by Ann S. Marie
Dana peeked out the window to see if Aunt Nia was on her way, she usually strolled along the roadside since the Town Square where all the popular shops, including the nail salon, were located was close by to the house. The breathtaking view of the lake could be seen outside the window in the kitchen. It was serene and calm as she watched the waves of the water ripple and sparkle under the sun and the gentle fall breeze. The birds chirped outside and everything seemed so cozy and calm in the small town.
This was a far cry from her view from her New York apartment and so much quieter than the sound of heavy traffic and police and fire sirens from time to time.
Nope, she didn’t regret coming back to Berry Cove. Even though she’d only spent some of her childhood there—so she had little memories there. Her folks had moved her to the burbs in New York until their unfortunate accident.
But, oh, boy, was she really getting a dose of small town adventure.
Chapter 2
“So tell me again, Uncle. What exactly happened why they think Uncle Max could be responsible for his wife’s death?” Dana filled the iron kettle with tap water from the sink and placed the kettle on the stove and turned on the fire.
Uncle Merv sat down near her in the grand kitchen looking out the window, looking lost.
She then reached for the tall oak cupboards and placed two cups on the counter. She badly needed a cup of coffee right now, too. She knew her uncle loved his coffee black with two sugars as always. She was going to have a double double. Double cream and double sugar. She needed her caffeine fix right now.
“Well, he’d met Karla, this dancer, a while ago.”
“Karla? I thought he’s married to Lucy? Isn’t that his wife’s name?”
“Oh, no darling. He was married to Lucy. But she passed away.”
“She did?”
Why wasn’t Dana in the loop with the extended family dynamics?
Oh, right. She’d been busy in New York for the past few years. And granted, Uncle Max hadn’t exactly been in touch with the family all the time. He used to live out in Vegas. Correction. He used to live this grand lifestyle frequenting Vegas often.
But through it all, he’d always taken care of his dear old mother, Aunt Mary. He’d made sure she had good care at home by hiring the best private nurses and the best equipment. He even made sure she had the staff take her out to her garden in the wheelchair three times a day.
“So, how did Lucy pass away?” Dana’s curiosity was piqued.
“Well, she died suddenly.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yes, suddenly. Look, why do you care about how his previous late wife died. It’s his current wife who he’s accused of murdering.”
“Well, that’s just it, Uncle. If his first wife and second wife died suddenly of, say, mysterious circumstances, that could have led the police to make an arrest. If both were under suspicious or similar circumstances.”
“Hey, I hadn’t thought of that. You really would make a good sleuth, you know.”
“I guess I’m spending way too much time on my mystery blog,” Dana said, catching herself. Her cheeks felt hot all of a sudden.
The kettle whistled interrupting their conversation.
She immediately poured her uncle and herself a cup of steaming hot coffee. She could never understand why her auntie and uncle never used the coffee maker she brought them for Christmas. They still preferred to use a kettle to boil water for tea, coffee or anything else they were making that was hot.
Like Grandma Rae, they loved to do things old style. Much like their Victorian-built home, like her late nana’s, they’d preserved the old interior design and kept Victorian furniture and kept the nice cozy retro feel.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with having a mind that works like yours, pumpkin. Good work. You know something,” Uncle Merv paused.
“What is it?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“No, really, Uncle. What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that, well, his ex wife was also a dancer, too. You know, from Vegas.”
“You mean they were both Vegas show girls?” Dana couldn’t believe the coincidence. She really had been left out of the family loop.
“Well, you know your Uncle Max used to travel a lot in his business to Vegas.”
“And?”
“And well, he used to gamble a lot, too. I heard he really racked up a lot of tabs there.”
“He did?”
“Oh, yes. He had a thing for fast women and fast money. Both came and went.”
“Do you think that has something to do with the death of his second wife?”
“Could be. I heard the girls knew each other.”
“You mean his recent wife and previous wife?”
“I believe they were cousins, but don’t quote me on that just yet. You’ll have to ask your Aunt Nia about that. I think she spoke to Max’s secretary, Darlene.”
Dana got out her notebook and immediately wrote down some notes.
“What are you doing there, pumpkin? You’re not making notes for your mystery riddles blog, are you?”
“Oh, no, Uncle Merv. I’m just jotting down some ideas. I’ve got a…” Dana stopped herself cold.
She wasn’t ready to share with her uncle or anyone for that matter about her new abilities to sense things out.
For one thing, her gut was telling her that Uncle Max was innocent.
And secondly, there was something very fishy about the two late wives knowing each other, or being related to each other, and ending up dead.
For some strange reason, Uncle Max’s faithful secretary, Darlene, if Dana remembered correctly, flashed into her mind. Did Darlene know something about this?
Dana would need more details of the deaths and the whereabouts of the secretary and those who Uncle Max owed money to.
Something just didn’t quite add up.
Did the wives also have debts? Were loan sharks involved?
All sorts of juicy scenarios popped into Dana’s mind and she wasn’t going to settle until she got to the bottom of this. But first thing was first. Saving poor Aunt Mary from the nursing home.
Later that morning, Dana showed up at the Cozy Cupcakes Café, a little more pre-occupied than usual.
“Something on your mind?” Katie asked as she grabbed a tray of Blueberry Cream Cupcakes to bring out to the front. The buttercream topping was whipped and topped high using their new starpoint tip for their super cake decorator. The design looked positively enticing. And the motivational saying inscribed on the wrapper read: Life is short, so make it sweet. Live Long & Prosper.
The delicious scent of freshly baked vanilla cupcakes and cinnamon filled the atmosphere. It was oddly soothing and relaxing and made Dana realize that she’d skipped breakfast this morning. Her tummy was rumbling for some tasty morning treats. The sound of the blender was going as Suzie, one of the baristas was busy making one of the smoothie specials of the day.
Katie was in the kitchen sorting through some new motivational sayings wrappers.
Inga, the Russian baker of the café looked up briefly but didn’t say anything. She was a great cook and hard worker but rarely smiled or spoke. She’d been working there since Grandma Rae opened up the café and had been a faithful employee though she hadn’t warmed up much to Dana, after Dana took over when Grandma Rae died suddenly.
“I was over at Uncle Merv’s this morning. You heard about Uncle…” Dana stopped. She then moved closer to Katie and lowered her voice. “Uncle Max, right?”
“Oh, Uncle Max. Yes. Dad told me. We’re going over to the courthouse to see if we can post bail.”
Inga looked up and arched a brow.
“I mean we’re going to see if his post is in our mail,” Katie tried to cover up.
“It’s all right,” Inga interjected, rolling her r. “I’ve heard about the murder. It’s all over the papers this morning.”
“It is?” Dana was stunned. She’d never read about it in the Gaze
tte. Which paper was Inga talking about?
“Well, not yet. I have a friend who works at the Gazette. It will be there in tomorrow’s edition. He told me this Max character is related to you.”
Dana’s face fell. This won’t be good for business at all. Why just last month, she herself had been accused of the murder of Brad Jackson, the Gazette’s food critic who had wrongfully slammed the Cozy Cupcakes Café. And now this? How would this look if that same newspaper printed another story about an uncle related to the owner of the café who was now up on murder charges?
Just last month a few out of towners had flocked to the café to take selfies and pictures and dubbed it the Killer Cupcakes Café and posted pictures online. She had a lot of trouble trying to get them taken down. What would happen now if news broke out about her uncle?
Well so much for that.
“Oh, did he now?” Dana responded to Inga’s comment.
Inga went back to the oven and opened the door. “Darlene, your uncle’s secretary is out front. I think she ordered one of the Blueberry Creams and a Green smoothie.”
“She did?” Dana asked.
Inga pulled out the cakes and placed them on the counter. She then pulled off her oven mitts and took a toothpick and pricked the center of one of the pies and smiled to herself.
“She did.” Inga did not even look at Dana. But Dana was glad for this little tid bit of information. “I overheard her on her cellular phone earlier this morning when I stopped by the market to pick up some berries.”
That was funny. Dana didn’t see Inga at the Farmer’s Market this morning.
“And?”
“She was talking about the murder. Saying that she was glad that Karla was out of the way.”
Dana’s jaw dropped open. “Well, I…um…I think I’ll go over and speak with her then.” Dana placed the remaining wrappers to the side where Inga could take them to wrap the new batch of cupcakes.
“You can’t do that,” Katie interjected.
“And why not?” Dana protested. “If she knows something about Karla’s murder. I want to know about it. The police should know about it. You and I both know that Uncle Max is a lot of things but a murderer, he is not. I just know it. I…feel it in my bones.” And in my gut psychic instincts, too.
Dana was also sure that if Truffles was there, she’d concur what Dana was feeling, too.
Katie shook her head and grinned. She walked out of the kitchen with the tray of cupcakes into the café. Dana followed her.
She then greeted a customer who was at the counter. “Good morning, Mrs. Dawson.”
“Oh, good morning, Dana. I can’t wait to taste one of your grandma’s special Blueberry Creams. They’re a dream. I’m taking a dozen this morning.” The lovely old lady had a warm smile on her face. She was plump with a baby face and had silver white hair and donned a Chanel handbag. She certainly was doing well for herself. One of her grandmother’s regulars. Grandma had quite a clientele.
“A dozen? Good for you.”
“Thank you. And thank you for keeping Ma Rae’s café open, Dana. You’re a real angel and hero. This place is a dream. It’s where the gals and I gather all the time. There aren’t many nice places we can go at our age.”
Dana smiled. “You and the other customers are what make it what it is, Mrs. Dawson. Thank you so much for coming here.”
Mrs. Dawson smiled and paid for the box of Blueberry Creams before taking them out.
Dana then glanced around the café. It was a very cozy little place set in an old Victorian-built renovated building. The café windows overlooked the Town Square and not far beyond the center monument was a breathtaking view of the Great Lake.
It was celestial.
Customers loved the view, watching passersby walk by, the view of the trees, the historic cobble stone walkways and other buildings in the town square.
And to top it off, there was not one but two grand fireplaces in the café to give it that cozy feel. They kept some of the old time equipment in the shop on display in display cabinets made of antique wooden material. The dim lighting created a home-style cozy feel, making customers feel as if they really were in Grandma Rae’s kitchen stopping by for a warm cup of their favorite drink and a freshly baked treat.
On a sign over head read the motivational message of the day. Dana felt a pang of nostalgia and longing for the past, missing Grandma Rae more and more but feeling glad that slowly, day-by-day they were able to keep her café open and alive in her memory.
“Do you see her?” Dana whispered discretely to Katie who had just finished ringing up a sale at the cash register. Dana was wiping the countertop surreptitiously glancing around.
“I think she’s over by the corner at three o’clock,” Katie replied with a smile so that it wasn’t obvious what they were talking about.
Dana then discretely looked in that direction and spotted a very tall sophisticated woman sitting by the west fireplace and old antique stove in the café. She had long manicured black nails and long thick black straight hair that shined in the dim light. Her eyeliner was applied quite thick, too.
“That’s her?” Dana then looked at the menu on the counter pretending to scrutinize it.
“Yep, that’s her.”
Dana drew in a deep breath. Very well then. She was going to ask Ms Darlene a few questions.
Chapter 3
“Hello.” Dana tried to sound as cordial and, well, Cozy as possible. That was the name of the café, right? Cozy Cupcakes Café.
Her uncle’s secretary glanced up quickly. A stunned expression slid across her face. “You're Dana. Max’s niece, right?”
“Excuse me?” Dana stood frozen on the spot. She was caught off guard, which almost never happened, by the woman's expression.
“It's sad about his wife,” the secretary continued as she casually stirred her creamy cappuccino. “But it was for the best.”
“For the best?” Dana’s ears burned. “How awful to say.”
“Please, have a seat. I’ve been meaning to speak with you. I’m glad you showed up at my table. I didn’t want to ask for you at the back.” The woman gestured to the empty seat beside her. The table was situated near the grand stone fireplace in the dimly lit café. It created a relaxing ambiance though Dana wasn’t exactly feeling relaxed right now.
“Sure, why not.” Dana drew out the heavy oak wood chair and seated herself down next to Darlene.
Dana observed Darlene’s mannerisms and noted her deep almost masculine-like voice that betrayed her feminine characteristics.
Darlene behaved as if she was a CEO of a multinational corporation than a secretary. Her gestures and commanding deep voice were very rigid and authoritative.
“And, oh, don’t mind me,” Darlene said as she carefully covered her tablet cover and quickly slid it into her Gucci handbag. “I sometimes speak ahead of myself. But I’m no hypocrite.”
“Hypocrite? What would make you think I would think you’re a hypocrite?”
The woman picked up her steaming mug of caramel cappuccino with the Cozy Cupcakes Café logo on it that ironically read: Kind Words Make Sweet Feelings.
Well, there certainly wasn’t any kind words or sweet feelings coming from Darlene.
“My name is Darlene by the way,” she said, as if Dana hadn’t figured it out already, putting her cup back down on the table then wiping her cherry lipstick covered lips with a napkin.
“I worked with your uncle for quite a few years,” Darlene continued. “He’s a good person. He works hard and plays hard. He’s good to those who work for him. Sadly, I can’t say the same about his wife. I don’t think for a second that he killed her. Though I wouldn’t blame him if he did.”
“I don’t know what to say. I haven’t really met her. Well, maybe just once but…”
“Well, you haven’t missed much. Trust me.”
“I see. Why would you think she was bad?” Dana leaned in closer to her, hoping no one would overhear their convers
ation in the busy café.
The woman paused and rolled her eyes. “Come on. I’m his PA, remember? His personal assistant. I see and know everything.”
“Right. Of course.”
“Well, what else could you say about a woman who married her own cousin’s husband, or widower.”
“Right, I heard that she was cousins with his first wife.”
“Not only were they cousins but she was the bridesmaid at the wedding.” The woman smirked and lifted her dessert spoon to the tall blueberry whipped cream cupcake.
Darlene took a scoop of the delicious blueberry whipped cream that was piled high on top of the dessert and shoved it into her mouth.
“Hmmm, this is so good,” Darlene cooed, licking her lips. “And I love what you did with the place, by the way. Stressed is desserts spelled backward,” she recanted the Café’s slogan. “Way to go on the logo. I used to work as a copywriter, too, back in the day. I must say, your grandmother was lucky to have you take over and revamp the place.”
“Thank you,” Dana said. “It was my pleasure, of course. Grandma Rae was full of love and wisdom and I wanted to carry on her legacy.”
Dana didn’t want the conversation to get off track. Nice try though, she thought. “So,” she said, getting the conversation back on track. “You mentioned that Karla and Lucy, I believe was the name of Uncle Max’s first wife, were cousins. And that Karla was the bridesmaid at Lucy’s wedding to my uncle?”
The woman nodded. “That’s right. I guess you were living in New York at the time.”
Dana noticed Darlene take out a vile out of her purse with a needle. She was taking her medication. Dana was concerned.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m just taking my blood thinner. Must be nice to be in perfect health.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm.
Darlene discretely lifted her blouse slightly exposing her midriff and took out an alcohol swab and swabbed quickly. She then took the tiny syringe and injected herself, quickly releasing the medicine from the tube. She reached into her purse and took out a small container to put the syringe in and closed it and readjusted her clothes as if nothing out of the ordinary. Then she picked up her drink and took a sip.
