Blueberry Pies and Burial Read online

  Blueberry Pies and Burial

  Sticky Sweet Cozy Mysteries, Book 12

  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. House Hunting

  2. Skeletons in the Closet

  3. The Headless Houseguest

  4. Trouble at the Taffy Shop

  5. The Sandwich at the Station

  6. Word Around Town

  7. The Chalk Sign

  8. Pool Hall Hal

  9. Surprising Identity

  10. The Prime Suspect

  11. Pool Hall Partner

  12. The Waiting Room

  13. The Therapist’s Advice

  14. The Boss

  15. Realizations

  16. Catching a Killer

  Epilogue

  Also by Allyssa Mirry

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  1

  House Hunting

  “Should we go to a spin class?”

  Lydia was so surprised by the question that she nearly swerved off the road. Luckily, she kept her car in check, so she didn’t have to miss the open house she was headed toward due to an accident. She glanced at her best friend in the passenger seat.

  “A spin class?”

  “Yeah. You know? Those cycle classes where you ride bikes, but they don’t move. Haven’t we talked about taking one before?”

  “Sometimes on our girl’s night after we have too much wine and salt water taffy, we talk about it. But we usually laugh at ourselves the next day, thinking we wouldn’t survive one of those classes.”

  “I thought we were more serious last time.”

  “No,” Lydia said. “You joked that there was no reason to start cycling because we already get our exercise chasing suspects.”

  “I guess I do remember saying that,” Trina said, tapping the armrest.

  “If you really want to, we could take a spin class and see what it’s like. But I think I need to ask: are you all right?”

  “Of course, I am. I am just considering upping my exercise regime and thinking about my health.”

  “Is there a reason to be worried?” Lydia asked, clutching the steering wheel with concern.

  “No. You’re my best friend in the world. I’d tell you if something was wrong.”

  “I’m glad for that. Both that you’re my best friend and that there’s nothing wrong with your health,” Lydia said, breathing a small sigh of relief. “I can’t help but feel that there is something wrong, though. You’ve been talking about taking some college courses and going parasailing – which was something you always said you didn’t want to do. You were afraid that seagulls would fly into you.”

  “That’s a reasonable fear to have. What if I had taffy in my pocket and the seagull smelled it and attacked me for it? Those birds have the advantage in the air.”

  “You've also been talking about doing some traveling, which, again – is something fun and worthwhile, but it’s not something that you’ve really been interested in before.”

  “Maybe your Aunt Edie made traveling look more exciting,” Trina countered.

  She grabbed the postcard that was in the outermost pocket of Lydia’s bag and held it up. It was a picture of the African Savannah with giraffes reaching for leaves with their long tongues.

  “She makes going on a safari sound fascinating,” said Trina. “And she’s having a great time on her trip. Even alone, she’s having fun. Right? Her message sounds happy.”

  “Yes. Her message made it clear that she was enjoying her trip. And I liked the joke she made about the giraffes sticking their tongues out at us,” said Lydia. “But traveling had always been a dream of my aunt’s. I didn’t think that was the case for you. You usually say why do we need to travel when we live at the Jersey Shore? We have sun, sand, and shore. And we don’t need to pump our own gas.”

  “I do love Ocean Point.”

  “And you’ve said before that you don’t want to go away on vacation because you’ll get behind on gossip at the salon and you wouldn’t want to have to catch up.”

  “I guess there could be a lot to happen around here while I was away. In relation to both hairstyles and crime.”

  “I’m not trying to talk you out of traveling,” Lydia said. “I’m just trying to point out that you don’t sound exactly like yourself. For at least the past week you’ve been talking about trying new things and making changes. It’s not a bad thing to do, but I’m wondering what put you in this mood. Every time ask you about it, you brush me off.”

  “It’s nothing,” Trina said with a wave of her hand.

  “That’s exactly how you brush me off,” Lydia said with a small groan. “But we’ve arrived at the house, so if you don’t want to tell me about it now, I guess you don’t have to.”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” Trina said as Lydia parked the car on the street in front of a beach house with balloons on the mailbox. “Can’t a girl just suddenly want to bike for an hour or want to go on their own safari without their friends getting suspicious?”

  Lydia knew that there was definitely something bothering Trina, but she sensed that this wasn’t the time to continue prodding. She trusted her friend would tell her what was wrong when she was ready. Maybe Trina hadn’t even fully admitted the problem to herself yet.

  “And speaking of changes, you’re the one who is making a big one,” Trina said, getting out of the car. “You’re the one getting a new house.”

  Lydia followed suit and exited the car. “I guess you’re right about that.”

  Lydia had been living in the house she grew up in with her aunt, uncle, and brother, Leo ever since she returned to Ocean Point. She had come home to help care for her uncle when he became ill and had stayed after he eventually passed on because he had left her money in his will so that she could follow her dream and open a salt water taffy shop on the boardwalk. Her Aunt Edie had been traveling the world (at her husband’s bequest after his death) and fulfilling a sightseeing dream of her own. She planned to get a smaller home where she could make new memories when she eventually returned to town. Lydia was now looking for a place of her own – or one for both her and her beloved French bulldog mix, Sunny.

  Trina and Lydia examined the house before walking towards it. They were still about ten minutes early for the official start of the open house, but Lydia hadn’t been sure what parking would be like on the street. It turned out that this wasn’t a problem because the houses were spaced out decently far from one another.

  “What’s wrong with this one?” Trina asked.

  “Huh?”

  “If you’re going to try and psychoanalyze me, I can do the same for you. I’m not sure you really want to move. You’ve found something wrong with every house we looked at.”

  “I admit that I’ll miss my childhood home, but we already found a buyer. If I don’t find a new place to stay, I’ll be crashing on your sofa for a while,” Lydia said. “I do want to move. I just want to move into the right place.”

  “You’ve been like Goldilocks for every place we’ve seen. One was too big. One was too small. One used to be a speakeasy owner’s.”

  “And t
here was a dead body in that one!” Lydia protested. “I’m not going to move into a crime scene.”

  “So, you think this house might be just right?”

  Lydia hedged. “Well, the outside it’s a little bland. Don’t you think?”

  “I think you’re proving my point and you’re going to find something wrong with every house.”

  “Well, a bland exterior doesn’t put it out of the running. I could change that. And very easily if…” Lydia trailed off. She had been about to mention that a local designer, Suzanne Peppercorn, had been willing to help her decorate her new home once she moved in. However, that had been before Suzanne had rejected a marriage proposal from Lydia’s brother.

  “It’s something I could fix if I get this house,” Lydia said instead.

  Trina decided not to tease her anymore and asked, “Are we still early?”

  Lydia checked the time and nodded. “A little. And it doesn’t look like anyone else is here.”

  “Maybe we should pass the time with some taffy?” Trina suggested.

  Lydia smiled and pulled some blue taffy pieces out of her purse. She always carried a few pieces around with her in case of candy emergencies.

  “This is my newest flavor,” Lydia explained. “Blueberry pie taffy.”

  “I can’t wait to try a slice,” Trina joked, taking a piece.

  They both happily chewed on the treats and were both mid-bite when a woman appeared in the doorway. She waved at them.

  “Are you here for the open house?” she called.

  With their mouths full of taffy, they could only mumble back

  “Come on in!” the woman said with a smile.

  The friends finished chewing as they headed to the door, so they would be able to properly greet the hostess when they arrived. Lydia crossed her fingers that the house would be perfect and could be the place she could call home.

  2

  Skeletons in the Closet

  “It’s you again,” the woman said, grinning as she held the front door open for Lydia and Trina. “You were at another open house I hosted.”

  “Right,” Lydia said. “Is it Tammy?”

  “It is indeed,” she replied. She held a hand out to Trina. “Tammy Keller. Very nice to meet you.”

  “I’m Trina. I’ve gone to some of the house showings that Lydia went to, but not all of them. What was wrong with the other house that you showed her? Was it a legitimate reason?”

  “The material used for the floors in that house was a little slick,” Lydia said. “I thought Sunny’s paws would slip around. And it was a little small.”

  “This house shouldn’t be too small,” Tammy said. “It is a two-story beauty as you will soon see for yourselves. It had lovely views and a little yard that I’m sure your doggie will love.”

  “I bet Lydia can find something wrong with it,” Trina teased.

  “Do you mind if we look around?” Lydia asked.

  “Of course. I have a few last-minute tasks to complete before we officially begin.”

  “Do you need any help?” Lydia offered. “We’re early, and it was nice of you to let us in.”

  Tammy shook her head. “I’m almost finished sweeping. And then I simply have to place the cookies on a platter.”

  “I thought I smelled fresh baked cookies,” Trina said. “That’s a technique to get people to like a house, isn’t it? Make it smell delicious?”

  “It doesn’t hurt,” Tammy agreed.

  “Maybe you should have some of Lydia’s salt water taffy at your open houses too,” said Trina. “I bet people would love that.”

  “It wouldn’t have as strong a smell as the cookies,” Lydia said. “The taffies would have to be wrapped.”

  “But salt water taffy is associated with the boardwalk and seashore,” Tammy said. “Maybe the out-of-town potential buyers would appreciate it and remind them of what they would get if they moved here. That’s not a bad thought.”

  “And Lydia just made an amazing blueberry pie taffy,” Trina continued. “There’s more to it than a straightforward blueberry taste.”

  “I wanted it to seem as if there was a crust with it, so I combined a sweet blueberry taffy with a buttery taffy and a few spices. I think the result came out rather well.”

  “She’s always so modest,” said Trina. “But wait until you taste one.”

  Lydia took a piece of taffy out of her bag and handed it to Tammy. “Enjoy it, but you’re not under any pressure to order taffy for your events. I came here to look at the house. Not to sell anything.”

  “Maybe I’ll save it for later,” Tammy said, tucking it in the pocket of her blazer.

  “Now, you said that you had some sweeping to do?” asked Lydia. “Does this house get a lot of sand tracked into it because of its location?”

  “I told you she’d find something wrong with it,” said Trina.

  “It’s not an issue with sand,” Tammy said. “When I came in this morning, I discovered that a window on the back door had been broken. But I don’t want you to think that this sort of thing is a common occurrence here. The owners assured me that this is a quiet neighborhood.”

  “Did someone break into the house?” asked Lydia.

  “No,” Tammy assured her. “There would be no reason to. The only items inside are ones that I brought to make the place look a little homier and help you envision the place as your own. There would be nothing to steal. I even had to ask the neighbors to borrow a broom to clean up the glass because there is so little here. If you did move here, you would have the nicest neighbors.”

  “What broke the glass?” asked Lydia.

  “A seagull?” Trina suggested. “Some of them can get really big. And it does smell like cookies inside.”

  “I’m not sure what broke it, but I do know that this is not something that happens usually. I hope this doesn’t dissuade you from considering this house.”

  “Not at all,” said Lydia. “We’ll have a look around now.”

  Tammy nodded, and Lydia headed toward the kitchen with Trina by her side. The kitchen was large, with a spacious counter, and Lydia smiled. It would give her plenty of counter space to concoct new candy creations.

  “This is a great room,” Lydia said. “I might end up loving this house yet.”

  “Let’s go upstairs and see what the ocean views look like,” Trina suggested. “Hopefully it’s as satisfying as the cookies. I should also stop thinking about these snacks now, or I might eat them all before anyone else arrives.”

  Lydia agreed with the idea, and they started toward the stairs. However, as they walked along, they saw Tammy near the back door. She scooped up some large pieces of broken glass from the paved landing just outside the door and then walked inside the house.

  “Ouch,” Tammy muttered as it seemed that a small piece of glass from the floor inside punctured her foot on her open-toed sandals.

  “Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Lydia asked.

  “Please don’t worry about me,” Tammy said, though it was difficult for Lydia not to worry when she saw a little blood on the woman’s foot. “I can take care of everything. Please, look around and see if this is the right house for you.”

  Lydia nodded and headed upstairs with Trina.

  “Tammy really is very sweet,” Lydia said. “I was speaking with her at the last open house for a while. She enjoys baking when she isn’t showing houses, so we had some things in common.”

  They reached the landing and then headed into the master bedroom. The view from the large window was impressive. They could see the waves rolling toward the shore.

  “It’s beautiful,” Lydia said. Then, she turned to face the rest of the room. “And this is a big room. Do you think it’s too big?”

  “Seriously, what’s going on with this too big too small thing?”

  “I just want to strike the proper balance,” Lydia said with a shrug.

  Trina gasped. “I know what’s going on. This is about Daniel.”
>
  “What?”

  “That’s why you’re not sure what you want in a house,” Trina continued. “Part of you wants a place that would be big enough for the two of you and maybe even to start a family. And the other part of you is terrified by that and is rebelling. That part wants a tiny house for just you and Sunny. So, you need to find an in-between.”