Until Death Do Us Tart (Patty Cakes Bake Shop Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)

by Holly Plum

“Oh, no. Sean!” Hunter placed Jacques the Pomeranian on the sand, and the two of them walked toward the shore. Joy and Sara Beth pushed through the crowd in time to see Hunter kneel down and place his jacket over the face of a body.

  The crowd was silent as the waves lapped softly against the sand.

  “My best man, Sean Fisher,” Hunter said sadly. “He's gone. Someone has killed my best man.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Detective Sugar arrived at the scene. He was an eccentric man who took his job too seriously and wore a long navy blue overcoat even in the Florida humidity. He had developed a soft spot for Joy and Sara Beth after trying one of their cherry tarts once. The detective approached the two of them as soon as he arrived. Joy and Sara Beth sat by the catering table where most of the guests were waiting.

  “Hello, Joy.” The detective nodded in greeting. “Do you want to fill me in on what is going on here?”

  “Well, a body washed up on the beach and –,” Joy began.

  “Yes, I know. I mean, did you cater this event?”

  “I made the cake," Joy replied.

  “Just the cake,” Detective Sugar said, sounding deeply disappointed. “No pastries?”

  “No.” Joy shrugged.

  “No tarts?”

  “Just the cake,” Joy repeated. "It's what my client wanted."

  “Would you like an appetizer,” Sara Beth offered him a dog-shaped cracker, unsure if it was meant for dogs or humans.

  “Thank you.” The detective reluctantly took the cracker. “Alright, stay put. I'll be back to question you once I've made my rounds.”

  Joy and Sara Beth watched as the detective walked away. He took a bite of the cracker and made an odd face – like he had bitten into something rotten.

  "That was a dog biscuit, wasn't it?" Joy commented.

  "I guess it was."

  For an hour, Joy and Sara Beth sat near the catering table waiting for their turn to be questioned by the detective. A procession of dogs made their way over to Sara Beth who was feeding them biscuits and treats. Delilah and her Great Dane Petunia finished speaking with Detective Sugar and trotted over to the display of food.

  “So sorry this happened on your wedding day,” Joy said to Delilah.

  Sara Beth offered Petunia a piece of bacon. The Great Dane sniffed it curiously and then turned her nose up. Sara Beth shrugged and ate the salty slice herself.

  “Feel sorry for Hunter. Sean wasn't my favorite person in the world, but he was one of Hunter's oldest friends. Hunter is just devastated.” Delilah scanned the table for something more to Petunia's tastes.

  “I take it you didn't know Sean very well?" Joy guessed.

  “That's right.” Delilah sighed. "We never really got along. He didn't like dogs."

  Joy and Sara Beth glanced at each other.

  Joy gasped as Delilah grabbed a serving knife and cut into the wedding cake without hesitation. Sara Beth grabbed Joy's hand and squeezed it to stop her from saying something she would regret. Instead of picking up a fork, the bride-to-be held the plate at hip height, and Petunia began eating the first slice of cake. The cake Joy had stressed over all morning was going to be gone in an instant. And a dog had taken the first bite.

  “Good girl.” Delilah praised Petunia as she scooped up the crumbs.

  Joy dug her nails into Sara Beth's hand. Sara Beth made a small yip that startled the Chihuahua that had been sniffing around her feet.

  “Of course, I would never do anything to hurt anyone," Delilah explained. “Not even a guy like Sean Fisher.”

  Joy nodded and smiled through her clenched jaw as Petunia finishing licking the plate clean.

  “You're serving the cake?" Detective Sugar walked over.

  "Please, have some, detective." Delilah served him a piece of cake while Sara Beth gently peeled her hand out of Joy's death grip.

  “My compliments to the chefs," the detective said through a mouthful. "What's in this anyway?"

  “Is this your way of questioning us?” Joy asked.

  “I suppose.” Detective Sugar took another bite. “Tell me what you saw after you arrived today."

  “We unloaded the wedding cake and started setting up when we heard a scream at the beach,” Joy began. “We ran to the shore like everyone else and saw the body.”

  “That's it?”

  “That's it. That's all we saw.” Joy clasped her hands together and placed them neatly in her lap.

  “So you know nothing about the murder weapon?” Detective Sugar raised his eyebrows. "Tell me, did you bring lots of kitchen utensils with you today? Do you happen to bring a decorative butter knife for example?"

  Joy frowned, thinking of the golden butter knife her mother had given her. How did Detective Sugar know about it? Joy tilted her head. It was a strange question for him to be asking.

  “Why do you ask?” Joy asked.

  “Because we found one with the body,” the detective explained. "The handle is engraved and made out of—"

  “Gold?” Joy interrupted. “Is this murder weapon of yours a golden butter knife with a picture of an icing rose and the initials P.C.B.S. engraved on the handle?"

  Detective Sugar stopped chewing.

  “Patty Cakes Bake Shop." Joy shook her head. "That's my knife. I realized it was missing this morning.”

  "Then I should be placing you under arrest," Detective Sugar answered.

  “I didn't even know the man. Ask anyone. That knife was stolen from my office.” Joy sighed.

  “And you are sure it has only been missing since this morning?”

  “Detective, you should see her office," Sara Beth explained, perhaps a little harshly. "That knife could have been stolen last year, and we wouldn't have known."

  “I understand. A colleague of mine has an office like that.” The detective pondered for a moment, and Joy rolled her eyes. Never had her organizational skills been under such scrutiny.

  “If it helps Sara Beth and I can vouch for each other's whereabouts," Joy added. "We were both at the shop last night working late, and we were both at the shop all day making Delilah's wedding cake."

  “Alright,” the detective said. "Don't worry, Joy. I'm not going to arrest you. I have a lot of investigating to do before I reach a conclusion."

  “Thank goodness for that." Sara Beth crossed her arms.

  “Come by the bakery for a cherry tart later, won't you?” Joy knew that the detective couldn't resist her baking. Surely, another cherry tart would help clear her name from his list of suspects. It was worth a shot.

  “Yes, I think I will." Detective Sugar nodded.

  Joy's mind whirled as she tried to figure out how it was possible that her knife had been taken from her desk drawer and used to stab Hunter's best man. Who would go to such lengths to try and frame Joy like that? Joy could only think of one person – Maple McWayne, the owner of The Sugar Room. Maple was always coming up with underhanded tactics to steal Joy's customers, but would Maple go as far as murder?

  “Thank you and goodbye,” Sara Beth snapped at the detective as he walked away.

  “Sara Beth," Joy scolded her.

  "What?" Sara Beth frowned. "The man practically accused you of murder when he knows darn well that you and I had nothing to do with all of this."

  "The detective was just doing his job like always." Joy took a deep breath. She was more worried that her beloved wedding cake had been destroyed by a pack of dogs than being hauled off to jail.

  “Please, tell me you brought more sweet tea," Joy commented. "You get cranky when you run out."

  CHAPTER THREE

  Joy and Sara Beth drove back to the bakery but this time, neither of them took in the ocean view. Sara Beth rested her head against the window and blasted the air conditioning, trying to recover from sitting out in the sun for so long with no sweet tea. Joy was still in knots over who could have broken into her office and stolen the golden butter knife. A deep scowl crawled over her face as they drove by The Sugar Room and saw th
at Maple had hung a huge banner that read VOTED THE #1 BEST FROSTING IN TOWN.

  The Sugar Room had acquired the title by staging a contest where Maple handed out free cupcakes at the local senior center and then asked the crowd to raise their hands if they thought it was the best frosting in town. Anyone who raised their hand got an extra cupcake.

  “What a scam,” Joy muttered.

  Joy opened the pink lacquered doors to Patty Cakes Bake Shop, expecting to be hit in the face with a familiar blast of air conditioning. Instead, Joy was hit with a gust of warm air and the smell of rancid cream.

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Joy hurried inside.

  Sarah Beth slumped in after her and went directly to the refrigerator where she had a healthy stock of sweet tea. She poured herself a glass.

  “The air conditioner must have broken while we were out,” Joy shouted, feeling inside the display case. “It's so warm in here. These goods are not going to last very long.”

  “What should we do?" Sara Beth wiped a spot of sweet tea from her chin. She was back to her usual, chipper self.

  “I'm going to start by keeping a smile on my face,” Joy responded. "If I don't, I might just go insane." Joy smiled so hard that her cheeks hurt.

  “I have an idea.” Sara Beth grabbed a stack of to-go boxes from under the counter.

  “In times like these all I can do is smile," Joy muttered to herself. "And blame Maple, that rotten little tart." Joy began sorting through a pile of melted mini-cheesecakes.

  “How does that saying go? When life hands you lemons … add them to your sweet tea?" Sara Beth grabbed some muffins and placed them gently in a box. "Let's take all this stuff to the senior center. I mean, why not?"

  “Yes, the senior center," Joy replied, shaking her finger. "We can beat Maple at her own game." Joy filled boxes with the shop's remaining cupcakes that wouldn't taste their best by the morning.

  "That's not what I meant." Sara Beth assisted her boss in loading the rest of the baked goods.

  The scenic drive to the senior center calmed Joy down a notch. The building was a modest estate set at the top of a hill just outside of town. It had manicured gardens that overlooked the ocean, and it had been decorated with sculptures of mythological sea creatures.

  Joy's mother, Patty, had lived at the senior center before she passed away. Joy was filled with conflicting emotions as she drove up to the tall white gates. On one hand, Joy felt deep sorrow as she remembered how her mother had lamented that she couldn't hold a piping bag firmly enough to squeeze out buttercream frosting. She had been very weak near the end. On the other hand, Joy felt deep gratitude for the senior center and the staff that had helped Patty get by in her last years of life.

  Joy had visited her mother every day and grew fond of the nurses and staff that regularly manned the center. The residents, too, had become her friends. Joy hadn't been back very often since Patty had passed away. The nurses occasionally stopped by the bake shop to pick up a loaf of cinnamon bread or a tray of muffins, but that was about it. Joy smiled to herself, knowing that her baked goods would bring smiles to many faces.

  Sara Beth insisted on carrying three boxes at a time which, when stacked on top of one another, were so tall that she couldn't see over the top of them. Sara Beth made Joy guide her to the front steps.

  “Step,” Joy said.

  “Now?” Sara Beth asked, lifting a foot and searching for a solid place to plant it.

  “Yep, right in front of you. Just step up onto it.”

  “I can't find it. Oh, there it is.”

  “Step,” Joy said again, bouncing up the stairs and ringing the bell.

  “Again? How many steps, Joy?”

  “Five.”

  “Five more or five in total?” Sara Beth asked.

  “Five more is five in total, Sara Beth.” Joy informed her as the front door swung open.

  “Well, look who it is?” A familiar face smiled at Joy.

  “Edith?” Joy smiled back. "What a pleasant surprise. They've got you answering the door now?"

  “Oh, shoot.” Sara Beth toppled forward toward Edith. The three boxes in her hands wobbled back and forth.

  “Oh, my.” Edith placed a hand on the boxes and steadied Sara Beth. “There you are, my dear. Are you alright?”

  “I'm so sorry.” Sara Beth's cheeks were bright red with embarrassment.

  “Edith, you're as spritely as ever,” Joy said.

  Edith Maxwell was a long-time resident of the local senior center, having moved there for the company rather than the services offered. Edith had said that gathering everyone in one place made it, so no one had an excuse not to talk to you. She and Patty had become close friends.

  “If I'm fit enough to catch these, then I'm fit enough to eat whatever is inside." Edith pursed her lips. "Don't you pay attention to what the nurses say. Now, what have you brought us?”

  Edith chose a chocolate cupcake before leading Joy to the common area where everyone gave a huge cheer when they saw the Patty Cakes Bake Shop logo. The residents knew they were in for a treat. Joy got more hugs in one day than she had gotten the last three months. She felt a bit of tension release from her shoulders.

  I really should visit more often, Joy thought to herself. There was something about the senior center that helped her stay focused.

  Joy, Sara Beth, and Edith sat on a garden bench overlooking the ocean. Edith took small bites of her cupcake, savoring every morsel. As she ate, Edith commentated on the progress of another resident, Henry, as he took a walk along the shore.

  “Look at him, the old badger. He has horrible knees, but he refuses to use a cane. There's nothing wrong with a cane. At least it's not a walker." Edith giggled to herself.

  Sara Beth chuckled continuously at Edith's comments. She was in a particularly good mood, having found a pitcher of sweet tea in the common room. It was sweeter than usual. Edith explained that it was meant to be low sugar tea, but she'd snuck in something to give it an extra kick. Edith claimed that the residents were all too boring when the nurses enforced their low sugar diets.

  A nurse ran out onto the beach to bring Henry back.

  “There he goes again,” Edith explained as Henry began yelling at the nurse for bringing him a cane. “That man thinks he's twenty-one or something. He could be collapsed on the beach covered in seagulls, and he still wouldn't ask anyone for help."

  "My granny was like that too," Sara Beth chimed in.

  “Being here brings back memories of Patty, doesn't it?” Edith interrupted Joy's thoughts. She was either a psychic, or she had a knack for reading people.

  “I miss her every day.” Joy nodded sadly. Sara Beth cleared her throat and politely excused herself to look at the various statues in the garden.

  “I miss her too,” Edith quietly replied. “It hasn't been the same here without her, you know. She was a very good friend of mine as you know. At least, you both have talent with a whisk."

  Joy felt the compliment was far too generous. "She ran the bake shop like clockwork. I wish I knew her secret."

  “Patty would be proud of you,” Edith insisted. "The bake shop is a huge success. Everyone loves your cakes best. They say so every time Maple McWayne pops in. That woman is quite the chit-chatter. In my opinion, she doesn't know when to stop either."

  Joy wiped a tear from her cheek. It had been much tougher than she had thought to visit the senior center again. Edith made it more bearable.

  “I'm in a pickle, Edith," Joy confessed. "It's awful, and I don't know what to do.”

  Edith asked carefully, “Is this about that body they found on the beach?”

  “How do you know about that?” Joy was shocked.

  “Oh, we know everything that goes in town up here." Edith laughed. “The nurses are loud gossips, and they think we're all deaf. But those of us with hearing aids turn them up a notch. The things that go on in this town are better than a daytime soap opera. Did you know that Maple McWayne uses expired raisi
ns in her carrot cake?”

  “Is that really true?” Joy laughed. The news, whether or not it was made up, was just what she needed.

  “Oh yes, dear. Maple is losing customers left and right because of it.”

  “That would explain why she's constantly trying to put me out of business,” Joy grumbled.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The murder weapon that killed the man on the beach was the golden butter knife that Mom gave me. I noticed it was missing from my office and the next thing I knew it was in the chest of some poor man. I suspect Maple."

  “That's a silly thing to think," Edith commented. "Maple doesn't have it in her. First of all, Maple would have had to break into the bakery without you knowing. And second, I heard that the man who was killed was some awful city lawyer. I'm sure he had dozens of enemies.”

  "I guess," Joy agreed. "So tell me, Edith, what else do you know?" Joy had the feeling that Edith knew much more than she would ever tell. Perhaps, Joy should visit her more often.

  “Let me see.” Edith squinted as she glanced at the ocean waves. "One of the night nurses split up with her boyfriend, and one of the daytime nurses is dating him. Can you imagine?" Edith shook her head. "Then, of course, there was that group of men down at the docks last night. Oh my, they were noisy. I suspect they were all drunk."

  “You saw this?” Joy asked.

  “Oh, yes,” Edith confirmed. "The docks are just down there. Those men were so loud they woke up half the senior center."

  Before Joy could ask Edith anymore questions the old woman stood up and yelled down at Henry. Henry was now attempting to make a run for it, but it was only a matter of time before his knees buckled. Joy smiled. Yes, she did need to start visiting more often.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Morning light burst through the windows of Joy's beachside bungalow. She had slept terribly, and so had her white, fluffy cat named Cheesecake. He sat beside her, squinting at the light in the same cranky way that Joy was.

  “Cheesecake, you look as bad as I feel,” Joy groaned.

  His fur was disheveled, sticking out at all kinds of angles, and matted from rolling around the bed all night. At one point Joy had yanked the comforter from underneath him, and he had completely rolled off the edge of the bed, landing with a thud. Now Cheesecake struggled to preen himself, dragging his tongue across his long fur and making it stick up even more.