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

by Sarah Jane Weldon

  “What’s it like in South America Emilio?”. I asked, keen to learn more about my new boss.

  “Well, where I come from, it’s a little village, and a bit dull, but in the rainforests there are monkeys and puma, and the noise is so incredible. It’s the loudest place on earth. I try to go back whenever I can”. I hung on every word that Emilio spoke, he seemed to have led a rich and exciting life, and he knew so much about the world.

  “Where’s the most exciting place you’ve ever been?”. Eloise questioned, as she rolled out the puff pastry. The coffee shop was empty apart from Théo who was busy with his crossword in the daily newspaper, so Sophia gave Eloise, Emilio and I an impromptu lesson in baking.

  “That’s a tough question to answer. I think every place I go to is the best place ever, until I go to the next new place anyway. Last year I thought that the Galapagos was the best place ever, but then this summer I travelled all across Asia and it was magical”. Emilio’s expression told us that he was already reminiscing over his summer exploits.

  “Wow. I really hope that I get to go travelling when I’m older”. I sighed, feeling like I wasn’t really a proper grown up yet.

  “What do you mean?”. Eloise laughed at me. “You are traveling and having great adventures already. You are in Austria don’t forget, and you’ve never been here before. OK it might be closer to home than Peru or Brazil, and far less exciting or exotic than Egypt, but it’s still travel”. Eloise turned her pastry over and dusted the surface with some flour. “What about you Sophia, have you travelled much?”.

  Sophia’s eyes looked a little sad. “Me? Oh no. I’ve hardly travelled at all. I’ve only been to France, mostly Paris, and now here”.

  Eloise did her best to cheer Sophia up. “Well, I’m fairly sure that’s all about to change. A famous pastry chef like you. You’ll soon be off galavanting and collecting recipes from far and wide and publishing them in shiny covered hardback books for your adoring fans”. The four of us giggled at the thought, and Emilio said that he was just so excited to know that everything had all begun in his tiny kitchen. He hoped the three girls would not forget him when they were all rich and famous.

  Sophia turned to Emilio. “But in all seriousness, I’d love to hear more about Asia. Have you been before?”.

  “Oh yes, I’ve been many times, to different places. I travel every holiday, as much as I can. I’m a bit of a geek, you see. I like to collect different coffee and cocoa beans. In fact, I’ll show you my collection if you like?”. Emilio was quite taken at how interested the girl’s were in his travels. He’d always felt a bit lonely before, with no one to share his adventures and collection of beans with.

  “Seriously? You’ve got a bean collection?”. Sophia seemed surprised.

  “I know it doesn’t sound very cool, but my collection is very special, in my eyes”. Emilio looked a little wounded.

  It wasn’t what Sophia had meant at all, and she seemed genuinely animated by the whole prospect of beans from around the world. “You misunderstand me Emilio, I think you are the most incredible person I have EVER met. I’ve always wanted to do something similar, to have my own collection of ingredients. I just never imagined that I would meet someone who shared my passion”.

  Emilio grabbed Sophia’s arm and my arm, and beckoned the three of us to follow him into the store room. He pushed a metal shelf away from the wall, and entered some numbers into a pad.

  “Ummm? Emilio?” I gasped, totally in awe of what I saw before me “are you telling us that you have a walk-in safe, and that it is full of beans? And secret?”.

  Eloise was as astonished as I was “Woah, you actually have a secret room in your coffee shop? That is the most brilliant thing I ever saw. You are like a real life Jack, like Jack and the Beanstalk, except that your beans aren’t magic…obviously”.

  Emilio punched in the code and turned the dial. “Well I suppose in some ways the beans could be said to be magic. I mean, this one here will perk you up, this one will help you with memory, and this one here will kill you in an instant. This one here is not really a bean, but a seed that I picked up in Asia, and although the outside of the fruit can be eaten, the inner part is very toxic and will kill you very painfully within less than an hour”.

  I looked around the room at all the wonderful glass jars on every shelf. It was a very large collection. “Oh, so that’s why you need to keep them in a safe then?”. I theorised.

  “It’s more that I don’t want anyone to steal them really. I’d be mortified after years of collecting them all on my travels”. Emilio handed a jar to Sophia, so that she could examine the contents.

  “I’ve read about some of these”. Sophia pointed out, reading the white label on a large, glass jar. “May I?”.

  “Of course”. Emilio replied as Sophia unscrewed the lid and pulled out one of the beans. “I think I’ve just found heaven. I could make so many things from these ingredients, if you would permit me to of course”.

  Emilio hesitated for a second, unsure if he was ready to part with his prized bean collection. “We’ll see. I’m sure I could spare one or two, but I’d hate to use up all the beans as some of them are now extinct”.

  Sophia handed the jar back to Emilio as Théo announced that they finally had a customer.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Snow Mountain Cafe, Val D’Isera ski resort, Austria: 30th November 2018

  “I don’t believe it. What is she doing here? Such cheek”. Eloise recognised Audrey from their first meeting at the summer party. Audrey had entered the coffee shop with two French women and they were having a not very pleasant conversation in French, it seemed.

  “Maddy, come here a minute”. Eloise called me over, and I too was surprised to see Audrey at the cafe. Surely, word must have have reached her by now about Sophia’s new place of employment.

  Audrey and the two women approached the counter. “Haven’t we met before?”. I asked Audrey, knowing full well that we had met at the summer party just a few months previous.

  “I don’t think so”. Audrey declared, giving me a full on snooty look. I only hoped that Sophia did not catch her here.

  “What can I get you?”. Eloise asked, with a firm but far more professional voice than I could bring myself to use.

  “Three espressos and whatever those cakes are, though they look like they’ve seen better days. Very amateur indeed, not like the fine pastries we have at our restaurant, that’s for sure”. Audrey pointed a finger at the freshly made cakes. They looked stunning to everyone else but Audrey.

  I grabbed three small plates and plonked the cakes onto them with as little care as possible. The cakes were wasted on someone who clearly would not appreciate them.

  “Bring them over there will you, we’ll see if we can find a CLEAN table somewhere”. Audrey was unnecessarily rude and she certainly wasn’t winning us over with her attitude.

  “What does she mean ‘clean table?’”. I hissed at Eloise once Audrey was out of ear shot. “The tables are all immaculate”.

  “Just ignore her. She’s just trying to wind you up Maddy”.

  “Well it seems to be working” I huffed.

  I marched over to the table and plonked the coffees and cakes in front of the three women, my eye spotting some interesting paperwork in the process. I was so glad that I had studied A’Level French at sixth form. I went back to the counter and picked up a fresh cloth.

  “There’s something strange going on at the table. There are loads of legal documents. I’m going to pretend to clean the tables, see if I can pick up anything interesting from their conversations”. I told Eloise.

  “Good idea Maddy”. Eloise gave me the thumbs up just as Emilio emerged from the kitchen.

  Emilio watched me with the cloth. “Everything OK?” he asked.

  “I’ll let Eloise explain” I said as I sidled off to a table close enough to hear what Audrey was talking about.

  Eloise signalled for Emilio to come over to a quiet corne
r of the coffee shop, away from Sophia. “Emilio. Can I have a word. That’s Audrey, the girl who stole the job from Sophia, and she seems to be up to something. Maddy’s going to try and listen in, but Sophia mustn’t see Audrey here, it will only upset her”.

  Emilio nodded that he understood. “Sure thing. She’s certainly been through enough hurt lately, no need to upset her further”.

  Emilio went back into the kitchen and Eloise busied herself with Théo and his latest crossword, leaving me to eavesdrop on whatever it was, that Audrey was up to.

  “Audrey, it’s very important that you sign these documents, especially now that you are engaged to be married. I just need your signature here, here, and here. Then I’ll be able to head back to Paris and leave you in peace”. From what I could understand from their conversations and my quick scan of the paperwork, the woman was called Margot Baillieu-Flandin, and she was Audrey’s stepmother. Audrey seemed keen enough to sign, but the other woman kept interrupting them.

  “Are you sure you want to sign, Audrey? Don’t you want to read through the small print first? This is a great deal of money after all, and it’s going to be yours as soon as you are married or when you reach your next birthday, whichever comes first. I’d hate for you to sign your life away”. The small lady, who went by the name of Rose Landry, seemed very quiet and timid, especially compared to Audrey and Margot.

  Margot looked rather cross. “Oh for goodness sake, Rose. Will you stop mithering the girl. I’m sure she knows her own mind by now. She doesn’t need you interfering. She gets enough of that from her father without you joining in”.

  Rose lowered her half moon glasses on her nose and looked Margot straight in the eyes. “With all due respect Margot. I’m here because Audrey’s father sent me to make sure that she knows what she is signing. He only wants the best for his daughter”.

  Audrey had already heard enough from the two women, and stood up to leave, knocking her coffee slightly so that the liquid spilt over the papers. “I tell you what, why don’t the two of you come back to me when you’ve settled your argument, or better still, you can just leave me in peace”. Audrey grabbed her handbag and stormed out of the coffee shop, leaving the two women to sort out the papers which had blown off the table as the wind caught the door.

  “So, what did you find out then?”. Emilio asked.

  I wasn’t really sure what I had found out to be honest. “It seems that Audrey is about to inherit a very large sum of money as soon as she marries or reaches her next birthday. The larger of the ladies is called Margot, and is Audrey’s stepmother, and the thinner of the two ladies is Rose Landry, who works as a secretary for Audrey’s father Felix.

  “And did she sign the papers?”. Eloise asked me.

  “No, she got fed up of the two women fighting, so she just stormed out. But my guess is that the stepmother wants her to sign the papers, but her father’s secretary does not”. I was yet to find a logical explanation for why one lady wanted Audrey to sign, and the other did not. I didn’t get an opportunity to think on things further as Sophia called me from the kitchen to tell me my bakes had finished cooking.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ski Chalet, Val D’Isera ski resort, Austria: 1st December 2018

  Nicklas looked like an excited school boy at Christmas. His face animated with enthusiasm. “Honestly Maddy, you should see the glacier, it’s so beautiful. I can’t wait to show it to you”. I zipped up my boots and threw on my padded down jacket. “I can see that”. I laughed. His enthusiasm was contagious. It was the first official day of winter ski season, and the first flights filled with skiers all set for their holiday, would be arriving later in the afternoon. It was our last chance to explore the resort, before things became busy and the resort heaving with holiday makers.

  Nicklas had decided to have a dry run of his glacier tour, to get him in the swing of things before the guests arrived, and he opened up the trip to the staff and people already on the resort. Emilio had given us the morning off, since the coffee shop was now well and truly stocked with coffee and freshly baked cakes ready for the first customers later in the day. He assured us that he could manage quite well with his one main customer Théo, all on his own. I’d never seen a glacier before, and I was struggling to decide what to wear.

  “I’d better get going”. Nicklas announced. “I need to be at the coach to meet the driver before everyone arrives”.

  “No worries. We’ll see you there in a bit” I said, waving Nicklas off as he sped towards the door.

  “Do you think I’ll be warm enough”. I asked Sophia as I wrapped a long scarf around my neck and tucked my mittens in my jacket pocket.

  “Yes, I’m sure you’ll be fine. You just need a jacket, salopettes, boots, hat, gloves, and a scarf. anyway, I don’t think we’ll be up there too long, besides, the walk will soon warm us up if it gets cold”. Sophia was reassuring as ever, and Eloise and I often found ourselves seeking her advice on things. She was very clever, and most importantly, she was very patient with us, especially when teaching us how to bake more sophisticated cakes and pastries. We would have a lot of new skills to share with Mrs B when we got back to Mrs Tiggywinkle's and worked our coffee shop shifts once we started university.

  “I’ve got some spare gloves if you want to borrow them?”. Eloise offered, knowing that Sophia’s had gone missing that day she had been thrown out of the restaurant by Audrey.

  “Oh no. I couldn’t. I’d be afraid I might lose them. I’ve got lovely warm pockets anyway”. Sophia was strong-willed, and it seemed that once she had made her mind up about not accepting help, there was nothing we could do to change it. “Thanks anyway though. That’s really nice of you”.

  Eloise was just as stubborn. “I tell you what, I’ll pack them in my rucksack, and that way if you change your mind at all, I’ve got them. How about that?”.

  Sophia nodded her head. “Sure”.

  I fastened up my own rucksack and put it on my back. It was certainly heavier than I had planned, but I figured that wouldn’t be a bad thing given how many cakes and pastries I had eaten in one week alone. I’d have to do a lot of exercise if I wanted to avoid going home twice the size. “Right. I think I’m all set. We should probably get a wriggle on. We said we would meet Nicklas at the coach by 9am and it’s already close to that”.

  “Holy Moly”. Eloise replied. Throwing on her own rucksack. The three of us hurried through the door, and walked as quickly as we could through the town to the ski shop, ready to meet Nicklas.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ski Shop, Val D’Isera ski resort, Austria: 1st December 2018

  “All set, Nicklas?”. Dan asked with a cheery smile.

  “Hey Dude! How’s things?”. Nicklas high-fived Daan van Bree, the ski shop’s Dutch technician. He’d been off on expedition over the summer and looked like he’d burnt up a lot of calories. “How was the Arctic?”.

  “Buddy, it was incredible. We kite-skied across the Arctic, right up to the North Pole. Best trip ever”.

  “Woah. That sounds rad”. Nicklas found himself staring at the funny white circles around Daan’s eyes where his sunglasses had been. He looked like a tanned and white panda.

  “So what do you need from me today? Any kit or supplies?”. Daan waved in the general direction of the rental gear and emergency kit for the instructors and rescue teams.

  “Nah. I’m think I’m alright thanks, but I’ll point the group in your general direction, in case they need anything”. Nicklas looked around the shop, his eyes bulging at all the new ski lines hanging from the rails. He wished he had more money so he could buy some of the new clothing.

  “Don’t forget to tell them about the staff discount too, in case they want to use it themselves. They can pick up their staff ski passes here too”. Daan was always keen to get more people out and about on the slopes.

  “Awesome”. Nicklas pulled out his phone to check the time. The coach and group would be arriving soon. His brother was supposed
to be here by now. Said he had wanted to earn a bit of extra cash by helping Nicklas to tick off the guests on his clipboard list. “Don’t suppose you’ve seen that brother of mine, have you?”

  Daan shook his head, then pointed at the shop door. “Ahh there he is, late as ever. Hangover Karl?”.

  Karl walked through the shop with a bit of a lazy swag. “No way dude. I don’t get hangovers. Hangovers are for wimps”. He gave Daan a manly hug and high-fived his brother Nicklas.

  “Daan can you sort Karl out with some kit? You know what these indoor folks are like. Don’t get outdoors much and go all flaky soon as they see a snowflake”. Nicklas pulled Karl into a brotherly love headlock and ruffled his hair.

  “Girlfriend not coming?”. Karl asked Nicklas.

  “Nah. Chance would be a fine thing. She’d have been here in a heartbeat but she’s got to do all the work for Stefan and Audrey. The cheek of them both. It’s alright for them to take time off, but then they just pile their work onto Violetta. It wouldn’t be so bad, but Violetta’s got a really nasty cold. She should be home resting”. Nicklas looked irritated.

  “Man, that really sucks”. Karl shook his head in disgust.

  Daan returned from the storage area, weighed down with a pile of clothing. “Here we go. This should fit you, Karl”.

  Karl grabbed the clothing from Daan. “Cheers buddy”.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Glacier Excursion, Val D’Isera ski resort, Austria: 1st December 2018

  “Right. Is everyone here? For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Nicklas Rehn, I’m a ski guide here at Val D’Isera, and today I’m going to be your guide as we visit the glacier. I’ll be giving you more details as we approach our destination. But for now, all you need to do is to sit back and relax.”