by Amber Crewes
VELVET CAKE AND MURDER
A Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery
By
Amber Crewes
Published by Pen-n-a-Pad Publishing in 2021
All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © Pen-n-a-Pad Publishing
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
CONTENTS
About Velvet Cake and Murder
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
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22
23
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25
Thank You!
About Slaughter of the Wedding Cake
ALSO BY AMBER CREWES
About Velvet Cake and Murder
Released: March, 2021
Series: Book 22 – Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery Series
Standalone: Yes
Cliff-hanger: No
A murdered politician. A small town torn between the past and the future. A newlywed baker who can't help poking her nose in a murder mystery that seems off.
It's the start of a new year and Meghan is hoping for change in her personal and emotional life.
She never bargained that change would come in the form of an unexpected visitor to her marital home and the mysterious murder of a popular figure in the small town of Sandy Bay.
Things are further complicated when she discovers that the deceased, a big fan of her desserts, was related to many people in town. In good, bad and ugly ways!
Meghan is left worried and confused as heated opinions of the events leading to the murder seem to distract everyone from the actual homicide itself.
Was the murder coincidental or a coordinated, sinister undertaking?
Will Meghan learn to live with her unexpected guest or allow her fledgling relationship to hit the rocks?
Will she help or hinder a murder investigation that has her bakery's desserts as the common denominator linking all the key suspects?
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1
T he tiny snowflakes looked like diamonds as they fell from the sky, each glittering as they floated into the glowing path of the street light positioned outside of the bakery door. It was a bitterly cold winter morning, but the beauty of the snow was enough to take Meghan Truman Irvin’s mind off of the cold.
Meghan didn’t like the cold. As a native of a warm, small town in Texas, she had moved to sunny Los Angeles following her college graduation. Never in a million years had she expected to find herself living in the Pacific Northwest, but now, here she was. She adored her adopted hometown, a little seaside oasis called Sandy Bay, and had followed her dream of owning and operating her own bakery. A few weeks after moving to town, she had met the love of her life in Sandy Bay, the town detective. Meghan had recently gotten married and was happily beginning her married life in the town she had grown to love so dearly.
Meghan unlocked the door of Truly Sweet, the bakery she had opened in Sandy Bay after moving from Los Angeles almost three years ago. The little silvery bells attached to the front door chimed as she walked in, and she smiled in spite of herself; the sound of those little bells always brought her so much joy, and after a few years of owning and operating the bakery, she couldn’t believe she got to do something she loved every single day.
“Hey,” she heard a voice from behind her, and she turned to greet Pamela, the teenager who worked for her part-time.
“Good morning,” she smiled warmly. “You look sleepy!”
Pamela yawned. “It’s Saturday morning,” she moaned as she kicked the snow off of her boots on the indoor welcome mat. “I should be sleeping in, or having a lazy breakfast.”
“Or getting paid to bake,” Trudy, Meghan’s middle-aged employee, grunted as she walked in behind her. “Kids your age need to be working, or you get into trouble.”
Pamela rolled her eyes. “That’s what my mom says…”
Meghan chuckled. “Your mom is right,” she agreed. “How about this, sleepy head? Let’s put in two good hours of work, and then we can take a long break for an early lunch?”
Trudy smiled. “Sounds good, boss.”
“Only if I can have a hot scone,” Pamela grinned.
“I think we can make that happen!” Meghan nodded, and the three ladies set to work preparing the bakery for the day.
Exactly two hours later, Pamela cleared her throat loudly. “Meghan?”
Meghan glanced down at the watch on her wrist. “You were watching the clock, weren’t you?” she laughed as she wiped her hands on her apron and started piling dishes in the sink in the kitchen.
“I really want my hot, fresh scone,” Pamela smiled, nodding at the oven, which had just gone off. “And the timing is perfect.”
Meghan laughed. “I’ll get your scone and some tea assembled. Why don’t you two go wait for me in the dining room?”
Ten minutes later, Meghan walked out to the dining room with a tray of scones, breakfast tea, cream, and sugar. Trudy and Pamela were waiting for her at one of the little white iron tables in the corner, and she set the treats down with a flourish. “Ta da!”
Pamela inhaled dramatically. “Ahhhhh,” she moaned happily, closing her eyes and smiling as the smell of the hot scones wafted through the air. “I’m ready to chow down!”
Trudy cocked her head toward the platter. “I think I’ll take two,” she said sheepishly, and Meghan nodded.
“Take as many as you’d like,” she urged. “I made more than we’ll sell today, all just for you.”
They settled down and relaxed; it was a slow morning at the bakery, and as the snow fell outside, Meghan felt cozy and grateful to be starting what she hoped to be another successful year. The previous year had had many high points. She got married, went on a memorable honeymoon, settled into married life, and had grown her business more than she ever could have dreamed. While she was sad to say goodbye to such a fun, happy year, she was eager for all that was to come in the year ahead.
“Maybe I shouldn’t eat this,” Pamela sniffed at the scone, bringing Meghan’s attention back to the conversation.
“You wanted it,” Trudy insisted. “What’s the problem?”
Pamela looked down at her feet. “My New Year’s resolution is to lose some weight,” she explained. “If I want to look good in my swimsuit for the spring swim season, I need to shed a few pounds.”
Meghan slammed her hand down on the table. “Enough of that talk,” she ordered. “Pamela, you are perfect; you are tall and muscular, and you have a figure that many women would kill for.”
“You do,” Trudy agreed. “And you have the metabolism of a teenager. Enjoy it now, honey. It won’t last forever.”
“But Roberto’s new girlfriend is stick-thin,” Pamela complained, leaning back and crossing
her arms over her small bosom. “Maybe if I were skinnier, we would get back together.”
Meghan stood up and put her hands on her curvy hips. Meghan and Pamela were built completely differently; while Pamela was statuesque and blonde, Meghan was petite, with prominent, feminine curves and dark hair that cascaded down her back in luscious waves. She hadn’t always liked her womanly figure, but as she grew up, and had come to appreciate the way her clothes hung on her hourglass body, and while she knew she would never be a supermodel, she knew she was pretty on the inside and the outside.
“Listen to me,” she demanded as Pamela stared at her. “Your body is perfect. You are so beautiful, and hard-working, and smart, and responsible. You do not need to change anything about yourself, okay?”
“She’s right,” Trudy agreed. “I know I give you a hard time sometimes, but that’s because I have high expectations of you. You are a great girl, and you don’t need to change anything about yourself.”
Pamela smiled. “Thanks,” she said softly. “That means a lot to me.”
Meghan sat back down and wrapped her arm around Pamela’s shoulder. “Now, do you have any real resolutions?” she asked kindly. “Mine is to stretch out before and after my runs so my legs don’t cramp up!”
“That’s a good one,” Pamela nodded. “You really like running now, don’t you?”
Meghan shrugged. “I’ll never make it to the Olympics,” she smiled. “But I enjoy a good run to clear my head and move my body.”
Trudy cleared her throat. “I want to share my resolution.”
“What is it?” Meghan asked.
“I want to learn Portuguese,” Trudy grinned, her eyes sparkling. “I was watching Love Actually over the holidays, and that guy who speaks Portuguese is such a cutie.”
Meghan laughed. “You like that Portuguese guy? Hugh Grant is more my style.”
“Hugh Grant?” Pamela wondered. “Who is that? I’ve never heard of him.”
Trudy shook her head. “You don’t know who Hugh Grant is?”
“Does he have a YouTube channel?”
Meghan closed her eyes. “Oh, Pamela…”
They chatted for a few more minutes, and then Meghan turned her attention toward her business. “What are your goals for the next year at Truly Sweet?” she first asked Trudy.
“I want to do more baking,” she told Meghan. “I like my role as a manager, but I want to get better at the baking. Pamela is a third of my age, but she can bake better than me. I want to get on her level.”
Meghan laughed. “It isn’t a competition,” she assured Trudy. “And you do an amazing job managing the bakery, I promise.”
Pamela bit her lip. “What should my goal be?” she asked.
Meghan thought for a moment. “What if we do some swaps this year?” she suggested. “Trudy can learn more about baking from you, and she can teach you more about managing the bakery. I think that would make you a really well-rounded employee, and it would look good on your college applications.”
“Okay,” Pamela agreed. “That’s probably a good idea.”
“What are your goals for the bakery?” Trudy asked Meghan. “We did so well last year, and I can’t imagine that will change in the year ahead.”
Meghan pondered the question. Should she maintain the norms of the bakery? Things were going really well; they nearly had more orders than they could handle, and Meghan was even considering hiring another part-time employee to help out on weekday mornings when Pamela was at school.
“Maybe we should shake things up,” Pamela suggested. “It never hurts to try new things.”
Meghan nodded. Besides a new employee, what else could they incorporate at the bakery? They always rotated new treats in and out, the menu changed constantly, and Meghan had just had the dining room walls painted a new color: blush.
“What about some new furniture for the dining room?” Pamela asked. “We could go shopping in Portland. I am really good at design and aesthetics.”
Meghan furrowed her brow. “I’m not quite sure about that,” she told Pamela. “I’ll think about it.”
They finished their snacks and returned to work, Meghan still thinking about her goals and aspirations for the bakery. Should she implement some changes, or should she keep the status quo? She could not decide, and she decided to bring it up with her husband, Jack, when she got home later.
That evening, Meghan was exhausted and filthy as she arrived home. A group of five children and a frantic father had shown up at the bakery before closing; the father had promised his children donuts if they behaved while his wife was at the grocery, and when he realized the bakery did not have donuts on the current menu, he had given Meghan attitude. The children had screamed and moaned, but finally, she was able to pacify them with cinnamon bagels and cinnamon sugar frosting.
Walking into her house, and smiling as Fiesta and Siesta, her two little twin dogs, ran to greet her. “Hi, babies,” she said, reaching down to scoop them up into her arms.
“Hey!” Jack grinned as he strode into the living room.
While Meghan was exhausted, she was happy to see her husband; he was a detective with the Sandy Bay Police, and their schedules had not allowed them to spend much time together after Christmas.
“Hi, honey,” she murmured as she kissed him on the lips. “How was your day?”
“Well, I have something to tell--”
“My day was wild,” she told him, pulling away from his embrace so she could remove her winter coat. “We did some goal setting in the morning, and then, there was a huge rush at the end of the day.”
“Meghan? Can we chat?”
“In a minute,” she waved him off. “I want to tell you about the goal setting. Anyway, Trudy wants us to keep with the status quo at the bakery, but Pamela really wants to shake things up. What do you think about that?”
Meghan hung her coat up on the coat rack as Dash, their other dog, bounded into the room. “Hi, buddy,” she said as she bent down to scratch his ears. “Anyway, the conversation got me thinking about our goals as a couple.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Our goals as a couple?”
“Exactly,” she nodded. “What are our goals as a couple this year? I think we need to work a little harder on our communication. Remember that argument we had about the boys’ night? If we had just communicated about it, things would have been fine.”
“Meghan, I need to talk to you,” Jack interrupted, but Meghan kept talking.
“What if we commit to reading a book together each month?” she suggested as she threw herself onto the couch and put her feet up on the oak coffee table. “A relationship book or something about financial freedom? I hear a lot of young couples make mistakes with their money and maybe learning more about finances could be one of our goals.”
“Meghan,” Jack interjected.
“What?” she asked. “Why are you interrupting me? I just want to talk about all the ways I want us to be a better couple. Doesn’t that matter to you?”
Jack laughed. “Meghan, of course it matters to me!” he exclaimed, coming to sit next her on the couch. “I just need to tell you something.”
“What?”
There was suddenly a knock on the front door. “Who could that be?” Meghan asked, frowning as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you expecting someone?”
Jack had a sheepish look on his face. “I was trying to tell you,” he sighed as he rose to his feet and made his way to the door.
Meghan bit her lip. “Who is it?” she asked, standing up and walking over to him. “Who is at the door, Jack?”
2
“M
y dearest! My little Jacky-pie!”
Meghan’s ears hurt as a screeching voice filled the living room. She glanced over her husband’s broad shoulders and stifled a gasp. It was Sarah Irvin, her mother-in-law. She was holding three suitcases and was balancing a duffle bag on her shoulders.
“And my new daughter!”
Sara
h pushed her way inside and threw her arms around Meghan, dropping the bags and giving her two kisses on each cheek. “Look at you, Meghan! You look like you’ve put on some weight! Are you pregnant? You’re just glowing! Is my first grandson on the way?”
“It must be that first year of marriage glow,” Meghan laughed weakly. “No grandchildren yet, Sarah.”
Jack led his mother into the living room. “Meghan, I was trying to tell you,” he murmured, flashing her an apologetic look. “Mom is going to be with us for a few days.”
“A few days?” Sarah cried. “More like a few weeks! Your father’s fishing trips in British Columbia are always so long, and I hate being home by myself. Besides, I haven’t seen you two since your wedding, and your dear mom needs to visit with her darlings.”
Meghan’s stomach dropped. A few weeks? She was busier than ever at the bakery, and she was still exhausted from the holiday season.
“You look so surprised, Meghan!” Sarah commented. “Aren’t you excited to have your mother-in-law in town? I remember loving the visits Jack’s father and I used to have with his mother when she was still alive. Those visits were the highlights of our early married life.”
Meghan forced herself to smile. “I’m just tired from a long day at work,” she explained. “Of course we are happy you are here. Can I get you something to drink? A snack?”
Sarah smiled. “Jack told me on the phone that you were making a nice dinner for my arrival.”
Meghan turned to glower at her husband. “What is going on?” she mouthed, but Sarah came and wrapped her in a hug.
“Thank you so much for hosting your dear old mother-in-law,” she told Meghan. “It is so sweet of you. I knew Jack made the right choice when he married you. His ex-girlfriend, Nina, was so unpleasant to be around. She hated when I would drop in or stay for a few weeks, and I am so glad you are different.”