Custard Crime: Donut Mystery #14 (The Donut Mysteries) (19 page)

“No, I don’t have a clue about that,” he said
dismissively, “but I saw you and Grace sneaking into Evelyn’s house
yesterday.
 
I’m sorry, but I’m going
to have to tell the police what I witnessed.”

Were we actually going to be busted by a nosy
neighbor after Grace and I had avoided Jake and the entire April Springs police
force?
 
Not if I could help it.
 
“If you saw us, then you must have seen
Chief Martin, and then Jake Bishop, the state police inspector, was there, too.”

“Sorry.
 
I
must have missed them.”

Of course he had.
 
“Well, they were both there soon after
Grace and I went in.
 
We all had a
discussion on the front porch not ten minutes after we all got there.”

“I didn’t know that.
 
I had a phone call that I had to take,”
he said, sounding a little apologetic.
 
“What were you doing there in the first place, Suzanne?”

I decided that the truth might be my best weapon
right now.
 
“I was looking for clues
about who killed Evelyn.”

“You’re really going to try to solve this case
yourself?”

“Along with some help from my friends, that’s exactly
what I’m going to try to do.”

“I don’t think that’s a very smart move on your part,”
he said, watching me closely as he spoke.

That was what I’d initially been afraid of.
 
“Robby, are you threatening me?”

“Of course not.
 
I just think it’s dangerous to get mixed up with killers.”

“We’ll be careful,” I said.

“That’s good, because you never know what’s going to
be around the next corner, do you?”

“You sure don’t,” I said.
 
Even though Robby had said that he
wasn’t threatening me, it was still sounding like that to me.
 
I was about to ask him something a
little more pointed when the door to the donut shop opened behind me.

“Is everything all right out here?” Emma asked.

“It’s fine,” I said.
 
“Robby just wanted to chat, but we’re
finished now, aren’t we?” I asked him.

“Sure,” he said.
 
“You two have a good morning.”

“You, too,” I said, about as insincerely as he’d
been.

“What was that all about?” Emma asked me as we walked
back into Donut Hearts.

“Believe me, you don’t want to know.
 
Are the cake donuts finished already?”

“They’ve all been fried, glazed, and trayed,” my
assistant said, and then she added with a smile, “The first round of dishes are
ready for you.”

“That sounds great,” I said.

“Suzanne, you really don’t have to do them.
 
I don’t mind.”

“Nonsense,” I said as I started running hot water
into the sink.
 
“That was our
deal.
 
There’s no way that I’m going
to have you make the donuts and clean up, too.
 
It’s just not fair.”
 
I added some soap to the water and was
immediately rewarded with bubbles forming.
 
“Honestly, this might be kind of fun.”

“Oh, yes, it’s a real blast,” she said.
 
“What should I do while you’re doing
that?”

“Why don’t you take a break?
 
I can handle this, and then I’ll get
started on the yeast donuts.”

“I could start them for you, if you’d like,” Emma
offered.

“Thanks, but I’ve got it,” I answered as the first
dirty bowl went into the water.

“If you’re sure,” she said, and then Emma walked out
of the kitchen into the front.
 

There was a calm and peaceful rhythm to washing and
then drying the bowls, measuring cups, and various utensils we used at the
shop, and I found my mind drifting off to the murder case, and who might have
done it.
 
I’d read once that Agatha
Christie had preferred doing dishes when working on the plots of some of her mysteries,
and I could see why.
 
It kept the
body moving but freed the mind.
 
Unfortunately, by the time I finished the first round of dishes, I was
still no closer to solving Evelyn’s murder than I had been when I’d
started.
 
At least I had a clean
stack of dishes to show for it.
 
With that done, it was time to start on the yeast donuts.
 
Measuring out the ingredients into my
large floor stand mixer, I flipped the switch and let things incorporate.
 
After that, I removed the beater and
covered the bowl to give the dough a chance to rest and raise, so I went out to
tell Emma that it was time for our first break together.

To my surprise, I found her sound asleep on my
favorite couch.

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” I said with a smile as
I swatted her lightly with a dish towel.

“Did I nod off?” she asked me as she sat up and
rubbed her eyes.

“You did indeed.
 
Are you ready for our break?”

“I thought I was just on one,” Emma said as she stood
and stretched.

“You were, but we can take this one together
outside.”

Once we were sitting at our table outside, Emma said,
“To tell you the truth, I’m not sure that I like this new experiment.”

“What’s not to like?”

“I enjoy staying busy, and I like our routine.
 
Can we go back to the old way?”

“Are you sure?” I asked her.

“I’m positive.
 
I just have one request.”

“What’s that?”

“I still want to try one odd-flavored donut a
week.
 
It’s not much trouble, and
I’m still happy to do all of the dishes, but it’s been fun creating new taste
treats that might be raging successes or abysmal failures.”

“You don’t mind it when they don’t work out?” I asked
her.

“Are you kidding?
 
I threw away more than my share of
batter when Mom and I were running the place.
 
In small quantities, of course.”

“Of course.
 
Sure, that sounds good to me.
 
I like things done a certain way myself.
 
I’ve got to tell you, though, washing
dishes can be good for the spirit.”

“Why do you think I don’t mind doing them?” she asked
me with a grin.

Too soon our timer went off, and our break was
over.
 
It was time to work on the
yeast donuts again, and then get ready to serve our offerings to our
customers.
 
I was feeling better
today than I had the day before, and I had a hunch that tomorrow would be even
better.
 
I was already getting back
into the groove of donutmaking.
 
I had
really missed it while I’d been nursing Jake back to health.
 
I wasn’t as sure that I’d enjoy it once
this murder was solved and Jake was back at his old job, though.
 
I’d grown to relish his company since
he’d come to the cottage to recover, and I knew that I’d miss him terribly once
he was gone.
 
With Momma across
town, I’d be on my own for the first time in my life.
 
Grace had managed it with style and
aplomb for more years than I could count, but I was nowhere near as cool as my
best friend was.
 
I was certain that
I would have a few sleepless nights before I got used to being in the cottage
alone, but I knew that, given time, I’d be fine.

“Good morning, Mr. Mayor,” I said as I unlocked the
front door and opened for business.
 
“You’re not here to welcome me back again, are you?
 
This is two mornings in a row, pretty
unusual for you.”

“As a matter of fact, I felt like a donut.
 
I hope that’s okay.”

“You know that you’re always welcome here,” I said.
 
“What’s new in your world?”

“My job these days seems to consist entirely of
shuffling papers, signing my name, and telling people they can’t have what they
want.
 
You, on the other hand, get
to see smiles all morning long from people you make happy.
 
Want to trade?”

“Not on your life.
 
It’s not all peaches and cream here
either, but I wouldn’t take your job under gunpoint.
 
You deserve more than one donut a day
for doing it.”

“Tell Polly that, would you?” he asked.

“Has she got you on a diet again?”
 
His assistant—and girlfriend—was an
enormously competent woman who was always on top of everything.

“Sort of.
 
I can have one treat a day now, as long as it’s within reason.”

“I’m honored that you chose donuts for your treat
twice in a row,” I said.

“Hey, what can I say?
 
I love your company, too.”

“Right back at you,” I said as I served him his
standard fare.

George took a sip of coffee, and then he pointed to
Emma’s latest experiment.
 
“Is it
too late to change my mind about the donut I’m having?”

“No, that’s fine,” I said as I pulled the plain cake
donut back.
 
“What would you like
instead?”

“How about one of those coffee-caramel creations?”

I got one for him, but as I slid the plate across the
counter, I said in a low voice, “I should warn you, this is one of Emma’s
experiments.”

“Have you tried one yet?” he asked me softly.

“I had a nibble,” I said.
 
“They’re okay, but they’re not my
favorite.”

“Perhaps I’ll just have a taste then,” he said as he
pinched off a bite.
 
“Just in case,
let’s keep my cake donut close by, okay?”

“You’re the boss,” I said.
 
I glanced over my shoulder and saw that
Emma was peeking out from the kitchen.
 
“Careful.
 
You’re being
watched,” I said softly.

“I saw her,” the mayor said softly, and then he took
a healthy bite.
 
“My, that’s quite
tasty.”

“Easy there, don’t overact,” I whispered.
 
“We don’t want to give her the wrong
idea.”

“Who’s acting?” he asked with a smile.
 
“I really do like it.”
 
To prove his point, he took another big
bite of Emma’s creation, and then pushed the cake donut away from him.
 
“That’s an unexpected medley of tastes,
isn’t it?
 
Can I have one for the
road?”

“I thought that you were only supposed to have one,”
I said.

“Oh, it’s not for me.
 
I want Polly to try this for herself.”

“I can do that,” I said as I bagged one, pausing to
give a thumbs-up to Emma first.

“Do you really like it?” I asked him softly as I took
his money.

“It kind of grows on you after a second,” George said
with a grin.
 
“Besides, I really
want to see Polly’s face when she tries it.”

“You’re too funny, Mr. Mayor,” I said as I handed him
his change.
 
“Thanks for coming
by.
 
You always manage to brighten
my day.”

“I’ve often said the same thing about you,
Suzanne.
 
Promise me that you’ll be
careful, would you?”

“My job isn’t exactly hazardous now that the donuts
are all made.”

“I’m not talking about your job; I’m talking about
your hobby.”

“Understood,” I said.

“Jake doesn’t mind you rooting around in his case?”

“What can I say?
 
We’ve found a solid middle ground,” I said.

“Good luck with that,” George said, and he saluted
Emma, and then he added a smile before he walked out of the donut shop.

Emma came out immediately after he was gone.
 
“Did he really get another one for later?”

“The other one was for Polly, but he really seemed to
enjoy it.”

She nodded.
 
“Honestly, I thought it was a little too strong when I had one.”

“Hey, you never know what folks are going to
enjoy.
 
At least we’re giving them a
reason to keep coming around, aren’t we?”

“You know it.
 
Well, I’d better get back to those dishes.”

“I’ll be right here,” I said with a smile.
 
I loved it when Emma was happy, and
George’s actions had really put a smile on her face.
 
He was a nice man, a good guy, and a
great mayor, and I was proud to call him my friend.

We were in a bit of a lull a few hours later when I
was surprised to see Momma approaching the front door.
 
Ordinarily my mother was not a huge
donut fan, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her in Donut Hearts.
 
Was she still angry with me over our
chat the day before?
 
I decided to
ignore it if she was.

“What a pleasant surprise,” I said, adding my best
smile when she walked inside.
 
“Did
you have a craving for donuts this morning, Momma?”

“Hello, Suzanne.
 
Thank you for the offer, but I’ve already eaten breakfast.
 
Do you have a moment to talk to me about
something important?”

Well, that couldn’t be good.
 
“Sure, but can it wait?
 
We’re kind of busy right now.”
 
There were three customers in the shop
at the moment, all of them quietly eating, and none of them were clamoring for
my attention.

“I think Emma can manage for a few minutes without
you,” she said.
 
“I wouldn’t ask if
it weren’t important.”