BlueBuried Muffins (Black Cat Cafe Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)

by Lyndsey Cole

  Danny wiped his arm across his mouth to clean off the crumbs. “I finished the shelves and got comfy on the chair in your office. I must have passed out, but I don’t know what time it was. I woke up before the sun came up. Everything was quiet and I decided I was sober enough to drive home. When I walked out, the guy grabbed my arm, said he wanted to wait and see if Annie showed up and would I let him in.” Danny rubbed the sweat off his forehead. “Don’t be mad at me, but I let him in. He said he had something real important to tell Annie. He acted kind of desperate.”

  “It’s good of you to help a stranger.” Leona glanced at Annie who listened intently. “Annie wants to find out what happened to him. She was the first one here in the morning and found him slumped over, dead in that booth.” Leona pointed to the window booth, the seat with the best view of the lake.

  “I wish I had more information to help you but I can’t remember anything else. I’ll go hang the sign now.”

  Annie waited until Danny left the café before she asked Leona, “Do you think he could have killed Max and not remember it?”

  Leona stared out the window. “That crossed my mind too. When he came back from Iraq he was a mess. When he’s sober he wouldn’t hurt a fly, but when he’s drunk? Who knows what goes on inside his head, and he doesn’t remember those times.”

  “Uh oh,” Annie said as Detective Jaffrey entered. She turned her back to him and whispered to Leona, “I saw something in Danny’s toolbox that looked like it could be used as a weapon.”

  “Good morning, ladies. It smells like you’re cooking up a storm in here. Anything for sale yet? Maybe a cup of coffee and one of those extra-large blueberry muffins?”

  Leona winked at the handsome detective. “Well, since you asked so nicely, I’ll be happy to fix you up. How do you take your coffee?”

  “A little cream and sugar is fine.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

  “Don’t be silly. Put your money away. Today, coffee is on the house. Tomorrow we’ll be open for business and you can pay then.” She set a mug in front of him and a plate with a warm muffin.

  “Thank you. Everything quiet this morning?” He turned his head to the sound of drilling from the hallway. “Well, quiet as in nothing unusual happening?”

  Annie started to move the book boxes around, unpacking and placing the contents on the new shelves. “Should I do this in any particular order?”

  “The sign says this is a café. What are you doing with all the books?”

  Annie felt her face heat up slightly. She hoped people weren’t going to think this was a dumb idea. “We’re offering books for free with the request that if you take one, you leave one. A freebrary.” She crossed her fingers hoping he would understand her new word.

  A smile spread across his face. “What a great idea. Did you come up with that yourself?”

  Annie saw Leona laughing as she kept an eye on the interaction. “I guess I did. You like it?”

  “Yeah. It’s brilliant. Can I make a suggestion?”

  “Sure.”

  “Organize them alphabetically by author. Many people like to read all the books from one author, so you might as well make it easy for them to find what they like.”

  “I was thinking that too. I’ll work on this for a little while, then get back to the food prep, okay Leona?”

  “It all has to get done today before we leave. I don’t want to open tomorrow with all those boxes of books in the way.” She moved back to her prep area, wiping the counter and getting new ingredients out. “I’m starting on the cupcakes for the decorating booth tomorrow.”

  Danny came back into the café and set his tool box down at his feet. “I’m all done with the sign, Leona. Is there anything else you need me for today?”

  “I think that’s the last project. Give me the bill and I’ll write you a check.”

  Danny slid an invoice across the counter.

  Leona scanned the bill. “Are you kidding? You didn’t charge enough.”

  “I feel guilty for letting that guy in the other night, so I took a little off the bill.” He shuffled from one foot to the other.

  Detective Jaffrey’s face turned hard and serious. “What guy?”

  Leona quickly introduced Danny to Detective Jaffrey.

  “Um. The night before last. A guy in a flannel shirt. I never saw him around here before. I was finishing the shelves for Leona,” Danny explained, obviously growing more and more nervous.

  Detective Jaffrey stood up, leaning on the counter. “Mind if I take a look in your tool box?”

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  Detective Jaffrey stared at Danny, then down at the tool box with his eyebrows raised. “My dad’s a carpenter. I like tools.”

  “I guess it’s okay.” Danny slid the box away from his feet and flipped the top open.

  Detective Jaffrey bent down closer. “You take good care of your things. Nicely organized. Clean.” He pointed to the tool Annie had noticed before. “When’s the last time you used this awl?”

  “Not too recently.”

  Detective Jaffrey used a napkin to carefully pick up the awl. Holding it, he inspected it closely. “This one wasn’t cleaned like your other tools.” He pointed to something dark on the sharp tip. “Mind if I keep this and find out what this is on here?”

  “I always keep my tools clean. I can’t even imagine what that is.” Danny’s eyes widened as he leaned close to get a better look. “Is it dried blood?”

  Chapter 9

  Detective Jaffrey put the awl in a plastic evidence bag. “What’s the deal with your friend?” he asked Annie after Danny left the café.

  Annie noticed his face had lost its tough edge. “I don’t know much about him, what about you, Leona?”

  “Danny is an open book kind of guy, a sweetheart, but the drinking is a problem for him.” Leona shrugged. “The way I figure it, he left his tool box here while he worked so someone else could have used that awl and put it back when Danny wasn’t around. Are you going to arrest him? I can’t imagine any kind of motive.”

  The dimple formed on Detective Jaffrey’s cheek. “No. Not yet. First, I need to confirm this is the murder weapon. And you have a good point about someone else having access to it. Unless there’s a witness who saw him inside before Annie showed up he’ll remain on the list with the rest of the suspects.”

  “You have a list? Who’s on it?”

  Detective Jaffrey laughed before finishing the last of his now cold coffee. “I can’t share every detail with you. Thanks for the morning pick me up, I’d better let you two get back to work. I don’t want to get on your bad side because I’m the reason you run out of food tomorrow for the big opening.” He winked, looking more at Annie then at Leona, gave a two finger salute and headed for the door.

  Leona fanned her face. “I get overheated just being near that guy. But my radar is sensing he’s attracted to you, Red.”

  “You’re so dramatic. You’re overheated because you’ve been baking for several hours already and this place is turning into an oven. Let’s open some windows and let some fresh air in. Hey, Tyler,” Annie said. “Detective Jaffrey just left. You better check out what he found in Danny’s tool box. It could be the murder weapon.”

  Tyler hurried out after the detective, offering Annie only a wave of thanks.

  Leona already had ingredients out on the counter. “I’ll make us a snack before we get going with the next project. How about a fruit smoothie? I want to make sure my mixture passes your taste test before we start offering it tomorrow.”

  Annie cranked open a few windows, letting the mid-morning breeze fill the café. “There are a lot of fishermen out on the lake already. I wonder if they might have seen anything the morning Max was killed,” she said, more to herself than to Leona. The whir of the blender drowned out her words anyway.

  “Here you go, one super duper fruitie tootie smoothie.” Leona filled two tall glasses and handed one to Ann
ie.

  “Is that really the name?” Annie took a sip. “Ooh, this is yummy.”

  “My motto is, take it or leave it, which includes the names for my concoctions,” she said with a fake pouty voice. “I suppose I could shorten the name to fruitie tootie smoothie, easier to fit on the menu board.”

  Annie took a big gulp. “This is delicious and just what I need to get me through the rest of the morning.”

  “Did I hear someone say something is delicious?” Jake’s voice interrupted their chatter.

  “Hey, Jake. Coffee or a fruitie tootie smoothie?” Leona asked.

  Jake held both hands out, weighing his choices. “My body is craving some caffeine but the smoothie sounds much more satisfying. Fruitie tootie, huh? Clever name.”

  Leona pumped her fist in the air. “I was right, Annie, it’s a catchy name.”

  “How about the smoothie now and the coffee to go?” Jake handed Leona a beautiful clay pot with a black cat painted on one side and the word ‘tips’ on the other. “I brought you a café warming gift.”

  Leona caressed the shiny, smooth glaze. “Thank you, Jake. This is perfect. If business takes off, I’d like to order mugs with this design.”

  “Just let me know when. By the way, attractive sign. Did Danny make it for you?”

  “Yes, he finished up this morning as a matter of fact. He worked late the other night installing those shelves for me,” Leona added, noticing a twitch next to Jake’s eye.

  Jake picked up his smoothie and walked over to the book shelves where Annie was working. “Books? Clever addition. Is there wifi in here too?”

  “Of course. This café is definitely jumping into the modern times. With all the tourists coming through, I think wifi will be a big attraction to lure them to come in, sit, relax, eat, check their emails or swap a book.”

  Jake picked up the top book from one of the open boxes, turning it over in his hands. “Can I take this one? I love a good thriller.”

  “Sure, but the idea is, you need to leave one too—take one, leave one. You could bring one in another time,” Annie told him. “Did you get all your pottery packed up?”

  “Huh?” Jake raised his head from reading the back cover of the book. “Oh, yeah, I did. You didn’t tell me you know Vincent.”

  “You didn’t ask. You were kind of busy.” Annie turned away, shelving more books. “I only met him once or twice.”

  “How did he get along with his partner, your ex-boyfriend?” Jake asked.

  Annie whirled around to face Jake. “Why don’t you tell me? You seem to be all cozy with Vincent.”

  Jake’s normally pleasant face turned into a sneer. “A touchy subject? Vincent is looking for you, ya know. It seems as though his partner left something valuable with you.”

  Annie felt her mouth drop open. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is that what the three of you were arguing about the night before Max was killed?”

  Jake’s jaw clamped tight and the twitch next to his eye started to spasm. “Who told you that?”

  Annie smiled. “Apparently, these walls have ears, Mr. Pottery Man.” She turned back to the books, hoping he would leave. Leona offered him the coffee to go but Jake stomped out without replying.

  “Geez, Annie, that’s not any way to treat our neighbor here in the building.”

  “What? Did you hear what he said to me? Vincent is trouble, I can feel it, and the two of them, Vincent and Jake, are in on something together.” Annie reached into her pocket, making a decision about trusting another person. “Take a look at this.”

  Leona read the pink paper. “What is this and where did you get it?” Her face drained of color.

  Annie glanced over her shoulder to be sure there was no one else around. “I took it out of Max’s pocket before the police came. I think he used this paper for a reason—it was mine and he knew the color would catch my eye. I’m sure he came here to tell me something but someone killed him before he found me. I think he was worried and wrote the note in case he didn’t get a chance to talk to me.”

  Leona folded the note and returned it to Annie. “Did you show this to anyone else?”

  Annie sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I showed my mother.”

  Leona’s eyebrows jumped up. “When?”

  “I went to her house last night.”

  Annie saw the hurt in Leona’s eyes that she wasn’t the first to gain Annie’s trust, but she knew better than to say anything. The relationship between Annie and Mia was as fragile as it was between the two sisters with Annie always stuck in the middle of the two women she loved more than anything.

  “Okay then,” Annie emptied another book box and crushed the cardboard for recycling. “We’ll all get together and make a plan, try to figure this out before,” she paused, “before anything else bad happens.”

  Leona stood at the counter as still as the water on a calm day. “Like what? I don’t like the sound of where this is going, Annie.”

  “The fire? Max being murdered? Vincent following me and Max here? People arguing in Jake’s shop the other night? The bloody awl in Danny’s toolbox? What else do you think I’m talking about?”

  “You think all this stuff is connected?”

  Annie shrugged. “I think there’s a good possibility everything is connected. Now, let’s get this baking done, tomorrow will be here before we know it.”

  Leona turned the radio on to the oldies station to drown out the bad vibes in the café. “Baking and music. That’s always a happy combination for me.” She tried to sound like her cheerful self but Annie heard the fear catching in her words.

  Chapter 10

  Leona filled the last open space in the glass display case with a raspberry scone. Wiping her hands on her apron, she stepped back, sighed, and told Annie, “I’m beat, how about you?”

  Annie poured the rest of the cooled chicken noodle soup into a container, slid it into the fridge next to the chili containers, and walked around to admire all the baked goods. “This selection is amazing—blueberry muffins, banana bread, pumpkin squares, raspberry scones, fruit tarts, cupcakes, and every variety of cookie I can imagine. Something for everyone. I’d say it’s been a successful day and I feel pretty darn good.”

  “True, but if we get cleaned out tomorrow we’ll need to restock for Saturday. So most likely it will be another long day.”

  “What more could you want for your grand opening? Scheduling your opening for this Spring Celebration weekend will get the cash register ringing nonstop.”

  “Are the chilis and soup in the fridge?”

  Annie nodded. “Yup, and all the meat and veggies are prepared for the lunch time crush.”

  “I’ll be in early to get the breakfast cart set up with granola, juices, coffee and tea. First customers at seven.”

  The café door opened and Martha came in carrying two packages wrapped in tissue paper. “I made an opening day gift for each of you.” She handed one package to Leona and the other to Annie. “Go on, open it.” She waited with her hands pressed together like an eager three year old.

  They both unfolded beautiful aprons, lime green covered with black cats in every possible pose. A yellow pocket was sewn on at hip level with ‘Take It or Leave It’ machine embroidered with black thread.

  Leona and Annie tied the aprons around their necks, modeling as if they were on a high fashion runway, laughing, and twirling their arms. “These aprons will be perfect over our black jeans and t-shirts,” Leona remarked.

  “Martha, this is too beautiful to wear. I don’t want to get it dirty,” Annie exclaimed.

  “Don’t be silly. They’re washable, but I guess I could make a couple more so you can rotate.”

  Leona and Annie linked arms and did a little dance, kicking their legs up as they swiveled their hips. Leona pulled Martha into the lineup and the three of them made a conga line, one behind the other, circling around the tables and chairs, laughing and singing to the Beach Boys blasting on the ra
dio.

  “Thank you. These aprons are eye catching.” Leona hugged Martha and kissed her on both cheeks. “You get free coffee and muffins for life. Was that your motivation all along?” Leona kidded.

  “Of course, hon,” she said with a wink of her eye. “But I might skip the muffins.” Martha patted her ample stomach and cackled. “Trying to keep an eye on my weight. Now, I realize it’s late and it’s been a long day for both of you, filling this building with mouthwatering smells, but I can’t wait another second. What’s new with the handsome detective?”

  A deep voice cut through the music and sucked the gaiety out of the air. “This is quite the party. Celebrating your newly inherited wealth, Annie Fisher?” The fun vanished with those words and every muscle in Annie’s body tingled with fear. She turned around slowly to face the newcomer.

  “Vincent West. And what brings you to our quaint little town of Catfish Cove?” She gauged his slicked back hair and immaculate designer suit. “You look like a fish out of water.”

  He sneered at Annie. “And you, my dear, left Cooper without even saying goodbye. What was your hurry?”

  Annie let her anger give her strength. “Why don’t you tell me? You’re acting like you already know all the answers.”

  The main door of the building opened and slammed closed, the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. Roy burst through the café door, glaring at Vincent. “I told you to stay away from my daughter.”

  Vincent stared at Annie for a few more seconds before turning his gaze to Roy. “You don’t call the shots, old man. I came here to get something back and nothing will get in my way. With Max out of the way, the only road block is standing here in front of me.” He headed toward the door, knocking into Roy’s arm as he brushed by.

  Annie unclenched her hands, forcing herself to relax, before asking her father, “What was that all about?”

  “Be careful Annie, this isn’t some silly game. You’re mixed up with these crooked art gallery owners.”