by Holly Plum
The detective turned and looked at Hazel, who was kicking against the officers attempting to subdue her. He nodded.
"Good," the detective replied. "Because emotions that strong are practically impossible to let go of. They also run your life for you."
***
After Hazel’s arrest, the police were quick to clear Mari’s family of any foul play. The next morning’s edition of the local newspaper carried a front-page article relaying how she, Marisol Ramirez, and Rex Jones had heroically subdued the murderer of Karlie Lam. Mari and Rex instantly became hometown celebrities. Rex’s hospital room became so crowded with visitors bringing flowers and balloons that his doctor began turning them away. But when he was released a few days after the attack, the faculty of the high school threw him a magnificent celebration.
Robin didn’t fare so well, however. She felt incredibly guilty for not saying anything to the police the moment she'd realized that Hazel had poisoned Karlie's food the night they had all met up. Hazel had done it after leaving the booth to visit the restroom, and somehow Robin had missed it. She was so shaken by the events of that week and the ensuing media attention that she quit her job, packed up her belongings, and moved out of state.
“I just can’t handle it anymore,” she had told Mari before leaving. “All the publicity. I don’t know how Karlie managed to live with it for so long, day in and day out.”
“She was made of sterner stuff than us,” Mari had replied. "You take care, Robin."
In the wake of Hazel’s arrest, Lito Bueno’s Mexican restaurant continued to prosper. The murder and Mr. Ramirez’s ongoing run-ins with Mr. Chun did nothing to diminish its popularity. Shortly after the arrest, David and Alex announced a new dish that turned out to be just white rice, beans, and sour cream. They called it the rice cake special, and the day of its release was the busiest in Lito Bueno’s history.
A Preview of FRYING THE KNOT (A Patty Cakes Bake Shop Cozy Mystery) by Holly Plum
CHAPTER ONE
Joy Cooke wiped the flour from her hands on her apron.
“Well, Cheesecake, we have to open sometime, don’t we?” Joy said. With a dismissive flick of an ear, the fluffy, white cat yawned and once again rested his chin on his paws. “Don’t bother getting up. Heaven forbid you strain a whisker.”
Joy grabbed a couple of pans of muffins from the oven where they were warming and made her way to the front of the bakery. Joy flipped on the display lights and carefully transferred the muffins in neat rows to where the costumers could see them. Five minutes later, she had fully stocked the display shelves with mouth-watering pastries. She flipped the sign on the front window to Open and unlocked the door. The sun was just beginning to melt away the gray light of early morning, promising a day as sweet as pecan pie.
A shiny black truck pulled into the parking lot. Sara Beth had arrived. Good. Joy could start on that rush order of birthday cupcakes they’d gotten in yesterday. There was two dozen that had to be done for a ten o’clock pick up.
Joy waited for Sara Beth, opening the door for her as she stepped into the bakery.
“Well aren’t you sweeter than tea this morning,” Sara Beth said with a rosy-cheeked smile. She held an oversized bright red purse in one hand and a big cup of sweet tea in the other.
“Nice truck,” Joy commented with a smirk as the door shut behind them. "What happened to that pink bug you spent forever saving for?"
“Oh, that,” Sara Beth replied, pausing to take a sip of her tea. “It's in the shop. There was an incident involving a latte and a fire hydrant.” She gave a hearty laugh.
Joy laughed along with her. “I'm not going to ask.”
Sara Beth followed Joy into the back room. As they stepped through the door, they were greeted by a throaty meow.
The cat startled Sara Beth, who paused to study him. “What’s Cheesecake doing here?”
“I’m having my kitchen redone, and he keeps hiding in the cabinets and jumping out at the workers.”
Sara Beth laughed. “Cheesecake,” she chided as she scratched under the cat’s chin. “You naughty boy.”
The cat purred as he leaned into her touch.
“Oh,” Sara Beth suddenly exclaimed, pausing mid-scratch. Cheesecake bumped his head into her hand until she resumed. “I forgot. I swung by The Sugar Room this morning.”
Joy’s lips turned down into a soft scowl as she eyed Sara Beth, waiting for her to explain.
“Maple McWayne is selling donuts now and handing out free coffee with every donut purchase.” She met Joy’s eyes over the top of her sweet tea.
“How on earth can Maple afford to give out that much free coffee?” Joy blew a strand of stray hair from her face in frustration. Maple McWayne had opened her shop, The Sugar Room, a few years ago, using cheap tactics to try and steal Joy's customers. She even had the audacity to advertise that she had the best frosting in town, Joy knowing full well Maple staked that claim based on a ridiculous half-hearted show of hands at the Senior Center years ago. Patty Cakes Bake Shop had been in business for a long time, opened by Joy’s mother, Patty, who had put her heart and soul into her little bakery. Joy had spent many afternoons taste testing her mother’s new ideas that she had spent countless hours developing before she offered them for sale.
“I’m sure it’s crappy coffee,” Sara Beth said with certainty.
Both the women turned at the sound of the bell on the front door announcing the arrival of the morning’s first customer.
“Well. Here we go.” Joy put on her best smile. “We've got a busy morning ahead of us."
Sara Beth sighed in response.
Joy’s face lit up as she took in the sight of her second cousin Randy who stood in his uniform, his badge glinting in the light, next to an unfamiliar blonde woman. Though they lived in the same small town, Joy hadn’t seen Randy in forever. She ducked out from behind the counter to give him a hug. Randy stepped forward into Joy’s arms, his smile matching hers.
“You look just like your mom standing behind the counter like that,” Randy said as he squeezed her.
Joy’s cheeks warmed to pink as she eased from his embrace and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Where have you been?” Joy asked, throwing an accusatory look at him.
“I know,” Randy answered as he looked around the bakery. “But I see the place hasn’t changed. It still smells like a piece of heaven, just the way it always did.”
The compliment succeeded in buttering Joy up. “Just trying to do Mom’s legacy justice.”
“That you have, cousin.” Randy then turned to the woman next to him, pulling her close to him. “This is Daisy.”
Daisy took Joy’s hand in hers, squeezing too firmly. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard all about your bakery. Best muffins in town!”
“Oh, thank you,” Joy said after a hesitant pause. Daisy’s death grip of a handshake and her smile that was too large gave her an uneasy feeling. Maybe she’s just nervous meeting family, Joy thought. But the uneasy feeling deepened when she noticed the glittering diamond on Daisy’s finger.
“Randy,” Joy gasped as she pointed at the diamond.
Randy grinned as he rocked back on his heels. “It’s a bit fast, we know.”
After a moment of silence, Joy realized she was staring and managed to compose herself. “Well, congratulations.” Joy sported what she hoped was a sincere smile when Daisy took her hand again.
The bell on the front door made them all look toward the entrance. Susan, a regular customer, came in with a smile. Joy smiled in return, always pleased to see a familiar friendly face.
“Good morning,” Susan said brightly. She nodded politely to Randy, and they exchanged brief pleasantries.
“Randy was just telling me he’s engaged,” Joy said, nodding toward Daisy.
Susan reached out to squeeze his arm and gave Daisy’s arm a pat too. “Congratulations. When’s the big day?” Susan looked from Randy to Daisy and back again.
Randy shifted his weight a bi
t. “This weekend, actually.”
Joy raised her eyebrows. “This weekend?”
“Oh, how lovely. A summer wedding.” Susan put a hand to her heart. She was oblivious to Joy’s shocked expression.
“I love your bracelet,” Daisy said to Susan as she reached out to touch it.
“Oh, thank you dear,” Susan responded with a warm smile.
A man with square-framed glasses came in the bakery next, stopping a moment to look at the menu while he decided what he wanted.
“Do you come here often?” Daisy asked Susan. “We’re here to order one of Joy’s famous wedding cakes, of course.” Daisy took hold of Joy’s arm.
“She does such a good job,” Susan agreed. “And yes, I can’t seem to start my day without one of Joy’s famous chocolate chip muffins.”
“Oh, thank you,” Joy said mostly to herself, slowly removing her arm from Daisy’s clutches. She was still reeling with the news of the weekend wedding, but she didn’t want to be rude by bringing it up again. Joy decided to get down to business. She turned to Daisy. “I’ll have Sara Beth bring out some samples for you.”
Before Joy could lean into the back to relay the request, Sara Beth popped out with the binder that held pictures of wedding cakes.
“Couldn’t help overhearing,” Sara Beth said with an eager grin. She set the binder down on the counter.
“You’re so good,” Daisy said with a pronounced wave of her hand.
Not missing a beat, Sara Beth replied, “I’ll go grab some samples.”
Daisy went to work flipping through the binder, one long, pink fingernail between her teeth as she searched.
“We noticed the sign up at Maple’s this morning,” Randy said, apparently content to let his fiancée do the browsing. “’Free coffee with every donut.’” He hitched his belt up higher on his hips. “It’s the new hang out for the other officers, I'm afraid.”
“Oh, is it?” Joy asked, her earlier frustration returning, though she did her best to hide it. She had noticed the local police officers who normally frequented Patty Cakes Bake Shop weren’t around as much. “Well, you should put the word out that we’ll be serving donuts too starting tomorrow.” Joy squelched the anxiety that rose in her chest at the thought of having to put out a new menu item so soon. It shouldn’t be hard, she consoled herself, I’ll just dig up mom’s old cookbook.
Randy’s eyebrows rose. “Is that so?”
“I bet they’ll be so yummy!” Daisy exclaimed.
Joy gave Daisy a polite smile and avoided rubbing her forehead. Daisy's keenness was a little much. “Yes,” Joy said to Randy, the idea of bringing donuts back to bakery gaining traction in her mind. “I think it’s time to get out mom’s old recipe.”
“Those were some good donuts,” Randy admitted, rubbing his tummy as his eyes gleamed with nostalgia. “Why’d you stop making them anyway?”
“Oh.” Joy gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “We were just too busy.” The real reason was too embarrassing for her to admit, though it was true that the bakery was busy.
“Well, it’s good to hear you’re bringing them back. Those donuts were always my favorite thing on the menu.” Randy nodded.
“You know…” Joy eyed the binder that was still in Daisy’s grasp. “People liked them so much that we got several orders for donut wedding platters every year.”
Randy looked at the binder with interest. “Now there’s an idea.” He looked to Daisy who bobbed her head up and down in agreement.
“Let me see if I can find the order forms. I took them out when we stopped making them.” Joy hurried to the back office and searched through the drawers of a dusty filing cabinet until she found the papers she was looking for. When she came back out to the front, Randy was on the phone and Daisy stood frozen.
“I’ll be right there.” Randy hung up, his eyes dark with a focused intensity.
Before Joy could say anything Daisy asked, “What happened?"
“Is someone hurt?” Joy responded, looking to Randy for confirmation.
“Sunny Rogers was found dead this morning,” Randy stated.
“The owner of the Nickle and Dime Antique shop?” Joy asked even though she already knew the answer. She just couldn’t believe that it was the truth. Sunny's wife was a regular.
“Yes. I need to get over there.” He put a hand on Daisy’s hip and nudged her toward the door. “Let’s go, dear.”
“We’ll be back later,” Daisy called out to Joy just before the door shut behind them.
Sara Beth appeared with a tray of neat cake squares. “Where are they going?”
“Sunny Rogers was murdered,” Joy said as she absent-mindedly took the tray from Sara Beth.
“Sweet cupcakes, that's awful,” Sara Beth murmured, her eyes wide with horror. “Who would want to murder Sunny Rogers?”
CHAPTER TWO
Joy pushed her hair out of her face, trying and failing to get the curls under control. Her hands and the front of her apron were covered in flour. Dough squished around the circular donut cutter as her practiced hands quickly formed dozens of new donuts. She gathered up all the scraps and tossed them in a pile. It had been years since she’d made them, but the smell of Mom’s old donut recipe brought comfort as her mind whirled over the morning’s events. And boy, could she use some comfort.
Randy was engaged to someone Joy had never even heard of, Maple was on one of her kicks to put Patty Cakes Bake Shop out of business, Joy had just signed on to bake a whole bunch of donuts when she already had a full schedule, her kitchen back home was a disaster from all the demolition, and somewhere out there, a murderer was on the loose. And it wasn’t even nine o’ clock yet.
Sara Beth came in from the office, the strain of the hectic morning showing on her face as well. She carried her precious cup of sweet tea everywhere she went, clutching it like it was a lifeline. “I just got off the phone with Mrs. Jones. She wants to add another dozen cupcakes to that rush order.”
Joy stepped back to admire her work for a moment, putting a hand on her hip as she stared at the neat rows of naked donuts. A thought occurred to her. Powdered sugar. She was out of powdered sugar. It was on the list of goods that were supposed to arrive tomorrow. She looked at the clock on the wall. When would she have time to run to the store?
“Can you finish the cupcake order?" Joy asked. "I’ve got to get these donuts done. What else do we have on the schedule today?”
Sara Beth opened up the binder they used to keep track of non-wedding cake orders. “We’ve got a bunch of specialty cakes, plus the surprise dozen cupcakes, and an order of two dozen sugar cookies. The second batch of bread isn’t out of the ovens yet, and I still have to mix up some more muffin batter.” Sara Beth paused and took a deep breath. “How long are those donuts going to take?”
Joy lay a towel over the top of the donuts and set them aside to rise, then went to work rolling out the scraps of dough to make more donuts. Inwardly, she kicked herself for being so impulsive in deciding to put out the donuts so quickly. But Randy would no doubt tell the boys at the station, and her mother’s recipe had a reputation all its own. Joy had to follow through.
“I just have to let them rise, and then I’ll have to brave frying them," Joy answered. "I’m going to have to use the stove to heat the oil since I threw out the fryer.”
Sara Beth pursed her lips as she took a long swig of sweet tea. “You're going to need another fryer if you’re planning on bringing donuts back.”
“I know, I know,” Joy mumbled. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing a fryer sitting in her kitchen.
The real reason she’d stopped serving donuts was that she’d almost burned the bakery to the ground three years ago. The ancient fryer, which had been there as long as Joy could remember, had started a grease fire that had only just been contained with the equally ancient fire extinguishers Joy had stashed under the sink. The experience had rattled her, and Joy had thrown out the fryer the next day. She’d also replaced th
e fire extinguishers with brand new ones and put a few more in other locations throughout the bakery. She checked them regularly.
“We don’t get supplies in until tomorrow, right?” Joy wanted to be sure she hadn’t overlooked a delivery.
Sara Beth shifted her weight to one leg. “What did you run out of?”
“Powdered sugar," Joy responded. "I made the icing for those sugar cookies last night.” It was a big order for an office party.
“Well,” Sara Beth sighed, glancing around the back room that looked like a war zone, “I think we need some help around here.”
Joy placed the last of the doughy donuts in the corner to rise and brushed her hands off on her apron. “Where on earth are we going to find help? It’ll take more work to find someone-”
“I know someone who’s looking for temporary work. I think she would be a great fit for the register. Do you want me to ask her to stop by?”
Some of the strain left Joy’s neck. “Yes, that would be great.” At least something was going right. She was still concerned that it would take forever to train a new person, but Joy decided not to put a damper on things. If Sara Beth knew her, that meant she would do well.
The bell on the front door chimed.
Sara Beth shut the binder, already moving toward the front. “Why don’t you run to the store before the lunch rush? I’ll hold down the fort.”
Joy’s eyes darted to the clock again. Sara Beth was right. Now was the best time to brave the store between the morning and lunch crowds. “Alright,” Joy agreed before yanking off her apron and hurrying to the back to grab her purse.
Cheesecake came slinking out of the storage room and chirped a meow in her direction. Joy stopped to pet him for a moment, his sleek fur and happy purring soothing her.
“Do you think you could bake a cake or two while I’m gone to the store?” Joy said jokingly.
Cheesecake purred louder as he bonked his head into her knees.
“I’ll take that as a yes," Joy replied. "Just don’t get any fur in the batter.”