Whispering Bay Cozy Mysteries Box Set

by Maria Geraci

“Are you going to kiss me again?” I blurt before I can stop myself.

  “You wish.”

  My heart is pounding against my ribcage like it’s trying to find a way out. I can’t help but giggle. Not because I think any of this is funny but because I’m suddenly so nervous I can barely breathe.

  “Have you told Will yet? About your childish crush on him?”

  “It’s not childish. And … no. I’ve tried, but we keep getting interrupted.”

  “Tell him, Lucy, because I’m getting impatient here.”

  I decide to change the subject before I do something I might regret. Like kiss Travis myself. “Since my plan to catch Tara’s killer didn’t quite work, maybe you can tell me what the police are doing?”

  “Officially, we’re still waiting for the toxicology report. It’s an open case.”

  “In other words, nothing. And now two of the suspects in the case have skedaddled off to Canada.”

  “I have my theories,” he says tightly.

  “Oh, yeah? What?”

  “Never you mind.” His gaze lingers on my mouth a second too long.

  Oh boy. He is going to kiss me again.

  Instinctively, I close my eyes and wait for it.

  But nothing happens. When I open my eyes again, he’s grinning down at me.

  “Tell Cunningham how you feel, Lucy. Then we’ll see what happens next.”

  By one the lunch crowd has thinned out enough that I’m able to get back in the kitchen to get a head start on tomorrow’s muffins. I make a batch of blueberry and double chocolate chip and try not to think about my encounter with Travis in the hallway. Baking has always been cathartic for me, but today it isn’t doing the trick.

  Then we’ll see what happens next.

  Like it’s all up to him and I have no say in it at all.

  I gather up all the dirty tins and bowls and place them in the large industrial sink and start scrubbing away. “Travis’s head is so big, I’m surprised it hasn’t exploded by now.”

  Paco’s ears perk up. He turns his head to the side the way dogs do when they look as if they’re trying to figure out what you’re saying. “Okay, so I admit it, I kind of have a thing for Travis Fontaine. But … I also have a big thing for Will.” I dry off my hands and turn to face my smarty-pants dog. “Who should I go for? Will? Or Travis?”

  Paco wags his tail.

  “Yeah, I know. I can’t have them both, so you decide. One bark for Will. Two barks for Travis.”

  Paco stares back at me.

  “Well?”

  He barks once. Then he barks again. Then he barks a third time. Then he slumps to the ground and places his head on his paws. Big help that was.

  “I take it that means you can’t decide?”

  Sarah walks into the kitchen. “Who are you talking to, Lucy?”

  “Paco. I was hoping he’d help me decide between Will and Travis.”

  She chuckles. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously. I have a big dilemma here. On the one hand, there’s Will, who I’ve been in love with my whole life and is my best friend in the world. He totally gets me. Except I’m beginning to wonder if I totally get him. Do you know that he plays pool every Wednesday night in Panama City and I just found out the other day by accident? It’s like he’s living some kind of secret life. Plus, Brittany really likes him so that makes the whole thing messy.”

  Sarah crosses her arms over her chest. “I get the whole girlfriend loyalty thing, but you shouldn’t let Brittany’s feelings for Will get in the way of yours.”

  “And then there’s Travis, who I’ve known for just a month. He’s the most irritating, egotistical … thing I’ve ever met. But he smells really good, and he kisses even better.”

  Sarah’s blue eyes twinkle with laughter. “Girl, you do have a problem. You’re in love with two men.”

  “I’m not in love with Travis. I hardly know him.”

  “I fell in love with Luke in three days. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.”

  I cover my face in my hands. “What am I gonna do?” I mutter.

  “Simple. You’re going to date them both and decide which one you like better.”

  I drop my hands to look at her. “I don’t know that Will wants to date me. And … could I really do that?”

  “Why not? As for Will, you need to tell him how you feel and see where it goes. Which is what I’ve been telling you.”

  Paco sits up and barks.

  “See? Paco agrees with me.”

  I flop down onto a stool. “I think I need a vacation from my life.”

  “I think we’re going to be able to close on time today, so why don’t you and Paco go out and get some fresh air? Take a break from all this,” she says, waving her hand around the kitchen. “Oh!” She spies the freshly baked muffins. “Can I have a chocolate chip to take home to Luke?”

  I box up a few of the cooled-off muffins for Sarah to bring home, which gives me an idea. “Do you mind if I leave now?”

  “No problem. Jill and I can clean up.”

  “Thanks. This is Darren Winters’s last day in town, and by the time he and Brittany came by this morning, we were out of blueberry muffins. He seemed so bummed out about it. I’d love to bring him over a couple.”

  “That’s nice of you, Lucy.”

  “They’re his favorite. Plus, I can kill two birds with one stone and take Paco for a walk down Main Street. You’re right. We both need the fresh air, and you know how much he loves to window shop.”

  “You mean you want Heidi to see you bringing Darren muffins.”

  “Naturally.”

  She grins. “Go for it.”

  I select a few of the best-looking muffins, put them in a bag, then clip on Paco’s leash. Outside, it’s cool with clear blue skies. We drive to downtown Whispering Bay, and I park directly in front of Heidi’s Bakery in a spot that’s clearly marked for patrons only, but since her bakery closes in five minutes, it’s not like it’s going to hurt anything.

  Heidi spots us through the glass window. I wave to her. She immediately comes outside to investigate. “Here to accuse me of poisoning someone else?”

  “Not everything is about you, Heidi. Paco and I are delivering muffins to Darren Winters over at the chamber of commerce. It’s his last day here in town, and he absolutely loves my blueberry muffins.”

  “How nice,” she says, making the little hairs on my neck tickle because, of course, she thinks no such thing. “See you later, Lucy.” At least my lie-detecting skills still work as far as Heidi is concerned.

  I walk over to the chamber of commerce and open the door. The reception area is empty. “Hello,” I call tentatively. I check my watch, but it’s not quite three, so I know someone has to be here.

  Brittany pokes her head out her office door. “Lucy, what are you doing here?”

  “Paco and I came to bring Darren some blueberry muffins.”

  “Isn’t that sweet of you! Come on back,” she says.

  “Where is everybody?”

  Brittany’s office, which looks like it came straight off the pages of a design magazine, looks its usual neat and tidy self except for a tray of dirty dishes sitting on top of her desk.

  “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

  Brittany follows my line of vision. “The rest of the staff is at a mandatory CPR class. Darren and I stayed back to finish up that PR campaign I told you about. We ordered out lunch from The Harbor House.”

  “Fancy,” I say.

  “I hear you brought me blueberry muffins,” says Darren. “Or are my ears playing tricks on me?”

  I hand him the bag. “You heard right.”

  “Thanks, Lucy. That’s really thoughtful of you.” He opens up the bag, pulls out a muffin and takes a big bite. “Delicious. I’m not giving up, you know. I’m going to convince you to open up another shop in Catfish Cove.”

  “Maybe someday,” I say politely.

  Paco barks. “What it is, boy?”


  He looks at the muffin in Darren’s hand, then back at me again.

  “No begging,” I scold.

  “Smart little guy,” says Darren. “He remembers I gave him a piece of muffin before.”

  Paco wags his tail like he’s agreeing.

  “Okay,” I relent. “Just one teeny piece can’t hurt.”

  Darren breaks off the edge of a muffin and gives it to Paco, who greedily wolfs it down and starts begging again.

  “Ignore him,” I say. “So you’re going to be pretty busy over the next few weeks of filming, huh?”

  Darren takes another bite of his muffin and nods. “The show will be great for the city’s economy, but I’ll be working round the clock making sure everything goes smoothly.”

  “Bummer.”

  “Yeah, lots of late nights for me. Not that I’m complaining. The city can use the exposure. The only bad part? It means I’m going to miss another FSU football game. Last week was bad enough, but we play Miami this weekend. I haven’t missed an FSU-Miami game in over twenty years.”

  I playfully wince. “Ouch! I bet that hurts.”

  “You bet it does,” he says, winking at me.

  “Brittany, you have to let up on this poor man. It’s bad enough you have him working all day but on Saturday night too, and during an FSU football game,” I tease.

  Brittany makes a face. “Football is so rough. I prefer watching tennis, myself. But give me some credit, Lucy. We didn’t work all through the weekend. Just part of the day Saturday.”

  “Oh, I thought you said you missed the game?” I say to Darren.

  He swallows down his muffin before he answers, “Did I say I missed last week’s game? Man, these crazy hours are messing with my head.” He laughs like he’s made a joke. “Of course I watched the game.”

  I feel like I’ve stuck my finger in a light socket and all the electricity went straight to the hair on the back of my neck.

  Darren has just lied to me.

  And it’s not some obscure little lie.

  It’s a big one.

  20

  Brittany looks at me at strangely. “What’s wrong? You look like you just heard that muffins were outlawed or something.”

  “Wrong?” I squeak, then clear my throat. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  Why on earth would Darren lie to me about something as mundane as whether or not he watched a football game?

  A match lights up inside my brain.

  Holy wow.

  The football game.

  The night I went to see Tara, I distinctively heard voices in the kitchen that I assumed were Gilly and one of the camera guys. Only it couldn’t have been Alan or Pete’s voice I heard because I was at Tara’s house at 8 p.m., the same exact time the FSU football game started. Colleen specifically said that the patrons at The Draft House were upset because Alan and Pete were creating a disturbance just as the game was starting.

  But if it wasn’t Alan or Pete in the kitchen with Gilly, then …

  My heart starts to thud with excitement.

  My internal lie detector isn’t broken after all! Gilly didn’t lie. She didn’t poison Tara. Maybe that thing that was staring me in the face is literally staring me in the face right now, calming munching on one of my blueberry muffins.

  Darren wasn’t watching the football game because he was at the beach house that night. It was his voice I heard in the kitchen with Gilly. Which means Darren had the opportunity to poison Tara. But what about motive?

  Brittany frowns. “Lucy, are you sure you’re okay?”

  Darren looks concerned as well, only the concern isn’t for me. I can see it now. Why did I never notice how shifty his eyes were before?

  “You know,” I say, trying to control the shake in my voice, “I thought that after Tara died, the network was going to cancel this season of Battle of the Beach Eats. Lucky for you and Catfish Cove that someone changed their mind. Who, um, made that decision to keep the show going? The network?”

  “I believe so,” Darren says mildly.

  “I’ll bet Gilly had a big say in it too, huh? Since she’s officially been given Tara’s job.”

  Paco looks between me and Darren like he’s catching on. He stares at Darren the same way he stares down the vet when she’s coming at him with a needle in her hand.

  Oh boy. Things are about to get interesting.

  Darren smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “What are you getting at, Lucy?”

  “Tara was poisoned so that Gilly could take her job.”

  “I thought Tara was on drugs and that’s what killed her,” says Brittany.

  “The toxicology report isn’t complete yet, so officially we don’t know what killed her until it comes back. As for the drug rumors, I’m pretty sure Gilly started them.”

  “Rumors,” says Darren, shrugging. “Small town, lots of wagging tongues. Catfish Cove is the same way.”

  “The night I went to bring Tara the muffins, she didn’t look well. And she was anxious about something. I thought she was going to tell me something important, but she didn’t. She called me later, but I didn’t answer.”

  “What do you think she wanted to tell you?” Brittany asks.

  “I don’t know. But I think she was in trouble.” I look at Darren. “What do you think?”

  “Me? How would I know?”

  The hair on my neck is practically square dancing.

  “At first I thought it was Gilly who poisoned Tara, because she had the best motive since she ended up getting Tara’s job. Only Gilly told me she didn’t poison Tara, and I believe her now. The thing is, I asked her the wrong question. I should have asked her if she knew who the killer was. Gilly might not have actually given her the cyanide, but she helped whoever did it by covering it up and starting those drug rumors.”

  Brittany gasps. “You mean Gilly was the killer’s accomplice?”

  “Yep.”

  Darren looks shocked, but it’s an act. Paco can sense it too because he starts to growl.

  “What’s wrong with Paco?” asks Brittany.

  “He doesn’t like it when I’m being lied to.”

  “Lied to?” Brittany chuckles nervously. “Lucy, what’s going on? You’re kind of freaking me out.”

  “I didn’t put two and two together until now, but something Gilly said the other day has stayed with me. When I asked her if she poisoned Tara, she denied it, but she specifically said she never wanted Tara to get hurt. At the time, I thought it was an odd way to word things, but now I’m pretty sure she said it because she knew Tara was being poisoned. Only Gilly and her accomplice didn’t mean to kill her. They just wanted to make her sick enough that Gilly would take over the producing job and move the show to Catfish Cove.”

  I stare at Darren with my best I’ve-got-you-now look. “You didn’t watch the FSU football game because you were at the beach house with Gilly that night. I heard the two of you talking.”

  Brittany looks between me and Darren. “What are you saying? Darren killed Tara? Lucy, don’t be absurd. He’s head of the Catfish Cove Chamber of Commerce and president of the Rotary Club. He can’t be a murderer, silly.”

  “He slowly poisoned Tara in the hopes of making her sick enough that Gilly would take over her job. But how were you so certain that Gilly would move the show to Catfish Cove? What did you promise her?” I ask him.

  “Brittany is right,” Darren snaps. “This is ridiculous. Besides, you can’t prove anything.”

  “Oh, but I can. I have a feeling that under the right circumstances, Gilly will crack like a nut.” I pull out my cell phone. “I think the Whispering Bay police department is going to find all this pretty interesting, don’t you?”

  Before I can dial Travis’s number, Darren yanks Brittany by the arm and pulls her up against his chest. Brittany screams. “What are you—” He grabs a steak knife off the dirty dish tray and holds it up to her throat.

  “Put that phone down or I’ll slit her throat,” he says in
a tone of voice I’ve never heard from him before. It’s like I’m seeing him for the first time.

  “Boy, you really are a zucchini chocolate chip muffin, aren’t you?”

  He scowls. “What are you talking about?”

  “Never mind. I should have listened to my gut. You totally had me fooled with that boring blueberry routine of yours.”

  “Lucy,” Brittany whimpers, “how can you be talking about muffins at a time like this?”

  “Sorry.” I make a deliberate show of putting my phone on the desk so that Darren doesn’t do anything stupid. “You’ll never get away with this.”

  “I would have, if you hadn’t stuck your nose where it didn’t belong.”

  “My nose got involved when you tried to frame me by sprinkling cyanide on my muffins. Whose idea was it anyway? Yours or Gilly’s?”

  His face splits into a sneer. “That dumb cow. I told her not to do it, but she wouldn’t listen to me.” He presses the knife deeper against Brittany’s throat, making her gasp.

  My stomach dips. Yikes. Of all the weapons in the world to threaten her with, why does it have to be a knife? They’re so … sharp-looking.

  “What happened? Was it jealousy? Too much pressure from the chamber of commerce to deliver the show?”

  “You people here in Whispering Bay. The Safest City in America!” he mocks. “What a joke. Tara and I had a deal. Battle of the Beach Eats was always going to be filmed in Catfish Cove. She was only here vetting Whispering Bay because she wanted to make it all look fair and square. I paid that bitch ten thousand dollars to make sure it happened.”

  “Ten thousand—of your own money?”

  “I borrowed it from the city’s slush fund. I would have returned it with interest once the show started airing and tourism was up.”

  “So you bribed Tara to film the show in Catfish Cove with money you stole from the city?”

  “You’re not listening to me,” he screeches. “That show should have been filmed in Catfish Cove from the start. It would have worked, too, if it hadn’t been for that damn pipe bursting.”

  He’s losing his cool, but I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. One wrong move on my part and Brittany could become Marie Antoinette.