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

by Alaine Allister

  There was only one gas station in town. Liana was tempted to ask Patricia if she intended to drive all the way to Green City just to have her tank filled. Of course, she didn’t say a word. She knew better than to provoke the silly woman by using logic.

  As Liana watched Patricia fuss over her stained gloves, she thought back to her encounter with Joel. She had noticed something on the cuff of Joel’s jacket. But it hadn’t been gasoline. It had been a black substance that had vaguely resembled splattered tar, or perhaps…

  “Spraypaint!” Liana gasped.

  “I beg your pardon?” Patricia asked, looking bewildered.

  “I need to run an errand,” Liana announced loudly, wishing it wasn’t Reese’s day off. “You’re all going to have to pour your own coffee and get your own snacks for the next little while. Please leave your money on the counter if I’m not back before you’re ready to go.”

  It wasn’t the most professional move ever, abandoning the coffee shop while it was still full of customers. But it was Sugarcomb Lake. Liana knew she could trust her regulars to pay for what they took. Besides, she had something incredibly important to do.

  And she was so angry that steam was practically coming out of her ears.

  Chapter 16

  “Can’t you drive any faster?” Liana complained from the back seat of Sam’s squad car.

  “I’m already going to the speed limit,” Sam replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “Yes, but you’re a cop,” Liana reminded him, feeling impatient. “You’re allowed to ignore the speed limit! Your police car even comes equipped with lights and a siren! You’re supposed to speed when there’s an emergency, aren’t you?”

  “This isn’t an emergency,” Sam told her. “It’s a routine interview that may or may not be connected to an active investigation. I’m going to ask Joel Hanley a few questions, that’s all.” He made eye contact with Liana in the rearview mirror. “You’re going to behave, right?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Sam smirked as he pulled into the grocery store parking lot. “You came running into the police station angrier than a cat that’s been doused with water. You were practically breathing fire! If you’re going to come inside with me, I need you to stay calm.”

  “I’m always calm,” Liana snapped, sounding anything but calm.

  “On second thought, maybe you should stay here,” Sam decided.

  “No!” Liana shot back indignantly. “I don’t know why you made me sit in the back of your squad car. People are going to see me and start spreading rumors, you know. Why couldn’t I just sit in the passenger seat next to you?”

  “Protocol,” Sam replied unapologetically. He got out of the squad car and opened Liana’s door. “Come on then,” he said, as businesslike as ever. “Let’s go see what Joel has to say. You’re going to be on your best behavior and let me handle this, right?”

  “Of course,” Liana assured him.

  Then she spotted Joel across the parking lot. He was walking away from the grocery store. He held his phone in his right hand and his uniform was dangling from his left hand. He must have just finished a shift.

  “There he is!” Liana screeched, attracting more than a bit of attention. Before Sam could stop her, she sprang into action. She raced across the parking lot, accosting a very startled Joel moments before he climbed into his car.

  “Hey, watch it!” he complained as Liana nearly ran into him. “I almost dropped my phone!”

  “That’s the least of your worries,” Liana growled, her temper flaring. She took a menacing step toward her former employee, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “You vandalized my coffee shop! You tried to frame me for murder!”

  Joel’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Whoa. Easy there,” Sam interjected as he got in between the two.

  “What’s going on?” Joel asked.

  “Oh don’t play dumb!” Liana snapped. She grabbed Joel’s left arm and held it up for Sam to see. “Look!” she said triumphantly. “He has black paint stains all over the sleeve of his jacket! See? Tell me that’s not from a can of spray paint.”

  Sam looked at Joel. “What’s on your sleeve?”

  Joel immediately started to act suspicious. He averted his eyes and began to stutter as he struggled to come up with an answer. “It’s uh...um...it’s...oil,” he finally managed to blurt out, albeit unconvincingly.

  “Oil?” Sam repeated, sounding skeptical. “Oil from what?”

  Joel stared at him blankly. Clearly he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

  “If I go down to the local hardware store and ask around, am I going to find out you purchased black spray paint recently?” Sam asked Joel.

  “It’s not a crime to buy spray paint!” Joel insisted.

  “No, it isn’t a crime to buy spray paint” Sam agreed. “But it is a crime to use said spray paint to vandalize a local business. Honestly, Joel. I expect this kind of behavior from high school kids, but you? You’re in your twenties! You should know better.”

  “It wasn’t me,” Joel replied, his voice quavering a bit. He looked ashamed of himself.

  “It was you!” Liana insisted, pushing past Sam so she could confront Joel herself. “What on earth is wrong with you, Joel? Murder? Come on!”

  Once again, Joel looked stunned. “M - m - murder?” he repeated, mouth agape. “Huh?”

  “You were obviously trying to frame me for Colin Watson’s murder,” Liana told him. “Why would you do that unless you were hoping to evade suspicion? The best way to get away with a crime is to let someone else take the fall for it.”

  Joel shook his head. “No, you’ve got the wrong idea,” he told her, clearly shaken up by her accusation. His eyes darted from Sam to Liana and then back again. “I swear, I had nothing to do with that delivery guy’s murder. All I did was paint on the door, that’s it.”

  “So you did vandalize Liana’s coffee shop,” Sam said.

  “A-ha, I knew it!” Liana exclaimed triumphantly. “Cuff him, Sam!”

  “Hang on,” Sam said, holding up a hand. He turned his attention back to Joel. “Give me one good reason not to handcuff you right here in the parking lot, in front of half the town. I’m pretty sure I saw your aunt pulling into the parking lot a few minutes ago,” he added.

  “Please don’t cuff me!” Joel begged, practically in tears. “I didn’t do it! I mean, I did vandalize the coffee shop. I’m sorry for that! But I promise I didn’t kill anyone!”

  “Liar,” Liana scowled.

  “I’m not lying,” Joel insisted.

  “Can you prove it?” Sam asked.

  “I can! I was here for a job interview the day of the murder. I started my first shift immediately after I was hired. Ask my manager. Ask anyone! There are tons of people who can vouch for me. I’ll give you a list of names,” he offered, talking fast and looking pale.

  Sam and Liana exchanged a look.

  “I’ll have to verify what you’re telling me,” Sam told Joel. “But assuming you do have an alibi and you didn’t kill the deliveryman, then -”

  “Why did you vandalize my shop?!” Liana interrupted, still annoyed.

  Joel’s face reddened. He stared at his feet. “I was embarrassed,” he explained. “I quit because I knew you were going to fire me. I was upset about it. I know it was dumb, but I thought I’d feel better if I...you know...wrote something mean on your door. That’s all it was: a dumb prank.”

  “It’s also a crime,” Sam reminded him.

  Joel’s lower lip began to tremble. “Please don’t arrest me!” he blubbered.

  “I’m not going to arrest you,” Sam replied. “But you’re likely going to have to pay a fine and do some community service. Be thankful that’s all that’s going to happen. If it were up to me you’d face a much harsher penalty.”

  “Thank you!” Joel gasped, clearly rattled to his core. “Thank you! And I’m sorry! And thank you! I really am sorry. Thanks again!” Practically tripping
over his own feet, he dove into his car and raced out of the parking lot.

  “He didn’t come to a full stop at that stop sign. If I was a jerk, I’d give him a ticket for that,” Sam remarked as he and Liana watched Joel speed away.

  “Just between us, Amy thinks you’re a jerk,” Liana remarked.

  “Oh?”

  “Would it kill you to make an effort with her family?”

  Sam rolled his eyes. “For your information, her uncle and I are on great terms! He was thrilled that I was able to get a live feed of the hockey game on my phone. He kept sneaking over and asking me the score when his wife wasn’t looking.”

  “And what about the rest of the family?”

  “They were playing Yahtzee for like three hours straight. It was so boring!” Sam complained. “And the game was on! What was I supposed to do?”

  Liana gave him a look.

  “Fine,” he relented. “Next time I’ll force myself to play boring games with them.” He opened the car door for Liana. “Hop in. I’ll drive you back to the station so you can get your car.”

  “Do I really have to ride in the backseat like some sort of criminal?” Liana complained.

  “Yes. It’s -”

  “I know, I know. It’s protocol. Okay, fine.”

  “It’s protocol, but now I’m starting to think it’s also for my own safety,” Sam quipped. “You were like a madwoman, the way you went after Joel. You were like a pitbull! Joel looked like he was going to wet himself in terror. Heck, even I was a little afraid of you.”

  “Oh come on, I wasn’t that bad.”

  “Seriously, can I take you along on every call?” Sam joked.

  “Hmm, maybe I should have been a cop,” Liana mused.

  “But then who would supply me with coffee?”

  “True,” she grinned. Then her face fell. “Oh no, the coffee shop!” she gasped.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I left it unattended!” Liana recalled, panicked. “I didn’t mean to be gone for so long.”

  Sam looked amused. “So I should drop you off there, then?”

  “Yes please! I’ll walk over to the police station to pick up my car later.”

  “Good thing we live in a small town,” Sam remarked as he drove his squad car toward Just Desserts. “I don’t think leaving a coffee shop unattended would work out very well in the city. But you should probably hire an employee who can cover for you during emergencies, no?”

  “I have one,” Liana replied. “But I didn’t want to call him.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because he’s going on a date with Darla Duke,” she sighed glumly.

  “Oh, no,” Sam said hastily. “No, no, no. I’m not opening that can of worms. I don’t mind being your unofficial taxi service, but I’m not about to be your therapist, too. Vent to Amy, not me. She loves talking about feelings and crap,” he shuddered.

  “So picture this,” Liana said, ignoring the stoic cop’s discomfort. “I ask you out for ice cream. There may or may not have been a little innocent flirtation leading up to that. Would you think it was a date or a platonic thing?”

  “Oh look!” Sam said brightly, pulling up to the coffee shop with a screech. “We’re here! You’d better get inside and make sure everything’s in order. And I’d better get back to the station...I am on the clock, after all. Bye!”

  Chuckling to herself, Liana shook her head as Sam practically threw her out of his squad car.

  Her friend’s fiance was many things, but in touch with his emotions wasn’t one of them. Actually, it was kind of fun to make the stone-faced cop uncomfortable from time to time. Watching him squirm was rather amusing.

  Sometimes it blew Liana’s mind that Sam had managed to court Amy. How had that gone down? She couldn’t imagine the socially awkward, hyper-masculine cop courting anyone.

  “But what do I know?” Liana sighed as she straightened the wreath on her front door. “I can’t even get a date!” Reese’s rejection - if it was a rejection - still stung. Apparently she was really bad at the whole dating game thing.

  Maybe it was best she focused on work for the time being. Romance was far too frustrating.

  Chapter 17

  “Did you keep an eye on things for me while I was away today?” Liana asked Fluffy as her little friend awoke from his fifty-seventh nap of the day. Just Desserts was empty but for her and the cat. She had just finished wiping down all the tables and mopping the floor.

  “Meow,” the cat replied, affectionately thwacking her on the ankle with his tail.

  “Thanks, I knew I could count on you,” Liana smiled, bending down to pick the purring furball up. “I heard things went very well while I was gone. In fact, my register actually has extra cash in it. Did you short change my customers?” she teased as she stroked the cat’s head.

  “Mrow,” Fluffy informed her matter-of-factly.

  “I did hear there was another incident today,” Liana remembered. “Apparently you had a little meltdown when Morris and Barbara Norman were getting ready to leave. Patricia Porter told me you started growling and tried to attack Morris. Is that true?”

  The cat purred louder but said nothing.

  “You can’t be attacking people if you want to hang out at the coffee shop with me,” Liana informed the cat. “I know you enjoy spending time here. You’d be bored and lonely if I left you at home all day. But I need you to behave yourself when you’re here, okay? Mascots can’t attack customers.”

  “Meow,” Fluffy protested.

  “And if you are going to attack someone, please don’t go after Morris. That poor man has already had to endure enough, what with being married to Barbara and all,” she joked. “Cut him some slack, okay?”

  Fluffy began to squirm in Liana’s arms, signalling that he wanted to be put down.

  Liana gently set the unpredictable fluffball down. Then she straightened the frilly white lace curtains on her front window. It took her a moment to notice what was happening outside, but when she saw it, her eyes widened.

  “It’s snowing!” Liana exclaimed. “Look at how much has come down! It’s like a blizzard!”

  Fluffy yawned in response.

  Suddenly Liana remembered she had left her car parked in front of the police station. It wasn’t a particularly far walk, but it would be a pain to have to trudge through mountains of snow. She decided to go get it right away, before any more snow had a chance to fall.

  “Wait here,” Liana instructed Fluffy. “I’ll come pick you up in a few minutes.”

  With that, she bundled up, shut off the lights and locked the door. Then she began to walk.

  It was a miserable night. The wind was howling and swirling snow everywhere, making it hard to see. Large white drifts were piled up all over the streets. Clearly the town’s sole snow plow hadn’t been out yet.

  Liana shivered and pulled the hood of her parka tighter around her face.

  Sugarcomb Lake was always quiet at night. Sometimes it could even be downright eerie. It was especially quiet when bad weather set in. Only those who had to leave their homes ventured out in a blizzard.

  As Liana fought her way through the wind and snow, she wished she was hibernating at home.

  Sometimes the whole Adulting thing sucked.

  “Almost there,” Liana whispered to herself.

  She wasn’t used to forcing her way through snow drifts. Her legs were starting to burn from the effort and she was beginning to huff and puff. She paused to catch her breath. She wished Sugarcomb Lake had a taxi service. Of course, it wouldn’t make sense for a cab company to operate in such a small place...but it would sure be nice.

  As Liana stood there breathing heavily, she couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Main Street looked. The streetlights glowed brightly as snowflakes danced in front of them. The sky was a brilliant, unusual shade of dark blue. The fallen snow on the street seemed to sparkle as it made everything look fresh and clean.

  As much as Lia
na hated the cold, there was something undeniably magical about wintertime.

  She smiled to herself, her discomfort forgotten.

  Sugarcomb Lake truly was a beautiful place. She was happy to call it home.

  “Mmm, home,” Liana murmured under her breath. “I can’t wait to get home!”

  She could already picture it. She’d put on her flannel pajamas and make a nice, hot cup of coffee. Then she and Fluffy would curl up on the couch where they would bond over awful reality TV. It would be a wonderful evening.

  But first Liana had to face the unpleasant task of digging out her car.

  “Maybe it won’t be so bad,” she reasoned as she approached the police station. “Maybe my car won’t be snowed in. Maybe I’ll be able to just hop in and drive off without any problem.”

  Then she caught a glimpse of the only vehicle in sight: hers.

  “Crap!” she exclaimed in dismay.

  A massive snow drift had formed around her car. It would take ages for her to dig the compact vehicle out. Come to think of it, she didn’t even have a shovel. Why had Mother Nature dumped a bunch of snow down on the town tonight, of all nights? It was so frustrating.

  Grumbling under her breath, Liana walked up the front steps of the police station and opened the door. A blast of warm air hit her, making her realize just how cold she actually was. At the same time, an alarm went off to notify the police that someone had entered the building.

  A balding, middle aged cop Liana recognized came waddling out from the back room.

  He was a surly, unapproachable man with heavy eyebrows and a giant handlebar mustache. The facial hair was very unbecoming. Liana wondered if he had grown his mustache so big in an attempt to compensate for his receding hairline.

  “Hi,” Liana greeted him, taking a step closer.

  His eyes narrowed. “You’re tracking snow everywhere!” he barked.

  “Oh! Sorry!” Liana hastily retreated back to the doorway. There, she made sure to stand on the large, ugly grey mat. Feeling flustered, she said, “I parked my car on the street outside earlier today and, well...it’s snowed in pretty good. I was wondering if you had a shovel I could borrow?”