Chai Cupcake Killer: Book 4 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Read online

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The trio settled into a corner booth far away from the rest of the lunch crowd at the Cajun Café, and ordered their lunch, waiting until the server had delivered their food before starting their conversation.

  “Okay, sunshine, tell us all about it,” Missy encouraged, after Destiny had managed to work her way partially through a hamburger, fries, and chocolate shake.

  “How did you find out that Bubba Brookshire did it?” Echo asked in a low voice.

  “I don’t know who that is…” Destiny looked puzzled.

  Missy and Echo glanced at each other, then stared at Destiny, thoroughly confused.

  “So…who do you think the murderer is?” Missy asked.

  “I know who it is. He’s a serial killer, and I met him,” she announced quietly.

  The two women blinked at her once more, not knowing how to respond.

  “What makes you think that?” Echo asked carefully.

  Destiny sighed. “Now you don’t believe me either,” she said sadly, dragging a french fry to and fro through a puddle of ketchup.

  “We didn’t say that at all, honey,” Missy reassured her. “Just tell us why you think that. We will listen to everything that you have to say.”

  She looked back and forth between Missy and Echo, considering them carefully, then seemed to come to a decision.

  “Okay,” she nodded. “Here’s how I started looking things up… when I thought about things, I had to start with what really bugged me the most.”

  “What was that?” Echo asked, fascinated.

  “There were two bodies, laying side by side. That’s unusual. Usually, when someone gets killed, it’s just that one person, but in that house, there were two bodies, so the first search that I did on the computer at the cupcake shop was to look for double homicides. I did it there because my mom sometimes checks my search history, and I didn’t want to freak her out,” she shrugged, popping a fry in her mouth.

  Missy raised her eyebrows. “Well, that was pretty smart. What did you find out?”

  “I found out that double homicides were more common than I had thought, so I had to narrow it down even more.”

  “So, how did you do that?” Echo was hooked.

  “I looked for double homicides involving women.”

  “Of course you did,” Missy murmured, a bit awed by the intelligence and tenacity of the young lady.

  “And?”

  “And there were only five in the past few years. The one at the house and four others,” Destiny replied, pausing to slurp from her melting milk shake.

  “And you think that they were all related somehow?” Missy asked.

  The girl shook her head, enjoying the cool, creamy chocolate wonderfulness that was sliding down her throat, but still quite focused on the subject at hand.

  “No, only three of them were related. The other two didn’t fit the pattern,” she dabbed at her lips with a napkin and pushed her plate away.

  “There was a pattern? What pattern?” Echo asked, baffled.

  She and Missy had investigated the crime scene themselves, despite being interrupted by Destiny’s dad in the middle of it, and hadn’t found anything to suggest a pattern, except the candles possibly indicating a ritual of some sort.

  Destiny nodded. “Yep, there was definitely a pattern. It was C’s.”

  “Seize?” Missy was confused.

  “C’s, as in the letter C. Everything was planned to involve the letter C,” she explained, as though it made perfect sense.

  Missy and Echo stared, waiting for her to continue.

  “There are only a few pieces of information that I don’t know,” she sighed.

  “Like what?” Echo asked, dazed.

  “The victim’s names for one thing.”

  “Carol and Chloe,” Missy murmured automatically.

  “Makes total sense,” Destiny nodded wisely.

  “So… what do you mean about C’s?” Echo asked.

  “Well, don’t think I’m weird, but I really like mysteries, and sometimes they involve serial killers. My mom is a sociologist, and she had this book about serial killers, so I read it one night—after my parents went to sleep, because I knew that she probably would’ve freaked out if I’d asked her to read it. Anyway, serial killers like to leave puzzles for the police to try to solve. The man who killed the ladies in that house left all sorts of clues that helped me figure out that he was an alphabet killer.”

  “What’s an alphabet killer?” Missy was horrified and fascinated at the same time.

  “The clues that he leaves are based upon the letters of the alphabet. The first two ladies he killed were sisters named Alma and Adelaide. Their bodies were left in armchairs and their ankles were crossed. They died from arsenic poisoning. Barb and Brandy died about a month later, in another state. Their bodies were bound together and placed on a bed. The murder weapon that time was poisoned banana bread,” Destiny explained, shuddering a bit, but staying strong and finishing the story.

  “And Carol and Chloe ate poisoned chai cupcakes,” Missy’s eyes went wide.

  “And their bodies were contained in a circle of cinnamon-scented candles,” Echo added. “The C’s also explains the nail clippings that I saw next to one of the candles. But why do you suppose the police didn’t figure this out?”

  “Probably because he did things a certain way in order to trick them,” Destiny shrugged.

  “What do you mean?” Missy asked.

  “Well, with all those candles, he probably wanted them to think that it was some sort of ritual thing, to throw them off.”

  “That’s what I had been thinking,” Echo nodded.

  “And they probably took a look at things as a whole, rather than looking at things by themselves,” Destiny added.

  “Like what kinds of things?” Missy frowned.

  “Well, like, there was a welcome basket on the counter. That wasn’t significant at all, but the things in the basket were all clues.”

  “They were?” Echo raised her eyebrows.

  “Yep. The basket had crackers, cheeses, and chocolate cordial cherries…that’s a lot of C’s.”

  “It sure is,” Missy was impressed. “Anything else?”

  “Oh yes,” Destiny nodded gravely. “The first time I went to the house, before I went inside and discovered ah… I found an empty bag of corn chips. I bet that if the police test it, it might have his fingerprints on it.”

  “You’re amazing,” Echo grinned, shaking her head at the fact that a twelve-year-old had uncovered what the LaChance police could not.

  “My mom says that a lot,” she blushed at the compliment.

  “So… you said that you met the killer. Who is he?” Missy asked.

  Destiny’s face paled remembering. “He was out in front of the house this morning with a measuring tape. He said his name was Cade.”

  Missy gasped and Echo’s face went white.

  “He was whistling Chopin,” Missy whispered. “He’s been taunting the entire town with clues and no one picked up on it until now.”

  “He said he worked for ABC Elite,” Echo said in a hushed voice. “It’s like he was dangling it right in front of our faces.”

  Missy hurriedly pulled some cash out of her purse and left it on the table for their bill. “Let’s go—we need to get to the police station before he makes another move.”

  They all climbed out of the booth, and suddenly, Destiny stood stock still, her face drained of color, and she began to shiver.

  “What is it, sweetie?” Missy asked, alarmed.

  “Oh, gosh! Oh, no!” her mouth worked, trying to get the words out.

  “What’s wrong?” Missy put a finger beneath the terrified girl’s chin and tilted her head up so that she could look at her.

  “He just finished with C,” she whispered.

  “Okay…” Missy encouraged, not understanding.

  “I’m Destiny, and my mom is Dolores, and that man is out there right by
our RV,” she cried.

  “Let’s go. Now,” Missy said, taking Destiny by the hand and practically sprinting from the restaurant, with Echo on their heels.

  ***

  When Missy pulled up behind the Crandall’s RV, she sent Destiny in to get her mother, while she and Echo went over to talk to the police officers in the car about what they’d found out. The officers, as expected, were skeptical, frustrating Missy and Echo to no end.

  Suddenly, Missy stood upright, no longer bending down to talk with the officer through the window of his patrol car.

  “What is it?” Echo asked, alarmed at her friend’s expression.

  “She’s been gone too long,” was the frantic reply as Missy glanced toward the RV.

  She’d told the entire tale of how Destiny had linked the alphabet killer’s victims, but the girl and her mother hadn’t yet emerged from their RV.

  “He’s gotta be in there,” Echo’s eyes went wide.

  Missy leaned down again to speak urgently to the officer.

  “Now you listen here, if I’m wrong about this, I’ll happily go to jail myself for misleading you, but I’m begging you, right here and now, come help us take care of this. Because if we go in there alone, whatever happens to us is on your conscience.”

  The officer looked at his partner, who shrugged, and they both reached for their door handles and got out of the vehicle. One of the officers murmured something into a walkie-talkie attached to his shoulder, and they strode toward the RV, Missy and Echo following in their wake.

  The officer who had been driving rapped on the RV door with his nightstick, announcing his presence. Sure enough, moments later the door was opened… by Cade Chambers.

  “That’s him! Arrest him!” Missy screamed.

  “Arrest me?” Cade chuckled. “That’s just crazy.”

  “Crazy starts with C, and he said that we had to be quiet so that we didn’t get hurt,” Destiny yelled from inside the RV just as her mother screamed, “Help!”

  The smile suddenly disappeared from Cade Chamber’s face and he bounded from the RV, rushing past the officers, but not getting far before LaChance’s finest had him on the ground.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Missy and Echo stayed in LaChance long enough to see the mayor present Destiny Crandall with the town’s “Outstanding Citizen Award,” for her role in solving the Alphabet Murders. Once the perpetrator, whose real name was Myron Bellamy, was in custody, evidence found at all three crime scenes was found to be consistent with his DNA, fingerprints, and shoe prints. The LaChance Police Department presented a delighted Destiny with an honorary badge and a Certificate of Heroism, and Evan Crandall was finally released from jail, with profuse apologies. Sammy at the auto repair shop fixed the RV at no charge, and the family moved on, with promises to stop and see Missy and Echo in Florida at some point.

  The two very exhausted ladies boarded the plane back to Florida having accomplished very little in the way of wedding planning, but satisfied that they and a very special twelve-year-old had ensured justice had been done. They would just need to make an additional trip to LaChance to finish the planning that they hadn’t been able to do. Both women were glad to be getting back to their significant others, as well as their furry friends, and would take particular pleasure in resuming the gentle ebb and flow of normal life.

  Chas and Kel had done some male bonding while they were gone, frequently getting together to walk their respective pairs of dogs. Apparently, when Chas introduced Toffee, the gentle golden retriever, and Bitsy, the spunky maltipoo, to Daimler and Benz, Echo’s gregarious dachshund pair, it had been friendship at first sight. The dogs would romp and play on the beach while Chas and Kel caught up on local news and events.

  The thought of her handsome charming husband and her sweet furry friends brought a gentle smile to Missy’s face, and she drifted off to sleep, waking when the plane touched down in Miami. When they walked out of the terminal, rolling their bags behind, both women were surprised to see Chas and Kel there to greet them.

  “What a lovely surprise,” Missy exclaimed as her husband pulled her into his arms for a welcome-home kiss that made her melt. “I missed you,” she cooed, leaning her forehead against his.

  “Ditto,” the detective grinned.

  Echo and Kel had their own loving embrace, and the gals piled into Kel’s luxury sedan while the guys took care of the luggage.

  “Where’s Spencer?” Missy asked, once they were on the road toward home.

  The women had been surprised that their men’s appearance at the airport because Spencer, the handsome young Marine veteran who worked for them as a handyman at the inn, always handled the airport arrivals and departures. Chas had purchased an air-conditioned luxury shuttle van for that very purpose. Spencer Bengal was the first contact that guests had with any of the staff at the inn, and they were always impressed with the intelligent, muscular young man with impeccable manners and an engaging smile.

  She thought she saw her husband’s jaw tighten nearly imperceptibly before he gave her a breezy answer.

  “What are we, chopped liver?” he teased, keeping his eyes on the road, despite the fact that Kel was driving.

  “Sweetie, you’re always filet mignon to me,” she flirted with her husband, glad to be home. “It’s just that Spencer always takes us to the airport and picks us up.”

  “I prefer tofu, by the way,” Echo said dryly from the front seat.

  “Wait… did you just call me tofu?” Kel demanded with mock outrage.

  “Of the finest quality, my love,” Echo giggled, playing with his hair.

  “Hey, hands off the driver,” Chas cautioned. “There’ll be plenty of time for all that later,” he chuckled.

  The foursome chattered all the way home about Missy and Echo’s adventures in LaChance.

  “I had heard that Simmons was a bit bitter about being passed over for detective after I left, but I never dreamed that he’d allow it to affect his judgment,” Chas shook his head, disappointed.

  “Does it make you want your old job back?” Echo teased.

  “Somewhat,” he admitted. “But I love the life that we’ve built in Calgon. It would take quite a bit of convincing to pry me out of that house on the beach. Unless my beloved wanted to go back…?”

  Missy shook her head. “It was great to go back and visit, but my home is here in Calgon with you, Toffee, Bitsy, and my friends,” she reached to the front seat and patted Echo and Kel on their shoulders.

  Eventually, the conversation tapered off, with Missy and Echo falling asleep and remaining that way for the rest of the trip home while Kel and Chas discussed the yacht race that would be starting at the Calgon marina in a few weeks. Kel drove into the circular drive in front of the inn and helped Chas with Missy’s luggage while Echo continued to snooze in the car. He gave Missy a hug, shook Chas’s hand, and went on his way to deliver his lady love to her cozy cottage.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Missy bounded down the stairs, eager to get back to her cupcake shop after so much time away. She had really liked Grayson’s idea of having an espresso machine for specialty drinks, but didn’t think that she was ready to add one to her shop yet. Still, it made her creative juices start flowing and, after getting up extra early for a long romp with the dogs on the beach, she hurried over to her cozy little shop. Going in the back door, she felt completely at home and couldn’t wait to start baking a new recipe inspired by seeing the sunrise.

  She wanted to create a cupcake that looked and felt like the freshness of a new day—an “Edible Sunshine” cupcake. She started by whipping fresh cream and the juice from an entire bag of tangerines into her batter. She’d fill the tangerine cupcakes with vanilla custard, then top them with whipped lemon frosting and just a hint of lime zest. These citrus delights would encompass the beauty of a Florida dawn, and should be darn tasty too.

  Missy glanced at her watch after she put the cakes into the oven, and realized that after her extended
play time with Toffee and Bitsy, she was running a bit behind. She plucked her phone out of the pocket of her capris and texted Maggie, the silver-haired innkeeper who she and Chas had kept on when they bought the B&B. The woman was not only a delight who took gracious care of every guest, but was efficient, organized, and perfect in every way for her role.

  “Good morning, Maggie! Could you please send Spencer over in a few minutes? I’m behind in my baking and will need him to watch the front for me while I frost. Thank you!”

  Missy was a bit surprised when she didn’t hear back from the innkeeper right away, but figured that she was busy next door at the inn and would respond when she could. She had taken a couple of batches of cupcakes out of the oven, and was whipping up a batch of lemon frosting, when she heard a tentative knock on the back door.

  “Hi Maggie,” she greeted the innkeeper with a hug, not having seen her since she’d gone to Louisiana.

  “Hi Missy,” Maggie replied, trying to smile but not quite succeeding.

  “What’s wrong?” Missy put down the scraper that she’d been using to push powdered sugar into the mixing bowl.

  “Mr. Chas didn’t want me to worry you, but…” she began.

  “Chas?” Missy’s eyes widened in fear. “Is he okay? What’s going on?” she demanded, her hands going to her chest.

  “Oh no, no, he’s fine. That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Oh dear, I’m just making a mess of this,” Maggie wrung her hands together.

  Missy sighed with relief. When one’s husband was a detective, anything could happen, and frankly, she didn’t know what she’d do without her adoring, capable mate by her side.

  “Don’t worry about it, Maggie. Just tell me what’s going on,” she directed, pouring herself and the innkeeper a cup of coffee. Maggie took hers but didn’t drink it.

  “It’s about Spencer,” she said, setting her untouched mug of coffee on the counter.

  “Spencer? What about him?” a new curl of fear unfurled in Missy’s midsection.

  “He’s gone.”

  “Gone? What do you mean? Where did he go? Did he quit?” Missy asked, alarmed.