Counterfeit Confections

by Jessica Beck

  JESSICA BECK

  THE DONUT MYSTERIES, BOOK 41

  COUNTERFEIT CONFECTIONS

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Counterfeit Confections (The Donut Mysteries, #41)

  Baked Chocolaty Donuts

  A Classic Fried Donut

  Pineapple Upside-Down Donuts

  Donut Mystery #41 Counterfeit Confections

  Copyright © 2019 by Jessica Beck

  All rights reserved.

  First edition: June 2019

  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.

  The First Time Ever Published!

  The 41st Donut Mystery.

  Jessica Beck is the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Donut Mysteries, the Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries, the Classic Diner Mysteries, and the Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries.

  WHEN SUZANNE, JAKE, Momma, and Phillip decide to buy an old house and fix it up, they soon discover that the neglected property is being used as a base for an illegal operation. The more they dig into the old house, the more they realize that there are more problems with the fixer-upper than just wiring and plumbing, and they must investigate the case or risk losing everything.

  For P, my dearly beloved,

  who shared the triumphs and tragedies of remodeling an older home with me

  and lived to tell about it, even managing to make it mostly fun along the way.

  Emphasis on “mostly”!

  Chapter 1

  WHEN MY HUSBAND FIRST brought up his idea for what to do for the next phase of his life, I did my best to be enthusiastic, but it was hard for me to fake it. After all, at least as far as I was concerned, neither one of us knew anything about fixing up old houses and flipping them for a profit. I blamed his desire on too many Pollyanna television shows and internet channels giving him false confidence, but it had been so long since he’d had a real purpose in life—probably as far back as when he’d left the state police—that I couldn’t bring myself to quash the idea. While it was true that as a teenager, he’d helped an uncle remodel houses two summers during his college breaks, I still had to wonder how much knowledge had really stuck. Besides, where would he even get the money to buy the cheapest run-down house in April Springs? We had some savings but not nearly enough, and I didn’t make enough from my donut shop to cover the down payment for a scooter, let alone a house.

  Then Momma and Phillip came on board, and suddenly we were off to the races. Jake had a purpose again, I had what amounted to a second job, and Momma and Phillip had a stake in something they were both interested in.

  If I’d known that Jake’s new path would lead us straight into intrigue, buried secrets, and even murder, I would have put my foot down right then and there, but hindsight is indeed twenty-twenty, so I said yes, and in the end, it nearly ended up killing us.

  “Suzanne, check this out,” Jake called out to me as he sat at our computer in the living room of our cottage. “You’re not going to believe this.”

  I walked over and glanced at the screen. There I saw the ugliest, most run-down shack I’d ever seen in my life, online or in person. “That’s actually for sale? Who in their right mind would be crazy enough to buy a place like that in such obvious poor condition?”

  He blushed a little as I told him what I actually thought about the property, but I didn’t put it together at that point. “It’s got great potential,” he answered with a shrug.

  “For a bonfire, maybe,” I said.

  I still didn’t get why he was persisting in defending the place, but he pushed on. “Look at the location. It’s halfway between April Springs and Union Square, so it’s off most people’s radar. I drove out there this morning and took a look at it while you were at Donut Hearts. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  “It couldn’t be, could it? Jake, why are you looking for another place to live? There’s not something you’re not telling me, is there?”

  “Suzanne, I love living here with you. This cottage has always been a part of you, and now it’s a part of me as well,” he said. “This would be strictly for fun and profit.”

  “How could we possibly make any money off this wreck?” I asked. Okay, maybe I wasn’t being as supportive as I always liked to believe that I was, but I still didn’t have a clue where this conversation was going. Sometimes I can be as dense as the next person.

  “Trust me, it’s got good bones. Don’t forget, I worked for Uncle Tim two summers in college doing exactly this.” He must have noticed my budding frown, because he quickly continued, “I know how easy they make it look on television, but I’ve got the chops to do it. I built that closet, didn’t I?” he asked as he pointed to the space under the stairs he’d converted into hidden storage.

  “Yes, but you realize that an entire house is going to be a lot more work than that, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do, but we both know I need something to do with my time. I’m getting tired of freelancing as a hired hand on security details. This would give me a sense of purpose again, but if you’re against it, I’ll keep looking for something else.”

  The imploring look in my husband’s eyes told me that he was dead serious about this proposal. I understood that Donut Hearts gave me a great sense of accomplishment, something that he’d been lacking in his life for some time, and he needed something that was just his.

  I had to take this seriously.

  “Okay, I understand completely, but where would we get the money for the materials you’d need to fix it up, let alone enough to buy it, even at that price? There’s no bank in town that’s going to loan us the money for that place.”

  Jake looked a little guilty about that, and I knew there was more to the story than I had heard so far. How long had he been planning this, anyway?

  He looked a little guilty as he admitted, “Suzanne, there’s something else I should tell you. I didn’t go to the house alone.”

  “Okay,” I said, trying not to overreact. “Who exactly went with you?”

  “Well, the thing is, Phillip and I were going out to breakfast anyway, and he agreed to swing by and look at the property with me before we ate. It was all innocent enough.”

  I knew without asking that the Phillip he was referring to was my stepfather, a past nemesis of mine when he’d been our police chief who had gradually become a friend and ally as well as my mother’s new husband. “I suppose he told you that he thought it would be fun, too.”

  “As a matter of fact, he said that he thought it would be the perfect thing to give him something to do, too. We’d do it together.”

  I knew that the men in my life had become friendly over time, but I’d had no idea they were close enough to go into business together. Besides, between the two of them, they still didn’t have enough money to pull this off.

  But I knew someone who did.

  “Let me guess. Momma’s going to finance the entire project.” My mother was an e
xtremely successful businesswoman, with assets spread throughout the South. Even I had no idea how much she was really worth, but I knew that she could afford this as a lark from her petty cash. “Has she even seen it?” It was my last hope, that my mother’s business sense would outweigh any sentimentality for the two men closest to her.

  “She might have dropped by while we were there,” Jake admitted.

  “Don’t tell me. She already bought it, didn’t she?” I asked, realizing that there was no way I was going to win this battle, so I might as well get on board.

  “She put down a twenty-four-hour option on it,” Jake replied. “I told her that there was no way I was going to do this without your full blessing. So what do you say?”

  “Shouldn’t I at least see it first for myself?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure that would help convince you,” Jake hedged. “Any chance you’ll just trust us on this?”

  “I suppose there’s a little bit of one, but I want to speak with my mother first before I commit to anything.”

  Jake glanced at the clock. “That’s convenient, because they’ll be here in five minutes.”

  “Just how long have you been working on this?” I asked my husband, more out of curiosity than anything else.

  That’s when the doorbell rang. “Saved by the bell. They’re early,” Jake said. “What should I do?”

  “You might as well let them in,” I said, doing my best to smile, even though I felt a growing sense of dread. I had the distinct impression that this was a tidal wave I was too weak to fight alone.

  My mother, ever petite and yet one of the most powerful people I knew, burst in before I could even say hello. “Suzanne, I know what you’re thinking, but this truly is a great business opportunity. Don’t say no until you’ve heard me out.”

  “Hi, Momma. How are you? It’s a lovely day out, isn’t it?”

  She caught the forced sunshine in my voice and took a deep breath before replying. “You’re right. I’m very sorry. Hello, sweetie. How are you?”

  “Honestly, I’m a bit taken aback at the moment. It’s kind of overwhelming to have three people I care so much about ganging up on me,” I answered honestly.

  At least Phillip had the sense to look embarrassed. “Hi, Suzanne.”

  “Hey, Phillip,” I said before turning back to my mother. “Go on, Momma. I’m listening.”

  “The house is in a prime location, and it’s got solid bones. I had one of my people go through it, and while it’s true that it needs a great deal of work, it’s all manageable. I’m positive that Jake and Phillip can handle anything that comes their way, but if they do happen to get in over their heads—which, as I said, I don’t think will happen—I’ve got skilled craftsmen standing by to step in and lend a hand.”

  “Only if we ask for it, though,” Jake said. “Remember, that was our agreement.”

  “Of course,” Momma said. “Suzanne, it will be fun. Trust me.”

  I had to laugh. “Really? Fun? Okay, if you say so. You’re all making it very hard for me to say no.”

  “Honestly, I think it sounds like a blast,” Phillip said. I had a hunch he’d have agreed to hunt truffles if Jake were involved. My stepfather had the utmost respect for my husband, which I appreciated, but it could be a bit much at times. How he’d feel about him after working together on a dilapidated old house was another thing altogether, but at the moment, that wasn’t my problem.

  “We can do this, Suzanne,” Jake added, looking as hopeful as a schoolboy.

  “Let’s say you go ahead with this,” I said. “What happens when you sell this converted palace? I know you’ve come up with a financial scenario for an endgame, so don’t try to pretend that you didn’t.”

  “The men split all of the profits however they see fit,” Momma replied.

  “Fifty-fifty, right down the middle,” Jake said, and Phillip happily nodded in agreement.

  “I’m sorry, but that’s not going to be good enough,” I said.

  “An equal split with Phillip is the only way I’ll do it,” Jake said, defending his potential partner.

  Phillip looked a little hurt by my statement, so I knew that I had to fix it, and fast, especially since that wasn’t what I’d meant at all.

  “Hear me out. Momma, you’re supplying the funding and the backup expertise,” I said. “You’ve never made a deal like this in your life, and I’m not about to stand idly by and let you do it now. You need to split the profits three ways. It’s only right.”

  My mother wasn’t ready to give in so easily. “No, that won’t work, either. Now that you mention it, this needs to be a four-way split. We are going to form an LLC and do this right, and we’re all going to have equal shares.”

  “Hang on a second,” I said. “Don’t go trying to drag me into this.”

  “Suzanne, can you honestly tell me that you won’t be over there every spare minute you have?” Momma asked me. “Don’t bother answering, we all know that it’s true. You should have a share as well. It’s going to be all for one and one for all. What do you say?”

  I glanced at Jake and knew that I couldn’t resist any further. After all, it was the best setup I could hope for, and with Momma’s backing, both in money and in needed expertise, it was tough to say no. But even if none of that had been true, I knew that I was still going to agree after glancing at Jake’s expression. He needed this nearly as much as I needed my donut shop. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to be in business with my husband, my mother, and my stepfather. “Okay, I’m in. Have the papers drawn up, and I’ll give you my blessing.” Maybe I’d get lucky and the deal would fall through. At the very least, I’d bought myself some time.

  Or so I thought.

  Momma reached into her oversized purse and pulled out what was clearly a set of contracts. I took one from her and scanned the pertinent information. “How did you know this was how we’d end up? This paperwork says we’re forming a four-way partnership, but we just agreed to do it this way.”

  “What can I say? I had a feeling that was where we’d land in the end,” Momma said, brushing my protest aside. “What do you say? Shall we move forward together?”

  “Fine. SJDP Enterprises it is.” It was our first initials, and I was flattered that Momma had put mine first. I knew how much she respected Jake and loved her husband, so it was quite an honor. “Thanks,” I said as I handed the papers back to her after signing them all.

  “Thank you. Suzanne, as you said earlier, I plan on making money on this arrangement, just like every other deal I’ve made in the past. I have a good feeling about our new venture.”

  Too bad she was wrong about that, but I couldn’t really blame her.

  After all, we were all starting out with high hopes.

  We just didn’t know how things would end up.

  Which was probably a very good thing indeed.

  “Wow, the pictures didn’t lie, did they?” I asked the next day a little after noon as I got my first glimpse of the property my mother had just purchased for our joint venture. “It’s quite a mess, isn’t it?”

  “You should have seen it before,” Jake said with a happy grin as he started wolfing down one of the sandwiches I’d made for both men. They were filthy and obviously tired but just as apparently deliriously happy.

  “You should see the dumpster,” Phillip said as he paused between bites. “It’s nearly full already.”

  “Are you two going to stop for the day, then?” I asked hopefully. While Jake wasn’t exactly a young man, my stepfather was at least twenty years older than he was, and I worried about how much stamina he actually had.

  “The plan is to work until three,” Jake said, and I saw my stepfather flinch at the statement. My husband must have caught it as well. “Then again, I may be done for the day. I’m kind of beat. How about you, Phillip?”

  “I’ll do whatever you do,” he said, though he was clearly happy with the reprieve. “But a hot bath and a nap might be nice, too.
”

  They grinned at each other, and I was happy to see that at least so far, their partnership was holding strong.

  “That sounds like a solid plan to me,” I said.

  “Knock, knock, neighbor,” a portly older man said as he tapped on the doorframe. In one hand he had a six-pack of beer, and he smiled as he added, “Hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”

  “Hey, Curtis,” Jake said. “This is my wife, Suzanne.”

  “The donutmaker,” the stranger said as he smiled at me. He noticed the bag of food in my hands. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just thought you could use a cold break.”

  “Thanks,” Phillip said as he took the offering from him.

  Curtis looked around and whistled. “I’ve got to tell you, I admire your ambition. I thought about buying this place and tackling it myself, but even at what it cost you, it was still more than I could scrape together. I’m looking forward to seeing your progress.”

  “We’ll be here working on it every day,” Jake said, and the man nodded and waved before disappearing.

  “What was that all about?” I asked once the neighbor was gone.

  “It appears we’ve acquired ourselves a spectator,” Jake said. “I just hope he doesn’t get to be a pain. The man’s already popped in three times to check on our progress. I’m not sure what we’re going to do with him.”

  “He’ll get bored and find something else to do with his time,” Phillip said. “I’m guessing he’s harmless enough.”

  “If you say so,” Jake said as he stared at the bag in my hand as he finished his sandwich. “Is there anything else in there for us?”

  “Another sandwich apiece,” I said as I handed the bag over. “What can I do?” I asked them.

  “You brought food,” Jake said. “That’s a lot.”

  “Nonsense. If I’m going to be an equal partner, then I’m going to work, too.” I’d made up my mind at the donut shop that morning that I was going to be more than just a secondary player in all of this. I was going to do my share of the hard labor as well. After all, in for a penny, in for a pound, as far as I was concerned.