Caked in Murder Read online

  Caked in Murder

  Book Four in The Sundae Afternoon Series

  Gretchen Allen

  Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Also by Gretchen Allen

  Copyright 2018 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

  Created with Vellum

  Author’s Note

  On the next page, you’ll find out how to access all of my books easily, as well as locate books by best-selling author, Summer Prescott. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my books, the storylines, and anything else that you’d like to comment on – reader feedback is very important to me. Please see the following page for my publisher’s contact information. If you’d like to be on her list of “folks to contact” with updates, release and sales notifications, etc…just shoot her an email and let her know. Thanks for reading!

  Also…

  …if you’re looking for more great reads, from me and Summer, check out the Summer Prescott Publishing Book Catalog for some truly spooky stories.

  SPBP Book Catalog

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Twitter: @summerprescott1

  Blog and Book Catalog: http://summerprescottbooks.com

  Email: [email protected]

  And…look up The Summer Prescott Fan Page on Facebook – let’s be friends!

  If you’re an author and are interested in publishing with Summer Prescott Books – please send Summer an email and she’ll send you submission guidelines.

  1

  Yvette Lockhart and her best friend Amelia Paulson sat on the patio of Carlisle Bistro enjoying the last of the warm weather Heritage, Massachusetts had to offer. The temperature had dropped quickly over the last couple of weeks, and while both the women were looking forward to the cooler weather and the activities that the autumn season brought, they would miss the warmth and excitement of summer.

  “I can’t hold it in a second longer,” Yvette squealed. “How did your date with Tom go?”

  Amelia leaned a little further back in her chair, sipping her hot caramel latte. “I guess it went pretty well as far as first dates go, anyway. He seemed like a really nice guy.”

  “Are you two going out again?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I have so much on my plate over the next few months, and I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I don’t want to string Tom along or end up having to brush him off when I get busy with work,” Amelia admitted.

  “I understand but don’t just assume that will be what happens. If you’ve already decided you might do that, maybe it’s just an excuse you’re making. Ever heard of the saying, if you really want it, you’ll make time for it?” Yvette hoped her friend was giving herself a fair chance at a potential new relationship.

  Amelia sighed, fidgeting with her spoon. “Maybe it’s a little bit of both. There’s something exciting about starting something new, but if I’m not ready, I can’t force it. I think I’ll give it some time and see how it goes. I’ll definitely consider it if he asks me out again. I have so much more to worry about than that right now though. Remember when we went to Townsend a couple of weeks ago to test the drive time for your commute while covering for Henry?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “I had a meeting with the Downtown Neighborhood Association women that evening, and it didn’t go very well.”

  Yvette could tell that there was something going on with her friend. Normally she was pretty good under pressure especially when it had to do with her career as the Director of Tourism and Activities in their small, but touristy town. She typically always handled herself well and never let the stress of her job get to her.

  “What happened? It’s been a long time since I’ve had to participate in one, but I know how intense some of those meetings can be.”

  Amelia glanced around, checking her surroundings before she spoke. “Janet, the chairperson of the Association, has been acting really strangely lately, and I finally decided to say something about it during the meeting.”

  “Let me guess? She totally lost her mind?” Yvette asked.

  “I shouldn’t be sharing this, so, please, don’t repeat it but I think she’s been stealing.” Amelia glanced around again as if she was expecting someone to jump out at her.

  “Stealing? From where?”

  “The Association has an account where all the money they raise from different events goes. Janet asked at the meeting what I thought about making a last-minute change to allocate the funds from the Town Wide Tag Sale to another charity. Every year, it goes to the Food Pantry and this year, literally days before the sale, she asked if she could change where it went but refused to let me see her ledgers or plans showing where she wanted it to go.”

  “Can she even do that?” Yvette asked, raising a brow.

  “She can suggest it, but I’d never approve something like that. Janet had to have known it was something I wouldn’t agree to. Especially since the sale is in three days. It’s not only that, though. Out of the last five events that the Downtown Branch sponsored, the cash box has gone missing twice.”

  Yvette thought back to one of those events, remembering it clearly. Her mom, Abigail, the head of the Cottage and Pine Neighborhood Association, had been working closely with Janet on a fundraiser. They were raising money for the Historical Society and had conducted a bake sale at the Town Hall during one of the Friday Night in the Park Concerts held every summer. Abigail left the table to get them each a cold drink from one of the food vendors, and when she returned, Janet was in a panic. She’d claimed that two young men had come to the table looking to buy some of their baked goods, but they’d fooled her. The story was that one of them had distracted her while the other snuck around the side of the table and grabbed the cash box. Janet blamed Abigail for the reason that they got away so easily. She’d said if Abigail hadn’t left her alone, that she could have run to alert the police. Janet didn’t want to leave the table unattended, so the men were able to get away scot-free. Abigail had sworn up and down, and still does to this day, that she hadn’t recalled ever even seeing the cash box to begin with.

  “I know there was some suspicion about all of that. You think she’s doing it again?” Yvette asked, trying to understand.

  “Suspicion is all I really need. I suggested that she consider stepping down as the chairperson and that didn’t go over well. She threatened to have my job and my reputation.” Amelia’s eyes were heavy as if she hadn’t slept for days.

  “Do you think she will?”

  “No. She may be forced to soon, however.”

  “How come? Are you able to prove she’s been stealing? That would make my mom so happy to hear. I know she doesn’t want anything bad to happen in order for her plan to come to fruition but at the same time, the only thing stopping the Downtow
n Branch and the Cottage and Pine branch from merging is Janet.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think I can prove she’s stealing, but I may have something else.” Amelia looked around again, observing her surroundings, before leaning in closer to Yvette.

  “Alright. What the heck is wrong? You keep looking around like someone is watching us or eavesdropping or something. What’s your deal?” Yvette finally asked.

  “I’m a little freaked out,” Amelia confided. “For the last week, I’ve been experiencing some really strange things.”

  Yvette hesitated a moment. “What do you mean and why is this the first time I’m hearing about it?”

  “It’s embarrassing and frightening, and I thought if I didn’t draw attention to it that maybe it would go away.”

  “What kind of things?” Yvette reached out and put her hand on her friend’s arm.

  “At first, it was just strange phone calls at my office. People would call in and either not say anything or ask really odd questions. I figured they were just prank calls, but then I started getting them on my house phone too. They still seemed harmless though. It wasn’t until things started going missing that I really got worried.”

  “I know I sound like you right now, but have you called the police?”

  The corner of Amelia’s mouth turned up but didn’t reach a full smile. Yvette knew that this was serious and that her friend was taking it hard.

  “Not yet. Like I said, I’m trying to avoid it and hope it stops on its own.”

  “What’s gone missing?” Yvette asked.

  “That’s the weirdest part of it all believe it or not. The other day, I went to the farmer’s market and had the bags in the back seat of my car when I ran into the office really quickly to grab some paperwork, and when I came out, all of my stuff was gone.” Amelia pushed her food around on her plate with her fork, uninterested in eating. “My desk calendar is missing from my house, and so is my favorite afghan. I mean, why would anyone want those things?”

  Yvette’s eyes widened as Amelia explained everything to her. “I don’t see what they need them for either, but I will say that I always tell you to keep your doors locked.”

  “I haven’t locked my house or car since I moved to town and I never planned on starting. After all of this though, I’m beginning to think you’re right,” Amelia agreed.

  “You said they took your calendar? Did you have appointments written on it?” Yvette asked, suddenly even more worried about her friend.

  “Why do you think I’ve been looking around like a crazy person all morning? Every little thing I do or place I go is written on that calendar. What if whoever is doing it has been following me? What if they’re here right now?”

  Yvette gave Amelia’s hand a tight squeeze, trying to reassure her. “If you think it will help, you can always come to stay at my house for a while until all of this gets figured out.”

  “I’ll think about it. Thanks, Yvette. Right now, I don’t have time to worry about anything but work. The Town Wide Tag Sale is calling my name. I have so much to do before it begins. I’m glad we got a chance to talk, but I gotta head out.”

  “Be careful,” Yvette said quietly as she watched Amelia walk down the pathway to her little red sports car.

  2

  With just two days left before the Annual Town Wide Tag Sale, Yvette and her employees were busier than ever. Stella, Sage, and Joey were taking care of the customers while Yvette and Vanessa were hard at work in the kitchen preparing the snacks that Sundae Afternoon would be selling during the sale. All of the proceeds would be donated to the Heritage Food Pantry, and Yvette expected this year to be a huge hit.

  “How many cookies did you say we needed? And are we making anything extra for Heath’s surprise party?” Vanessa asked once she was done counting.

  Heath Briggs was the Chief of Police in Heritage and Yvette’s father’s best friend. Sundae Afternoon was catering the drinks and dessert portion of his 60th birthday party and everyone was more than excited. Heath had been there for everyone, and not just by being a police officer that protected the town.

  “I was thinking about five hundred. That will be two hundred and fifty ice cream sandwiches plus everything else we have. I’m all ready for the party. I’ve been working on that after hours every night this week.” Yvette turned to look at the cooling rack.

  “I’ll only need to make one more batch then before I can move onto something else. Let me know if you change your mind. Heath has always been so kind to me so I’m more than willing to help.”

  “That’s great because I have about three hundred more ice cream cones to fill and bake and I’m covered in cake batter already,” Yvette laughed, turning to show Vanessa her apron.

  The women had been in the kitchen working since before the shop even opened that morning. They’d been making sugar cones for the bottoms of the cake pops, cookies for the mini ice cream sandwiches and preparing cake batter to fill even more ice cream cones with to be baked and topped with icing made to look like whipped cream. Yvette figured that each of these items would be a perfect grab-and-go snack. Anyone that purchased one would be able to carry it with them easily enough as they made their way through the sale, looking for treasures.

  “You’re a mess,” Vanessa giggled when she looked at Yvette. “Did you even get any inside the cones?!”

  “Ha ha. I’m trying but this is way harder than it looks. Hopefully they go over well.” Yvette filled another cone before removing her apron.

  “Done so soon?” Vanessa asked.

  “I’m just going out front for a second. Take a break if you want,” she told her employee.

  Yvette washed her hands and gave herself a quick once over making sure she didn’t have cake batter in any strange places then headed to the dining room to check on things. She knew they were going to be especially busy today since people were already in town for the tag sale.

  “Everyone doing okay out here?” she asked when she saw Vanessa’s daughter, Sage, refilling the napkin dispensers.

  “Yes, but holy cow! I’ve filled these things twice already today and the same with the straws and utensils over by the door. I can’t believe how many people I’ve served,” Sage said, letting out a breath.

  Yvette glanced around the shop, seeing that every table was full, and each guest had their dessert in front of them. “Your mom is on break if you want to join her. I’ll hang out here, so you can go relax for a little while. We’ve got a busy couple of days ahead of us, and I need you alert and ready to work,” she told the young woman.

  Sage looked relieved. “Thanks. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

  Yvette made her rounds through the shop, stopping at each one of the tables. Every customer was happy and enjoying their ice cream. She was thankful for a staff that took so much pride in their work. Assuming that some of the stock had been depleted after the rush, Yvette went back into the kitchen to get some more ice cream from the walk-in freezer. She was on her second trip when she caught a familiar face out of the corner of her eye.

  “Hi, Della. I didn’t expect to see you here! I figured you’d be working on getting everything ready for the sale,” Yvette exclaimed.

  “That was the plan,” Della said, frowning. “But of course, Janet shoved me aside and told me she didn’t need me anymore. I swear, that woman is out to get me. I’ve been trying so hard to be a part of things since I moved here and just when I think I’ve won her over, I’m wrong again.”

  “I’m sorry. I know she can be hard to handle. Do you want to talk about it?” Yvette asked.

  “There isn’t much to say. She doesn’t want my help and just let me know, in no uncertain terms, that I was no longer welcome at the community table.”

  “No longer welcome? Didn’t you have to pay a fee to be included?”

  “Yup. Twenty-five dollars but obviously that didn’t matter very much to her,” Della huffed, a little red in the face.

  Yvette remembered what Ame
lia had shared with her the day before. If Della had already given Janet money but had been kicked out, where was that money going? Would Janet still donate it to the Food Pantry or would she keep it for herself since Della was no longer participating? No wonder she refused to show Amelia the ledgers if this is how she was conducting the fundraiser.

  “That’s awful. Is there a way you can just set up everything at your house?” Yvette crinkled her nose, shocked at how Janet had been acting lately.

  “Not really. I don’t have any tables or anything to set stuff up on, and I don’t want to leave everything on the ground. It’s okay. I’ll figure something out. Maybe I can just donate everything.” Della shoulders slumped, showing her defeat.

  “If you have a way to transport your things, you’re more than welcome to set up here. I bet we can find some extra space.” Yvette wasn’t sure if that was true, but she hated to see such a kind woman feeling so bad.

  “Wow! Are you sure?” Della asked. “You probably have your hands full with everything already. You don’t need me getting in the way.”

  “We can work something out,” Yvette said, an idea occurring to her. “How about we supply the tables and space for you to sell your items and you help us sell our desserts?”

  “Absolutely.” Della beamed. “I’ll do anything I can for the Food Pantry. It wasn’t too long ago when they helped me out tremendously. They were so good to me so I’m more than willing to do whatever I can. My plan was to donate all my earnings to them anyway so, this is even better!”