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THE NEXT DAY, KATIE rushed into the office at the café. Her facial expression was pained.
“What’s wrong?” Dana asked Katie.
“It looks as if the town gossip is about to be the town news.”
“What?” Dana said. “What do you mean?”
“Gerdie-Sue’s been arrested on suspicion of murder.”
“Gerdie-Sue? Suspicion of murder? No way. I don’t believe it. Gerdie-Sue is a lot of things. A busy body, yes, but a murderer?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Katie said, arching a brow.
“Katie, I know you’ve had your moments with Gerdie but do you really believe it? What happened?”
“Well, it looks as if that blond chick, Lichelle, had asked way too many questions about Gerdie and had spread some dangerous lies about her that got her whacked.”
“Whacked? She’s dead!”
Katie nodded slowly. “Hmm-mmm.”
“Oh, boy. This is not looking good at all. But what does that have to do with Gerdie-Sue?”
“You’d better ask your hot detective friend there. He might know a thing or two.”
Oh, no. Here we go again.
“This just doesn’t seem right,” Dana said almost to herself.
“What doesn’t seem right?” Katie asked, clearly confused.
“It all seems too easy. First Lichelle comes into the bakery asking for Gerdie-Sue and then...”
“Then what?” Katie looked eager.
Dana thought for a moment. “You know it seemed odd that she mentioned that Gerdie Sue used to be a maid working for her father and left something for Gerdie Sue.”
“Yes, that is odd. Why didn’t Gerdie know about it? Wasn’t she still in contact with Lichelle’s family?”
“Apparently not. And Gerdie mentioned that she was more than just an employee.”
“What do you think she meant by that?”
“I’m about to find out.” Dana snapped her laptop shut on her desk.
“And you know something else, there was her brother who seemed to be suspicious,” Dana added.
“You think he might have had something to do with killing his own sister?”
“Possibly.”
“Hmm.”
“Then there’s the riddle about her past,” Dana said, tapping her pen to her jaw, pondering.
“What is it about her past?”
“You know Lichelle asked if I knew how Gerdie came into her money.”
“Why would she have asked that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“No.”
“Well, there could be a link or some sort of connection.”
“Oh, boy, don’t tell me you’re going to try to turn this case into one of those riddles that you like to solve on your blog, cousin.”
“No. No, I wouldn’t do that,” Dana said, getting up. She reached into the desk and pulled out her handbag. “You know I need to get over there fast and see if I can find out what’s going on.”
“Over to where?”
“The police station.”
“Oh, boy. Cuz, you remember what the sergeant said the last time right? As much as they really appreciate your input into some of these cases. They don’t want you poking your nose around.”
“Well, technically this does involve me. I mean I’m a business owner and one of my customers ended up dead. I need to know what happened and why and if I can be of any assistance. I mean she was just here yesterday, right?”
“I’m sure the police will be here soon to question you.”
“I can’t wait for that.”
“Oh, I get it. You want to see that hot and delicious detective Troy,” Katie teased her.
Dana playfully rolled her eyes. “Katie.”
“What?”
“I’m not interested in relationships right now. Besides, he would not be interested in me.”
“Why not? You’re cute and single and a hard working professional.” Katie placed her hands on her hips, determined to play matchmaker for her cousin, wasn’t she?
“And, he’s cute and single and a hardworking officer of the law...” Katie continued.
Dana couldn’t help but grin. Her grin was soon replaced by a drop of her jaw. Her heart stopped in her chest.
Standing at the doorway was handsome, tall and deadly sexy Detective Troy Anders.
Dana felt her heart flutter in her chest. Butterflies exploded in her belly. Why, oh, why did her body react to him that way whenever he was near?
God, he was gorgeous. He was dripping with charm and sexiness in everyway. He was taller than any man she’d met and built like a Greek god with all the right proportions. He wore a dark grey tailored suit with a silky navy blue tie. His cheekbones were chiseled and could probably dodge a bullet. He had beautiful sparkling ocean blue eyes and thick dark lashes that framed his eyes and dark defined eyebrows. His lips were full and shapely, kissable. He filled out nicely in his suit with his broad shoulders and she remembered seeing him wearing a t-shirt while he was jogging once. He had the most perfect physique she’d ever seen on a man. Of course, he worked out several times a week at the Berry Cove gym to keep himself fit for his job.
Stunning.
Okay, you can stop drooling now, Dana.
“Good morning, Ms Sweet. Do you have a minute?
“Um...I...didn’t see you there, detective.” She tried to sound nonchalant even though they’d been on first name basis. She didn’t want anyone in the kitchen to think anything was going on between them because there wasn’t.
“I think I’d better see what’s up with the new batch of cupcakes,” Katie said with a wink before leaving the two alone.
Dana felt flushed. She was sure her cheeks were red as strawberries right now.
“Sure...I...um...have a minute.” What was with her? Why was she acting like a flustered schoolgirl around this handsome guy? He was just a guy, right?
A hot and gorgeous cop!
“Good,” he said, making his way over to her desk. “You were going somewhere?” He must have noticed her handbag over her shoulder and her laptop closed on her desk.
Darn! Caught out.
“Um, well...” Should she tell him that she was on her way to see him at the precinct to pick his brain about what might or might not have happened to Lichelle? And about Gerdie Sue’s arrest?
He ran his fingers through his dark, silky short-cropped hair. She wished she could do that for him. He did have the most sexiest five o’clock shadow on his face. He looked ruggedly handsome this morning.
“I’m here about a customer of yours,” he said, looking distracted as if he’d just had the most killer night of his job.
“A customer?”
“Yes. She was here yesterday?”
“Oh, right. Lichelle. Katie just told me what had happened. That’s so horrible. How did she die?”
“Actually that’s what I’m here to speak to you about.”
“Oh?” Dana’s heart squeezed in her chest. She didn’t like the sound of that.
Please tell me she didn’t die choking on one of my cupcakes, she pleaded with the universe.
It would seem that since she’d taken over her grandmother’s café and renamed and revamped its image, sales have increased and business had been so good that it would have made her Grandma Rae smile proudly from heaven. Yet, the blessing of success had also come with a bit of curse, too. A few times, to her chagrin and horror, her cupcakes had been involved in some strange and bizarre murders in the cozy little town of Berry Cove. Well, they hadn’t actually been involved in the murders per se. That would be just silly. How could cupcakes kill? Unless they were laced with poison, right? Well, they’d shown up at the scene of a few murders so far this year. She just hoped and prayed that would be the last of it.
“What happened?” Dana probed, her heartbeat pounding in her throat.
“She was found dead last night. She’d been eating one of your cupcakes. A vanilla cream, I believe.”
Dana gulped. She glanced over on her desk where Troy’s eyes followed hers. A half-eaten Vanilla Cream Cupcake, which was the Cozy Cupcakes Café’s Cupcake of the week. Well, that and the Peanut Butter Cream Cupcake.
“Oh,” Dana said, her voice trailing off. “Th-that’s terrible.”
“Yes, it is.” He paused for a moment. “Dana, I need to ask where you were last night between the hours of eight and nine?”
Dana looked stunned. “I...I was at home working late on my mystery riddles blog. And Katie wasn’t with me. I only have Truffles as my witness,” she said. Okay, that must have sounded pretty lame. Truffles could never testify in court even if she wanted to.
Her kitty had a lot of magical abilities and foresight since she’d managed to help Dana solve a few riddles and murders, but unfortunately talking wasn’t one of her abilities. If she’d had a talking cat, she’d be in showbiz or the star of a reality show, not managing a café, as much as she loved managing Cozy Cupcakes.
He grinned. “I don’t think that would help, but...”
“I thought Gerdie Sue was arrested.”
“Yes, she was arrested, but Gerdie had an airtight alibi and she insisted she’d been framed. We’d let her go.”
“Well, good for her.”
“Good for her?”
“Yes. Troy, I really don’t believe she killed Lichelle.”
“Oh, boy. Here we go again.”
“No, no. Hear me out. Why would she kill her? And besides, how did Lichelle die? Did someone poison one of my cupcakes?”
“Well, yes and no.”
“Yes and no?”
“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this but I trust you. You’ve helped me solve a few murders and I really appreciate it. Plus, I don’t want any fingers pointing your way.”
He appreciated her? Well, that made Dana giddy inside.
“But it looked as if the cupcake was laced with peanut oil.”
“Peanut oil?” Dana’s heart pounded hard against her chest. “No way!” she protested. “Impossible. I never use peanut oil in my vanilla cream cupcakes.”
“But you knew she was allergic to peanut products, right?”
“Well, yes. Everyone did.”
“Everyone?” he said, looking confused.
“Yes. Well, everyone who was at the café yesterday morning. I mean, she made it loud and clear when I offered her the Peanut Butter Cream Cupcake of the day...” Dana froze.
“What is it?” Troy said, scribbling notes on his notepad.
“You know, she does have a brother.”
“A brother?”
“Yes.”
Oh, boy. Now she was really getting her nose in deeper.