Double Chocolate and Death Read online

  Double Chocolate and Death

  Sticky Sweet Cozy Mysteries, Book 2

  Allyssa Mirry

  Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Copyright 2019 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.

  Contents

  1. Interview Questions

  2. The Lifeguard’s Request

  3. Detective Brother

  4. Friendly Conversation

  5. Sadie’s Surf Shop

  6. An Abbreviated Autopsy Report

  7. Questions

  8. A Toast and Tribulations

  9. A Key to the Case

  10. The Other Woman

  11. The Best Friend’s Boat

  12. Thinking it Through

  13. Another Cherry Berry Confrontation

  14. Back at the Shop

  15. Providing Proof

  16. Surfboard Save

  Epilogue

  Also by Allyssa Mirry

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  1

  Interview Questions

  “Your resume does look very impressive,” Lydia Doherty said. “You have retail experience and have taken several culinary classes.”

  “Yes. And I have made salt water taffy before. I think it’s one of the most fun candies to make. That’s partially why I think I would make a great addition to the team. If work is fun for you, then it doesn’t feel like work.”

  Lydia nodded and looked at the smiling young woman across the desk from her. They were in the office of Doherty’s Taffy and Trinkets that was now open for business despite some minor hiccups along the way. Or, perhaps they weren’t so minor. Lydia had been forced to help solve a murder case where someone was poisoned with cyanide-laced taffy in order to clear her name and ensure that her dream business could stay open. After facing something like that she would have thought that hiring a new employee would be as easy as enjoying pie flavored taffy. However, she was having some trouble.

  Lydia had listened to the applicant’s perfect answers to her questions about why she wanted to work at the shop on the Jersey Shore boardwalk, what she considered her biggest strengths and weaknesses to be, and her kitchen experience. However, Lydia was now beginning to feel the same slight anxiety that she had felt during all of her recent interviews.

  “Now, tell me,” Lydia said, setting the resume down on her desk. “Have you ever had the desire to own your own taffy and novelty shop?”

  “I’m still figuring out exactly what I want to do long-term,” the girl admitted honestly. “However, it might be something I would consider. In some ways, this seems like a dream job.”

  “Yes. I thought so too.” Lydia cleared her throat. “Would you be willing to kill for a chance to own a shop like this?”

  The girl’s smile changed to an expression of confusion. “You mean really kill?”

  “Yes. Would you plot how to murder someone and how to best frame someone else for the crime? Would you use poison? Or consider another means of murder? Would you use deceit and violence to achieve this goal? Would you be willing to strike a death blow?”

  Lydia was aware that her mouth was saying much more than she had originally intended. She had lost all subtlety in her questions and was frightening the applicant.

  The young woman quickly rose to her feet and threw her purse over her shoulder. “I was just looking for a summer job before I went back to school and I thought making taffy on the boardwalk would be fun. But I’m not really sure I want to work for you.”

  She scrambled out of the office without listening to Lydia’s apologies. Lydia heard the swift footsteps and knew the young woman must be running to get out of the building.

  Lydia sighed. She left her office as well and headed into the main area of the shop. Her employee, Jeff, didn’t comment on the latest applicant’s abrupt departure. He continued adding the newest taffy to the candy display quietly. She wondered if something was bothering her shaggy-haired surfer staff member. She didn’t want to pry too much in case it was something that he didn’t want to discuss with his boss, but she did want to let him know that she was there if he ever needed to talk.

  However, before she got the chance to express these thoughts properly, they were joined by someone expressing great frustration.

  “I just saw someone running away from the shop crumpling up a resume. Tell me that wasn’t because of your latest interview!”

  Kelsey’s hands were on her hips. With an admonishment like that, it was hard for Lydia to remember that she was almost twice as old as this employee. She had actually babysat for Kelsey when she was a child, and Lydia knew she must have used a tone like that when Kelsey didn’t wash her hands before dinner after playing in the sand.

  Lydia shrugged in response. “I can’t be certain who you saw on the boardwalk, but I did just finish an interview.”

  “And?”

  “And I don’t believe she was the right candidate.”

  Kelsey fixed her with a stare. “Is that because you don’t believe she would be competent on the job? Or did you accuse her of being a potential murderer?”

  Lydia stood up taller to look more official. “I’m not sure you should be talking to me like this. I am your boss.”

  “Well, besides the fact that I’ve basically known you my whole life, you also said that your employees should have an open line of communication with you. We should be able to tell you if there is a problem. And not having another employee is a problem. It’s really busy on the weekends now, and it’s going to get super busy in a week or two when everyone is on summer break. We need someone else.”

  “You’re right,” Lydia admitted. “And I am trying to hire someone so we won’t be short-staffed. But I want to make sure I hire the right person. I know I’m letting my fears get the best of me and I’m asking some questions that I don’t mean to during the interviews. But I am nervous about hiring someone who is not what they seem. I don’t want to end up in a dangerous situation again. And I don’t want to put you and Jeff in harm’s way. What happened with Randall Holmes’s killer has me questioning my instincts. Maybe I’m not good at judging someone’s character, and I’ll pick the wrong person again.”

  Lydia felt a little vulnerable after admitting all this. Kelsey moved forward and placed a hand on her boss’s shoulder supportively.

  “Sometimes it can be hard to tell when a person is lying to you. And we were all fooled then. But I think you are a good judge of character. You were eventually able to figure out who the killer was. And you proved it! You also showed really amazing judgment when you hired Jeff and me. We ended up being model employees. Right, Jeff?”

  The ladies turned to include Jeff in the conversation. He had finished adding the taffy to the display and was standing by it, staring off into the distance.

  “Right, Jeff?” Kelsey repeated with added enthusiasm.

  Jeff jumped as he realized he was being addressed. “What? Oh, right. Sure.”

  “Well, usually we’re model employees,” Kelsey said, smiling brightly.

  A customer headed up to the register with an assortment of different taffies that she had collected in a basket. Jeff hurried over to ring up her order and listen to her enthusiasm that the taffy shop now served such a variety of flav
ors. Lydia was proud that he had jumped to attention to help the customer, but was now certain that something was bothering him. She began to worry that he had wanted to take the day off but knew that they were understaffed.

  “I’ll set up some new interviews shortly,” Lydia said to Kelsey. “And I’ll try not to scare these applicants off.”

  “Well, you can scare them a little,” Kelsey replied. “I don’t want all potential help running away, but all employees here should have some backbone. That’s the only way they’d be able to help with another investigation.”

  “Another investigation?” said Lydia. “I wasn’t planning on getting involved in any more cases. Were you?”

  “Obviously, I don’t want someone else to die. That part was really sad. But I have to admit it was exhilarating tracking down a clue for you. It was almost fun.”

  “How about we do something else fun that doesn’t involve murderers?” Lydia suggested. “I can introduce you to my newest flavor of taffy. I showed Jeff how to make it this morning. It’s called double chocolate taffy.”

  “I am doubly interested in this,” Kelsey joked.

  “For this, basically we make two flavors of taffy: dark chocolate and milk chocolate. Then, we twist them together.”

  “It sounds amazing. I bet it will attract a bunch of customers. They’ll be coming in nonstop.”

  As soon as she said that, the door to the shop opened. Lydia turned to greet the new customer, wondering if what Kelsey had said was true, but then she saw it was someone that she knew. In fact, it was someone who had saved her life.

  “Hello, Daniel,” Lydia said. “It’s good to see you.”

  Daniel Brine nodded, but his expression was solemn. “Do you mind if I have a few words with you?”

  “Not at all. Though most people in town already believe that you’re a man a few words.”

  Lydia was proud of her quip illustrating how quiet and mysterious the handsome man could be. However, he didn’t laugh.

  “It’s a serious matter.”

  “I’ll ask Jeff to show me how to make the new taffy,” Kelsey said. “And we’ll take care of the shop while you talk.”

  “Thanks,” Lydia said to her employee. Then, she gestured ahead to Daniel. “We can talk in my office.”

  “Good idea,” he said. “You might want to sit down for this discussion.”

  Lydia gulped.

  2

  The Lifeguard’s Request

  Lydia felt her heart start to flutter and also felt annoyed at herself for this reaction. She led Daniel Brine to her office and tried to remain calm.

  She had felt an attraction toward the muscular man from the first moment that he stopped by her taffy shop. However, she still didn’t know very much about him because he was such a private person. The few interactions they had together had not been spectacular. She had accidentally insulted him and called him old when they first met because she thought he was older than most of the college student lifeguards who worked on the beach during the summer. Then, when she had briefly considered him a suspect, he had not spoken kindly about New Jersey. She was very protective of her home state and had found this to be a turn-off. She might have written him off after this, but then he had to go and save her life.

  He had rescued her from drowning after a killer tried to claim a second victim, and Daniel had given her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive her. Lydia’s best friend, Trina, liked to tease her about getting a kiss from him this way, but Lydia staunchly denied that there was anything romantic in it. She certainly hadn’t felt love in the air as she was struggling to get the air into her lungs.

  However, she had to admit that seeing him now did make her knees feel weak. Why did he have this effect on her? Was it just gratitude? Had her attraction to him physically increased after learning that he was able to save her from the waves? Had it just been too long since she had been on a proper date?

  She could tell that she was developing a crush on him, but it felt silly. Trina said that lots of women who went to her hair salon were interested in reeling in this catch. Lydia didn’t want to be roped in with this group who liked him only based on his outward appearance. Because she knew so little about him, that was basically true for her too.

  She wasn’t even sure that she wanted to begin dating again. Her last relationship had been a disaster, and she was still dealing with restarting her new life in her former hometown. Did she really need any more complications?

  Lydia sat at her desk and wondered if she had been absorbed in her thoughts for too long. She picked up a candy dish shaped like a seashell (which was turning out to be one of the most popular trinkets sold in her shop) and offered the contents to the lifeguard.

  “Would you like a piece of taffy? I always keep a few of my current favorites in here. The dark colored ones are my new double chocolate salt water taffy.”

  “Thank you,” Daniel said as he reached for one.

  “It’s the least I could do. After saving me like you did, you’re entitled to free taffy for life.”

  “That’s very kind,” he said before trying what he took. “And this is delicious.”

  “Really,” Lydia said. “You can have as much as you want. Today and in the future. I’ll tell my staff to always let you have taffy free of charge. I hope that won’t be too much of a temptation though. I know lifeguards have to stay in shape in order to swim out there and save people. I wouldn’t want you to pack on the pounds because of me. Not that you’d look bad if you put on some weight! And not that you look bad now! Because you don’t.”

  Lydia grabbed a piece of taffy too so she could stop herself from rambling. She didn’t think it was possible, but she had become even more awkward around him.

  “Perhaps I should tell you why I’m here,” Daniel said.

  Lydia nodded. “What’s on your mind?”

  Daniel leaned forward in his seat and looked down at his hands. “I’m not sure exactly how to say this.”

  “Just go ahead,” said Lydia. “You can’t be any worse at communicating than I have been with you and my potential hires. What is it?”

  Daniel seemed encouraged and began to talk. “I arrived early for my shift yesterday. Sometimes I like to watch the sun rise over the water. You forget you’re in Jersey when that happens.”

  Lydia gritted her teeth but let him continue.

  “You could be anywhere in the world. The day always seems like it has potential when you’re there to greet the sun. Unfortunately, even though I was early according to beach guidelines to patrol for swimmers in danger, I was too late to save someone.”

  “Oh, no.”

  Daniel nodded. “I swam out to retrieve the young man, and I brought him to shore. I tried to revive him, but my efforts were wasted.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” Lydia said. “And you needed to come here to see someone that you did save? I want you to know that I will always appreciate what you did.”

  “Thank you, but that’s not really why I came. You see, when the ambulance arrived, they said that the man had been dead for quite a while. He must have drowned overnight,” Daniel continued. “The police commended me for my efforts. They said that I did everything I could. It was an accidental drowning.”

  “It sounds like you did do everything you could. You can’t be expected to be on duty twenty-four hours a day. The hours that lifeguards are on the beach is posted so that swimmers will know when it is safe to go in the water. He must have ignored those precautions.”

  “What bothers me is that I recognized the man,” said Daniel. “He’s a surfer that I’ve seen out on the water a lot. He’s a very strong swimmer. I’ve never seen him do anything reckless.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that something seems off to me,” said Daniel. “My gut is telling me that this wasn’t an accidental drowning.”

  “You suspect foul play?”

  “If it wasn’t an accident, then it has to be. That’
s why I had to come to see you.”

  “I’m afraid I still don’t understand,” Lydia said slowly.

  “I wanted to ask you to speak to your brother, Detective Doherty. He was on the scene, but he doesn’t want to talk to me about the case. Or lack thereof. You could see what he has to say about the drowned surfer. And if he’s not going to investigate properly, maybe you could.”

  “Whoa,” Lydia said, raising her hands before her in protest. “I’m not a real investigator.”