Puffed, Stuffed, and Melted Murder Page 6

  A couple of months back, Charlie Lockhart had surprised his daughter with handmade tables for her shop in Heritage. They were made to look like ice cream cones with the base an intricately painted sugar cone and the table top like melted ice cream. They were a perfect addition to her shop, and Emma had agreed wholeheartedly. So much so, that she’d commissioned Charlie to make them for her other shops in Townsend, Connecticut and Wildwood, Vermont. Yvette wondered if she was going to try and find a way to get them in her newest shop down in Florida. Personally, Yvette couldn’t wait to visit.

  “They’re the best, Dad. I literally get compliments on them every single day.”

  “Anyone up for some pancakes?” Abigail asked, looking at her daughter and husband.

  “Ugh,” Yvette groaned, explaining the story about Mitch to her parents. “I don’t think I could eat another pancake if I tried. I can’t even begin to count how many I’ve eaten in the last few days.”

  “Pancakes made with ice cream sound delicious. I want to try that!” Abigail’s eyes lit up.

  “Go for it, but don’t worry about me,” Yvette said. “I’ll just keep slugging down the coffee.”

  “About that… It’s your fourth cup. Are you sleeping alright?” Abigail examined her daughter’s face.

  “I’m sleeping just fine,” Yvette laughed. “Actually, I was up late talking with Nate.”

  “Is there something going on between the two of you?” Charlie asked.

  “Like romantically? No. I don’t think so. I mean we’ve been spending quite a bit of time together and well... I don’t know. Maybe there is?” Yvette wasn’t sure what was going on if she was being honest.

  “I’ve always thought something might happen,” Abigail grinned. “Audrey and I were just discussing it the other day.”

  “Mother.” Yvette rolled her eyes. “Nate and I don’t need the two of you getting involved.”

  “So, you’ve talked about it yourselves then?” she asked, shooing her husband away. “Good. Now that your father is gone, tell me everything!”

  “There’s nothing to tell. He invited me to Family Night at Whittakers which went well. We went to the Jingle Bell Bazaar together and then to the Tree Lighting Ceremony. I told him I was cold, so he suggested getting a hot chocolate at Stafford’s. When we were in line, he got so close to me that I thought he was going to hold my hand or something.”

  “Awwwww,” Abigail gushed. “Did he?”

  “He didn’t, but I guess I’m sort of okay with that. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some feelings for him, but he was my best friend growing up. I don’t want to ruin that,” Yvette admitted.

  “I understand, but you said it yourself. You were best friends growing up. Nate left town years ago, got married, divorced and has moved back to town. It’s been a long while since the two of you were best friends. You may be able to pick up right where you left off, but it’s okay to want to try something new,” Abigail advised her daughter.

  “I hadn’t planned on relationship advice when I came over here this morning,” Yvette said, eyeing her mother.

  “I know, dear. I’m sorry. It’s just been so long since you’ve been in one.”

  “I remember. It has been a while, and I’m okay with that. Or, at least I was…” Yvette trailed off.

  “Things didn’t end well with Derek, but it’s been long enough. He’s your ex for a reason, and you haven’t looked back on him since you two broke up, so it’s not like you’re still harboring any feelings for him. Just think about it. We all know Nate is a darn good man and if there’s something between the two of you, you both need to explore it.” Abigail said so matter-of-factly that Yvette didn’t even bother responding.

  “Are you two finished yet? Someone said I could have pancakes and I’m still waiting,” Charlie teased, poking his head through the kitchen door.

  “I’m gonna head out,” Yvette said. “I think you’re right. I’ve had more than enough coffee, and I have to get to work soon.”

  “Don’t forget that we’re out of ice cream!” Charlie called to his daughter just before she closed the door that led to the garage.

  Yvette had no idea how they were out already. Her father had a standing order with her that she brought over each week for Sunday dinner. On top of that, Yvette was always the one responsible for bringing dessert on the same night, and she always made sure there was extra for her parents to have during the week. There was no doubt that Charlie Lockhart had a sweet tooth, and apparently, so did her mother.

  It wasn’t long before Yvette was back at her house and realized she had a few minutes before she had to shower and get dressed for work. She flipped on her laptop and scrolled a few social media sites, checked her personal email and then checked Sundae Afternoon’s email inbox. She saw a few more applications had been submitted, but was hopeful that she wouldn’t have to use them, since she was so excited about Leslie. After deleting several junk emails, she found one that was an inquiry for a catering job. She opened the email, turned on her wireless printer and printed it to check out later once she was at work. While it wasn’t entirely impossible, it was uncommon to have a catering request in the winter months, so Yvette was eager to look more into it.

  Tucking the printed paper into her purse, Yvette sipped the last of her coffee she’d taken to go from her parents, and dashed upstairs to get ready for the day. The whole staff was on schedule, including Leslie who would be at the shop continuing to learn before the final decision was made to bring her on as part of the official Sundae Afternoon team.

  Chapter 13

  Yvette stood quietly in the doorway of the kitchen that led to the dining area of Sundae Afternoon. Stella and Tonya were busy making ice cream orders, Vanessa was with Leslie at the register counting out change, and Joey was rushing around clearing the tables that were now empty from what Yvette knew had been very happy customers. She saw her best friend, Amelia, sitting at one of the tables, but wanted to relish in the pride she felt for having such a great staff. Without them, Yvette was certain that the shop wouldn’t be the same or nearly as successful.

  “Whatcha doing?” Joey asked, arms full of dishes.

  “Just observing.” Yvette laughed.

  “Okay, then.” He shook his head and carried on into the kitchen.

  Yvette took her purse and coat into her office and shut the door behind her on her way out. She was a bit early, and the rush of the early afternoon had apparently already come and gone, so Yvette wanted to take a few minutes to catch up with Amelia.

  “Hey, girl!” Amelia greeted.

  “Ice cream for lunch?” Yvette asked.

  “Of course. I just ordered something new,” Amelia said.

  “What did you get?” Yvette asked, feeling intrigued.

  “The Christmas Tree Sundae!” she replied excitedly.

  “Oh, my gosh! I can’t wait for you to get it. What did you get for a flavor?”

  “I got Raspberry Swirl ice cream.” Amelia grinned. “I can’t wait either. What a cute idea!”

  “I thought so, too. I saw Evie at the Post Office the other day, and I stopped to congratulate her on being chosen to turn on the lights at the ceremony. She kept singing Oh, Christmas Tree while she waited in line with her mom. She told her that I offered her a free sundae the next time she came in, and we started talking about ideas of things she wanted to try. It gave me the idea for the Christmas Tree Sundae.”

  Amelia laughed. “Well, then I’ll be sure to thank Evie the next time I see her, because, look.” Amelia pointed to Vanessa who was carrying a plate in her hand that looked amazing.

  “Whoa. I couldn’t have done any better myself.” Yvette’s jaw dropped.

  “You think? I was worried I didn’t do a good job.” Vanessa placed the plate on the table.

  The green velvet brownie shaped like a Christmas tree sat on the bottom and was topped with perfectly shaped tiny scoops of Raspberry Swirl ice cream. The tree was decorated with red cinnamon candi
es, marshmallows, and a variety of candy-coated chocolates and sprinkles.

  “This is so cool!” Amelia looked at the plate, a huge smile on her face.

  Vanessa looked around the shop. “Do you mind if I sit with you guys? I don’t have any customers left.”

  “Not at all. Sit down,” Yvette said, scooting over so Vanessa could join them.

  Amelia carefully picked up a bottle of chocolate sauce that had been sitting on the table and drizzled it over the brownie. “I don’t know where to begin!”

  “I don’t know, but I’m not just here to watch you eat,” Vanessa whispered.

  The other two women looked up at Vanessa.

  “What do you mean?” Amelia asked.

  “I want to hear everything that Yvette knows about Carrie’s murder…” Vanessa whispered again, this time looking around to make sure no one was nearby.

  “You’re too much.” Amelia shook her head and added a little more chocolate sauce before taking a bite.

  “I don’t really know very much,” Yvette said honestly.

  “We all know she was found at the bottom of the stairs in her own home. You can’t possibly tell me you don’t think her husband had something to do with it? Who else would have had access to her that easily?” Vanessa questioned.

  Yvette sighed and knew she wouldn’t be able to keep what little she did know to herself. “I know that both Mitch and Molly have been questioned in the murder of Carrie. Mitch because, like you said, he had easy access and I also know that Molly was, because she was the one that found her.” Yvette explained her time at the diner with Serena and Julie and also her odd interaction with Mitch.

  “Sounds to me like you know an awful lot,” Amelia pointed out.

  “What if it wasn’t Mitch or Molly at all?” Vanessa asked. “You said Julie may have liked Mitch. What if she killed Carrie so she could have her husband?”

  “That seems like a far reach, no?” Yvette asked.

  “All’s fair in love and war,” Vanessa answered.

  “Except murder….” Yvette made a face.

  “I don’t know a lot about Carrie, but I do know that she was pretty hard to handle. I worked on a few events with her in the past, and she’s just a lot to take in. I hate to say that it’s possible there are several people that could have had a motive,” Amelia chimed in.

  Yvette knew her friends always liked to offer their opinions, but she was doing her best not to get involved this time. She hadn’t snooped, hadn’t asked questions and most of all, she hadn’t been yelled at by Heath so as far as she was concerned, she was doing well.

  “Molly doesn’t have it in her,” Vanessa blurted. “I’ve known that woman all my life.”

  “I’ve said that before too,” Yvette admitted, thinking back to her good friend Marie that had killed her own stepmother.

  “Don’t be so sure,” Leslie said, chiming into the conversation.

  “Leslie! I didn’t see you there.” Yvette winced. She didn’t want her to think that she was gossiping, or that something so morbid was a common topic for her and her friends to discuss.

  “What do you mean, don’t be so sure?” Vanessa asked.

  “I shouldn’t. Don’t mind me,” Leslie said, beginning to walk away.

  “Wait. Tell us,” Yvette invited Leslie to join them.

  “Okay,” Leslie agreed, sliding in next to Amelia. “So, as you probably all know, I used to work at the diner. Carrie was a tough cookie and gave just about everyone a hard time, from customers to employees. Thing is though, I’m not too sure that’s what got her killed. Now, don’t get me wrong, I adore Molly and find her to be a strong and capable woman, but she has every reason in the book to have wanted Carrie out of the picture.”

  “Why’s that?” Amelia asked.

  “It’s actually part of the reason I left the diner to begin with,” Leslie replied. “I had decent hours and made good tips, even if we had to pool them. There were a few times that I thought I was being shorted though, so I planned on bringing it up to Carrie. When I did, I made the mistake of walking in on something I shouldn’t have. I went to the office and overheard Molly and Carrie arguing. It turned out that Carrie was planning on opening up her own restaurant of some sort and Molly was upset.”

  “Poor woman. Of course she was upset!” Vanessa interrupted.

  “Totally,” Leslie nodded. “From what I heard, Molly thought that Carrie had been stealing recipes and inside tips and tricks, so she could take them and use them in her own place.”

  “Holy cow. What a mess.” Yvette felt terrible for Molly.

  “That wasn’t all. I thought I could trust Julie, so I confided in her and told her what I heard. She ended up telling me that she already knew all about it and that Carrie was planning on taking Julie with her to the new place. That was why Serena kept getting her hours taken. Carrie wanted Julie to have them because she thought it may take a bit to get her place up and running and didn’t want Julie to lose out on money, so she had her working outrageous hours.”

  “What an even bigger mess,” Amelia added.

  “You have no idea. After all of that, I never did find out if I was being shorted on my tips,” Leslie said, shaking her head.

  As awful as all of this was Yvette couldn’t help feeling excited that she had a little club of women to chat about mysteries with. She wondered if this is what her mom felt like during her book club meetings.

  Chapter 14

  The catering request that Yvette had received online was going to be a much bigger job than she’d originally thought. Thankfully it wasn’t until after the first of the year that it would take place, so she had plenty of time to decide if Sundae Afternoon would be able to do the work. Not only were nearly a thousand people expected to be in attendance, but it was an out of state event. That was something Yvette had never considered doing, so she had to talk with Emma about it and see if it was even possible.

  Letting herself into the front doors of Brews coffeehouse, the first thing she noticed was Heath and Nate sitting together at one of the tables.

  “Well, would ya look at what the cat dragged in?” Heath joked.

  “Yeah, you look exhausted. Is everything okay?” Nate asked.

  “Thanks, guys.” Yvette chuckled. “I’m fine. It was just a long day.”

  “At work, right? Not solving crime?” Heath stood, pulling out a chair for her to join them.

  “You’ll be happy to know I’ve been minding my own business. The only things I know are what people tell me, and I can’t very well go off of that, now can I?” Yvette pointed out.

  “Hmmm. What people tell you, huh?” Heath made a face. “Normally, I’d say you were right, but for some reason, people seem to tell you entirely too much about their lives. You’re a magnet for that.”

  Yvette didn’t respond right away, prompting Nate to chime in. “He’s right, you know. You are a wealth of information even if you don’t mean to be.”

  “A wealth of information you say? Maybe we should be questioning you?” Heath responded, a sly grin on his face.

  “I don’t really know much about this case, and I haven’t tried asking about it. I know Carrie is dead, and I know everyone seems to think everyone else has a perfect motive to have killed her.” Yvette shrugged. “I hate to say it, but doesn’t it seem sort of obvious that it was her husband? I like Mitch and all, but he’s the only one that was at the house.”

  “True,” Nate agreed. “We saw just about everyone at the ceremony, so he probably did it and then left for his business trip. Not very smart if you ask me. Jeez, Dad, why hasn’t he been arrested yet?”

  “Good thing you two aren’t detectives…” Heath groaned.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Yvette asked, shooting him a look.

  “It wasn’t supposed to have been released to the public, but since people around here seem to like to talk more than they should, I might as well tell you. We had an autopsy performed since what we had to go on just
wasn’t matching up. There were traces of ethylene glycol in her system. Enough to have killed her if she’d gotten no treatment. Which, it seems was exactly the case,” Heath’s voice was grim.

  “Isn’t that a fancy name for antifreeze? Someone poisoned her?” Yvette asked incredulously.

  “Apparently so. The official results were sent yesterday, verifying the cause of death was consistent with ethylene glycol poisoning and when we reached out to the family, they took it a little further than we’d hoped. Mitch told just about everyone he could find. He swore up and down that everyone believed he’d pushed his wife to her death and then took off.”