Caramel Creme Killer: Book 3 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Caramel Crème Killer

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

  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 19

  Caramel Crème Killer

  Book Three in the INNcredibly Sweet Series

  By

  Summer Prescott

  Copyright 2016 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.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

  I’m sending out hugs and oodles of thanks to my delightful reader, Pam Breckman Barker, for providing the inspiration that allowed me to create the sunshiny-sweet character, Dayne Baker. Thank you so much Pam—I think you’ll recognize quite a few characters in this book!

  I would also be remiss if I didn’t give a hearty thank you to the brilliant and generous Kym Durham, who has been instrumental in getting my Fan Page on Facebook off the ground, as well as running the contest that Pam won. Kym has been such a delight to work with—I don’t know what I would do without her support!

  To my Muse… you know who you are… I never would have had the courage to follow my dreams without your consistent support and unwavering belief in me. You’ve been by my side from the beginning, and I can’t begin to thank you enough!

  And finally, to all of my sweet, wonderful and supportive readers—I am so thankful for each and every one of you. You’ve enjoyed my stories and stuck by me through thick and thin. You touch my heart daily with your messages, posts, and emails—thank you, thank you, thank you!

  CARAMEL CRÈME

  KILLER

  Book 3 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series

  CHAPTER 1

  Cupcakes in Paradise owner Melissa Gladstone-Beckett was tending her shop about an hour away from closing time, when she heard delighted little yips and saw a pleasant-looking woman with stylishly short salt-and-pepper hair peering through the glass door of the shop, two wiggling little dachshunds at her feet. Missy beckoned for the woman to come in, and she opened the door a crack, poking her head in, her cheeks a bit flushed.

  “I have my little dears with me… is it okay if I bring them in with me?”

  “Of course,” Missy exclaimed, reaching for the bag of treats that she kept beneath the counter.

  A lifelong animal lover, she always delighted in meeting new furry friends. She came out from behind the counter, treats in hand, but hidden from the happy little dogs, until she could ask their human if it was okay to offer them a treat.

  “If they’d like a C-O-O-K-I-E,” she spelled it out, knowing that almost every dog she’d ever met knew what the word cookie meant. “These are organic and gluten-free.”

  “Oh, how lovely of you!” the woman exclaimed. “Yes, of course, they can have a cookie.”

  At the mention of the magical C-word, both dogs began to wriggle and wag their tails, happy expressions on their sweet faces.

  “Well, who do we have here?” Missy asked, bending down to greet the excited pups and asking them to sit before giving them their cookies.

  “The black and tan is Daimler, and the red one is Benz. I’m Dayne Baker, their lifelong servant,” the woman chuckled. “I’ve been meaning to come over and meet you since you and your husband bought the Beach House B&B and this place, but it’s been a busy year, so… sorry for the delay in hospitality, but here I am.”

  “I’m so glad you came by,” the delighted shop owner replied, standing up after one final pat on the head for each of the doggies. “Are we neighbors?”

  “Of sorts,” Dayne nodded. “The ‘boys’ and I live a mile or so down the road,” she explained, pointing to the north.

  “Oh my goodness, y’all must be thirsty,” Missy realized, noticing her neighbor’s flushed cheeks. “Why don’t you take a seat, and I’ll get some ice water for all of you. Would you like some coffee too?” she asked, heading behind the counter, and stopping to wash her hands.

  “Oh, I can’t stay long, so just the water will be fine,” the woman assured her with a perpetually sunny smile. “But I may take some of those delicious-looking cupcakes home with me,” she eyed the glass display case filled with luscious treats.

  Missy returned with two small plastic bowls of ice water for the boys, and a tall tumbler for Dayne.

  “I’d be happy to make a to-go box for you. Which ones would you like to try?”

  The woman chuckled again. “All of them, but I think I’ll try to restrain myself to just two this time. Which ones would you recommend?”

  “I tried out a new recipe this morning that I’m pretty excited about, and it’s had rave reviews so far. The ones on the top there, on the left… those are Caramel Crème Delights. They’re a regular yellow cupcake, with a liquid caramel center, topped with whipped vanilla frosting, drizzled in caramel sauce, and sprinkled with crushed toffee bits,” Missy explained, making her neighbor’s mouth water.

  “Oh my… I may have gained a pound just listening to the description, but I’ll definitely take one of those. What about for the second one?” Dayne asked, gratefully sipping her ice water, while the boys slurped theirs with joyful abandon.

  “For something entirely different, the ones on the top right are my Purple People Pleasers. They have a pureed berry mix folded into the batter and combined with the buttercream frosting.”

  “Sold!” the jolly woman exclaimed, setting down her empty water glass. “Wrap ‘em up and I’ll take ‘em home. One will be for dessert tonight, and the other will be wonderful with coffee for my breakfast in the morning.”

  “Coming right up,” Missy grinned, glad that Dayne had stopped by.

  The woman was truly delightful, and her dogs were precious. Seeing Daimler and Benz made her eager to close up the shop and get home to Toffee, her beautiful golden retriever, and Bitsy, her spunky little maltipoo. She loved taking the “girls” for their daily sunset walk on the beach behind the inn that she owned with her handsome and clever husband, Detective Chas Beckett.

  Missy smiled as she cleaned up and prepared to close her cozy little shop for the day. Life was so good—she had a wonderful husband who loved her, loyal furry babies, two thriving businesses, a handful of dear friends, and had just met a woman who radiated warmth like a traveling sunbeam. While she missed her hometown in Louisiana, she was grateful that she now lived right on the ocean and that her life was so sweet in many other ways.

  She’d be traveling back to LaChance, Louisiana, soon enough—a dear friend, who was like an adopted son to her, would be getting married in a few months, and had requested her help in putting the wedding together. Her trip would mark the first time that she’d been back to the town where she’d lived her entire life, since she had moved to Calgon several months ago, and she couldn’t wait to visit with old friends, eat at her favorite Cajun restaur
ant, and drive by her former home.

  It had been difficult to sell the buttery-yellow Victorian with white trim and a yard full of towering trees draped in Spanish moss. The house had belonged to her parents, who had died in a car accident when she was only seventeen. With the help of friends and community members, Missy had kept her parents’ muffin bakery—Missy’s Muffins and More—thriving; but she added her own personal touch to the shop by making cupcakes the key product. She managed to finish college while running the business, joking with friends that she could do it because “sleep was overrated.”

  Her heart sometimes ached for her old hometown and all of the memories and comfort surrounding it, but she never regretted starting her new life with her husband in Florida. Heading home to the owner’s quarters of the Beach House Inn, she walked with a spring in her step, appreciating her many blessings.

  CHAPTER 2

  Mortician Timothy Eckels had allowed himself to be persuaded by Detective Chas Beckett to take the position of Interim Medical Examiner for Calgon after the previous M.E. had been fired. The truth of the matter was that examining bodies for evidence of foul play was something that Tim found intriguing. Since he was the only mortician in town and would eventually receive every corpse anyway, he figured that if he performed the postmortem exams, he could at least control the condition of the body until it was time to prepare it for presentation.

  Tim wandered down the stately halls of Havenwood Retirement Center lost and looking for the front office so that someone could take him to the room of their most recent late resident. Calls from nursing homes were not rare, and the mortician knew that he’d come to know this place well.

  “Excuse me, sir? Are you from Memorial Mortuary by any chance?” a plump woman with salt-and-pepper hair and wearing a pink volunteer smock materialized in front of him.

  “Yes, I’m Timothy Eckels,” Tim replied, pushing his coke-bottle-lensed glasses up his nose with his forefinger and peering at the woman, who smiled pleasantly at him, despite her look of concern.

  “Oh good, I hope you haven’t been here long. We’ve just been trying to keep the residents calm and away from the deceased’s room,” she said quietly, looking about. “I’ll take you there now. Follow me,” the woman directed, beckoning the mortician and heading down the hall at a brisk pace.

  Despite the fact that by all appearances today’s death was just a “natural causes” event, Tim would still carefully survey the scene and the corpse, just in case. One never knew when something suspicious would turn up, and he prided himself in catching even the most subtle clues.

  Nope, there was no doubt about it, the resident had died of natural causes this time around, no mystery, no dubious circumstances—it had been a straightforward shutting down of a body past its expiration date. Tim covered the deceased with a sheet, and called his assistant Fiona over to assist with preparation for transport. The woman who had greeted him and led him to the body was still hovering about.

  “Sir, excuse me,” she said softly, not wanting to interrupt. “If you don’t need anything further, I’ll just be going. I have other residents to visit.” She handed him a piece of paper. “Here’s the contact info for the deceased’s family.”

  “I have some forms that will need to be signed,” Tim replied, taking the paper.

  “Of course. One of the nurses, Lynette Kempthorn, will be happy to help you with that,” she pointed out a young, dark-haired woman who was taking inventory of the medical equipment that had been in the deceased’s room.

  “Okay,” Tim blinked at the volunteer.

  “Just let Lynette know if you need anything else,” the volunteer smiled and patted the mortician on the arm on her way out.

  “Wow, I want whatever drugs Sally Sunshine is taking that keep her smiling in a creepy place like this,” Fiona remarked dryly, staring after the volunteer.

  Tim’s assistant had joined him shortly after he’d been ushered into the final resting place of his latest client. When he’d met the brash young woman who had demanded that he hire her, she’d had multiple piercings, tattoos, and a mohawk. One of the conditions of her employment was that she had to adopt a more professional look that wouldn’t “scare” potential clients.

  The mortician had put Fiona together with Missy and her best friend Echo, who happened to be Tim’s next door neighbor, then sent her off for a makeover: clothes, hair, makeup, the works. He’d barely recognized her when she returned, and had hired the attractive young woman on the spot.

  “So, you work with dead bodies for a living, but you find a nursing home creepy?” the mortician blinked at her. “They’re our best suppliers.”

  Fiona stifled a giggle, fully realizing that her boss wasn’t kidding. Part of what she loved about working for him was that the man had few discernable social filters. He just said what was on his mind, not seeming to know or care that “normal” people were often queasy about his perspective.

  “I guess I just never looked at it that way,” she shook her head, returning her focus to the clipboard in her hand.

  Tim got the required signatures from Nurse Lynette, then he and Fiona bagged, tagged, and transported the former Mr. Samuel Reynolds to Memorial Mortuary for preparation.

  CHAPTER 3

  Several mornings a week, Missy met her best friend, Echo Willis, a flame-haired former Californian, and Echo’s fiancé, Phillip “Kel” Kellerman, a local but world-renowned artist, for coffee and cupcakes at their favorite bistro table in her shop. Missy and Echo, relative newcomers to Calgon, would be brought up to speed on scandals, business affairs, and relational changes of the town’s residents by Kel, who had lived in the seaside town his entire life.

  “What news do you have for us today, Kel?” Missy asked, placing a platter of cupcakes in the center of the table while Echo poured them each a cup of steaming Costa Rican coffee.

  “Which ones are vegan?” Echo asked, before he could answer, looking at the platter of delectable goodies.

  “The ones with the carob chip on top,” Missy replied absently, looking expectantly at Kel.

  She always tried to make a vegan version of every new cupcake recipe, so that her animal-loving best friend would be able to partake.

  “Well, dear lady, as you know, we have the annual May Day Parade coming up, and a very dear lady, Dayne Baker, has been named Grand Marshal this year… ” he began.

  “Oh! I met Dayne Baker yesterday,” Missy exclaimed, interrupting the artist. “She came in with her adorable dachshunds.”

  “That would be her,” Kel nodded. “She’s quite active in charity work and community affairs. She’s been a volunteer at Havenwood for years. It’s about time that this town recognized her for her effort.”

  “How do you know her?” Echo asked, wiping a blob of frosting from the corner of her mouth.

  “We went to the same high school, but she was a few years ahead of me. Comes from a solid, middle-class family. Her parents weren’t wealthy, but since she was an only child, everything that they had went to her when they passed. At any rate, I’m on the committee to solicit goods and services for the event, and I’m hoping that you might be able to host a cupcake booth?” Kel turned to Missy and smiled sweetly, selecting a cupcake from the platter.

  “Absolutely,” she agreed without hesitation. She and Chas both made it a policy to help out their community whenever possible.

  “Wonderful. I’ve already signed you up,” he chuckled, ducking when Echo swung playfully at him.

  “Behave yourself, young lady,” he warned his fiancée with an adoring look. “I’ve signed you up for a candle stand.”

  Echo had begun making hand-dipped, sculpted, cupcake-scented candles to sell in Missy’s shop and at the inn; they’d become so popular, so quickly, with both tourists and regulars, that she ended up opening her own store in a quaint downtown location.

  “I’d have been offended if you hadn’t,” she grinned at Kel, who was wolfing down a cupcake and couldn’t answer.
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br />   “I need a new dress for the occasion, don’t you?” Missy asked, her eyes brightening at the thought of a girls’ day.

  “I believe I do,” was Echo’s instant and enthusiastic response.

  “On that note,” Kel rose, swallowing his last bite. “I unfortunately must take my leave. I have a client coming in early, and he may want to purchase the entirety of my current collection. Farewell, dear ladies, do try not to get into too much trouble without me,” he directed with an impish grin.

  They said their goodbyes, with Echo and Missy sitting quietly for a moment, basking in the warmth of deep friendship, sumptuous cupcakes, and dark, rich coffee.

  “How’s your favorite guest?” Echo asked after a bit, inclining her head toward the inn.

  Izzy Gillmore, a young, introverted, world-famous horror novelist, had been staying at the inn for a few weeks, enjoying the quiet atmosphere that seemed to unleash her creativity. At first, the author had rented out the entire inn so that she could have complete solitude, aside from seeing Maggie, the silver-haired innkeeper, at breakfast. After a few weeks, however, she had relaxed enough to allow Missy to open up the rooms to other guests, and had been coping quite well with the occasional stranger passing through her sanctuary.

  “She seems to be doing really well, actually. She comes down from her room more often, and has been spending some time every day at the pool and on the beach,” Missy replied, clearly pleased.

  The author had a micromanaging publisher who was slowly learning to give her the space that she needed.

  “That wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain hunky Marine handyman, would it?” Echo waggled her brows and sipped her coffee.

  “Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but it does seem a bit like there might be a romance blossoming between her and Spencer,” Missy smiled.