Becka looked over at me and crinkled her nose in disgust. “You picked a real winner here, Maddy.”
“Hey! I’m right here, remember?” David reminds her. “I can hear what you’re saying. And, yeah, I may not be a regular Prince Charming, but I take care of Maddy. We have an understanding. There’s nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of people with crazier marriages than us.”
“Not in Creekside Hills.”
“You’d be surprised at what happens in Creekside Hills,” David says. “There’s more secrets in this town than Area 51.”
I let the curtain fall back to cover the window before turning to face Becka and David. Sure, I could stare at Officer Hotness all day, but that would be counter productive for what I really need to do — prove my innocence.
“There’s only one thing I can do,” I say. “I’m going to go undercover at David’s business and find out who is framing me for Dana’s murder.”
CHAPTER SIX
“You know, when you said ‘going undercover at David’s business,’ I didn’t think it meant actually working here.” David set a large stack of manila file folders on my temporary desk in my temporary job of personal assistant to the president and CEO…aka him.
“Well, what do you expect me to do?” I ask. “I had to temporarily close the ice cream shop. No one wants to eat from the place where that one girl died.”
“But why my office?”
“Because this is where Dana worked and I’m betting this is where we’ll find the answers to who wanted her dead.” I pick up the first folder and open it. It’s a collections log for a client. “Seriously, David, collections? You’re giving me collections?”
“Hey, if you want to work, get to work.” He grins, looking so much like the teenage boy I fell in love with all those years ago. Unfortunately, the teenage boy turned into a charming rogue who I can’t seem to remember is bad for me. David likes to say we put the fun in dysfunction. He would say that, though. He’s the one screwing anything that walks by in a skirt while I’m busting my butt creating a local ice cream empire.
“Aye, aye, captain.”
David turns to leave. He stops suddenly, though, when he’s at the edge of my cubical and turns to face me again. “Hey, Maddy?”
I glance up. That face — that sincere, concerned face. That’s the face I fell in love with. Where has that face been hiding for the last handful of years? “Yeah, David?”
“We’ll fix this, alright? I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I smile. We’re a team again. Even if it’s only temporary, we’re a team again. “Thanks, David. I really appreciate that.”
*
After far too many phone calls to shake people down for money, I finally have time to do what I really want — go through Dana’s employee file to see if it gives me any clues on who might want to kill her and frame me for it. My mind immediately jumps to ‘David’ but almost as immediately eliminates him as a suspect. He may be a charming rogue, but he isn’t a murderer. …I hope.
David keeps the employee files in a big cabinet in the back room. It’s cold and quiet, almost tomb-like, when I unlock the door and step inside. I rub my arms against the cold. Geez, hasn’t he ever heard of climate control? It’s not like paper needs its own cooler.
I jump when I hear a crash. My hand flies to cover my heart and I try to slow down my racing heart and mind by taking several deep yoga Fire Breaths. That crash couldn’t have come from inside here. I’m alone. I think.
“Hello?” I call. “Is anyone here?”
I walk the perimeter of the room just in case. It’s as quiet as the tomb it reminds me of. Nothing. There’s not even anything on the floor so the crash must have come from outside. I take one last deep Fire Breath before moving to the first of the six foot tall filing cabinets all lined up in a row. Geez. This might take awhile. David should really consider switching to paperless record keeping.
I know Dana’s last name is ‘Smith.’ Very generic, and very in the middle of the alphabet. The first file cabinet contains employee records for A-D. I sigh. On to the next cabinet. I’m forced to do “on to the next cabinet” five times before I finally get to the S last names. I pull Dana Smith’s file. It’s thin. She probably hasn’t worked here long. Based on my one and only in person run in with her, I’d say David saw blonde, blue eyed, and big boobs and thought ‘you’re hired!’ He always had a thing for blondes…which was weird considering I’m a redhead.
I lean against the filing cabinet and open the file. Instead of the usual employee type information, Dana’s file contains a stack of black and white security images. Some are low quality, like they were taken from a hidden camera, but others are big, glossy pictures like the kind a private investigator takes. Dana leaving her apartment. Dana walking into a building with the words ‘Pops Soda Shop’ written on the window. Dana talking to an old guy on the sidewalk outside of Pops. Dana leaning into the widow of a dark colored sedan. Pops. Wait a second — that sounds familiar.
I flip through the sparse papers in her file folder looking for any mention of Pops Soda Shop. If someone took this much time to record her movements and interactions with the old guy from Pops, there must be a reason. I find my answer on page 3:
Building Location: 2314 Garrison St.
Business: Pops Soda Shop, established 1960
Contact: Josiah “Pops” Smith owner
Security summary: Josiah Pops Smith is the original owner and founder of Pops Soda Shop. He has recently fallen behind on lease payments. Client expects to foreclose within a month. Auction to the highest bidder. Prime real estate property. Big money expected. Client wishes surveillance on Dana Smith - only known relative of Pops Smith. Family may disrupt auction. Beware.
Wait. 2314 Garrison St? I double-check the address again like that combination of letters and numbers will change the harder I stare at them. 2314 Garrison St is my shop address. Three Scoops moved in when David’s client foreclosed on Pops Soda Shop.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I knew the cheap rent in a prime real estate location was too good to be true. David encouraged me to put in a bid. How much did he know about the location? And how much more is he hiding from me now?
“Why didn’t you tell me you had surveillance run on my business location?” I slap the Dana Smith folder down on David’s desk. “What else haven’t you told me?”
“It’s a business deal, Maddy.” David shrugs like it’s no big deal. Well it is a big deal. It’s a very big deal to me. “Business deals sometimes need a little push to make sure they go through.”
“Who is your client and why did they want to evict Dana’s grandpa?”
He turns back to his work like I and my question doesn’t matter. “That’s confidential.”
“Did you know Dana’s connection to the building?”
“Of course I did. Dana was a plant from the very start. Do you think I actually hired her because of her awesome typing skills? Don’t be so naive, Maddy. In life and in business there’s only one rule — keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Dana was working for the enemy. She thought she was playing me, but I was playing her right back.”
“Why did you encourage me to bid on the Three Scoops building if you knew the connection to her?”
David looks around at the smattering of employees still in the office. He stands and motions for me to follow him back to the meat locker that doubles as a file storage room. Once inside, he shuts the door behind us.
“You always were so naive, you know. It has its benefits.”
“I knew you were screwing around,” I say. “I just chose to ignore it.”
“Ignoring something doesn’t make it go away, Maddy. It just makes it take more and more risks.”
“Do you speak from personal experience?”
“Oh, you’d be surprised at what you don’t know about me.” David starts pacing. He waves his hands as he talks like that’s going to help get the words out. “
Poor, Maddy. So naive and trusting. I gave you the ice cream shop tip because I knew how crazy it would make Dana. She’d been trying to get information on my client for months. The thing is, her grandfather wasn’t a healthy man. The eviction process just sped up the heart attack that was waiting to kill him. Dana knew and, of course I knew, there were some interesting provisions in his life insurance policy. The store meant everything to him. If the lease stayed in the family, Dana would inherit the two million dollar policy. If the lease went to an outsider, whoever held the lease inherited the money. By foreclosing on the shop and positioning you to take over, I got the insurance policy.”
I try to swallow the lump building in my throat. “You mean —?”
David does a mock, sweeping bow. “I’m the client. We get all sorts of interesting tips in the security business. I knew if I could evict Pops and move you into the store, I’d collect the money.”
“But why…why kill Dana?”
David smiles at me but it’s far from pleasant. “Oh, Maddy, haven’t you guessed yet? That poison milk shake was meant for you.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Me?” I back up against the door and feel around for the doorknob. If worse comes to worse, I can try to escape. “What do you mean it was meant for me?”
“You were set to inherit Pops life insurance policy, even if you didn’t know it. By getting rid of you, the two million would be mine. Do you know how much I could do with 2 million dollars? I wouldn’t have to be in security business that’s for sure. It’s better than winning the lotto. Two million dollars and no nagging wife.” He brushes aside his suit coat to reveal a handgun tucked into his waistband. “I can still have no nagging wife.”
I fumble for the doorknob and fall out of the storage room into the main room. I kick the door shut and scramble to the now eerily quiet office. It won’t slow David down much, but it will give me time to find someone to help me. If anyone is even still here. The one time I need some nosy employees around, they’ve all left for the night!
“You can’t hide from me, Maddy!” David calls in a sing-song. “I have cameras everywhere. No matter where you go, I’ll find you.”
I take off my shoes so he can’t hear the clicking of my high heels. They might come in handy as an impromptu weapon too. I run toward the emergency exit. I don’t even care if the alarm sounds as long as I can get away from David.
“Come out come out wherever you are.” David fires a warning shot into the ceiling. “You know, if I knew how good killing you felt, I would have done it years ago.”
I find the emergency exit and reach out for the long handle. A hand snakes out and grabs me before I can set off the alarm. The same hand clamps over my mouth to hold in my scream. David! David found me!
“Don’t scream and I’ll take my hand away,” a very not-David voice says. “Nod ‘yes’ if you agree.”
I nod. When the hand is removed, I squirm to face the not-David person. “Officer Armstrong?”
He puts a finger up to his lips in a ‘shush’ gesture. “We’ve been tracking your husband since Pops died. He thinks he’s smarter than everyone, but he’s not. Not even close. Just stay put and keep quiet. I’ll make sure you get out of here, okay?”
I nod again. Officer Armstrong moves across the room from cubical to cubical in a crouch. David is still calling for me.
“Come out come out wherever you are. You can’t hide forever, Maddy.”
“Hey, jerk, over here!”
I imagine David turning toward the sound of Officer Armstrong’s voice. What I don’t have to imagine is the sound of gunshots. I clamp both hands over my mouth to keep from screaming. Time seems to stand still. I don’t know if a minute has passed or an hour. Eventually, Officer Armstrong comes back and crouches down next to me. At the site of him, I loose it. All the fear and stress and uncertainty come spilling out of me in loud, heaving sobs. Officer Armstrong wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him.
“It’s alright, Maddy. It’s over. It’s finally over.”
EPILOGUE
I flip the ‘closed’ sign over to show ‘open.’ Three Scoops is having a second grand opening. This time, there’s no blood money hanging over my head like a cloud. After a lot of searching and a lot of help from Officer Armstrong, I found Dana’s brother Donald. I offered him ownership of the shop so Pops’ wish could be fulfilled. I only had one condition — let me keep Three Scoops open. It was my dream, after all, and I couldn’t bear it if that died along with Dana and David. Donald agreed so he got ownership of the shop building and the insurance money and my dream stayed alive, rent free, too.
Becka sits down on a soda shop stool and plunks her briefcase on the counter. “Guess what? I’m opening up shop.”
“In my shop?” I laugh.
“Sure.” Becka hands me a business card as if I don’t know who she is. ‘Becka Granger, Attorney At Large.’ “With your down home sleuthing skills and my legal expertise we can make quite the team.”
“Don’t forget me.” Officer Armstrong – or as I like to call him now ‘Kyle’ – wraps his arms around my waist from behind and nuzzles my neck. “If you’re off doing anything relating to crime, you need me.”
I turn in Kyle’s arms and tiptoe to give him a quick kiss. Becka makes gagging sounds, which makes me laugh instead of keeping up what I’d much rather do – kiss Kyle Armstrong. He also laughs at Becka’s antics and leans his forehead against mine.
“We can pick up where we left off later.”
“Count me in.”
“Count me nauseous,” Becka complains.
Kyle pats the top of her head like she’s five years old instead of twenty-five, before leaving Three Scoops for his usual cop duties and doings. I can’t wipe the sappy grin off of my face. I don’t know what will happen next or where any of this is going really, but for now, I’m enjoying whatever life comes my way. For the first time in a long time, I’m happy.
THE END
Ice Creamed
If Maddy thought she could put all thoughts of dead bodies behind her and just focus on Three Scoops Ice Cream Shop and her new romance… well, she better think again!
She’s about to stumble across yet another dead body, reigniting her new neighbors’ (and customers’) suspicions of her… and with no witnesses to speak of, this one’s going to be harder to work her way out of.
Read More… in Ice Creamed, coming soon, in June!
I hope you had as good a time reading Poison Shake as I had writing it. If you did, please help spread the word about Maddy and the Three Scoops Ice Cream Shop short cozy series. Tweet about it, message your Facebook friends, and tell anyone else you know who might enjoy it, too.
Most of all, I would love to see your personal review on Amazon or Goodreads. It really makes a difference.
I’d love to hear from you, too! Visit me at my website, LisbethReade.com, on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LisbethReadeAuthor/) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/LisbethReade), or drop me a line at [email protected].
Always yours, Lisbeth
Recipes
Maddy’s Fudgelcious Brownies
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
6 (1.5 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Get a 9x9 inch baking pan good and greased.
2. In 3-quart saucepan over very low heat, melt butter and chocolate, stirring the mixture nonstop until you think your wrist will detach (don’t worry, it won’t!). Remove from heat, and slowly stir the sugar into the chocolate. Patience, dear, you’ll get to taste it soon enough.
3. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Since watched chocolate never cools, read a few pages of a scintillating mystery — but not too many, or it’ll cool too much. Beat in the eggs one at a time, m
ixing well after each, then stir in the vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt; then stir into the chocolate mixture. Lovingly spread the batter into the prepared pan, making sure it’s all nice and even.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Brownies are done when toothpick inserted into center comes out cleaner than a fingerprint-less murder scene. Cool in pan on wire rack.
4. Devour (but not all of them — you must save at least one for the milkshake!).
Maddy’s Ultimate Double Chocolate Fudge Shake
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounce smilk
2 scoops chocolate ice cream
whipped cream
1 chocolate fudge brownie
1 ounce flaked chocolate
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the milk, ice cream and brownie in a blender. Turn it on and watch all that goodness spin around for at least 30 seconds.
2. Let the froth settle while you read another few pages of your mystery. Then pour it into a tall, chilled glass.
3. Add a glorious heap of whipped cream and scatter the flaked chocolate onto the top.
4. Dive into that glass full of heaven. Enjoy with the rest of your favorite Three Scoops short cozy.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
EPILOGUE
Recipes
Poison Shake: A Three Scoops Ice Cream Shop Short Story (Three Scoops Ice Cream Shop Cozy Short Stories Book 1) Page 2
