by Amber Crewes
“Please,” Meghan begged. “Please, don’t do this.”
Celia shook her head, her nails digging into Meghan’s skin. “You’re done,” she repeated. “Poor Jack. A widower with a broken heart… whatever will he do?”
Meghan tried to fight Celia, but her head was spinning. “I can’t breathe,” she choked.
“That’s the point,” Celia sighed. “Say goodbye, Meghan. Your days of being the cutesy little town detective’s wife and bakery owner are over.”
Meghan’s head felt like it was about to burst, and as Celia’s nails dug deeper into her skin, the room went black, and she fell into oblivion.
25
Orange wasn’t a good color on Meghan; darker shades washed her out, while lighter shades made her skin look dull. As she sat in the dark room, she fidgeted uncomfortably in the orange jumpsuit she had not chosen for herself, wishing she could’ve at least worn something a little more comfortable after the terrifying encounter with Celia.
“You look gorgeous,” Jack whispered to Meghan, reaching over and taking her hand in the darkened theater. “I wasn’t sure you’d like that outfit when I packed it for you, but I really think orange is your color.”
She gave him a look. They were seated together in the main theater, waiting for Laia to take the stage.
She was still upset from nearly being killed by Celia; the security officers had burst in just as Meghan had lost consciousness, but while Meghan was the victim of Celia’s plot, they were both arrested. After spending several hours in the security office, Meghan had revealed everything she knew to the officials, and after being examined by the ship’s doctor, she was released in Jack’s care.
Celia was being held for further investigation, though it was abundantly clear by her responses that she was solely responsible for Oliver’s murder. Meghan had been returned to her suite, and now, she and Jack were enjoying their date night.
“I don’t know if jumpsuits are the right fit for me,” she said, picking at the fabric of the fashionable jumpsuit. “I think I have too many curves to fit into a piece like this.”
Jack reached over and tweaked the gold belt that sat beneath her bosom. “I think it’s perfect,” he whispered. “I still can’t believe Celia was the killer; why didn’t they arrest her earlier? You never told me that part.”
“I don’t know,” Meghan told her husband. “But at the station, they played back a bunch of CCTV footage of Celia plotting the murder. They also showed the tapes of her threatening me and telling me about her plans. That really did her in.”
Jack shook his head. “She really fooled us,” he sighed. “I had no idea she was behind any of it. I really thought Reuben did it.”
“Me too,” Meghan agreed. “And Bev. Though they haven’t officially cleared Bev, Reuben, or Beth yet. It sounded like Chef had nothing to do with it, but Beverly didn’t have a solid alibi, and with Reuben and Beth being Celia’s parents…”
Jack bent down to kiss Meghan on top of the head. “I’m so sorry I brought you here,” he apologized as the lights came up and the audience began to clap. “This has been a nightmare of a honeymoon. Baby, I promise that I’ll take you on a bigger, better trip soon. We’ll forget all about this, and that trip will be our real honeymoon.”
Meghan leaned against Jack as Laia took the stage. “It’s okay, babe,” she told him. “I don’t want to forget any of this. This may have been a weird situation, but it was ours.”
Laia reached for the microphone that was set up in the center of the stage. “Hola, Guapos,” she greeted the small group. “How are we doing tonight?”
Everyone cheered, and Meghan smiled excitedly.
“I want to dedicate this first song to a couple I’ve recently met,” Laia announced as a guitarist began playing in the background. “This song is called, Ets la llum de la meva ànima, which means, you are the light of my soul.”
“That’s such a romantic title,” Meghan squealed as she stroked Jack’s hand. “Laia has such a way with words.”
Laia batted her long eyelashes at the audience. “This song goes out to Jack and Meghan Irvin,” she declared. “Two newlyweds who are celebrating their honeymoon aboard the ship. Their love inspires me, and I hope that this song inspires all of you to go out into the world to love and be loved.”
Meghan’s mouth fell open. “Laia is dedicating this song to us,” she murmured in disbelief. “Could this voyage get any crazier?!”
Laia closed her eyes and opened her mouth, singing dreamily in Catalan as the audience swayed along with her. “It’s so romantic,” Meghan whispered to her husband as Laia sashayed around the stage. “Can you believe it’s for us?”
He looked at her, his blue eyes full of love and hope. “I can believe it,” he told her, lifting her left hand to his mouth and planting a kiss on her wedding ring. “Honey, you are the light of my universe. Everything I’m and everything I do is for us now. I’m so sorry for how this trip has turned out, but I hope this show gives you some hope. It was a weird week, but even amidst weird times are beautiful, bright moments like this.”
Her heart pounded and she blushed; Meghan was deeply in love with her husband, and as the international pop sensation crooned, Meghan could not be any happier to be exactly where she was in that moment.
26
One week later, with a deep tan and fresh manicure, Meghan arrived back at the bakery for her first day of work. She grinned as she walked through the front door and heard the familiar chime of the little silver bells attached; it had been so long since she had felt a sense of normalcy and routine, and she was more than ready to be back in action!
“Meghan!”
Pamela ran up to her and threw her arms around Meghan’s shoulders. “You’re back. You are so tanned. I love the color of your nails… that neon pink really sets off the color of your skin.”
Meghan smiled. “Thank you so much. How are you, dear?”
“We missed you,” Pamela told her. “I’m so glad you’re back. Trudy! Meghan is back.”
Trudy emerged from the back. “You’re here. Meghan, you look so good. That tan. Your nails. Did you lose weight on your honeymoon, child? I expected you to come back a few weeks along with your firstborn, to be honest!”
Meghan beamed, proudly placing a hand on her waist. “I think I did lose some weight,” she told her employees. “I started working out while on the cruise, and I really liked the way it made me feel. I want to keep it up now that I’m home.”
Pamela took her by the hand and pulled her over to one of the little iron tables in the dining room. “Tell us everything,” she begged as Meghan sat down. “I was dying to text you, but Trudy told me to leave you alone.”
Trudy shot her a look. “No woman wants to be disturbed on her honeymoon, Pamela. You’ll learn that when you’re older.”
Pamela ignored Trudy’s comment. “Was it romantic? Did you do excursions? My family took a cruise to Barbados once, and I was seasick the whole time. Did you feel weird when you got back on land? My legs were sooo wobbly.”
“Pamela,” Trudy interrupted. “Let the woman talk.”
Meghan started with their arrival on the ship. She told the women about her first encounter with Celia, how rude Oliver had been, and how much they liked visiting Alaska. She told them about the murder, and how Jack had been questioned. Finally, she revealed the real murderer, Celia, and the women gasped.
“That’s not who I expected you to say,” Pamela shrieked. “I thought it was Mrs. Sheridan.”
“Mrs. Sheridan?” Meghan laughed. “I know she’s a different kind of woman, but she isn't’ a killer.”
Trudy narrowed her eyes. “Let me see if I’m following,” she stopped Meghan. “Beth and Reuben are Celia’s real parents. Reuben was Oliver’s assistant, and Oliver was always a jerk to Reuben?”
“Yep, exactly.” Meghan agreed.
“So, were Beth and Reuben charged? Did they help their daughter kill Oliver?”
Meghan sho
ok her head. “This came out right as our voyage was ending,” she explained. “Beth and Reuben had no idea that their daughter was going to kill Oliver, but coincidentally, they had a plot of their own to ruin the celebrity chef.”
“Are you serious?” Trudy gasped. “What kind of plot?”
Meghan sighed. “I knew those two were trouble,” she told them. “As soon as Oliver was killed, they put their heads together and decided to gain access to Oliver’s accounts. Beth and Oliver’s prenuptial agreement prevented her from receiving anything if he died, and she was hungry to change that. In Alaska, they delivered forged documents to the post office and were close to becoming the executors of Oliver’s estate and the beneficiaries of his will.”
“So, they’re a family of crooks,” Pamela rolled her eyes. “And the Chef? He was dating Celia, right? What was his role in all of this?”
Meghan pursed her lips. “Surprisingly, he wasn’t a part of any of it,” she told them. He was found totally innocent. Beverly, his daughter, though, did ruin all the eggs on the ship by accident. She was mad at her father and didn’t show up to switch the old eggs out for the new ones when the ship docked in Alaska, and she accidentally used rotten eggs for all the meals after that. A bunch of people on the ship contracted salmonella food poisoning because of her.”
“Gross,” Pamela cried. “That’s awful. Rotten eggs can be nasty... or worse... deadly. Did she get in trouble for those people dying?”
“She was arrested for manslaughter,” Meghan said quietly. “I’m sure Zackary and his lawyers will get her off with a misdemeanor or something, but she was responsible for over ten people dying. Frank was pretty sick, too. We’re lucky he came back in one piece.”
Trudy laughed. “Forgive me for giggling,” she told Meghan. “But I cannot believe SALLY SHERIDAN was on your honeymoon.”
“Me neither,” Meghan chuckled. “Of all the people in the world, who would’ve thought that the grumpiest old woman in Sandy Bay would be on my honeymoon?”
Pamela twiddled her thumbs. “So... did you have any fun on your trip?”
Meghan grinned. “Of course, I did. Let me show you some photos.”
She pulled out her phone and began scrolling through the images of the vacation. She showed them a photo of herself and Jack smiling at the Totem Heritage Center, both giving a thumbs-up to the camera. “That’s cute,” Pamela complimented. “I can’t wait to see the totem pole you made.”
Next, Meghan showed them a photo from the night of Laia’s concert. She and Jack posed with Laia standing in the middle. “WAIT A SECOND,” Pamela screeched. “Is that…”
“Yep,” Meghan beamed.
“LAIA?!”
“Who?” Trudy asked as she stared at the photo. “Do we know her? Is she from Sandy Bay too?”
Pamela gasped. “Trudy, you don’t know who this is? This is LAIA. She’s an international pop sensation. You’ve never heard of her?”
“Nope.”
Pamela rolled her eyes. “You are hard to impress, Trudy.”
Meghan continued showing them photos. “This is us when we arrived in Hawaii. Doesn’t Jack look cute in his lei? And there we are during our surfing lesson. He was so mad when I could stand up on the surfboard and he couldn’t.”
Pamela pointed at the photo. “Your legs look amazing on that surfboard,” she complimented. “You should take up surfing here. The ocean is just a few minutes away!”
Meghan cringed at the thought of the cold Pacific Ocean water. “I think I’m better on dry land,” she said kindly.
“Here are the last pictures. This is us at the Mayan ruins in Mexico. This photo is from our last night on the ship; they had a big pool party for everyone, and Jack and I won some money at the casino.”
“How much?” Pamela asked.
“That’s so rude,” Trudy chided her. “You don’t ask people questions about money.”
Meghan laughed. “It’s fine,” she insisted. “We won enough to pay for flights for our next cruise!”
Trudy and Pamela stared at her. “After all of that, you’re willingly going to go on another cruise?” Trudy squawked.
“Seriously?” Pamela asked. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not,” Meghan promised. “Don’t you remember from my stories? We were given some credits for helping out in the kitchen, so Jack and I booked another cruise for our one-year anniversary. We got a major discount since we booked a trip on the same ship.”
Trudy shook her head. “That’s crazy,” she decided. “Why would you do that?”
Meghan smiled. “I loved being on the sea,” she explained. “And even though we had some mishaps, the trip was great, and I loved my time with Jack. Besides, the next cruise will take us to new places; even though it’s the same boat, there is a new route each year.”
“Well, where will you go next time?”
Meghan grinned. “It’s an international voyage,” she told them excitedly. “We’ll leave from San Diego, travel all the way down to Costa Rica, and come back up with a short stop in Honduras.”
“That sounds incredible,” Pamela chimed in. “Hopefully you’ll have a quieter time on your next trip with Jack.”
“Maybe,” Meghan said. “But quiet or not, trouble or not, if I have my husband with me, I know whatever adventure comes next will be truly sweet.”
The End
Watch out for the next book in the series, which is COMING SOON.
A Free Gift for You
I hope you enjoyed this story in the Sandy Bay Cozy Murder Mystery series. I’d like to send you the prequel story to the series right now. Simply click the link below to get your free book and join my mailing list.
Click Here to Receive the Prequel Story
About Jingle Bells and Deadly Smells
Released: November, 2019
Series: Book 10 – Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery Series
Standalone: Yes
Cliff-hanger: No
Christmas is that season…that season of pleasant surprises…delicious smells…and family and friends to share the holidays with.
This Christmas, Sandy Bay’s lovable bakery owner, Meghan Truman, gets a whole lot more than she bargained for…plus a dead body at the door of her favorite restaurant. Some people would rather sweep this murder under the carpet but something smells awfully fishy about the events surrounding it.
Will Meghan join Detective Irvin to find the murderer or will this event serve to etch unpleasant memories of this most wonderful time of the year?
JINGLE BELLS AND DEADLY SMELLS CHAPTER 1 SNEAK PEEK
I t was going to be a white Christmas in Sandy Bay, and Meghan Truman could hardly contain her excitement as the glittering white snowflakes tumbled from the sky. Meghan shivered as she adjusted the pink tartan scarf around her neck, thankful for its comfort as she stepped outside into the chilly evening. Meghan set off down the street toward Spark, a new boutique in town. She was ten minutes late for her shopping date with Jackie, her close friend, and Meghan trudged through the snow in her knee-length brown boots.
“Can you spare a dime, Miss?”
Meghan bit her bottom lip as a homeless man on the corner beckoned her toward him. She nervously ran a hand through her long, dark hair, shaking her head as she passed.
“I’m sorry,” Meghan muttered as she looked down at her boots. “I don’t have any cash.”
Her heart sank as she walked away from the homeless man, and her cheeks burned with shame. She truly did not have any cash on her, but Meghan’s chest tightened with guilt as she considered the man’s plight. “Perhaps I could’ve given him my gloves,” she thought to herself. “Or I could’ve dashed home and fetched some treats for him from the bakery.”
She was the sole owner of Truly Sweet, a wildly successful bakery in Sandy Bay. She had opened the bakery after moving to Sandy Bay from Los Angeles less than a year ago, and now, after months of persistence and perseverance, Truly Sweet was one of the most popular bakeries in the Pacific
Northwest. Meghan’s orders had more than quadrupled in the last three months, and she was thankful for the help of Trudy, her assistant, and Pamela, the high-school girl she had hired to help with the heavy workload.
“I have so much stale bread and old pastries sitting in my pantry,” she murmured, still distraught by her interaction with the homeless man. “It is so cold tonight, and he needs to eat. I’ll just have to be a few more minutes late to my shopping date.”
Meghan turned around, treading back through the heavy snow. She unlocked the front door of the bakery, smiling as the familiar sound of the little silver bells attached to the door jingled merrily. She heard her little twin dogs barking upstairs in her apartment, but she ignored them, sprinting into the kitchen of the bakery and removing a bag of old pastries and breads from the closet.
