Tastes Like Murder (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 1)

by Catherine Bruns

  "I don't think Brian will like us going around questioning everyone."

  "Brian can take over when he gets back from his trip. We don't have time to fool around here. Sure, we've got people coming in to the store, but they're not buying much. I'd better cut back on making cookies for a while. Look at all the ones we didn't sell the last few days."

  I sighed. "I'll take them to the homeless shelter tomorrow. Why not make someone else's life better if we can?"

  "I don't have a problem with that. What bothers me is the money we're losing. I've got four kids to feed."

  "If something happens, I'll find a way to help you. I promise."

  Josie squeezed my arm. "You've already done more than enough. I don't want to be a charity case."

  "It's not charity. It's a friend helping out another friend." I stared sideways at her, a lump in my throat. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. I hope you know that."

  Josie wiped at her eyes. "Same here. Stop getting all sentimental on me."

  "Remember how you jumped in and saved me at the lake when I couldn't swim?"

  She chuckled. "Yeah. And remember how I was the one who pushed you in?"

  We laughed, recalling one of the rare fights we'd had growing up. Josie had been so jealous in fifth grade when Jimmy Caruthers revealed he wanted to ask me to the spring dance instead of her.

  I pulled into Josie's driveway. The cozy, beige bungalow was awash with light and looked inviting.

  "So we'll do it? Visit the spa tomorrow, I mean?" Josie raised her eyebrows at me.

  I nodded. "I'll ask Gianna if she can watch the shop for a couple of hours."

  "Perfect." Josie reached for her handbag. "I'll open the shop at nine, then call and schedule some appointments for us at the spa. Want to come in and say hi to the kids? I asked Rob to keep them up until I got home."

  As she spoke, the front door opened, and two little figures appeared in the doorway, both in footie pajamas, one holding onto a blanket. Another little boy peered out at us from a window. He spotted Josie and waved. The two in the doorway cried "Mommy" simultaneously.

  I smiled. "No, I'd better get over to the house before Gianna has a stroke."

  "Okay." Josie reached back into the car to give me a squeeze. "See you tomorrow, partner."

  She ran toward the house, where she was instantly enveloped in hugs. With my car window down, shrieks of laughter filled my ears. Rob met Josie at the door and kissed her as she took the baby from his arms. They all waved to me then the door closed behind them.

  There were tears in my eyes as I drove away.

  * * *

  Gianna met me at the front door. She looked tired and drawn. "I haven't been feeling well all day. I've gotten no studying done, and now this. I hope you brought liquor."

  I hugged her and walked into the house. "Where is he?"

  Before Gianna could reply, my father's voice boomed from the living room. "Is that my baby girl? Come say good-bye to your father."

  Grandma Rosa was in the foyer, shaking her head. "Crazier than a loon. He went to the doctor today."

  Panicked, I looked from Gianna to my grandmother. "You didn't tell me that part. What happened?"

  Grandma made a face. "Nothing. They told him he is in perfect health."

  "Gianna," my father yelled. "Bring me the tape measure. I don't know which one of these coffins I can fit in."

  My sister clenched her jaw. "That's it. I'm going to bed. I can't take any more."

  "Have you eaten?" Grandma Rosa asked me.

  "I'm fine. Don't go to any trouble on my account."

  "You need dinner. Look at how skinny you are." She poked at my ribs.

  I rubbed my eyes. "It's a little late for dinner."

  "Nonsense," my grandmother scoffed. "In an Italian family, it is never too late for dinner."

  "Stay the night," Gianna pleaded. "I need someone sane here. Besides Grandma, that is."

  Normally, I would have said no, but after witnessing the heartwarming scene at Josie's house, a sensation of loneliness had settled over me. I didn't want to go home to my empty apartment. "Okay, on one condition."

  Gianna shook her head. "I'm not measuring him for his coffin. I did it last week."

  My sister and grandmother followed me into the kitchen as I grabbed the tape measure out of the junk drawer. "I need you to watch the shop for me tomorrow afternoon."

  "I've got to study," Gianna objected. "I'm way behind."

  I sat down at the table and stifled a yawn. "Please? It won't be so bad. Most people are coming in out of curiosity, so there won't be much to do." I wanted to bite my tongue off as soon as I said the words. If my grandmother knew things were getting bad, she'd whip out her checkbook, and I didn't want that.

  "So you're not making any sales?"

  "We're making sales. It could be a little better though." That was the understatement of the year.

  Gianna reached over and patted my hand. "As soon as the situation blows over with Amanda, things will get better. I'll come over. Let me know what time you need me."

  My father roared. "Hey, I'm dying in here. Doesn't anyone care?"

  "Stupido," Grandma yelled. "Keep your pants on."

  "Where's Mom?" I asked.

  Grandma Rosa grunted while she made the sign of the cross. "She is off with those flighty real estate friends of hers at some awards banquet. God knows what she is doing."

  "Awards banquet? But she hasn't sold anything." I was confused.

  My grandmother waved her hand in an annoyed gesture. "Your mama—she is what they call a nutsy cookie."

  I chuckled. "That's nutsy cuckoo, Grandma."

  She grunted while she hunted around in the cabinet for something. "That works too."

  Gianna raised her eyebrows at me. "They're both driving Grandma and me bonkers. I think we should get awards."

  Grandma Rosa slammed a bottle of amaretto on the table and reached back into the cabinet for three shot glasses.

  I raised my hand. "None for me."

  "I think there is beer in the fridge." Grandma downed her drink in record time.

  I shook my head, remembering the other night with embarrassment. "Thanks, but I'm done with beer."

  Gianna grinned. "Oh, that's right. I want all the juicy details."

  I feared the expression on my face might give me away. "What are you talking about?"

  "Josie said he kissed you."

  My cheeks grew hot. "I was drunk. He was all over me."

  "Mike? I'll bet." Gianna winked.

  Grandma Rosa's eyes widened, and she refilled her glass.

  My father's voice shook the room. "Nobody cares about the breadwinner. Well, you'll care when there's no one to pay the bills around here."

  I sighed and rose from the table.

  "No." Grandma gestured to my sister. "You go. I must talk to Sally."

  Gianna groaned. "Oh, come on, Grandma."

  My grandmother yelled something at her in Italian that we didn't understand and pointed to the living room. Gianna grabbed the tape measure and slunk out of the kitchen without another word.

  "So what is this about you and the police officer?"

  I was thunderstruck. "Where did you hear that?"

  My grandmother reached into the fridge to get me a ginger ale. "Mrs. O'Brien saw you two having dinner earlier tonight. I guess that is why you are not hungry." She rolled her eyes at me.

  I bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh. "It wasn't like that, Grandma. We were talking about Amanda."

  "I hear he is a nice-looking boy."

  "Yes, he's handsome."

  "Mike is a nice boy too. Handsome. He took good care of his mama when she was dying, and Lord knows she did not deserve it. The way she and that husband of hers used to smack him around all the time. Absolutely shameful."

  I nodded sadly. Mike had told me several times how empty his life had been until he had found me. It still hurt to think about.

  "You should not have broken up with hi
m." Grandma shook her head. "You never gave him a chance to explain. He should have been your husband, not that—that clown in Florida."

  I choked on the soda I was swallowing then wiped my mouth with the back of my hand while I thought about how to respond. "It never would have worked, believe me."

  "A nice boy," Grandma repeated. "If he sees me at the store, he carries my groceries to the car. What man does that these days?" She pointed her finger. "He still loves you."

  "He's a suspect."

  She frowned, the lines in her face deepening further. "A suspect? For Amanda's death?"

  "I'm afraid so."

  I expected my grandmother to cry out in alarm, but she kept her calm gaze fixed on me. "Baloney. Everyone she knew is a suspect, even me. I wanted to kill her myself after what she did to you."

  I was shocked. "Grandma!"

  Without further comment, she reached back into the fridge and produced a piece of her famous homemade cheesecake for me. I licked my lips, and my stomach growled. I'd been too nervous to eat at the diner, but I was starving now.

  Grandma beamed. "Your favorite. I made it especially for you."

  I closed my eyes and savored the first bite, letting the rich taste of sweet ricotta roll over my tongue. With a moan, I reached over to hug her. "Yum. You're the best."

  She folded her hands on the table while she watched me eat. "Mike would not have done that, and you know it."

  I sighed, resigned to following my gut intuition. "Yeah, I do."

  "You will have to make a choice soon."

  She wasn't making any sense. "What choice?"

  Gianna came back in the room and tossed the tape measure on the table. "He's freaking out. He thinks he shrunk half a foot since last week."

  "I need to sleep. The crazies get up early around here." Grandma stood then kissed us each on the cheek. "Pleasant dreams."

  "Grandma," I called after her. "What choice?"

  She smiled, but didn't answer.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Josie tied a silver, curly ribbon around the pink plastic wrap that adorned the cookie tray. She stepped back to survey her masterpiece one last time. "What do you think?"

  I looked over her shoulder. "They look great, as always. And I adore the baby carriages. They're my favorite."

  "Thanks. Where the heck is Vido? These cookies have to be delivered by noon sharp."

  I glanced at the clock. Eleven thirty. "Stay calm. He'll be here."

  "There's a ton of that strawberry frosting left. Do you want me to freeze it?"

  I thought for a moment. "No, leave it in the fridge. If we don't use it by Monday, we'll freeze it then." The bells announced we had a customer, and I patted Josie's arm. "You relax. I'll see who it is."

  Josie snorted and leaned against the prep table. "I don't know who could be left. We've had everyone in here this morning except a reporter from the National Enquirer."

  I actually wouldn't have minded a reporter if he ended up buying something. I couldn't run a business like this, selling a cookie here and there. These people were more interested in Amanda than my products. I had to get to the bottom of this before my business suffered any further.

  Gianna was seated by the window, texting. Two black, leather-bound law books the size of massive dictionaries were perched on the table in front of her. She put her phone down and got to her feet when she saw me.

  "I need chocolate. Bad. Have you got any of the Chocolate Glazed Donut coffees? And I want Dutch cocoa cookies, too."

  Josie appeared from the back room. "Thank God it's you. I never thought I'd say this, but I don't want to see any more customers today."

  Gianna made a face and sat back down. "I know. Frank just texted me and said plenty of customers have been coming into the sub shop, asking him what he knows about Amanda."

  "Don't they have anything better to do?" Josie grumbled as she grabbed a paper plate and placed three chocolate cookies on it.

  "It's crazy." Gianna shot me a worried look. "People keep asking Frank if she was murdered."

  I heaved a huge sigh. "Perfect. Another rumor that will be great for business." I hunted through the wicker basket filled with K-cups to distract myself. "Let's see, Hot Cocoa, Breakfast Blend, Caramel, aha! Found one." I waved the cup triumphantly in the air while Gianna clapped her hands.

  "PMS or parents?" Josie asked.

  "Both," Gianna and I replied in unison.

  "Well, people do say we're like twins." I placed the K-cup in my Keurig machine.

  Gianna leaned her head back as she munched on a cookie. "Oh, this is delish. So what are you guys having done at the spa?"

  "I booked a massage for me and a facial for your sister." Josie turned to me. "Hope that's okay. I know how much you love them."

  I closed my eyes for a second, imagining the steam on my face with waterfall music playing in the background. "Sounds like heaven. I haven't had one of those in ages. I may curl up and fall asleep."

  "There won't be time for that." Josie shook her finger at me in an admonishing way. "We're going there on business, remember? Plus, I asked for their special double room, so we can be in there together. The two of us will be able to observe the techs' behaviors more closely."

  I placed the coffee in front of Gianna. "Well, it'll still feel good, no matter what."

  A rap sounded on the back door.

  "Thank goodness. He's got a twenty minute drive ahead of him." Josie grumbled as she headed toward the back room, with me at her heels.

  Josie opened the door. Vido leaned against the doorjamb, a cigarette dangling out of the side of his mouth. He was dressed in his usual outfit of hole-riddled jeans and a dirty, white T-shirt.

  "Hello, ladies." He bowed from the waist.

  Josie wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Do you think you could wear a jacket when you get there? It doesn't look professional to have a man with a stained T-shirt delivering cookies to a baby shower."

  "Josie," I warned. I didn't want to make him angry.

  Vido glanced at both of us, his smirk becoming an evil-looking smile. "Whatever you say, my lovely." He tossed his cigarette butt into the alley.

  Josie moved aside to let him enter. We each picked up a tray and placed them in the trunk of Vido's car.

  "Do I gotta collect money from them?" He lit another cigarette.

  "No, they paid when they placed the order, so you're all set." I handed him two twenty-dollar bills, which he stuffed into his back pocket.

  "I've been meaning to tell you girls something." Vido exhaled a cloud of smoke in my direction as he leaned against his car.

  I coughed and rubbed my eyes. "What?"

  "My rate is gonna have to go up." Vido spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Fifty dollars a delivery now."

  My jaw dropped. "Fifty. That's a lot."

  "Too bad, so sad." He laughed. "I got bills to pay like everybody else."

  "Okay," I nodded. "We'll agree to it, on one condition."

  He shook his head. "Vido don't like no conditions."

  I held my thumb and forefinger together. "It's a teeny little condition."

  "It's about you and Amanda," Josie said.

  The smile left Vido's face, and his eyes glittered. Josie and I each took a step back.

  "What're you saying?" He took another drag of his cigarette.

  Josie turned to me for help, and I sighed in resignation. "Um, we kind of heard that you and Amanda, well, you know. You liked to spend time together."

  Vido grinned maliciously. "Is that so?" He folded his arms across his chest. "Why do you wanna know?"

  Josie gave a nervous laugh. "We're fond of you, and you're a great delivery guy. We're afraid the police might think you had something to do with Amanda's—"

  "Murder?" he asked.

  "What makes you think it was murder?" I feigned innocence.

  "Amanda and I had—what you might call, an arrangement. We knew each other pretty well." Vido winked at me. "You know what I mean?"

  Boy, d
id I ever.

  "It's all over the town. Everybody knows she was killed. And Amanda was afraid someone was out to get her."

  My jaw dropped. "You mean, she thought her life might be in jeopardy?"

  "Why should I tell you anything?" Vido snapped. "What's in it for me?"

  "What do you want?" Josie asked. When he leered at her, she shook her head. "No way. Almost anything but that."

  Vido licked his lips and turned in my direction. "Forget about it," I said.

  He rubbed his hands together thoughtfully. "Well then, I think I'd like to learn how to make cookies."

  I blinked, not sure I'd heard him right. "Excuse me?"

  "Yeah." Vido ran his hands carefully over the pink wrap of the tray. "Yeah, that'd be good. I really like cookies."

  Who would have thought? "That's it? No cash?"

  "Of course I want cash." He laughed. "What kind of an idiot do you think I am?"

  Josie held up a hand. "I refuse to answer that. How will we know you're not making something up?"

  "Vido don't operate like that. Look at this face. Honest as your mother's."

  I sincerely doubted it. "Look, if you know anything about who really killed her, you should go straight to the police."

  Vido slammed the hatchback of his car down with such a vengeance that Josie and I both jumped about ten feet in the air. The entire vehicle shook. "I don't lie about this stuff—you know what I mean? And I hate dealing with those pigs. I think I know who it was."

  I tried to conceal the excitement in my voice. "The killer?"

  "Yeah. Amanda liked to confide in me. There were these times when we'd be at her place and she'd hug me and—"

  "Ew, no." Josie made a face.

  I coughed when he blew smoke at me again. "Josie will give you personalized baking lessons for two hours one day next week."

  Vido took the cigarette butt out of his mouth and extinguished it on the ground right in front of Josie. "That gets me excited."

  I hate you, Josie mouthed.

  "And I'll get you some cash. How much do you want?"

  Vido didn't hesitate. "I need a thousand."