by Amber Crewes
Meghan nodded, placing an arm around Jack’s waist. “It is perfect,” she agreed. “It is truly sweet.”
The End
NUTS AND A CHOKING CORPSE
A Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery
By
Amber Crewes
About Nuts and a Choking Corpse
Released: June 2019
Series: Book 14 – Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery Series
Standalone: Yes
Cliff-hanger: No
A murdered unemployed entertainer. An evil campaign of unchallenged rumors. Can a small town bakery owner who's caught in the middle prove her innocence?
When Meghan receives a mouth-watering offer to cater for a funeral, she's more than happy to accept it. Still, she has to set aside her reservations about the carnival atmosphere which the client is seeking to project.
As an entertainer hired for the event, collapses and dies, while performing at a dress rehearsal for the funeral, all eyes focus on Meghan as the cause of his demise. Her selection of finger foods are pinpointed as the source of the allergic reaction which killed the deceased.
Hurtful comments and a mass avoidance of her bakery by the citizens of Sandy Bay, leave Meghan feeling fearful, vulnerable and confused.
Repeated lies can sometimes become the accepted truth...
Who do you turn to when no one believes you?...
It seems like Meghan's business and reputation will soon be dead and buried under the mountain of negative energy targeted at her. Can she set aside her emotions and piece together the clues that will lead her to the real killer in the nick of time?
1
M eghan squinted as she rounded the corner, her red cat-eye sunglasses failing to keep the bright rays of late-spring sunshine out of her eyes. It was a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest, and after being cooped up at work all morning, she was enjoying the sensation of the warm air on her skin as she strolled around the block on her lunch break.
“Meghan! Yoo-hoo!”
She turned to see Karen Denton, her dear friend, waving at her from down the block. Meghan grinned, waving at Karen. “What are you up to?”
Karen jogged over to Meghan, her blue eyes bright. “I just left my yoga class. It was a doozy today; the teacher had me stretched out like a pretzel, but I feel so good now.”
Meghan laughed. At seventy-three years old, Karen was the fittest, most energetic person Meghan knew, and despite their age gap, she was one of Meghan’s closest friends.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Meghan remarked as Karen slung an arm across her chest and began to stretch. “You are in such good shape, Karen.”
Karen eyed Meghan. “You aren’t looking too bad yourself, my dear,” she complimented as Meghan blushed. “Those runs on the beach with your fellow seem to be paying off! You look fabulous, Meghan. I think Jack is a good trainer.”
Meghan grinned at the mention of her boyfriend, Jack Irvin. With his impressive stature, sparkling blue eyes, and blonde hair, Jack was the most handsome man Meghan had ever seen. They had been dating for nearly a year, and while he was often busy at his job as a detective with the Sandy Bay Police Department, he and Meghan had taken up running together on the beach with their dogs.
“What are you up to the rest of the day?” she asked Karen as she glanced down at her rose gold watch.
“Not a lot,” she admitted. “My noon running group cancelled our ten-mile jog, and my evening Pilates session was postponed.”
Meghan grinned. “That’s perfect,” she told Karen. “Because I have a favor to ask you.”
“Anything for you,” she purred.
“Would you help me at work today?” she asked. “Trudy is on vacation, and we just received a large catering order. Pamela doesn’t clock in until two, and I don’t think I can handle all of the work by myself.”
Karen nodded enthusiastically. “Of course I will help you,” she agreed. “You know I love helping out at the bakery. When do you need me?”
Meghan bit her lip. “Right now?”
Karen giggled, winking at Meghan. “You got it, Boss.”
The bakery, Truly Sweet, was Meghan’s creation; she had moved to Sandy Bay, a small town on the Pacific Coast, last year, opening the bakery and starting the business that would change her life forever. While the first few months at Truly Sweet were slow, the bakery had quickly gained momentum, and was now hailed as one of the hottest patisseries in the area.
“What’s the speciality this week?” Karen asked Meghan as they walked down the street toward the bakery. “Muffins? Cookies? Eclairs?”
“Banana nut bread,” Meghan answered with a smile. “Mama sent me the recipe she used to use when we were little; it’s a Truman family secret dating back to when our pioneer ancestors moved to Texas in the 19th century.”
“Banana nut bread? That sounds fabulous,” Karen cooed. “I wish I could indulge…”
“We made a gluten-free version with you in mind,” she told her friend as they walked inside the yellow front door. “You can eat as much as you want without your gut getting irritated.”
“Now that is truly sweet of you to do, dear,” Karen smiled as they went back to the kitchen and tied aprons around their necks. “You know that my stomach can be sensitive; I try to treat my body as a temple, so I have to be careful about what I put into my system.”
“For sure,” Meghan agreed, though she herself did not do much to monitor the foods she put into her system. “Now, before we get started, do you have any questions?”
Karen wrinkled her nose. “Well, since we’re talking about what we put into our bodies, I want to ask you about your vegan options. I’ve looked at the menu the last few times I’ve been in, and I haven’t seen any of your vegan items marked. What vegan treats are you selling these days, dear?”
Meghan raised an eyebrow. “None,” she replied. “We don’t have any vegan treats. I use eggs in all of my desserts, as well as the coffee drinks we sell.”
“You use eggs in your coffee?”
“Egg whites,” she said defensively. “It makes the cream frothier.”
Karen’s jaw dropped. “You’re telling me that all of this time, you haven’t offered a single vegan item on your menu? I’m surprised, Meghan.”
“It hasn’t hurt my business,” she informed Karen, raising her chin and crossing her arms in front of her chest. “No one has even asked me about vegan treats until this very moment, Karen. I haven’t seen a need to include vegan treats on my menu.”
Before Karen could reply, Meghan heard the chime of little silver bells attached to the front door. “We have customers,” she said flatly as she adjusted her apron and walked out to the dining room.
“Ahhh, Meghan.”
Meghan pasted a smile on her face at the sight of Sally Sheridan, one of Sandy Bay’s oldest citizens. Mrs. Sheridan was a miser notorious for her stinginess, but for some reason, she had taken a liking to Meghan. Meghan had a soft spot for Mrs. Sheridan; she liked the old woman’s dry wit and sense of humor, and she had even attended the funeral of Mrs. Sheridan’s aunt only a few weeks ago. Though she was irritated by Karen’s inquiry regarding the vegan treats, she was determined to have a good attitude as she attended to Mrs. Sheridan.
“How can I help you today, Mrs. Sheridan?” she asked.
Mrs. Sheridan smiled slyly. “I need a little something sweet for my sweetie.”
“Your sweetie?”
Just then, the front door opened, and an elderly gentleman hobbled in on a silver walker. He smiled at Meghan as he scooted over to Mrs. Sheridan, gently swatting her on the behind as Meghan’s eyes widened in shock.
“My sweetie,” she announced proudly as the white-haired man licked his lips and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Meghan, this is Frank, my beau. Frank, this is Meghan.”
“Pleasure to meet you!” Frank said in a gravelly voice, his smile wide.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Meghan echoed. “Mrs. Sheridan, is this your….boyfriend?”
“He is my beau,” she repeated, turning to stare lovingly into Frank’s eyes. “We met online.”
Meghan’s jaw dropped, but she quickly regained her composure. “Where are you from, Frank?”
“I grew up in Vancouver, but I moved over to Bend, Oregon, ten years ago,” he told her. “I met this pretty little thing in a chatroom two weeks ago, and my life hasn’t been the same since.”
Meghan stifled a laugh as she watched Mrs. Sheridan blush. “I’m happy you’re….happy?” she sighed as Mrs. Sheridan lowered her eyes and batted her lashes at Frank.
“Happiest I’ve been in years,” Mrs. Sheridan confirmed. “Now, my man wants something sweet, and I promised to bring him to the best sweet shop in town. May we have a menu, Meghan? We’re going to look over it while we drink some tea.”
She handed Mrs. Sheridan one of the large yellow menus. “I’ll have your usual pot of English breakfast tea out in a few minutes,” she told Mrs. Sheridan.
“Oh, don’t bother with that boring old tea,” Mrs. Sheridan dismissed. “Send out a hot pot of chai. Chai is a spicier tea, and I’m feeling spicy today!”
Meghan’s dark eyes widened. She tucked a stray lock of her dark hair behind her ears and got to work preparing the pot of tea. Before she could deliver it to the new couple, Mrs. Sheridan was back at the counter.
“Meghan,” she began. “Do you have any vegan options? My sweetheart is a vegan.”
Meghan frowned. “This again?” she muttered under her breath.
“What was that?” Mrs. Sheridan pressed as she leaned against the counter, her wrinkled face confused.
“Nothing,” she said as Karen walked into the kitchen.
“Did I hear you ask for vegan options?” Karen asked Mrs. Sheridan.
“The sexiest man in Sandy Bay wants a vegan cookie, and I intend to find one for him!” she declared as Meghan’s stomach churned.
“Well! I never thought I would see that day,” Karen remarked as she placed her hands on her narrow hips. “Sally Sheridan and I both agree that the bakery needs a few vegan items. Meghan, did you hear that? There seems to be a demand for more vegan treats.”
“I heard,” Meghan grunted as she tended to the tea kettle. “I will see what I can do.”
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and at 1:55pm, Pamela, Meghan’s teenage employee, raced into the kitchen.
“You’re in a rush,” Meghan commented as Pamela breathed a sigh of relief.
“I thought I was going to be late,” Pamela said, pushing her bangs out of her face and placing a butter yellow baseball cap on her head. “You always say that to be on time, you should be fifteen minutes early, and since I’m only five minutes early, I guess I am late. I’m sorry, Meghan.”
Meghan laughed. “I’m flattered that you take my little sayings so seriously,” she said to Pamela.
Pamela nodded earnestly as she wrapped her apron around her waist. “I want to do my best for you, Meghan. I won’t be late again.”
Meghan smiled kindly. “You’re still technically early for your shift,” she reminded the girl. “Where were you? You usually come in cool as a cucumber.”
Pamela’s pale face turned a shade of deep red. She beamed. “I was watching Roberto get on the bus with the baseball team,” she told Meghan, referring to her boyfriend of the last four weeks. “He’s going out of town with his basketball team for a game, and I wanted to say goodbye.”
Meghan nodded. “You really like him, don’t you?”
“I love him, Meghan,” she corrected her. “He is the cutest, sweetest, most athletic boy I’ve ever known. I love him, Meghan. I’ve never felt this way before! He’s my first and only love. I think I am going to marry this boy.”
“First loves are special,” Meghan agreed. “I’ve never heard you talk like this, Pamela.”
“I’ve never been in love before,” she said simply. “Roberto is the love of my life, and I will love him forever.”
Meghan laughed to herself, thinking about her first love, Mark Bridges. Mark was a lanky tennis player who had persistently courted her in high school back in her Texas hometown. Meghan had fallen head over heels for the upperclassman, enthralled by his sense of humor and thrilled that he had his own car to drive her around in. Meghan’s parents, however, had been less than eager to welcome Mark into the family; he frequently dropped Meghan off later than her 10pm curfew, and far too often called the home phone late at night, waking the family and annoying Mr. Truman. Meghan finally broke up with Mark after a year of dating, and now, over a decade later, she couldn’t believe how enamored she had been as a teenager.
“Well, Miss-in-love,” Meghan said. “We have a lot of work to do today. Karen is helping us out for a bit, so if you can keep an eye on this batch of banana bread, I am going to go help customers in the dining room.”
“As you wish,” she replied, giving Meghan a fake curtsey and turning to the oven.
Ten minutes later, Meghan came back into the kitchen, a distraught look on her face. “Pamela, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
Meghan scowled. “What’s the deal with vegans? I’ve heard of vegans, of course; my college roommate was a vegan, and she took me to the best vegan restaurant in Seattle when I visited her over spring break.”
“What exactly are you talking about?” Pamela asked.
Meghan frowned. “I’ve had several people inquire about vegan dishes today,” she admitted as she crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. “Karen wanted to know if we made vegan treats, Mrs. Sheridan wanted to know if we made vegan treats, and just now, some strange man came into the bakery asking if we made vegan chocolate banana ice cream. Is veganism gaining popularity or something? Why is everyone asking me about this today?”
Pamela raised an eyebrow. “Vegan chocolate banana ice cream…” she exclaimed, looking into the distance. “Did the man have a mole under his eye? Was he wearing an eye patch?”
“The man who asked for vegan ice cream?”
Pamela nodded. “Yeah. Him.”
“He did,” she answered as Pamela’s face darkened. “How did you know that?”
Pamela’s eyes widened. “I know him,” she whispered as her face paled. “I know him, Meghan.”
2
M eghan stared at Pamela in confusion. “What are you talking about?” she asked.
Pamela scowled. “I’m going to say something.”
Meghan trailed behind Pamela as the teenager marched out to the dining area. Pamela marched right up to the man and stared into his eyes. “I’m Pamela,” she said. “I used to go by Pammie.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow as the man gasped. She studied his face; he appeared to be in his early fifties or late forties, and his greasy shoulder-length hair was filled with gray streaks. A large black mole sat on his cheek, and his right eye was covered with a scarlet eye patch.
“Pammie?” the man replied as Pamela glared at him. He rose to his feet from the little white iron chair he had been sitting in and held out his arms. Pamela awkwardly stepped forward and shuddered as the man hugged her.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you,” the man said softly as Pamela pulled away from his embrace. “You are so grown up.”
Pamela shook her head. “You’ve missed a lot,” she replied curtly.
There was a long pause. Pamela was silent, and the man did not speak. Feeling the tension building, Meghan decided to intervene.
“Hi,” she interjected, reaching out her hand. “I’m Meghan Truman. I’m the owner here at Truly Sweet.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lucky Earnshaw.”
“Lucky? That’s an interesting name,” she exclaimed as Pamela turned on her heel and stormed back to the kitchen.
“I’ve had an interesting life to say the least,” he shrugged.
“What do you mean?” Meghan asked. “How do you know Pamela?”
“I’ll let Pammie fill you in,” he told her.
> Karen wandered over with a plate of banana nut bread in her hands. “Meghan? I pulled this batch out a few minutes ago. The edges are a little too crispy. Some people like that, though. Do you want me to throw it out?”
Meghan took the plate and gestured toward Lucky. “Do you like banana nut bread? We’re playing around with the recipe, and I think we need someone to taste test.”