand to stop her.

  “End of discussion,” she said stubbornly. “It’s done. I’m moving on with my life and wish him the best.”

  Missy stared at her friend for a very long time, torn between honoring Kel’s request that she not share his news, and the desire to let Echo know the truth. Blinking back tears of frustration, she finally nodded.

  “Okay. How can I help?”

  Chapter 2

  Twenty-four year old Andrew Koslowski reclined in his sun chair on the dock, shading his eyes with his hand to see the new arrival.

  “Mornin,” he called out to the distinguished-looking grey-haired man in front of him. “What can I do you for?”

  “Good morning,” the tall gent replied, holding a small blue duffel, and seeming more than a bit out of his element. “I understand that you rent boats?”

  “That I do. Whatcha need?”

  “Just something small, and simple. I just want to get away from it all for a few hours.”

  “I hear ya, dude. That’s why most people come see me. I can give you that baby over there,” Andrew pointed to a blue and white boat that was among the smallest in his part of the marina.”

  “That one looks good,” the man nodded.

  “You ever operated one of these babies?”

  “No, not exactly. Usually, when I’m aboard a boat, someone else is driving, so I’ve seen it done any number of times. It doesn’t seem to be terribly difficult.”

  “Nah, it ain’t rocket science. We’ll get your paperwork done and I’ll give you a quick lesson,” Andrew handed him a clipboard.

  “Paperwork?”

  “Yeah – name, address, that kind of thing. I’ll take a copy of your driver’s license for the insurance company, no big deal,” he shrugged. “If you want to slide me your credit card, I can run it while I’m back there getting the copy.”

  “Oh, uh…no, thanks. I’ll pay cash.”

  “Cash? Dude, you realize…” Andrew began.

  “Yes, I’ve seen your prices on the website. I assure you, I have enough cash,” the man interrupted.

  “What about the damage deposit? It’s easier if I just run your card, dude.”

  The man ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “How much is the deposit?”

  “Two grand, man.”

  “No problem, I have the cash.”

  Andrew narrowed his eyes at the man. He didn’t normally let patrons out of the marina without a credit card number on file, but the dude just looked tired and completely normal, so he made the split-second decision to cut him some slack.

  “Alright, let me get the copy of your driver’s license, and I’ll get you on your way.”

  The man pulled his license out of his wallet, but hesitated before handing it over. “Will I be able to take the copy of this with me when I leave after returning the boat?”

  “Sure man, whatever works,” Andrew looked at him strangely, taking the license and heading down the dock to the boat that he used as an office.

  In a matter of minutes, he was back on the dock, and leading his latest renter to the boat that he had pointed out. It took nearly no time at all to familiarize the man with the controls, and soon he was happily motoring out of the marina.

  Chapter 3

  Echo knew that emailing her boss and friend, Kel, to let him know that she’d be leaving her position as Gallery Manager, had been a cold and immature thing to do, but she had feared that she’d be too emotional to do it any other way. She didn’t want to let him know how much she cared for him, now that he had someone else. She’d had her chance for romance, he’d opened that door many times, and now someone else had his attention, so she just had to get past it and move on. Avoiding him would be the least painful option for a while.

  Echo got off of the bus at the entrance to her up-and-coming neighborhood, and saw a flurry of activity as she turned the corner that led to her cozy little cottage. Apparently, someone was moving in to the house next door to her, which had been vacant since before she came to Florida. She was too focused on what was going on in her own world at the moment, but planned to go over and say hello later. She had high hopes that the new neighbor would be an improvement over the obnoxious soul who lived on the other side of her, “Loud Steve,” so called because of his propensity to ride through the neighborhood in his bite-sized pickup truck with heavy metal music blaring. Steve had an annoying habit of sitting out on the concrete pad outside his side door and staring into Echo’s windows while smoking cheap cigarettes, but aside from that, seemed relatively harmless.

  Once inside, her heart leaped a bit when she saw that she had received an email from Kel, which was odd, because he hadn’t yet opened the one that she had sent.

  “I won’t be able to make it to cupcakes and coffee this morning, please give Missy my regards. Thanks, K ~” read the simple message that broke her heart.

  Not only had he not bothered to read her email, now it seemed that he was passing up the chance to get together with his friends, quite obviously because he had better things to do. He didn’t even apologize for letting them know at the last minute. No longer sorry that she’d just sent an email, Echo bit her lip, willing the tears that were welling in her eyes not to fall.

  Throwing herself into a frenzy of activity, by the time Spencer arrived to help her dip and sculpt, she was covered in wax and worn out.

  “Everything okay, Ms. Willis?” the Marine asked, his blue eyes seeming to pierce her façade.

  She thought briefly about telling the earnest young man, who had seen more tragedy in his lifetime than most, all about what she was feeling, and why, but decided to keep it to herself, a bit embarrassed about having missed out on an opportunity for love and now lamenting it.

  “I’m fine, Spence, thanks for asking. Just busy-busy getting geared up for the grand opening,” she attempted a smile, fooling no one.

  He looked at her closely for a moment, seeing if she would change her mind and tell him about whatever it was, but when she dropped her gaze and went back to dipping, he rolled up his sleeves and dug in to the task at hand.

  “That’s good, ma’am. What are we baking today?” he teased, referring to the delicious scents of her candles.

  “I’m finishing up a run of Caramel Apple, then I’d like to knock out some Strawberry Lemon after that.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he replied, tying off a wick.

  The two worked together in companionable silence for several hours, until a loud growl from Spencer’s stomach announced that it was past dinner time.

  Echo laughed. “Somebody’s hungry,” she observed.

  “Apparently so,” the Marine grinned, flicking his knife this way and that to sculpt the last Caramel Apple candle, bits of wax being flung into a tub at his side.

  “Well, you finish up here, and I’ll round up something for us to eat,” she replied, wiping her hands on a towel.

  “Uh, ma’am…I…” he didn’t quite know how to say it without sounding rude.

  “No worries, Spence, I’m aware that you’re not vegan,” Echo smiled. “I planned to order a pizza for you, if that’s okay?”

  He was relieved. “Sounds good, thanks.”

  “No problem, I�
�ll let you know when it arrives.”

  The doorbell rang sometime later and Spencer was so engrossed in finishing his last set of candles that he didn’t even hear it. Echo came back to the bedroom that she used for candle making to check on his progress.

  “How goes it?”

  “Almost done,” he replied, leaning to the side to crack his back after having stooped forward over the work table to do his carving, twisting and shaping. “Is the pizza here?”

  “Not yet. I’d give it another fifteen minutes or so, since it’s the peak of the dinner hour. My new next door neighbor came over to introduce himself. He seems really sweet…odd, but sweet. I think he’ll be a refreshing change from Loud Steve.”

  “That wouldn’t take much,” the Marine replied darkly. He’d run into Steve on more than one occasion, and didn’t care much for the slovenly man who claimed to have been a Marine.

  “Apparently, he bakes. He brought me over a Key Lime pie that looks absolutely delicious. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I couldn’t eat it because I’m vegan, so you’re welcome to take it home with you if you’d like,” she offered.

  “Heck yes, I love Key Lime pie. If the pizza doesn’t get here in a few, I may just have my dessert first,” Spencer grinned.

  “I’m guessing that it wouldn’t hurt your appetite a bit,” Echo laughed.

  “True story. I’ll finish this one up and be out in a few minutes,” he promised, flashing those killer dimples.

  “Oh, if I were only twenty years younger,” Echo thought, heading back down the hall.

  Spencer finished up his last Caramel Apple candle just before the pizza arrived, and had a quick dinner break before he and Echo headed back to the studio to start on the Strawberry Lemon batch. They worked until nearly midnight before Echo placed her delicate hands in the small of her back, stretched, and called it quits. The work area was cleaned up in no time, and Echo sent Spencer on his way with a hug and a Key Lime pie. Making his way to the company car that Chas and Missy had provided, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and instantly all of his senses were on high alert. Scanning the immediate area, he saw some palmetto fronds waving near the border of Echo’s property between her house and that of her new neighbor. He stood motionless for a moment, watching, listening, waiting, but detected no other movement or sound, and continued on his way, an uneasy feeling in his gut.