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“WELL, DANA, YOU WERE right,” Detective Troy said the next morning to Dana. They both had a quiet booth at the Breakfast Place on the other side of town. Christmas songs sounded through the speakers while patrons ate their meals. The waiters were so cheerful and each wore red Santa hats as they took orders.
It seemed like most businesses were in the spirit of the holiday season. The baristas at the Cozy Cupcakes Café also donned Santa hats and matching red aprons. They also had the satellite radio set to a station playing round the clock Christmas songs—but of course the holiday spirit had been slightly dampened with the false rumors circulating around town that one of the famous Cozy Cupcakes Café’s Holiday Cream Cupcakes had been poisoned and had killed the town’s infamous new tabloid gossip columnist. That rumor never mentioned that the victim had what appeared to be a small stab wound in the back.
Right now the tune playing over the speakers was Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly. Well, Dana sure felt as if she’d been decked in the halls of holly after those killer cupcakes rumors hit the town.
Troy had asked Dana to meet him at the Breakfast Place so that they could have a quiet conversation. Meeting her at the Cozy Cupcakes Café wouldn’t have been such a good idea. Not with the holiday season in full swing and many busy customers asking about Shags’ murder.
“I was right?” Dana echoed.
“Yes,” Detective Troy said, adding a pinch of sugar to his steaming mug of black coffee. “Seems like Shags was blackmailing the mayor big time.”
“Oh, dear. I’m really sorry to hear that. But I knew there was something dodgy about those torn letters in the garbage bin. Do you think he...um...he did it?” Dana tried to keep her voice low even though the holiday music played over the speakers.
“I can’t say right now, but he really has a strong motive. Not to mention telling the truth is a bit hard for him.”
“You know, I found him near the utility box that night, too.”
“You did? Why didn’t you say anything before?”
“It skipped my mind. But I really think there’s more to the story than what he’s feeding us, Troy. I don’t know why, but I just feel that way. Something is bothering me.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it. This is a crazy riddle. The missing clue is right there and I can see it, but I can’t see it.”
“You make no sense.”
“Let me explain. Something just doesn’t fit to this story, but I don’t know what it is. The mayor must have been looking to cover his tracks. He probably went to Shags’ apartment to search through any evidence she might have against him.”
“No. He swore to me that he’s never been there.” Detective Troy took out some photos that were taken by Frank the Gazette photographer. “Do you recognize anyone in any of these photographs, Dana?”
Dana pushed her plate of scrambled eggs and half-eaten pancakes aside and sifted through the photos on the table. “Hmm. Not really. Oh, he’s really cute. I remember the waiter asking us if we wanted a cupcake.”
“This one?” Troy pointed to the photo to confirm.
“Yes, why?”
“Well, that’s Julian. The mayor confirmed that’s his son. They’d only just met recently and he got him a job at the catering department for the town.”
“Really?” Dana looked again. “Well, that’s very strange. Do you think he would have something to do with it?”
“Not likely. What motive would he have?”
“True. But then there was something that I found odd,” Dana said, taking another mouthful of the buttered pancakes and syrup.
“What is it?”
“The mayor’s secretary, Sarah. She’s a contract employee. Looks like Shags had a file on her, too. I noticed a file marked Sarah. It must be her.”
“She did have a file on her, on everyone in the town practically. But that doesn’t mean anything. Sarah has cooperated with the investigation so far.”
Just then Troy’s cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his breast jacket to answer it. While he was speaking on the phone, Dana went through more photos.
“Well, Dana, looks like the cupcake that was intended for Shags had been laced with cyanide poisoning.”
Dana gasped. Well that ruined her appetite. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her stomach fell. “I can’t believe someone would poison one of my cupcakes—again. Trying to frame my café.”
“Well, it was done at the party. There was a syringe that was found. No fingerprints on it. But she’d also been stabbed in the back with a syringe with a long needle. That was how she died. I just spoke with the lab.”
“Oh, that’s awful. So whoever did it planned to poison her with my cupcake and when she’d refused to eat it, they went to plan B and injected her with the poison but left the cupcake at the scene to make it look as if she’d eaten it?”
“Looks that way, unfortunately.”
“But who would do that? How? Why?”
“I’m going to find out one way or the other, Dana. And I’m going to be having another word with the mayor soon.” Troy narrowed his eyes. He barely touched his own breakfast. He’d ordered a large breakfast for the two of them but he clearly wasn’t in the mood for feasting.
And right now, neither was Dana.