by Amber Crewes
JINGLE BELLS AND DEADLY SMELLS
A Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery
By
Amber Crewes
Published by Pen-n-a-Pad Publishing in 2018
All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © Pen-n-a-Pad Publishing
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
CONTENTS
About Ice Cream and Guilty Pleasures
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Thank You!
About Jingle Bells and Deadly Smells
ALSO BY AMBER CREWES
Newsletter Signup
About Jingle Bells and Deadly Smells
Released: December, 2018
Series: Book 10 – Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery Series
Standalone: Yes
Cliff-hanger: No
Christmas is that season…that season of pleasant surprises…delicious smells…and family and friends to share the holidays with.
This Christmas, Sandy Bay’s lovable bakery owner, Meghan Truman, gets a whole more than she bargained for…plus a dead body at the door of her favorite restaurant. Some people would rather sweep this murder under the carpet but something smells awfully fishy about the events surrounding it.
Will Meghan join Detective Irvin to find the murderer or will this event serve to etch unpleasant memories of this most wonderful time of the year?
THANK YOU FOR GETTING THIS BOOK IN THE SANDY BAY COZY MYSTERY SERIES. WHY DON’T YOU SIGN UP FOR UPDATES AND GET THE PREQUEL STORY SENT TO YOU FOR FREE
Click Here to Receive Updates and the Prequel
1
It was going to be a white Christmas in Sandy Bay, and Meghan Truman could hardly contain her excitement as the glittering white snowflakes tumbled from the sky. Meghan shivered as she adjusted the pink tartan scarf around her neck, thankful for its comfort as she stepped outside into the chilly evening. Meghan set off down the street toward Spark, a new boutique in town. She was ten minutes late for her shopping date with Jackie, her close friend, and Meghan trudged through the snow in her knee-length brown boots.
“Can you spare a dime, Miss?”
Meghan bit her bottom lip as a homeless man on the corner beckoned her toward him. She nervously ran a hand through her long, dark hair, shaking her head as she passed.
“I’m sorry,” Meghan muttered as she looked down at her boots. “I don’t have any cash.”
Her heart sank as she walked away from the homeless man, and her cheeks burned with shame. She truly did not have any cash on her, but Meghan’s chest tightened with guilt as she considered the man’s plight. “Perhaps I could have given him my gloves,” she thought to herself. “Or I could have dashed home and fetched some treats for him from the bakery.”
She was the sole owner of Truly Sweet, a wildly successful bakery in Sandy Bay. She had opened the bakery after moving to Sandy Bay from Los Angeles less than a year ago, and now, after months of persistence and perseverance, Truly Sweet was one of the most popular bakeries in the Pacific Northwest. Meghan’s orders had more than quadrupled in the last three months, and she was thankful for the help of Trudy, her assistant, and Pamela, the high-school girl she had hired to help with the heavy workload.
“I have so much stale bread and old pastries sitting in my pantry,” she murmured, still distraught by her interaction with the homeless man. “It is so cold tonight, and he needs to eat. I will just have to be a few more minutes late to my shopping date.”
Meghan turned around, treading back through the heavy snow. She unlocked the front door of the bakery, smiling as the familiar sound of the little silver bells attached to the door jingled merrily. She heard her little twin dogs barking upstairs in her apartment, but she ignored them, sprinting into the kitchen of the bakery and removing a bag of old pastries and breads from the closet.
“Perfect,” Meghan said, satisfied as she filled a cloth sack with the food. “I can drop these off with that man, and hopefully, he will go to bed with a full belly tonight.”
She raced out of the bakery and back onto the slippery streets. She nearly fell as her feet slipped beneath her, but she regained her composure and marched off toward the corner where she had encountered the homeless man.
“Oh no,” Meghan sighed as she arrived to find the man had vanished. “He’s gone. I was too late.”
She hung her head, wishing she had had something to give the man when she first met him. “Maybe I’ll see him again someday,” Meghan considered as she rested the bag of food down on the side of street. “Maybe he’ll come back. I’ll leave this food here for now. I hope he finds it.”
Jackie chastised Meghan as she entered the shop. “Where have you been? You are too late, girlfriend. This is the second time this week you’ve been late to a hang out.”
Meghan’s cheeks burned, and she sheepishly apologized to Jackie, explaining why she was late.
“Oh, Meghan,” Jackie said kindly as she saw the tears in her dark eyes. “You were full of the holiday spirit. I’m proud of you. What a good person you are.”
Meghan shrugged. “I just think everyone deserves a full belly and a warm bed.”
Jackie smiled. “Your heart is truly sweet, Meghan. Hey, speaking of Truly Sweet, are you doing the desserts for Jack’s holiday party?”
Meghan grinned at the mention of Jack Irvin, her handsome detective boyfriend. “No,” she explained to Jackie. “Chief Nunan reached out and asked me to do the desserts, but I decided to pass the chance up; I want to go to the party as a guest, and I think dealing with the desserts would be a lot of stress.”
Jackie nodded. “That makes sense,” she told Meghan. “Well, the Sandy Bay Police Department Christmas Party is always a huge event in town. Everyone dresses up, and there is mistletoe, and it’s just magical.”
Meghan smiled. “I need to find the perfect dress; do you think I would look nice in red velvet?”
Jackie squinted her eyes at Meghan, looking up and down at her curvy frame. “Yes,” she finally replied. “I think with your dark hair and olive skin, you would glow in red velvet. Come on! Let’s see what this shop has to offer.”
“Ladies!”
Meghan and Jackie turned to find Kirsty Fisher beaming at them, her blonde bob sitting elegantly just above her shoulders, and a strand of tiny pearls wrapped around her thin neck. Kirsty was a dedicated philanthropist and organizer in the community; if there was an event or party, it was likely that Kirsty had planned and put on the event, and she was always looking for favors as she dreamed up new functions for the town.
“So good to see you girls,” Kirsty cooed as she gave Meghan and Jackie air-kisses on both cheeks. “In fact, I was just thinking of you, Meghan. What are you doing next weekend?”
Meghan grimaced. “Why do you ask, Kirsty?”
Kirsty adjusted her red and green sweater set and smiled warmly. “I’m organizing a celebration of Christmas carols, and I would love if you could help me.”
Meghan paused. She had intentionally slowed her schedule over the last week, and she was looking forward to some much-needed rest and recuperation after such a busy, eventful year in Sandy Bay.
Kirsty shook her head. “I don’t want your treats,” she informed her. “I need your voice. I am trying to recruit anyone and everyone to participate, and for a small donation, you can join in the fun.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow. “I have a terrible voice,” she told Kirsty. “It’s horrendous; I was actually cut from my middle-school choir because I am tone-deaf.”
Kirsty waved her hands dismissively. “You can just lip-sync, then. Jackie, I’m sure you can sing on pitch. Would you join us?”
Jackie wrinkled her nose. “My voice isn’t good…”
Kirsty huffed in frustration. “This is for a good cause, girls,” she informed Meghan and Jackie. “The donations are being given to the local homeless agency, and with the holidays just around the corner, it is important to think of others.”
The image of the homeless man on the corner from earlier flashed through Meghan’s mind, and she nodded emphatically. “Yes, you are right,” she said to Kirsty. “We’ll both be there.”
Kirsty tossed her blonde hair behind her shoulder and smiled haughtily. “That’s what I wanted to hear,” she told both ladies. “Wonderful. Just bring something for the homeless folks who attend. You can even bring something store-bought, Meghan. Just make sure you have something for them, as well as your donation. Toodles, girls! See you at the Christmas carol.”
Jackie rolled her eyes as Kirsty sashayed out of the boutique. “How did we just get roped into that?”
Meghan shrugged. “Kirsty is right,” she told Jackie. “It’s the season of love and giving. I can whip up a batch of cookies to take with me, and we’ll both go. Besides, it’s only for a few hours, and it’s for a great cause. What could go wrong?
On the evening of the event, Jack picked Meghan up from the bakery. His blonde hair was smoothed down with gel, and Meghan thought he looked handsome in his green Christmas sweater.
“Thanks for going with me tonight,” Meghan said to Jack as she leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him softly on the lips.
“Of course,” he replied. “It’s a good cause, and I’m proud of you.”
Meghan smiled. “It will be fun. It’s always good to give back.”
Jack and Meghan drove to the Sandy Bay Community Center, and as he helped Meghan out of the car, her eyes sparkled with joy. “Look at the decorations,” she cried, pointing to a ten-foot high Christmas tree positioned outside of the main entry. “It’s beautiful.”
Jack playfully swatted Meghan on the arm. “Don’t you know by now that Sandy Bay knows how to celebrate?”
Jack took Meghan’s hand as they entered the massive main room. Meghan saw Kirsty assembling carolers onto bleachers, and she waved at Jackie from across the room. “I’m going to go get settled. Can you put my cookies on that dessert table over there?”
Jack nodded, taking the bag from Meghan’s hands. “Of course. You go have fun!”
Meghan scurried over to where the singers were corralled, but as she began to ascend the stairs to her row on the bleachers, she heard a shout. Meghan turned to see four men shoving each other next to the dessert table.
“I want all of those cookies. You ate too much cake.”
“Don’t be selfish. My kids need some food too.”
“This stupid party was the only way to get some good food, and I’m going to take what I want.”
Meghan saw one of the men reach into the bag and take out her cookies. From his tattered clothes and greasy hair, she presumed he was homeless. She watched in horror as he threw her cookies onto the floor.
“I’ll be right back,” Meghan whispered to Jackie as she took off across the room. “Hey, sir? Sir? I only made enough so that each person could have two cookies.”
The man scowled, but he nodded at Meghan. “Sorry. I was just excited.”
Meghan felt a hard tap on her shoulder. She heard Jack’s deep voice coming toward her. “Don’t you touch her!”
Meghan’s heart beat faster as she turned around. Jack ran to her side, but as she made eye contact with the man who touched her shoulder, she gasped.
“What do you think you are doing?” Jack demanded as he stepped between Meghan and the man. “Keep your hands off of my girlfriend.”
The man chuckled, winking at Meghan. “Who do I think I am? Meghan, honey? Wanna tell ‘em?”
Meghan’s jaw-dropped. “Daddy,” she whispered. “Daddy, I can’t believe you are here.
2
“This is your father?” Jack asked Meghan in a panicked voice.
Meghan nodded. “Jack, this is my father. Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Jack.”
Jack reached out his right hand, and it shook as he extended it. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Truman,” Jack breathed anxiously as Meghan’s father peered down at him.
“Call me Henry,” Meghan’s father ordered.
“Henry,” Jack repeated obediently. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Jack was a tall man, but Henry Truman was even taller; Meghan’s father towered over Jack, making Jack look like a little boy. Henry was also brawnier than Jack; Mr. Truman’s muscles protruded from his expensive-looking shirt, and Meghan could not believe how intimidated Jack appeared beside her father.
“I’m so sorry to have stood in your way,” Jack apologized as Henry stared at his outstretched hand. “I didn’t know….”
“Put your hand down,” Henry commanded as he planted a paternal kiss on Meghan’s forehead. “I’ll shake your hand when I’ve been properly introduced by my daughter. Meggie, sugar, who is this fellow? Is this the boy you’ve been speaking to your mama about when you phone us in Texas?”
Meghan nodded. “Yes,” she admitted. “Daddy, this is Jack Irvin of the Sandy Bay Police Department. Jack, this is my father, Henry Truman, CEO and founder of The Truman Oil Company.”
Henry winked at his daughter. “That was a proper introduction. Okay Jack, now I can shake your hand.”
Henry grabbed Jack’s hand and pumped it vigorously, and Meghan watched as her boyfriend’s face turned beet-red. “Daddy, you’re hurting him,” she softly protested. “Where’s mama?”
Henry let go of Jack’s hand, but he did not break eye contact with Meghan’s boyfriend as he answered her question. “She’s resting at our hotel,” Henry said as he smiled down at his daughter, his own dark eyes sparkling. “She’s very excited to see you; it was her idea to surprise you here in Sandy Bay during the holidays, and by the look on your face, I can tell that you had no idea we were coming up this way.”
Meghan grinned at her father, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She breathed in the familiar, musky scent of Brut, his favorite cologne, and she laughed as she recalled the frightened look on Jack’s face. “Daddy, you pulled one on me. I can’t believe you and mama came up here.”
Henry’s face fell. “We feel terrible that we didn’t visit you when you lived in Los Angeles,” Henry told Meghan quietly. “With so many children, and my business, it was just too much. Your mama and I want to make it up to you now; we’re staying for a whole week!”
Meghan clapped her hands in excitement. “Who is home watching the children?” she asked, thinking of her many younger siblings back in Texas.
Henry smiled coyly. “We hired a nanny,” he informed her. “His name is Garrett, and he is quite helpful; he cooks, he cleans, and he makes sure all things run smoothly at home. Your mama is an angel for electing to stay home with all of her children, and having another pair of hands has been so good for her nerves.”
Meghan beamed and took her father’s hands. “I’m just so happy the pair of you are here. Sandy Bay is adorable, and I cannot wait to show you the bakery.”
Henry hugged his daughter. “I cannot wait to see what your hard work has resu
lted in,” he whispered into Meghan’s ear. “You’ve always been my good girl, Meghan. Your mother and I are so proud of you.”
Jack stepped into the conversation. “Can I suggest dinner? We could all go out and get to know each other. My treat.”
Henry shook his head. “Shhh, John, can’t you see I’m having a conversation with my daughter?”
Meghan giggled. “It’s Jack, Daddy.”
“Jack, John, same thing,” Henry sighed. “Dinner is out of the question tonight; your mother is fast asleep in the hotel room, and I am about to drop dead of exhaustion myself. We will plan on being at your bakery bright and early, Meghan, for a grand tour. What do you say?”
Meghan blushed. “It’s a small bakery, so it is not quite grand, but yes, please come!”