Dying for High Tea

by Linda Gordon Hengerer

  DYING FOR HIGH TEA:

  Beach Tea Shop Cozy Mystery #2

  ~*~

  Linda Gordon Hengerer

  ~*~

  About cozy mysteries…

  A “cozy” is a nickname for a traditional mystery, much like those written by the great Agatha Christie. Usually—but not always—a cozy is solved by an amateur sleuth, and the puzzle is “fair play.” That means there’s a possibility the reader could figure out “whodunit,” given both the clues and the relationships involved. Cozies generally avoid graphic sex, graphic violence, and foul language. In other words, they are “clean” reads.

  Cuddle up and read more cozy mysteries!

  ~*~

  Dying for High Tea – Beach Tea Shop Cozy Mystery #2 * First Edition Copyright © 2019 by Linda Gordon Hengerer, all rights reserved.

  Cover art and the logo “Beach Tea Shop Cozy Mysteries” are the property of Stinging Nettle Press, Inc., PO Box 96, Vero Beach, FL 32961-0096 USA

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authors’ vivid imaginations or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Front Cover: Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs

  www.wickedsmartdesigns.com

  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

  Recipes and Crafts

  Dying for Cream Tea

  About the Author

  High Tea:

  A working class family evening meal or supper;

  Hearty dishes were served between 5 o’clock and 7 o’clock in the evening.

  Chapter 1

  Alexandra Powell and BevAnne Wexler walked into the Beach Tea Shop and froze, shocked by what they saw. A wrecking ball had added to the mess from the initial search Detective Riordan instigated. The side wall caved in where the wrecking ball hit it. Everything on that wall was on the floor from the impact. Glasses lay in shards on the floor and on tables. Silverware and linens were scattered all over everything.

  The cleaning crew came in right behind them and saw what looked like the aftermath of a hurricane. They looked as horrified as Alex felt.

  She felt a bubble of laughter rise up and didn’t try to hold it back. With everything that had happened, she still took the opportunity to laugh at the absurdity of life.

  She had her sisters. They all had BevAnne.

  Beach Tea Shop would rise from the wreckage.

  Again.

  ~*~

  One Month Later

  Alex Powell stood on the front porch of Beach Tea Shop, waiting for her sisters Danielle and Chelsea to arrive with their surrogate grandmother, BevAnne Wexler. The past month had been a whirlwind of work to repair and replace the damage done by the wrecking ball.

  Voices reached her before the women did, and Alex unlocked the door. “Hurry up, ladies,” she called. They walked up the stairs and joined her on the porch.

  Three tables on the porch survived the wrecking ball, but they had been repainted with black lacquer to match the new old tables inside. Glass tops kept tablecloths clean, and each table had a centerpiece of a low green ceramic tray with local grass.

  “Close your eyes,” Alex said. She opened the front door and wind chimes tinkled welcome. “Okay, open them.”

  Dani, Chelsea, and BevAnne opened their eyes and stepped into the finished Beach Tea Shop.

  “Oh, you girls did a marvelous job,” BevAnne said. “I knew it would look terrific, but you’ve outdone yourselves.”

  Broad front windows let in late afternoon sunshine through lace panels. New black and white ticking drapery panels framed the view outside. A two-foot cornice of the same fabric covered the drapery rod and created the illusion that the windows went all the way up to the ceiling. Black fleur de lis brackets swept back the drapes. Black ball fringe on the panels swayed as air circulated by the ceiling fan moved around Beach Tea Shop.

  White walls created an even canvas for the different frames Chelsea had found at flea markets and yard sales. All the frames, no matter their original color, were spray-painted black. Smooth frames were then coated with a clear lacquer. Frames with nooks and crevices were given yet another coat of black spray paint to even out the color. Once the frames were dry, she used textured pale pink mats to set off vintage advertisements for tea.

  Two framed silhouettes were given pride of place on the back wall of Beach Tea Shop, so everyone who entered were reminded that Jean and Hal Powell created Beach Tea Shop. Grandpa Hal made Nana Jean’s dream a reality for her 50th birthday.

  In 1994, Hurricane Gordon caused too much damage to the original location when it moved out of Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean. The tea shop relocated to the Citrus Beach Shoppes.

  Chelsea had struck gold at a local thrift store with thirty chairs that only needed black paint to camouflage their nicked legs and stretchers. Black and white toile de jouy fabric covered the tufted seat cushions.

  Six tables for patrons were also thrift store finds, and again black paint was used to give them a uniform look despite their different styles. Black and white toile de jouy remnants in different patterns served as tablecloths. Glass tops rested on the fabric to keep it clean.

  Three chests were lined up against one wall of the tea shop. Chelsea had painted them light gray and topped them with pink lacquered trays to hold water glasses and pitchers. Drawers were filled with extra placemats, napkins, and napkin rings. Her tendency to hoard linens and extra tableware helped them turn the tables quickly when they were busy.

  Thrift stores, yard sales, and consignment shops were the source of glassware, silverware, and serving trays. Everything sparkled and gleamed, all items in their assigned places.

  For tomorrow’s opening day, the tables were set with wicker chargers and spring green plates. Flower napkin rings held silverware and white napkins. Glasses for water were on every table. Small jam jars repurposed as vases held one fat hydrangea blossom with a bit of green and baby’s breath tucked on one side.

  All four women had worked on the repairs, pitching in with their various skills to fix what they could, find what they needed, and outsource when necessary.

  Last night and today Alex had finished the final cleaning and setup, wanting to surprise Dani, Chelsea, and BevAnne with a big reveal. Their reaction was everything she hoped for.

  “This is better than it was before,” Chelsea said. She walked around the tables, checking everything out.

  Dani agreed. “It was getting shabby, wasn’t it? But it seems that way looking back, now that the walls are painted and it’s fresh again.” She made a beeline for her domain: the kitchen in the back.

  “I love this,” she said. “The work space is still small, but the equipment is placed just the way it should be so I can easily cook and bake. I know it was expensive, but this commercial dishwasher will help so much when we’re busy.” She stroked a hand down it like a mother with a baby, pleased with her new area.

  Alex smiled, happy to have both sisters home with her. They were still in the process of moving from out of state, but she expected they’d be living in Citrus Beach soon.

  “We’re ready to open tom
orrow. Let’s have dinner at Southern Social to celebrate. I’ll call Angela and make a reservation,” Dani said.

  “Group hug!” BevAnne said, “When the chips are down, we stick together and make things work.”

  Chapter 2

  Back home after dinner, the three sisters were getting out of the car when Chelsea waved. Dani and Alex looked to see who she was waving at, and saw their next-door neighbor waving back.

  “Hi, girls,” Colleen D’Arcy Browne called. She had been their mother’s best friend, and they knew her and her children well even though they hadn’t seen them in recent years.

  A chorus of “Hi” and “How are you” traveled across the two yards, and Colleen Browne said she’d catch up with them tomorrow. She carried a suitcase into the house, and waved before closing the door.

  The Powell sisters went inside and changed into comfortable clothes before meeting in the kitchen for a cup of tea and to make plans for the grand reopening of Beach Tea Shop.

  They grew up in this house, living with Nana Jean after a car accident took the lives of their parents and grandfather. Nana Jean raised them with BevAnne’s help, both women stepping in to raise the grief-stricken teens, working through their own grief.

  Robin and Keith Powell were coming home from a trip to New York City, and picked up Grandpa Hal from his buddy’s fishing camp. Their car was struck by a large vehicle and went off the road, overturning. Seat belts hadn’t helped the crushing sustained by the vehicle overturning, and by the time help arrived it was too late. The driver and vehicle that ran them off the road was never found.

  Jean and BevAnne were taking care of the girls while Robin and Keith were out of town. Together with the three sisters when Sheriff Jimmy Wentworth delivered the terrible news, they relied on each other to get through the next few days and get used to their new normal. Grandpa Hal’s friend, Sheriff Wentworth wiped his own tears away after delivering news that broke five women; girlhood ended for Dani, Chelsea, and Alex that day.

  Chelsea and Dani went off to college in New York City. Dani loved it and stayed, working her way up to chef in several restaurants. Chelsea stayed one year before moving to Los Angeles, where she stayed after graduating with a degree in interior design.

  Alex stayed in Citrus Beach. She loved it and wanted to stay close to Nana Jean. Alex helped at Beach Tea Shop when she could, took business classes at Citrus Beach State College, and worked part time at a combination yarn shop and book store called the Knit/Wit. The married couple who owned the shop taught her a lot about business and human nature.

  After Chelsea’s birthday celebration in April, Nana Jean was killed and their world collapsed again. BevAnne was devastated by her best friend’s death, and now four women were left to pick up the pieces of their lives.

  The Powell sisters decided to sell the Beach Tea Shop building to the developer who offered to buy it and relocate the business. After briefly owning all five buildings in the Citrus Beach Shoppes, circumstances changed. An entrepreneur approached them with an offer to buy the four buildings already under renovation and let the Powells keep Beach Tea Shop.

  Events moved fast that week and the wrecking ball hit their tea shop before they could stop it. Renovating Beach Tea Shop was now complete, all damage done by the wrecking ball repaired. Life was settling into a routine.

  “I’m glad we’re opening tomorrow. I’ve been itching to get back into the kitchen,” Dani said. She loved nothing better than creating new recipes and trying them out on her sisters and BevAnne, and they were willing taste testers. She cradled a mug of tea in her hands, warming them up.

  Alex said, “Nana Jean would approve. She wanted us to take over Beach Tea Shop, and even though this wasn’t her original plan, I think she’d be happy we’re doing it.” She reached out to her sisters and they clasped hands. They were united in this, even if Chelsea and Dani still needed to complete their moves back to Citrus Beach.

  “May and June are a good time for us to slow down. We can cut our hours and close Sunday and Monday. I’ll make a few things we can freeze for the time I’m in New York, and I’ll make up simple recipes that won’t be hard for you to make.” Dani squeezed hands before letting go and taking up her mug.

  “Oh, we’ll muddle through,” Chelsea said. She looked at Alex. “Right, sis?”

  They all laughed. Dani had the most formal cooking experience, but all three grew up helping Nana Jean and cooking when needed. BevAnne already volunteered to make a few of her specialties to help out.

  “One last bit of business,” Alex said. “Our new uniforms.” She brought out black slacks for each of them, and white button-down shirts. She passed out black-and-white ticking aprons with white lace and black piping embellishing the apron’s pockets.

  Beach Tea Shop was ready for business.

  ~*~

  Beach Tea Shop opened Wednesday morning. Word spread through the grapevine and social media. Alex and Chelsea were kept busy taking orders and serving tea, Dani barely had time to take a bathroom break, and BevAnne helped out as hostess.

  Alex kept a ready supply of paper straws in one apron pocket and pens in another. She was keeping up with the crowd, but happy when traffic slowed and then stopped. Empty tables weren’t immediately filled, and she and Chelsea had an actual minute to sit and take a breath.

  The wind chimes on the door that never seemed to stop finally did. BevAnne joined them at the table, and with just two tables occupied, Dani came out of the kitchen. Her work was done for the time being.

  “That went well,” she said. Four women burst out laughing at the understatement.

  Alex saw the women at one table were ready to leave and took care of their bill. Chelsea wrapped up a to-go order from the last table, and BevAnne locked the door behind the last customers. It was only three o’clock but it felt later.

  “I’m exhausted,” she said. Her hair and makeup looked as fresh as they had in the morning, but she settled into a chair more slowly than she usually did. BevAnne seemed to have an endless store of energy, but Alex realized that at seventy-something, she didn’t have the energy to be run off her feet for hours.

  “I’ll get you something to eat and some tea. You’ll feel better then,” Alex said.

  “There are two each of the strawberry scones and blueberry muffins. I think there’s a couple of sandwiches left in the fridge,” Dani said.

  “Thank you, girls,” BevAnne said. “That sounds lovely.” She smiled at her girls. “You three worked together like old times. Jean would be proud.” The smile faded. Jean’s death was so recent that it didn’t take much to bring on a few tears.

  “No crying,” Chelsea said. “If you start, we’ll all be blubbering in no time. We still need to clean up and get set for tomorrow.”

  “I know, dear,” BevAnne said. She took a deep breath and held it, releasing it and taking another one deep breath. A careful dab with a tissue wiped away lingering moisture, and she was back to her old self.

  Dani set a platter of food on the table, and for the next little while there were murmurs of happiness as the four women ate. Food gone, hunger at bay, clean up began and soon Beach Tea Shop was ready for Thursday’s business.

  ~*~

  The sisters went home Wednesday evening to eat a light dinner and get ready for the next day. They were back and forth in their rooms, doing laundry, and finally settled together at the kitchen table. There was a knock at the back door and Alex got up to answer it.

  “Hi, girls,” Colleen D’Arcy Browne said. “Am I interrupting? I come bearing gifts.” She held out a plate of brownies.

  “Come in,” Alex said. “Thank you for the brownies. Let’s have some coffee and dessert.” She led the way into the kitchen and Colleen sat down.

  Alex got coffee ready for everyone and joined the others. “It’s good to see you. Are Siobhan and Sean with you?” She reached for a brownie and bit in. “This is as good as I remembered it.”

  “They’re here. I’ve been staying a
t my mother’s while we move her into Citrus Beach Assisted Living, going through her things and divvying them up into what’s going with her, what’s coming to my house, what’s going to be donated, and what the kids might want.” She had a bite of brownie. “This was Robin’s recipe.” She looked at the sisters. “I miss your mother. I think about her often, especially when I make these.”

  “We know. She and our dad have been gone so long, but we think about them all the time and talk about how they would have enjoyed what we’ve done.” Alex reached for a tissue and passed the box to Chelsea, who passed it to Dani.

  “Life is bittersweet. If we didn’t have the bitter, would the sweet be as sweet?” Colleen wondered.

  Chelsea changed the subject. “Where are Siobhan and Sean? I haven’t seen them next door.”

  Colleen laughed. “They’re around. Sean’s been staying with his friend Neil Morris. Siobhan and her boyfriend will stay in my house until I get Mom settled, then they’ll move into her place. We’re playing musical houses.” She took a sip of coffee and ate the last bit of her brownie. “I wish things weren’t so unsettled. I don’t like Siobhan’s boyfriend. Sean’s working with a girl who’s just out of rehab, but she’s unstable. I worry about them.”

  “They’re always your kids, no matter how old they are,” Dani said. “What worries you about the girl? Why don’t you like Siobhan’s boyfriend? Can you do anything, or do you just have to let them live their lives and work it out themselves?” She patted Colleen’s hand.

  Colleen sighed. “I know. Siobhan’s boyfriend is older, and I just don’t like him. He smiles and says the right things to me, but I get the feeling he’s laughing at me behind my back. He gives me the creeps.” She shivered.