Chocolate Fudge Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 20 (A Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries)

by Summer Prescott

  “Oh, this is the best Thanksgiving ever,” she cried, wiping her tears and beaming at the little family.

  “It seems that your husband and best friend are pretty darn good at pulling off a surprise,” Ben grinned mischievously.

  “I knew it!” Missy exclaimed. “You two have been acting funny for weeks and now I know why,” she accused lovingly, hugging them both. “Thank you,” she said, her eyes filling with tears once more. “I can’t think of a better surprise.”

  Cammie pulled on Missy’s pant leg, and her “adopted” grandmother picked her up, hugging her tight.

  “Yes, precious? What do you need?” she cooed at the lovely child.

  “Hungwy,” the girl said, reaching up and gently touching Missy’s blonde curls. Everyone in the room chuckled.

  “Well then, let’s get you some food,” Missy kissed her chubby cheek and carried her to the table.

  Warmth and laughter filled the dining room as plates were filled and emptied and filled again. Echo’s vegan feast went over equally as well as the omnivorous one, and a good time was had by all. Missy was halfway through her first helping of turkey with gravy, oyster stuffing, buttered new potatoes, and sweet, creamy yams, when the doorbell rang again. She immediately looked at Chas, who shrugged innocently.

  “I’ll get it,” Sarah, Echo’s pale, dark-haired roommate offered, seeing that everyone was busily eating and talking.

  “Thank you, sweetie,” Missy smiled. “I can’t imagine who would be dropping by on Thanksgiving day,” she mused, again receiving innocent looks from everyone, with the exception of Ben and Cheryl, who were preoccupied with emptying their plates in short order.

  Sarah opened the front door to the Inn, hearing the lively conversation coming from the dining room, and looked curiously at the pale, dark-haired young man with tattoos and piercings who stood on the porch.

  “Hello,” she said. “Can I help you?”

  Missy looked up when she heard footsteps coming back into the dining room and gasped, dissolving into tears once again. “Grayson!” she exclaimed, leaping from her chair, as did Ben, Cheryl, Missy, Echo and Chas. Grayson was the sweet young man to whom she’d given her cupcake shop in LaChance, Louisiana when she and Chas moved to Florida. Like Ben and Cheryl, he was an employee who had become family, and Missy’s heart melted at the sight of the shy young man. Hugs were exchanged all around, and Spencer brought another chair to the table, while Sarah grabbed an additional place setting.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Grayson said, sitting down between Ben and Spencer. “I missed my first flight, so I came here directly from the airport.”

  “We thought that you weren’t going to be able to make it,” Cheryl commented, clearly excited to see her “brother.”

  “The more I thought about it, the more I realized that everything that would’ve prevented me from being here could be put on hold. This is what life is all about,” the youth said quietly, looking at the sweet familiar faces and then down at his plate when the emotion became too much for the shy guy to handle.

  “Absolutely,” Missy agreed, completely unashamed of the tears running down her cheeks. She reached across the table and squeezed Grayson’s hand. “This holiday is more than I could’ve ever hoped for,” she said, and the room spontaneously erupted in applause.

  Chapter 4

  Missy was more than grateful to have Grayson’s artistic input on Dolly’s birthday cake. He’d been her specialty cupcake designer back in Louisiana, as well as an incredibly talented art student, and she knew that with his help, Dolly’s cake would be spectacular.

  “Edible pearls,” he said, looking at his concept drawing.

  “Yes!” Missy agreed wholeheartedly. “But I don’t have any. We’d have to go out and get some and I really don’t want to brave the after-Thanksgiving crowds,” she grimaced.

  “I could take Grayson to go get them,” Sarah offered quietly, blushing when everyone in the kitchen turned to look at her. “They should have them at the hobby store.”

  “Great,” the young artist nodded. “There are probably some other things at the hobby store that we can use too.”

  “We can catch the bus and be back in no time. There’s one that leaves in ten minutes,” she smiled, while Missy and Echo exchanged a knowing glance.

  The two pale-skinned, dark-haired youths headed for the door, with Grayson clutching his drawing.

  “Well, if they aren’t just two peas in a pod,” Echo remarked, grinning slyly.

  “Seems like quite a match, doesn’t it?” Missy agreed.

  “I like the two of them together,” her friend nodded. “So what’s on the agenda after the birthday party?”

  “Well, the Liebermans are staying for a few more days, but I want to get the holiday decorating done…”

  “Which means we have to put up with Carla again?” Echo interrupted.

  “You two didn’t have any issues yesterday,” Missy reminded her.

  “That’s because we stayed away from each other,” she pouted.

  “Well then, I’ll have you work on decorating in different rooms. Have a little compassion, sweetie. It’s supposed to be the season of good cheer.”

  Echo’s reply was stifled by the bells over the front door jangling, announcing a new arrival at the cupcake shop. Missy went out front to greet the newcomer, and was delighted to see Dolly tottering in with her cane.

  “Good morning!” she greeted the graceful elderly woman, glad that Grayson had taken the drawing of her cake with him to the hobby store. “What can I do for you?”

  “Well, dear,” Dolly began in her soft, sweet voice. “It’s a holiday tradition at our house that I make my famous homemade fudge for the family and anyone who’s visiting, so I was hoping that it might not be too much trouble if I whipped up a batch,” she explained with a smile.

  “Of course not, I think that’s a lovely idea,” Missy assured her. “You can use the kitchen over at the Inn. Just make a list of ingredients that you need, and I’ll send Spencer to the market with it.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” Dolly nodded. “I think the kids look forward to it every year, and it makes me feel useful.”

  “Well, I can’t wait to taste it,” was the honest reply. Missy noticed a necklace that Dolly was wearing and looked closely at it. “What a lovely necklace,” she said, peering at the intricately designed silver sphere that was about ¾ of an inch in diameter.

  “It has a secret,” the old woman lifted a shaky hand to the pendant and it seemed to magically open into two halves that each contained a tiny photo. “The handsome man on the left was my Lenny,” she smiled sadly, referring to her beloved husband. “And that’s the two of us on our 50th anniversary,” she said, showing the picture of a happy couple on the right half.

  “Oh my, that’s just precious,” Missy said softly, her heart going out to the woman.

  Dolly nodded and gently snapped the unique locket closed. “Hold on to that dear man of yours with all of your might,” she advised quietly. “Cherish every moment, because someday those moments will come to an end,” she said, her voice breaking a bit. Missy gazed at her with compassion and nodded.

  “Well, I’ll get that list ready for your young man,” the elegant widow said, forcibly shaking off the nostalgia. “You’re welcome to join me in making the fudge if you’d like, but I’ll have to swear you to secrecy,” her merry blue eyes sparkled, despite the unshed tears.

  “I’d love that,” Missy agreed. She could keep Dolly busy making fudge while Echo, Grayson and Sarah worked on the birthday cake.

  **

  Shortly after Dolly left the cupcake shop, her son Sam stopped in to check on the plans and progress for the party. Missy went over all of the details with him and reassured him that Dolly’s birthday would be the best ever.

  “I’m sorry that my brother has been a bit of a pain,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Paul? What do you mean? He hasn’t been any trouble at all,” Missy
replied.

  “Oh, but he has. I would’ve thought that you heard. As if you haven’t bent over backwards enough to accommodate him, apparently he gave your caterer quite a dressing down for not supplying enough dishes at brunch that suited his peculiar eating habits.” Missy winced, knowing full well that Echo had probably heard the comment, and hoping that her friend would choose to remain silent.

  “He also left the Inn after dinner last night with that vile decorator and got so sloppy drunk that Spencer had to go pick him up, and upon returning home had to power-wash the inside of the shuttle.” Echo still remained silent at this news but smugly raised her eyebrows in a very “I told you so” expression.

  The disgusted brother continued. “I went to check on the pitiful sap this morning, and the noises coming from his room were such that I warned the housekeeper not to even attempt to go in anytime soon,” Sam shook his head in disgust.

  “So, I’d like to apologize on his behalf. It seems to have become a rather nasty habit that I’ve been forced to adopt since we were quite young. He’s always been awkward and odd.”

  “No worries,” Missy smiled. “We’re here to make certain that everyone is comfortable…even the awkward ones,” she assured him.

  “Yes, well…you have more patience than I in that regard,” he gave her a tight smile. “I’ll happily pay for the additional cleaning that his room may need. Just add it to my bill,” he instructed, heading for the door.

  “Wow. Sibling rivalry much?” Echo remarked when Sam had gone.

  “Apparently,” Missy nodded.

  Chapter 5

  Missy spent the afternoon in the kitchen at the Inn, helping Dolly Lieberman make her delicious holiday fudge, while Grayson crafted a birthday cake that was a work of art over at the cupcake shop. She chatted with the delightful elderly woman, entertained by tales of life and love in a different era. The stories that Dolly told were like hearing history from the perspective of someone who had lived it, and Missy was fascinated. When they finally finished up the last tray of fudge, she assisted the frail woman in climbing the stairs to her room. She was under the impression that her family was taking her out to a fancy dinner for her birthday, which was true, but she had no idea of the surprise party that was planned upon her return.

  “Perhaps we can have some of the fudge for dessert, when I get back from dinner,” Dolly suggested.

  “I think that’s a lovely idea,” Missy agreed, biting her tongue and trying not to say anything that would spoil the surprise. “I’ll set it out in the parlor so that everyone can have a taste when you get back,” she promised.

  Family and friends had been instructed to park behind Cupcakes in Paradise when they arrived, so that Dolly wouldn’t see a bunch of cars at the Inn and get suspicious. The large doors to the ballroom would be closed, so that when they were opened by Sam, bringing Dolly in, the entire party could jump out and say surprise. When the family left for dinner, Missy and crew scurried into action.

  Grayson and Spencer carefully transported the cake from the shop to the Inn and set it up on a central table in the ballroom. The cake was vanilla bean, with pink buttercream frosting, and a pureed strawberry filling. The main cake in the middle was made much like a wedding cake, with flowers and pearls cascading down it. Bridges of pearls led to a circle of six more cakes that surrounded the main cake in a ring. There were pearl white candles on every tier, and the table surrounding the cake was covered with white rose petals, making a stunning presentation on the pink linen table cloth.

  Dolly’s favorite color was pink, and Missy, with Carla’s help, had introduced the decidedly feminine color onto every surface. The chandelier lights were dimmed and guests began arriving via the back patio entrance. The gift table was soon overflowing, and Missy’s phone was in her hand, waiting for Spencer, who had driven the family to the restaurant for dinner on the shuttle, to notify her that they were leaving the restaurant.

  When Missy received the text from Spencer, she tapped on a crystal goblet with a fork to get everyone’s attention, and the chatter was so lively that no one heard her, so Echo took matters into her own hands, made an O with her thumb and middle finger, stuck it in her mouth and let out an ear-shattering whistle.

  “Now that I have your attention,” Missy chuckled, as did nearly everyone else in the room. “Dolly and family are on their way, which means that all conversation needs to end by ten minutes ‘til, so that we can surprise the birthday girl.

  Miraculously, when the time came, all the guests were silent as mice. They could actually hear the footsteps of the Lieberman family as they approached the ballroom, and when Sam slid back the heavy double doors, Spencer flipped on the lights and everyone said “Surprise!” causing the birthday girl to beam with joy.

  “Oh my!” Dolly exclaimed, her hands going to her cheeks in delight. “Look at you all. I had no idea,” she shook her head, reaching for her sons hands. “Thank you so much,” she said, her eyes moist as she kissed first Paul, then Sam, hugging Sasha, and her grandchildren, as the well-wishers descended upon her en masse.

  Spencer and Sarah had cut and plated Dolly’s famous fudge, fashioning elaborate towers out of the truly rich and delicious candy. Toffee, Missy’s sweet and gentle Golden Retriever, and Bitsy, her cute and spunky little Malti-Poo somehow slipped into the party, and when Missy tried to shoo them away, Dolly insisted not only that they stay, but that they be given their own little plates of goodies to enjoy.

  “I’m an animal lover from way back, honey,” she told Missy. “Sometimes I like animals more than I like certain people, so the doggies stay at my party,” the white-haired grandmother insisted.

  Samuel commandeered the microphone during the string trio’s break and held up his champagne glass, tapping it as Missy had done earlier, but with better results.

  “Attention everyone…may I have your attention,” he called into the microphone. “I’d like to propose a toast…”

  “Samuel, you should let your older brother do it,” Dolly smiled at her youngest from her spot in front of the slightly raised stage.

  Sam stared at his mother for a moment before recovering his poise. “Of course,” he agreed smoothly, smiling at his mother. “Where is Paul?” he asked, looking around. Friends and relatives glanced about and there was a bit of an awkward silence as the realization that the reclusive book store owner had apparently left his mother’s party prior to making the toast, or even having a piece of the lovely cake.

  “Well…” Sam decided to take matters into his own hands, before things got even more awkward. “Mother, I’ll propose a toast now, and we’ll all refill our glasses. Then, when Paul returns, we can toast yet again.” Dolly nodded happily, and shakily raised her glass as Sam made an eloquent and heartfelt toast to his beloved mother.

  Paul never did return to the party, but a good time was had by all, and the guest of honor stayed up well past her typical nine o’clock bedtime, heading to her room around eleven. The rest of the group stayed well past two a.m. before finally heading out, with Spencer providing shuttle service to get folks safely back to their hotels, hostels and rental cottages.

  “Well, that was certainly a success,” Missy said, dropping into bed, exhausted.

  “Your events always are, my lovely wife,” Chas replied, already under the covers.

  “I felt bad for Dolly because Paul left the party so early,” she sighed.

  “Well, she knows her son and his social anxieties. She’s probably just thankful that he came at all,” the detective pointed out reasonably.

  “Hopefully. Did you taste her fudge? It was amazing. And since I helped her to make it, I picked up on the special little things that she does in order to make it so rich and fluffy. I may alter the recipe a little bit and fill cupcakes with it,” she mused.

  “Sweetie,” Chas said, eyes closed.

  “Hmm…?”

  “We need to sleep. It’s been a long day,” he reminded her gently.

  “What a wo
nderful weekend,” she murmured, snuggling up to her husband and falling deeply and sweetly asleep.

  Chapter 6

  The mood at breakfast in the Inn seemed rather subdued among the Lieberman family. Ben, Cheryl, Grayson, Spencer and Sarah kept lively chatter going, while the rest of the group seemed a bit pale and tired. Missy attributed the unusually quiet behavior to the fact that everyone had a late night, but soon found out that there was more to the story.

  “Mrs. Beckett, might I have a word with you privately?” Samuel asked, with his wife Sasha in tow, when Missy headed to the kitchen for more orange juice.

  “Certainly,” she agreed, indicating that they should follow her into the kitchen. “Is something wrong?” she asked, when they were out of earshot of the rest of the party.

  “Well, I hope not, but I am concerned,” Sam said earnestly. “My brother Paul has not come out of his room since we saw him at the party last night, and when I knocked on the door several times, there was no response,” he confided, as Sasha nodded, wide-eyed.

  “Hmm…well, I hate to say it, but he could just be really hungover and doesn’t want to even get out of bed,” Missy proposed with a shrug. “Or…he could have gone for an early walk on the beach. Our guests often do.”

  Samuel shook his head. “Trust me, my reclusive brother would never do such a thing. He’s not exactly an “outdoorsy” type,” he made a face.

  “Well then, let’s proceed as though he has a hangover. Go knock on the door periodically, and if he hasn’t come out by the time we’re done with lunch, I’ll get Spencer to use the master key to go in and check on him. How does that sound?”

  “Quite reasonable,” he replied and his wife nodded. “Thank you for your understanding…and your discretion,” Sam smiled politely.

  “My pleasure. Never hesitate to let me know if you need anything, or if we can be of service,” Missy said, patting Sasha on the arm.

  She refilled the pitcher of orange juice and headed back to the dining room, and was astounded to see that Dolly had Bitsy in her lap at the table, with Toffee at her feet.