Confection is Good for the Soul: An Amish Cupcake Cozy Mystery

by Ruth Hartzler

  “Not as far as I know,” Brian said with a frown.

  “It must be hard for the police,” Matilda said.

  Brian’s frown deepened. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because there would be too many suspects. I gather Judy Jenkins had a lot of enemies.”

  Brian stirred some sugar into his coffee before answering. “Yes, she certainly did. She had more enemies than friends.” He scratched his head. “In fact, I don’t know if she did have any friends.”

  “She was on good terms with her manager, Karen Francis?”

  He shook his head. “No, Judy was always screaming at Karen. Still, I wouldn’t think that would be a motive for murder. After all, a lot of bosses scream at their employees. Unpleasant to be sure, but it’s a fact of life.”

  “And did she have a good marriage?”

  Brian looked startled but then shrugged. “It’s hard to say. James and Judy did seem to get along quite well together and I didn’t see them having any terrible arguments as such, but James did make some remarks from time to time to make me think there were problems in the marriage.”

  “What kind of remarks?” I asked him.

  “He was worried about her spending,” Brian said. “It was out of control.”

  “Did she accuse anyone else of stealing her cupcake ideas?”

  Brian pulled a face. “I’m sure she accused plenty of people.”

  “Was there anyone in particular?” Matilda said with a sigh. I could tell she was finding it difficult to extract information from Brian. He wasn’t exactly forthcoming.

  “There was Selena Starr,” he said slowly.

  “Who’s that?” Eleanor asked.

  His eyebrows got shot skyward. “You’ve never heard of Selena Starr?”

  We all shook our heads.

  He looked surprised but pushed on. “She’s quite a famous pastry chef. She writes books on baking cakes and she runs courses on baking cakes as well. Judy had just started selling courses on baking cakes.” Before anyone could respond, he added, “And Judy was about to run a course on how to write and market a cookbook.”

  Now I was entirely puzzled. I was sure I’d heard it mentioned before but hadn’t been paying attention. “But how could she do that? I mean, she had only ever written one book on it. And wasn’t it only released a week ago?”

  “Yes, it was highly successful,” he said. “The thing is, it was an ebook and was only seventy cents, but she spent thousands of dollars promoting it.”

  “Why would she do that?” I asked him.

  “Obviously, because she wanted to run the course and make her money back that way. At seven hundred and fifty dollars per person, she’ll recoup all the losses she made by advertising the book to its number one position on online stores.”

  I tried to process the information. “So are you saying she spent thousands of dollars more than she could ever hope to recoup on the book sales simply to get her book into the number one cupcake book position on online stores? And this was solely so people would think she did well so she could promote her course to them?”

  He nodded. “It was gaming the system, if you ask me. All these people will do her course on how to write and market a cupcake cookbook, but they’ll lose heavily. Anyone can get a number one bestseller if they throw fifteen thousand dollars into advertising it and made a loss of thirteen thousand dollars.” He tapped his head. “I don’t know if those figures were reported to me accurately, but the percentages wouldn’t be far wrong.”

  “And what does this have to do with Selena Starr?” Matilda once again brought the subject back to the point.

  “Selena Starr is a very successful author of cake cookbooks,” he said. “Judy Jenkins constantly accused Selena Starr of copying her cupcake cookbook cover.”

  I interrupted him. “Did she?”

  He shrugged. “Of course not. Selena Starr has been a successful cookbook author for many years now and this was Judy’s first attempt at a cookbook. What’s more, Judy told Selena that people are only buying Selena’s book in the mistaken belief it was Judy’s.”

  “But why would anyone do that?” I asked, entirely perplexed.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I really have no explanation. Anyway, she harassed Selena on more than one occasion, accusing her of stealing her ideas. Why, she even wanted Selena to remove her title from the top of the cover. She said she was copying her.”

  “I read a lot of cookbooks,” Eleanor said, “and don’t they all have the title at the top?”

  He nodded. “But Judy wouldn’t see any sense.”

  “Do you think Selena would have had enough motive to murder her?” Matilda asked him.

  Brian had just popped a whole sugar cream spice cupcake into his mouth. He pointed to his mouth to indicate he was still eating. We all waited patiently for him to finish.

  “Look, I know nothing about murder,” he said, “so I don’t know.”

  “Somebody murdered Judy Jenkins,” Matilda pointed out.

  He nodded slowly. “Well, when you put it like that, it seems Selena Starr has the most motive. Judy said she was going to go public and speak against Selena everywhere she could.”

  “But surely Selena would have grounds to take legal action against her,” I said. “My ex-husband, Ted, was a lawyer and he used to go on at length about legal matters to me. It was our only topic of conversation.”

  “I have no idea. You’d have to ask her.”

  “Did you happen to get a look at the speech Judy was going to make at her book release?” Matilda asked him.

  “Why would she show it to me?”

  “Because you manage her website and I thought perhaps she was going to publish it.”

  “She didn’t mention anything to me about it,” he said.

  “You didn’t get a look at it or know anything of the contents?”

  “No. Why, what was in it?”

  I was the first to speak. “Judy told my sister that she was going to make a public statement to the effect that my sister had stolen her cupcake idea,” I told him. “In that case, it stands to reason the speech would also say something about Selena Starr.”

  “Selena Starr has a good reputation,” Brian said. “The public at large would think highly of Selena. As for Judy’s followers, that’s quite a different matter.” He paused and I was waiting for Matilda to prompt him once more, but this time he pushed on. “Judy’s followers think she can do no wrong. They believe everything she tells them. She tells them she’s a bestselling author and an expert in her field, and they all believe her.”

  I made to say something, but he continued. “Anyone could have a number one bestseller if they spent a huge budget on advertising. Of course, it would be a terrible financial loss. So many people have already signed up for Judy’s course on how to write and market a cupcake cookbook, even though she’s only just now released her first cupcake cookbook. Sure, it was a success, but as I keep saying, anyone’s book would be a success if they were prepared to lose thousands of dollars over it.”

  “What about her husband?” I asked him. “How would he feel about her spending so much money? Surely he had a say in it too.”

  Brian held up his empty coffee cup and looked into it. I figured that was a hint that he would like some more coffee.

  “Would you like some more coffee, Brian?”

  He handed his cup to me. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

  As I stood up and took the cup from him, I asked again, “How did her husband feel about her spending all that money on advertising?”

  “You’d have to ask him,” he said. “Obviously, she thought she’d make it all back on her courses.”

  Just then, the doorbell rang. We all looked at each other.

  “Who could that be?” Eleanor asked.

  A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. “It’s the police!” I said.

  All the color drained from Brian’s face.

  “I’ll get it,” Eleanor said.
She hurried to the door and soon returned with Detective Damon McCloud and Detective Carter Stirling.

  Damon shot Brian a pointed look. “Mr. Birch,” he said in a stern tone. “What are you doing here?”

  Brian looked quite put out. “It’s not illegal, is it?” he said rather snarkily. “These three women are on their own and I offered to help them should they ever need it.”

  Matilda nodded vigorously. “And I invited Brian to drop by to help us move this wooden table from the kitchen.”

  “We can help you move it now,” Damon said.

  “No thank you. We already moved it from the kitchen,” Matilda said firmly.

  I’m sure Damon was aware the table had always been where it was, but thankfully he didn’t comment further.

  “I’m not sure why that would be of interest to you?” Brian said, still looking put out. “Or are we all suspects and you think we were all in it together?”

  Detective Stirling stepped forward. “How long have you known these ladies?”

  “I met them at Judy’s book launch, of course,” Brian said.

  “And Brian told us he moved near us only a few months ago,” Matilda added.

  Mr. Crumbles appeared and ran around Damon’s legs in circles. Thankfully, he was no longer wearing the leash. “Why is he doing that?” Stirling asked Eleanor.

  Matilda answered. “It’s a long story,” she said. “He thinks Eleanor will give him treats if he runs around and around in circles.”

  “He doesn’t think that at all,” Eleanor snapped.

  “I’d like a word with you ladies,” Detective Stirling said.

  Brian stood up. “I was just leaving anyway. Thank you for the coffee and the delightful cupcakes, ladies.”

  “It was our pleasure,” Matilda said. “I’ll show you out.”

  As she walked Brian to the door, Damon nodded to me. I walked over to him and he said in low tones, “Did Matilda really call him over to help move the table?”

  “Yes,” I said. At least it was the truth, although not the whole truth.

  When Eleanor returned, Stirling wasted no time coming to the point. “Had any of you spoken to Judy Jenkins previously?”

  I was the first to speak. “Yes, we told you that at the book launch,” I said. “She came into the store several times.”

  “I’m asking if you ever met her outside the store.”

  We all shook our heads.

  Matilda spoke up. “Eleanor and I happened to be in the cupcake store once or twice when Judy dropped by, but apart from that, we hadn’t seen her at all.”

  He nodded at me. “What about you, Miss Delight?”

  “No, we only ever saw her when she came into the store to speak with Rebecca.”

  “And did she ever buy any cupcakes?”

  “Absolutely not,” I said. “That would have been quite out of character.”

  “How so?”

  “She saw Rebecca as the opposition, so she would hardly buy anything from her, would she?”

  Stirling shot me a blank look. “And did she try any of the sample cupcakes that were left out on the countertop?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Can you be sure?”

  I nodded. “Yes, I’m absolutely sure. If she had, she would have complained and said they were terrible. Like I just said, she was there to complain about Rebecca’s cupcakes.”

  He folded his arms over his chest. “Surely you are not alleging you were watching Mrs. Jenkins the whole time?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact I was,” I said. “I didn’t take my eyes off her. I didn’t trust her at all. I watched her like a hawk.”

  Stirling nodded. “That will be all for now, ladies. Please make yourself available for questioning at a later time.”

  With that he nodded to us, while Damon smiled at me.

  Matilda showed them to the door. Eleanor and I exchanged glances. “That’s not good, not good at all,” Eleanor said to me in hushed tones. “That means they do suspect that Rebecca poisoned her.”

  Chapter 8

  Early the next morning, Matilda, Eleanor, and I were on our way to visit with Wanda Hershberger.

  “Detective McCloud was jealous when he saw Brian,” Matilda declared. “It was written all over his face.”

  I hoped that was true, but I said, “Surely not. He probably thinks Brian’s the murderer and was worried about us.”

  “Agatha Christie had love triangles in some of her books,” Matilda said with relish. “Evil Under the Sun, for one, and The Hollow for another.”

  “I’m not in a love triangle!” I protested rather too loudly.

  “They weren’t love triangles; they were affairs,” Eleanor said rather crossly.

  “This is beginning to be quite a habit,” I said with a sigh. I hastened to add, “Going to visit Wanda to get information from Waneta. I hope Wanda doesn’t mind us asking her for information again.”

  “I’m sure she doesn’t,” Matilda said cheerily. “Her daughter doesn’t seem to mind either.”

  I hoped she was right. Waneta did filing for the medical examiner’s office. She had provided us with information for the previous two murders. “I wonder if they’ve found out what the poison was by now.”

  Eleanor piped up from the back seat. “We’ll know soon enough. I wish I could have brought Mr. Crumbles. He loves going for a ride.”

  “Don’t be so silly, Eleanor,” Matilda scolded her. “You can’t take Mr. Crumbles visiting.”

  Thankfully, Eleanor did not have time to respond as we had arrived at Wanda’s house.

  As Amish don’t have phones in their homes, we had not been able to call Wanda the previous evening, so she had no idea we were coming. Nevertheless, her face broke into a wide smile when she opened the door.

  “Come in, come in,” she said. “You’re just in time for breakfast.”

  “I’m sorry that we’re always arriving in time for breakfast,” I told her. I handed her a large loaf of bread and a wet bottom Shoo-fly pie.

  “Come and have some coffee,” she said, leading the way to the kitchen. A delightful smell of simmering apples and cinnamon permeated the kitchen.

  “I’m making applesauce for Susie Zook’s daughter’s wedding,” Wanda told us. “I have some leftover schnitz und knepp and was about to have some for breakfast. Would you like some?”

  “I’d love some, thank you,” I said. I turned to Matilda and Eleanor. “Schnitz und knepp is dumplings and dried apples, with ham or some other type of pork.”

  “My schnitz und knepp has ham. You ladies will have kaffi?” Before we had a chance to reply, Wanda poured good strong coffee into three cups and set them in front of us. “You don’t like kaffi soup, do you Jane?”

  I chuckled. “I’m not partial to it, to be honest.”

  “I must admit, I wouldn’t mind trying some,” Matilda said. Eleanor politely declined.

  Wanda broke some stale bread into two bowls. She poured some creamed coffee over it and added sugar. “Would you like cheese and potatoes with yours?”

  Matilda looked taken aback, but quickly recovered and said, “No, thanks. Plain will be fine.”

  “Can I do something to help?” I asked Wanda.

  She shook her head. “Just eat up. I expect you’re here about the latest murder?”

  I winced. It was awful to think there had been three murders since I had arrived back in town. “Yes, we are. We were all at the book launch when Judy Jenkins was found dead. The police came to our apartment last night and questioned us again.”

  “We’re afraid the police suspect Rebecca,” Matilda added. “It seems Mrs. Jenkins had been poisoned over a period of the past three weeks, and she had been in Rebecca’s store several times in that time period.”

  Wanda looked up from her coffee. “Surely they don’t suspect Rebecca? Not seriously?”

  “I’m sure Detective McCloud doesn’t, but Detective Stirling likely does,” I said.

&nbs
p; Matilda agreed. “They have to do it by the book, no matter what their instincts tell them. There is a procedure to follow.”

  Wanda sipped her coffee before answering. “I’ll ask my daughter if she knows what the poison was. I’ll call Rebecca’s store from the barn when I find out.”

  I thanked her, but I was a little disappointed. “Waneta hasn’t mentioned it by now?”

  Wanda smiled at me. “She doesn’t discuss cases with me unless there’s a personal interest.”

  I felt foolish. “No, of course not. It’s very kind of you to ask her.”

  “How is Rebecca doing?”

  “I don’t think she’s aware of the degree to which the police suspect her,” Matilda said.

  Wanda stood up. “I’ll go over to the barn now and call Waneta. She should have arrived at work by now. I’ll tell her the police suspect Rebecca and ask her to let me know anything she can.”

  We all thanked her. “Did you want me to stir the apples while you’ve gone?” I asked her.

  “Denki, that would be gut,” she said.

  “I’m beginning to pick up Pennsylvania Dutch,” Eleanor said as soon as Wanda left. “I know that Wanda just said, ‘Thank you, that would be good.’”

  “Anyone would be able to figure that out for themselves,” Matilda said dismissively.

  “They certainly would not!” Eleanor snapped.

  To change the subject, I said, “The women in the Amish communities often make pies and cakes or preserves, even pickled cabbages and canned fruit for weddings. There are lots of store bought cakes as well, but everyone does their part.”

  “They are indeed a very community minded people,” Matilda said.

  I got up and stirred the apples. “They certainly are,” I said. I bent over and inhaled the delightfully sweet fragrance of cinnamon and apples.

  I was still stirring the apples when Wanda returned.

  “I’ve asked Waneta to find out anything she can,” Wanda said.

  “That’s very kind of you, thank you,” Matilda said. “I don’t suppose she’s mentioned anything yet?”

  Wanda shook her head. “This is Waneta’s first day back at work. She took the week off to help Susie Zook prepare for the wedding.”