German Chocolate Killer (Cupcakes in Paradise Book 11)
Page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GERMAN CHOCOLATE KILLER
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
German
Chocolate
KILLER
Cupcakes in Paradise
Book 11
By
Summer Prescott
Copyright 2018 Summer Prescott Books
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying, or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder
**This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.
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GERMAN
CHOCOLATE
KILLER
Cupcakes in Paradise
Book 11
PROLOGUE
* * *
The first sip of coffee was always the best. The sweet cream had been swirled in, and the temperature was exactly right. Agnes Quisenberry sat at her usual spot in the pancake house, savoring the smoothness, and richly roasted flavor. Every Wednesday, at precisely eight a.m., she was seated at her table by the windows, where she could watch people and cars as they passed by, oblivious to being observed.
Agnes paid no attention to those who gazed at her with pity, as she chewed tiny bites of her chocolate chip pancakes. The well-dressed, elderly woman was content with her own company. Her husband, Arthur, had been so sick in the years prior to his passing, that she’d become quite accustomed to solitude, and even welcomed it.
It was funny the things that people would do when they thought that no one was watching, and Agnes saw more than most. She kept to herself, generally, not because she was anti-social, but because she tended to be a gal who faded into the background. Whether people didn’t know, or didn’t care, that there was a dignified wisp of a woman observing moments that might be best left private, was a mystery, but as yet, Agnes had never had cause to report any of her observations, no matter how far out of the ordinary. It wasn’t worth creating a fuss over minor human missteps and foibles. Jaywalkers, speeders, litterers, she saw them all and let them be. Agnes lived a peaceful life, thankful for each new day that she lived and breathed and felt the sun on her face. She left folks to go about their business and minded her own, finding that life was far less stressful that way.
CHAPTER ONE
* * *
“Good afternoon, Agnes,” Melissa Gladstone Beckett sang out, when she saw one of her favorite regular customers walk into Cupcakes in Paradise, her cozy little shop near the beach.
Agnes came in to buy just one German Chocolate cupcake, every Tuesday afternoon, at precisely one o’clock. The dear woman always had a smile for Missy, and always lingered to chat, for just a few minutes each time.
“Hi, Melissa! How are you today?” Agnes asked, her voice soft, but steady.
“I’m doing just great, thanks. How about you?” Missy asked, taking the cupcake that she’d already boxed up and handing it to the pleasant woman, who was dressed all in lavender.
“Oh, I can’t complain. It’s a lovely day today. I think I just might do some gardening. I have a nice young man who mows the lawn and such, but every once in a while I like to get out there in the flower beds.”
“That sounds fun. I don’t have much time to work with my flowers these days,” Missy smiled ruefully.
“You’ll have even less, soon,” Agnes observed, digging into her large rattan shoulder bag. “And along those lines…” she murmured. “Here we go,” she pulled out a small box and handed it to Missy.
“What is this?” Missy’s eyes lit up.
“One way to find out,” Agnes chuckled.
Opening the lid and pulling back the polka-dotted tissue paper, Missy saw the most darling pair of white, hand-crocheted booties, and gasped, her eyes growing moist.
“Oh, Agnes! They’re beautiful,” she pulled them out and touched the satin ribbon which tied them around the ankles. “Thank you so much,” she came around the counter to give her customer a hug, and inhaled a scent that reminded her of her grandmother. “I don’t know what to say.”
“No need to say anything, dear. The look on your face says it all,” Agnes beamed. “I don’t have any little ones to dote on, so I’ll be adopting yours as my very own grandchild if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all, Agnes. I think that would be wonderful.”
“You have a good day, Melissa,” Agnes gave her another quick hug, then headed for the door.
“You too!” Missy called out with a little wave.
She felt a bit nostalgic, and leaned against the counter with a faintly sad smile playing about her lips. This was what life in Louisiana had been like for her – folks reaching out and being neighborly – and sometimes she missed it so much. People in the sleepy beach town of Calgon, Florida were nice too, but she often met more tourists than locals over the course of a day.
“What are you daydreaming about out here, Miss Missy?” Beulah, her one and only employee asked with a chuckle, coming out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel.
“Just thinking about the way things were back home,” Missy shrugged. “You ever do that?”
“No ma’am,” the older woman shook her head vehemently. “Ain’t no sense in dwelling on the past. You got to put that behind you.”
“Even if the past was good?”
“Especially if it was good. If you’re thinking about old times and how good they were, maybe what you need to be thinking about is how to make things better, here and now,” Beulah suggested.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love my life, Beulah. Things are awesome,
but I have fond memories too, and I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with a little reminiscing.”
“Mmhmm…what I think is that those pregnancy hormones are messing with your mind,” Beulah raised her eyebrows, making Missy laugh.
“You’re probably right,” she agreed, patting her tummy. “Was there something that you needed?”
“Yes, ma’am. A call came in from the office of the gentleman who’s gonna be running for Calgon County Treasurer. They need two hundred cupcakes for a campaign event this Saturday. I told him I’d call him back and let him know if we can do it.”
“Do we have any other events this weekend?” Missy asked, trying to remember.
“Just the bridal shower on Sunday afternoon,” Beulah reminded her.
“Okay then, go ahead and tell them that we can do it, and let them know that I’ll be calling them for the details later on today.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Beulah nodded, heading back to the kitchen.
Missy leaned back against the counter, glad that Beulah had distracted her from what could have turned into a teary, melancholy episode. She had so much to be thankful for…Beulah was right, it was time to appreciate the present and stop wallowing in the past.
Spring beamed down on her sunny Florida town, she had a baby on the way, who at the moment seemed to be tap-dancing on her tummy, and life was good.
“Hey girl,” Missy’s best friend, Echo Kellerman, breezed in, interrupting her reflection.
“What a nice surprise!” Missy beamed, hugging the willowy redhead. “I thought when I didn’t see you for coffee earlier that you must be really busy today.”
“I am, or rather, I was,” Echo flopped into a chair with a relieved exhale. “We had a new shipment of books come in this morning, and I wanted to be there to sign for everything,” she explained.
“Couldn’t Joyce or Kumar have handled that?”
“Yes, but honestly, I always get so excited when the new books come in. Just seeing boxes and boxes of new books…I get goosebumps,” Echo grinned.
The enterprising woman owned a pair of adjacent shops in a funky building downtown. One was a bookshop, the other a custom-made candle store. She handcrafted the candles herself, and each one was scented and inspired by a flavor from Missy’s cupcake creations.
“And that heavenly smell,” Missy closed her eyes, imagining the crisp scent of a brand new book. She hadn’t had much time to read lately, business was booming, but she figured that she’d have time every now and again after the baby was born.
“I can’t stay long,” Echo helped herself to a mug of coffee from the pot behind the counter. “But I wanted to stop by and see what you were up to on Saturday.”
“Well, I just accepted what’s sure to be a pretty sizable order from the office of someone who is running for County Treasurer. There’s a debate on Saturday,” Missy gazed longingly at Echo’s cup of steaming brew. She so missed coffee.
“Oh, really? Which candidate?” Echo asked.
“I don’t know yet, I haven’t looked at Beulah’s notes,” Missy admitted.
“Well…I was hoping that we could have a girl’s day, but honestly, I’m really curious about the candidates. Where is it being held?”
“Usually those things are at the park in the town square. I’m curious as to what they have to say, too.”
“I have a great idea, if you’re up for it. I could take the girls to the park while you and Beulah make your cupcake delivery, then we can go to the rally together,” Echo suggested. “Afterwards, if you’re not too tired, maybe we can go to lunch or shopping or something.”
Echo’s daughter, Jasmine was just over a year old, and Missy’s newly-adopted daughter Kaylee was three. The two girls shared a babysitter and spent a great deal of time together, so a morning in the park would be delightful for them.
“What a great idea. The thought of standing through a rally sounds a bit challenging, but I can always go rest in the shade if I need to,” Missy nodded.
“Do you think the guys will want to tag along?” Echo asked, referring to her husband, Phillip “Kel” Kellerman, and Missy’s husband, Chas.
“We can ask, and if they do, maybe they can take the girls for a bit while we go out afterwards.”
“Now you’re talking,” Echo grinned, finishing her last swallow of coffee. She had downed the cup like it was her last. “Get all the details and let me know,” she stood, went over to Missy’s side of the table and kissed her friend on the top of her head. “Later gator,” she called out, heading for the door.
“Bye,” Missy grinned. Echo was not only a steadfast presence through thick and thin, she had a way of cracking Missy up like no other.
CHAPTER TWO
* * *
Chas Beckett sat across the desk from Ed Parker, the Calgon Chief of Police. The clever detective had opened up his own private investigation firm in Calgon, but had been asked by the Chief to fill in at the department, when the detective who’d been hired to replace him in the Homicide Division was fired for gross incompetence.
“I have a novel approach to hiring our next detective so that we won’t run into the same issues that we encountered with Solinsky,” the Chief began, leaning back in his ancient leather office chair.
“Oh?” Chas raised an eyebrow. “You certainly have my attention,” he joked.
“Good, because you’re a key part of the plan.”
“Oh boy,” Chas made a face. His experience with the last candidate hadn’t been exactly positive. “What’s the plan?”
“A test drive,” Ed announced.
“I beg your pardon?”
“We’re going to try the candidates out in the field before we hire anyone. You’ll head up any homicide investigations that come along, and I’ll have the potential candidates work alongside you. You can evaluate their skills and experience so that we can make a more educated decision as to who we’d like to hire,” the Chief explained, clearly pleased with himself.
“That could take a long time…” Chas said carefully.
“It’ll probably waste far less of the department’s time than repeat hirings and firings would,” Parker pointed out.
“What about the quality of the investigations? We could potentially risk sloppy work, contaminated crime scenes, lost evidence,” Chas painted out a worst-case scenario.
“Or, we could find someone who will finally give you a run for your money,” Ed retorted.
Beckett considered that for a moment. While he wanted to get back to focusing on the work that he was doing in his P.I. firm, he felt an obligation to the department to hang tough until a replacement was found.
“Well, if you think that this will be an effective approach, I’m on board,” he said finally.
“I figured you would be. I’ll be introducing you to your new candidate/partner tomorrow,” Ed announced.
“That was fast,” Chas smiled.
“No time to lose,” the Chief stood and shook Chas’ hand with a smile. “Thanks for all of your help with the search for a replacement, Beckett. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, it’s the least I could do. What time should I show up tomorrow?”
“I’ll give you a call when Robeson gets in to town.”
“Sounds good.”
**
“Detective Chas Beckett, candidate Claire Robeson,” the Chief introduced Chas to the strapping woman who stood in front of his desk. Her dark hair was pulled up into a bun so tightly that it looked painful. She had a muscular frame and was nearly as tall as Chas.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Chas nodded, shaking her hand, a bit startled at the firmness of her grip.
“Likewise,” Robeson returned the greeting, seeming to assess him.
“The two of you will be working together on any homicides that happen to pop up in Calgon County. Beckett, you’ll have the lead, Robeson, you’ll be assisting in every aspect of the investigations,” Ed explained.
“Yes sir,
” Claire nodded.
“Robeson, Chas Beckett is one of the best detectives I’ve ever known. This will not only be an opportunity for you to show us how you work, it’ll be a great opportunity for you to learn from a pro. You’ll be evaluated every step of the way, and no decisions will be made one way or another until you’ve worked an actual case. If you have any questions, Beckett is your answer man.”
“Thank you, sir,” Robeson acknowledged Chas with a glance, and he wondered if she had the capacity to smile.
He was a big supporter of professionalism, and she seemed to have that in spades, so she should be easy to work with. Fortunately, it wasn’t an issue at the moment, Calgon County had no active homicide cases.
“Beckett, unless you have any questions, we’re done here for now. Robeson and I will begin the interview process and proceed from there,” Ed stood.
“Nope, I’m good, thanks Chief,” Chas shook his hand and turned to go, finding it a bit odd that Robeson sat staring straight ahead. She seemed rather tightly wound, but many homicide detectives were, and a case of the nerves was certainly warranted when one was interviewing, he rationalized.
**
“Hey, Spence,” Chas greeted his protégé at the private investigation agency, Spencer Bengal. “Anything interesting happening?”
The handsome young former Marine had been hired by Chas’ ultra-wealthy family as a bodyguard, unbeknownst to the detective, years ago, after having been given very specialized training in a covert military program. Now that Chas was aware of his function, he still served in that capacity, but could be open about it.
“Define interesting,” Spencer sighed, closing the file folder that he’d been studying. “I may have a lead on the serial killer who came through here a few months ago. There have been some bodies found in Chicago that fit her MO.”