A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery Box Set

by Kate Bell

  "Well, I better get going. I've got a booth to run," he said. "My cousin is probably getting tired of doing all the work."

  "I'll see you down at the festival," I said and watched him grab a package of floral paper napkins and head off.

  I tossed some napkins and paper plates into my own cart, then pushed the cart down the aisle and picked up plastic cups, Coke, and ice and headed to the checkout.

  ***

  "Guess who I ran into at the store?" I asked Alec. Lucy and Ed had taken the day off so we were on our own.

  "Who?" he asked, helping me with the items I had bought at the grocery store.

  "Rich. We talked a few minutes. It seems he thinks Tracie is over being mad at him for dumping her and dating Tessa. He also thinks Tracie has forgiven Tessa for dating him and she wishes she could tell Tessa that. I tried to keep my eyes from popping out of my skull when he said it, but I don't think I succeeded."

  "Huh. I thought Tracie was still bitter about the whole thing."

  I set the napkins beside the samples of cheesecake. "That was my impression. I'm pretty sure she's very bitter, in fact."

  "So, Rich thinks she's fine with it, but Tracie clearly isn't. Why would he lie?"

  "Or, why would Tracie lie to him and pretend she's fine with everything and that she forgives Tessa when she doesn't?" I asked, opening a folding chair and setting it upright.

  Alec nodded. "Something doesn't add up."

  "I will say Rich seems sincere when he talks about Tessa. He's pretty hurt about Tessa's family not wanting anything to do with him."

  "I don't understand them not wanting to meet him. I still think the mayor looks down on him for some reason," Alec said, putting ice into a plastic cup and pouring Coke into it. "Soda?"

  "Coke," I corrected him and sat down. "Have you heard from Calvin? Anything new?"

  He shook his head. "Not a thing. I'm glad this festival is nearly over. I'd like to hang out around the house, put my feet up, and watch a baseball game."

  "I know," I said. "You've been such a good sport, coming here with me every day. I appreciate that."

  "Tomorrow's a special day, you know."

  "It is?" I asked, trying to think of what that could be.

  He nodded. "It's the last day of the festival."

  "I see," I said, taking the cup from him. "I guess you could say you're really looking forward to the end of the festival?"

  He nodded. "That, and so much more."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

  I narrowed my eyes at him. "That sounds suspicious."

  "I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, look. Here comes a customer. Offer him a sample."

  A teenager wearing a baseball hat approached the booth, and I jumped to my feet. "Would you like a to try a sample of cheesecake?"

  Chapter Seventeen

  We unloaded the car for the last day of the festival. I was a little sad, as ridiculous as that sounded. I was taking a liking to the town and thought I might even miss it a little. It was the city of my first marathon after all, and Sanford would always hold a sweet place in my heart. I think.

  "So, this is it," I said as I set out the sample plate with chunks of strawberry donuts. I had drizzled a thin strawberry glaze on them and they smelled delicious. It had been forever since I made donuts and it was a nice change of pace.

  "This is it," Alec said with a grin.

  "What are you grinning about?" I asked him and put my arms around him.

  He looked into my eyes and giggled like a schoolgirl.

  "What is that for?" I asked him. He was acting awfully giddy. Maybe he was as glad to be done with the festival as I was.

  He shrugged. "I'm just happy to be near you. I think I'll sing you a song. How about ‘Happy Together’?"

  "I would love to hear you sing," I said, giggling along with him. His giddiness was contagious.

  "That's too bad, because I can't sing."

  He pulled away and sat on one of the folding chairs.

  "That's a disappointment," I said and put six boxes of donuts on the table. Jennifer had finished making the donuts by the time I got home the night before and I was too tired to make a second baked good for the festival, even though things had picked up considerably. Suzanna must have been true to her word and stopped telling people my cupcakes had poisoned Tessa.

  "There's Lucy and Ed," Alec said as they pulled up beside his SUV.

  "Oh, good. They've been troopers. I need to get them a little thank you gift for all they've done this week."

  "Ayuh," Alec said, and turned his tablet on.

  "Reading anything good?" I asked him.

  "A mystery," he said without looking up. "Seems there's a nosy female sleuth in the mix."

  I snorted and turned away from him. "Hi, Lucy, Ed," I said as they entered the booth.

  "Hi, Sweetie," Lucy said.

  "Hey," Ed echoed.

  "Donuts!" Lucy said, peering at the sample plate.

  "Yup, and that's all. I'm tired. If they missed out on all the other strawberry treats I made, it's their loss." I guess you could say my attitude was suffering a little. And I still needed a nap.

  "I'm not missing out," Ed said, taking a whole donut from a box. He sat down on one of the folding chairs and gazed at the donut lovingly before taking an enormous bite. His eyes closed in ecstasy as he slowly chewed the donut.

  "I take it you approve of my donuts, Ed," I said.

  He nodded without answering and took another bite.

  "Why don't we go for one last walk?" Lucy asked me. "Ed still has some money left and I need to remedy the situation."

  I giggled. "Let's go."

  "It's such a pretty day," Lucy said as we walked along the booths.

  "That's weird. Barnabas isn't here today," I said, looking at his empty booth.

  "Maybe he had something else he had to do," Lucy said. "Don't you find him a little odd?"

  "I guess a little. But he's really quite nice. We went to dinner with him and he's very intent on health and nutrition. He got into studying plants and health because his grandmother died of cancer. He's searching for a natural cure for cancer."

  "I don't know about that. I just don't think cancer can be cured by something natural," Lucy said.

  "Maybe not. But I guess he's on a mission of some sort."

  We went to Tracie's booth and looked over what she had left.

  "Hi," she said. "Last day. I'm kind of glad."

  I nodded. "I'm thinking the same thing."

  "What's that in those bottles?" Lucy asked, pointing to a display of six dark blue bottles. "I don't remember seeing those before."

  "Oh! I was experimenting with different ingredients last night and came up with something new. It's a lotion with witch hazel, aloe vera, and lemon verbena. All three are good for the skin, and help clear up blemishes."

  She handed Lucy a bottle, and I looked at it with her. Lucy removed the lid, and we smelled it.

  "It has a nice scent," I said. "Do you just try different combinations of ingredients until you come up with something you like?"

  She nodded. "I've been doing this a while so I know a lot about the ingredients. I had these bottles left over from something I made a while back and I printed up some labels. Now I've got a new product."

  "I think I'll buy a bottle for my daughter. She still has occasional breakouts," I said.

  I paid for the lotion and we moved on. There were still a lot of booths, but I noticed a few had shut down early. I wondered if Suzanna had spread rumors about them, too.

  "I know she did it," a woman in front of us said.

  "I know, I know. But what are you going to do? The police are working on finding enough evidence to arrest her," the man she was with said. They looked to be in their early sixties and they strolled along, not paying attention to us. I nudged Lucy, and we took a couple steps closer and followed them.

  "We do
n't need more evidence," the woman said. "She’s hated Tessa ever since Rich broke up with her. I don't know what the police are waiting for. They need to arrest her."

  "It will happen. Have patience," the man said.

  The woman sighed. "We had better steer clear of her. I don't know what I'll do if I come face to face with her."

  I glanced at Lucy.

  "Mr. Mayor, how's it going?" An older man leaning against a booth called to the man in front of us.

  The mayor nodded in the other man's direction. "Just fine. Just fine. It's been a wonderful festival."

  I turned and looked at Lucy and she stared back at me wide-eyed.

  We hurried along behind them, trying to hear what they were saying, when a woman stopped them. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she said, frowning.

  The mayor and his wife nodded and thanked her, but kept moving.

  They stopped off at a booth selling fresh strawberries and went behind it to sit down. The man running the booth leaned over and whispered something to the mayor and he nodded.

  "How about that," I whispered to Lucy. We went to the booth and looked over the strawberries, pretending that was what we were there for. I hoped they would say something more, but they were quiet. Smiling, but not saying much.

  "I'm sorry," I said, addressing the man and his wife. "I'd like to extend my condolences on the loss of your daughter."

  "I'm so sorry," Lucy said.

  The mayor and his wife wore dark sunglasses and hats with large brims. They smiled politely and nodded. "Thank you," his wife said. "We appreciate that."

  I nodded, and we left. I didn't know them and it felt awkward to try to engage them in further conversation. I would have liked to have continued eavesdropping, but I couldn't think of a reason to stand there any longer.

  "I feel terrible for them," Lucy said as we walked back to the booth.

  "Me, too. It sounds like they blame Tracie for Tessa's death. I hope she doesn't run into them today."

  "Wouldn't that be terrible?" Lucy said.

  "It could get ugly," I agreed. "I wonder where Rich is today."

  "Yeah, we haven't seen him. This whole thing is just plain odd," she said. "Still no word on the autopsy?"

  "Not a word," I said. "Alec needs to check in with his buddy Calvin before we leave today. I'd like to know if they've figured out anything new, and I can't wait to leave Cal behind for good."

  "I'd like to leave it all behind," Lucy said.

  "I can't argue with that," I agreed. "But I hope they find Tessa's killer. She deserves justice."

  "I completely agree."

  I kept going back and forth over the things we had discovered about Tessa's death. Was Tracie the killer? Or was it Rich? Or maybe someone we hadn't considered. Alec would point out that we didn't know if a murder had occurred, but I had my own ideas on that.

  Chapter Eighteen

  We hurried back to the booth to talk to Alec, but Ed was sitting in the booth by himself when we got there.

  "Where's Alec?" I asked, disappointed.

  "That detective friend of his came and talked to him. They wandered off somewhere."

  "Speak of the devil," I said to Lucy. "Where did they wander off to? Alec didn't tell me he was going anywhere."

  Ed shrugged. "I don't know. Alec said he'd be back shortly and told me to mind the store. That's what I'm doing."

  He had a donut in one hand and was staring at the phone in his other hand.

  "He'll be back, and maybe he'll have some new information about Tessa," Lucy said, patting my shoulder.

  I sat down on a chair to pout. I had information to tell him and he was off investigating without me. Not that I wanted to spend time around Calvin. That guy got on my nerves.

  "Oh, and that detective said he wanted to question you two again," Ed said without looking up.

  "What?" Lucy asked, lifting the lid on the sample plate. "Question us about what? We told him all we know."

  I rolled my eyes. "I have nothing new to tell him. He needs to do his job and find the killer instead of harassing us."

  "You can say that again," Lucy agreed.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Alec, asking him where he was. After five minutes of willing him to text back, I gave up and put my phone back in my pocket.

  I leaned against a pole in the corner of the booth and wished it was the end of the day. I was done with this festival.

  My phone went off, and I jumped. I pulled it back out of my pocket.

  I'm with Cal. You and I have an invitation to have lunch with Barnabas at noon at his place. I'll meet you there.

  I grimaced and texted him back.

  I don't really want to have lunch with Barnabas. Can't we just eat with Ed and Lucy?

  I stared at the phone until he responded.

  I already promised him. It's our last day here and it won't hurt. I wanted to see the studies he’s found on herbs and athletic performance. I'll meet you there.

  "What is it?" Lucy asked.

  "Alec promised Barnabas we'd meet him for lunch."

  "That's nice," she said and reached for a whole donut.

  "I guess. I'm just ready for this day to be over. Sorry I'm such a whiner."

  "It's okay. It's what I expect from you," she said holding the donut to her nose and inhaling.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. Smarty pants.

  ***

  I drove Alec's car over to Barnabas' shop. I really wasn't looking forward to spending time alone with Barnabas and I hoped Calvin had already dropped Alec off. I didn't want to entertain Barnabas on my own.

  I pushed on the shop door, but it was locked. Then I noticed the closed sign in the window. That was odd. Barnabas hadn't been at the festival and I thought it might have been because he was running his shop. I turned to head back to the car when he popped out from the side of the shop.

  "Hello, Allie," he said, out of breath.

  I screamed. "Oh, Barnabas. You startled me."

  "I'm sorry," he said putting his hands up. "I didn't mean to startle you. I heard your car, and I came to see who it was. Did Alec tell you I invited you for lunch?"

  I nodded. "Yes, that's why I'm here. He told me to meet him here." I forced myself to smile. Alec had better not let me down. I'd go looking for him if he took too long to get here.

  "Oh? Is he tied up somewhere?"

  I nodded. "Yes, his friend stopped by and they went, well, to do something. I don't know exactly what. But he'll be here soon."

  He nodded. "Of course. Some things can't be helped."

  "So, Barnabas, I was surprised when you weren't at your booth today. I hope nothing's wrong."

  "Oh, no. Nothing's wrong. I intended to be there, but then one thing led to another, and I got tied up here at the store. Then I decided I might as well cook lunch and invite my new friends over to enjoy it with me. No reason to waste the day."

  "That was very kind of you," I said, and waved away a bee. "Is your shop normally closed on Saturdays?"

  He shrugged. "Sometimes."

  He didn't offer any other explanation, and I smiled at him in the awkward silence.

  "Why don't we go for a walk in the garden while we wait? I have lunch cooking and we have some time to kill," he suddenly said. He motioned to the back of the shop and I followed after him.

  Once we were beyond the shop, there was a packed dirt trail that led through a set of double gates. From the outside, the garden looked a little like a jungle with tall trees that had branches hanging down. The chain link fence surrounding it had tall spindly trees and vines growing along it and the plants seemed to grow wild.

  "This is your garden?" I asked, trying to take it all in.

  "Yes, please follow along behind me," he said. "I have so many varieties of plants here, I think you'll be impressed."

  "It looks like it," I said, nodding.

  When we walked through the gates, I saw there was more order to the garden than I first thought. Many plants were grow
ing in rows and in planters off the ground. Markers stuck in the soil told what was growing in each ground plot.

  "This is nice," I said. "Lots of birds and bees." I dodged a bee flying in front of my face.

  "Yes, my bee boxes are at the back of the garden. They are busy little honey producers. And the birds love this place. They flock to it in the spring and stay until late fall."

  I nodded, taking in all the plants. Many of them had flowers with bees working on them. I was pleasantly surprised that something about the garden made me feel peaceful. I could imagine sitting out here with a good book and losing track of time.

  "Do you plant the same things every year?" I asked.

  "If the plant has value to me, I continue planting it. But I'm always experimenting. There's so much to learn and do with plants," he said. "It's really quite interesting. I believe each plant was put here for a purpose and I don't believe we have discovered yet what the purpose of each is. Man is just so ignorant of these things, but I have a mission to find out as much as possible about each plant."

  I nodded. It was interesting, but I thought Alec might have been more fascinated than I was and I wished he were here to talk to Barnabas.

  "Before you leave today, I'll get you some cuttings of things like aloe vera and chamomile. No kitchen is complete without them. The chamomile is good for digestion, as is aloe. And of course, aloe vera is also good for burns and wound care."

  I nodded again. I didn't plan on having any burns or wounds, but I didn't mention that to him. I looked over my shoulder to see if Alec was anywhere in sight. I assumed Calvin would bring him by since I had Alec's car. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to text him and ask him when he would be here.

  "What are you doing?" Barnabas asked, staring at my phone.

  "I'm going to text Alec and ask when he'll be here. I don't want him to keep you. I know you're busy."

  "This is a no phone zone," he said, still staring at my phone.

  "What?" I asked. I had never heard of a no phone zone.

  He put his arms out, motioning toward the plants. "This is nature. Nature should never be interrupted with man's technology."