by Maisy Marple
Also by Maisy Marple
A Connie Cafe Mystery
Coffee & Corpses: A Clean Small Town Cozy Mystery with Coffee & Romance
Ligature & Latte: A Clean Small Town Cozy Mystery with Coffee & Romance
Autumn & Autopsies: A Clean Small Town Cozy Mystery with Coffee & Romance
Pumpkins & Poison: A Clean Small Town Cozy Mystery with Coffee & Romance
Decaf & Death: A Clean Small Town Cozy Mystery with Coffee & Romance
Turkey & Treachery
Mistletoe & Memories
Connie Cafe Mystery Collections
Connie Cafe Mysteries Books 1 - 3: Coffee & Corpses/Ligature & Latte/Autumn & Autopsies
Connie Cafe Two Pack: Pumpkins & Poison (Book 4)/Decaf & Death (Book 5)
Connie Cafe Two Packs
Connie Cafe Mystery Two Pack: Ligature & Latte (Book 2)/Autumn & Autopsies (Book 3)
Standalone
Connie Cafe Mystery Collection: Mysteries 1-4
Connie Cafe Mystery Series (Books 1-5): Coffee & Corpses/Ligature & Latte/Autumn & Autopsies/Pumpkins & Poison/Decaf & Death
Connie Cafe Mystery Collection Books 1 - 6: Coffee & Corpses/Ligature & Latte/Autumn & Autopsies/Pumpkins & Poison/Decaf & Death/Turkey & Treachery
Connie Cafe Mystery Collection: Mysteries 4-6: Pumpkins & Poison/Decaf & Death/Turkey & Treachery
Ligature & Latte
Connie Cafe Mysteries Book Two
Maisy Marple
Copyright © 2020 by Maisy Marple
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Free Story
Free Chapter From Autumn & Autopsies
Complete Book List
About the Author
Introduction
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for continuing on with the Connie Cafe Mystery Series. I absolutely love Connie, and her mother, Roberta…and, of course Reba. They are really special to me. And the fact that you’re reading this book, is a sign that you may be developing a special place in your heart for them, too.
At the end of this ebook, please keep flipping through the digital pages as there will be offers to become a Maisy Marple VIP Reader, which is the ONLY way to guarantee that you know when my next story is coming out. I can’t stand social media — so there is no Facebook page or Twitter account where people can follow me. So if you want to know when my next book’s coming out, sign up to become a VIP Reader (you’ll get a free short story that’s not available anywhere else as your first VIP bonus!).
*Note - If you have gotten your short story already, you’re already signed up as a Maisy Marple VIP Reader.
Also at the end of this book, I will provide you a link to my website, where you can find more books in this series!
Thank you for taking the time to read Connie Cafe’s next mystery. I had a lot of fun writing this one. I’m hoping that you enjoy reading it just as much.
God Bless,
Maisy Marple
1
This was the day my dreams came true!
I, Connie Cafe, was going to meet with James Popper, the best realtor in Coffee Creek.
The journey that started when I was a child, dreaming of imaginary dragons in my backyard while my father drank piping hot cups of black coffee, was about to become my reality. I was going to open my very own coffee shop in Coffee Creek.
Everything got side tracked for me after my father died. I’d moved home to live with my mother and started working for some big chain coffee shop and getting the scoop on local stories for the Coffee Creek Gazette.
Long story short, a few months back I was reporting on the Coffee Creek Golf Tournament and found David Gardner, the best golfer in Coffee Creek, dead in a water hazard. Well, timing is everything, apparently, because I was the main suspect in the case — that was, until I proved my innocence.
Thankfully, that mess went away, and my mother, Roberta Cafe, encouraged me to open up my dream coffee shop in Coffee Creek. And my best friend, Reba, said she was going to come work for me.
The time was here for me to open up Connie’s Cafe on Main Street, right in the heart of Coffee Creek!
But before I got ahead of myself, I had to find a building. That was where James came in.
“It’s good to see you looking excited about something,” my mother said, handing me a big mug of java as I walked into the kitchen of our old farmhouse. “It’s been a while.”
I nodded, accepting the dark roast with open arms. “I agree. I feel like I’ve been in a ten year funk.”
“Twelve,” my mother winked. “But who’s counting?”
“Apparently, not me.”
“So, how many places are you looking at today?”
“I think James said he had three. Two of them are on Main Street, and the other one’s a little off the beaten path.” I rolled my eyes. “I told him that I didn’t want to be anywhere other than Main Street, but he insisted. I guess you can get away with being pushy when you’ve got the reputation he has.”
“I guess,” my mother shrugged. “Just promise me one thing, honey?”
“What’s that?”
“Promise me that you will make the choice that’s best for you. This is your dream. Don’t let someone else try to tell you how to live your life.”
“As she tries to tell me how to live my life,” I snorted. Coffee went flying onto the counter and farmhouse floor. I was so excited I couldn’t even get the joke out without just about choking on my coffee.
“Serves you right.” My mother handed me a paper towel to clean up the mess I’d made. “I’m not trying to run your life, ya know. I just want you to go out and get what you’ve worked so hard for, that’s all.”
“I know, mom.” I threw the coffee speckled paper towel away and walked over to give my mother a kiss on the top of her fiery red haired head. “I knew what you were saying.”
My phone buzzed and the sound of computerized ducks emerged from the back pocket of my jeans.
“What in the world is that?” My mother’s face was contorted into the cutest little ball of confusion I’d ever seen.
“It’s my alarm,” I laughed, hoping I could stifle it just a little. I’d already sprayed coffee all over the kitchen because I was making fun of the woman who gave me life. At this point, I needed to be careful, or I was going to find myself on the wrong side of cold coffee for breakfast and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.
“Interesting fact about coffee,” I said, ho
lding a finger in the air. “If you drink it piping hot, it’s delicious. If you drink it over ice and freezing cold, it’s delicious. If it’s anywhere in the middle of that temperature spectrum, it is completely undrinkable.”
“I don’t know where that’s coming from,” my mother smiled. “But I’m going to go ahead and disagree with you. For my money, it doesn’t get any better than a cup of coffee that was poured hot but left on the counter for a few hours. That’s when things really get exciting. Just my opinion,” she said, raising her eyebrows innocently.
“Really?!?” I furrowed my brow. “How can you drink that stuff?”
“I can’t!” She laughed so hard at her own joke, coffee almost went flying out of her nose. She doubled over and began slapping her thighs. “You should have seen your face!”
“Ha, ha, very funny.” I said, grabbing my keys and heading for the door. “I have to get going now or I’m going to be late.”
“Okay, honey. Good luck today.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.”
“Sounds good. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I parked my car about half way down Main Street, next to the Coffee Creek Flour & Love Bakery.
James was across the street and about a forty foot walk to the northern section of the street, right next to the Coffee Creek Post Office.
James Popper did not disappoint, and he hadn’t even shown me any properties yet.
He was dressed to the nines, in a great looking gray suit, which, given the fact that it was almost July, and temps were in the mid eighties most days, he definitely earned some extra points in my book. His shirt was a navy blue, and he had the most enticing shade of green silk tied in a double Windsor around his neck. The whole ensemble made his thick black beard and hazel eyes really pop. He kept his head shaved really smooth on top.
He was a looker for sure!
I wasn’t sure if it was James Popper’s most dapper appearance, my own excitement at finally getting my cafe started, or if the building was actually as perfect as I thought, but from the moment I saw it, I thought it was the one.
We hadn’t even gone inside yet and I was practically drooling over it.
The building was close to the Post Office, but not connected. There was a narrow alleyway between the two buildings. The shop was narrow with a nice little patio out front.
I was already envisioning rod-iron tables, with umbrellas and cute little chairs. This area would be able to accommodate seating for four or five people, and it would give them a wonderful view of Main Street and all of the things that were going on. It was the perfect spot for sipping coffee and people watching, while enjoying great conversation and a perfectly baked pastry.
As I brought my eyes to the building itself, the first thing that caught my attention were the two massive windows that flanked each side of the door. What a great place to have local artwork, or advertise menu items that would draw people in. Plus, they were big enough that people walking by could see how inviting things were inside.
“It’s perfect!” I announced to James. It was hard for me to keep from jumping up and down right there on the sidewalk.
“Well, don’t you want to see it first?” He asked. “That’s generally how we do things in the Real Estate business.”
He held out a coffee with my name on it. I recognized Reba’s handwriting, and thought, girl, you’re not going to be working there much longer, I promise.
“Of course,” I nodded. “I’m just a tad more than a little excited about getting started.”
“I understand,” he said, taking a hit off his steaming cup. “Please don’t think I’m over stepping here, but it’ll be to your benefit to take a deep breath and try to take the emotion out of it while you’re looking. It would be a shame for you to buy a building that you were really excited about, only to find out later that it doesn’t suit your needs the way you thought it would.”
“That’s a good point,” I said, holding my cup up. “Thanks for the coffee, by the way.”
“You’re welcome. I didn’t know what kind you liked, but the girl at the counter said you like dark roast, black as black can be. Honestly, I don’t even know how she knew who I was getting coffee for.”
“That’s Reba,” I smiled. “I told her I was meeting with you today, and she absolutely steered you in the right direction.”
We stood in front of the building, drinking coffee for a moment. James was clearly in no hurry to move. It was starting to feel a bit awkward when I asked, “Are you going to show me the inside?”
“Oh, sure,” he said. “I was just trying to give you the feel of what your future customers might be experiencing in this location. As you sip your coffee, look around at what’s going on. Is this what you’d want for them? If it is, then maybe this is the place for you. If it’s not, is there something you could do to fix it up? Or would you be stuck with it as it is?”
This guy was good. I’d never thought about asking myself all of these questions. Certainly, I’d imagined my own dream scenario, but now as I looked around, I noticed a large tree that overhung the patio. I’d have to sweep leaves and acorns out of the way everyday. The patio was only about ten feet from the street, and anyone sitting out here would have their view entirely blocked if a car were to park directly in front of the shop, which would inevitably happen as Main Street was crowded in the summer.
“Thank you,” I said, turning to him and noticing what a punch his hazel eyes packed. “I wasn’t thinking like that at all. I can definitely see some issues with this place.”
“Very good. Now, we’re going to go inside. I want you to think about all of the things you’re going to need to set up your front of house the way you want it. Is there going to be enough counter space? Will you have enough room for patrons to be comfortable and enjoy their stay, or would you need more space? Is the kitchen area going to give you enough space for the equipment you’re going to need?”
He opened the door and I stepped into the space. In that moment, I was so thankful that God had sent James Popper to Coffee Creek. His reputation was well earned. He didn’t just want to sell me a building, make his money, and get out. It was clear that he wanted me to have the best building for me. He wanted Connie’s Cafe to be the best it could be.
As I stepped over the threshold, I could feel a darkness about this place that I wasn’t sure any amount of paint or fancy lighting would be able to fix.
“I can’t thank you enough,” I said. “I was ready to plunk down my money and settle into this place today. But your encouragement to look for flaws has been a real eye opener.”
“Well, we have two other places to look at today. All of these places are going to have things you won’t like. But as you look at them, start to think about which flaws you can live with, and which ones are going to be too problematic to overcome.”
“I will,” I said, moving through the main area and into the kitchen. It was tiny and cramped, and there was no way I was going to be able to do what I wanted to do back here.
The clincher came when I looked out the back door. There was another building, big and brick, within ten feet. This meant that the only place for people to have their coffee was the patio out front, or the dimly lit area inside.
This place was not the one. It’s funny how slowing down for just a few minutes was enough to completely open my eyes enough to prevent me from making a major mistake.
I wrinkled my nose and looked at James. “This is not the place for me.”
He nodded and gave me a wink. “Very good, grasshopper. You have mastered lesson one. Let’s go see what lesson two has in store for us.”
2
James and I crossed the street and started walking toward the south side of Main Street. The second property of the day was on the creek side of the street, which made me quite happy.
“I don’t want to steer you, or get your expectations too high, but I really think you’re going to enjoy thi
s next place a lot more than you did the first.”
“We’ll see,” I said, playfully.
“Yes,” He nodded. “We will.”
We were about halfway there when we passed Coffee Creek Antiques & Valuables. Mable Wilson, the owner, came out of the front door in a flurry.
“You’ve got some nerve!” She cried out. She was waving a rolled up newspaper.
We both turned to see the seventy-five year old, whose wrinkles and white hair made her look much older. She was wearing a pair of loose brown pants and a knitted blue sweater, which hung on her.
“James Popper, you’re going to have to answer to someone for this!”
“I’m sorry, Mable.” His voice was calm, but I noticed that a few beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. “I have no idea what you’re talking about?”
“I’m talking about bringing that murderer around here,” she said, not mincing any words.
“Murderer?” James asked. “Mable, Connie’s not a murderer. She’s been proven innocent of all that stuff. She simply wants to move on with her life and start a new business in Coffee Creek. That’s all.”
Mable shot me a glance. “You stay right there,” she said to me. “I’m warning you, don’t come a step closer.” If we hadn’t been in the middle of Main Street, with other people starting to get out and about for the day, I probably would have laughed a little bit at the absurdity of this whole situation. As it was, there were people starting to poke their heads out of the various shops, and this situation was not really very funny anymore … if it had ever been.