Drop Dead Chocolate: A Donut Shop Mystery

by Jessica Beck

  I said, “We really do hate what happened to him. That’s why we’re digging into his murder. Is there any way you could help us? It could mean the difference between success and utter failure.” Even as I said it, I hoped that I hadn’t spread it on too thick.

  Kelly studied me for a moment as I did my best to mimic Grace’s appearance of sincerity. A friend of mine had once told me that once she’d learned how to fake being sincere, the rest was easy. She’d been joking, at least I hoped she had, but it was important to get Kelly’s trust if we were going to get anything out of her.

  Kelly frowned at the tablecloth and said, “You’re just trying to save your mother.”

  “I’m not denying that,” I replied, “but in a way, that sort of puts us on the same side. We both want Cam’s real killer brought to justice.”

  Kelly looked up from the tablecloth and stared straight into my eyes. “Unless your mom is the one who killed him.”

  This was going downhill fast. Maybe I should have let Grace handle the interview after all. Everything I said seemed to be skewed in a way that made Kelly angry.

  I looked at Grace, and she knew without a word what to do next.

  “How about me, then? I’m not biased,” she said. “I honestly just want to find out who killed Cam.”

  “No matter who did it?” Kelly asked, not taking her eyes off of me for a second.

  “No matter who,” Grace said, and I trusted that she was telling the truth, so there was no reason that Kelly shouldn’t. I had to believe that Grace didn’t suspect my mother, but there were no outward signs that was true, and if she had killed the mayor, Grace wouldn’t flinch in trying her best to bring her to justice. I honestly couldn’t say if I felt the same way. After all, she was my mother.

  “Okay, how can I help?” Kelly asked as Lulu came back to our table. As our waitress passed out the food, she said, “You get a better deal if we do this family style, so I took the liberty to save you a few bucks. There should be plenty enough for everybody.” Lulu passed out three empty plates and then gave us stocked platters overflowing with sweet potatoes, sautéed broccoli and zucchini, cooked carrots, and corn. The only fried thing we got was okra, something I really loved.

  Lulu left the table for a second, came back long enough to top off our drinks, and then gave us some space. She was getting a generous tip, no doubt about it, no matter what the quality of the food. I would take a pleasant server and average food over excellent cuisine and a rude waiter any day.

  We dished food onto our plates, and I noticed that Kelly took some fried okra, too. I kept the observation to myself, though. It was time for me to fade back and let Grace take the lead in the questioning.

  I was beginning to wonder if she was going to say anything, but after ten minutes Grace finally asked, “Since you knew Cam better than anyone else, can you think of anyone who might have wanted to kill him?”

  I was having second thoughts about bracing her so quickly, though. It was risky asking her in the middle of our meal, but I realized that Grace was right. If we waited until we were finished, we might never get the chance.

  Kelly speared a piece of okra, ate it, and then said, “It’s a lot tougher being mayor than most folks realize. There were a handful of folks who resented the way Cam did his job, and he’s been threatened more than once over things he’s done for the good of the town.”

  “Do you have anyone in particular in mind?” I asked. I knew that I’d promised to keep my mouth shut, but I’d failed epically.

  “Do you mean besides your mother?” Kelly asked.

  Grace shot me a warning glance, but I didn’t need it. Any more questions were going to have to come from her, and as tough as it was, I was going to do my best to keep my mouth shut from here on out.

  “Of course she does.” Grace took a sip of tea, and then said, “We heard that Uncle William was unhappy with him.”

  Kelly nodded vigorously. “He wanted to triple the size of his arcade. Can you imagine what an eyesore that would have been? Cam had to look out for the good of April Springs, and when he said no, William flipped out. I heard him threaten Cam myself.”

  “You were actually there when it happened?” Grace asked.

  Kelly looked uncomfortable with the question, and finally admitted, “Not face-to-face, but I was in the other room.”

  “We need more than that,” Grace said, the sympathy clear in her voice. “If we confront William, we need details that will show him that we’re telling the truth.”

  Kelly scowled and said, “I’d been visiting Cam in his office, and I was in his private restroom, when William came storming in. I’m guessing that he didn’t even know that I was there.”

  “Then how can you be certain that you heard it right?” Grace asked.

  “The door was ajar, and besides, William was pretty intent on threatening Cam with physical violence. He was yelling loud enough so that I would have been able to hear him even if the door had been shut.”

  I’d known William a long time, and I couldn’t imagine the circumstances where he’d threaten anyone, especially by yelling. Now was not the time to share that opinion, though, and I knew it.

  “Is there anyone else that comes to mind?” Grace asked. “It’s important.”

  After a few moments to think, Kelly said, “You should try Hannah James.”

  “Is that about the land Cam bought beside her?” I asked. I knew I should have been quiet, but I couldn’t resist butting in after all. I was going to have to learn some serious self-restraint. I just wasn’t sure how.

  “How did you know about that?” she asked me, her food on her plate now forgotten.

  “Hannah told us herself,” I said.

  Kelly looked smug as she asked, “Did she happen to mention she said she’d shoot Cam before she’d let him spoil that land?”

  “You heard that, too?” Grace asked. I had to wonder how many of the mayor’s conversations Kelly had been privy to. Had anyone been aware of her presence in his office besides the two of them?

  “No,” she conceded reluctantly. “Cam told me later, but I know that it was true. He bought that land to build a house for us to share together after we got married.” Kelly started crying then, a soft sob that seemed to fill the air around us. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t talk about this.”

  With that, she got up and rushed out the door.

  I started to stand, but Grace said, “Leave her alone, Suzanne. She’s done talking to us.”

  “We’re just giving up?” I couldn’t believe Grace didn’t want to go after her, too. “What about the condos Hannah told us about? Kelly was lying.”

  “Please, those were crocodile tears,” Grace said as she waved a hand in the air. “She was looking for a way to get away from us, and the second she found one, she bolted. Kelly wasn’t about to say another word to us.”

  I settled back down into my seat as Lulu approached our table and asked, “Is there anything wrong?”

  I smiled at her. “No, everything is fine. Our friend is just a little emotional lately.”

  Lulu nodded. “I’ve got a friend just like that. She treats a greeting card commercial on television like it’s some kind of Greek tragedy.” She looked at our plates and then asked, “Can I bring you some dessert?”

  “No, we’re good. Just the check, please,” I said.

  “How was it all?” she asked.

  “Excellent. You were right to recommend it.”

  She looked pleased by my acknowledgment. “I’m glad you liked it.”

  As she slid the check across the table to me, she added, “Come back anytime.”

  “The next time we’re in town, we will,” I said. “Thanks for making us feel so welcome here today.”

  I studied the check, figured out a nice tip, took the cash out of my wallet, and headed to the register. Lulu was there waiting on us.

  “I thought we already said our good-byes,” I said with a smile.

  “Otis is in the bac
k, so you get me again at the cash register.”

  I handed her the money and the check, and she started to give me the change, when I said, “Keep it. The rest of it is for you.”

  “Thanks so much,” she said as she slid the tip into her apron pocket. “I hope you have a nice afternoon, and that your friend feels better soon.”

  “We do, too,” I said.

  Once we were outside, I looked in my wallet and counted my money. After a second, I turned and asked Grace, “Did I just give her a twenty or a fifty?”

  “I didn’t see,” Grace asked.

  I checked my wallet again, and sure enough, I saw that I’d grabbed the wrong bill. Lulu’s tip was quite a bit more substantial than I’d planned, but I couldn’t exactly go back in and tell her I’d made a mistake.

  I didn’t have to. Grace and I were still standing there when Lulu rushed out. “That tip was too generous,” she said as she offered me a twenty back. “Don’t think I didn’t appreciate it, though. It was nice to meet you. You managed to brighten up a pretty dreary day.”

  I felt like a heel taking it, and in the end I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. “No, that’s not fair. It’s for you,” I decided rashly. After all, the mistake had been mine, not hers.

  “Sorry, but I can’t do it,” she said, smiling, still holding the twenty out to me.

  I finally took the bill back and said, “Thanks, I appreciate your honesty. Lulu, if you’re ever in April Springs by eleven in the morning, come by my donut shop and I’ll fix you up with whatever you want, on the house.”

  “You own Donut Hearts?” she asked.

  “I do. Have you ever been there? I’m sorry if I don’t remember you, but we get a lot of customers there.”

  Lulu grinned. “I came once on my day off, but I don’t blame you for forgetting me. The place was jammed with customers, and I saw a sign about a dollar deal you were having. Do you do that often?”

  I remembered Emma’s mistake placing an ad once, and the crowd that had descended on my shop like a plague of locusts. “Just the one time,” I said. “It just about killed us, but we managed to live through it.”

  “I can’t imagine doing it even once,” she said. “Well, I’d better get back in there. Otis will dock my pay if I’m out here too long.”

  “Thanks again,” I said, waving the bill in the air.

  “Hey, we working gals have to stick together.”

  “That was nice,” Grace said after Lulu was gone.

  “It was more than that. I know how hard it must have been for her to do that.”

  “She’s our kind of people,” Grace said. “So, what’s next for us?”

  I looked at my watch and realized that by the time we got back to April Springs, it would be time to eat dinner. “Momma and I are having leftovers tonight, but you’re welcome to join us.”

  “Thanks, but Peter’s supposed to call, and I don’t want to miss it,” she said.

  I wasn’t about to argue with that. As we drove back toward April Springs, I said, “Cam surely had more than his share of enemies, didn’t he?”

  “And that’s just the ones we know about so far,” she said.

  “My goodness, do you think we’ll keep finding them?” The thought troubled me, not just because of the mayor, but because of the additional suspects we’d have to eliminate until we found the real killer.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Where’s our list stand at the moment?”

  “Well, besides jilted Kelly,” I said, “There’s rebuffed William from the arcade; poor Harvey, who says he paid Cam off but can’t prove it; next-door neighbor and mortal enemy Hannah; and the chief’s not-so-lovely ex, Evelyn.” I hesitated a moment, then added, “Say what you will, but I refuse to put Momma’s name on the list.”

  “I never would have asked you to,” Grace said. “You know I didn’t mean what I said to Kelly, right? There’s no circumstance imaginable that I can see your mother killing Cam Hamilton.”

  I shook my head. “I know she didn’t do it myself, but that might not be how it seems to the police. Jake firmly believes that anyone, and he means anyone, can be backed into a corner where committing murder looks like the only option you have.”

  Grace shivered a little as I said it. “I hate to think that’s true. What a way to live your life.”

  “It doesn’t exactly make human nature look good, does it?”

  “Regardless,” Grace said, “your mother stays off the list until we have a photograph of her standing over the body with the murder weapon in her hands.”

  “Thanks for that,” I said. “There’s no worries, though. We still have enough suspects to keep us busy.”

  As Grace drove on, I said a little later, “I wonder if there’s someone we’re still missing.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked me.

  “Well, Kelly said it herself, and you backed it up. There were a great many folks who weren’t pleased with Cam, and from the sound of it, they all had their reasons. Could we be harassing these poor people and not even have the real killer on our suspect list?”

  “We can’t focus on that, Suzanne,” Grace said. “We have enough to do with the suspects we’ve been able to uncover so far. It doesn’t do us any good thinking that none of them are guilty. If we clear these, then we can start poking under more rocks.”

  “I’m just saying, we need to keep in mind that there may be more out there lurking in the shadows.”

  It was a somber thought, and by the time we got back to my Jeep, I was still having trouble coming to grips with the ramifications of this case. Grace had sped all the way home, and I had to wonder if that call was coming sooner than I’d realized. I barely had time to get out of her car before she raced off toward home.

  UPSIDE-DOWN DONUTS

  It’s been so long since I first created this recipe, I honestly don’t remember why I called them upside-down. I imagine in years to come when my family makes them after I’m gone, they’ll wonder about it, but there aren’t any answers, and I smile a little when I think about the puzzled looks I might be creating someday with one of my recipes. It’s a good, solid mix, though, and the orange extract gives it a particular kick.

  INGREDIENTS

  Wet

  • 1 egg, beaten slightly

  • ¾ cup granulated white sugar

  • ¼ cup whole milk (2% can be substituted.)

  • ¼ cup buttermilk

  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted (I use unsalted; salted can be used, but cut the added salt by half.)

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 4 drops orange extract

  Dry

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (I prefer unbleached, but bleached is fine, and so is bread flour.)

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  DIRECTIONS

  Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) in a bowl and sift together. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients (beaten egg, milk, buttermilk, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and orange extract). Slowly add the wet mix to the dry mix, stirring until it’s incorporated. Don’t overmix.

  The donuts can be baked in the oven at 350 degrees for 10–15 minutes in cupcake trays or small donut molds, or in a donut baker for 6–7 minutes.

  Once the donuts are finished, remove them to a cooling rack and top as desired.

  Makes 5–9 donuts, depending on baking method

  CHAPTER 12

  “Suzanne, what’s wrong?” Momma asked as I walked in the front door of the cottage we shared together.

  I must have been brooding about Peter without realizing that it showed on my face. “What? Nothing at all. Why do you ask?”

  “You just came in with a scowl on your face that was troubling. Did you have a bad day working on your own?”

  “No,” I said, trying my best to lighten up. “Not really. There were a few frustrations, but that’s to b
e expected, isn’t it? We’re making some progress on the case, but I can’t talk about it.” I wasn’t sure that was exactly the truth, but hopefully it would get her to drop the subject.

  She wouldn’t, though, and Momma took my hands in hers and looked deep into my eyes. “There’s something more to it than the case, so don’t bother trying to hide it from me. Talk to me.”

  I realized that even with my Momma’s problems, she was always there for me, and there was no one else I could vent to about what was on my mind, not even Jake. Especially not Jake. Our conversations these days were too rare to muddy with my problems with Grace’s boyfriend.

  “I suppose what it all boils down to is that I’m not a big fan of Grace’s boyfriend, Peter,” I said.

  Momma frowned a little. “To be honest with you, I’ve never liked him myself, but I believe we are in the minority around town. He can be very charming, when he wants to be.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “A little too charming, if you ask me.”

  “Could it be possible that he reminds us both too much of Max?” Momma asked.

  “It would explain a lot about the way I feel about the guy, wouldn’t it? Wow, I want to tell Grace to dump him as fast as she can and run the other way, but I know it’s not my place to say a word to her about it.”

  “Did something in particular happen today to make you feel that way?”

  I considered it, and then realized that saying anything aloud would just sound petty, but she’d asked, and I felt I owed Momma an answer. “No. It’s just that Grace rushed home to take his phone call and dumped me out of her car so fast, I nearly fell on the pavement. I kind of wonder why she wouldn’t just talk to him in front of me. I’m not going to embarrass her.”

  Momma shook her head. “Suzanne, that’s not it at all. You know how you like privacy when you speak with Jake.”

  “Am I that bad?” I asked, looking for an honest answer, which I was fairly certain my mother would give me. “To be honest with you, it’s not that attractive when I’m looking at things from the other side. Perspective means a lot, doesn’t it?”