Streusel Creme Killer: Book 5 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  STREUSEL 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

  Streusel Creme Killer

  Book Five in the NNcredibly 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:

  As I sit writing this book, I look out a large picture window to my left and see the raw, untamed beauty of the Alaskan wilderness. It has been on my “bucket list” for quite some time, to visit our northernmost state, and now that my daughter has chosen to make this frontier her home, here I am.

  While at some point in my life, I would have made it a point to travel here, perhaps on a cruise, or as part of a tour, chances are that I would not experience it as I am now, in all of its unvarnished beauty. My daughter courageously decided to make a bold move and relocate to Alaska to provide guidance and support to native families. She fearlessly makes the most of every opportunity to learn about and embrace a culture that is very different from the one in which she was raised, and has seen her world through new eyes as a result.

  In many ways, I envy her for having the chance to view life through an entirely different perspective, yet I am enough of a realist to know that her path is challenging, to say the least. I admire the brave, stout-hearted woman that my daughter has become, and am so grateful that she has provided me with this amazing opportunity to experience this very different part of our United States, in a profound way.

  While this particular book won’t reflect any details of my experiences here, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Missy and Chas, or perhaps Spencer, will have an Alaskan adventure sometime soon.

  Author’s note: I’d love to hear your thoughts on my books, the storylines, and anything else that you’d like to comment on—reader feedback is very important to me. My contact information, along with some other helpful links, is listed below. If you’d like to be on my list of “folks to contact” with updates, release and sales notifications, etc.… just shoot me an email and let me know. Thanks for reading!

  Also…

  … if you’re looking for more great reads, I am proud to announce that Summer Prescott Books publishes a popular series by new cozy author Patti Benning. Check out my book catalog http://summerprescottbooks.com/book-catalog/ for her delicious stories.

  Contact Info for Summer Prescott:

  Twitter: @summerprescott1

  Blog and Book Catalog: http://summerprescottbooks.com

  Email: [email protected]

  And… look me up on Facebook—let’s be friends!

  If you’re an author and are interested in publishing with Summer Prescott Books, please send me an email and I’ll send you submission guidelines.

  STREUSEL CRÈME KILLER

  Book 5 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series

  CHAPTER 1

  Melissa Gladstone-Beckett, a petite, blonde, bundle of energy, who, along with her handsome and clever husband, Detective Chas Beckett, owned The Beach House Bed and Breakfast, along with the shop next door, Cupcakes in Paradise, in the sleepy seaside town of Calgon, Florida, was glad to be back home. She’d just made a visit to the town where she was born, raised, and had lived most of her adult life, LaChance, Louisiana, that hadn’t turned out quite the way that she had expected. After a hair-raising encounter with a serial killer, Missy was more than glad to get back to the mundane, yet comforting, tasks of baking and greeting guests at the Inn.

  She bustled about her small commercial kitchen at the cupcake shop, putting the finishing touches on some luscious-looking Cocoa Loco cupcakes, when her best friend, Echo Willis came in. The flame-haired, free-spirited, former Californian, showed up for coffee and cupcakes with Missy nearly every morning, usually accompanied by her fiancé, local, but world-renowned artist, Phillip “Kel” Kellerman, who filled the gals in on local gossip.

  Kel had lived in Calgon his entire life, and seemed to know everything about everyone in the tightly knit community. He delighted in filling in relative newcomers, Missy and Echo, on the scandals, accomplishments, business dealings and relational strife of his fellow Calgonites, and used their morning coffee and cupcake time to share any juicy news.

  “Hey darlin,” Missy greeted her best friend, her Louisiana accent delightfully profound. “Did you put the coffee on?”

  “Of course,” Echo gave her friend a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, did you make a vegan version of those?” she asked, eyeing the Cocoa Loco.

  “Of course. They’re the ones on the tray that have little mint leaves on them.”

  “Fantastic, I’m starving, and I have a surprise for you,” Echo picked up the tray and took it out to their favorite bistro table, the smell of brewing coffee, alongside the luscious cupcakes making her stomach growl.

  “You know I don’t like surprises,” Missy called out, carrying a heavy tray loaded with cupcakes to put in the glass display cases in the front of the shop.

  “This is a good surprise, I promise.”

  “Okay,” Missy said with a skeptical shake of the head. “I’m running a bit late this morning, so I’ll put these out while we chat. What’s the surprise?”

  “Open your mouth and close your eyes,” Echo instructed.

  “No way.”

  “Oh, come on, be a good sport, you do this to me all the time,” she tapped her foot, hands on hips.

  It was true. Missy was forever springing vegan taste tests on her friend, using the same method.

  “Fine,” she sighed, closing her eyes.

  “No peeking,” Echo chuckled.

  She took something out of a plastic bag that she had brought with her, and popped a bite of whatever-it-was into her friend’s mouth.

  Missy’s eyes widened in surprise, and she put her hand up in front of her mouth to speak while she chewed.

  “Oh my goodness, what is this?” she breathed.

  “The lady who owns the bookstore next to my candle shop brought it over yesterday. It’s her vegan streusel cake. I tried it and immediately thought you’d want to make it into cupcakes,” Echo explained with a grin.

  “You know me too well,” Missy nodded. “This is absolutely delicious. It’s moist and sweet, with great texture. I think I know exactly how I’m going to make my Streusel Crème Cupcakes. Okay, you’re right, this was a good surprise,” she admitted.

  “Told you,” Echo grinned smugly.

  “Where’s Kel this morning?” Missy asked, going back to loading the display cases.

  “He has a potential buyer coming in to the gallery for a private tour this morning. She’s scouting for her father, and has seen Kel’s work in Paris, so she wanted to meet him and check out what pieces he has here.”

  “Wow, that sounds like it
could be a good thing. Where is she from?”

  “Well, from what I understand, they have multiple houses in multiple countries, but I think their home base is New York,” Echo explained, biting deeply into her vegan Carob Loco cupcake.

  A thought struck Missy. “Wait, her name wouldn’t happen to be Carlotta Lehman, would it?”

  Echo put down her cupcake and stared at her friend.

  “How on earth did you know that?” she asked.

  Missy giggled at her friend’s thunderstruck expression.

  “Because she’s staying her at the Inn, silly.”

  Echo grinned. “Guess I should have thought of that. Here I was wondering if you had suddenly developed psychic abilities.”

  “No thank you. I wouldn’t want to know what other people are thinking.”

  “Could come in handy,” her friend teased.

  “Could be dangerous,” Missy shot back.

  “So, have you met her yet?” Echo changed the subject.

  “Carlotta? Yes, I met her yesterday when she checked in, with more suitcases than anyone who’s ever stayed here, including full wedding parties,” Missy rolled her eyes.

  “What’s she like?”

  “Very pretty…very much accustomed to having things done her way,” Missy shrugged. “Why?”

  “I’m afraid if I tell you, you’ll either think I’m crazy, or a terrible person or something,” Echo confessed, avoiding her friend’s eyes.

  “Don’t be silly. I know who you are. So, spill it – what’s up with Carlotta?”

  “I feel really awful for saying this, but…having seen some of the emails that she’s sent to Kel to arrange her visit…I almost wonder if…” she hesitated to go on, clearly uncomfortable.

  “…If she might be interested in procuring more than just art from your beloved Kel?” Missy guessed.

  Again, Echo looked at her in astonishment, and Missy laughed.

  “No, I’m still not psychic. I just saw the way that she behaved when Spencer and Chas were in the room, and it was very different from her manner when it was just me, Carlotta and Maggie,” she explained.

  Maggie was the sweet-natured, silver-haired innkeeper that Chas and Missy had “inherited” when they purchased the Inn several months prior.

  “I think that our dear Carlotta may have grown up with the idea that manipulating men by toying with their affections may be the best way for a woman to get what she wants.”

  “Eww,” Echo made a face.

  “My thoughts exactly, but, never fear. Your dear Kel has eyes for no one but you, honey,” Missy reassured her friend.

  “Yeah, I know,” Echo bit her lip uncertainly.

  CHAPTER 2

  Echo’s mind was still a million miles away, wondering about Kel, and Carlotta, and a dozen other things, when she descended the steps of the bus, to walk the few blocks to her candle shop in a quaint turn-of-the-century building in downtown Calgon. Despite the fact that she no longer lived in California, where she’d been born and raised, she still made every effort to minimize her carbon footprint. She didn’t have a car, so she used public transportation or walked to get wherever she needed to go. Kel, who owned a luxury sedan, thought that her dedication to saving the planet was admirable, but he preferred to travel in comfort and style.

  Turning the corner, onto the street where her shop was located, Echo’s heart skipped a beat when she saw an ambulance, several police cars, and Chas Beckett’s non-descript beige police sedan parked in front of her shop. She strode far more briskly toward the hive of activity, looking for Chas, and found him inside the bookstore next door, with Carmen Feeney, the owner, who was in tears and clutching a handkerchief to her chest.

  “Oh, Echo, it’s so awful,” Carmen cried, shaking her head when she saw her new friend.

  “Hi Chas,” Echo greeted the detective before going to her friend. “Carmen, what happened?”

  Before the dear woman could answer, Chas spoke.

  “Echo, it’s good to see you. If you’ll wait next door for me, I need to speak with you once I’m done with Mrs. Feeney,” he said, his tone purely professional.

  Echo took the hint.

  “No problem,” she murmured, heading for the door.

  When she reached the sidewalk, she had some indication of why Carmen Feeney was so upset…the Medical Examiner’s hearse had just pulled up.

  “Chas, what happened?” she asked worriedly, when the detective came into the candle shop a couple of hours later.

  His look was grim, as was his response.

  “There was an apparent homicide in the bookstore,” he replied.

  Echo’s mouth fell open in surprise and fear.

  “There was a murder…right next door?” she squeaked, eyes wide.

  “So it would seem,” he nodded. “Have you noticed anyone strange hanging around, or has anything unusual happened lately?” he asked.

  Echo shook her head.

  “Not that I can think of. Who was the victim?”

  “I can’t release that information just yet, the family has to provide a positive ID first.”

  “But do you already know who it is?”

  Chas nodded.

  “We do, and it’s going to cause quite a stir in the community,” he sighed.

  **

  “Kel, I must say, I’m very impressed by your talent,” Carlotta Lehman drawled, her look smoky, her fingertips briefly grazing the 60-something artist’s arm.

  “Why, thank you. These rather haunting pieces were produced during a particularly dark time for me emotionally, which I think is why they’re so impactful,” he replied, gazing thoughtfully at a sculpture of a woman without a face, who looked painfully alone.

  The piece was constructed using only recyclable materials, and had been the result of Kel’s struggle with brain cancer and the thought of leaving Echo alone in the world.

  “Baby got the blues, eh?” she smirked. “I totally get it.”

  Kel avoided looking at her for a moment, appalled at her blasé attitude toward a piece that revealed the tormented writhing of his soul at the time. He couldn’t always turn down buyers, but there were times when it felt as though his world had turned to plastic when he allowed certain people, who had no sense of art or aesthetic, to adopt one of his special pieces.

  “Show me the rest,” she demanded sweetly, moving on, traces of her expensive perfume wafting behind her.

  Clamping his lips together briefly, Kel pasted a smile on his face and followed the superficial minx to the next piece, thinking that he’d really love a roll of antacid chewables right about now.

  CHAPTER 3

  Fiona McCammish loved her new job, despite the fact that her boss had required her to undergo a makeover in order to get it. She’d been perfectly happy with her pierced, tattooed and mohawked exterior, but mortician Timothy Eckels had insisted that she adopt a look that wouldn’t “scare the customers” before he’d allow her to start. Echo was Tim’s neighbor, so he’d drafted her and Missy to take the attractive young woman and get her ready for the professional world. Fiona wanted nothing more than to work for the mortician, so she’d begrudgingly agreed to let the two women re-do her wardrobe, accessories, shoes, hair and makeup. She’d gone in looking dark and dangerous, and had come out looking wholesome and stunning.

  When her eccentric (most folks just said “creepy,” but she wasn’t judgmental), boss had been cheerfully coerced into replacing the county Medical Examiner, who had recently been fired, her role at Tim’s business, Memorial Mortuary, grew from Assistant, to Assistant Director, merely out of necessity. Tim would be working part of the time at the county morgue, which meant that many of the tasks that he’d attended to at the mortuary would have to fall to Fiona by default. She couldn’t have been happier.

  Today the Dynamic Duo of the Dead had been called to the scene of a homicide for a body pickup. There was very little blood, and certainly no gore at the scene, but the body had been found in a very public place, d
uring non-business hours and the cause of death was, as yet, undetermined. Fiona loved a good forensic mystery, and this case promised to be a motherlode of possibilities in that regard.

  The deceased woman was well-dressed, well-coiffed, and still wore all of her expensive jewelry, which meant that she hadn’t been randomly attacked or mugged. Her face was perfectly made up, and she lay on her back, hands folded over her stomach, as though having been already prepared for her funeral. Her eyes were closed, and the lids were weighted down with pennies, which would be taken as evidence, after Tim did his initial photography and examination.

  Detective-tall-dark-and-handsome, as Fiona secretly referred to Chas Beckett, was there, presiding over the process of collecting information and securing the scene. The elderly woman who owned the place had to be given treatment for hyperventilation at one point, and had been taken to the hospital for sedation ultimately, where police would attempt to question her again about the demise of the woman in her store, poor gal. Fiona snapped on her nitrile gloves and helped Tim with the photography by performing tasks like moving the hair of the deceased aside, so that her boss could photograph her neck and ears, while in the original position.

  Once the photography of the corpse’s original position was complete, along with the initial examination, she would help Tim roll the body to the side, to do a cursory examination of the underside, prior to loading the deceased up and taking her to the morgue, where a more thorough investigation would be conducted. There was a surprise that awaited them when they tipped the body to the side. Resting underneath the victim, was a book, laying open on its face. Fiona and Tim exchanged a glance, and the mortician snapped more photos, of the book and the placement of it. Before the book was removed for evidence, Fiona carefully held it open to the pages upon which it had been resting, and Tim snapped photos of it.

  “Ready for transport?” Fiona asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Timothy Eckels might be one of the strangest men you’d ever meet, but the man was an absolute whiz at gathering clues from the dead. He was so good, in fact, that he’d caught things that the former Medical Examiner had missed, which was why he’d been offered the position when his predecessor had been fired after trying to frame him for murder.