by Emmie Lyn
I inhaled deeply, savoring the rich chocolate aroma and waved my hand to direct more of the delicious scent my way. With one deep breath, I could have vacuumed the whole, delicious batch right into my mouth. “Chocolate. Sweet creamy chocolate. Want me to cut them?” I grabbed a long slicing knife.
“Ha! I don’t think so,” Lily replied. “First, they need to cool, and second, with that drool at the edge of your mouth, I’m afraid every single one will end up in your stomach. Anyway, these are a special order. Remember?”
I dabbed at my mouth before realizing that Lily was exaggerating about any drool. “A special order?” I knew we prepared dozens of desserts for the quilt auction, but brownies weren’t on the list.
“Sue Ellen is going crazy with preparations for her quilt auction tonight. On top of her original dessert request, she insisted we add something extra chocolaty to satisfy the biggest chocoholic.” Lily shrugged. “I think she meant herself. Our brownies are already rich, but she wants chocolate frosting slathered on top. I suspect there could be a few sugar overdoses.” She leaned closer to me as though some of the customers might hear. “Personally, the chocolate frosting is over the top sweet for me, but what Sue Ellen wants, Sue Ellen gets. Right?”
“Oh, yeah, she certainly has that I-don’t-take-no for an answer personality.” My eyes were glued to the brownies. Too sweet? No way.
Lily elbowed me out of my brownie fixation and nodded toward the pastry case. “Your creepy admirer is eyeing the pastries. You’d better get over there and help him. I’ll handle the breakfast orders.”
“I hate starting the day with a customer that unappealing,” I mumbled so only Lily could hear but she had already moved to a family of five at a nearby table and was taking their order.
I welcomed the barrier of the pastry case as I forced up a smile for the stranger. “Does anything appeal to you this morning?” I said as brightly as I could. What was it about him that sent shivers down my neck?
“As a matter of fact, just about everything in here is making my taste buds rev into overdrive but,” he looked up into my eyes, “I’m looking for Rose Mackenzie. She’s supposed to meet me here.”
With my face as neutral as I could manage, I asked, “And you are?” There was nothing about this man that made me connect him with my grandma.
“Rudy.”
“Oh,” I said, probably sounding like a doofus. The name sparked my memory but, like so often happens, the image I had was a far cry from this man standing in front of me. For some reason, I expected a tall, dark, and handsome man, but this guy was the complete opposite.
“Rudy Genova, the videographer?” I made sure to say it loud enough so Lily would hear and put an end to wondering about whether this mystery man was a mass murderer or a harmless customer. “That’s why you were staring at me earlier?”
“Yeah. You look like Rose. Are you sisters?” His lips turned up at the edges. I guessed it was supposed to be a smile.
That was quite the come-on. Not that I didn’t like being compared to my elegant grandmother, but, come on, there was fifty years separating us. “She’s my grandmother, but people always confuse us as sisters.” I wondered if he caught my sarcasm.
He leaned over the top of the pastry display. I leaned away, not sure if he was planning to climb over the barrier. “Now that I’m closer, I can see how much younger you are, and you beat Rose in the looks department, hands down.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Don’t tell her I said that, though, okay?”
I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. I asked, in an attempt to move the conversation away from this awkwardness, “Rose said she’d meet you here?”
Now that I remembered who this mystery man was, the guy Rose had told me was helping with her website, I gave Rudy a more thorough inspection—from his shiny black hair, coal dark eyes, and stocky build, which put him a few inches taller than my five-foot-five height, to his black jeans and black leather boots that looked out of place for a summer day in our Maine seaside town. Where was Rose to save me from this man?
“That’s what she said, the Little Dog Diner. You know, it’s a quaint little place.” He swiveled his head around like a bobblehead doll and asked, “We gonna do any of the filming for her website here?”
Before I could catch my breath and figure out the proper answer to this question, a voice, with a slight southern twang, boomed through the diner. I turned to see two women.
Sue Ellen wagged her finger and moaned, “Rudy. Rudy. Rudy. Bless your heart. You arrived and never let me know you’re here?” Her eyes narrowed as she delivered a fake, “Naughty, naughty,” scold at her friend.
I sighed with relief and had to admit to myself that I had never been so happy to see Sue Ellen Baer walk into the diner. With her voluminous red dress ballooning around her, she moved toward her prey like a bullfighter wielding a cape. It wasn’t just her oversized personality that filled up the café. Her extra-large leather tote bag banged into the side of her leg with each step and with the top gaping open, it was ready for every single brownie to jump inside. I chuckled at that image.
Sue Ellen was one of those curvy women who always looked stylish, though having an unlimited budget for the latest fashions and frequent trips to the hair and nail salons didn’t hurt, either. She managed quite nicely on her inheritance from her late father which allowed her to indulge in all of life’s pleasures plus build one of the biggest houses in Misty Harbor.
“Sue Ellen?” Rudy extended both arms, wrapping her in a big bear hug. Then he backed up, letting his gaze run from Sue Ellen’s bleached blonde curly hair to her five-inch heels. “You are a sight for sore eyes in that ruby red dress.”
“Oh, Rudy.” Sue Ellen giggled and covered her mouth. A pink splotch grew on both cheeks. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
Girls? I thought. Sue Ellen was at least thirty years beyond her girl days.
Rudy winked at me before he continued his flattery. “Nonsense, Sue Ellen. You can’t be a day older than—”
“Shush!” Sue Ellen put her finger across Rudy’s lips. “Stop right now and don’t embarrass me, Rudy.” She pulled another woman closer. “You haven’t met Judith Manning yet. My indispensable last-minute detail-fixer for the auction. You know me, I see the big picture.”
Judith lingered behind Sue Ellen, content to be out of the spotlight.
Meanwhile, Sue Ellen’s arms swirled in an arc above her head. “Judith figures out how to turn my vision into a reality worthy of this monumental occasion.”
Judith smiled, but I could tell her heart wasn’t in it. She had the look of someone who spent most of her time on the outside looking in rather than smack in the center where Sue Ellen flourished. Her dark skirt and white blouse, along with practical black pumps made a stark contrast to Sue Ellen’s flamboyant style.
She held her hand out. “Nice to meet you, Rudy. Sue Ellen has built you up into someone capable of performing filming magic. I hope you can live up to this pedestal she has you on.”
“Oh, don’t mind her, Rudy. Judith, unlike me, sees problems around every corner.” From what I’d heard, Judith had a few problems of her own, but maybe that was gossip. “Come over to one of the booths and have coffee with us.” Sue Ellen continued. “I’ve got a few last-minute details I want to discuss for your filming tonight at the quilt auction.” She lowered her voice, for the first time since she’d entered the diner, “Dani, sweetheart, could you bring over three of those spectacular looking fruit thingies?”
“Sue Ellen, I haven’t learned to read minds yet.” I smiled and bit the inside of my cheek as a reminder to be patient. “Is it this cream cheese square with raspberries on Lily’s flakey pastry or this blueberry tart glazed with apricot jam?”
Sue Ellen bobbed her body back and forth, considering the offerings, and swinging that ruby red fabric a foot to each side of her legs. “Too many delicious choices. Just put two of each on a plate, that way, I won’t be second-guessing myself. By the wa
y, are all the desserts ready for the auction tonight?”
“Just finishing up the last of the chocolate covered brownies that you added last night, Sue Ellen,” Lily said with a wink at me. “I had a devil of a time keeping them away from our own chocoholic.”
“Oh, I know.” Sue Ellen closed her eyes and shivered with passion. “Chocolate is impossible to resist. Could you put a few in a bag for me to take this morning?”
“No problem,” Lily said.
Rose, sunglasses perched on the top of her head and her straw hat tucked under her arm, glided into the diner; a woman on a mission. “Oh, Rudy, I’m sorry I’m late. Sometimes, I can’t get out of my own way. Let me grab some blueberry whoopie pies to go and you can follow me to Blueberry Acres. I want to show you one of Misty Harbor’s oldest businesses while I explain my vision for my website.”
Rudy turned away from Sue Ellen and stared at Rose, showing hesitation about which woman to follow.
I was a step ahead of Rose, packing blueberry whoopie pies in a box for her as soon as I heard her destination. “Packed and ready to go. I put in plenty for Luke and his dad since I know these are their favorite, especially with their blueberries in the recipe.”
“I could kiss you, Dani.” Rose tucked the box under her arm. “Okay, then. It’s looking busy here this morning, so we’ll get out of your way.
I hoped that Rose’s enthusiasm carried her through this latest project. She wanted this film on her website for the Blueberry Bay Grapevine, her weekly paper for all things of interest in the Blueberry Bay area.
“Don’t forget, you volunteered Lily and me for dessert delivery and setup at Sue Ellen’s house for the auction.”
“Oh, right. I’ll keep Rudy busy for the morning and then Sue Ellen gets him for the afternoon. I’ll see you back at Sea Breeze tonight, Dani. And, don’t worry about Pip while you’re working. I’ll take her with me.”
I looked out the window at my terrier. Pip sat quietly in front of her water dish like a famous movie star, enjoying the morning sunshine and the many pats from residents walking by who’d become her friends since I’d rescued her from a horrible fate. Rose had her adorned with a hot pink bandana that complimented Pip’s white hair and brown ears. By her upturned face and wagging tail, I suspected she knew exactly how cute she looked, too.
Rose took Rudy’s arm with one hand and balancing the box of whoopie pies with the other, she left exactly how she’d arrived—like a seagull soaring over Blueberry Bay, ready for anything.
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What’s After That?
I always thought weddings were supposed to be about joining lives… Not ending them.
But when an unexpected guest shows up dead on the beach and the groom seems to be hiding more than just cold feet, I need to take my chef’s hat off and don my deerstalker once again.
Who was this mysterious stranger that came to town claiming to be a long lost relative, and why is she now dead? Who is the groom really, and are his intentions for my friend pure?
Deceit—like revenge—may be a dish best served cold, but I’m not quite sure any of us have the stomach for it. Wedding bells are ringing, but might they also be the death knell? And is the killer really going to be satisfied with just one victim when two could be twice as nice?
Oh, dear. Pip and I certainly have our work cut out for us this time…
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More Blueberry Bay
Welcome to Blueberry Bay, a scenic region of Maine peppered with quaint small towns and home to a shocking number of mysteries. If you loved this book, then make sure to check out its sister series from other talented Cozy Mystery authors…
Pet Whisperer P.I.
By Molly Fitz
Glendale is home to Blueberry Bay’s first ever talking cat detective. Along with his ragtag gang of human and animal helpers, Octo-Cat is determined to save the day… so long as it doesn’t interfere with his schedule. Start with book one, Kitty Confidential, which is now available to buy or borrow! Visit www.MollyMysteries.com for more.
Little Dog Diner
By Emmie Lyn
Misty Cove boasts the best lobster rolls in all of Blueberry Bay. There’s another thing that’s always on the menu, too. Murder! Dani and her little terrier, Pip, have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time… which often lands them smack in the middle of a fresh, new murder mystery and in the crosshairs of one cunning criminal after the next. Start with book one, Mixing Up Murder, which is now available to buy or borrow! Visit www.EmmieLynBooks.com for more.
Shelf Indulgence
By S.E. Babin
Dewdrop Springs is home to Tattered Pages, a popular bookshop with an internet cafe, a grumpy Persian cat named Poppy, and some of the most suspicious characters you’ll ever meet. And poor Dakota Adair has just inherited it all. She’ll need to make peace with her new cat and use all her book smarts to catch a killer or she might be the next to wind up dead in the stacks. Book one, Hardback Homicide, will be coming soon. Keep an eye on www.QuirkyCozy.com for more.
Haunted Housekeeping
By R.A. Muth
Cooper's Cove is home to Blueberry Bay's premier estate cleaning service. Tori and Hazel, the ill-fated proprietors of Bubbles and Troubles, are prepared to uncover a few skeletons. But when a real one turns up, they'll have to solve the mystery quickly if they're going to save their reputations--and their lives. Book one, The Squeaky Clean Skeleton, will be coming soon. Keep an eye on www.QuirkyCozy.com for more.
The Kindergarten Coven
By F.M. Storm
Quiet, secluded, and most importantly, far away from his annoying magical family, Guy couldn’t wait to start a new life on Caraway Island. Unfortunately, he hadn’t counted on his four-year-old daughter coming into her own witchy powers early… or on her accidentally murdering one of the PTO moms. Oops! Book one, Stay-at-Home Sorcery, will be coming soon. Keep an eye on www.QuirkyCozy.com for more.
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About Emmie Lyn
Emmie Lyn shares her world with her husband, a rescue terrier named Underdog, and a black cat named Ziggy. When she’s not busy thinking of ways to kill off a character, she loves enjoying tea and chocolate in her flower garden, hiking, or spending time near the ocean. Find out more at Emmielynbooks.com.
More from Emmie
COZY MYSTERIES
Little Dog Diner
Mixing Up Murder
COMING SOON
Serving Up Suspects
Dishing Up Deceit
Cooking Up Chaos
Catering Up Catastrophe
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Gold Coast Retrievers
Helping Hanna
Shielding Shelly