The Bakers and Bulldogs Mysteries Collection: 20 Book Box Set

by Rosie Sams

  “Got it, Chief. I think I saw him trying to get back into the inn earlier. I’ll go see what I can find out,” Wilbur said.

  Jared was indeed trying to enter the inn, but a deputy monitoring the entrance was refusing him entry.

  “I’m telling you, I’m a guest here. My wife is inside. It’s my sister-in-law’s wedding,” Jared explained. The deputy did not deviate from his strict orders. No one was to enter or leave the inn until the sheriff cleared the building.

  “Let him in, Deputy,” Alvin ordered. Melody and Smudge stood behind him, watching.

  The deputy stepped out of the way, and Jared gave him a smug look as if he had a special pull in the joint, only to find Alvin was ready to arrest him.

  “Jared Anders, you’re under arrest for spousal abuse, and you’re now a suspect in the murder of Liza Summers. You will be read your rights and taken down to the station for processing.” Sheriff Hennessey called for backup deputies to arrest Jared.

  “Wait! What? I did no such thing – on both counts! I never laid a hand on my wife, and I definitely did not kill Liza … wait – who is Liza Summers?” Jared protested.

  Wilbur grabbed Jared’s other arm, ready to put him in cuffs, but something in Jared’s reaction made Alvin pause. “Take him to the office. We’ll question him here.” They dragged him inside.

  “Ok, Jared. As a courtesy to your sister-in-law and your wife, we’re going to give you the opportunity to tell us the truth,” Alvin said. “Start talking.”

  “I’m telling the truth! I was so pissed off last night, I left here, drove around, and rented a room at the Port Warren motel.” Jared paused. “You know, I don’t have to talk to you. I can lawyer up if I want.”

  “Sounds like a convenient admission, Anders,” Alvin said. “We have a witness that shows you destroying property, and your wife has bruises all up and down her arm. We also have witnesses that place you with Liza before your outburst during the rehearsal dinner and kissing her outside after the dinner. You two had the hots for each other, right? Maybe she changed her mind and rejected you. Maybe she chose Maxwell. Who’s to say you didn’t lose your temper with her, too? Wilbur, take this wife-beater down to the station. He makes my stomach turn.”

  As Wilbur slapped a cuff on one of Jared’s wrists, Jared pleaded for him to wait. “Ok! Ok! I was outside with some blond, but she kissed me! I didn’t kiss her, and then Max came out yelling at her. The two of them went inside, and that’s when I left and drove around. I didn’t touch that girl!”

  “Take him away, Wilbur, and hold him there until I finish up here. I’m sure we’re going to find the evidence we need to convict you, Anders. You can kiss all your girlfriends goodbye when I send you to prison.”

  Wilbur finished cuffing Jared and dragged him outside the office where Kim and Kerry were waiting.

  “What did you tell them, Kim? Did you tell them you’re a drunk and a liar, too?” Jared spat as Wilbur dragged him along.

  Kim watched the deputies take her husband away. She was speechless. Kerry put her hand on Kim’s shoulder. Kim spun to face her.

  “Kerry, I’m so very sorry. I swear I had no desire to disrupt your wedding or steal the spotlight or anything like that.” Kim’s eyes were swollen from the tears she shed over the last two days.

  Kerry exhaled softly. Seeing her sister’s arm, she realized there were more important issues now than the wedding.

  “It’s ok. Bradford and I spoke about it. A murder is a pretty serious reason to postpone a wedding, and I’m really worried about you, Kim. Bradford and I can get married anytime. We’re already married in our hearts. We’re prepared to be there for you. You need both of us right now.” Kerry took Kim into her arms and gave her a tight hug. Bradford joined in, hugging them both.

  But something still didn’t feel right. Melody and Smudge looked at each other. Was this case really solved?

  Neither of them was convinced. Melody looked at Smudge. “Something is not right. There’s still no real proof that Jared went into the kitchen. I’m sure someone at the motel can confirm he slept there – if he’s telling the truth. C’mon Smudge, let’s go do some sleuthing. I’ve got my own suspicions.”

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy

  Smudge followed Melody back to the kitchen, where the coroner was taking Liza’s body away. She waited for him to finish and then discreetly let Smudge roam, knowing the little Frenchie would sniff out any important clues.

  Inside the kitchen, Emily collected cleaning supplies. She wanted to clean the crime scene so the inn could get back to business. Coleman Urquhart was surveying the crime scene.

  “Emily, you shouldn’t touch anything yet. Even though the body has been removed, it’s still a crime scene,” Melody explained. From the corner of her eye, Melody spotted Smudge, the little sleuth, sniffing the cupboard. At first, her sniffing was casual, but then it intensified as if she was picking up a scent. Smudge was small enough to fit in the cupboard, so she burrowed deeper inside to investigate. Melody kept a watchful eye on Smudge even though she continued her conversation with Emily.

  “I… I was hoping to get everything cleaned up. Maybe we could still have the wedding. I feel so bad for Bradford and Kerry. I know this day meant a lot to them.” Emily held a bucket in one hand and a mop in the other.

  “I know, but they have decided to postpone the wedding indefinitely,” Melody said.

  Smudge was snuffling loudly as she nosed around in the cupboard. She hadn’t moved onto another location, so she was definitely onto something.

  “Oh, no!” Coleman said, imagining the deafening silence of an empty cash register in his head.

  Noticing Smudge was belly deep in the cupboard, Melody excused herself from her conversation with Emily and guided Smudge gently from the cupboard. “What did you find, Smudge? Let me see, girl.”

  Much to Melody’s surprise, Smudge’s snout was covered in a red sticky substance, but it looked familiar!

  “Smudge, is that frosting on your nose?” Melody touched her fingertip to the red substance and sniffed it. She knew that faint lemon scent! She also recognized the color since she made it in the bakery! The red substance was colored just like the red roses Melody applied to Kerry’s wedding cake, and when she touched her tongue to it, Melody knew she’d recognize that taste anywhere. Smudge also enjoyed licking it off her nose.

  Coleman spotted Smudge’s nose and recognized the red coloring as well. He knew he had seen it before and quickly headed to the refrigerator where Melody’s cake was stored, only to find a chunk had been torn out!

  “Melody! Look at this!” Coleman wheeled the rolling cart out of the refrigerator. “Liza must have helped herself to a snack before her untimely demise.”

  “Yes! I noticed her lips were unusually bright red when we first discovered the body! Normally, they would have been blue,” Melody said, realizing that she had seen too many bodies to know this.

  “That doesn’t make any sense at all,” Emily said. Melody and Coleman looked to her for an explanation.

  “You said yourself that she was a thief and had no respect for the inn, Coleman or her employees,” Melody said.

  Emily nodded and replied to Melody, “Yes, I know, but she also abhorred sweets. Liza valued her looks above all else. She knew her face and figure were her moneymakers. She wouldn’t risk damaging them for anything and certainly not for a piece of cake. She was intensely vain. If she ate that cake, she was forced to eat it.”

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-One

  Melody and Smudge updated Alvin about Smudge’s discovery, then went to Kerry’s room to check in on her. There, they found Kerry and Kim talking.

  “How are you both holding up?” Melody asked.

  Kerry rose from the bed and guided Melody outside the room. She shut the door behind them since she wanted to talk to her privately. Smudge stayed inside, giving Kim sweet kisses and cuddles.

  “I may have to take a leave of absence at the bakery to help my sister.
I’m going to go home with her and try to help her sort through this mess with Jared. Who knows how long this investigation could last? I’m not sure Kim can handle it on her own,” Kerry said.

  “Of course. You need to be there for your family. There’s still a chance Jared didn’t kill Liza, but those marks on your sister’s arm still need to be addressed.”

  Together, they entered the room again. Kim came out of the bathroom, leaving the door open behind her. Melody noticed that Smudge was sniffing around the room intently.

  “I think it’s great that Kerry will be going home with you, Kim. It’s great you two are reconnecting, unfortunately over these circumstances, but still,” Melody said, making conversation even though her eyes were still on Smudge, who was now sniffing around Kim’s suitcases. It looked as if Kerry had been helping Kim pack.

  “Do you really believe Jared could have killed Liza?” Melody asked.

  “Do you really think he’s didn’t? You witnessed his behavior yourself. There’s no way I could live with what he’s done, especially now that he’s ruined my sister’s wedding.”

  “Right, your sister’s wedding,” Melody repeated. Her response made Kim defensive.

  Smudge disappeared into the bathroom, still sniffing. What could she be looking for? Melody wondered.

  “What are you implying, Melody?” Kim asked. There was something in Melody’s tone that irked her. Kim pulled back her sleeve again, reminding Melody of what Jared was capable of, but the marks on Kim’s arm looked drastically improved. The bruises which were much darker were now very faint. Could they be fake? After all, Kim had plenty of time alone to apply them with that deep blue makeup.

  “Did you not see these the first time? You think I just wanted to destroy my sister’s wedding?” Kim was getting increasingly agitated and defensive.

  “Oh, I didn’t say anything of the sort!” Melody held up her hands submissively. “But now that you mention it...” Melody was sure Jared was guilty of something, but not necessarily murder and possibly not assault. There was something about the way Kim came forward that she distrusted. As she was about to dig deeper, Smudge interrupted her.

  Smudge barked, but it was muffled. She stood behind Kim, holding something in her mouth. The three women turned to look at the pup. Melody suddenly knew exactly what it was!

  In her mouth was the dress that Kim wore to the rehearsal dinner, but today it was covered with Kerry’s wedding cake, including some of the red rose icing!

  “Nice work, Smudge!” Melody nodded.

  Kim lunged for the dog, trying to grab the dress from her mouth, but Smudge was too fast and ran around the room, keeping a hold of it.

  Kerry stepped between Smudge and her sister. She was furious! Melody blocked the door and quickly summoned Alvin via text!

  “How dare you,” Kerry hissed. “You always had to have center stage. You were like this when we were kids, and you’re like this now. Nothing has changed! Let’s see how being the center of attention in prison works out for you!”

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Two

  “I’m not lying! Jared is abusive! He’s the one you want!” Kim cried as Wilbur led her through the front lobby in handcuffs.

  “No one doubts he’s abusive, Kim. We’ve seen him be unkind, but that doesn’t make him a murderer. You may have gotten away with blaming him had you not stuffed Kerry’s wedding cake in your victim’s mouth,” Melody said. “You just had to destroy that, too!”

  Kim snarled at Melody from over her shoulder and shoved Wilbur back on his feet. She was at her breaking point and apparently quite strong! Adrenaline could do that to a person. This confirmed Kim was capable of overpowering Liza.

  “I saw them kissing outside the inn! Liza thought she was so powerful; she thought she could have any man she wanted with her pretty face and young, perfect body. It gave me the greatest pleasure stuffing that cake down her throat!” Kim admitted. The anger was oozing from her very being.

  Emily and Coleman watched the scene. Remembering something important, Emily ran up to Melody quickly and showed her a text she received during the rehearsal dinner. It was the same text she received when she excused herself from her conversation with Melody outside the ladies’ room.

  “She asked me to give her a tour of the kitchen! She must have been planning how she was going to murder Liza!” Emily said.

  “The cost of murder just went up, Kim!” Alvin said. “That’s premeditation right there.”

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Three

  A few days later, Coleman Urquhart and Emily Norton dropped by Decadently Delicious to meet with Bradford and Kerry.

  “Thank you for meeting with us,” Emily said on behalf of herself and Coleman.

  Melody and Smudge hung back to give the four privacy.

  “We would really appreciate the opportunity to host your wedding, again,” Coleman said. “We’ve made some significant changes in staff, and Emily has been promoted to my assistant manager. I’m finally confident we have the right team in place to make the inn the success it deserves to be, and your wedding would be a great opportunity for us to prove it to you and to Port Warren.”

  Kerry took Bradford’s hand and looked into his eyes, before replying to Coleman and Emily. Bradford nodded for Kerry to tell them their news. Bradford and Kerry had also made some significant changes in their wedding plans.

  “We appreciate you coming to the shop to talk with us, but Bradford and I have decided to go another route. We’ve decided to keep our wedding more intimate. We don’t need an elaborate affair. We realized how much pressure having the perfect wedding put on both of us. We don’t want to start our new life together, stressed, and worried about what could go wrong. We just need each other. That’s all that matters. We do wish you luck with the inn, and we’re happy to hear the inn that’s been such an important part of Port Warren’s history will still be an important part of its future - and who knows, maybe one day a baby shower at the inn will be in our future.”

  “Do you mean…?” Emily asked.

  Kerry and Bradford both laughed.

  “No! Not yet. First things first, but one day.” Kerry gave Bradford’s hand a gentle squeeze.

  “Well, I can’t say I’m not disappointed. Your wedding was going to be one of our best yet, but I understand, considering the circumstances,” Coleman said sadly.

  Once Emily and Coleman left, Melody approached Kerry and Bradford.

  “I hope you two aren’t scrapping your wedding plans altogether,” she said.

  Kerry and Bradford exchanged a secretive look and laughed.

  “Nope, we’re actually headed to Las Vegas! Isn’t it romantic? It’s like eloping, and Maxwell has promised to show us a good time!” Kerry was over the moon with excitement. Bradford laughed and hugged her.

  “And, we have some more news,” Bradford said. “We want you, Alvin and Smudge, to join us and be our witnesses at the Elvis Chapel O’ Love!”

  How could Melody resist an offer like that?

  Smudge yipped and spun excitedly while Melody speed-dialed Alvin.

  “I’ll call Alvin right now! Smudge, get ready for a cross-country trip!”

  Kidnapped at the Casino

  Bakers and Bulldog Mysteries

  by

  Rosie Sams

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Four

  “Sir, we’re going to come through with the dinner cart in just one moment. Please mind your legs,” the blonde flight attendant said to Alvin Hennessey as she forced a smile on her face. Her tone was pleasant but firm.

  Melody Marshall stifled a giggle as she watched her fiancé glare at the woman. For a moment, their gazes locked in a stare-down, then he slowly moved his outstretched legs from the aisle back to the front of his seat.

  Satisfied with her win, the attendant moved down the aisle and smiled at the next passenger committing the same crime.

  “I’m glad we paid for extra legroom,” Alvin said sarcastically as he adjusted his
position, hoping to find a more bearable one, if not one more comfortable. He was a tall man with long legs. Even with the extra legroom, space was tight.

  Melody shifted in her seat, attempting to create more room for him.

  “It could be worse. We could be back by the bathroom.” Melody lifted her open SkyShop magazine to hide a second giggle. From below her seat, Smudge huffed from her airline-approved travel crate. She, too, was showing signs of displeasure with her seating conditions.

  “Oh, don’t you start grumbling, too. You’re supposed to be on my side,” Melody said to her. She reached down and stuck her fingers through the side of the crate playfully stroking Smudge’s soft fur. Smudge kissed her fingers affectionately. “Now, you two need to settle down and enjoy the rest of the flight. It’ll be over before you know it, and we’ll be in sunny Las Vegas!” Melody danced in her seat excitedly.

  Alvin lifted a brow, pouted and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. Melody suspected Smudge was doing the same, and she had to bite down another giggle. It would not help to antagonize the pair.

  “Yes, sunny and hot like the ninth circle of hell,” Alvin said.

  “That’s why we’ll be enjoying one of the many pools the hotel has to offer! It has four.” Melody held up the SkyShop magazine with one hand, showing him an advertisement for the Blue Rose Casino & Hotel. Then, with her other hand, she counted out four fingers.

  Alvin refused to look at the magazine, but he playfully chomped at her fingers. Although he was less than excited about the trip, he couldn’t resist Melody’s attempts to make him feel better. Normally, those attempts worked right away, but the looming intensity of Las Vegas with its bright lights, constantly noisy ringing slots, never-ending piped-in music, and hot and sweaty crowd, was making him anxious to the core. He preferred his simple routine life back home, cuddled on the sofa with Melody and Smudge. They could eat sweet treats like cupcakes and butter cookies, and maybe solve a crime or two.