Doughnuts & Deadly Schemes (Culinary Competition Mysteries Book 3) (3 page)

BOOK: Doughnuts & Deadly Schemes (Culinary Competition Mysteries Book 3)
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CHAPTER THREE

 

"I'm surprised they're open," Amy said as she pulled the car she nicknamed Mimi, her dark blue Mini Cooper, into a parking space. She had expected to do wedding stuff with Carla that day, but revisiting the beleaguered store wasn't on the list of possibilities.

"Me too, but I called, thinking I would get a recorded message saying how long they expected to be closed. The person who answered the phone said the store is open to honor Mr. Crowe's dedication to the business." Carla wadded up the wrapper from the strawberry yogurt and quinoa muffin she had finished devouring and popped the paper into the trash bag sitting on the floor behind the driver's seat.

The sweet, home-baked treats were loaded with fruit, whole grains, and protein. Just what the suddenly bride-to-be needed to start off a busy day. Or more like end one, since Carla had worked the night shift.

"It's a nice gesture, but I have to wonder how many customers they'll get."

"Exactly my thoughts. Since Bruce needs a suit, I figured I'd try to give them some business. The murder is bound to affect sales," Carla said as she stuffed a spiral-bound notebook into her tote-sized purse.

Amy glanced at the bag. It was a larger model than the one her friend had been carrying the day before. If the size change coincided with the wedding preparation, Carla might end up with a rolling suitcase by the time the wedding arrived.

The notebook, with a red glitter heart on the cover, contained a list of things Amy had written down concerning the wedding. During the drive from Amy's house to downtown, Carla had looked over the list, crossing off things that she didn't want, checking off the few things she'd already done, and discussing the best way to get through the other tasks. The three-page long list was Amy's first step in organizing the wedding. Winging it and hoping they remembered everything was a good way to do something like show up at the venue and realize there was no one booked to perform the ceremony. That wouldn't happen because Carla had already asked the hospital's chaplain to do that duty, but still, there were what seemed to be a thousand other things that needed to be done.

They got out of the car to begin the trek to Finley & Crowe Menswear. It was supposed to rain, but the sky hadn't started leaking. Yet. The tumultuous, dark clouds overhead provided the dismal atmosphere that matched the mood that had descended on the retail district. Amy worked at Riverbend Café that morning. Word of the murder had spread like wildfire through downtown, alarming business owners that a fellow proprietor was killed in his store. The usually convivial mood inside the busy café was noticeably subdued with an undercurrent of fear. A murderer was on the loose and possibly eyeing another victim.

"You said you had a backup plan if you can't find somewhere to have the wedding. What is it?" Amy asked as she zipped up her rain jacket. The stiff wind accompanying the dark clouds carried a goose bump-inducing chill. The pink nylon fabric did a pretty good job at deflecting wind as well as water. If only it could be armor against the panic she felt over not having a venue booked. That was usually the first step in wedding planning. Find somewhere to have the wedding.

"We can have everything in my loft. It's big enough to hold a couple dozen people. That's the extent of our guest list, mostly friends and people we work with." Carla stopped to peer at the front window display of a gift shop. Huge, brightly colored flowers made out of tissue paper were arranged in an
Alice in Wonderland
style bouquet. "I like those flowers. Maybe we could use them as decorations, if they come in a more subdued color scheme."

Amy tilted her head to the side as she studied the flowers. Pointing them out was most likely a diversionary tactic from Carla, but she would play along. For a minute.

"I like them too. What about using them in an arbor, as a backdrop for the ceremony? I'm sure I can find instructions for something similar on the Internet."

"And that is why I put you in charge of the wedding," Carla said as she began walking again. "I was just going to stick a couple of them to my wall and call it good enough. An arbor of any kind hasn't crossed my mind."

The industrial style, open loft would probably be a suitable place for a wedding, but close to thirty guests would definitely make the space cozy, verging on uncomfortably cramped. Maybe she could do better. "I would like to propose that your place is Plan C. How about making my backyard Plan B while we see what else we can find? You could have the ceremony on the deck. Some of the perennials are blooming. We can bring in potted plants or cut flowers for even more color."

"Really? I would love that." Carla placed her hand on Amy's forearm. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your help. I can barely plan a decent cocktail party."

On the sidewalk ahead, two women pushing strollers slowed then stopped to stare at the front window of Finley & Crowe. One wrinkled her nose as if she had smelled a stinky hardboiled egg. When Amy stepped up to open the store's door, the women scurried away. It seemed as if they were afraid the killer would come charging out after them.

"Hello. It's nice to see a friendly face," Matt said when she and Carla strode inside. He sat on a stool behind the checkout counter. "I'm beginning to feel like a fish in an aquarium with all of the people stopping outside."

"Tragedy shouldn't be a spectator sport," Amy said as she turned to stare back at a couple of men in business suits who had also paused on the sidewalk to peer through the front window into the deserted store. One shook his head when he realized he was being watched, and they both continued on. What did the men expect to see, a haunted house-style murder scene with a body hanging from the rafters?

She joined Matt at the counter while Carla made a beeline to the wardrobe full of linen suits. Thane appeared in the doorway of a room along the side of the store. He watched Carla for a second then headed her way.

Amy looked at Matt and said, "I'm kind of surprised to see you're open. Your customers will understand that you all need time to grieve after such an unexpected loss."

He dropped his head. "Luke never called in sick. Ever. If he was scheduled to work, he came in no matter how he felt. So I called all of the employees last night. They all wanted to stay open today as homage to him and his work ethic." He shrugged and looked up. Sooty dark half-moons hung under his eyes. It was probably her imagination, but it seemed as if there was more gray in his dark hair. "Plus, I don't know what to do with myself. Taking care of the few customers who are brave enough to come into the store and do more than gawk at the dressing rooms is better than sitting in my apartment alone."

"I can only imagine how devastating this is."

"Sophie told me the homicide detective is your friend's fiancé. I would appreciate it if you could encourage him to find the murderer as quickly as possible" He shook his head. "Not that I think he isn't doing his job. I want whoever did this locked up."

"I understand. Murder is a terrible crime. I can't comprehend how people justify taking another person's life." She also didn't understand how Shepler could be such a nice guy after looking at crime scenes and interviewing people that were close to the victims. He had to have a sort of emotional disconnect to do his crime-solving job but not become depressed or bitter.

"An officer in the computer crimes unit spoke with me last evening. He told me not to pay the hacker any more money if I'm contacted again. Even though we paid the initial demand, Luke was killed. Our computer system was purposely taken down for the whole day Saturday, so we had hoped the harassment would stop. I don't understand what we did wrong." Matt sighed. The gesture seemed to deflate his body as he slumped forward to lean on the counter. "Truth be told, I'm scared. If the person comes back and asks for more, I don't know what I'll do. I can't pull thousands of dollars out of thin air, especially now that the murder is driving customers away, but it is absolutely terrifying to know that whoever is behind the threats has no qualms about committing murder. For some inexplicable reason, the store is being attacked by a soulless ghoul."

Amy's idea of a computer hacker was an introverted computer geek who avoided contact with real people and would barely speak to others, let alone find the chutzpah to commit murder. Yet everybody, including the police, was connecting the murder to the money extortion scheme. She frowned. "Shepler is the best detective in Kellerton. I'm sure he's doing everything possible to figure out who did this."

"Good. I feel like I'm trapped in a nightmare that I can't wake up from. The messages disappeared without a trace, as if they were never there, after Luke and I read them. I don't know how the police are going to figure this out."

"Do you have any idea about who could've done this? Was Luke in a difficult relationship or having problems with somebody, like a business rival?" Shepler surely had asked the same questions, but it wouldn't hurt for her to bring them up, too. Just in case being questioned by a more familiar person jogged something in Matt's stress-filled memories.

He exhaled in a noisy puff. "Luke wasn't big on relationships, which is probably a good thing considering his taste in women. He didn't have a girlfriend, but lately he was talking about hitting a few bars with a woman who works across the street at Whisper's Intimate Apparel. You may have seen her before, the one who always has weird-colored hair. Beyond that, his family was an ongoing problem, but he was dealing with them as usual."

There was no doubt who he was talking about. Rayshelle Applebee. The lingerie store clerk had a penchant for hair dye and obnoxiousness. She often competed in local cooking contests. Her cooking skills never garnered any trophies, but her outrageous demeanor and appearance always brought a different kind of attention. The woman who often wore the lingerie she sold as incredibly distasteful clothing, instead of underwear, didn't seem like a good companion for a refined businessman like Luke.

"Unfortunately you can't pick your family like your friends," Amy said. "As far as the woman Luke was seeing goes, I know who you're talking about. I didn't know him well, but Rayshelle doesn't seem like his type."

"I stopped questioning his love life long ago. I swear, sometimes he went out with odd women just for the shock value. Never figured out if he truly enjoyed himself or just wanted to annoy his parents." Matt's sorrowful frown softened into a neutral, businesslike expression as Carla and Thane approached the counter behind Amy. "Thank you for chatting with me." He nodded goodbye and walked away.

The door to the office at the back of the store clunked shut behind Matt as Carla joined Amy at the counter. "Thane was a big help," Carla said as she pulled her wallet out of her purse. "I think we got the perfect suit for Bruce."

"I'm glad you like it. Let me know if you need help with anything else," Thane said as he entered numbers from the jacket's tag into the computer. "I majored in fashion marketing, so clothes are pretty much my whole world."

That explained his penchant for wearing vests and bow ties with dress shirts and slacks. His ensemble for the day was in somber shades ranging from dark gray to black. Amy usually only saw bow ties on men who were wearing tuxedos at formal events, yet Thane had been wearing one the day before, too. He assured Carla that if Bruce came in to be measured soon the alterations would be done in time for the wedding. When the purchase was complete, he looked at Amy. "Thank you for talking with Uncle Matt. He and Luke have been friends since they were in college. I've never seen him so sad. I hope he keeps it together, but I'm worried."

Gigantic drops of cold rain splatted on their faces when Amy and Carla left the store. Amy tugged up her hood. "The bridal shop is halfway between here and my car. Why don't we stop in…to get out of this rain?"

"Yeah. Right. Because we're delicate sugar cubes that will melt." Carla speed-walked past her. "Murphy's Law dictates that stopping at the bridal salon to escape from a light shower means it will be pouring by the time we leave."

"Or maybe it'll work the other way, and the sun will be out. A reward for being a good little Bridezilla." Amy broke into a slow jog. If she had to cut Carla off to get her into the salon, she would, like the little steam engine that could blow past a speeding, stubborn freight train. "Stop making excuses. You have no reason
not
to go there, especially since we're walking past anyway. Shopping for wedding dresses is an unavoidable duty when you're getting married."

"Death is the only unavoidable thing in life."

"You're not getting married in the nude." Amy grabbed the sleeve of Carla's blue jean jacket and tugged. "At least see what they have. Maybe the perfect dress is just waiting for you right now. Wouldn't that be a fantastic twist of fate?"

The frigid shower had increased to a downpour by the time they clambered through the front door of Bishop's Bridal Shop. They shook the water off their coats while standing on the rug in the entrance. Elaborate, billowy gowns of lace and silk hung from racks lining the walls of the small shop. At the back a low platform sat in the center of a half-circle of mirrors.

"Hello, ladies. What can I help you with?" asked an enthusiastic woman wearing a black skirt and blouse. Her long, platinum-blonde hair hung in giant ringlets that were coated in so much hair spray they didn't flex as she tilted her head to the side. "Is somebody getting married?"

Amy pointed at Carla. "She is."

BOOK: Doughnuts & Deadly Schemes (Culinary Competition Mysteries Book 3)
13.86Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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