Cozy Mysteries : Murder and cake - By Royal Appointment: (Cozy Food Mysteries Women Sleuths Series, Bakery Mystery Books)

by Luna Snow

  “I’m due to be meeting the President of the firm we are taking over tomorrow night, and when I saw you today I suddenly had an idea that perhaps you could come along and be my dinner date – pretend to be my girlfriend and see what you think of him?”

  Sandy was still puzzled.

  “Surely if this is such a big deal you could have hired the professionals to investigate this for you – the secret police or something?”

  Reaching for his Armani man bag, Max pulled out a large file.

  “I’ve already done that and it’s not got me very far. They just think that I’m being neurotic. Here is the file- everything we have on the President. He’s squeaky clean – the ‘professionals’ as you call them found nothing.”

  “So, maybe there is nothing?”

  Max looked troubled.

  “My instinct has never let me down before and I still think that there is something wrong. In 48 hours I will be signing the papers and then it will all be over. Maybe if you take a look at the file and meet him tomorrow – it will put my mind at rest.”

  His eyes were large and pleading, just like a little boys; how could she possibly refuse?”

  Chapter Three

  The dinner turned out to be quite a disappointment. The potions were small and Jane was starving. She also found herself seated between the loathsome Josephine Lefite and Alf Jeffries whilst the pompous Jimmy Hines and his assistant Mark sat opposite. Nobody spoke apart from Alf Jeffries who tried to engage her in conversation, but Jane sipped at the thin soup in silence.

  “If you like Miss Dough, I can show you the delights of London –perhaps I could take you out one evening?”

  Sandy Jones got Max Stephens, whereas she got Alf Jeffries, life just wasn’t like a novel make no mistake. She watched him in disgust as he slurped at his soup.

  “Thank you for your kind offer Mr Jeffries, but I am here to work, not to enjoy myself. Besides I need to concentrate on the task at hand -my cakes”.

  Alf shrugged and turned his attention to the sniffy Ms Lefite.

  “So Madame, you are from France– North or South?”

  Josephine looked up, startled from her soup as if such a lowly man dare address her.

  “The South -why?”

  “And you have lived there for a long time?”

  The soup spoon stopped mid air, not quite reaching her pursed mouth, as she looked across in indignation.

  “I have lived there all of my life why?”

  “No reason. I would like a holiday in the South of France that’s all. I here it is very beautiful - see the Eiffel Tower and all that?”

  “Yes- it is a very beautiful place”. Her mouth snapped shut on the words with a certain finality.

  Alf looked thoughtful as if he were going to continue the conversation but then seemed to think more of it and remained silent.

  Ms Lefite continued with her soup in a very determined manner. The conversation was well and truly over. She did not stay around for the main course and retired early with a headache.

  To Jane the whole episode was very odd but meant one thing; she could have two chicken legs instead of one!

  That night Jane slept uneasily. Her stomach had still felt quite empty when she had finally left the table and it was now growling and keeping her awake. Flicking on the light she picked up her watch from the bedside table. It was only 10 minutes passed 12. A big day lay ahead of her – the baking of the royal cake. She needed her sleep but suddenly felt wide awake.

  Picking up the book from the side of the bed she started to read. Perhaps Sandy Jones would help her nod off!

  Although the night hadn’t quite worked out how she had hoped, Sandy Jones couldn’t help but smile to herself as she let herself back into her plush apartment. So Max hadn’t invited her on a date because he was attracted to her but because he admired her intellect wanted to use her detective skills. She was flattered that he had even heard of her, but he had been reading about her latest crime solving in the local paper and had been impressed. She had been amazed by that case too – she had caught a notorious criminal in the act with his pants down so to speak – but that was another story. She had used her talents well to solve that case. Sandy couldn’t wait to start reading through the file, and making herself a fresh pot of coffee to counter the alcohol and her own tiredness – she placed the papers onto the kitchen table and started to read everything there was to know about Mr Yakimono – the President of an IT company based in Japan.

  By 5 a.m. Sandy had read and digested each and every one of the papers and knew more about Mr Yakimono than she did her own mother. As her eyelids started to droop, she looked once again at the black and white photograph of the man. It was a clear photograph – taken up close or, more than likely, taken with a strong zoom lens. The man was just getting into a black limo –his hand on the open car door and his face caught looking out and straight into the camera. It was a kind, elderly face with something almost wistful around the eyes. There was nothing particularly suspicious in his gaze. In fact the whole file told the story of a kind man who gave his money to charity and had a very large and happy extended family. Perhaps Max was just having cold feet – the merger was worth millions. Yet Max seemed so self assured- she couldn’t imagine him having second thoughts without a good reason.

  Sandy Jones wracked her brain. There must be something staring her right in the face, but what? She would be meeting the venerable Japanese gentleman in less than 24 hours and Max believed in her. Absolutely no pressure!

  Although Jane tried hard to concentrate on the adventures of Sandy Jones, her stomach began to growl again. There was no ignoring it, she was famished. Closing the book she got out of bed. There was only one thing for it – to make her way down to the kitchen to see if there was anything left to eat.

  Slipping on a dressing gown over her pink pyjamas, she set off down the corridor and towards the old servant’s staircase leading to the kitchen below. Halfway down the stairs she could see the faint glow of a light below and stood to listen. There was a faint whispering coming from the kitchen. Two men were talking in a loud whisper-again she recognised the deep tones of Jimmy Hines and his assistant. What on earth were they doing in the kitchen so late?

  Intrigued she stepped down the remaining steps to listen at the partially open doorway.

  “We’ll have to get the sparklers tomorrow Jimmy, that’s all I’m saying”.

  Jane could feel a sneeze coming on. It must be those blasted Corgi’s. She pinched her nose but it was no good.

  “Ahhh Tishooo”

  It was not a ladylike sneeze – more like a baby elephant with hay fever.

  The voices immediately stopped and the door swung open.

  “Ms Dough – what are you doing here?” Jimmy Hines looked angry.

  Jane felt her face flush to the roots of her hair.

  “I was hungry!”

  Chapter Four

  Morning soon arrived. Jane had slept for the final few hours before dawn after finding a packet of chocolate biscuits in a cupboard and eating half. Jimmy Hines and his assistant had left the kitchen looking rather sheepish and she hadn’t bothered asking any questions.

  If she had been Sandy Jones she would have interrogated them on the spot!

  After breakfast she had started her preparations in earnest for a day of baking, checking the ingredients before weighing it and starting to mix.

  All thoughts of the previous night and the strange conversation of Jimmy Hines was soon forgotten in the melting of butter and mixing of cream. By the end of the day Jane was extremely tired but had produced three beautiful cakes – all ready for icing and decorating the following day. Supper was still quite meagre but she was so tired that she was almost passed being hungry and retired to bed early. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  “Bang, bang, bang”

  The noise was so loud that Jane almost jumped out of her skin and sat up – wide awake and in terror almost immediately
.

  “Bang, Bang, Bang”

  Disorientated from sleep it took her a long time to realise what the sound was. Someone was knocking very loudly upon her door.

  “Open this door, Miss Dough, can you please open the door. Police!”

  Jane’s heart was seized with fear as she stepped out of bed with trepidation, and slipping on her dressing gown, cautiously opened the door. A man in uniform stepped forward.

  “If you could make your way to the kitchen Miss –I am to accompany you”.

  It was all highly irregular and Jane wondered if she were having some terrible nightmare. She pinched the thick flesh at the top of her thigh.

  “Ouch”

  It was real enough.

  Everyone was assembled in the kitchen although it took her some time to recognise the people dressed in their night attire. Miss Lefite looked demure in silky pyjama’s, her long dark hair tied up in a plait whilst and her assistant Cecile looked even more demure than she did in a pretentious red and gold silk dressing gown. Jimmy Hines stood in bare feet, striped pyjama bottoms and a hairy chest, whilst his young assistant -the young lad Mark, wore Spiderman themed pyjama’s and looked quite embarrassed by the fact. Jane was pleased to see that without make-up Geraldine Parker looked quite ‘rough’ and seemed alarmed to be seen wearing her M&S nighty in public without the aid of mascara to dull the blow.

  Jane tried to ignore Alf Jeffries who was leering at her from across the worktops. He wore a greying vest and some cheap sweat type pants. She couldn’t help notice that he had a good physique but tried not to look his way. She too was in bare feet. There hadn’t been any time to think about shoes or socks and now her feet were freezing on the cold stone kitchen floor. They all seemed to be bare footed, apart from Alf who wore a down at heel pair of slippers and Miss Lefite who had managed to put on a pair of smart leather training type shoes- not quite in keeping with her silk pyjamas- at least she had warm feet!

  “What on earth is this all about Sir, being dragged from our beds at this ungodly hour?”

  Geraldine Parker was also wearing several large curlers in her hair, which made her attempt at being severe look quite pathetic.

  The Head of Palace security – James Arthur McKnight stepped forward and cleared his throat.

  Jane thought he looked quite young to hold such a senior position and quite handsome too. Definitely the type of man that Sandy Jones would like.

  For a moment he seemed to be staring at her but then Jane realised it was probably because she looked like a baby elephant in her pink pyjama’s, and she pulled the dressing gown more tightly around her in the hope it would make her appear slimmer.

  He started to speak.

  “I’m afraid there has been a serious breach of protocol tonight and the whole Palace is on red alert. This means that none of you will be allowed to leave the Palace until further notice.”

  Geraldine’s eyes looked almost as if they would pop from out of her head.

  “But what on earth is this all about. Whatever has happened?”

  Taking in a deep breath, James McKnight puffed up his chest.

  “I am afraid that the Queen’s diamond tiara has been stolen”.

  And it wasn’t just any old diamond tiara. He went on to explain that the tiara was priceless and always worn by the Queen on state occasions and she would be expecting to wear it for her 90th birthday celebrations. Not only was the piece irreplaceable and extremely valuable –but it would also ruin Her Majesties birthday if she were to find out.

  “I’m afraid everyone is under suspicion until the tiara is found.”

  Everyone started to protest, but James McKnight was deadly serious.

  A grand search of everyone’s room took place before they could return back to their beds. Needless to say nothing could be found.

  By the time they were allowed back to their rooms, Jane was shattered. At least she was no longer hungry – she had eaten the other half packet of chocolate biscuits.

  The next morning everyone was tired and the atmosphere subdued. Everyone in the kitchen eyed each other with suspicion before they set to work on their recipes. Jane checked her cakes carefully. The smallest chocolate cake for the top of the three tiers had cracked a little on the top, but she felt in no mood to start again, for one thing she was too tired and anyway, once it was iced and decorated it would look and taste perfect.

  She would start to decorate that cake first. All of the icing sugar and decorations had been stored in a back room and she muttered to herself as she walked down the dimly lit corridor in the bowels of Buckingham Palace. She was in no mood to walk backwards and forwards all day – the corridors seemed miles long- she would have to make sure she brought everything back in one go.

  Reaching the room she started gathering her bags of icing sugar and other ingredients. She found everything she needed except for the red food colouring. It was definitely on her list and must be somewhere – now they were ‘locked’ in the Palace she couldn’t even go out to buy some more – it had to be in there somewhere.

  The room was lined with shelves and cupboards and Jane started to open each one. There was everything from tinned oysters to ducks liver pate– but the red food colouring was nowhere in sight. Jane was just about to give up and decide on a white icing, when she noticed another large cupboard in a recess yet to be explored.

  It was worth a look.

  The doors were stiff as she pulled at the handles, as if something were jamming them closed. With all her weight Jane pulled against the cupboard doors and with one final tug the doors flew open and she stumbled backwards. Something large and heavy had fallen on her.

  Jane was not a particularly squeamish woman but she started to scream. She had been knocked down by a dead body!

  Chapter Five

  Her screams were so loud that they were heard in the kitchen and soon the storage room was full of people. Alf Jeffries was the first on the scene and for once Jane was very pleased to see him. He had rolled the body away from her and helped her stand up. James McKnight had been immediately summonsed and had questioned Jane about the incident. What could she say? She had opened the cupboard and the body had fallen out. There was no more to it than that. But who the body was or why it had been in the cupboard she could not say.

  Geraldine had entered the room and had fainted clean away. Jimmy Hines had turned up on the scene, red eyed and looking shaky. He obviously hadn’t slept well. At least he had surfaced – Josephine Lefite had remained in bed with one of her famous headaches and only Cecile had watched from the sidelines.

  The body was covered over with a sheet and the crime scene taped before everyone was escorted away. Who on earth had been murdered – for surely murder it was with a body dumped in a cupboard? Jane closed her eyes and tried to remember anything she could about the body. It had all happened so quickly that she had barely seen the body; she had felt the weight and feel of it, the cold skin, the dead heavy thud. For some reason she had the feeling that it was the body of a woman, the size perhaps or shape- she really couldn’t say for certain.

  “You should go and lie down for a bit. You’ve had a shock”

  Alf was by her side and looked concerned. It was a blow for all of them – first the stolen tiara and now this. Everyone was wondering whether the two crimes were connected.

  Jane smiled- she was from Yorkshire and made of sterner stuff. Still the show had to go on, the birthday celebrations were looming and a birthday cake couldn’t ice itself.

  “I’m fine Alf, but there is one thing you could do for me?”

  Alf smiled, eager to please.

  “Anything my dear”

  “Well, I wouldn’t mind a sweet cup of strong tea, and a biscuit or two if you could find one?”

  Despite the trials of the day the cakes were iced and decorated and looked stunning.

  It was only then that Jane allowed herself to feel the shock of the day and decided to have an early night.

  It wasn’
t until she was in her room and alone that she started to feel uneasy. What on earth was going on? It was like something from a Sandy Jones novel. A priceless tiara is stolen and then a body turns up? A horrible thought crossed her mind. What if there was a murderer amongst them? A chilly feeling in her heart caused a shiver to run down her spine, and crossing to the door Jane locked the door. Better to be safe than sorry.

  She was exhausted but her nerves were too on edge to sleep. It was time for another instalment of Sandy Jones investigates!

  After only a few hours’ sleep Sandy roused herself to look through the file once again. She had been dreaming about the photograph of Mr Yakimono- forever getting into his black Daimler car. Where was he going or where was he coming from? What was he thinking?