Gingerbread Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 21 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) Read online

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  Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright 2015 by Maven Publishing & Summer Prescott Books - All rights reserved.

  All rights Reserved. No part of this publication or the information in it may be quoted from or reproduced in any form by means such as printing, scanning, photocopying or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 1

  Melissa Gladstone Beckett hummed tunelessly as she loaded four more trays of cupcakes into her spotless commercial oven to bake. She loved being in her shop Cupcakes in Paradise in the early morning, before the rest of the world was awake. The petite blonde lifted the sizable trays with a confidence born of years of experience. Missy had been the proud owner of two cupcake shops in Louisiana before moving to Florida’s Gulf Coast with her new husband, Detective Chas Beckett. The couple had bought a pre-Civil War era bed and breakfast inn, The Beach House B&B, and when the elderly woman who owned the cottage next door put her home up for sale, Missy had bought it to turn into a cupcake shop and tea room.

  Hearing the bells jangle over the front door, Missy assumed that it must be her best friend and morning helper, Echo Willis, coming in. Red-haired, carefree, former Californian, Echo had met Missy when she opened a vegan ice cream shop across the street from one of her Louisiana cupcake shops, Crème de la Cupcake in Dellville. The two had become the best of friends instantly, and were both heartbroken when Missy moved to Florida and Echo moved back to California. The left coast didn’t hold nearly as much appeal when her bestie was on the other side of the country, so Echo relocated to Florida and now worked with Missy in the mornings, and managed an art gallery in the afternoons.

  “Hey darlin,” Missy called out from the kitchen. “If you can start the coffee, I’ll be out there shortly.”

  Surprised that she didn’t receive a response, but hearing the telltale sounds of coffee being made, she finished putting the cupcakes in the oven, set the timer and headed for the little bistro table in the front corner of the shop, where she, Echo, and Phillip “Kel” Kellerman, the artist for whom Echo worked, met every morning for coffee. Kel knew just about everyone in the town of Calgon, Florida, and filled newcomers Missy and Echo in on all of the interesting, bizarre and scandalous happenings around town during their morning coffee and cupcake chats. Their routine was consistent, she’d put the cupcakes in the oven, Echo would start the coffee, and Kel would come in to eat, drink and be merry.

  “Hey gorgeous,” Missy greeted her friend, grabbing three coffee mugs and heading to the display case to see which cupcakes she wanted to plate for their gathering. “Are you feeling a Morning Glory muffin, or an Orange-Carrot cupcake for breakfast?” she asked, looking for vegan options.

  “I’m not really hungry,” Echo murmured. Missy looked up in alarm at her friend’s tone. She’d been having a bit of a mid-life crisis, and seemed as though she might be sliding into depression.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Missy asked, noting the dark circles under the fair redhead’s eyes, and the fact that she seemed more pale than usual.

  Echo sighed. “I’m fine. I didn’t really sleep well last night, that’s all.”

  “Well, sit yourself down, and I’ll bring your coffee and cupcake to the table.”

  “But I can…” she began to protest. Missy would have none of it. She was born and raised with good old southern hospitality, and if someone was feeling down, she immediately took it upon herself to nurture them.

  “I mean it, now. Go on,” she gave Echo’s shoulder a squeeze and shooed her out from behind the counter. Realizing that resistance was futile in the face of her friend’s care and concern, she followed orders and headed for the table, flopping into a chair and dropping her head into her hands.

  “Sweetie, you have got to snap out of this,” Missy said, frowning. “You look like a ghost that’s tired of haunting.”

  “I just feel so…restless…out of sorts…like I haven’t accomplished anything in my life,” she mumbled.

  “We’ve been over this,” Missy reminded her. “You are kind, and loving, and can do anything that you set your mind to. You’ve put Kel’s gallery on the map…internationally, and you’re my right hand man. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You have lots of people in your life who love you for exactly who you are…honey, it doesn’t get too much better than that,” she said, putting a steaming cup of coffee and an Orange-Carrot cupcake in front of her.

  “I know,” Echo sighed again. “Intellectually, I know all of that, and I fully realize that I should just be grateful for where I am, rather than wondering about where I could have been, but I just can’t seem to shake this funk that I’ve been in.”

  “Well, our yoga class starts tomorrow evening, don’t forget. That’ll probably help. In the meantime, I’m prescribing a walk on the beach right after your coffee and cupcake time.”

  “That’s actually a really good idea,” Echo nodded. “I always feel better after putting my bare feet in the sand and breathing that amazing salt air.”

  “Perfect. Then you can come back here, and we’ll go to lunch before you have to get to the gallery. I’ll just have Spencer mind the shop while I’m gone,” Missy replied, referring to the young veteran who served as the handyman for the Inn. The Marine also helped out with afternoon tea and receptions, mixed and served drinks at functions and drove the shopping shuttle for the guests. Whenever Missy needed someone to take care of the cupcake shop, he was always willing to come over and lend a hand, usually leaving with a couple different flavors of cupcakes, at his boss’s insistence.

  “Hey, where’s Kel this morning anyway?” Missy asked, suddenly realizing that the artist hadn’t shown up yet. The man was pathologically punctual and should’ve arrived already.

  “He’s out of town today, talking to a client who wants to purchase some things from his latest collection,” Echo replied, sipping her coffee.

  “Well, good for him,” Missy grinned. She was a big fan of Kel’s artwork and was excited to know that he was doing so well.

  “Yeah, things have been going great for him lately. Hey, am I going to get in trouble if I take the cupcake and coffee to go so that I can get started on my walk?” she teased half-heartedly.

  “Nope, it’s allowed, let me get you a to-go cup,” her friend replied, out of her chair and behind the counter before Echo had time to respond. In a jiffy, she had the coffee cup filled and the cupcake in a bag.


  “Enjoy it,” she said gently, giving her friend a hug. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

  “I know,” Echo agreed softly, managing to muster a smile. “See you for lunch,” she promised.

  Chapter 2

  Echo filled her lungs with the fragrant ocean breeze as she slipped off her sandals, leaving them underneath a beach chair. Taking her coffee and cupcake with her, she headed down the beach, attempting to clear her head and shake the doldrums in which she’d been wallowing for a couple of weeks now. She hated being a “Debbie Downer,” but she just had the sinking feeling that she had become all that she would ever be, and that she had nearly nothing to show for more than forty years of life on planet Earth.

  Trying to figure out what she should be doing, or what she should strive toward, had occupied much of her time awake, as well as haunting the hours that she should have been sleeping. She felt alone, despite being surrounded by friends who were like family, and wondered what it was about her that seemed to doom her to living alone, without the steady, warm presence of a caring man snoring peacefully beside her. She knew that spending so much time dwelling on these things was neither healthy, nor beneficial, but the more she tried to avoid and evade the persistent thoughts, the more mercilessly they seemed to chase her.

  Early morning walks on the beach were the best. The breeze riffled through the palm leaves, making them whisper, and the cool sand sifted silkily under her feet, as Echo wandered in and out of the water’s edge, lost in thought, but certainly not oblivious to nature’s soothing beauty. Looking up, as she rounded a bend that put the Beach House B&B out of sight behind her, she saw a young man sitting in the edge of the surf.

  His sun-bleached hair was tied back in a messy ponytail that looked like it hadn’t been immersed in anything but salt water for quite some time, and he wore only faded turquoise-blue board shorts and a bead necklace made from shells. He was holding his left foot in one hand and poking at it with the other. As Echo neared the young man, she saw a slight grimace of pain on his face.

  “Are you okay?” she called out as she approached.

  “Glass,” was the pained reply.

  “Oh dear,” Echo knelt down beside him and looked at his foot. He tilted it toward her so that she could see, and she saw a cut that looked to be about an inch long on the inside of his arch, just in front of the heel.

  “Is it deep?” she asked, noticing that the young man’s eyes were a startling shade of jade green.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so, it stopped bleeding. I got all of the glass out, so it should be okay, I guess,” he shrugged.

  “Doesn’t the salt water make it hurt worse?” she asked, biting her lip. Echo hated to see anyone, or anything suffer, and the sight of his cut made her shiver a bit, despite the sun on her back.

  “Who knows? Maybe. But I’m hoping that the salt will take care of any bacteria that might have tried to get in there.”

  Echo looked around the immediate area, trying to spot a pile of belongings or a lawn chair or something. “Do you live nearby? Can I help you walk home?”

  The young man gave her a crooked smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve pretty much been sleeping in that little clearing between the palmettos over there,” he pointed to a spot further up the beach. “I have a little bit of duct tape left, I’ll just tape it over and hope for the best.”

  “You’re homeless?” Echo asked, eyes widening. “But you seem so…” her voice trailed off.

  “Normal?” he chuckled ruefully. “Yeah, I was completely normal until my mom got sick,” a dark shadow seemed to pass over his handsome features. “I dropped out of college to take care of her. After she died, there was nothing left – no house, no car, no money for college or anything else. I came down here because it’s warm enough to sleep outside in the winter without freezing to death,” the young man explained, his gaze dropping back down to his foot.

  “Oh, that’s awful,” Echo frowned. “Isn’t there any way that you can find work or something?” she asked, wondering how such a seemingly bright and personable guy had ended up sleeping on the beach.

  “I’ve tried, believe me. It’s just impossible to get a job without having a phone or an address. I’ve been going block by block, talking to people at every business to see if I could wash dishes or mop floors, or anything, but so far there haven’t been any takers. There have been a handful of nice people who let me mow their lawn or wash their car or something in exchange for a meal, so that’s kept me going, but I’m beginning to wonder what I’m going to do,” he shrugged.

  “But, enough about me…what’s a beautiful lady like you doing walking on the beach looking so sad?” his green eyes missed nothing.

  “Getting a sense of perspective apparently,” Echo murmured, feeling a bit ashamed. “I brought you something,” she handed him the bag containing her cupcake.

  “You didn’t even know I existed until now, but you brought me something?” he quirked an eyebrow at her.

  “Yep, I’m just cool like that,” she grinned, not prepared to take no for an answer.

  She sat with the young man while he devoured the cupcake, saying nothing, just enjoying the beautiful morning.

  “Did you make that?” he asked, licking his fingers.

  “No, I have a friend who’s amazing in the kitchen,” Echo admitted, glad that he had liked her vegan cupcake.

  “Yes, you do,” he nodded. “That was awesome – thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she replied, her heart aching for him. “What’s your name?”

  “Beau. Beau Garrity,” he replied, holding out his damp, sandy hand.

  “Echo,” she shook it.

  “Nice to meet you ma’am,” he grinned.

  “Likewise.”

  Chapter 3

  “Hello?” Spencer Bengal picked up his phone, glad that it had rung before he started painting the white wooden fence that surrounded the Inn.

  Hearing Echo’s voice, he listened intently, nodding as she spoke.

  “No problem, ma’am. I’ll see you in a few,” he promised.

  He replaced the lid on his paint can, grabbed his extra pair of running shoes and headed for the Shopping Shuttle. It was only a short drive to the spot on the beach where Echo had indicated that he should come pick her and her new friend up. He was surprised to see that his extra passenger was a young man about his age. Echo introduced the two, and Beau asked if he could use the First Aid kit that was in the front of the shuttle. The only belongings that he carried with him were contained in a small, well-worn backpack.

  Echo filled Spencer in as to how she and Beau had met, on the drive back to the Inn. The Marine took it all in without saying much, but was clearly lost in thought.

  “I’ve been there, man,” he said, glancing at Beau in the rearview mirror. “I could really use some help around the Inn for a few days if you’re looking for work. There’s plenty to do that’ll keep you pretty much off of that foot until it heals.”

  Beau nodded. “Sounds like a plan, thanks. The shoes feel great. I haven’t worn anything but taped together rubber flip-flops for weeks – I really appreciate the loan,” he replied, gazing down at the running shoes that were identical to the ones that Spencer wore.

  “No problem. I always keep a spare pair on hand in case one set gets wet or muddy. Keep ‘em, it’s about time for me to by two new pairs anyway.”

  “Thanks, man,” Beau’s eyes met Spencer’s in the mirror and he gave a grateful nod.

  “No prob. When we get back to the Inn, Maggie will need some help doing prep for afternoon tea, so we can give her a hand and scare up some sandwiches for ourselves while we’re at it.”

  Echo’s eyes filled with tears at the Marine’s deftness in handling what would have been an awkward situation for most. “Hey, Spence, will you just drop me off at the cupcake shop on your way?” she asked.

  “You got it.”

  With her perspective and outlook greatly changed
, Echo shook hands with Beau on her way out of the shuttle, gave Spencer’s shoulder an appreciative squeeze, and went down the steps to tell Missy of her encounter.

  **

  “Wow…so he was living on the beach?” Missy asked, pausing the mixer that was gently fluffing up a decadent looking frosting.

  Echo nodded. “Poor guy. He’s had such a hard time and has such a positive attitude. He made me feel ashamed of the way that I’ve been moping around. My life is a piece of cake comparatively, and I’ve been Miss Gloom and Doom,” she shook her head.

  “It’s all relative, sweetie. We all have our life challenges. How we handle them depends a lot upon how stressed, tired, sad, or whatever we are at the time.”

  “Yeah, I suppose. What is it that smells so amazing in here?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “I invented a new cupcake for the holiday season, and if it tastes as good as it smells, it’s sure to be a hit,” Missy enthused, grabbing one from the cooling rack and holding it up. “It’s a gingerbread cupcake, with cream cheese filling, cinnamon cream frosting, and a drizzle of apple-caramel glaze.”

  “And now I’m starving,” Echo teased. “I hope you’re going to do a vegan version.”

  “Well, we’ll see how well this one turns out first,” her friend replied practically. “Wait…why are you starving? You gave that young man your cupcake, didn’t you?” she accused lightly, knowing her tenderhearted friend.

  “Of course I did. Goodness only knows how long it had been since the poor guy had a decent meal. You could see his ribs,” she said, looking sad.

  “If that’s the case, once Maggie sees him, he’ll be so stuffed that he won’t be able to move for a while,” Missy chuckled.

  “Absolutely,” Echo giggled. “I can’t tell you how perfectly Spencer handled that whole situation. He’s quite a guy.”

  Missy wholeheartedly agreed. “He and Chas have become buddies, and Chas thinks the world of him. I’m really glad that he’s become part of our circle.”