Strawberry Kiwi and Slayings Read online

  Strawberry Kiwi and Slayings

  Sticky Sweet Cozy Mysteries, Book 7

  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. Strawberry Surprise

  2. The Double Date

  3. Terror at the Theater

  4. The Crime Scene

  5. Kiwi Concerns

  6. A Theatrical Brunch

  7. Searching for the Director

  8. The Hospital Visit

  9. Going On About the Show

  10. Attack on an Actor

  11. The Love Interest

  12. Debates and Discussions

  13. Facing the Family

  14. Suspicions and Stir Fry

  15. The Play’s the Thing

  16. The Final Act

  Epilogue

  Also by Allyssa Mirry

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  1

  Strawberry Surprise

  “It’s almost show time,” Annette said.

  Lydia chuckled. It was very appropriate phrasing for the little surprise they had planned for their coworkers.

  Lydia was already starting to think of her employees at Doherty’s Taffy and Trinkets as family, and she wanted to show that she supported them. When Jeff and Kelsey started to seem nervous about the play that they would be performing in that weekend, Lydia decided to remind them how excited everyone from the shop was to see them on stage.

  “I think they’re here,” Lydia whispered.

  She and Annette ducked down in the kitchen of the taffy shop so they wouldn’t be seen through the window that allowed customers to view the candy making process. They waited until they heard the door open and then jumped up.

  “Surprise!” Lydia and Annette called out.

  Kelsey and Jeff certainly looked surprised, but they had opposite reactions to the shock. After Kelsey gasped, she started laughing and clapping. However, Jeff had immediately moved into a pseudo-karate pose to face the challenge.

  “After all the murder cases we’ve investigated, you should know not to jump out at people,” Jeff said, relaxing and placing his kicking foot back on the ground.

  Kelsey rolled her eyes. “It’s not like a killer is going to announce his presence by yelling surprise.”

  “He might,” Jeff said with a shrug.

  “We’re sorry if we scared you,” said Lydia. “I knew you two were going to open the shop today, and we wanted to throw you a mini surprise party to show you how excited we are for your play.”

  “A surprise party?” asked Jeff. “Does that mean that there is cake?”

  “I have something just as sweet,” Lydia said with a smile. “But it’s something more likely to be found in our shop.”

  “Special taffy?” Kelsey guessed.

  Lydia nodded and then fetched her candy surprise for them. Huge smiles formed on the others’ faces when she revealed it. The salt water taffy had been stretched and shaped until they formed the petals and stems of flowers. Lydia had created an edible pink bouquet for them.

  “Since I was already making pink and green taffy for our new weekly flavor, strawberry kiwi, I thought they would make the perfect base for this bouquet.”

  “It’s so pretty I’m not sure I want to eat it,” Kelsey said.

  “I do,” Jeff said with a laugh. “And I think it smells even better than real flowers.”

  “And I made these for you, dears,” Annette said, revealing her gifts.

  Annette often crocheted adorable sea creature toys that were sold in the trinket section of the shop. The older woman had adapted her starfish pattern into dressing room stars for the performers.

  Kelsey hugged both Lydia and Annette, while Jeff looked away sheepishly.

  “I appreciate this,” Jeff said. “I was starting to get nervous about being on stage, but you've reminded me that people who care will be in the audience.”

  “We’ll be there opening night,” Lydia said. “And Mona and Quinn are going to see it for the second performance. The whole staff will be there to support you.”

  Jeff smiled. “I know I just joined the cast as a favor when someone else quit, but I am enjoying it. We had our first dress rehearsal with a few people that the creative team knew watching it, and it was fun.”

  “Changing the role to a grandfather instead of a grandmother so Jeff could fill in last minute actually works,” Kelsey said. “The playwright told us that he actually likes it better. It seemed more true to life.”

  “And it was an easy switch to make. The grandmother part had been named Edwina, so we just changed it to Edwin.”

  “You’re doing a great job,” Kelsey told him with a smile.

  “I just hope I don’t mess up on stage when there are people there,” Jeff said. “I wouldn’t want to upset the phantom.”

  “What’s that?” asked Lydia.

  “It’s a silly legend and something we’ve been teasing Jeff about,” Kelsey explained. “There are often supernatural stories about theaters. That’s why there’s always a ghost light left on in the building. But the Ocean Point Theater has its own mythology. It’s a bit like The Phantom of the Opera, but our creature came out of the sea and now leaves a trail of salt wherever he goes. When he is displeased with what is done on stage, he can cause the waves to surge. Someday he might send the theater tumbling into the sea.”

  Lydia was impressed with Kelsey’s dramatic recitation, but Jeff looked confused.

  “Robert told me that the phantom left seaweed wherever it went and that it drowned actors who missed their cues.”

  “I think there might be several versions of the tale,” said Kelsey. “And I guess Robert really wants you to remember your cues.”

  Lydia noticed someone else walking towards the shop and realized it must be close to their official opening time.

  “Why don’t you enjoy your flowers while I open the door?” she suggested. “You can enjoy your party for a little bit longer.”

  She headed to the door and turned on the lighted sign proclaiming the shop name. She also flipped the other sign from “closed” to “open.”

  However, the arrival of a customer turned out to be a false alarm. It was her best friend, Trina, who had been approaching. Lydia happily let her inside, though she was confused to see her there so early.

  “Good morning,” Lydia said. “Did you come to see the taffy flowers for Kelsey and Jeff?”

  “Well, since I’m here I might as well admire them and taste test some of your new taffy,” Trina said. “But I’m really here to see if you’ve given any more thought to my idea.”

  “What idea?” Lydia asked, trying to stall. She knew very well what Trina was referring to. For the past several days, her best friend had been suggesting that they go on a double date. Lydia had been avoiding this for a few reasons.

  The first was that Lydia wasn’t a huge fan of Trina’s boyfriend, Carl. Though he had become a slightly more attentive boyfriend after being cleared as a murder suspect, he still didn’t give Trina the devotion that Lydia thought her friend deserved. He also had a tendency to cancel dates at the last minute, and that would be embarrassing on a double d
ate.

  However, the main reason why Lydia didn’t want to agree to this was because she and Daniel weren’t technically dating. She and the handsome lifeguard had agreed that they liked spending time with one another, but they were moving slowly because of the emotional baggage that they were both carrying. She didn’t want him to feel forced into going on a date – and with two other people as witnesses.

  “You know what I’m talking about,” Trina said, putting her hands on her hips. “The double date! And I know the perfect place to do it.”

  “Trina, I do appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. It puts too much pressure on everybody.”

  “I thought you might say something like that. But that’s why I’ve decided to seek a second opinion.”

  “What do you mean?” Lydia asked.

  Trina smiled mischievously and helped herself to a piece of strawberry kiwi taffy. Lydia stared at her, trying to figure out what her angle was. She was grateful when the door to the shop opened again, hoping that the arrival of a customer might distract Trina from her plan. She soon realized that she was wrong about this because the person who walked inside was Daniel. He was carrying a container of boxed coffee and several cups.

  “I brought coffee for everyone because I remembered you were having a celebration,” he said.

  “That was very nice of you,” Lydia said. Though inwardly, she was cursing that she had ever mentioned to Trina the sweet habit that Daniel had picked up of bringing her coffee in exchange for taffy.

  “Well, I wanted to show that I support your staff. Jeff and Kelsey were supportive when I had concerns about that surfer.”

  “Daniel,” Trina said, stealing the conversation. “I’m really happy to see you today. I’ve been wanting Lydia to spend some more time with Carl and to get to know him better, but I don’t want her to feel like a third wheel if we all went out together. Would you be willing to join us? It will be low-key, but I know a great restaurant.”

  Daniel paused, clearly surprised by this invitation. Lydia was afraid he might drop the coffee and run.

  Daniel was a very private person who had moved to the Jersey Shore for a new start after he became a widower. It had taken time and bonding over clues on a murder investigation for him to open up to Lydia. Normally, he avoided talking to people more than was necessary. How would he react to the suggestion of spending the evening talking to Carl of all people– a man that they had once followed on a stakeout. Then, there was the implication that he and Lydia might be seen as a couple if they went. This might be too much for him.

  Trina’s smile wavered as she considered that maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

  However, Daniel seemed to recover from the surprise and nodded. “Sure. That sounds nice.”

  Lydia felt a smile creeping onto her face that he had accepted the invitation, but she was still worried about the double date itself. The group’s interactions might end up being more of a show than Kelsey’s play!

  2

  The Double Date

  The next evening, Lydia kept checking her phone to make sure that the double date was still going forward. However, it seemed like Trina’s determination had been thorough, and no one was willing to cancel on her.

  Lydia checked the postcard that she had received in the mail from her Aunt Edie, who was traveling the world, but now seemed a little closer because she was visiting the Grand Canyon. Aunt Edie normally gave very good advice, but her suggestion that Lydia enjoy the natural wonders around her didn’t help her with her outfit choice. She placed the postcard down and looked around her bedroom.

  Lydia kept changing her mind about what she should wear and soon had options spread out all over the room. Her dog, Sunny, wasn’t much help with deciding. However, the lazy pup did help her rule out a dress when Sunny fell asleep on one that was lying on the bed and soon had it covered with tan French bulldog mix hairs.

  She didn’t want to look overdressed because she was trying to downplay that this was a date that Daniel had been tricked into, but she also did want to look nice. She eventually settled on a floral sundress, picking it mostly because the pink and green shades in it reminded her of her strawberry kiwi taffy. Then, she spent some time trying to bring some life into her hair that normally sat in a messy bun on the top of her head while she made candy during the day.

  The doorbell rang, waking Sunny up from her nap. She jumped off the bed and plodded away to see who had arrived. Lydia was afraid that her hair looked worse than when she began and threw it up in another bun.

  Then, she followed Sunny to the front door. Sunny was wagging her tiny tail eagerly, and Lydia knew that Daniel was there before she swung open the door.

  He smiled and said, “You look nice.”

  “So, do you,” Lydia said, choosing to focus on his looks. It still wasn’t often that she saw him outside of his lifeguard uniform that he wore almost every day on the beach, but he looked nice in jeans and a button-down shirt.

  He bent down to pet Sunny who showed her affection by licking him on the nose. Lydia smiled. It was a good sign if your dog liked the person that you did.

  “Thank you again for doing this,” Lydia said. “I hope you didn’t feel forced into it.”

  “Not at all. It will be nice to spend some time with you and Trina when we’re not focused on a mystery,” Daniel said. “And I think this might be good for me too.”

  “Because you won’t have to cook dinner?” Lydia teased.

  “Because I know that I’ve been rather standoffish since I came to town. I haven’t made any efforts to befriend anyone. Except you. And that came about because I needed your help. I should try and be more social.”

  Sunny barked as if she agreed. They both smiled at her and then made sure she was settled inside the house. Sunny knew that the two humans were about to go out and didn’t make a fuss. Instead, she curled up on one of her favorite dog pillows with her tiny teddy bear.

  “Don’t throw any wild parties while I’m gone,” Lydia said, trying to tease her four-legged best friend, but Sunny was already starting to drift off to sleep. It didn’t look like there would be any raucous canine parties that night.

  Lydia was starting to feel more optimistic about the night as she and Daniel drove to the restaurant that Trina had chosen. It was an Italian place, with outdoor seating, that promised to be cozy and delicious. As they walked up to the door, scrumptious smells wafted up to their noses.

  Lydia still had a feeling that something might go wrong that night, and when she saw Trina alone at a table on the patio, she wondered if Carl really had stood her up. However, Carl appeared a moment later with an extra set of silverware and a smile on his face.

  He and Daniel shook hands and introductions were made. They all commented on how the menu had so many wonderful options that it would be difficult to choose, and Lydia pushed away her doubts. She still had a worried feeling about how the night would go, but it seemed unwarranted. Carl had shown up and was squeezing Trina’s hand when he wasn’t discussing appetizer options, and Daniel was engaging in the conversation and didn’t seem uncomfortable.

  They placed their orders for food and wine and fell into easy banter. At first, they spoke mostly about their jobs. Trina told them about some gossip about the hair salon – though Trina also used this as an opportunity to tease Lydia about her updo. Carl talked about his fish market and when to consider a shrimp jumbo. Daniel updated them on how the beaches had begun filling with tourists again after a jellyfish scare, but that he hadn’t had to rush into the water to perform rescues very often. Lydia said that the dessert menu at the restaurant was giving her ideas about other taffy flavors she could try. (How would tiramisu taffy taste?) She also told them how her detective brother seemed very happy with the woman he had begun dating and how excited she was for her employee’s theatrical show.

  “I know that Kelsey is very involved in the drama club at her high school,” Trina said. “But I can’t i
magine Jeff on stage.”

  “He’s doing it as a favor for Kelsey because they lost someone in the cast, but I think he’ll do a good job,” said Lydia.

  Then, their main course arrived, and the conversation stalled as they all enjoyed their food. However, they did reach a point where they could still pick at their meals and keep talking. Carl was asking Daniel about why he decided to move here, and Trina laughed.

  “I’m not sure you’re going to get an answer out of him,” she said. “All the women who come into my salon wonder about what brought this mysterious stranger to town and they don’t get any answers from him.”