Crunchy Christmas Murder: Killer Cookie Cozy Mysteries, Book 4

by Patti Benning

  While Reid finished the first coat of blue paint in the front room, Lilah pulled all of her ingredients out of the grocery bags and lined them up on the counter. She was trying something new today; double chocolate peppermint cookies. She had come across the recipe the night before, and with just a couple of small tweaks, they would be the perfect holiday cookies to make for the shop’s grand opening.

  She had brought her favorite mixing bowl and cookie sheet from home; her order of new supplies for the cookie shop should be there on Monday. It felt odd to be cooking in such a big kitchen — it wasn’t very large compared to the kitchens that larger restaurants had, but compared to her cramped little kitchen, it was huge. She had enough space to spread out all of her ingredients on the counter, and still have room for the printed-out recipe and a bottle of water.

  Within just a few minutes, and after just one unfortunate mishap involving the cocoa powder — thankfully she had left the broom in the supply cupboard instead of bringing it home the day before — she had finished mixing all of the ingredients into the chocolate dough. She opened the little glass container of peppermint extract and carefully added a few drops of it to the dough before folding half a bag of the red and green semi-sweet chocolate chips in. She couldn’t wait to see how these cookies turned out; if they were good, she would make sure to bring a few to Margie on her way home.

  She was just sliding the first batch into the oven when Reid walked into the kitchen. He looked a bit brighter, and there was a smudge of paint on his cheek.

  “You really cleaned this place up,” he said. “How does everything work?”

  “It all seems to work perfectly,” she said. “Thank you so much for taking me to see this place when it first came on the market. I really owe you.”

  “You do, huh?” he said, the corner of his mouth rising in a half grin. “Does that mean I’m finally going to get that date I’ve been asking you for?”

  “Oh, um…” Lilah thought fast. He had asked her out before, but she had always said no. She didn’t want to get involved with a man who lived and breathed business. She remembered enough about her own childhood and her parents’ marriage to know what it was like to have a husband who was gone all the time. She was too old to waste time on casual dating with someone she wasn’t serious about, and she didn’t want to risk getting serious about someone who would never be there. On the other hand, Reid had been the one to show her this perfect little shop, and he had just had a terrible couple of days. One date surely couldn’t hurt… could it?

  “Okay,” she said at last. “Sure. One date. As a thank you for finding this place for me.”

  She saw the surprise in his eyes, then his grin turned into a smile. “Can I pick you up at seven on Sunday evening?”

  “All right,” she said. “That works.” She turned her attention back to the oven and spent a few moments searching for the oven light in an attempt to hide how flustered she was. What had she just gotten herself into?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  * * *

  “It’s just a date.”

  “A date with Reid,” Val said. She was grinning ear to ear. “We’ve been waiting forever for this.”

  Lilah looked over at Margie, who was also smiling broadly. She knew that the older woman had been trying to set her up with Reid for months. She hadn’t been aware that Val had been in on it too.

  “Don’t get too excited,” she said. “It’s just one date. I only agreed because I felt bad for him.”

  “Well don’t tell him that,” Val said. “Men don’t like it when you pity them. Just go and have fun. I bet you’ll end up enjoying yourself.”

  “I’m sure it will be a good time,” Lilah said. “Reid’s a nice guy. But I really shouldn’t get involved with anybody right now. I’ve way too much on my plate to even think about adding a boyfriend to the mess right now.”

  “Reid will understand about you being busy,” Margie chimed in. “He knows what it’s like to have to put in long hours. He won’t complain.”

  It was Sunday afternoon, and the three of them were at Lilah’s house. Her two friends were helping her get ready for her date, which they seemed to be more excited about than she was. Val was digging through Lilah’s closet, trying to find something suitable for a first date, and Margie was sitting on the chair in the corner, watching them and making suggestions. There was already a small pile of discarded dresses on the bed. Lilah didn’t see what was wrong with them, but she trusted her friend’s judgment. Val was the one with a fiancé, after all, whereas Lilah seemed to be perpetually single.

  “Let’s see how the date goes before the two of you start trying to marry me off,” she said. “Come on, Val, I don’t have that many more dresses. There’s got to be something in my closet that you like.”

  “You’re the one making this difficult,” her friend said. “I told you, you should just wear something short and black.”

  “We’re going out to dinner, not getting cocktails at a club,” Lilah said, exasperated. “Look, how about this blue dress? It’s sort of dressy, and I know it fits me well. I wore it not too long ago. It’s a good color, and it doesn’t wrinkle easily.”

  “What do you think?” Val asked, holding it up to show Margie.

  “I like it,” the older woman said. “That’s the one, Lilah. I’m sure it will look very striking on you.”

  “Right, well, now that we’ve got that settled, let’s go into the kitchen. The two of you are making me anxious about this date. I need something sugary to calm my nerves.”

  “But we haven’t picked out your shoes yet,” Val said.

  “I only have one pair of shoes that are nice enough to wear with that dress, so that part’s easy,” Lilah said. “Are you two coming with me or not? I want to eat some cookies before I get into that thing and start on my makeup and hair.”

  Margie had brought over a platter of cookies, and it was this that Lilah made a beeline towards. She still had a few double chocolate peppermint cookies in her cookie jar, but nothing beat Margie’s fresh out of the oven buckeye cookies. She grabbed one and bit into it, closing her eyes as the perfect bite of peanut butter and chocolate seemed to melt in her mouth. Even though her friends were freaking her out a little bit with their excitement, she was happy that they had come over to help her get ready. She didn’t regret agreeing to go on the date with Reid, not exactly, but she still wasn’t sure she had made the right choice in agreeing to it. What if he asked her out on another date after this, and she said no? Would it make things awkward between them? She hoped not. She didn’t want to wreck their friendship.

  “So, how is the cookie shop coming?” Margie asked. “I want to try to get out there to see it tomorrow.”

  “It’s really coming along,” Lilah said. She nudged the platter of cookies towards Val, who took one. “I finished touching up the paint and taking off all of the tape and plastic this morning. I’m really happy with the color I chose. Oh, and the man I ordered that custom window from said that it should be done by Tuesday. Reid offered to put it in for me if he’s still suspended from work by then.”

  The pane glass window on the cookie shop’s front door currently bore the word’s Talbot’s Sandwiches. She was excited to replace it with a new window with her store name. That would be the final touch; after she got the window installed, all that remained would be to set up a display for the front room along with a few more small touches and get the inspection done. Then the store would finally be ready to open. She was trying not to think too hard about the grand opening day. Whenever she did, she began to get hot flashes and a rush of anxiety. What if no one showed up? What if no one wanted to buy cookies? What if the entire thing turned out to be a bust?

  “Are you okay?” Val asked. “You look a little bit pale.”

  “I’m fine,” Lilah said. She took another bite out of her cookie and told herself to snap out of it. Her impending date with Reid wasn’t helping matters. She didn’t understand why she was so nervous about g
oing on a date with someone that she wasn’t even interested in romantically.

  “Are you worried about your date, dear?” Margie asked. “I’m sorry if Val and I are overwhelming you.”

  “No, it’s not that.” She smiled at her friend. “I’m glad the two of you are here. I was just thinking about the cookie shop. I really hope it works out.”

  “I’m sure it will.” Margie patted her hand. “If anyone can make a living selling cookies, it’s you.”

  Lilah thought that her friend’s confidence in her might be a bit misplaced, but she was grateful for it anyway.

  “Make sure you ask Reid how the police investigation is going,” Val said. “He probably knows more than anyone else.”

  “I doubt they’re telling him much, since he’s a suspect,” Lilah said.

  “That’s true.” Her friend frowned. “You don’t think there’s any chance he had anything to do with John’s death, do you?”

  “Of course not.” Lilah looked at the other woman in shock. “You know him, too. How could you even think that?”

  “I don’t think that he would have killed the guy on purpose, but it could have been an accident,” Val said. “What if he showed up to talk to John after work, and they got into another fight. A shove at the wrong time could have made John fall into the pool. Maybe he hit his head on the way down, and Reid just panicked.”

  “If something like that happened, I’m sure Reid would do the right thing and come forward,” Margie said.

  “I’m just saying it seems like a kind of big coincidence, that’s all,” Val said with a shrug. “The guy died just hours after he got into a huge argument with Reid. I’m not saying he did it, but I can see why the police are suspicious.”

  “Now I just feel even worse for him,” Lilah said. “If you think he might have been involved somehow, then imagine what people who don’t even know him must think? I hope all of this gets cleared up quickly. Reid doesn’t deserve to be in the spotlight for something like this, not when he already feels terrible as it is for arguing with John before his death.”

  She finished her cookie and stood up to go get changed. She knew that Val was just tossing her thoughts out there, but still the conversation had unsettled her. Reid hadn’t killed anyone, even on accident… had he?

  CHAPTER SIX

  * * *

  Lilah opened the door with butterflies in her stomach. She didn’t know why she was feeling so nervous — it was just one date, and Reid was a friend. It shouldn’t be this big of a deal. Maybe she had eaten something that didn’t agree with her, and she was mistaking indigestion for nerves. That was probably it.

  “Hi,” she said, giving Reid a faint smile. He was a couple of minutes early, but thanks to Val and Margie’s help, she was already ready to go. The two women had left a little bit ago. Both were over at Margie’s house now, and she was sure that they would pop over to grill her about the date afterward.

  “Hi to you.” He returned her smile with one of his own. “You look nice.”

  “Thanks. So do you.”

  She invited him in while she grabbed her jacket and purse. Her cheeks felt hot. Was she getting a fever? That must be it. Why did things feel so awkward between them right now? She hoped that things would go more smoothly once they were at the restaurant. They just needed a few safe topics to talk about, that was all.

  Reid’s car was sleek and black, and still smelled new on the inside. She had only been in it a couple of times before, and was always struck by the difference between it and her old blue beater. She liked her car, but she would have traded it in a heartbeat for one as nice as his. Where her engine coughed, his purred.

  Sitting on the smooth leather seat and looking out through the tinted window, she was glad that she had listened to Val’s advice and had dressed up. If she had worn something more casual, she would have felt out of place next to Reid, who looked very handsome in his black dress shirt and slacks.

  “So, where are we off to?” she asked once they had pulled out of her driveway and turned onto the main road.

  “There’s a place not too far from here that I like,” he said. “It’s called the Vintage Grill. Have you been there?”

  She nodded. “With my parents, a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed the food.”

  “But not the parents?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Things have been somewhat strained between myself and my father ever since I left my job at his company,” she told him. “Me telling him about the cookie shop didn’t exactly help matters.”

  “Ah,” he said. “I’m sorry. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually.”

  “I hope so. I sent him an invitation to the grand opening, but he hasn’t responded yet.”

  “Well, you can count on me to be there,” he said. “And Val and Margie too, I’m sure.”

  “I know.” She smiled at him. “Thanks.”

  Reid had made reservations at the Vintage Grill, so they were seated almost immediately. Lilah hadn’t eaten much besides the cookies that Margie brought over earlier that evening, and her stomach began to growl at the succulent scents coming from the kitchen.

  “Here are our holiday menus,” the host said as he seated them. “Someone will be with you shortly to take your drink orders. Our wines are listed on the back.”

  She and Reid chose a white wine together, then read through their menus in silence for a couple of moments. Lilah was happy to focus on choosing her meal; it delayed the moment when she would have to figure out what to talk about with Reid. She had never been good at first dates. Or second dates, come to think of it.

  “I don’t know what to get,” she said. “Everything looks so good.”

  “I think the holiday menu is only around for about three weeks,” he told her. “They switch it out right after Christmas. I’ve tried a few of the choices over the years. I think the quail was the best, but none of them will disappoint you.”

  “I’ll go with the quail then,” she said. Glazed quail with house pomegranate sauce, mashed cauliflower, and roasted mushrooms and vegetables sounded good to her, and she didn’t think she had ever tried quail before. Even if the rest of the date turned out to be awkward, at least she would end up with a delicious meal.

  “Do you need any more help at the cookie shop?” Reid asked her once they had placed their orders. “Other than installing the new window.”

  “I don’t think so,” Lilah told him. “I might need some help moving the table and chairs for the front room in, and I still haven’t found a good display rack, but other than that, pretty much all that needs to be done is the inspection. If everything goes well, I should be able to open before Christmas like I wanted to.”

  “That’s wonderful,” he said. “I’m glad. I can’t wait to see how the cookie shop does.”

  Their conversation proceeded smoothly after that. It wasn’t anywhere near as awkward as she had dreaded. In fact, it was hard for her to admit, even to herself, but she liked Reid. He was nice, intelligent, and good looking. He always tried to help her out. And not just her, but all of his friends. She remembered everything that he had done for Margie over the years, from fixing a rotted board on the porch to repairing a leak in the roof. He had never accepted any pay besides the containers of baked goods the older woman pressed on him. From what she had seen of him with his niece and nephew at the corn maze a few months ago, he was good with kids, too.

  Maybe dating him wouldn’t be as bad as I thought, she thought. He does always make time for his family and friends. Just because he spends a lot of time at his job doesn’t mean he’s too busy to have a normal life.

  She shook her head, trying to clear it of dangerous thoughts. She was just letting herself get wooed by a nice meal and some good conversation. She didn’t need the distraction that a serious boyfriend would bring, not while she was trying to build a business.

  Then, of course, she had to consider what Val had said earlier. Was it possible that Reid was somehow involved in John�
�s death? Looking at him as he laughed at a joke she had made, she found it hard to even consider the possibility. She had never seen anything to suggest that he wasn’t a good man. And yet, she couldn’t deny that it was a big coincidence that John had died just hours after a major, embarrassing argument with his boss.

  * * *

  “Thank you,” she said when he dropped her off at her house a couple of hours later. “I had a really nice time.”

  “Me too,” he said. “Oh, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you all night.”

  She tensed. Was he going to ask her on a second date? What would she say?

  “I think I left a jacket at the cookie shop when I stopped by to help paint the other day. Would you mind looking for it next time you’re there? No hurry, but if it isn’t there, then I’ll have to try to figure out where else I could have left it.”