by Nancy CoCo
MOUTHWATERING PRAISE FOR NANCY COCO’S CANDY-COATED MYSTERIES
Oh Say Can You Fudge
“Beautiful Mackinac Island provides the setting for a puzzling series of crimes. Now that Allie McMurphy has taken over her grandparents’ hotel and fudge shop, life on Mackinac is good, although her little dog, Mal, does tend to nose out trouble.... Allie’s third offers plenty of plausible suspects and mouthwatering fudge recipes.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“WOW. This is a great book. I loved the series from the beginning and this book just makes me love it even more. No one can make me feel like I am in Mackinac Island better than Nancy Coco. She draws the reader in and makes you feel like you are part of the story. I cannot wait to read more. FANTASTIC is the only thing I can say further about this book.”
—Bookschellves.blogspot.com
To Fudge or Not to Fudge
“To Fudge or Not to Fudge is a superbly-crafted, classic, culinary cozy mystery. If you enjoy them as much as I do, you are in for a real treat. The setting of Mackinac Island immediately drew me to the book as it is an amazing location. The only problem I had with the book was reading about all the mouthwatering fudge made me hungry.”
—Examiner.com (5 stars out of 5)
“We LOVED it! This mystery is a vacation between the pages of a book. If you’ve never been to Mackinac Island, you will long to visit, and if you have, the story will help you to recall all of your wonderful memories.”
—Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and Meows
“A five-star delicious mystery that has great characters, a good plot and a surprise ending. If you like a good mystery with more than one suspect and a surprise ending, then rush out to get this book and read it, but be sure you have the time since once you start you won’t want to put it down. I give this 5 Stars and a Wow Factor of 5+. The fudge recipes included in the book all sound wonderful. I am thinking that a gift basket filled with the fudge from the recipes in this book, along with a copy of the book, some hot chocolate mix and/or coffee, and a nice mug would be a great Christmas gift.”
—Mystery Reading Nook
“A charming and funny culinary mystery that parodies reality show competitions and is led by a sweet heroine, eccentric but likable characters, and a skillfully crafted plot that speeds towards an unpredictable conclusion. Allie stands out as a likable and engaging character. Delectable fudge recipes are interspersed throughout the novel.”
—Kings River Life
All Fudged Up
“A sweet treat with memorable characters, a charming locale, and satisfying mystery.”
—Barbara Allan, author of the Trash ’n’ Treasures mysteries
“A fun book with a lively plot, and it’s set in one of America’s most interesting resorts. All this plus fudge!”
—JoAnna Carl, author of the Chocoholic mysteries (NAL)
“A sweet confection of a book. Charming setting, clever protagonist, and creamy fudge—a yummy recipe for a great read.”
—Joanna Campbell Slan, author of The Scrap-N-Craft Mysteries and The Jane Eyre Chronicles
“Move over, Janet Evanovich—there’s a new kid on the block. Nancy Coco’s All Fudged Up is a delightful mystery delivering suspense and surprise in equal measure. Her heroine, Alice McMurphy, owner of the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop (as much of a mouthful as her delicious fudge), has a wry narrative voice that never falters. Add that to the charm of the setting, Michigan’s famed Mackinac Island, and you have a recipe for enjoyment. As an added bonus, mouthwatering fudge recipes are included. A must-read for all lovers of amateur sleuth classic mysteries.”
—Carole Bugge, author of Who Killed Blanche Dubois? and other Claire Rawlings mysteries
“You won’t have to ‘fudge’ your enthusiasm for Nancy Parra’s first Mackinac Island Fudge Shop Mystery. Indulge your sweet tooth as you settle in and meet Allie McMurphy, Mal the bichon/poodle mix, and the rest of the motley crew in this entertaining series debut.”
—Miranda James
“The characters are fun and well-developed, the setting is quaint and beautiful, and there are several mouthwatering fudge recipes.”
—RT Book Reviews (3 stars)
“Enjoyable . . . ALL FUDGED UP is littered with delicious fudge recipes, including alcohol-infused ones. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery and look forward to reading more in this series.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Cozy mystery lovers who enjoy quirky characters, a great setting and fantastic recipes will love this debut.”
—The Lima News
“The first Candy-Coated mystery is a fun cozy due to the wonderful location filled with eccentric characters.”
—Midwest Book Review
Also by Nancy Coco
The Candy-Coated Mystery Series
All Fudged Up
To Fudge or Not to Fudge
Oh Say Can You Fudge
All I Want for Christmas Is Fudge (e-book)
All You Need Is Fudge
Nancy Coco
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
MOUTHWATERING PRAISE FOR NANCY COCO’S CANDY-COATED MYSTERIES
Also by Nancy Coco
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Acknowledgments
Oh, Fudge!
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2016 by Nancy J. Parra
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-1-4967-0162-6
First Kensington Mass Market Edition: August 2016
eISBN-13: 978-1-4967-0163-3
eISBN-10: 1-4967-0163-1
First Kensington Electronic Edition: August 2016
This book is for my family.
Thank you for your years of support and love
and for giving me the freedom to follow my dreams.
Chapter 1
I don’t find a dead body every time I take Mal—my bichonpoo puppy—for a walk. Really. In fact, it had only happened once. But finding dead people seems to be a theme for me since I returned to Mackinac Island to run the historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop. It was no surprise to anyone that I had 9-1-1 on speed dial on my cell phone.
“9-1-1. What is your emergency?”
I could tell it was Charlene o
n the phone. She worked long hours. In fact, so many hours I had begun to think she was a workaholic like me. “Hi Charlene,” I said as brightly as possible. Water dripped down the side of my face and I wiped it away.
“Allie McMurphy, is that you?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s me,” I replied, trying to slow my heavy breathing. I was soaked and my muscles shook from the stress of dragging a dead weight out of the water and over the three foot marina wall.
“Who’s dead now?” Charlene asked.
I think she was kidding. I wasn’t. “I’m not quite sure,” I said and stared down at the purplish face of the woman I had just pulled from the lake. Something was vaguely familiar about her, but it was hard to tell. People looked different when they were dead.
“But there is a dead person,” Charlene stated. “Seriously?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. Can you contact Rex?” Officer Rex Manning was my go-to guy whenever I found trouble . . . which seemed to be often.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the marina off Main Street near the coffee shop.”
“Allie, it’s yacht race week. A dead body in the marina would be disastrous.”
“Well, I didn’t put it there.” I stifled a shiver. Yacht racing happened a couple times on Mackinac Island. It was the first of the season and people were gearing up for the influx of boaters and boat enthusiasts. In fact, just yesterday I was at the yacht club with my best friend Jenn Christensen helping to coordinate an event.
Jenn was the event planner, not me, but I went along for support and because I was doing everything I could to gain access into Mackinac Island society. Small business was about community and I was working hard to become a part of the tight knit community that was Mackinac Island.
“Rex is on his way,” Charlene said, “along with a crew of first responders. Are you sure the person is dead?”
I noted the pallor of skin and that the open eyes looked glazed over and colorless. “I think she’s been dead a while.” A shiver took me. It was a cool morning. The sun had just started to come up when I began the walk and now that I was soaked through, the wind felt cold against my skin.
“Okay,” Charlene said. “I’ll stay with you until Rex gets there.”
“Thanks.” I brushed my currently seaweed-like strands of hair out of my face. Mal was having a good time sniffing the girl I’d managed to drag mostly onto the grassy knoll in front of the marina. I hugged my lake water–soaked, legging-covered knees to my equally soaked shirtdress-covered body. “Mal, come here.”
I snagged my dog away from the dead girl and held Mal to me. Her warm little body was a comfort. It was still early. The first ferries had yet to arrive with their boatload of tourists. It was quiet. Some of the maids and groundskeepers had started their walk from the workers’ quarters to the hotels to start their day. The shops would not open for at least another hour and a half.
“Your puppy is with you?” Charlene asked. “Is there anyone else nearby?”
I looked around. “No. The marina is pretty quiet. Mal alerted me there was something in the water. As soon as I saw the woman, I jumped in to save her, but it was too late. She really is quite cold and stiff.”
“She’s most likely in rigor,” Charlene said. “I never thought I’d ever say that out loud in my life. But I’ve been brushing up on my dead body terminology a lot since you moved here.”
I winced at the tone of her voice. “Like I said, Mal found her.” I looked at my puppy. She was nearly six months old and wagged her little stub tail at the sound of her name. “She has a good nose.”
“You two are quite the pair,” Charlene said.
The first time I ever called 9-1-1 Charlene had not believed me. She thought I was a prank caller. Now all I had to do was say my name and she assumed the worst. In fact everyone on the island assumed the worst.
“What were you doing near the marina?” she asked.
“Mal needed her morning walk and I wanted to see the yachts that came in for this weekend’s race.” A glance over my shoulder showed me that the marina was full of large sailing boats. Some people on the boats had begun to stir. A gentleman in shorts and a T-shirt came out on his deck with a coffee cup in hand. I watched as he stretched and looked at the lake then did a slow turn. I shuddered when he did a double take at the sight of me and Mal and the pale bloated body of a woman wearing a bright blue and orange, color-blocked dress. Her feet were bare. She had painted her toenails robin’s egg blue.
“A guy on his yacht spotted us,” I told Charlene and waved at the guy who stared with his mouth wide open. I suppose seeing a dead body first thing in the morning would be a bit of a shock for anyone.
“Don’t let him get close,” she warned. “We don’t need a crowd messing up the crime scene.”
In the distance I heard the siren of the ambulance. The state of the art ambulance and fire truck were the only motor vehicles allowed on the island. Other transportation on the island that time forgot was limited to horse and carriage, bicycle, or foot traffic.
“Is everything okay down there?” the man hollered from the deck of his yacht.
“Things are under control,” I called back and pointed at my cell phone. “I’ve called 9-1-1.”
“What happened?” Police Officer Rex Manning had pulled up on his bike, hit the kickstand, and walked carefully toward me.
Mal, of course, having no respect for possible crime scene evidence, wiggled out of my embrace and raced up to greet him with a twirl and a nose bump. Rex absently patted Mal as he walked to where I sat next to the body.
“I pulled her out of the water,” I said and trembled. “I tried pushing water out of her lungs, but she was already gone.”
“Long gone from the looks of her,” he said as he squatted down beside me. “She was in the lake?” He didn’t look at me as he took a pen out of his pocket and lifted the hair away from her face. Rex wore his uniform well. He had the chest and shoulders of a man who worked out regularly at the gym. I always thought of him as having that action hero kind of look with his shaved head and gorgeous eyes.
“Yes, she was in the water near the pier where the coffee shop is.” I pointed toward the spot. “I didn’t see her at first. Mal pulled me to the edge so I went to see what she was fussing about.”
“Your pup has a good nose for death.” He frowned. “I think I know who this is.”
“Is that good or bad?” I asked and bit down as my teeth started to chatter.
He glanced at me. “You need to get warm.” Standing, he waved down the EM Ts.
George Marron came down to where we were with a blanket in one hand and a med kit in the other.
“She might have hypothermia,” Rex said to him.
George draped the blanket around my shoulders. “Whenever I get a call with Allie involved, I automatically bring one.” He was a little taller than me and Rex. He had high cheekbones, long, black hair that he wore in a braid down his back, and black eyes that spoke of his native ancestors.
I huddled in the warmth. “I don’t think it’s shock this time,” I said with a touch of pride in my voice. “I’m soaked.”
“The water’s still cool this time of year,” George agreed. “Even for mid-July.” He checked the pulse at my wrist. “Your lips and fingers are a little blue, but you’re right, you’re not shocky.”
“I’m fine.” I smiled at him to reassure him that I didn’t need an exam, and huddled into the blanket. “Just wet.” My teeth chattered as if to emphasize my words.
Rex stood and waved the second EMT with the stretcher over toward the body. “You pulled her out of the water all by yourself?”
“Yes, mostly,” I said as Mal curled up in my lap. The woman’s legs still dangled over the retaining wall. “I didn’t have the strength to finish the job, I’m afraid. I wanted to get her far enough that I could try to push water out of her lungs and start CPR.”
“Okay, tell me exactly—step by step—what you did.” His
cop’s gaze noted all the details of the marina as it started to wake up.
George and the other EMT pulled the body all the way over the retaining wall. A pair of squawking gulls swooped by. Officer Charles Brown showed up and stayed near the road to keep back the slowly gathering crowd.
“I knew the yachts were coming in for race weekend and thought I’d take Mal for her morning walk down here. The coffee shop was open and Frances had told me that she likes the blueberry scones they serve so I figured I’d stop in and pick up a few for the staff.”
“What time did you leave the McMurphy?” Rex asked.
“I finished my last batch of fudge around five forty-five and left right after that. So however long it takes to put Mal’s halter and leash on and stroll down here.” The marina was across from the yacht club and the Island House Hotel about half a mile from the McMurphy on Main.
“So around six AM?”
I nodded. “That sounds right.” I hugged Mal. She wanted to greet everyone and help the EMTs with the body.
I, on the other hand, knew she’d be in the way so I hugged her to hold her in my lap. “We walked down this way. I didn’t see anything unusual, just the boats and the sunrise. We walked the lower path near the retaining wall and headed down the dock to the coffee shop. About halfway, Mal started barking and pulling me toward the water.”