Chocolate Cake with a Side of Murder

by Meredith Potts

  Chocolate Cake with a Side of Murder

  Meredith Potts

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Those were the words that Kelly O’Reilly had waited her entire life to hear. Finally, on a cloudless Saturday afternoon in late June, her dream became a reality.

  Timothy Hogan leaned in and gave Kelly a kiss.

  As I stood off to the side and watched my friend embracing her husband, she looked happier than I had ever seen her before. And why wouldn’t she? She was wearing the dress that she wanted. She was marrying the man of her dreams. And the weather couldn’t have been better. She couldn’t have asked for more.

  A few hours later, when the reception was in full swing, I approached Kelly and gave her a big hug.

  “Congratulations,” I said.

  “Thank you so much,” Kelly said.

  My curvy, blue-eyed, angular-faced friend looked beautiful in her white, satin, V-neck, ankle-length dress. As show-stopping as her gown was, the radiant smile that was on her face stood out to me even more.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this,” I said.

  “That’s because I’ve never felt this way. It’s like I’m walking on air,” Kelly said.

  Timothy chimed in. “That should make for an interesting dance,” he joked.

  Kelly chuckled. “It sure will. I wonder how long this feeling will last.”

  “As long as possible, I’m hoping,” Timothy said.

  “I second that,” Kelly said.

  “I have a hunch that you two will be walking on air for a while. I mean, you haven’t even gone on your honeymoon yet,” I said.

  Kelly’s eyes lit up. “And what a great honeymoon it’s going to be. How can you top Sedona? Between the red rocks and the crystal shops and the cosmic wonder, it will be a magical time.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on,” Timothy said.

  “Besides, Sedona is a vortex,” Kelly said.

  My forehead wrinkled. “What’s a vortex again?”

  “A place with an abundance of positive energy,” Kelly said. “There aren’t a whole lot of those in the world.”

  My muscular, handsome, thirty-two-year-old fiancé, David Carlson, approached with a glass of wine in his hand. “I’m guessing that Treasure Cove isn’t one.”

  Kelly grimaced. “I’m afraid not.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” David asked.

  “Hey, we’re in the middle of a nice streak of crime-free months here. Try not to jinx it,” I said.

  “You’re right. There hasn’t been a murder in town in a while and that’s fine by me,” David said.

  “Even so, we’re far from being a vortex,” Kelly said.

  “Hey, you have to start somewhere,” David said.

  I focused on Kelly. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you bring back some of that Sedona magic with you?”

  Kelly nodded. “I will. If we come back, that is.”

  I scrunched my nose. “Wait. Why wouldn’t you return?”

  “We might like Sedona so much that we never want to leave,” Kelly said.

  I glanced at Timothy. “I’m counting on you to keep your wife from getting sucked into that vortex, you hear? I can’t have my dear friend moving off to another state.”

  “You’ll have to take that up with Kelly. I just want her to be happy,” Timothy said.

  Kelly gave him a big smile. “That’s why I love you. You’re so sweet.”

  “You two are going to have a great marriage,” I said.

  “I sure hope so,” Kelly said.

  “I know so,” I said.

  “How can you be so sure?” Kelly asked.

  “Because your husband knows the golden rule of marriage—happy wife, happy life,” I said.

  “That’s a good rule. I like it,” Kelly said.

  “I knew you’d enjoy that one,” I said.

  Timothy looked at David. “I know you two aren’t married yet, but do you want to write that down?”

  “I don’t have to be married to be fully aware of that rule,” David said.

  I turned to David. “Luckily, you’re not the rule-breaking type.”

  “I’d love to shake the hand of whoever came up with that rule,” Kelly said. “They were a genius.”

  “I’m pretty sure they were a woman,” David joked.

  “I’m not even a detective and I figured that one out,” Timothy cracked.

  A round of laughter broke out.

  Timothy looked deep into Kelly’s eyes. “Speaking of, what would make you happy?”

  Kelly’s eyes lit up. “Cake.”

  Chapter Two

  One bite of Kelly’s wedding cake and I was as happy as could be. It was a chocolate cake with vanilla icing. Talk about the best of both worlds. The slice was so flavorful that I couldn’t tell which part I liked the most—the cake itself or the icing. Luckily, I didn’t have to choose between the two. I could savor the entire thing.

  My own wedding was still a number of months away, but the taste of this dessert helped me make a key decision. I didn’t have to bother looking at any other bakeries. I wanted this same type of cake at my wedding.

  I went over to Kelly and raved to her about how delicious the dessert was. Kelly agreed, then revealed a surprising detail to me. Apparently, it was her wedding planner, Valerie Olson, who had brought the bakery that was responsible for this cake, to Kelly’s attention. Between that stellar recommendation and the lovely décor that was at the reception, I was completely sold on Valerie’s event-planning abilities.

  I knew that I couldn’t let the rest of the evening go by without having a conversation with Valerie. I just had to let her know how I felt.

  Valerie was a tall, athletic, forty-two-year-old with crystal-blue eyes and black, shoulder-length hair. Oddly enough, when she saw me approaching her, she looked apprehensive. I wasn’t quite sure why. Did she think I wanted to lodge some sort of complaint?

  I gave her a big smile. “I just want to tell you what an impressive job you have done.”

  Valerie let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

  “No. Thank you,” I said. “You’ve made this an amazing night for my friend.”

  “I’m pretty sure her groom was the one who made it a wonderful evening.”

  “True. But you know what I mean. It turns out you’re really good at this whole event-planning thing.”

  “I’m so happy to hear that you feel that way. Planning this reception took a lot of work.”

  “Oh, I know. Kelly has been telling me all about it over the last few months.”

  “I’ll bet. I think it was a shock to her how much work planning a wedding really is.”

  “Probably. But you pulled it off. Without a hitch, I’ll add.”

  �
�No one is more relieved about that than I am.”

  “You shouldn’t just be relieved. You should be incredibly proud. This is an incredible reception.”

  Valerie smiled. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that.”

  “I’ll bet. Especially since you looked pretty apprehensive when you saw me walking over to you.”

  “You noticed that, huh?”

  I nodded. “Did you think I was coming over here to complain about something?”

  “I’m sorry if I gave off that vibe,” she said. “It’s just that, in my profession, you learn to hope for the best, but to prepare for the worst.”

  “As someone who works in customer service, I can say that I know exactly what you mean.”

  Valerie chuckled. “I’m sure you do.”

  “After a while, you learn to handle everything with poise.”

  “You try your best, at least.”

  “That’s exactly the quality I’m looking for in a wedding planner,” I said.

  Valerie’s eyebrows arched. “Wait. Are you getting married soon?”

  I held up my hand, displaying the diamond ring that was on my finger. “I sure am.”

  “Wow. I guess bridal fever really is sweeping though Treasure Cove.”

  “That’s better than some of the other things that have swept through town in the last few years.”

  I didn’t need to go over Treasure Cove’s sordid history. To me, it was more important to appreciate this sudden wave of happy developments that seemed to be making the rounds.

  “So true,” Valerie said. “This town has been desperate for some good news.”

  “I don’t want to jinx things, but I kind of feel like this town is turning over a whole new leaf.”

  “I hope you’re right. But more importantly, congratulations on your engagement,” Valerie said.

  I smiled as I gazed at my ring again. “Thank you. It was a long time coming, but it was definitely worth the wait.”

  “Since you brought up the subject, I can’t help but ask, have you hired a planner for your wedding yet?”

  “That’s actually why I came over here. After seeing what you’ve done with Kelly’s reception, I want to hire you to plan mine as well.”

  “I’d love to.”

  I smiled. “Great.”

  “Why don’t you swing by my office tomorrow afternoon and we can discuss what you’re looking for in a reception?”

  “Fantastic! That sounds great,” I said. “In the meantime, I have a party to get back to.”

  “Enjoy yourself,” she said.

  “Oh, I will,” I replied.

  Chapter Three

  David and I danced the night away and enjoyed every minute of it. Not surprisingly, when I got home, I slept like a rock. Before I knew it, the morning sun was streaking in through my window. I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed to feed my pet corgi, Snickerdoodle. After taking him out for a short walk, it was clear that my sluggishness wasn’t going to go away on its own. I needed some caffeine. Thankfully, I knew just where to get it.

  When I arrived at my family’s coffee shop a few minutes later, I could tell that my good friend, Shannon Smith, felt just like I did. The petite thirty-one-year-old redhead stood at the front counter drinking a latte, completely oblivious to me approaching her.

  I said a quick hello to her, made a double espresso for myself, then sat down at a table with Shannon and regaled about Kelly’s wedding. Between the wonderful ceremony and the beautiful reception, there was plenty to talk about. Not to mention, an abundance of joy to go around. Inevitably, after a few minutes, the topic of the mouthwatering food that was served at the reception was brought up.

  “That cake sure was something, wasn’t it?” Shannon said.

  “You know better than to get me started on cake at this hour of the morning,” I said.

  “I can’t help it. I just found out something that will blow your mind.”

  “Shannon, this is Treasure Cove, a town where things like murders and secret societies are disturbingly commonplace. Are you sure you don’t want to revise your statement a little?”

  She shook her head. “Nope.”

  “All right. You have my attention. What is this mind-blowing news?”

  “You owe Jake Williamson a thank you.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “Get out of here.”

  Shannon stared me down. “I’m serious.”

  I scoffed. “No. Don’t be ridiculous. What reason would I ever have to thank Jake?”

  “Because without the new business development fund that Jake set up, Mitchell’s Bakery wouldn’t have had the money to open in the first place,” Shannon said.

  “Which means that we would have been eating wedding cake from somewhere else last night.”

  “Exactly.”

  My nose scrunched. “Is that true?”

  Shannon nodded.

  I shook my head. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Maybe not, but it’s a fact nonetheless,” she said.

  I scratched my chin. “Perhaps I do owe Jake a thank you then.”

  “That’s not all, though.”

  My forehead wrinkled. “What are you talking about?”

  “In addition to amazing wedding cake, Mitchell’s Bakery also sells chocolate truffles too. And let me tell you, they are delicious.”

  My eyes lit up. “Are you serious?”

  Shannon smiled. “I knew that would get you excited.”

  “Who doesn’t get excited about delicious truffles?” I asked. “But wait a minute. How do you know the truffles there are so good?”

  “Because I tried them out this morning.”

  A quizzical expression came to my face. “You bought chocolates before you came here?”

  “You don’t have to give me that look. I know eating chocolate at eight o’clock in the morning is a dangerous precedent to set.”

  “It doesn’t bother me that you went over there so early in the morning. I’m just offended that you didn’t invite me to come with you.”

  “I have a very good reason for that. I know you have high standards when it comes to chocolate and I wanted to try out the truffles at Mitchell’s first before recommending them to you.”

  “How good are they?” I asked.

  “As tasty as the ones they used to sell at Stewart’s.”

  My eyes widened. “That’s a bold statement.”

  Shannon nodded. “I know. But it’s also a hundred percent accurate.”

  My mouth watered. “In that case, I need to pay Mitchell’s a visit—as soon as possible.”

  “I’d go with you, but there are only so many pounds that I am willing to gain in a single day.”

  “Normally, I’d agree with you. But I make a special exception for chocolate.”

  “I think I’ve made enough exceptions for one morning.”

  “How many truffles did you eat exactly?”

  “Two at the shop,” she said.

  “That’s not bad,” I said.

  Shannon blushed. “Then two more in the car that I had intended to give to you.”

  I chuckled.

  “It’s not funny,” Shannon said. “It’s sad what little willpower I have some days.”

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “It’s not just you. Women are powerless when it comes to chocolate.”

  “It’s just that, with my wedding coming up, and seeing how amazing Kelly’s reception was, I feel all this pressure to give my guests a night they won’t forget.”

  “I’m sure your wedding will be incredible as well.”

  “Sabrina, you can stop right there. I know what you’re going to say. That my guests are coming to see me get married, not because of what theme I choose for my reception. That they will have a good time no matter what. And that everything is going to be fine.”

  “I was actually going to say that Valerie seems incapable of planning a bad wedding. But those other things you said are also true.”

&nbs
p; “You’re right about one thing. Valerie sure did a great job with Kelly’s reception.”

  I nodded. “So much so that I’m hiring her to plan my wedding. I’m actually going to meet with her later today. But first, I need to get a taste of these chocolate truffles you’ve been raving about.”

  Shannon smiled. “There’s the Sabrina I know. Sweet tooth first, everything else second.”

  “Well, this is chocolate we’re talking about.”

  Shannon held her pointer finger up. “Delicious chocolate.”

  “This is why we’re such good friends. We both appreciate the important things in life.”

  “Like not settling for subpar truffles?”

  “Exactly.” I said. “Now, I have a date with deliciousness.”

  Or, so I thought. As I got up to leave, a slim, red-haired, thirty-five-year old woman entered Daley Buzz and walked straight over to me.

  Chapter Four

  The red-haired woman outstretched her hand.

  “Sabrina Daley,” she said.

  Clearly, she knew who I was. I was foggier about her identity. Although, as I stared at her, there was a vague familiarity to her. I just couldn’t place where I knew her from.

  “Who are you?” I replied.

  “My name is April Dalton. I’m a reporter—”

  My eyes lit up. “That’s right. You write those investigative pieces for the paper.”

  “You’ve read my work then?”

  I nodded. “I have. It’s good stuff.”

  “I’m glad to hear that you like it.”

  “Why did you come over here to talk to me?”

  “I was wondering if I could have a few words with you.”

  I scrunched my nose. “About what?”

  “I’m writing a story about you,” she said.

  I pointed at myself. “Me?”

  She nodded.

  I stared blankly at her. “Why me?”

  “You’ve done some impressive work.”

  “Actually, this is my grandmother’s coffee shop.”

  “I was talking about the sleuthing you’ve been doing over the last few years.”

  I tensed up. There were some people who loved the spotlight. I was not one of them. Especially when it came to the various murder cases that I had helped solve around town.