Fireworks and Felonies Read online

  Fireworks and Felonies

  Sticky Sweet Cozy Mysteries, Book 8

  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. Firework Taffy

  2. Where There is Smoke

  3. Cora’s Coral Condos

  4. Condo Clue

  5. Surprise Guests

  6. Family Dinner

  7. Showing off the Shop

  8. Girl’s Night

  9. Taffy and Troubles

  10. Sibling Advice

  11. More Condo Conversation

  12. Some Hairy Questions

  13. Beach Business

  14. So Many Suspects

  15. Chasing a Hunch

  16. Big Trouble

  Epilogue

  Also by Allyssa Mirry

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  1

  Firework Taffy

  “I hope you’re happy!”

  Truth be told, Lydia was very happy. Her new business, Doherty’s Taffy and Trinkets, had a rocky start but was now doing rather well. Her decision to create new taffy flavors every week kept the locals coming back, and tourists flocking to the Jersey Shore for the summer seemed to be enjoying her treats. She was happy that she had been spending more time with the handsome lifeguard who was willing to help hunt for clues with her if need be. A long-standing family drama she had with her brother about an inheritance finally seemed to be cleared up, and Lydia was looking forward to the upcoming 4th of July celebrations.

  However, the tone of Amber Allen’s voice told Lydia that this was not something that she could admit at the moment. The owner of the ice cream shop on the boardwalk looked very annoyed. Lydia struggled to figure out what she could have done to upset her this time.

  Amber had decided that they should be enemies from the first time that they met because they both owned shops that sold sweets. Lydia always maintained that ice cream and taffy were different enough that they could both do business on the boardwalk, but Amber had disagreed and said they were rivals. Amber had actively tried to hurt the taffy shop before with negative publicity, but Lydia usually tried to take the high road and be civil.

  “Good morning,” Lydia said, trying to sound chipper. “Is there something bothering you?”

  “Because of you, my best friend lost her source at the medical examiner’s office,” Amber said. “It’s bad enough that you sell your revolting taffy here in town. Why do you have to go causing trouble for other people?”

  Now Lydia understood why Amber was upset, but she didn’t think it was fair to blame her for stopping something that Brie shouldn’t have been doing in the first place. The medical examiner shouldn’t have been releasing the information that he did to the reporter. All Lydia had done was hint about where the leak was when her detective brother complained about the matter one day.

  “I’m sorry that Brie is annoyed,” Lydia said truthfully. “But I’m sure she can find information for her stories in other ways. And hopefully, there won’t be any more murder cases in our town that need to be reported on. With any luck, she’ll be able to write about happy things like the 4th of July firework show by the sea.”

  “I wish she would write a story about how everyone wishes your awful shop would close,” Amber said before turning on her heel and marching out of the shop quickly so she would have the last word in the matter.

  Lydia just shook her head. Normally, Amber’s antics would upset her, but she was in too good a mood to let her spoil things. Things finally seemed to be going well in Lydia’s life, and she loved the Ocean Point Independence Day activities. She was also happy that her shop would be able to join in the fun by offering a delicious themed treat.

  “Is she gone?” Jeff asked, standing up after hiding behind the counter. Her employee often went to great lengths to avoid seeing Amber.

  “She is,” Lydia assured him.

  Her youngest employee Kelsey walked up to them as the shop door opened again.

  “The ice cream ice queen isn’t back, is she?” Jeff asked.

  “No,” Kelsey said with a smile at Lydia. “This is a visitor we actually like to see stop by.”

  Lydia turned toward the door and saw Daniel walking inside. He wasn’t dressed in his lifeguard uniform, and this made Lydia smile even more. It meant that he wasn’t working on the beach today, but had just decided to stop by and visit.

  He greeted Lydia and her nearby staff, and they all said hello.

  “How did the rest of your performances go?” Daniel asked Kelsey and Jeff. “I enjoyed seeing it on opening night.”

  “After such a stressful tech week where a crime needed to be solved, the shows were smooth sailing,” said Kelsey.

  “I had a good time,” Jeff said. “But I don’t think I’m going to be doing any more acting any time soon.”

  “I’m not deterred at all,” Kelsey said. “In fact, I’m going to audition for Shakespeare in the Sand. It’s a collection of monologues and scenes from Shakespeare performed on the beach. But that won’t start until after the 4th of July.”

  “It’s actually because of the 4th of July that I’m here,” Daniel said with a grin.

  “Have you come to ask Lydia to watch the fireworks with you? A lot of couples like to watch them on blankets in the sand,” Kelsey said before immediately placing a hand over her mouth and looking embarrassed.

  Daniel looked caught off guard for a moment, and Lydia cringed inwardly. They had been spending time together, but they hadn’t been calling themselves a couple. They both had their own baggage that made them hesitant to jump into a new relationship, and they’d never shared a kiss.

  “Well, I would love to see how they celebrate the fourth at the Jersey Shore,” Daniel said. “I could see the fireworks with you if you’d like.”

  “I would like that a lot,” Lydia said with a smile.

  “But the real reason I came by today was to see your new festive taffy that I’ve heard so much about.”

  “I’d be happy to show it to you,” said Lydia. “I think this one is as fun to look at as it is to eat.”

  “That’s quite an accomplishment,” said Daniel.

  “Introducing firework taffy,” Lydia said with a flourish as she reached for some freshly-made candies and presented them.

  She was very proud of her newest creation. She had blended the taffy together so that it had a firework design in the center of the round taffy.

  “It’s beautiful,” Daniel complimented. “But what does it taste like?”

  Kelsey and Jeff giggled, and Daniel raised an eyebrow.

  “Well,” Lydia said. “The red, white, and blue portions of it are what you might expect. There’s cherry and vanilla and blueberry mixed in there.”

  “All right,” Daniel said, still eyeing them all suspiciously.

  “But since it’s called firework taffy, I thought that it should have a little kick to it too,” Lydia said mischievously.

  “What did you do?” asked Daniel. “Add hot sauce to it?”

  “I did consider that,” Lydia admitted. “But then I went a different route. We added a little pocket in each piece of taffy to house some popping candie
s. As you chew the taffy, some of the poppers will be released, and it makes it feel as if there are mini fireworks in your mouth.”

  “In a fun way,” Kelsey assured him.

  Daniel looked ready to accept the challenge and took a candy. He started laughing as he chewed and covered his mouth.

  “It feels funny,” he said when he finished the candy. “But I liked it a lot. I’m sure others will too. It’s perfect for the holiday.”

  Kelsey and Jeff noticed that some customers were gathering by the front window and went to check on them. Daniel stayed near Lydia.

  “So, about those fireworks?” he asked.

  “You don’t have to feel pressured to go,” Lydia said quickly. “But they do always put on a nice display. They take a large barge full of fireworks out onto the water so they can send up an impressive number of fireworks.”

  “What time does it start?” Daniel asked, showing no indication that he wanted to back out of it.

  “After the sun sets. Though sometimes there are other fireworks set off by people in town earlier. And sometimes my brother and the other officers have to stop people from doing unsafe pyrotechnics. But the big official show is as soon as it gets dark.”

  “I think it will be a lot of fun to watch it with you,” he said sincerely.

  Lydia looked into his grey eyes. She had felt an attraction toward him since they first met, but after spending time together (at first, brought on by investigations), she truly appreciated him as a friend.

  Daniel was staring at her too. Neither spoke for a moment. They seemed to be waiting to see if the other would make a move. Then, Lydia decided to act on her feelings. She leaned forward to kiss him, and he moved closer too. However, before their lips could meet, Kelsey ran up to them.

  “There’s something going on outside,” she cried. “There’s a lot of smoke. It’s in the distance but definitely in town. Something is on fire.”

  Though disappointed by the interruption, Lydia knew that this was worth checking out. She and Daniel walked outside and onto the boardwalk.

  There was indeed smoke in the distance. Lydia tried to get her bearings to see what the fire was close to.

  “I don’t want to scare you,” Daniel said softly. “But it’s coming from the direction of your house.”

  2

  Where There is Smoke

  Lydia tried not to panic. She stared toward the smoke and saw that Daniel was right. She couldn’t tell how close the fire really was to her house, but it was in the same direction as her home.

  Many people were gathering on the boardwalk and looking toward the source of the smoke. Kelsey and Jeff stood with their other coworkers, Mona and Quinn, who were also on duty. They all looked anxious.

  “Just because it’s in the same direction doesn’t mean that it’s close to my house,” Lydia rationalized. “You can’t tell from here.”

  “My place is in the same direction,” Mona said. Kelsey quickly put a supportive arm around her.

  “You live in Cora’s Coral Condos, right?” asked Jeff. “I can’t see it from here.”

  “It’s okay,” Mona said dourly. “I don’t have anything there that’s irreplaceable.”

  Lydia frowned, trying to figure out if she felt the same. She was staying in the house that she had grown up in and returned to after the uncle who raised her fell ill. The house was full of mementos from the family over the years. The items were mostly boxed up because Lydia and her brother, Leo, were in the process of selling the house. Lydia planned on getting her own cozy place after the sale, and they would find a new house for their Aunt Edie who wanted to downsize when she returned from her trip around the world (that Uncle Edgar had suggested she take after he was gone.)

  Lydia would be very disappointed to lose the photos and items inside the house, but she supposed it couldn’t be any worse than losing Uncle Edgar to his illness.

  However, then a terrifying thought popped into her head, and she felt her knees go weak. She was upset with herself for not thinking of it immediately when Daniel told her the direction of the fire, and she was scared that she might be too late.

  “Sunny,” she cried, thinking of her dog.

  Daniel didn’t waste a moment. He took out his car keys and indicated that he would drive her. Lydia told her staff that she hoped to be back soon and tried not to hyperventilate as they hurried to Daniel’s truck and then her house.

  “Normally, I wouldn’t recommend heading toward a fire,” he said. “But I know we have to for Sunny.”

  Lydia nodded. Her rescued French bulldog mix had been by her side when she needed her. Sunny had been ready to provide affection and friendly licks when Lydia had needed support when Uncle Edgar had taken a turn for the worse and when Leo had been angry with her and wasn’t acting like a loving brother. Lydia just hoped that she would be there for Sunny when the dog needed her.

  Lydia almost broke into tears of joy when they turned onto her street, and she saw that the fire wasn’t there. It was still further back in the distance. While she felt bad for whoever was being affected by the fire, she was ecstatic that Sunny was not in danger.

  She hurried into the house calling the dog’s name and startled the snoring pup. However, Sunny seemed happy to see Lydia and licked her nose. Lydia picked up the dog and held her in her arms. Sunny didn’t understand the reason for the fuss but was utterly content to be rocked in Lydia’s arms.

  “I’m glad it was a false alarm,” Daniel said. “Sunny is a great dog.”

  Sunny let out a little noise of agreement. She didn’t mind being the center of attention if it meant that she was going to be cuddled and petted.

  “I don’t know what I would have done if I lost her,” Lydia said. “And I don’t want to think about that anymore.”

  “I’m sorry that I scared you,” Daniel said sheepishly.

  “No. That’s not your fault,” she assured him. “You were right about the direction, and it was good to recognize that in case our rushing here was necessary. I just hope that Mona’s condo isn’t the place that was affected.”

  Then, she heard her cell phone chime, and she adjusted her canine bundle so she could read the text message she received. It was from Kelsey and said that the smoke had stopped. The fire must have been put out. That was another relief.

  Lydia placed Sunny on the ground and asked if she would like a special snack. The dog wagged her tiny tail. Lydia led her to the kitchen and took out a small bone for her. Sunny danced around happily before starting to gnaw on the treat.

  “Do you want anything?” Lydia asked. “Not a bone, obviously. But I do have some human food if you’re hungry. I could whip something up as a thank you for driving me home.”

  “I’m not that hungry,” he admitted. “But I will take one of your taffy pieces from your reserves if you have it. They’re always a treat.”

  Lydia grabbed a piece of firework taffy from her test batch that she had made at home and gave it to him. She couldn’t help grinning as the dog and man she cared about were so happily chewing in front of her.

  “What?” Daniel asked, noticing her smile.

  She shrugged. “I guess I’m just feeling relieved and happy.”

  He finished his candy and took a step closer to her. “I’m feeling pretty happy too.”

  This time he was the one to begin leaning in for a kiss. However, before Lydia could reciprocate the movement, her phone began ringing again.

  “Sorry,” she said with a frown.

  When she saw that it was her brother calling, she knew that she shouldn’t ignore the call and she answered it right away.

  “I wanted you to hear this from me,” Leo said. “There was fire at Cora’s Coral Condos. We believe it was set off from someone tinkering with amateur fireworks. There was one casualty. Lydia, it’s Dr. Statler who died.”

  “Oh no,” was all Lydia could say.

  “I was pretty disappointed to find out too,” Leo said. “But I thought it was best that you knew
now.”

  Lydia thanked him and ended the call. Daniel stared at her face where now Lydia seemed about to cry for another reason.

  “What happened?” Daniel asked.

  “One person died in the fire. In an explosion,” Lydia said. “He was the doctor who treated my Uncle Edgar.”

  “I’m so sorry.”