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

by Sarah Jane Weldon

  “Great. I’ll bring it over when its ready if you like?”.

  “Um, yeah, that would be awesome, thanks Maddy”. Karl handed over his Euros and I tore off his receipt, placing his order with Eloise. It didn’t take Eloise long to get through the backlog, and since there was a small break between customers, I was easily able to take Karl’s drink over to him. He was on his mobile phone and he looked to be deep in conversation so I put the coffee in front of him and left but I couldn’t help but overhear his conversation and he looked to be very stressed out indeed.

  “Look, I really don’t know about this Miryam, it just feels wrong. I mean, what if I get caught? We could both go to prison. OK, OK, I’ll try. But I’m not happy about it”. Whatever Karl had got himself into, it did not sound good.

  As I got back to the counter where Eloise was mopping up the spills from the rush of coffee orders, I ran this latest finding by her. “You don’t think Karl could be our suspect do you? Maybe he tried to kill Audrey with the ice collapse because he wanted his brother to have more time with Violetta? We all know that Audrey and Violetta don’t much care for each other?”.

  Eloise wrung out the cloth in the sink and turned on the tap to give it a rinse through. “I don’t know. Sure the brothers are close, but would you really risk all that just for your brother’s girlfriend?”.

  “You’re right”. I added “It does seem a bit far fetched. But he’s certainly up to something”. Karl looked around him with a guilty expression on his face, as he scooped up his cup and took a sip of the hot coffee. We’d need to keep a closer eye on him, find out what he was up to.

  Chapter Twenty

  Snow Mountain Cafe, Val D’Isera ski resort, Austria: 2nd December 2018

  “Do either of you want a break now that things have quietened down a little? Sophia says she’s happy to work out front for a bit, if you want a sit down?”. Emilio asked.

  My feet were aching, even after years of working in Mrs Tiggywinkle’s. “Sure, that would be great”.

  Emilio smiled warmly. “I tell you what, why don’t you go and sit down and I’ll bring you some drinks and nibbles over. we should be fairly quite for a bit now that most folks will be back on the ski slopes for the afternoon”.

  I looked around the coffee shop. Things had definitely slowed down compared to the earlier rush and the orders were far more steady now. Mainly ski widowers, the ones who only came on holiday because they had partners who loved to ski or snowboard. The coffee shop was still full, but the customers were reading books or relaxing and wouldn’t be in any hurry to leave. I spotted a couple of seats by Théo and was followed closely behind by Eloise. We were both suddenly shattered.

  Théo patted a hand on the seats near him. “I’ve been saving these for you” he smiled. “I must say, you really have transformed the coffee shop. It’s wonderful to see it so busy, Emilio deserves it after all the work he’s put in to get the place up and running. It’s really something special now”.

  It was very kind of Théo to say that and I wanted him to know we appreciated his kind words. “Thank you Théo, but I really don’t think we can take the credit. Emilio is the one who created a warm and cozy place to sit in and relax, and Sophia is the one who bakes all the yummy cakes, all we do is to supply the punters with coffee as quickly as we can”.

  “You know, you should take a compliment when it is given”. Théo teased us a little. “No. you really have both worked your charm on this place. You should be very proud. Everyone is talking about how wonderful this place is”.

  “How’s the crossword going?”. Eloise was keen to steer the conversation to more important matters.

  “Not bad at all, in fact. I just finished it when you two arrived”. Théo folded up the newspaper and pushed it to one side.

  It was time for me to be brave. I needed to ask Théo’s advice but I was worried how he might react. “I’m sorry to trouble you Théo, but we badly need to talk to you about a very delicate matter. I hope you don’t mind. It’s just that we wanted to get your advice as Emilio’s friend, before we approach him ourselves”.

  Théo was all ears “Go on”.

  Eloise gave me a sideways glance. “I feel a bit stupid now, it sounds silly, but we’re worried about Sophia”.

  Théo leant forward so as not to be heard by any eavesdroppers, Sophia in particular. “Why? Has that girl, what’s her name? Audrey? Been nasty to her again?”.

  “On the contrary”. I told him. “In fact it seems like it might be Sophia that’s being horrid to Audrey, but we’ve not been able to prove or disprove either side’s stories. That’s why we need your advice”.

  “OK”. Emilio nodded.

  “You see, the thing is, well, you remember that letter that Sophia showed us, with the job offer on it? Well, Sophia says that she received it in the post from Stefan, but Audrey is saying that Sophia was never offered the job in the first place, and it would certainly explain why Stefan seems to not even acknowledge her. But we can’t prove or disprove the letter being genuine, either way”. I was finding it hard to explain without sounding utterly ridiculous.

  Eloise helped me out. “Théo, we can’t prove or disprove the letter as being real or a fake, but both Sophia and Audrey told us that they came top in their cohort, and we reckon that if we can find out who is telling the truth about that, then it would at least give us a starting point for our investigation”.

  Théo raised an eyebrow. “But what has this got to do with Emilio?”.

  It was good to talk things through with Théo, if nothing else it would help us to iron out the flaws in our thinking. “Oh Théo, we feel responsible for Emilio. If Sophia really has lied about her qualifications, then it means she really could be as messed up as Audrey says she is, and if that’s the case then she could be dangerous”.

  Eloise added. “We think she might have tried to kill Audrey up at the glacier the other day, that it was her who intentionally cut down the icicle which caused the cave roof to collapse and the icicle to fall on us”.

  Théo inhaled sharply, strumming his fingers on his chin as he thought this through. “Oh dear. I certainly see your predicament now. But let’s imagine that Sophia is in fact innocent, and Audrey is the liar, how would that change things?”.

  I drew in closer to Théo and leant on my elbow. “That’s the problem. If we go wading in and Sophia finds out, then if she’s guilty, we’ll be putting ourselves at risk, and if she really is innocent, then we’ll have lost her trust and respect and she really could go off the rails then. That wouldn’t be good for Emilio or the cafe”.

  Théo picked up the pencil and tapped it on the table. “OK. So basically, what we need is for Emilio to contact the culinary school where Audrey and Sophia trained, and to ask for their exam results as a prospective employer?”.

  I nodded at Théo, confirming his suggestion. “But how do we do that without looking like we are trying to find proof of her guilt and upsetting her?”.

  “Simple”. Théo answered. “We need the culinary school to believe that the two girls are nominees for a local award of some kind, but we just need confirmation of their exam results before we can declare the winner”.

  Eloise sat up straight. “That’s genius. Why didn’t we think of that Maddy?”.

  I wasn’t quite sure if we could pull this off alone. “But how do we convince Emilio to contact the culinary school? Won’t he know that there is no competition?”.

  Emilio grinned. “Not if I happen to be the founder of the competition and enquire myself, I can even set up a baking competition here at the cafe if it makes things more legitimate”.

  “Yes, I think that could work”. I said, as Emilio came over to the fire and joined us for a break.

  “You lot look thick as thieves, what are you up to?”. Emilio asked with a cheeky grin.

  Théo took the lead, saving Eloise and I from telling a fibto our boss. “Emilio, you really have done wonders with the coffee shop, so I was thinking, why not
take advantage of the buzz, and host a baking competition? I’ll even put up the prize fund and be the judge myself, it’ll be fun”.

  Emilio looked delighted. “Oooh. A baking competition, yes that would be fun. When can we start?”.

  “You just leave that to me Emilio. I could do with a project until my new crossword book arrives. Keep the old brain cells ticking over”.

  Emilio spat out his coffee. “Old? Théo, you’re younger than me. Honestly you’re like a middle-aged man, trapped in the body of a youth”. Emilio patted his stomach as he laughed a long hard belly laugh.

  I was relieved that we had a plan. Théo would contact the culinary school for Audrey and Sophia’s grades as part of the competition nomination for best pastry chef, and Emilio would get an actual baking competition at the coffee shop to bring in more customers. Eloise and I would finally find out who was telling the truth and whether Audrey or Sophia had lied to us.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sophia Saner, Snow Mountain Cafe, Val D’Isera ski resort, Austria: 2nd December 2018

  “Everything OK with you Sophia? You don’t seem your usual cheery self today?”. Emilio placed a hand gently on the rolling pin that Sophia had been using to roll out the pastry.

  Sophia gave him no eye contact as she huffed and tutted. “I’m fine”.

  Emilio laughed. “Sure, you just like to murder the pastry for no good reason at all. I thought you said you needed to caress pastry?”. Emilio switched the weight to his other hip and folded his arms as he raised a skeptical eyebrow.

  Sophia slammed the rolling pin down on the bench and looked up at him. “OK, so I’m not fine. But do you blame me? How would you feel if everyone in the resort was accusing you of attempted murder. I wasn’t anywhere near the ice cave when the roof collapsed and the icicle fell down, and I’ve no idea how my glove came to be there? Why won’t anyone believe me?”. Sophia started to cry.

  Emilio walked up to her and gave her a hug. “There, there. The truth will always come out in the end, and the tourists will soon fly back home and be replaced with new ones. What’s most important, is that I believe you, and so do your friends. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks”.

  A sulking Sophia sobbed hard. “It’s alright for you. You’ve got your coffee shop and Stefan has his restaurant, and the rest of you have got everything all figured out. But what about me? I mean, I’ve got no one, no family, no money, no long term prospects. What happens when ski season is over? No one will ever employ me when they see that my only jobs have been as a pot washer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly grateful to you for the work and for letting me bake, but if I’m going to become a professional pastry chef, then I need to be working at restaurants with awards and stars”.

  “No offence taken at all Sophia. I completely understand. It just goes to show how passionate you are about your profession. I admire that in you. It only makes me more proud to have been a part of your journey. Things might seem bleak now, but you’ll move forward, you’ll achieve your dreams if you continue to work hard, I promise you”.

  Sophia nodded through heavy tears.

  “Come now Sophia. I’ve sent the girls to have a break. Why don’t you dry your eyes. If you can cover the front for half an hour or so, then we’ll spend the afternoon in my treasure trove looking for rare beans and ingredients for your next concoction. What do you think about that?”.

  “OK”. Sophia nodded, cheering up a little.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ski Shop, Val D’Isera ski resort, Austria: 3rd December 2018

  Daan placed the ski boot on the counter and dug around inside the liner with his hand, feeling for a loose edge.

  “Hmm. I can’t feel any edges. What about your sock, how does that feel?”.

  The lady bent down and pulled off her long ski sock, revealing brightly painted, immaculate toe nails. She slipped her arm into the sock and felt around for the source of the sharp scratchy feel. “Ahaha. Yes Daan, I think you are right”. She pulled a thorn from her sock and slipped it back on her foot. “Problem solved”.

  Daan smiled. “I know my ski boots Mrs Vicini”.

  “Please. Call me Camilla”. Mrs Vicini encouraged. “Mrs Vicini makes me feel so old”.

  Her daughter sulked. “You are old mother”.

  Mrs Vicini looked wildly at her daughter, rather irritated by her offspring. “Oh hush now Francesca. Stop being such a whiney teen. It doesn’t suit you”.

  Her daughter Francesca stormed off. “Whatever mother”.

  “Sorry about that Daan. Honestly teenagers these days, you’d think they’d be delighted that you’d taken them off skiing for the winter holidays. She have been far happier if I’d simply left her at home, locked in her bedroom with access to the internet. I don’t know what the world’s coming to”.

  Daan nodded politely. It was best not to get involved in family arguments, and he certainly saw all sorts of families here in the ski shop. It had been a very busy morning.

  “Ahh mate, am I glad to see you?”. Daan hugged Karl as Karl handed him a cup of coffee from the coffee shop. “Courtesy of Maddy and Eloise. They thought you might need it dude.”

  Daan took a long sip and smacked his lips together. “Hot, strong, and black, just how I like it. Those girls really do know how to make a decent cup of coffee. Honestly I thought I might start to lose my patience with some of the customers today. It’s always the same. The first days they start off excited and happy, by mid holiday they are getting bored, and by the end of the week they’ve all fallen out and can’t wait to get back home. You couldn’t write this stuff, I tell you”. Daan took another long drink of his coffee. “How’s Nicklas after the glacier incident?”.

  Karl shook his head. “Hard to tell. He acts like it was just one of those things, but it’s clearly doing his head in”.

  Daan tutted. “Poor bloke. Still at least no one was hurt”.

  Karl looked hesitant.

  “What?”. Asked Daan, curious at seeing the look on Karl’s face. “What is it buddy?”.

  Karl sucked in the air. “I dunno. I probably should just keep my mouth shut, but, well. I guess. Well, I kind of think that maybe it will do him good in some way, you know to have things go wrong for once. He’s always been so perfect, he’s always been the favourite son”.

  Daan laughed. “What do mean ‘favourite son’. You’re twins for God’s sake, how can your parents possibly have favourites?”.

  Karl’s face dropped into a frown. “But that’s the thing. We might be twins, but we’re not identical, and they were only expecting the one baby, they had no idea I was there too. I always feel like I’m intruding on their relationship with their favourite son somehow. Nicklas is the one they wanted, I was just the spare, the backup brother. And why wouldn’t they be proud of him? He’s one of the youngest people to qualify as a mountain guide and he’s already been selected to join the Swedish snowboard team trials for the next winter Olympics. What have I got to offer them? I’m a bartender, and not a very good one at that”.

  Daan shook his head. “I think you’re over reacting mate. You’re probably just tired. What time did you finish up at the bar last night?”.

  Karl shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno. Maybe 4am by the time everyone had left and I’d cleaned up all the glasses”.

  “And what time is it now? I’ll tell you what time it is. 8am Karl, which means you’ve definitely not had enough sleep. I tell you, you’ll feel so much better once you’ve had a sleep and got your mojo back or whatever it is you seem to have lost”.

  “I know, I know. You’re probably right”. Karl answered

  Daan laughed. “What do you mean, ‘probably right’, of course I’m right, now get out of here and go get some shut eye”.

  Karl high-fived Daan. “Thanks dude. I appreciate the pep talk”. Karl turned to leave suddenly remembering why he’d come to the ski shop in the first place. “Oh yeah, I totally forgot. I came for some of those new sunglasses
you got in. Can I have a look?”.

  Daan looked gobsmacked. “Are you for real? You do know how much they cost right? Those bar shifts must really be paying you well”.

  “What?”. Karl looked suddenly guilty, but quickly relaxed his shoulders realising he looked a bit suspicious. “Haha. Nice one. No I promise I’ve not robbed a bank or anything. Been saving up haven’t I. Not like I’ve got anything else to spend my money on is it?”.

  Daan took the key out of his pocket for the little glass display cabinet. “Hey, I was only joking mate, its your money. Good on you I say, why shouldn’t you treat yourself, you’ve worked hard for it dude”.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Snow Mountain Cafe, Val D’Isera ski resort, Austria: 3rd December 2018

  Margot came to a standstill outside the coffee shop as she fumbled around in her handbag for her mobile phone. It was ringing loudly, playing a very dramatic tune. She looked around the street rather embarrassed.

  “Hello my darling Felix. Audrey? No she’s not with me right now. I’m just in the town, picking up a few things. No I haven’t signed the divorce papers yet. Look Felix, I know your little tricks. You’re the one who had the affair with your secretary, not me. I don’t see why I should suffer as a result of your infidelity. And that daughter of yours is no better. It’s perfectly obvious that she’s using this Stefan. He as much as admitted it to me himself. Look I’m not speaking to you when you’re in a mood like this. You can speak to me later once your manners are restored. Goodbye”.

  Margot tapped the red button on the screen, hanging up on her husband. She looked quite hot and bothered, as she glanced around, hoping that no one had heard her. Not even Audrey knew about their divorce plans yet, and as much as she couldn’t stand the girl, she’d prefer that Audrey heard the news from her and not some complete stranger.