Honey Buns and Homicide: A Funny Culinary Cozy Mystery (Mom and Christy's Cozy Mysteries Book 6)

by Christy Murphy

  “We could tell people that we know who you really are,” Dar said.

  “If all goes right, I’ll have my own gossip show on television,” Fiona said. “I don’t mind people knowing who I am now that I’m starting to get pretty well-known thanks to this killer bee story.”

  I glared at her.

  “Sorry,” she said. “It’s just business. Besides, it’ll be good for you guys to give me the scoop on the real culprit. You’ll want a rebuttal for the bee story. What are you going to do? Give that scoop to the guy at the LA Times?”

  She had a point there. Even if he hadn’t turned all Benedict Arnold on us, if I had any hope of getting DC back, I couldn’t talk to that reporter.

  “Okay, you have a deal,” Mom said. “Why did you think that Honey wasn’t going to come home that night in her car?”

  “Dragon,” Fiona said. “He had a huge crush on her. He was so mad she’d been dating Robert. He told her about the affair with Robert and Madison and told her he’d take her out after the show to prove it.”

  “So you already knew about Robert and Madison,” Mom said.

  "Fiona didn’t believe him, and I didn't have proof," she said. “So do you think Dragon is the one?

  “We’ll have to look into it,” Mom said. “There’s several suspects still on our list.”

  I smiled. Mom didn’t want to give Fiona/Wiley the gossip too soon. We wouldn’t want her to write about it tonight and give Dragon the heads up.

  ”It’s a shame about tonight. A photo of Robert Conway and his publicist on a date when his girlfriend is in the hospital would've been gold, but that turned out to be a false tip."

  "Sorry," Dar said. "It’s just business."

  And the next item of business was to get a confession.

  “HEY, KID!” Mom said, knocking on the door to the bedroom. “Get dressed. We have to go.”

  I grabbed my glasses off the nightstand and checked my alarm-clock radio—8:30 a.m. I dressed in a haze and dragged myself into the kitchen. Mom handed me diet soda in the bottle. “You can have this on the way to pick up Wenling at the Mocha Muse. She’s got coffee waiting for us.”

  I took the soda and drank as much as I could before we got into the car. The van is a stick shift and didn’t have a cup holder. My only guess as to why was that in the dark ages when our panel van was converted into a catering vehicle, they hadn’t realized that “to go” beverages would be such a big thing in the future.

  “What’s the rush?” I asked.

  “Dragon is going to rehearse with Nick at nine,” Mom said, slipping the envelope with all our copies of the death threat letters into her purse. It looked like she’d been up for a while going over the case and preparing for the interview. We didn’t get to bed until after two in the morning. I was surprised Mom had been up so early.

  “I’m sure they’ll be there for a few hours,” I said as we headed to the van. We climbed in, and I drove to Main Street. Mom held my soda and handed me the bottle in between gears. “So what’s the rush?”

  “I called Honey to find out about Dragon.”

  “Did she confirm the thing about him asking her to go out after the party?”

  “He asked her out all of the time, apparently. He even took an earlier flight from their last gig to try and get a date with her before Robert came back. He was obsessed. That’s why she didn’t remember. He did it all the time.”

  I nodded.

  “Anyway, Honey also said that Madison called her about some band business, and they got in a fight on the phone. Honey told her you were innocent, and Madison told her ‘not to count on that’ and that Madison had heard that police were probably going to wrap the investigation soon. Maybe even today.”

  “Does that mean they’re going to make an arrest or give up? Do you think she was just lying?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, but if they’re coming to arrest you then it’s best that we’re not home.”

  “The police know we hang out at the Lucky Dragon,” I said. “Everybody knows.”

  “That’s why we’re picking up Wenling at the Mocha Muse,” Mom said.

  Oh yeah.

  “But keep an eye out for police cars to be safe,” Mom added.

  I turned onto Main Street. There weren’t any police cars on the street. We parked the van in the alley behind the Mocha Muse and went in through the back door to keep a low profile.

  We found Wenling and Dar at the coffee machine behind the counter.

  “I learned how to make mochas,” Wenling said. Wenling took off an apron and put it on the hook on the wall.

  “But you can’t sell them at your place,” Dar said, finishing up with a customer. “It’s our signature drink. And it’s a trade secret.”

  Wenling made a cross her heart sign and held up her hand. “I promise I’ll tell no one.”

  Mom and Wenling traded a look, and I knew Mom would have the recipe by tomorrow. But they wouldn’t tell anyone else.

  “I can’t believe I have to work,” Dar said. “I wish I could be there when you catch the killer.”

  “Attempted homicide-er,” Wenling corrected.

  Dar nodded.

  “Guys, we have to go,” I said. “For all we know the cops could be coming to get me right now.”

  As if on cue, I spotted DC parking his truck on the street. I pointed to him. Two officers and another man joined him on the sidewalk. They were headed our way. We all rushed into he back room and tried to stop the darn swinging door from opening and closing.

  “How did they know I’m here?” I asked.

  “We give free coffees to the police. Maybe they’re just here for that,” Dar said, but I doubted it.

  “We’ve got to go,” I said.

  “Stall them while we make a break for it,” Wenling said.

  Dar nodded. We rushed out the back door like we were the Von Trapp family.

  Mom and Wenling hopped in the van, balancing our three coffees.

  “Take the alleyway all the way to the end and then make a left,” Mom said. “We’ll take the backroads to Maclay and hop on the 210.”

  The van bounced along the alleyway. My heart pounded as I maneuvered through the alley, and took the back streets of Fletcher Canyon, which were closer to dirt roads than streets.

  I glanced over to Mom and Wenling balancing their coffees. Mom had mine and hers.

  “Should we throw those out the window?” I asked.

  Wenling gave me a look like I’d suggested throwing diamonds out the window.

  “I can dance that Pandaggo Sa llaw,” Mom said, “I can balance two coffees.”

  I laughed. I’d gotten to see the “water dance” while we were in the Philippines. It involved dancing with full glasses of water in each hand and one balanced on the head. Compared to that two coffees on a dirt road was nothing.

  We got onto the freeway, and Mom handed me my mocha so I could have a sip. It seemed like we were safe for now.

  “At least DC was planning on being there for you,” Wenling said.

  “Sure,” I said, handing Mom back the cup. “Be there for me when I got arrested.”

  “Maybe he was trying to help,” Mom suggested.

  “Maybe,” I said, but I didn’t have much hope. I hadn’t heard from him since he left me standing in the street yesterday.

  We pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse. I could hear the music. It sounded pretty good.

  I took a deep breath.

  “Don’t worry, kid,” Mom said. “I’ll prove you didn’t do it.”

  We knocked on the door, but they didn’t hear. So we opted to just go inside. Nick was singing and playing guitar, and Dragon played drums. Even though it was just the two of them, they sounded pretty good. I didn’t know Nick could sing. He was good. I’d never noticed how cute he was. It took them a few minutes to realize we were there, but when Nick saw us, he smiled and waved.

  I smiled and waved back. They finished the song, and Nick came over.

&
nbsp; “This is a great surprise. I’m so glad you came,” Nick said. “Did you change your mind about writing songs with us?”

  “Well,” I said, stalling as I glanced over to Mom and Wenling.

  “She’s thinking about it,” Mom said, pushing me close to Nick.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I was thinking maybe we could talk about it.”

  “Sure,” Nick said.

  Mom and Wenling went over to Dragon. I guessed my job was to keep Nick busy while Mom wriggled the truth out of Dragon.

  “Remember us?” I overheard Wenling say. “We’re the bees from the party.”

  “How did you know we were rehearsing?” Nick asked.

  “Oh,” I said, stalling again. Mom was the one who was good at thinking of lies on the spot, but then again she also just told the truth a lot, too. “Honey told Mom,” I said.

  “That’s weird,” Nick said. “I didn’t tell her.”

  “I think Dragon did,” I said.

  Nick nodded. “How is Honey? Are they discharging her soon?”

  “I don’t know when she gets out,” I said. “But it seems like she’s doing good, all things considered.”

  Nick nodded. “Thank goodness. I felt really bad for her,” he said, and he looked like he really meant it.

  “You seem more affected by the accident than Robert,” I said.

  “That guy,” Nick said, shaking his head. “Why did I ever hitch my wagon to his star?”

  “For me I suspect it was low self-esteem,” I joked.

  Nick laughed. “I think me too!”

  I glanced over to Mom and Wenling. Dragon looked like he was on the verge of tears, and Mom was pulling the envelope of evidence out of her purse. I needed to buy time. If Nick realized what Mom and Wenling were up to, he’d stop Dragon from confessing.

  I needed to stall. “So is this some kind of side project you’re working on?”

  “It’s gonna have to be for now,” Nick said. “It’s a shame because an old demo garnered me some interest, but I’m tied to Robert’s band for two more years.”

  “The single’s doing well,” I said.

  “The one you wrote,” Nick said. “This Honey Bun album.” Nick shook his head.

  “The old sophomore slump?”

  “Sophomore dump,” Nick said. “But maybe it bombing will get Robert to quit.”

  “He’ll never do that. Although, he is turning forty-two this year. That hairline won’t last forever,” I joked. “I think his looks are the only talent he’s got.”

  “Aging rockstars are a tough sell unless you’ve already made it big,” Nick said, his voice a little sad.

  I realized that I’d made a miscalculation making fun of Robert’s age. Nick was six years younger, but the clock was ticking for all of them.

  “But songwriters,” Nick said, “can be any age. So how about it?”

  I actually was thinking that it was something I’d like to try “I’m just not sure I’m any good,” I said.

  “No pressure. I’ll bring my guitar over to your place and we’ll keep it a secret until we get something we both like.”

  I exhaled. “I’ll try, but I make no promises.”

  He held out his hand, and we shook on it. The sound of the studio door opening made me jump. Robert came in.

  “What’s going on here?” he asked, coming up to us.

  “What do you want?” Nick said.

  “A little birdie told me you were holding a secret rehearsal here, and I find you’re here with my drummer and my ex-wife,” Robert said, pushing Nick hard.

  “Knock it off!” Nick said, pushing back.

  “What are you up to, Nick?” Robert yelled, grabbing Nick by the shirt.

  “It’s none of your business!” Nick pushed Robert against the wall.

  I looked over to Mom. She, Wenling, and Dragon had stopped talking. Robert was ruining everything.

  Robert and Nick tumbled to the ground, wrestling with each other.

  “It’s my business when you’re trying to steal my drummer and my lyricist,” Robert shouted.

  “She’s not yours! She’s writing with me, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Nick said, rolling on top of Robert. “What are you going to do? Fire me?”

  Robert got on top of Nick. “You’d love that! Wouldn’t you? Trying to get out of your contract to go solo!” Robert yelled. “I’m never gonna fire you. You’re gonna be stuck in this contract all the way to the bitter end.”

  “You son of a—” Nick said, grabbing at Robert’s throat. “I’m going to frickin’ kill you!”

  I glanced over to Mom. She elbowed Dragon.

  “Like you tried to before, Nick!” Dragon said.

  Nick stopped fighting and looked at Dragon.

  “You’re the one!” Dragon yelled. “You cut the brakes! You’re the reason why Honey wound up in the hospital!”

  “No,” Nick said. “You were with me all day.”

  “Dude, they showed me,” Dragon said, pointing to Mom and Wenling. “The letters. The postmarks match our tour schedule.”

  “Crazed fans follow us on tour all the time,” Nick said.

  “Yeah, but the last threat came from New York. At the end of the tour I flew home to try and see Honey before Robert got back, and you went with him to do that interview with MTV. No fan knew about that.”

  “Oh my God,” Robert said, scooting along the floor to get away from Nick. “You tried to kill me.”

  Nick stood up. “This is ridiculous.”

  “Admit it! That’s why you were so upset about Honey at the hospital,” Dragon said. “You kept saying ‘it should’ve been Robert.’”

  Tears streamed down Nick’s face. “It should’ve been him. He was supposed to be driving, and you were supposed to take her out that night,” Nick said, but then he nodded his head no. “But I didn’t cut those brakes. I swear.”

  “That’s because you had your brother do it,” a familiar voice said. I turned and saw DC in the doorway. “We picked him up earlier this morning. He told us everything,” DC said. “Your brother is really broken up about the whole thing. He didn’t want an innocent person to get hurt,” DC said.

  “I’m an innocent person,” Robert said.

  I felt like yelling at Robert to be quiet, but DC gave Robert such a hard glare that he shut up.

  Nick’s head hung low.

  “It’ll go easier for your brother if you admit it was your idea, but I have to let you know, you have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and will be used against you,” DC said. “You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed to you.” The two cops and the other guy that we saw at the coffee house stepped into the room. I figured the guy not in uniform was a plainclothes detective like DC.

  Nick waved DC off and shook his head. “I know all about that. I never should have gotten him into this,” Nick said, shaking his head. “It was all me. Not Jeff.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not how it works,” DC said.

  The police arrested Nick.

  I approached DC. Mom and Wenling joined us.

  “How did you know to come here?” I asked.

  “Dar told me,” he said.

  “I can’t believe one of our own ratted us out,” Wenling said.

  “He did it to help the case,” DC said.

  “We’re going to head down to the station. Thanks for the assist,” the other detective said to DC.

  “Is it okay if I don’t come with you?” DC asked.

  “We can take it from here,” he said and left.

  We left Dragon and Robert in the rehearsal studio and walked out to the van together. I saw DC’s truck parked next to us.

  “How did you find out about the brother?” Mom asked.

  “I did a background check on all the members of the band. Nick and his brother got arrested for criminal mischief about fifteen years ago. I did a little digging on both to see if they had the skills, and I fou
nd out his brother was a mechanic in Sylmar,” DC said. “I called my buddies up to meet me for coffee at the Mocha Muse and tell them what I’d found since Fletcher Canyon neighbors Sylmar. Dar eavesdropped on our conversation and told me you guys were going to meet Dragon and Nick here. I had to force the guys not to bust in here too soon. I told them your mom had a way of getting people to confess. Although, it was Dragon doing the talking, and according to Dar you thought he was the killer,” DC said, smiling.

  Mom shook her head. “I never said it was Dragon. I knew it could have been him or Nick because of the tour schedules matching the postmarks on the death threats. But when Honey told me this morning that Dragon had left the tour early to try and get her to go out with him, I suspected it was Nick. I just needed to double check with Dragon first,” Mom said. “We got him to confront Nick.”

  “I take it that it wasn’t a little bird that told Robert about this secret rehearsal?” DC asked.

  “I called Fiona this morning after I talked to Honey. I had her tell Robert,” Mom said. “But the information about the brother? I didn’t have that. I don’t have access to criminal records.”

  “We should have that,” Wenling said.

  “No,” DC said. “You shouldn’t.”

  “But you didn’t have a chance to interview the brother,” Mom said. “You bluffed to get Nick to confess. That was good.”

  “Wait!” I said. “Is that true?”

  “I’m sure they’ll talk to the brother next,” DC said.

  Mom laughed. “Now you’re one of us, DC.”

  “One of the Nancy Drew Crew?” he asked.

  “Honorary member,” Wenling said.

  We laughed, but the conversation died down. I remembered that DC and I were still fighting.

  “I better get going,” DC said. “Thanks for your help on the case.”

  I turned and headed to the van and DC went to his truck.

  “Go talk to him!” Wenling whispered to me.

  “He helped with the investigation for you,” Mom said.

  “He should apologize to me,” I said.

  “Then make him,” Wenling said.

  Mom nodded in agreement.

  I heard DC’s truck start. “He’s already leaving,” I said.

  “Then stop him like Dar-Dar,” Wenling said.