The Sandy Bay Cozy Mysteries series Box Set

by Amber Crewes

  Trudy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t let murderers talk to me like that,” she declared. “Stephanie offered me the best-paying job I’ve ever had, and now you’ve killed her.”

  Karen frowned. “This is unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath. “Jack? Jack, dear, can you please take me home? I answered all of the questions you and Officer Nunan had, and I need to run; I have my evening weights session soon, and I don’t want to be late.”

  Before Jack could speak, another officer walked up to Karen and nodded at her. “You can go now, Ms. Denton,” the officer said dryly. “We may need to speak to you again soon, though….”

  Karen nodded. “Of course. Meghan? Let’s go.”

  Trudy screeched. “You’re just letting her go? Officer, everyone in the bakery heard her threaten my boss. Karen Denton is a killer, and she said it herself in front of the entire town!”

  5

  T he next morning, Meghan’s heart sank as she heard a police siren outside of Truly Sweet. She and Karen had been sipping on tea and discussing the events at the police station, and now, Meghan’s hands were shaking as two officers stepped out of a squad car and marched into the bakery.

  “What are they here for?” Karen whispered. “I thought we told them everything.”

  Meghan shrugged. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “But let’s just cooperate; it’s been a rough couple of weeks, and I don’t want any trouble for either of us.”

  The little silver bells chimed as the officers walked through the front door. Their heavy, dark shoes were loud against the wooden floors, and Meghan nervously brought her fingers to her mouth and began to chew them as the officers approached.

  “Karen Denton?”

  Karen nodded at the young, green-eyed officer who stood in front of her. “That’s me,” she answered.

  “I’m Officer Wilberforce,” the man said. “Ma’am, I’m going to need to ask you to stand up for me.”

  As Karen rose from her seat, Officer Wilberforce placed a pair of handcuffs on her.

  “What is this?” Karen yelled. “We’ve already spoken to the police! What’s going on?”

  Officer Wilberforce shook his head as he tightened the handcuffs. “Ma’am, we have reason to believe that you had something to do with the recent death in town. Our investigators found some charges on your accounts…”

  “Charges?” Karen asked. “What charges?”

  “A one-way flight from Sandy Bay to Manila,” the other officer offered. “For this evening. It seems suspect, and we need to speak with you immediately.”

  “I was going for a marathon!” Karen protested. “And then traveling! Ask her. She knows!”

  Officer Wilberforce frowned. “Ma’am, can you just please come with us? We need to sort this out as quickly as possible.”

  Meghan jumped as the little bells on the door chimed and Kayley Kane, a local real estate agent, strutted through the door.

  “Bad time?” Kayley asked as she looked from Meghan, Karen, and the officers. “I can come back….”

  “Let go of me!” Karen shrieked as Officer Wilberforce quickly snapped the handcuffs on her thin wrists and walked her out of the bakery. “You let go of me right now! Meghan? Meghan! This is a mistake!”

  Kayley snapped her gum as Karen was taken out of the shop and edged into the police car. “So,” she said as she raised her eyebrow. “Bad time?”

  Meghan sighed. “It’s fine,” she answered. “I can grab your order. You had a box of donuts, right?”

  “Yeah,” Kayley answered as Meghan scurried to the back to retrieve the box. “And I need a donut after my day today.”

  “Oh yeah?” Meghan asked. “What happened?”

  “Well,” Kayley began as she chewed her gum in annoyance. “I was working on the sale of that new bakery, and well, you know what happened! Real estate just gets sticky when someone dies while a deal is in process, you know?”

  Meghan dropped the box of donuts on the floor. “Oh no,” she mumbled as she bent down to pick up the box.

  “Are you okay?” Kayley asked, then gesturing at the officers who were now strapping Karen into the back of the police car. “What’s going on with her? Is Karen okay?”

  Meghan shook her head. “I don’t know, but I need you to repeat what you just told me.”

  Kayley bit her lip. “About the deal that’s fallen through with the dead lady?”

  Meghan’s face paled. “Yeah. What’s up with that, Kayley? Stephanie was selling her bakery?”

  Kayley shrugged. “The details were murky, but yeah. All I know is that Stephanie Cameron moved to town, bought that bakery, turned it into a wild success, and then, she wanted it out of her hands as fast as I could help her.”

  Meghan gasped as Kayley reached for the box of donuts. “I must be going,” Kayley said, turning on her high heels and walking toward the door. “Thanks, Meghan. I’ll see you later.”

  “Wait!” Meghan called out. “Kayley! Wait! You know something, and I need to know what that something is right now.”

  6

  E ven though Kayley was wearing high heels, Meghan was surprised at how fast she was walking. She had never been a fan of high heels but admired women who wore them, especially for workday functions.

  “Kayley, wait!” Meghan yelled as she followed Kayley outside. A gust of salty air blew Meghan’s hair into her eyes, and she pushed it back as she moved toward Kayley. Meghan’s heart lurched as she saw Karen being loaded into the police car, but she walked toward Kayley with her head held high. “What do you mean, Stephanie wanted the bakery out of her hands?”

  Kayley turned and raised an eyebrow at her. “Meghan, I am late for a meeting with a client. I am leaving.”

  Before Meghan could speak, she saw two tiny balls of fur run past her. “Fiesta! Siesta!” Meghan shrieked as she realized her little dogs had gotten loose. “Kayley! Wait! My dogs are following you.”

  “I don’t have time to wait!” Kayley yelled as she stomped away down the sidewalk on her red high heels, the large breeze rolling in from the ocean flipping her skirt to and fro. “I have a client, Meghan.”

  “Kayley! Look down at your feet!” Meghan shouted.

  Fiesta and Siesta had caught up to Kayley, who was fifty feet in front of Meghan. Both dogs were barking good-naturedly at Kayley, but she was perilously close to crushing them with her tall, pointy shoes.

  “Meghan, I don’t have time for this.” she replied.

  “Kayley! My dogs are at your feet!” Meghan called out as Fiesta nipped at Kayley’s heel.

  “Ouch!” she cried, stumbling, and then falling on the sidewalk. The box of donuts tumbled out of her hands, and Fiesta and Siesta began to lick the loose desserts.

  “Meghan!” she screamed. “You have to be kidding me. Look at this! Your dogs tripped me, and now, they are eating the treats for my client.”

  Meghan caught up with Kayley and kneeled beside her. Meghan tried to stifle her laugh as Kayley brushed the dirt off of her expensive leather pants, and Meghan offered her a hand to help her up.

  “I’m sorry,” she said earnestly as Kayley rolled her eyes. “They mean well. I’ll send over some free donuts later, too. I’ll make sure you have donuts to last you the year, Kayley.”

  Kayley scowled. “Any other tricks up your sleeve today, Truman? First, you drop the donuts, then you send your dogs after me, and then, they ruin my desserts.”

  Meghan raised an eyebrow. “Since we’re here….” she began. “Can you please tell me more about the sale with Stephanie? Please? I’ll throw in pies for a year! What do you think, Kayley? I’ll send over a fresh pie to your office for you once a week for a year.”

  Kayley gritted her teeth and looked down at her watch. “Fine,” she conceded. “I’ll give you two minutes. What do you want to know?”

  Meghan bit her lip. “Why was Stephanie selling the bakery? She was doing so well.”

  Kayley sighed. “She told me that her divorce was going south; she hadn�
��t anticipated it getting so expensive, and her jerk of an ex-husband is--was--making the finances difficult to sort out. She was going to sell the bakery to pay him off and be done with him forever.”

  Meghan frowned. “That’s terrible,” she said quietly. “Poor Stephanie. From what she said, and from what you’ve told me, it sounds like her ex-husband was a terrible man.”

  Kayley nodded. “Yeah, Stephanie said he was a player. She said he had a nasty streak and a wicked temper, and that she was afraid of him. I know that she was ready to be done with him, once and for all.”

  “Done with who, ladies?”

  Meghan and Kayley turned to find a tall, muscular brunette man glaring at them as he stepped out of a rental car.

  “Hello,” Meghan said. “Can we help you?”

  The man nodded. “Yeah, I think you can. Are you Kayley Kane?”

  Kayley nodded. “Yes? Do I know you?”

  The man grimaced. “I saw your photograph on the website; you’re the real estate agent who is freeing up the money for my divorce.”

  The color drained from Kayley’s face. “And, you are….?”

  The man stepped forward toward the women, and Meghan could smell his sour breath as he grew closer. “I’m Jeremy Cameron,” he hissed. “Stephanie’s husband, or rather, her ex-husband.”

  7

  M eghan puffed out her chest and stood in front of Jeremy. She had had her fair share of altercations with individuals of questionable character since arriving in Sandy Bay and was not going to be intimidated by the man standing in front of her.

  “Why are you here?” Meghan asked him. “Shouldn’t you be back in Indiana?”

  Jeremy laughed. “And who do you think you are?”

  Meghan shook her head. “I was a...friend of Stephanie’s,” she answered. “It doesn’t matter who I am. Who do you think you are, coming around here when Stephanie’s been murdered?”

  Kayley placed her hands on her hips and glared at Jeremy. “Mr. Cameron,” she began, her voice business-like. “I had been working nonstop with my client, Mrs. Cameron, to free up the money you requested. We’ve been compliant with your demands. Why exactly are you here to see me?”

  Jeremy smirked. “Now that Stephanie’s gone, everything she had belongs to me,” he insisted. “I flew here, first-class, to collect my money.”

  Kayley wagged a finger at Jeremy. “That’s for the lawyers to decide,” she informed Jeremy. “I don’t take orders from you. If your lawyer, or Stephanie’s lawyer, wants to give me directions, I will happily take them, but for now, I have no business with you.”

  Kayley turned and stormed away from Jeremy and Meghan, her hands balled into fists as she walked down the sidewalk.

  “Well, wasn’t she a treat,” Jeremy said sarcastically. “You were a friend of my wife’s? Well, what do you know about her assets?”

  Meghan grimaced. “I think it’s pretty clear what happened to Stephanie,” she said evenly as Jeremy watched her. “It’s convenient that her ex-husband just happens to show up less than a week after her murder….”

  Jeremy crossed his arms. “I loved her,” he said softly. “Our divorce was ugly, but I wanted her back. I came all the way here to bring my gal home, and as soon as I arrived, I found out she had been killed.”

  Meghan shook her head. “If you loved her, you wouldn’t be complaining about her assets,” she said under her breath. “You would be upset!”

  Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Meghan, and she felt her chest tighten. He was a large man, and Meghan was intimidated as he moved closer to her.

  “My business is none of your business,” he declared. “Stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

  Later that evening, Meghan paid a visit to the jail to see Karen. “You’re looking tired” she said, surveying Karen’s worried eyes. “How are you holding up?”

  “Not good,” Karen admitted. “They’re holding me until they run some lab tests to confirm if any of the DNA found on Stephanie’s body was from me. They’re saying that given my physique, I could have easily taken Stephanie down and strangled her. It’s awful, Meghan. Just awful!”

  Meghan held back tears as she stared at her dear friend, clad in a bright orange jumpsuit and sitting behind a thick plastic screen. “I’m so sorry, Karen.”

  Karen shook her head. “I’ve been in worse pickles,” she assured Meghan. “I know that I am innocent, and soon, after the testing comes back, they will too! My name will be cleared. For now, I just have to get used to nasty jail food and their terrible workout room here.”

  Meghan laughed. “Only you would be concerned about working out in jail, Karen! You are too much. Now tell me, is there anything I can do for you?”

  Karen’s eyes widened. “Actually, sweetie, I have an idea….”

  “Go on,” she said.

  Karen sighed. “Remember Trudy, Stephanie’s assistant? I just have a bad feeling about her. She was so insistent on my guilt, and it was clear to everyone in the shop that I was joking about doing away with Stephanie. I just have a notion that she may know something, Meghan. I think you should check her out…”

  “Trudy,” Meghan said slowly. “Trudy. Jack says she is the one who found the body. She must know something.”

  While Meghan could understand why anyone would remotely take Karen’s empty threat seriously, she still couldn’t shake off the fact that Trudy appeared over dramatic in her outburst at the police station the other day. Could it be she was trying to overcompensate for something or someone involved in this murder investigation?

  8

  M eghan bit her lip as she peered into the windows of Duly Doux. She cocked her head to the side when she noticed the lights where on, hoping she would find Trudy, or at least some sort of evidence that would absolve Karen. Her heart pounded in her chest as she noticed the shadows of two figures in the corner of the dining area. Who was in the bakery, and what were they up to?

  Meghan slowly pushed open the front door. “Hello?”

  Meghan heard a gasp. “What are you doing here?” Trudy cried out as Meghan placed her hand over her mouth. Trudy and Jeremy were standing together, his arms wrapped around her waist.

  “I’m sorry,” Meghan said softly, her dark eyes wide as she looked from Jeremy to Trudy. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “You again,” Jeremy groaned as he walked into the back room. “Trudy, I’ve dealt with her enough. I’m going to run to the store and pick some things up. Be back later.”

  Meghan cringed as Jeremy slammed the back door on his way out. She looked at Trudy, who was shaking as she stared at Meghan. “That wasn’t what it looked like,” she said, her voice thin.

  “I’m in no place to make judgements,” Meghan informed her. “I just wanted to talk with you. May I sit?”

  Trudy nodded. “Just be careful,” she warned Meghan. “The police said that they are done here, but you never know….”

  Meghan nodded. “Of course. I’ll be careful.”

  The two women sat down at a small wooden table, and Trudy looked down at her feet. “It’s only been going on for a few days,” she confessed to Meghan. “Jeremy showed up in Sandy Bay, and I have been drowning in work trying to keep Stephanie’s shop open.”

  Meghan gave Trudy a sympathetic look. “You don’t have to explain,” she soothed. “It’s been a wild week for everyone.”

  Trudy began to cry, and Meghan noticed the wrinkles around her hazel eyes. Trudy looked to be a few years younger than Karen, and Meghan couldn’t help but to pity the older woman as she rocked back and forth in her chair.

  “Trudy,” she murmured. “What can you tell me about Stephanie’s death? You were the one who found her here, yes?”

  Trudy nodded. “I did,” she wept. “Stephanie was so good to me. We had our troubles, of course, as any boss and her employees do, but she was a good lady.”

  Meghan raised an eyebrow. “Troubles?”

  Trudy shrugged. “Stephanie had a temper,” sh
e began. “She snapped at me a few times, and once, she got in my face when I had painted the wrong letters on a banner. It wasn’t pretty.”

  Meghan bit her bottom lip as she processed Trudy’s story. “Did you two ever have any physical altercations?”

  Trudy frowned. “I think you’ve asked enough questions,” she said, wiping the tears from her face. “I’m embarrassed you caught me with Jeremy, but I didn’t forget that you and Karen Denton came in here like a lot of harpies. I think it’s time for you to go. If there are questions, the police will ask them.”