Finger Foods and Missing Legs

by Amber Crewes

  “It’s nothing,” Meghan assured him as she looked between the glass cases. “I’m fine!”

  “You clearly are not fine,” Oliver declared. “What is the matter? Tell Oliver, Meghan. You can trust me!”

  Meghan felt Oliver’s eyes on her as her face grew pale. “I’m fine. Just fine! I just don’t love snakes. They scare me a bit, Oliver.”

  Oliver cocked his head to the side. “I’m here to protect you and I can assure you that these snakes are not poisonous. They are harmless,” he soothed, reaching for Meghan’s hand. She pulled her hand away, and he scowled at her.

  “Something is the matter,” Oliver stated. “I can see it from the look on your face, Meghan Truman.”

  “No!” Meghan protested. “The snakes are just making me nervous, Oliver. There’s nothing else.”

  “You know, don’t you?” Oliver whispered as Meghan’s eyes widened. “You know.”

  Meghan shook her head. “What are you talking about?”

  Oliver grabbed her by the wrists and held her tightly. “Every emotion you have is on your face, Mademoiselle Meghan,” he whispered. “You’re looking at me as though I were a killer.”

  Meghan held back the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Oliver. Let’s go back to the office and discuss business. Please?”

  Oliver glanced at the snakes slithering about in their glass displays. “Imagine being the oldest son in a powerful family,” he murmured as Meghan’s body grew cold. “Imagine being primed to take over a booming business, but having everything taken away from you….”

  Meghan closed her eyes. “Oliver, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied as she tried to break free of his strong grip on her wrists.

  “Imagine having more education, more brains, and more charm than your silly little sister,” he continued. “Imagine none of that mattering when you get into a little drink driving accident and have your life ruined!”

  Meghan shook as she opened her eyes and found Oliver glaring at her. “Go on, Meghan,” Oliver dared. “Ask me. Ask me what happened.”

  Meghan bit her lip, and Oliver pulled her toward one of the glass displays. A huge, thick green snake hissed at Meghan, and she shuddered as Oliver pushed her face against the glass. “Ask me, Meghan.”

  “What did you do, Oliver? What happened?”

  Oliver laughed menacingly. “When I was a teenager, I made a little mistake. I was drunk, there was an accident, and someone died. My father stripped me of my place as the heir to this company, and Monica was given my role.”

  Meghan slipped out of Oliver’s grip and ran toward the door. Oliver chased her, catching her by her long, dark ponytail and yanking her hair. “Get back here! You know too much, so you might as well know it all, Mademoiselle! My father took my future from me and gave the future to my sister. She became the face of the Baptiste empire. I couldn’t stand it anymore, Meghan. I couldn’t stand the mistakes Monica made, or her lack of ambition.”

  “You killed her, didn’t you?” she asked, reaching an arm back to loosen Oliver’s grip on her hair. “You murdered your sister.”

  Oliver chuckled. “I did,” he admitted, pulling Meghan closer to him. “And now, it appears that I will have to dispose of you as well, Meghan Truman. Such a pity too. You were such a pretty little thing…”

  Oliver threw Meghan onto the white tile floor. “I swear, this will be quick, Meghan! Snake bites don’t hurt too badly….”

  Meghan kicked and screamed as Oliver reached behind to retrieve a black velvet bag. She heard the sinister hiss of a snake, and Oliver grinned. “The snakes you see? They are harmless,” Oliver explained to Meghan as she shook in fear. “The only truly lethal one I have is in this bag. It’s a little one, you see; the snake in this bag is no larger than your pinkie finger, but its venom could stop the heart of an elephant within ten seconds!”

  Meghan inched away from Oliver as he dangled the black velvet bag above her face. “Oliver! Please! Please don’t bring out your snake!”

  Oliver nodded at the black velvet bag. “It’ll be quick, just like I told you, Meghan. It’ll feel like a little tickle.”

  Meghan screamed as Oliver grabbed her hand and tried to force it inside of the bag. She reared back her head and bashed it into Oliver’s. He cried out in pain, dropping the velvet bag, and Meghan began yelling. “Help! Help me!”

  Oliver moaned, falling to the side and giving Meghan the perfect opportunity to stand up. The deadly snake had crawled out of its place in the bag; it was a thin, red snake with purple spots, and it began moving toward Meghan.

  “Call off your deadly snake, Oliver!” Meghan pleaded as the little snake reached her. “Make it stop! Put it back in its bag!”

  The snake moved quickly around Meghan’s waist, lightly nipping at her skin and tightening itself on her chest. “Please, Oliver, don’t do this,” Meghan begged as she collapsed onto the floor. Oliver collected himself and ran to stand over Meghan’s body.

  “You’ve left me no choice, Meghan,” Oliver declared as the snake licked Meghan’s cheek. “I can’t let you just leave after you heard my dirty little secrets….”

  The snake began to bite at Meghan’s skin, and she began to see stars as she lay on the floor. Its small sleek body moved against her face, and Meghan felt her lungs constrict.

  “Stop right there!”

  Just as the snake reared back to bite Meghan on the nose, she heard Detective Giroud’s deep voice. “Oliver Baptiste! You have been caught, sir!

  12

  “WE HAD BEEN KEEPING OUR EYES on Oliver the entire time,” the detective explained to Meghan as he accompanied her ambulance to the hospital. “We knew that the husband did not kill her, and we knew we needed to have Oliver’s guard down.”

  Meghan sank back in the gurney, her body still shaking. Detective Giroud had easily apprehended Oliver, arriving at the Baptiste Building with nearly twenty-five officers. Oliver had not put up a fight, and Meghan was relieved that Detective Giroud had arrived just in time to save her life.

  “Oliver and Monica made such a good team,” the detective explained to Meghan. “She was the lovable face of the company and he was the brains behind all their products and services It’s all such a shame. He had a terrible incident in his youth and displayed poor judgement from time to time; everyone in Paris knew that, and he was never going to run the family business anyway. He was delusional. The car accident from his youth was the final straw for his parents, and they made Monica the heir apparent. The one who would control the family fortune.”

  Meghan sighed. “He was just terrifying, detective,” she whispered, placing a hand on her swollen, bruised neck. “The snake bit me! Will I be alright?”

  The detective nodded. “They administered an antidote immediately,” he assured Meghan. “You will make a full recovery, unlike poor Monica Baptise….”

  As the EMTs unloaded Meghan’s gurney at the hospital, a swarm of reports mobbed her.

  “Meghan Truman! Meghan Truman, what happened inside of the Baptise Building? What do you know about Oliver Baptiste? Meghan, is it true that Andrew Meekse had nothing to do with Monica’s death?”

  Meghan shrank back in the bed as a reporter shoved a microphone in her bruised face. “No comment,” she said weakly.

  Get out of here!” Detective Giroud shouted to the group of reporters. “Mademoiselle Truman, our American friend, has no comment!”

  One week later, after making a full recovery, Meghan found herself at the security station for the international terminal at Charles de Gaulle International Airport. She walked slowly; her body was still sore from being thrown to the ground by Oliver, and Meghan trembled at the memory of the little snake biting her.

  “Meghan Truman, it has been a pleasure meeting you,” Detective Giroud declared as he kissed her hand. Meghan giggled in spite of herself as his mustache tickled her hand. “I hope that your next adventure in Paris will be a little less e
ventful….”

  “Me too,” Molly declared as she flung her arms around Meghan. “Poor Meghan! She was chastised by Andrew Meekse, had to deal with Monica’s death, and was attacked by that terrible man, not to mention being danced with by James Dugarry.

  Meghan shook her head. “It’s just always an adventure with me, it seems…..”

  Molly smiled. “You are a treat, Meghan Truman! You are truly sweet. I’m happy we met on this crazy trip.”

  Detective Giroud nodded earnestly. “You are a lovely woman, Meghan. Please come back to Paris someday; I promise, it will be a quieter time, that’s for sure.”

  An hour later, Meghan nestled into her large, comfortable first-class seat. The detective had arranged for her flight to be upgraded, and Meghan propped her sore legs up on the stool in front of her, happy to have extra room on the long-haul flight.

  “This is the life,” Meghan sighed as she sipped a complimentary soda that the first-class flight attendant had presented her with. “I could get used to first-class. This is truly sweet.”

  As the engines of the plane began to rumble and the flight attendants made one final sweep of the airplane, Meghan stared out the window at the Parisian skyline. She squinted, just barely making out the top of the Eiffel Tower, and she sighed as she remembered arriving in the city only days before. Meghan was exhausted from her journey; she had seen a lot of amazing things, and met an abundance of amazing people, but after her experiences with Oliver Baptise, Meghan was ready to be home in Sandy Bay with the people she loved. She missed Fiesta and Siesta, her little twin dogs. She missed Trudy, her trusted assistant. She missed Karen Denton, her best friend in Sandy Bay.

  Most of all, she missed Jack, her reliable, sweet, thoughtful boyfriend. He had sent her three flower arrangements while she was in the hospital in Paris, and Meghan knew that he had spent a small fortune on all of the international phone calls he had made to her hospital room.

  “Traveling to Paris was amazing,” Meghan reflected as she recounted seeing the Eiffel Tower, attending Carla’s cruise event on the River Seine, and trying all sorts of new foods at the convention. “It was the experience of a lifetime, but….”

  Meghan pulled out her cell phone and began scrolling through her favorite pictures. She grinned at the picture of Fiesta and Siesta dressed up in matching sweaters, the sour looks on both of their faces absolutely hilarious. Meghan giggled as she ran across a picture of herself flexing her muscles with Karen after a long morning at the gym.

  Finally, she found her favorite picture of herself and Jack. They were dressed up in the picture, Jack in a dark blue suit, and Meghan in a green dress and matching heels. They had been dressed up to attend a gala in Sandy Bay, and Meghan remembered feeling her heart drop when Jack had shown up at her door wearing his best clothes. She studied his face, noting the way his bright blue eyes still made her smile, and she felt her face grown warm as she imagined seeing him at the airport in America in only a few hours.

  “Adventures and traveling are amazing,” Meghan decided as she leaned back into the comfortable chair. “And making memories and new friends is special. But the most important things in life are home and loved ones! That is what makes life truly sweet.”

  The End

  Thank You!

  Thank you for reading Finger Foods and Missing Legs! I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I had writing it!

  If you have a minute, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.

  It doesn’t matter how long or short it is as other cozy mystery readers will find value in what you liked about this book.

  Many thanks in advance for your support!

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  The next book in the series, Gingerbread and Scary Endings is now available to PREORDER! Turn the page to see the book cover and read the first chapter now!

  About Gingerbread and Scary Endings

  Released: October, 2018

  Series: Book 7 – Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery Series

  Standalone: Yes

  Cliff-hanger: No

  Business is good but the stress of fulfilling a new corporate order is driving Meghan Truman insane. She is therefore excited when handsome detective, Jack Irvin, proposes to take her to the movies. She never expected that a fun, carefree night at the Sandy Bay cinema would end with the tragic death of the movie theatre manager.

  Who would stand to gain from his demise?

  As Meghan delves deeper into this murder investigation, she discovers that stress has a way of bringing out the worst in people. With the clock ticking to find the murderer, will she be prepared when a serendipitous act of kindness puts her squarely in the path of a killer on the loose?

  GINGERBREAD AND SCARY ENDINGS CHAPTER 1 SNEEK PEEK

  E veryone has their favorite season. Meghan Truman’s was fall. She delighted in gazing at the red, orange and brown leaves that adorned the trees coupled with the weather being not too hot and not too cold. This was the perfect recipe for snuggly nights indoors, watching popular TV shows and indulging in yummy treats. There was so much she was thankful for in her life. She had settled into her adopted hometown, Sandy Bay, and had a thriving business and good friends. Perhaps, above all, she was glad about her stable relationship with Jack Irvin, a local detective who had proven his love for her on numerous occasions. Even though he had a busy schedule, it seemed he always made time to surprise her with visits at her bakery. That morning as she prepared for the day, she was glad to spend some quality time with him before things got busy.

  “I just think it would be a good idea to take a break, Meghan.”

  Meghan Truman’s heart sank as she turned to face him. “What did you say?” Meghan whispered incredulously as she stared in Jack’s blue eyes. “You want to take a break? I thought our relationship was going well, Jack! I know things were a little tense when I was in Paris last month, but everything has been back to normal since I got home.”

  Jack burst out laughing as Meghan looked at him in horror. “This is not a time for laughing, Jack,” Meghan exclaimed as Jack reached over and pulled her into his strong, muscled arms. “First you tell me we need to take a break, and now, you’re hugging me?”

  Jack shook his head as he planted a kiss on Meghan’s cheek. “Meghan,” he said patiently. “You weren’t listening. You have been so preoccupied with this new corporate order that you hardly hear anything I say, sweetheart.”

  Meghan pushed Jack away and raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  Jack smiled, showing his deep dimples. “I was saying that it would be a good idea to take a break from your work, Meghan. Not our relationship. You’ve been working nonstop at the bakery since you received that massive corporate order from the Behzad Corporation, and I’m worried that you are going to work yourself to death!”

  Meghan sighed in relief, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead as she tried to slow her racing heart. Jack was right; Meghan’s bakery, Truly Sweet, had received a large corporate order that had been keeping Meghan and Trudy, her trusted assistant, busier than they had ever been. Meghan was grateful for the business; Behzad Corporation was one of the largest manufacturing businesses in the Pacific Northwest, and Meghan knew a professional relationship with the company would be invaluable. Meghan also knew, however, that she was near her breaking point; she had been working nearly twenty hours each day, and she was exhausted trying to fulfill the large order.

  “I thought it would be fun to take a break and go to the movies,” Jack explained as he drew Meghan close. “We haven’t had a date night in forever, and I think it would be fun!”

  Meghan pursed her lips as she thought of the hundreds of cupcakes, croissants, donuts, and eclairs she still needed to make; she had several hours of work to finish, and Meghan knew that it would be impossible to fulfill her obligations and have fun.

  “Don’t you dare say no!” Meghan heard Trudy yell from the kitchen. “Meghan Truman, get out of this bakery right now; you need a break, and I
will stay up all night baking if it means you get to have some fun.”

  Meghan felt her eyes brim with tears as Trudy marched into the dining area of the bakery. “You are too sweet, Trudy,” Meghan said as she wrapped her arms around Trudy. “You are the best assistant a girl could ask for.”

  Two hours later, Jack and Meghan walked hand-in-hand into the Sandy Bay Cinema. After purchasing their tickets, Jack directed Meghan to the concession stand. “The Sandy Bay Cinema makes the best gingerbread in the world!” Jack declared as he bought two gingerbread cookies. “You have no idea.”

  Meghan laughed. “The Sandy Bay Cinema sells gingerbread? That is so random.”

  Jack grinned as he popped a piece of his cookie into his mouth. “Random, but I’m not complaining,” he chuckled as he wiped the crumbs from his lips.