Death with a Cherry on Top: A Beach Themed Cozy Mystery (Twisted Sisters Ice Cream Cozies Book 1)

by Molly Dox

  Lottie moved to the table and sat down. She took a sip of coffee, then placed her mug onto the table. "What if we had a benefit to help raise money for her release. Get the summer stock crew to join in, serve ice cream to the masses. Those willing to help out will help separate those who aren't interested. If you did the crime, I'm guessing you'd do everything to keep the light shining on somebody else. Maybe one or two will opt out with a lame excuse and at least give us idea of where to start. Then again, like Pops said, everybody lies.”

  “Everybody,” Pops reiterated.

  “My daughter isn’t lying,” Gina snipped.

  Pops rephrased. “Suspects lie. Gina is telling the truth.”

  “Thank you,” Gina said, knowing that was for her.

  Lottie sighed. "It was a stupid idea, never mind."

  "No, actually, it's genius. Let's make the ice cream stand a safe haven, get the kids to hang out there, get talking, and see what we can learn. Who doesn't love to hang out on the boardwalk on a summer night in New Jersey? Somebody's got to know something. Let's just hope it doesn't take long, otherwise my baby girl is going to be tried for a murder she didn't commit." Gina wiped away a tear with her finger and sniffled.

  Giuseppe strolled into the kitchen. "Hey Pops. Yo, Aunt Lottie. Ma, is there more cannoli?"

  Gina pointed to the counter.

  Giuseppe picked up a cannoli and turned to his mother. "Why so glum?"

  Gina’s tears went into overdrive. Lottie took over, seeing Gina struggle to get the words out. "Your sister is in trouble. It’s Carla. Could you could help us out? We need a favor. Can you slip into the playhouse and see if you can wrangle a list of cast members for the Macbeth production?"

  "Nice, I'm not the one in trouble this time. What did she do?" He was amused to be in the clear for whatever was going on. Usually all fingers pointed his way.

  There was silence. Pops chimed in. "It's what she didn't do. She was charged with murder…"

  "Pops, really?" Gina choked on hearing it aloud.

  "Whoa," Giuseppe chirped, not sure what to make at the news. "I didn't know she had it in her."

  "Stop that, right now, young man." Gina stood defiantly. "Your sister did no such thing. Now, sit down and listen. This is serious. Everybody is going to have to pitch in. We need to clear her name and get her freedom back. She’s no killer. Can you do what your aunt asked of you?"

  "Yeah, sure, I'll find the prettiest one there and have her twisted around my finger in no time," he answered with swagger.

  Lottie groaned. "The sooner you get the list, the sooner we can follow-up on it."

  "I'm on it," he said, popping the last piece of cannoli into his mouth. "You can count on me. In fact, I’ll get on it now."

  “Thanks love,” Lottie answered with a wave, as Giuseppe made his way out of the kitchen.

  Chapter 4

  When Giuseppe returned, the women were amused at how quickly he’d done the job.

  Lottie grinned. "That was fast."

  "First cute girl I saw; I was on it. I smiled, flirted, and had her swooning. Here’s your paper. Oh, I also snagged a date for later this week." He winked at his grandfather. "The ladies love me, just like Pops here."

  They joked that the widows surrounded Pops with fishing poles cast, ready to hook and reel him in. He was charming and good natured, and still could turn a head. It didn't matter, he was still tied up in memories of his late wife. Nobody could light his fire like Liliana did for so many years. It never stopped the ladies from trying, and truth be told, he didn't mind the extra attention or sweets the women offered. One week there was a casserole, the next Vodka Penne, or a container of Tiramisu, not to mention the amount of lasagnas he’d received in hopes he'd ask the women to stay and share it with him.

  "Okay," Gina started. "Let's split up the list and track down these people. We'll cross match it against the police report of witnesses. We should only have a couple, maybe three or four at most."

  "Right, and I'll go look for clues that might have been overlooked." Lottie said. "I'm like a regular Sherlock Holmes."

  "More like Miss Marple," her father corrected.

  "Or Monk," Giuseppe said, joining into a conversation.

  "A monk? How am I possibly like a monk?" She was confused.

  "Not a monk, like a religious monk. Monk, it's a show on TV...never mind." He flipped open the fridge to grab a drink. "I need to get back to work. I told Dog Face I'd take over his shift for him."

  "No name calling," his momma scolded.

  "Hey, don't blame me for getting all the good looks. It's on you and Dad for making that mistake and not spreading around the good genes." He laughed and left the room.

  "Kids," she grumbled.

  Lottie teased her sister. "You had enough of them. You couldn't stop. I love being the fun, crazy aunt and going home to no bickering, no mess, and no name calling."

  "Quiet, lonely, boring," Gina snorted. "I love a busy household. I can't imagine -- well, okay, I'm not going to lie. Some days I cherish the thought of quiet, but I'd miss it faster than I'd be willing to admit."

  "You ever think about giving me grandkids," Pops directed the question toward Lottie.

  "Eh, my eggs are old," Lottie answered. "I'll take sleeping in on weekends and lazy mornings over waking up in the middle of the night at this age. Well, okay, so now I wake in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but I fall right back to sleep!"

  "I'll get on the police report." Pops shifted and got up from the kitchen chair.

  Cops stuck together. He knew them all. They usually drank at the same pub. Paramedics, police, and detectives hovered around McNulty's, while the contractors, landscapers, and highway guys hung over at Schmitty's. The white collar crew rarely made their way to that side of town, and preferred the bar at the fancy seafood restaurant. Even now, there was a divide, just like the area that Pops had worked in back in Philly. The New Yorkers tended to hit the northern Jersey beaches, while the Philly crew lingered at the southern end of New Jersey. Somewhere in the middle were million dollar homes that were out of reach to most families.

  Lottie patted her sister's shoulder and then turned to leave. "I've got to finish getting things together at the ice cream stand. We'll be opening soon."

  Gina nodded. Rarely had she felt this overwhelmed. Between the deli, the ice cream place, and now Carla's arrest, it was too much. She normally held the reigns of the chaos, but today felt completely out of control.

  Chapter 5

  They'd narrowed down the list of people to check out. Kitty Summers was Carla's understudy, there was Simon Wagner, not only the prop guy, but Carla's ex, along with Jessica Lemon. Jessica was one of the girls that happened to be there working on costumes the afternoon it all went down. What was interesting was a name listed as a potential suspect was Ian Collie. Gina sighed. That kid had caused more problems over time. Ian was Carla's super-fan, and was apparently hanging around outside waiting for her when the police showed up. He was always "lurking" nearby, but never quite nailed for stalking.

  They recognized all the names, other than Jessica. Gina couldn't place her, and wondered if she was new in town. Having a deli, an ice cream place, and a huge family that seemed to be connected in every direction possible meant they were familiar with a good part of the town.

  Simon, well, he'd practically been a member of their family for a couple of years. Carla and Simon split up when she went to New York. He was a good guy, but Gina knew that Simon took it hard when Carla went off without him. He'd stayed in Wildwind to help his mother. She wasn't doing so well these days. His life was here, but Carla had bigger dreams.

  When they moved down to the shore, they gathered their finances and went into a couple of family businesses together. Lottie and Pops came down first, then Gina followed after finding a deli for sale. The ice cream stand was Lottie’s spot. She partnered with her sister. The deli was a year-round business, while the ice cream place was seasonal.

 
"I think we need to learn more about Jessica, maybe invite Simon to dinner, and well, Ian, let's talk to him over at the deli. That way the boys will be on guard in case he acts weird. What about Kitty?"

  Lottie groaned. "That girl is so self-infatuated; we're going to need to make the experience about her. Let's maybe crown her as opening day Ice Cream Queen or something, and ask her to help us bring in customers. We can give her a sash and get a crown at the craft store or something. She'd love the attention; don't you think?"

  Giuseppe walked in on the conversation, again, digging through the fridge to look for something to eat. "Is there anything good?"

  "Lasagna, second shelf, but no more than a slice. I need to bring that over to Antoinette later. She hurt her foot and hasn't been cooking. I told her I'd bring her some stuff to hold her over." Antoinette was the little old lady that lived at the end of the block. She was an icon in Wildwind, having lived there longer than just about anybody. She used to powerwalk, but after tripping on a loose board up on the boardwalk, she messed up her foot.

  Well, she made sure everybody knew that she was going after the owners that didn't keep the boards well maintained, because she could have broken a hip or something. She was more of a talker than a doer, and liked to bark and cause a ruckus more than actually follow through. Her threat was splashed over the local paper, which made it a bit awkward for Gina and Lottie, as one of the boards near their shop needed repair. The problem was, they weren't allowed to do it themselves. It wasn’t their property, as much as they wanted it taken care of. Gina figured she'd keep the peace, one slice of lasagna at a time.

  The old bird was as sharp as a tack, and her age rarely held her back, but a woman scorned is a woman scorned. The big business owners that took over the boardwalk didn't want to hear squawking all over the place and quietly payed her a visit. Nobody knows what was said, but she seemed to clam up pretty quickly.

  "Thanks, Mom." Giuseppe scooped out a slice with a spatula. "Hey, you know that date I had for later this week? Anyway, we moved it up, so I won't be here tonight."

  "Who's the girl?" Lottie poked.

  "That chick I met at the playhouse. Her name is Jess."

  Gina's eyes went wide. "Jessica Lemon?"

  Giuseppe shrugged. "Not a clue. I didn't ask her last name. She was cute, she smiled, I asked her out."

  "So you have no clue who this girl is?"

  "Sure, I do. She's a pretty girl, works over at the playhouse, and we've been texting all day. She moved here from out of town. She's getting used to the area, but has been here since January. Her mom moved down here after inheriting her grandmother’s house or something. Anyway, her mom was ready for a change. Oh, and she's hot, so there's that." He dug his fork into the pasta after nuking it in the microwave.

  Gina cocked her head to the side. "What do you think of bringing her here for dinner?"

  "What? Mom, no. Come on, it's a date. You know where we're going with this. I'm not looking to have her meet my mom on the first date. It makes me look like a mama's boy." He took another bite, and continued. "Why? What's up?"

  Gina looked to Lottie and grimaced. Lottie nodded. Gina turned back to her son. "If she is Jessica Lemon, she's one of our possible suspects. Your sister is being charged with a crime, and we're trying to undo all of this. Somebody else is responsible for that poor director's death. And your date may very well be a killer."

  "Are you kidding me?" He rolled his eyes upward. "A killer? Great, I always pick the winners."

  "We don't know! She may be fine." Gina sighed.

  Giuseppe shook his head. “Man, how does Dog Face get hot girls all the time, girls that are fun, happy, and not crazy. I go straight after the possible killers. Nice.”

  "Stop calling your brother Dog Face," Gina growled at her son.

  Chapter 6

  The women discussed their options and decided to check in with Kitty first. They'd need to tackle her ego with kid gloves. Lottie grimaced. "We really need to get the stand ready. Opening day will be here before we know it."

  Gina sighed. "Fine, we talk to Kitty in the morning, then we wrap up the inventory needs, and we'll finish set up. I'll send one of the boys over for any last minute repairs of machinery or things you need help with."

  "Okay, I mean, I know you have the deli and all, but this is mine, well, ours, but you know what I mean. I want to overtake the "The Shimmy Shack" ice cream stand this year. They had a line wrapped around the bend. Stupid new dips they got, which I thought were too over the top, but it worked for them. Anyway, I say we have chocolate and peanut butter hard shell, sprinkles, and maybe a drizzle of this or that, but I don't want to do that fake flavor stripe thing. I was thinking we should introduce pretzel bowls. The waffle bowls did well, actually better than we expected last year. Also, I think we should keep the shakes to the basics. I know we discussed doing some fruit smoothies, but I think the basics are the core of the business. We’d be overextending ourselves on cost and they take longer to make."

  "I'll let you cull the final list. I posted my thoughts up on the board on the wall, so just scratch off the ones you don't like." Gina answered.

  Lottie stood and stretched. "I'll catch you in the morning. We'll track her down and talk to Kitty first thing, and let me know if Giuseppe mentions anything about his date."

  "Will do," Gina answered.

  Lottie saw herself out and headed home. She was buzzing with electricity, ready to start the new season. Every year, as the weather warmed up in the coastal town, Lottie itched with excitement. She adored the warm beach sand on her feet, and the thickening of crowds. The air was always full of energy from the continual flow of vacationers.

  The one noise that grew old was the constant playing of a taped recording. ‘Watch the tram car, please watch the tram car.’ The tram went up and down the full length of the boardwalk, which spanned two solid miles and offered people a chance to get off their feet.

  With the smell of pizza, sausage sandwiches, and zeppolis in the air, it was always a treat to see the boardwalk come back to life. You could hear whoops and hollers from families riding rollercoasters, and children bounced around with their boardwalk game wins.

  After a fitful night of sleep, Lottie climbed out of bed. She needed to make her way to the deli to pick up her sister. They were headed for Kitty's place. Coincidentally, they knew where she lived because of the Conchella sisters. That was a story in itself. They lived next door to Kitty Summers, which made finding her much easier.

  Lottie drove over and picked up Gina. Together they drove to Kitty’s place. Lottie parked the car, and before heading up to the door, she warned Gina to stick to the plan.

  They rang the doorbell and waited.

  A young woman yawned as she opened her front door. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the women. "Can I help you?"

  "Hi, Kitty. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Carla's mother, Gina Ambrogi. I was hoping we could speak with you." Gina paced her words and tone, trying not to rush the moment.

  "About?" She hemmed and hawed. The mention of Carla put her on edge. "I heard what she did."

  "See, that's the thing...she didn’t do it. We're hoping you might have information that could help locate the true killer," Lottie chimed in.

  "Seriously? You want my help?" She shook her head. "Not after what she did. And I'm the last person you should be talking to. She hardly worried about my feelings, and I certainly don’t care about hers."

  Lottie tilted her head. "Can you at least tell us what you saw, or what happened when you were there? You're listed as somebody who was on the premise when the police arrived."

  Her patience grew short. "I have nothing to say. Besides ---"

  "Oh, Kitty. I'm so sorry, you must have been horrified to have been so close to something tragic." Gina pushed through the door, her voice laced with syrup. "Can we come in?"

  Kitty's jaw dropped.

  "There’s something else we wanted to talk to you about. We hoped you might
be interested in becoming our Summer Ice Cream Queen on opening day. We wanted to parade a beautiful girl in front of the place to draw attention, you know with a crown and sash, and the sort..."

  "Go on," she said, her eyes started to widen with interest.

  "Anyway, the boys always swarm around you like honey, and we thought you'd be the perfect magnet for the start of business. We'd pay you of course, but it would be great exposure."

  Kitty looked at the women. "Well, I probably shouldn't say anything, but there was yelling between them. The director and Carla, well, they had differences of opinion, and Carla was a bit - how shall we say - demanding. As the understudy, I didn't have much say and just kept my nose out of it. Next thing you know, they found him dead. That’s scary, to know somebody was killed right there in the playhouse. As for me, I didn't see anything. I only heard the shouting. It wasn't the first time. Carla’s been making advances toward him, and well, he just wasn't interested." She lowered her voice. "Scorned maybe, I don't know. Either way, I’m sorry I couldn't be a bigger help. Now about the crown and sash…"

  The women exchanged numbers, and told her where she’d pick up goodies for opening day. They settled on a price and then left.

  Once outside, Gina looked at her sister. "What do you think?"

  "They were fighting; that's got to look bad for Carla. And what’s the deal about Carla making advances on the guy? I thought it was the other way around? Wasn’t she just complaining about that the other day? I'm not sure what to think. I mean, Kitty said she only overheard stuff, but didn't see anything. Maybe one of the other witnesses saw something."