Red Velvet Cupcakes to Die For (A Liana Campbell Cozy Mystery Book 1)

by Alaine Allister

  “We don’t do that in my classes, but I bet you’d enjoy them nonetheless. Can I interest you in signing up? We’ve got a really great group and we’d love to have you. Oh, and the first week is free, so you can try it out with no commitment.”

  “Oh, what the heck. Okay,” Liana agreed, surprising even herself. “Sign me up.”

  “See you next week!”

  As Liana left the leisure center, it barely even dawned on her that she had agreed to a swim class and now had to endure the agony of finding a figure-flattering swimsuit. She was far too distracted by what she had just learned for that to even register.

  Penny had an airtight alibi.

  She had been teaching back-to-back swim classes the day Colin had died. There was no way she could have strangled him. That meant somebody else was responsible for his murder...but who?

  Chapter 11

  “Okay, so I’m back to square one,” Liana sighed to herself as she returned to her car. “That’s not what I was expecting. I was so sure Penny killed Colin. But I’m glad she didn’t. If she went to jail, who would teach fitness classes at the leisure center?”

  Liana got into the driver’s seat and slammed her door shut.

  She glared at her reflection in the rearview mirror.

  “What did you do?” she asked herself disapprovingly. “You let Penny talk you into taking a swim class! And now you have exactly one week to find a swimsuit that hides your thunder thighs. In Sugarcomb Lake. In the middle of winter. Argh!”

  It was a daunting task for sure. It was one that would probably require an emergency trip into Green City. Its mall was glorious. In fact, it was probably the best mall in the state, second only to the Mall of America. Liana loved shopping there.

  But there were more pressing matters to obsess over. Liana was pretty sure Sherlock Holmes hadn’t solved any murders by having a meltdown over swimwear. Neither had Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, as far as she could recall. So it was time to focus.

  Liana sat there staring off into the distance. She was at a loss. What should her next move be?

  That was when she saw Justin Brown across the street. The troublemaking teenager was with a group of his friends. They were laughing loudly and horsing around, pausing intermittently to pose for selfies. Basically, they were being obnoxious in that special way only teenagers could.

  Instantly, Liana jumped out of her car.

  Maybe she couldn’t bring Colin’s killer to justice right that second, but she could certainly give Justin a piece of her mind! That would be its own form of sweet, sweet justice.

  “Hey!” Liana bellowed as she stormed across the street. “Hey Justin!”

  The teenagers all stopped what they were doing and stared at her, dumbfounded.

  “Yeah?” Justin asked, looking perplexed.

  “I know it was you,” Liana informed him angrily. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you? Well let me tell you, someday you’re going to grow up and realize how un-funny what you’re doing is. I hope someday you own a business and some bratty idiot kid spraypaints all over it!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You vandalized my business you little punk!” Liana exploded.

  Justin’s eyes widened. “You own the gas station?” he asked in surprise.

  All his dumb little friends were snickering.

  “No! I own the coffee shop! You know that,” Liana snapped impatiently.

  The kid was absolutely infuriating.

  Even now that Liana was calling him out, Justin continued to play dumb. He had some nerve. If he was trying to play mind games with her, she wasn’t having any part of it. He could give her the wide-eyed, confused song and dance all he liked but she wasn’t about to fall for it.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Justin said.

  Liana rolled her eyes. “Sure you don’t. I reported you to the cops, you know.”

  “For what?”

  “For vandalism!” Liana exploded. Either the teen was a great actor or he was a moron.

  “It wasn’t vandalism. It was graffiti,” Justin said proudly. “There’s a difference. I’m a graffiti artist,” he explained as though he was talking to a toddler. “It’s a thing, you know. I make art.”

  “Writing ‘murderer’ on the outside of my business is not art!” Liana exclaimed indignantly. Who did Justin think he was? She was so frustrated she was ready to throttle him!

  “Oh, that. I heard about that,” Justin nodded, an annoying little smirk playing over his lips. “One of my buddies lifted up the wreath on your door and saw what was under it. I didn’t write it,” he shrugged.

  “I - you - yes you did!” Liana sputtered. She hadn’t expected the confrontation to be so difficult. She certainly hadn’t thought Justin would deny responsibility until he was blue in the face. She felt like her head was about to explode.

  “He really didn’t do it,” one of Justin’s friends chimed in. She was a pretty blonde girl with big, blue eyes. She stepped forward and explained, “Justin and I have both been out of town. We were in Minneapolis on a school band trip.”

  “Ha-ha, Justin’s in band class!” one of the boys snickered.

  “Shut up,” Justin told him, his face turning red.

  Liana opened her mouth and then promptly shut it again. She looked at the group of teenagers skeptically. “Is that true?” she asked. “Because I know teachers at the high school. If you’re lying to me, I’m going to find out.”

  “It isn’t a lie,” the blonde girl insisted. She seemed so earnest that it was hard not to believe her.

  “See?” Justin said snidely. “I didn’t touch your coffee shop.”

  “I, uh…”

  “You owe me an apology,” Justin informed Liana boldly.

  “You owe the gas station owner an apology,” Liana shot back.

  “People don’t know art when they see it,” Justin scoffed self-righteously.

  Liana threw her hands up in exasperation. “All you have to do is ask permission first! Maybe some people want you to do some artwork for them. But you can’t just do it without asking, Justin! That’s vandalism!”

  “Banksy doesn’t ask permission first,” Justin retorted.

  “Huh?”

  “You know...the artist who spraypaints on the sides of buildings and on downtown sidewalks? He’s really cool and people go crazy over his work. It sells for like, a billion dollars or something. And Banksy doesn’t ask permission first.”

  “Yeah, well you’re not Banksy,” Liana pointed out.

  “How do you know?”

  “Believe me, I just know.” Liana gave Justin a stern look. “You do know I’m going to have to tell the police you vandalised the gas station, right?”

  “They already know,” one of Justin’s friend’s giggled. “A cop drove past and caught him in the act. He’s got to volunteer at the nursing home for the next month! He’s gonna do sing-alongs with the residents there! Guess his music class is gonna come in handy after all! Hahaha!”

  “Shut up,” Justin grumbled.

  He was clearly embarrassed, which pleased Liana to no end. That kid could use a little embarrassment to bring him down a peg, as far as she was concerned. Maybe his experience hosting sing-alongs at the nursing home would be good for him.

  One could only hope.

  Liana stood there uncertainly, wondering how to smooth over the mess she had made. Then she realized the teenagers didn’t care. They had short attention spans and were already in the process of pulling out their phones to take more selfies.

  “Well uh...okay then. I’m leaving,” Liana announced.

  The teenagers barely acknowledged Liana. They were too busy jostling amongst themselves.

  Liana gathered up what was left of her dignity and returned to her car feeling like a dummy. She had been wrong about everything. Penny wasn’t a killer. Justin hadn’t vandalized her coffee shop. How had she been so off base?

  Was she ever going to fin
d answers to the questions that were keeping her up at night?

  Chapter 12

  “Did you hear the news?”

  Liana looked over to see Patricia Porter staring at her impatiently. The middle aged, plump woman looked like a dog with a bone. She was practically salivating at the thought of being able to spread some gossip.

  “What news is that?” Liana asked politely. She hated to give into gossipy people. It only fueled the fire...and if there was one thing Sugarcomb Lake didn’t need, it was more gossip.

  “There were a string of thefts overnight!” Patricia exclaimed dramatically. “Four people had their houses broken into! Well, not exactly broken into. In each case, the thief opened the front door and walked inside.”

  “Really? I can’t even remember the last time Sugarcomb Lake had a break-in. Are you sure?”

  “Yes!” Patricia nodded. “The thief must have been casing each house. He or she waited until the homeowners left. Then the sorry excuse of a person went in and stole things!”

  “That’s terrible. What sort of things were stolen?”

  “Oh, the usual sorts of valuables. Money, small electronics, jewelry. Oh that reminds me, Barbara’s prized pearl necklace was taken! She’s beside herself, the poor dear. And her husband is in the doghouse for leaving the front door unlocked!”

  Liana grimaced. “Poor Morris.”

  “You be sure to keep your doors locked,” Patricia instructed, shaking her pointer finger at Liana to emphasize her point. “It also wouldn’t hurt to leave a light on when you’re not at home.”

  “Okay, thanks for the tip.”

  Personally, Liana thought it was foolish that so many residents in Sugarcomb Lake left their front doors unlocked. They were practically inviting a thief to come inside and steal things. But she knew a lot of folks were extremely trusting...and why wouldn’t they be? Serious crimes were rare in the sleepy small town.

  “Hi Liana.”

  Liana glanced up to see Luke standing in front of the counter.

  He offered a tentative, small smile.

  She could barely bring herself to smile back. The second she laid eyes on him, all she could think about was the way he had been lurking in the trees near Clarissa’s unoccupied house. His behavior had been odd. But maybe now there was an explanation for it.

  Liana desperately hoped she was wrong. She had known Luke since she was a kid. She had always thought he was an honest, upstanding guy. But now, as Patricia’s words rang in her ears, she couldn’t help but become suspicious.

  She cleared her throat and tried to act normal. “Hey Luke.”

  “Can I have a coffee, please?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Liana watched Luke out of the corner of her eye as he took off his jacket and sat in his usual spot at the far end of the counter. When she brought a cup of steaming hot coffee over to him, she decided to do a little sleuthing.

  “Did you hear about the break-ins last night?” she asked, striking up a conversation.

  She watched him very carefully, hoping for a sign of some sort. If he was guilty, maybe she would be able to tell. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for - maybe shifty eyes or a telltale nervous twitch?

  “I did,” Luke confirmed, his gaze steady and his body language relaxed. “That’s a real shame.”

  “I know. I heard Barbara Norman’s prized pearls were stolen. That poor woman!”

  Again, Liana watched Luke like a hawk to see how he reacted.

  “Oh, that’s too bad. I hope the police are able to find the thief - and all the stolen goods.” He glanced over at the closest window. “Do you want me to install some bars on your windows?” he offered. “It might help give you some peace of mind.”

  “Wouldn’t bars on my big front window look kind of funny?”

  “Hmm, yeah. I guess they would. What about a security system?” Luke suggested. “It wouldn’t hurt to have one here and at your house. I know a guy who works for a security company in Green City. If you’d like I can give him a call. He could install the alarms and -”

  “Whoa. Don’t you think that’s overkill? I don’t know a single person in town who has an alarm system installed,” Liana pointed out. “That’s really more of a big city thing, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe that’s exactly why the thief is targeting Sugarcomb Lake,” Luke pointed out.

  “Hmm, you could be right.” Liana paused then and gave Luke a pointed look. “How would the thief know that nobody locks their doors unless he or she is familiar with Sugarcomb Lake? It must be somebody local!”

  “You just described every small town ever,” Luke argued. “I don’t think it’s a big secret that folks in small towns tend to be more trusting than people in cities.”

  “You have an answer for everything, don’t you? Well, almost everything.”

  Luke’s eyebrows shot up. “What are you talking about?”

  Liana leaned forward, her elbows on the counter. She was nose-to-nose with Luke now. She stared him dead in the eye and quietly demanded, “What were you doing in the woods by Clarissa’s house?”

  “Not this again,” Luke sighed.

  “You know she’s out of town! Twice, I caught you lurking around outside her house, and you weren’t exactly forthcoming about why you were there!” Liana stood up and crossed her arms. “What am I supposed to think, Luke?”

  He looked flabbergasted. “Liana, what is this? I can’t help but feel like you’re interrogating me.. Wait...are you suggesting I’m the person breaking into houses? Seriously? Come on, you know me better than that. I mean, we’ve known each other for years!”

  Liana pursed her lips.

  When he said it out loud it did sound kind of ridiculous.

  After all, this was Luke.

  He had held her hand in first grade when she’d been afraid on the first day of school. He had been her lab partner in third grade science class, helping her achieve top grades in a subject she was admittedly clueless about. And in ninth grade, he had told off another boy who had made fun of Liana’s admittedly tragic haircut.

  All the memories came back to her in a rush. She couldn’t believe she had forgotten them until now. Luke had always been a really nice kid, and he had grown up to be a really nice man. At least she hoped he had.

  A sudden wave of nostalgia hit Liana. She sighed and uncrossed her arms. “I don’t want to believe it, Luke. I don’t want it to be true. But you have to admit, it looks suspicious. Why have you been acting so sneaky lately?”

  All the color drained from Luke’s face.

  “Well?” Liana pressed.

  Luke scowled. “I can’t believe you’d accuse me of breaking into houses,” he told her.

  “That’s not what I said,” Liana protested, reddening as she wondered if she’d gone too far.

  “It was implied,” Luke retorted, sounding deeply irritated.

  He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his wallet. It was an old, worn-looking leather thing that had definitely seen better days. He tossed some money on the table to pay for his untouched coffee. With that, he grabbed his jacket and angrily exited the coffee shop.

  “Everything okay, boss?” Reese asked, coming up behind Liana.

  Normally his presence made her heart flutter, but at the moment it was far too heavy.

  Chapter 13

  It was that time again.

  Liana both loved and hated grocery shopping day.

  She was always meticulous about making her list. She kept a very close inventory of her baking supplies. She also kept a list of new ingredients she was eager to incorporate into her recipes. Lately, for example, she had been dying to try baking with coconut flour.

  She loved the hunt.

  Sure, it could be frustrating trying to find specialty items in a small town. But the owner of the grocery store was more than happy to order items that weren’t normally kept in stock. And when Liana did find some elusive, rare ingredient tucked away on a bottom shelf, it made her
day.

  That was the part she loved.

  The part she hated was standing in the checkout line watching as the items were rung in. She always got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as her total climbed higher and higher. It had become especially pricy after hiring Joel, who had a knack for wasting ingredients.

  “I’m so glad he’s gone,” Liana whispered as she scoured the baking section for peppermint extract. It was the first time she had admitted it out loud. The relief she felt at no longer having to babysit her incompetent employee was immense.

  “Kids! Come back here! No running in the store!”

  Liana smiled as she heard a frazzled-sounding mother barking orders in the next aisle over. She was grateful she was able to do her shopping in peace, although she occasionally did wonder what it would be like to have a child of her own.

  As her mother would say, the clock was ticking.

  It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t had any romantic prospects in ages. That was simply a downfall of living in a small town. Most of the good men her age were already taken...and there hadn’t been many to choose from in the first place.

  Newcomers to town were rare...but not unheard of.

  “Maybe Reese and I will hit it off,” Liana murmured hopefully.

  She made a mental note to remind him about their ice cream date. She really needed to clear her schedule so she could make it happen. She was a little worried that the other single women in town would swoop in if she didn’t hurry up and make her move.

  Small town catfights over romantic prospects were never pretty.

  Liana located the peppermint extract and put it in her shopping basket. She was really excited to try a new recipe for mint chocolate chip cake. She usually steered clear of food coloring, but sometimes she simply had to make an exception.

  Red velvet cake, for example, wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t red.

  And as for her new recipe...the way the pale green icing contrasted with the rich fudgey cake was beautiful. Liana was a firm believer in great presentation. She liked to eat not only with her mouth, but with her eyes. There was nothing like salivating at the mere sight of a sweet treat.