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

by Alaine Allister

  “Are you okay?” he demanded the second he saw her.

  It took Liana a moment to answer.

  Tonight she was definitely seeing her old childhood acquaintance in a new light. Some might say it was because Luke saved her. But Liana didn’t think that was it at all. She suspected she was simply seeing what had been right in front of her all along. She kicked herself for being so blind in the past.

  Luke was looking at her with concern. He seemed even taller than usual and she could have sworn his shoulders were broader than she remembered. It was the strangest thing.

  “Liana?” he prompted when he got no response.

  “Huh?”

  “I asked if you’re okay.”

  “Oh. Yeah,” Liana told him, lightly touching the red marks that had been left on her neck. “I’m okay. But forget about me; what about you? That fight looked brutal. Are you alright?”

  “I’m a little banged up, but it’s nothing that won’t heal. I’ll be fine,” Luke assured her.

  Then, without warning, he reached over and zipped her parka up.

  Liana stared at him in surprise.

  “Sorry,” he apologized. “I just didn’t want you catching a cold out here.”

  “Thanks,” she said, finally remembering that it was freezing outside.

  She shoved her bare hands into her pockets to warm them up.

  Luke stopped and looked. “This is unreal,” he remarked.

  Liana paused too, and took in all the commotion with awe. To say that Main Street was a zoo was an understatement. It was busier than she had ever seen it. It was even busier than the time the local candy shop decided to give away free fudge.

  It seemed like every police officer, EMT and firefighter around had descended on Just Desserts.

  In fact, it looked like half the town was there. Bystanders were flooding out of their vehicles, all braving the cold to find out exactly what was going on. Some had quite obviously thrown winter boots and coats on over their pajamas. One woman even had curlers in her hair.

  Barbara Norman and Patricia Porter seemed especially interested in what had transpired. They almost certainly wanted to be the first in town to be in the know. They were badgering the grumpy police officer Liana had encountered earlier for details.

  Officer Surly didn’t look pleased at all that they were pestering him.

  Liana smiled to herself, thinking he had gotten what he deserved.

  “Where are all these people coming from?” Luke asked as a few more vehicles pulled up.

  “You know how it is,” Liana shrugged. “One person hears sirens and phones a friend...who phones a friend...before you know it, half the town is here. Remember ten or so years ago when that vacant house on Poplar Street burned down? Everyone turned up to see the fire!”

  “That’s true,” Luke agreed. “You’d have thought it was Two Dollar Tuesday at the drive-in, the way people flocked to see the fire. I’m surprised they didn’t show up with popcorn, to tell you the truth.”

  “I’m pretty sure Mrs. Meddler brought marshmallows to roast,” Liana recalled. “Some unlucky firefighter had to physically restrain her because she refused to stay a safe distance away. She chewed him out for interfering with her evening plans.”

  “Heh, why doesn’t that surprise me?” Luke chuckled.

  “I don’t see her here tonight,” Liana observed, scanning the faces in the growing crowd. “I suppose it’s too cold for her. But look at all these people! It’s a good thing the blizzard stopped when it did - and that the snow plow finally came along.”

  Luke nodded. “Otherwise we’d have a whole lot of stuck vehicles to dig out.” He looked at Liana earnestly. “You probably saved my life back there, you know that?”

  “I could say the same thing to you,” she replied.

  “Yes, but if it wasn’t for your quick thinking…” Luke trailed off.

  “Well I had some help,” Liana reminded him, not wanting to hog all the credit for herself. “If Fluffy hadn’t attacked Reese, I wouldn’t have had a chance to grab the frying pan. It was the perfect distraction at just the right time. Sometimes I swear that cat is a genius.”

  “Yeah, except for that whole hat hatred thing,” Luke quipped. “That’s just bizarre.”

  “You know, I was thinking about that. I found Fluffy in the alley near where Colin was killed. What if Fluffy witnessed the murder, and Reese just so happened to be wearing a knit hat at the time? It would explain a lot, wouldn’t it?”

  “I guess,” Luke said doubtfully. “But why would Fluffy focus on the hat rather than the person? Does he think the hat killed Colin?”

  Liana cracked a smile at that. “He thinks his reflection is another cat. And don’t even get me started on how he acts when he sees a laser pointer. He’s scared of his own shadow sometimes, too.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Not at all. Yesterday Fluffy spent half an hour trying to catch a sunbeam. And I’ve seen him bite his own tail a few times now. He seems to forget it’s attached to him. So to answer your question, it’s definitely possible that Fluffy thinks knit hats are murderers.”

  Luke grinned. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. No more hats for me when I come by for my coffee. I don’t want to get on Fluffy’s bad side again! How is he doing after so much excitement, anyway?”

  “He curled up on my lap and purred up a storm while I was giving Sam my statement,” Liana replied. “Then he ate his own bodyweight in canned tuna. He didn’t seem too bothered by all the commotion. He’s fast asleep in the kitchen now, right on top of my apron. He’s snoring louder than I’ve ever heard him snore before.”

  “Poor little guy. Saving the day is exhausting work,” Luke quipped.

  “Right? I think I’m going to cook him a steak tomorrow. He deserves it.” Liana shivered and pulled her hood up. “It’s cold out here. We should go inside,” she suggested.

  Luke shook his head, then grimaced and rubbed his neck. “Sam already took my statement. He said I can head home for the night. And right now a long, steaming hot shower sounds excellent to me. Do you still want a ride to your place?”

  “I think I’ll stick around for a while,” Liana said, even though she wanted to say yes. “Fluffy is fast asleep and I don’t want to wake him. He totally earned his nap. Besides, my diner is crawling with cops. I should probably put on a pot of coffee for them.”

  “Are you alright getting home?” Luke asked.

  “I’m sure I can sweet talk someone into giving me a lift,” Liana assured him.

  “I have no doubt about that,” he replied. “Goodnight, Liana.”

  A little chill of excitement ran up Liana’s spine at the sound of Luke saying her name.

  Chapter 20

  “I can’t believe I missed all the excitement by one stinking day! It’s just my luck!”

  Liana and Clarissa were curled up in Clarissa’s living room. Clarissa’s suitcase still sat in the entryway, half-unpacked. Clothes and toiletries were strewn everywhere, making the living room look like quite the disaster zone.

  After the previous night’s excitement, Liana had decided to take a well-deserved day off. She had closed the diner, gone to the grocery store and bought two big, juicy steaks. After dining with Fluffy, she had left the delighted cat to snooze.

  Clarissa had just gotten home from her conference. Liana had called her up and requested a girls’ night. It was a longstanding tradition that dated back to their elementary school days.

  Liana picked a piece of lint off one of her fuzzy pink slippers. “I wish you had been here,” she said. “You’re a journalist! You investigate stuff for a living! Had you been around, I bet you would have figured out who Colin’s killer was right away.”

  “It sounds like you didn’t do so bad yourself,” Clarissa replied, popping a potato chip in her mouth and crunching on it loudly. “You caught a murderer and saved the day. What more do you want?”

  “I was so dumb though,” Liana sig
hed. “I trusted Reese! I even tried to ask him out on a date. It turns out he had just gotten out of jail for robbery and assault! I never suspected a thing. I am way too naive.”

  “How would you have known about his criminal charges, though?” Clarissa reasoned. “It’s not something you would expect or even think to ask about. Anyone could have made the same mistake you did.”

  “I should have checked out Reese’s background more before I hired him. I should have asked for references,” Liana said, angry with herself for failing to do so. “Instead I happily handed the keys to my coffee shop over to a convicted criminal!”

  “Liana.” Clarissa propped herself up on her elbow. “Do you know any small business owner in Sugarcomb Lake who checks references? Or even asks for references? It’s almost unheard of around here. Don’t beat yourself up, okay?”

  “I guess I was just desperate to find a good employee,” Liana admitted. “Hiring Joel sure didn’t pan out, and even my own parents vouched for him! Hiring someone I knew was a mistake, so I figured I would take my chances on a stranger.”

  “I suppose it didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes,” Clarissa remarked. “I’m writing a story about him for the front page of the newspaper. And I’m just saying…violent criminal history aside, he’s a good looking guy.”

  Liana rolled her eyes. “I thought the same thing, until I found out what he’s truly like.”

  “It’s a shame he chose a life of crime. Wouldn’t it have been easier to become a model?”

  “Or just do honest work for a living. I don’t understand why Reese went back to his life of crime after he got out of jail. He’s an idiot. And he’s an ugly person on the inside. Somehow, that makes him ugly on the outside.”

  “I completely agree,” Clarissa nodded. Then she made a face. “I can’t believe Joel vandalized the front entrance of Just Desserts. And all because his fragile little ego was hurt when you called him out for being incompetent? What a buttface!”

  “He’s already been ordered to do community service,” Liana replied. “Sam told me when I ran into him at the grocery store this morning. Joel has to clear all the sidewalks in town all winter long. It sucks for him, but it will be nice for me! I hate shoveling snow!”

  Suddenly Clarissa’s cat came charging into the room, startling both women.

  The feisty black critter dove face-first into the bowl of potato chips.

  “Cat!” Clarissa scolded her appropriately-named feline. “Stop!”

  The cat growled in response and then continued feasting.

  “Ugh, what a brat,” Clarissa complained.

  “Your cat’s personality is so different than Fluffy’s!” Liana marvelled in wonderment. “Fluffy is such an affectionate little cuddler. All he wants to do is eat and be pet. And he’s afraid of his own shadow.”

  “My cat is an evil supervillain,” Clarissa quipped with a toss of her long, dark hair.

  “We should set up a cat playdate,” Liana suggested.

  “It will either be the best thing ever or a total disaster.” Clarissa took the bowl of potato chips away from her cat, who gave her The Glare of Death before hissing and disappearing into the kitchen. “My money’s on total disaster.”

  “I used to think you were exaggerating when you complained about how feisty your cat is,” Liana laughed. “But now that I’ve seen for myself, I don’t think you were exaggerating at all!”

  “You have no idea,” Clarissa sighed with a weary shake of her head. Then she brightened. “So you said Luke saved you from Reese? That’s pretty awesome. Who would have thought the quietest, nerdiest guy in school would wind up being a hero, huh?”

  “I honestly don’t think I’d be here if it wasn’t for him,” Liana said earnestly.

  “Well thank goodness for Luke, then! He’s pretty amazing, isn’t he? Have you heard about the work he’s doing?” Clarissa demanded, clearly eager to gossip. “It’s incredible!”

  “I thought he was unemployed?”

  “No, far from it. He works remotely for a tech firm out of Seattle,” Clarissa explained. “I’d love to do a profile on him for the newspaper because frankly, his work sounds fascinating. From what I understand, some of his projects are confidential...but he does big, important security stuff. He’s apparently a leader in his field.”

  “That’s pretty cool,” Liana said, impressed. “Why didn’t I know that?”

  Clarissa shrugged. “I didn’t know either, until today. I called him up this afternoon before you came over. I asked him for an interview. You know, about what happened with Reese. He must have asked me about you half a dozen times. He was really concerned that you may have gotten hurt last night.”

  “Really?” Liana was secretly pleased to hear that. “How is he?” she asked eagerly.

  Clarissa threw back her head and laughed in amusement. “I swear, you two are like a couple of shy middle schoolers. You’re both grown adults, so start acting like it! Stop putting me in the middle and just talk to each other!”

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

  “Oh come on. Yes you do,” Clarissa winked.

  “So what’s the scoop on Reese?” Liana asked, trying to change the subject. “I imagine you’ve been making calls all day long, huh?”

  “I have,” Clarissa confirmed. “The second my plane landed, I was all over the story. Reese is a career criminal. His crimes were petty at first, and then they started escalating. He’s had a few stints behind bars over the years.”

  “What brought him to Sugarcomb Lake?” Liana asked curiously. “I mean, we’re a small town in the middle of nowhere. Was he really passing through on his way to Green City like he said?”

  “No. He’s been targetings small towns the past five or six years,” Clarissa explained. “He takes advantage of the fact that very few people lock their doors. He goes in, ransacks houses and businesses, and then moves on to the next community.”

  “Why did he accept a job with me if he was planning to skip town?” Liana wondered.

  “I think I know why. Reese’s past was starting to catch up with him. He hadn’t counted on a convenience store he robbed last month having a security camera. I guess he assumed small towns weren’t sophisticated enough for that sort of technology,” Clarissa shrugged.

  “So the police were on the hunt for him?” Liana guessed.

  “Yup. Police across several counties had his photo and were actively searching for him. So he dyed his hair, shaved his beard and decided to lay low in Sugarcomb Lake for a while. But all those crimes finally caught up with him. Reese is going away for a long, long time.”

  “H - had he killed before Colin?” Liana asked, dreading the answer.

  “According to him, no. He told the police he didn’t intend to kill Colin. He was trying to break into the building next to yours when he was caught red-handed. He was prying the window open with a crowbar when Colin came along.”

  “He was trying to break into the building in broad daylight?” Liana asked incredulously.

  “Maybe he became a little too brazen after getting away with so many small town burglaries.”

  “So Colin…?”

  “Colin was on his way to make a delivery. He saw everything. He confronted Reese,” Clarissa explained. “Reese panicked, thinking he would be caught and locked up again. He decided he needed to get rid of the witness. Colin was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Suddenly there was a crash in the other room.

  Liana jumped. “What was that?” she gasped.

  “Cat’s just being Cat,” Clarissa groaned, unfazed. “Apparently my sole purpose in life is to wait on the little beast hand and foot. When I’m not paying sufficient attention to my whiskered overlord, things get broken.”

  “You mean…?”

  Clarissa nodded. “I’ve replaced four flowerpots this month alone. I swear, that little brat loves knocking them off the windowsill and tracking soil all through th
e house just to spite me. Consider yourself lucky that your cat isn’t possessed!” she added with a dramatic sigh.

  Liana smiled. “I do.”

  Chapter 21

  Two weeks later, life was more or less back to normal in Sugarcomb Lake.

  It was almost as if the Reese debacle hadn’t even happened. Sure, Liana still heard snippets of gossip as she refilled customers’ coffee cups...but the crime that had rocked the small town was no longer dominating every conversation.

  Business was as steady as ever. Liana was grateful for that.

  But there was one customer she had been missing...and it certainly wasn’t Mrs. Meddler.

  Luke no longer came in for his daily coffee. In fact, he hadn’t been in at all. Liana hadn’t seen him around town, either. She wanted to ask around and find out where he was, but she didn’t want to look desperate. So instead, she waited, wondered and worried.

  “Yoohoo!” Patricia Porter called from a table over by the window. She held up her coffee cup and waved it around. “We need some more coffee over here, please!”

  “Be right there,” Liana called back. She finished plating the batch of strawberry tarts she had made. Then she grabbed the coffee pot and made her way across the room.

  Four middle aged women sat at the table, all dressed to the nines.

  Most folks came into the coffee shop in casual attire - shirts and jeans, mostly. But not these women. They always got all gussied up. They looked as though they were going to the symphony or ballet...not that Sugarcomb Lake had either of those things.

  Patricia Porter and Barbara Norman were always the worst offenders. They put on their good jewelry, fussed with their hair and got all dolled up before visiting the coffee shop. It made them look out of place, not to mention out of touch.

  Sometimes the two women even wore elaborate, silly looking hats. In Liana’s opinion, fascinators looked great on British royalty...but neither Patricia nor Barbara was the Queen of England. Of course, she didn’t dare tell them that.

  “You must be so relieved to have your necklace back!” Patricia gushed to Barbara.