Crunchy Christmas Murder: Killer Cookie Cozy Mysteries, Book 4

by Patti Benning

  “Lilah?”

  Reid’s voice brought her back to their conversation.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I was just lost in thought. I’m glad you didn’t have to wait at the jail long. I’m sorry I didn’t answer earlier — I was helping Margie bake some cookies.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you heard what had happened from me first. I don’t know what they’re going to say about all of this in the newspapers.”

  “If there’s video of you at the machine shop while the murder was taking place, no one will seriously believe that you did it,” she said. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  “That’s good to hear,” he said. “Thank you. So, how was your day?”

  Lilah switched him to speaker phone as they spoke so that she could text Val. She had a sneaking suspicion that Lydia knew more than she was letting on about her husband’s death, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

  Val met her as planned at the diner the next day an hour before her shift was supposed to start. Lilah handed her an eggnog shake, and the two of them sat at the counter to discuss their plan. The diner was empty, other than Kate and Randall in the kitchen, so they didn’t bother keeping their voices down.

  “How well do you know Lydia?” Lilah asked her friend.

  “We’ve been friends for a couple of years,” Val said. “We aren’t super close, but we get together every once in a while, for shopping or lunch. Before she worked for the florist, she worked at my favorite antique shop, which is how we met.”

  “Do you think I’m crazy to suspect her?”

  Val hesitated. “Well, not exactly. I can’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind. She did fight with her husband a lot, but at the end of the day I always thought they loved each other. But in these sorts of cases, the police always look at the spouse as a possible suspect. Especially when life insurance is involved. I don’t think they’d miss it if she was the one that killed him.”

  “It’s not like the police are always right,” Lilah pointed out. “I mean, they arrested Reid, and that was obviously wrong.”

  Her friend shrugged. “I really don’t know. I can’t imagine Reid or Lydia would have killed him on purpose. But either of them could have gotten into a fight with him and done it on accident. I bet John was in a pretty bad mood after having the police called on him at work.”

  “What do you think of Reid’s theory?” Lilah asked her.

  “That he got drunk and fell into the pool on his own?” Val shrugged. “It’s possible. I’m just as curious as you are about what happened, but there are just too many ways he could have died. I hate to say it, but John was one of those people that was just really good at making people mad. He had his good traits, too, but from what Lydia has said, he’s annoyed enough people over the years to have quite the list of enemies.”

  Lilah ate the cherry off the top of her shake as she mulled over their conversation. Other than feeling bad for his wife, she hadn’t been paying much attention to John’s death. Now that Reid had gotten arrested, however, some sort of protective feeling seemed to have risen inside her. She just wanted the case solved and Reid’s name to be cleared. Was that too much to ask?

  CHAPTER TEN

  * * *

  A call from her mother the next morning put all thought of John’s murder out of her mind.

  “You want to stay here?” Lilah said, certain that she had heard wrong. “Until Wednesday?”

  “Yes, dear. I’m sure you could use the help. With your new business opening in just a few days, I can’t even imagine how busy you must be. You’re my daughter, and this is a big step for you. I want to help.”

  Lilah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She loved her mother, but they were lucky if they could go a few hours without finding something to argue about. She knew the woman meant well by offering to stay with her for the next few days and help her get ready for the grand opening, but she wasn’t sure that her mother’s presence would help with the stress at all. In fact, it might have the opposite effect. Still, she couldn’t imagine saying no to the offer, not right before the holidays, and not when she finally seemed to be coming around and supporting Lilah’s goal of opening the cookie shop.

  “Great,” Lilah said in a falsely cheery voice that any other woman would have seen right through. “When can I expect you?”

  “I thought I’d leave here around noon. I should be to your house by three. Does that work for you?”

  “Yep, I’ll see you then.”

  She hung up the phone, trying not to panic as she looked around the kitchen. She needed to clean. She needed to clean everything and finish the laundry, and figure out something to make for dinner that didn’t come pre-cooked and frozen.

  “Calm down,” she muttered to herself. “It’s just Mom.”

  Whenever her parents visited, she had the same reaction. She couldn’t help the feeling wanting to prove herself to them. She knew that a lot of her choices had disappointed them, and she wanted to show them that she did know what she was doing, after all. She was anxious to have everything perfect for her mother’s arrival — but that would have to wait. She glanced at the time on her phone. In twenty minutes, she was supposed to meet the guy at the cookie shop for the inspection. After that, she would come back and clean up.

  “Everything looks good.”

  “Really? Thank you so much. You have no idea how nervous I was.”

  The health inspector smiled. “I used to inspect this kitchen every year, when that sandwich guy owned it. I know he bought quality equipment and kept everything up to code, so he won half the battle for you. What happened to him, anyway? He retire?”

  “He passed away,” Lilah told him.

  “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” He fell silent for a moment, then shook himself. “He was a good guy, and cared a lot about this place. It seems like you’re taking good care of it. I’m sure he would approve. Come on, follow me back to the truck and I’ll sign the commercial kitchen certification license for you.”

  She watched as he scribbled on a pad of paper, ripped off the top piece, and handed it to her. “There you go. You keep this. It has to be displayed prominently in your kitchen. A lot of people frame theirs. The other copy goes with me back to the health department. I’ll see you next year.”

  He gave her a little wave, then climbed into his truck. She watched as he drove away, then looked down at the piece of paper in her hands. This was the last thing she had needed to achieve before being able to open the store, and she had done it. It was hard to believe.

  Grinning, she went back inside and set the certification on the counter. She would pick up a frame for it later today. This was it. She was really going to be able to open the cookie shop on Wednesday. Suddenly even the prospect of her mother staying with her for a few days didn’t seem bad.

  Her good mood remained the entire time that she cleaned her house. She even gave Winnie a bath, and clipped Oscar’s nails. Everything would be just perfect for her mother’s visit. She felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders now that she had passed the inspection. She hadn’t realized just how worried about it she had been until after the fact.

  Her mother knocked on the door shortly after three, and gave Lilah a big hug when she opened the door.

  “I read your text. Congratulations, sweetie,” she said.

  “Thanks, Mom. Come on in. I’m making chicken soup for dinner; it’s in the crock pot now. We’ve got a few hours until it’s time to eat, and I’m free for the rest of the day. What do you want to do?”

  “I want to see the cookie shop, of course,” her mother said. “What name did you decide on.”

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” Lilah said with a smile.

  The two of them stood in front of the cookie shop. Lilah looked at it with a critical eye, trying to see it as her mother did. She had grown so used to it that it was hard to look at it with
fresh eyes.

  “The Casual Cookie. I like it.”

  “You do?” Lilah asked. “Settling on a name was probably one of the hardest things I’ve done.”

  “It’s catchy and easy to remember,” her mother said. “That’s always good for a business name. You don’t want to have something that no one can pronounce. I think it’s a great choice. Now, do I get to see inside?”

  “Of course, let’s go in.”

  She unlocked the door and held it open for the older woman, hitting the light switch on the wall as she followed her.

  “This is how it will look on opening day,” she said. “Except there will be cookies in the display cases, and hopefully a lot more people.”

  “It’s wonderful, darling. You obviously have a gift for this sort of thing. I’m sorry I didn’t see it earlier.”

  “It’s all right,” Lilah told her. “I had my share of doubts too, don’t worry. But I think this will turn out okay.”

  “Oh, it’s going to be fantastic. I can’t wait for your father to see this. He’ll be so proud.”

  “I’d settle for him not being angry,” Lilah said with a dry laugh. “The kitchen’s back here. I’ll show you around. I think you’ll like how much counter space there is.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  * * *

  Having her mother stay with her wasn’t as bad as Lilah had thought it would be. In fact, it was kind of nice to have time for just the two of them to bond. With the cookie shop ready to open, all she had to do was her normal shifts at the diner, and some last-minute grocery shopping for the big day. She planned on making all of the cookies for the grand opening fresh the morning of, so there wasn’t much she could do in the way of preparation.

  The day before the cookie shop’s grand opening Lilah’s nerves began to get the better of her again. She had the morning shift at the diner, so when she clocked out, she found herself with an entire afternoon of free time looming in front of her. She normally would have enjoyed it, especially since it would probably be her last afternoon completely free for a long time, but was too nervous about tomorrow to do anything other than pace and constantly reread her homemade book of recipes.

  “Lilah, what are you doing?” her mother asked as she walked through the living room for the third time.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I forgot what I came in here for.”

  “Let’s get out of the house,” the older woman suggested. “I know, let’s go get you a Christmas tree.”

  With everything that had been going on, Lilah hadn’t had time to put up her fake tree. It was still buried in a box in one of the closets somewhere. She hadn’t had a real tree for years, not because she didn’t like them, but because it seemed like such a hassle to go out to the tree farm and get one, and then figure out how to dispose of it a few weeks later.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I wasn’t going to put one up this year. I’ve been so busy, and things are only going to get busier after the Casual Cookie opens. I probably won’t remember to take it down until June, and by then it will be a dried-out husk of a fire hazard.”

  “I’ll call you next month and remind you to get rid of it,” her mother said. “Let’s go. It will be fun. Just like when you were younger. You used to love getting trees, remember?”

  She knew when she was beat. The two of them had been getting along so well; it would be nice to do one last family activity before the big day. Besides, she did love walking into the living room to see a brightly lit tree on Christmas morning. It was just the putting it up and taking it down that she didn’t enjoy so much.

  “All right, all right. Let’s take your car, though. I don’t know if mine could handle carrying a Christmas tree.”

  There was only one small tree farm near Vista. The sign out front said Brown Family Tree Farm. It was a small affair, and the pickings were slim this close to the holiday. Still, Lilah had to admit that it was fun to walk through the muddy farm with her mother, trying to find a tree that looked like it might fit in her house.

  “How about this one?” her mother suggested.

  “It’s got a bald spot on this side,” Lilah said as she walked around to the other side.

  “Well, you could just put that side towards the wall.”

  “I suppose.” She frowned at it. “I guess it’s the best one here. I’ll go find someone to help us.”

  She wandered back up the road towards the front of the tree farm where there was a small wooden building for the farm’s employees. She raised a hand to knock on the door, and was surprised when it opened before she even touched it. The man who came out was one that she recognized, though it took her a moment to place him, possibly due to his Santa Clause costume.

  “Hi,” he said brightly. “Have you made your tree selection?”

  “I think so. Hey, didn’t I meet you a few days ago?” she said. “You thought I was the pizza delivery driver.”

  He squinted at her. “Oh, I did, didn’t I? I’m sorry about that. I always wait outside for them, in case they need help carrying anything in. When I saw your car roll up and idle at the curb, I was sure you had the pizzas.”

  “Sorry for the confusion,” she said. “A friend of mine knows one of your neighbors, and she was just showing me where her house was, since we were in the neighborhood.”

  “The Lopez’s?” he asked. “It’s a pity what happened to them, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” Lilah agreed. “Did you know John well?”

  “Not very well. He wasn’t very outgoing. He didn’t seem like a very happy man. He never even decorated for Christmas, even though it’s something our homeowners’ association agreed on — everyone should put at least something up. It used to drive me crazy.” He laughed and shook his head. “Well, you saw my house. I’m a big fan of the holidays. I volunteer here every year, and go caroling on Christmas Eve. Christmas is my favorite holiday. Everyone is so cheerful and happy. I don’t understand how some people can hate it so much.”

  “I doubt he hated Christmas,” Lilah said. “He probably just didn’t feel like putting up decorations just to have to take them down again in a few weeks. I know I sure didn’t. My mother dragged me into this. She’s waiting by the tree we picked out now, so we don’t forget which one it is.”

  He chuckled. “Then we should probably get going.” He ducked back inside the shed and came out with a hand saw. “Lead on.”

  It wasn’t until Lilah was standing next to her mother, watching Chris saw through the tree’s trunk that she realized he might have seen something on the day that John was murdered. She kicked herself mentally for not asking him about it when they were talking. Even the smallest clue might be enough to clear Reid’s name in time for Christmas.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  * * *

  Lilah woke up at four thirty the next morning, her heart fluttering with excitement in her chest as she stared up at the dark ceiling. Today was the day. At noon, she would open the doors of the Casual Cookie to the public for the first time. A thousand worries and doubts rushed through her mind. Would anyone even show up? What if she got into the kitchen and forgot everything she had learned over the past few months? There were countless things that could go wrong. If anything bad did happen, she knew that she would just have to figure out how to deal with it in the moment. Right now, she needed to get up and get dressed. She had a big day in front of her.

  She padded barefoot into the kitchen to start the coffee. A soft glow came from the living room where her mom was sleeping on the pullout couch. She peeked into the room and smiled to see the Christmas tree lit up. The two of them had spent the evening before decorating it, and she knew that those would be hours that she would remember forever.

  Trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake up her mother, Lilah got dressed and downed the first of what would be many cups of coffee that day. She scribbled a note for her mother and left it on the counter, then slipped out the front door and got into her car. Val, Margie, an
d her mother would all be meeting her there in a few hours, but she wanted this early morning time to begin baking by herself.

  As she walked through the back entrance into the cookie shop’s kitchen, she flipped the switch on the wall and the building hummed to life around her. She was unable to control the grin that spread across her face at the sight of the clean, beautiful kitchen that was all hers. Brand new sets of mixing bowls, spoons, and cookies sheets were tucked away into the cupboards, and the fridge, freezer, and pantry were full of ingredients. It had taken her quite a few shopping trips, but it had paid off; the kitchen was stocked with anything and everything she could ever want to make any type of cookie that struck her fancy. The health inspection certificate was framed and hung on the wall beside the freezer, and she took a moment to walk over to it and examine it again. Somehow that little piece of paper felt more official to her than all of the other stuff. She loved the sight of her business name printed on the dotted line. It made everything feel that much more real.