Deep Fried Homicide (The Donut Shop Mysteries)

by Jessica Beck

  The First Time Ever Published!

  The 13th Donut Mystery

  From New York Times Bestselling Author

  Jessica Beck

  DEEP FRIED HOMICIDE

  Other Books by Jessica Beck

  The Donut Shop Mysteries

  Glazed Murder

  Fatally Frosted

  Sinister Sprinkles

  Evil Éclairs

  Tragic Toppings

  Killer Crullers

  Drop Dead Chocolate

  Powdered Peril

  Illegally Iced

  Deadly Donuts

  Assault and Batter

  Sweet Suspects

  Deep Fried Homicide

  The Classic Diner Mysteries

  A Chili Death

  A Deadly Beef

  A Killer Cake

  A Baked Ham

  A Bad Egg

  A Real Pickle

  A Burned Out Baker

  The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries

  Ghost Cat: Midnight Paws

  Ghost Cat 2: Bid for Midnight

  Jessica Beck is the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Donut Shop Mysteries,

  The Classic Diner Mystery Series, and The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries.

  To my spouse, for making it all possible in the first place!

  DEEP FRIED HOMICIDE by Jessica Beck; Copyright © 2014

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Recipes included in this book are to be recreated at the reader’s own risk. The author is not responsible for any damage, medical or otherwise, created as a result of reproducing these recipes. It is the responsibility of the reader to ensure that none of the ingredients are detrimental to their health, and the author will not be held liable in any way for any problems that might arise from following the included recipes.

  Chapter 1

  I was two rooms away getting a beer when I heard the apartment door break open.

  Someone, most likely a cop, yelled, “Freeze,” and the next thing I knew, two guns went off at the same time. I was Morton’s partner in crime; we’d killed together, making us a weird kind of blood brothers, but I wasn’t about to hang around to see who was alive, and who was dead. Where there was one cop, more would surely follow.

  Revenge would have to wait until later.

  At the moment, I just had to get out of there as fast as I could before a shot headed my way.

  Chapter 2

  My day began like most others at Donut Hearts. Honestly, after awhile, they tended to blur together. I woke up before anyone in her right mind would ever consider crawling out of bed, and I would soon begin making donuts with my assistant, Emma Blake, in the predawn hours of our sleepy little town of April Springs. Once that was accomplished, Emma and I would open the shop to let our customers in. After that, it was a matter of serving our small but loyal fan base until we finally locked our doors an hour before noon, unless it was one of those rare days where we sold out early. I tried to make sure that didn’t happen, but it was a delicate dance between making enough donuts for the day without having to get rid of too many after we were closed. By the time my day at Donut Hearts was over, I was usually worn out and ready to go home, take a shower, and grab a quick nap. Today wasn’t all that different, at least not so far, but I was due to have dinner with my best friend, Grace Gauge, later that night, and that made it special.

  We never made it to the meal, though.

  A possibility that I’d been dreading for years managed to kill that plan completely.

  I just didn’t know it yet.

  When the dark stranger dressed in a severe suit came into my shop just before closing, I thought at first that it might be someone trying to get a last-minute donut before we locked our doors for the day.

  How I wish that was all that it had been.

  “Are you Suzanne Hart?” the man asked me in a stern voice.

  “I am indeed,” I said. “And if you’re looking for donuts, I can make you a pretty sweet deal on what I have left.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not what this is about,” he said. There was a moment’s hesitation, and then he added, “I’m here about Jake Bishop,” as he took out a badge that looked all too familiar to me. I’d seen Jake’s enough; that was for sure.

  “Is he okay?” I asked as my hand reached for the counter to steady myself. It was the worst nightmare for anyone close to a law enforcement officer, whether the visit came at noon or midnight.

  “I’m sorry, but there’s been an incident,” the man said.

  “An incident? What happened?” I tried to breathe, but my lungs didn’t seem to work. “Is he… dead?”

  “No, but he’s been wounded in the line of duty. I’ve been told that Officer Bishop is going to be okay, but he wanted you to know what happened before he’d let the doctors in the emergency room work on him.”

  “I need to be with him,” I said as I grabbed my bag and my jacket. “Is he still in Hickory?”

  “He is, but there’s no rush. I’ve been told that no one will be able to see him for at least an hour.”

  “Where exactly was he shot?” I asked as I tried to wrap my head around the news.

  “In an apartment just outside of Hickory’s city limits,” the officer explained.

  “I don’t care about the location!” I snapped. “Where on his body was he injured?”

  The man nodded in understanding. “Officer Bishop took one round to the upper right arm just as he was returning fire. From what I understand, they were going to clean the wound and stitch him up as soon as I contacted you. According to what I was told, the bullet didn’t do any major damage, so he should be back up on his feet in no time.”

  “How about the person who shot him?” I asked. Jake had been fairly close by lately, tracking down a madman who was killing circuit court judges. It was a high priority case, and he’d been working with all sorts of other law enforcement agencies trying to catch the madman.

  “The suspect was killed instantly,” the state policeman said.

  Was it odd that I didn’t shed a single tear for the man who’d shot my boyfriend, the one true love of my life? His fate didn’t even really matter to me at the moment. “Emma,” I yelled to my assistant in back. “You’re in charge, and I mean right now! I’ve got to go.”

  “What’s going on?” my assistant asked as she came out from the kitchen, her hands still covered in sudsy soap. Emma might be young, but she was dependable, and I knew that I could trust her to run Donut Hearts in my absence.

  “Somebody shot Jake. It looks as though he’s going to be okay, but I’m going to Hickory to be with him.”

  A look of grave concern swept over her face. “Go, and don’t worry about the shop.”

  “To be honest with you, I don’t care if it burns to the ground right now.” It surprised me that I meant it, too. The state policeman was standing between me and the donut shop’s front door, something that happened to be a big mistake at the moment. “Either get out of the way or prepare to be run over,” I said.

  “I’m supposed to drive you,” he said, clearly a little unsettled by my aggression.

  “Then let’s go,” I said. “I need to be with Jake.”

>   Chapter 3

  As soon as we got into his unmarked squad car, I was glad that the state policeman was driving, because I was a nervous wreck, despite his assurance that Jake was going to be okay. As he started to drive, it began to lightly rain, and the sky darkened with intensity.

  The weather matched my mood perfectly.

  I suddenly realized that I didn’t even know the man’s name. “I know that I should have asked you earlier, but what’s your name?”

  “I’m Officer Hanlan,” he said.

  “Do you have a first name, Officer Hanlan?”

  He smiled slightly for the first time since I’d met him. “It’s Terry.”

  “Hi, Terry, it’s nice to meet you,” I said automatically. In all honesty, I wished that I’d never met him, at least not under the current circumstances.

  “It’s good to meet you, too,” he said. “I’m truly sorry about Jake.”

  “Do you know him well?” I asked as I looked out the window as the clouds began to darken even more. It appeared that we were in for a storm.

  He turned his wipers on as he said, “As a matter of fact, we went to the academy together. Miss Hart, try not to worry about him too much. Jake’s one of the toughest officers I’ve ever known.”

  “I don’t have any trouble believing that, but he’s still lousy at stopping bullets.”

  That shut Terry up, though I didn’t mean for it to do that. I thought about Grace just then. “I need to make a few telephone calls. Do you mind?”

  “Go right ahead,” he said.

  I almost dialed Grace’s number first, but I knew that there was someone else I had to talk to first.

  “Hello,” my mother said when she picked up.

  “Momma, somebody just shot Jake,” I said, the words coming out in a rush. Tears mixed in with my words. I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t help it. I’d held it together so far, but just hearing my mother’s voice was enough to send me spiraling out of control.

  “Take a breath, Suzanne,” Momma said calmly, “and tell me what happened.”

  “He was tracking down a killer in Hickory and he got shot,” I said.

  “How is he?” Momma asked in measured tones.

  “He’s in the emergency room at the moment, but they think he’s going to be okay.”

  After a slight pause, Momma said with a sigh of relief, “That’s wonderful news. Suzanne, stay right where you are, and I’ll come and get you. We’ll go together.”

  “I’m riding with a state policeman to Hickory even as we speak,” I said, dabbing at my nose a little. At least I’d been able to rein in the tears.

  “That’s good. I’ll meet you there. Which hospital is he in?”

  “Hang on a second. I’ll check.” I covered the phone and asked Terry, “Where is he?”

  “Catawba Memorial,” he said.

  “He’s at Catawba,” I said, relaying the information to Momma.

  “I’ll see you there, then,” she said.

  “Thanks, Momma,” I answered barely above a whisper.

  “It’s going to be all right. I love you, sweetie.”

  “I love you, too,” I said. I suddenly realized that I couldn’t stand another conversation, not even with my best friend. “Would you call Grace and explain what happened?”

  “Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and then I hung up.

  The tears suddenly came again as I ended the call, flowing so hard I could barely see.

  Terry reached out a hand and patted my shoulder. In a soothing voice, he said, “He’s going to be okay, Suzanne.”

  “I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said. I managed to corral my crying jag again, knowing that when I did finally get to see Jake, I didn’t want him to see me sobbing hysterically.

  The short drive to Hickory seemed to take a lifetime. When we finally got there, a uniformed local police officer met us at the emergency room after we made our way through a crowd of reporters mingling near the entrance. “Officer Hanlan?” he asked my escort.

  “That is correct,” Terry said.

  “The doctor’s right over there,” he said. “She’s been waiting for you.”

  “Good,” Terry replied as he led me to a youthful woman wearing scrubs. Wow, she was young. The doctor couldn’t have been out of her twenties, and her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail didn’t help matters. This was the woman who had Jake’s life in her hands?

  “Are you Suzanne Hart?” she asked me as soon as we approached her.

  “I am. How is he, Doctor?”

  “No worries. Officer Bishop is going to be just fine,” the young doctor said.

  “Are you sure?” I asked, not daring to let myself believe her. I suddenly realized how I must be coming across. “I didn’t mean that the way that it sounded.”

  “I understand completely,” she said with a smile. “For a gunshot wound, it wasn’t too bad, but he’s going to need some time to recover. He’ll need to stay here overnight, and then we’ll release him. After that, he’s going to need about a month to get the full use of his arm back. During that time, he’s going to have to wear his arm in a sling.”

  I’d forgotten that Terry was standing behind me. In a low voice, he said, “Jake’s going to just love that.”

  “I’ll make sure that he does everything that he needs to do,” I said, and then I turned back to the doctor. “When can I see him?”

  “I’ll take you to him right now,” she said as she put the tablet in her hands down onto the counter. “Be warned, though, he’s going to be a little woozy. We gave him something for the pain. I’ve got to say that the man really must love you, Miss Hart. He made me promise that I’d take care of you personally before he’d even let me touch his wound.”

  “That’s good to hear, but he can’t love me nearly as much as I love him,” I said.

  The doctor smiled at me, but it faded quickly as she noticed the throng of reporters moving toward us. “Get them out of here,” she told the officer on duty.

  Terry responded as well. “I’ll give him a hand.”

  “Why are there so many reporters and cameras here?” I asked. “Are you taking care of someone famous?”

  “Didn’t you know? They’re all here for your boyfriend,” the doctor said, clearly surprised by my question. “After all, he’s a hero.”

  “He’s always been special in my eyes, but honestly, I don’t care what they think he is. I’m just glad that he’s going to be okay.”

  “Let’s just ignore them then, shall we? Would you like to come with me?”

  That’s when I heard a commotion behind me near where the reporters were being herded away.

  My mother’s voice rang through the crowd loudly. “My daughter is standing right there, so you’re going to have to shoot me to stop me from joining her.”

  “It’s okay,” I told Terry, and he let her through.

  Momma hugged me, and then I told her the good news. “Jake is going to be okay. I hate to just ditch you like this, but I get to go see him right now.”

  “Then go,” Momma said with a smile. “I’ll be right here when you get back. And Suzanne?”

  “Yes, Momma?”

  “Give him my best,” she said.

  “Right after I’m done giving him mine,” I said with the first smile I’d had in what felt like months.

  “Hey, there,” Jake said groggily as he opened his eyes. He smiled slightly, and then he winced a little.

  “Are you okay?” I asked him.

  “Do you mean other than the fact that I’m feeling like I’ve been shot, drugged, and stitched up with a huge needle and thread? Honestly, I’m fine,” Jake said, doing his best to manage a grin.

  “I’m so glad that you’re okay,” I said as I started to hug him. He was hooked up to some monitors, which started beeping immediately.

  A nurse came over to check on him. “Is everything all right here?”

  �
�Trust me. If my heart doesn’t start pumping harder whenever I see her, you’d better get new machines, or pull the plug altogether,” Jake told her with a slight smile.

  She smiled in return as she patted his arm gently. “Just take it easy, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I promise.”

  Jake tried to rub his eyes, but he couldn’t quite manage it. “Suzanne, can I have a sip of water?”

  “Let me check,” I said, and I hurried to the nurse’s station. “He wants some water.”

  “Certainly,” she said as she filled a cup halfway and then handed it to me.

  “That will do,” I replied as I took it from her and then ferried it to him.

  After a few sips, Jake sighed. “Boy, is happiness ever relative. If you’d have told me yesterday that I’d be satisfied with that, I would have called you crazy.”

  “I’m so happy that you’re alive,” I said as I stroked his forehead lightly. “I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you. I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

  He smiled gently back at me, and I was glad that I wasn’t the one wearing the heart monitor. “With all my heart. I love you, too, and you were never in danger of losing me.”

  I looked at him incredulously. “You do remember that you were just shot, don’t you?”

  “I remember,” he said as he winced a little. “He got off a lucky shot at the same time I pulled the trigger myself, that’s all.” After a moment, Jake asked, “Do you know what happened to him?”

  “You got him,” I said. Surely he had to have remembered that. Most likely he was foggy from the meds he was on. “It’s okay, Jake.”

  “I didn’t have any choice,” he said softly, and then he frowned as his monitor started getting louder.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that you’ll have to go now,” the same nurse who’d given me water for Jake said.