Dead on Doughnuts: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (Coffee Shop Mysteries Book 1)

by Sarah Jane Weldon

  Audrey shouted at her “get this lot cleared up”. Violetta bit her lip and did as she was told. She’d only been in her new job a matter of days, and already she wanted to quit. Stefan seemed nice enough, but Audrey had him wrapped around little finger, and whatever Audrey said to him, it impacted on all the staff in the restaurant.

  Chapter Seven

  Flight SA129 to Austria: 28th November 2018

  “Oh fiddlesticks, I was hoping to have the window seat” I exclaimed as I looked down at my plane ticket. “At least one of us has it, I hate being in the outer seat”.

  Eloise shuffled towards the window seat, there wasn’t a lot of room at all. “Well at least it’s only a short flight, and we are sat together. It could be worse”. Eloise was right, and as I glanced around at the other passengers I felt quite lucky with our seating arrangement.

  “On the plus side” I said, “at least I’ll get to sit next to the handsome young man who sits beside me for the whole flight”. We both giggled.

  “I bet you get some really horrible or smelly person sat next to you” Eloise smirked as a girl of about 20 years old approached our row and double checked the seat number on her ticket. She smiled nervously and stowed her bag in the overhead locker, before taking her seat, buckling up the belt, and making herself comfortable.

  I was never good with social situations, but I thought I should at least make an effort to break the ice, otherwise the flight would feel long and weird. “Hello, I’m Madeleine, and this is my friend Eloise”.

  “Oh, pleased to meet you. I’m Sophia”. Sophia reached out a hand to shake ours, she was very polite and quietly spoken. I was relieved that she seemed to be friendly.

  “Oooh, are you French?” Eloise piped up.

  “Yes, I am. But my flight connected in London so I had to change planes. So now I’ve been to two countries already in one day. And by the time we get to Austria, I’ll have been to three countries in the space of a few hours”. Sophia was just as excited about flying as us it turned out, and we chatted for the entire journey.

  “So you’re going to be working in Val D’Isera ski resort” Sophia cried, clapping her hands together. “I can’t believe it. What are the chances. That’s where I’m heading too. I’ve got a job at a restaurant for the winter season. Longer if all goes well”.

  It certainly was a coincidence, and Sophia seemed really kind and warm, so we were delighted to have made at least one new friend already. Eloise was keen to talk more, to see what else we might have in common. “Ooh, we’ve got jobs as baristas at a coffee shop there. It’s called the Snow Mountain Cafe. Ooh, you’ll just have to pop in and have a coffee and cake…on us. See what you think of the place”.

  “I’m not sure how happy the new boss will be about you giving away his coffee for free Eloise” I laughed, but knowing that I would have offered the same to our new friend.

  “Well, I don’t think I could accept a free drink from you, but I’ll certainly come and see you. It will be nice to have people to visit for sure”. Sophia’s face lighting up as she smiled.

  We were chatting so much, that the flight went very quickly and by the time we arrived in Austria, we had already made plans to share a taxi to the resort together (since it had turned out that we would be sharing the same staff chalet together), and to go and visit the glacier together once we all had a day off. We were going to be the best of friends for sure.

  Chapter Eight

  Ski Chalet, Val D’Isera resort, Austria: 29th November 2018

  “I don’t know about you, but I was so excited that I simply couldn’t sleep, so I made crepes for everyone. I hope you all like them, otherwise I’m going to get very fat eating them all myself”. Sophia pointed towards a very large pile of perfect French crepes on the chalet’s kitchen counter. It was a very tight space, all wood panelled. To be honest, we were amazed that Sophia could magic up anything in such a small space with cupboards that seemed so bare.

  “These smell divine” I said.

  “To die for” Eloise added.

  “I just hope that my boss likes my cooking. I’m so nervous, but my head is already full of pastry ideas for the restaurant. I don’t need to go in until this evening, but I’m going to swing by anyway, just to get my bearings”. Sophia was far more awake than the rest of us, and her arms were waving around manically as she spoke.

  “I think we should probably get going Maddy. We don’t want to be late on our first day, otherwise we won’t have jobs to go to”. Eloise grabbed a handful of crepes for the short walk to the Snow Mountain cafe. I really wanted to gobble down more crepes too but I had butterflies in my tummy and thought it wouldn’t look too good if I was sick on the boss on my first day.

  “OK, see you later Sophia, thanks for the crepes. Hope you have an amazing day. We’ll catch up later” I said as I followed Eloise out the chalet door.

  It was lovely to step out into the fresh layer of new snow, especially after living through a rainy and grey November at home in Oxford. It was our first day in Austria and though the air was cool, it wasn’t damp like England, and the sky was clear blue and full of sunshine. The air smelt so pure, free from the pollution of traffic and grime up here in the mountain air.

  Eloise was still chomping away on the crepes, and I was busy concentrating on my footprints as my feet sank into the deep snow. I still couldn’t quite believe that we were actually here.

  “Sophia seems nice” I said. Eloise nodded. “I really hope our new boss is just as lovely. It’s going to be weird working for someone new after working with Mrs M”. Eloise nodded again, her mouth still full of food.

  We turned a corner, and there it was the Snow Mountain Cafe, with its glass windows and door. It seemed a lot bigger and more modern than Mrs Tiggywinkle’s back in Oxford, and it was certainly a lot less busy. It seemed new and shiny, more modern, like those pictures of contemporary New York Loft apartments. It had an air about it that drew you in, warm and welcoming, especially compared to the snowy street outside. We kicked the snow off our boots and pushed the glass door open, instantly greeted by the rush of warm air, and the smell of sweet hot chocolate and cookies baking.

  I followed Eloise to the counter, only too glad that my best friend was far less of a coward than I. Eloise spoke to the man first, whilst I observed and nodded where I needed to. The butterflies suddenly returning to my tummy.

  “Hello, I’m Eloise and this is Madeleine, we’re your new baristas”. A tall thin man with a tight, V-neck shirt and necklace threw his olive coloured bare arms in the air, and rushed around the counter to greet us, taking us quite by surprise. “Ahhh, welcome, welcome. Oh I’m so happy to meet you both”. He air kissed us three times on alternate cheeks in a rather dramatic way, his arms clasping ours. “Welcome to the Snow Mountain Cafe”.

  I finally found my voice, probably from the shock of such an over the top welcome, “thank you so much for giving us the jobs Mr Silvestre”.

  “Oh, no, no, no, no”. He replied, waving a long finger at us. “Please, call me Emilio”.

  “Emilio, OK”. I said glancing around the coffee shop. It was empty apart from a man in his thirties, who was sat by the window, doing a crossword from the newspaper. Emilio enticed us over to the man, one hand on each of our backs, pushing us gently forward.

  “Girls, I want you to meet my best customer Théo Messerli”. Emilio pushed us forwards a little more so that Théo could see us properly.

  “I think you mean your only customer” Théo replied with a teasing smile on his face as he winked at Emilio.

  Emilio pointed a finger at Théo and smiled “hahaahh, a funny man are you now”.

  “Hello” Eloise and I said at the same time. The customer Théo seemed like a nice enough chap, and the two men clearly enjoyed a bit of banter. I was feeling quite at home here already, knowing that we would both fit right in. Our new boss Emilio certainly seemed very pleasant.

  “Now girls, first things first. What will you have to drink?
Did you have breakfast yet”. Emilio reminded me of Mrs B, who was always concerned that we shouldn’t get hungry or thirsty on a shift and was always putting us before herself and the customers. We seemed to have landed on our feet here for sure.

  I looked at Eloise, knowing well that Eloise especially was quite full and would have no room left for cake or anything after all the crepes she had eaten for breakfast. “I’m OK actually, but thank you anyway. I’m still fit to bursting from breakfast. Our new house mate Sophia is a pastry chef and she made a huge batch of crepes for us before we left home”.

  Emilio sighed. “Ahhh, well as soon as you get even a little bit hungry or thirsty, you be sure to tell me alright. No good work is ever done on an empty or hungry stomach”.

  Chapter Nine

  Sébastien Paris Pâtisserie, Val D’Isera Ski Resort, Austria: 29th November 2018

  “Hello? Can I help you? I’m afraid we’re not open yet. You’ll have to come back later if you want to book a table”. Violetta skipped swiftly across the restaurant floor towards the door, where a lady had just entered. Stefan would kill her if she didn’t get the tables and chairs scrubbed and cleaned in time for the new ski season. The resort didn’t officially open until the 1st December.

  “I’m not here to book a table” Sophia reached out a hand to introduce herself to Violetta the kitchen porter. “I’m Sophia, your new head pastry chef”.

  “Ohhh!” Violetta looked confused. “But we’ve already employed our pastry chef for the new season. I didn’t know we were getting a second one?”.

  Sophia’s heart sank. “But there must be some kind of mistake. Look, here’s the letter. This is the Sébastien Paris Pâtisserie right? I mean, I haven’t walked into the wrong place by mistake? That would be a bit embarrassing?”.

  “I’m so sorry”. Violetta thought for a second. She was pretty sure that there wasn’t a job going, Stefan hadn’t mentioned anything about it. “I tell you what, why don’t you sit here and I’ll bring you some hot tea. I’m sure Stefan the boss will be back soon, and then you can speak to him. I’ve probably got it all wrong, he doesn’t tell me everything, I’m just the kitchen porter”.

  Violetta pulled out a chair for Sophia, just as Sophia crumpled into it, the prospect of not having a job, having just spent her savings on the flight and her accommodation until her first pay cheque arrived. “Thank you, Violetta did you say your name was?”.

  “Yes, it’s Polish”.

  “And you are wrong you know. There is no such thing as ‘just a kitchen porter’, everyone is important in a restaurant, and without you, the pastry chef and staff would not be able to do their jobs properly, so don’t ever say that you are only a kitchen porter”. Sophia was empathic towards Violetta, she clearly had a hard time here, not a surprise given how fierce Michelin star restaurants could be with their staff as they strived for perfection in all aspects. Sophia should know, she’d been a kitchen porter herself all through her training, to help make ends meet. It was a thankless task.

  Violetta took to Sophia instantly. If only Stefan had employed Sophia instead of that awful girl Audrey. Life had been miserable since Audrey had arrived and the season hadn’t even started yet, so it could only go from bad to worse. Violetta wondered how Audrey had passed her training course at all, as it seemed that she just passed all the work on to Violetta, and if the boss didn’t like what he tasted, it was Violetta who got it in the neck. She poured some tea for Sophia, and left to get on with her chores. “I’m so sorry, but I really must get these jobs done. Stefan the boss is really strict, and I don’t want to get into trouble. But if you want someone to show you around after my shift finishes, I’d be really happy to give you the grand tour.

  “That’s quite alright, thank you so much. Please don’t let me stop you, and yes, I’d love to have a tour, but only if you have time”. Sophia stirred her tea, trying hard not to get distracted by her thoughts and the anger that was now bubbling within her. She would be gutted if the job was no longer available.

  A door opened, and a cool rush of air blew across the back of Sophia’s neck. It must be the boss she thought, turning around to see who had entered the room. He was a bald man with a little moustache and a round belly, and he was laughing and joking, with a lady on his arm. Sophia nearly died of shock.

  Audrey recognised Sophia immediately. “Sophia. How are you? Fancy seeing you here. Didn’t you get our letter about the job?”.

  Sophia did a double take, not quite believing that this was happening. “You mean the letter with the job offer, that I showed you at our graduation ceremony?”.

  Audrey laughed. “Haha. I don’t recall you ever showing me a letter Sophia dear, you must be imagining things. No, I mean the letter from Stefan and I, to say that the job was no longer available, the position had since been filled by a more suitable applicant”.

  “What do you mean, a more suitable applicant? I had the highest marks of everyone in our cohort. I’d already accepted the job months ago. There shouldn’t have been any more applicants after I’d been offered the post?” Sophia was mentally thinking things through, certain that she could not have made any mistake.

  “I don’t know what is going on Stefan sweetie, but this is Sophia, we were at culinary school together. She was always a bit delusional, but we just put it down to her growing up an orphan. But I’m sure we can sort things out can’t we darling?”. Audrey pulled Stefan towards her, slipping her hand in the rear pocket of his jeans as she planted a smacker of a kiss on his lips. “Sophia, oh how rude of me. Sorry. This is my fiancee Stefan. Stefan this is Sophia”.

  Sophia was stuck to the spot, motionless. Her head trying to process everything. She shook herself. “OK. So let me get this clear. I’ve come all this way to Austria, to start this job, and now you are telling me that the job no longer exists?”. Sophia waved the letter in front of her, trying to appeal to Stefan. She wasn’t sure she even wanted the job if this was how things were here, but she needed the money, and she had no plan B. How had Audrey even come to be here in the first place?

  “Of course the job exists, Sophia you really can be so silly sometimes, can’t she, Stefan baby?”.

  “So, there is a job for me? But I thought you just said that there wasn’t?”. Sophia’s head was spinning.

  “You don’t understand Sophia. OK let me explain it in simple terms for you. Yes, there is a pastry chef job, but no it isn’t available, because the position has already been filled”. Audrey shook her head at Stefan as if to point out how silly Sophia was.

  “By whom? I see Violetta and she says she is the kitchen porter, and Stefan is the boss and Head Chef…?” Sophia looked around her, expecting another employee to emerge from the kitchen out back.

  Sophia walked towards Sophia slowly as if she were a model on a catwalk, careful to make sure that Stefan caught full view of her tight tusche. She lifted up her arms gracefully, and placed them on Sophia’s shoulders, moving her discreetly towards the door as they spoke. “My dear Sophia. You are looking at her. I am the new Head Pastry Chef”.

  “You? But how can you be the new pastry chef. You don’t even like cooking. You hate Val D’Isera because it’s not posh enough, and you knew that I had already been offered the job here. It just doesn’t make sense”.

  “Oh come now, Sophia. No need to get so jealous. Val D’Isera has always been my favourite of all the ski resorts, daddy just loves it here, and why would I go to the best culinary school and waste all that time studying and working hard, not to use it in one of the best restaurants in Europe? Hmmm. You have to admit, that does seem a little far fetched. Perhaps you’re tired from your flight, or upset that you didn’t get chosen for the job? Why don’t you go and sleep it off for a bit. Calm yourself. You don’t want to make a scene now do you? I’m only saying this as your friend”. Sophia was lost for words as she tried to fathom what Audrey was saying, but before she knew what was going on, Audrey had pushed her through the restaurant and out onto the cold str
eet, Locking the door behind her. Sophia stood dumbstruck for a moment.

  “Sophia. Sophia.” Came a whispered voice from behind her. It was Violetta, careful not to be caught speaking to Sophia in case Audrey gave her more grief. “Sophia, I’m so sorry. If it was up to me, you’d have got the job in a heartbeat. But I can’t stop. It’s just, you left your coat on the chair”.

  “Thank you Violetta”. Sophia took the coat but did not move as Violetta hurriedly closed the door quietly behind her.

  Chapter Ten

  Snow Mountain Cafe, Val D’Isera Ski Resort, Austria: 29th November 2018

  “Energetic person. Eight letters”. Théo asked the girls as he chewed on the end of the pencil, his other hand around his mug of hot coffee. The girls leant forward on the coffeeshop counter thinking hard. It was only their first day on the job, but they already felt quite at home here. They just needed the tourists to arrive and create a proper buzz. For now, they had very few customers, mainly resort staff. Emilio was sat on a reclining chair by the log fire, twanging the strings on his Spanish guitar as he played melodies from his native country South America.

  “Oohhh. I think I’ve got it” I announced, feeling rather proud of myself “go-getter”.

  Théo penciled in the letters on the crossword to see if it would fit. “Yes. I think that’s it. Well done Maddy”. Just then, the coffee shop door opened and Eloise and I stood upright, keen to make a good impression on our new customers, but we soon slouched again when we saw it was Sophia. She had lost the bounce and energy that we had seen in her this morning.