A Mouthful of Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery Book 4 (Frosted Love Mysteries) (5 page)

Missy
sat on her couch, an unopened novel on the seat beside her, absently stroking
Toffee’s fluffy ears and thinking about Chas. She missed his gentle smile and
easygoing manner. He had a way of making even the darkest of days seem at least
a bit brighter. The more that she thought about the ridiculous situation that
was separating her from the handsome detective, the more frustrated she became,
finally making up her mind to call him, come what may.

“I
miss you,” Chas said, without preamble when he answered her call.

Missy’s
eyes filled with happy tears at the mere sound of his voice, and when the
meaning of his words struck her, she could’ve cried with joy. “I miss you too,
and I have an idea.”

“That
sounds like something that could get me in trouble,” he teased.

“Not
at all,” she reassured him, fingers crossed behind her back. “I’m going to be
having a dish of ice cream at Sweet Love in Dellville tomorrow, around 4:00. If
you, coincidentally, happened to have a craving for ice cream at that same time
and wind up in the same place, surely there’s nothing wrong with that, right?”
she asked sweetly, with just a touch of mischief in her voice.

“Actually,
it stretches the bounds propriety, but, whatever. I haven’t had ice cream in
ages, so yes, there is a good chance that I might be hungry for a frozen treat
around 4:00 tomorrow,” he replied, and Missy could hear the smile in his voice.

“Well,
I will warn you in advance…Sweet Love is an entirely different kind of ice
cream shop,” she giggled, happy at the thought of seeing him.

“Different?
Different how?” he asked, suspiciously.

“Let’s
just say, it’s a healthier alternative than the typical ice cream place.”

“Healthy
and ice cream should not be in the same sentence. I don’t indulge in dessert
often, but when I do, I’m perfectly okay with the fact that I’m shoveling an
artery-hardening caloric nightmare into my mouth,” Chas grumbled.

Missy
laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ve tasted several varieties, and I think your need for
decadent dessert will be more than satisfied,” she assured him.

“Actually,
I probably won’t even know what flavor I’m eating, I’ll be too busy paying attention
to one of my fellow patrons.”

Blushing,
despite the fact that he couldn’t see the impact of his words on her, Missy
enjoyed the rest of their brief conversation and hung up feeling better than
she had in a very long time. Immediately after hanging up, she rushed upstairs
to her closet to find the perfect outfit for the next day, finally settling
upon a bright fuchsia sundress with a sweetheart neckline. Choosing simple
white beads and strappy sandals to complete the look, she hung the outfit on
the back of the bathroom door so that she could slip into it after her shower
in the morning.

Morning
dawned grey and dreary, with a light drizzle that did little more than raise
the humidity, making the heat seem oppressive, but Missy didn’t care. She
sailed through her morning routine, leaving the house ten minutes earlier than
usual. The workday sped past with a bustling crowd keeping her and Cheryl busy
right up until lunchtime. After the glass cases were restocked, and all prep
was done for the next day, Missy let the hard-working young lady head out
early, confident that she could handle any customers straggling in on her own.
She had just tipped the last of the chairs upside down on a table, officially
closing the shop for the day, when she spotted the scruffy-looking man, who had
run from her before, slipping into an alley next to the ice cream shop across
the street. She couldn’t leave the store unattended to chase after him, by the
time she ran to the back for her keys to lock the door, he would be gone, and
she might be putting herself in danger if she provoked him again, so, in utter
frustration, she watched as he disappeared yet again, not bothering to even
call Detective Johnson.

The
cloudy greyness of the day apparently had a negative impact upon the flow of
business at Sweet Love, because when Missy went over at 3:55, watching
anxiously for Chas’s car, the only person in the store was Echo, who sat at one
of the tables reading a magazine.

“Slow
day?” Missy asked, beaming at her friend.

“Crazy
slow!” Echo nodded. “How bout you?”

“No,
we were as busy as ever, although it really dropped off in the afternoon.”

“Are
you here for a visit or can I get you something?” she closed the magazine.

“Both,
actually, and there’s someone I want you to meet, when he gets here,” Missy
added shyly.

“Look
at you blushing,” Echo teased. “He must be really special.”

“He
definitely is…” Missy began, closing her mouth when the object of her affection
and conversation walked in the door.

“Well,
imagine running into you here – what a coincidence,” Chas grinned at her,
brushing her lips briefly with his. Missy wanted to cling to him and never let
go, but observed the proper decorum for two people who weren’t supposed to be
seeing each other.

“What
a coincidence indeed,” she agreed, glowing. “There’s someone I want you to
meet.” She took him by the hand, practically dragging him over to where Echo
had risen out of her chair, and introduced the two, forgetting to mention that
Chas was a detective.

“So
you’re the new owner here, congratulations,” he said, extending his hand, which
she shook briefly.

“Thanks,
it’s been quite the adventure,” Echo’s gazed traveled subtly from head to toe
over the handsome detective.

“Are
you from around here?” he asked, while moving over in front of the freezer
cases to check out the selection.

“No,
I just moved here,” she replied, going to stand behind the counter, because the
dashing man was clearly interested in getting some dessert. Missy moved to his
side, ostensibly to check out the current flavors, but clearly just trying to
find any reason at all to be next to the charming male.

“Really?
Where from?” Chas peered more closely into the freezer case.

“California.
See something you’d like?” she asked coyly. Missy completely missed the double
entendre, entirely preoccupied with deciding between Carrot Bran Coconut Dream
(which tasted just like carrot cake) and Banana with Carob Chips, but Beckett
picked up the subtle signal immediately and chose to ignore it.

“I’d
like to try the Peanut Butter Parfait please, just two scoops in a dish,” he
answered, pretending that he hadn’t received the very clear invitation. “So
what brings you all the way to the swamps of the deep South from California?”
he asked innocently.

“Change
of scenery,” was the terse reply, delivered with a somewhat strained smile that
Detective Beckett’s acute perception didn’t miss. “Missy, what’ll you have?”
Echo turned her attention away from the detective, who continued to observe
her.

“I
think I’m going to go with the Carrot Bran,” she decided finally, craving
carrot cake. She’d have to whip up a batch of Spiced Carrot Cupcakes in the
morning and top them with ooey gooey cream cheese and pecan frosting.

“Good
choice,” she commented, dipping a large scoop into a bowl for her friend. “Hey,
if you guys don’t mind, I have some things to take care of in the back. Help
yourself to water or anything else that you might need, okay?”

“Okay,
we’ll go have a seat on the patio if you finish up and want to join us” Missy
replied, puzzled. She had been so eager to introduce Chas to her new friend,
and now she just disappeared. The couple carried their bowls to a bistro table
on the patio, enjoying the fresh air from underneath the table’s umbrella,
despite the cloudy weather.

Chas
seemed to be deep in thought. “How long have you two known each other?” he
asked conversationally.

“Just
since she bought the shop, a few months or so.”

“So
why do you think she moved here from California?” he was suddenly very
interested in his ice cream, avoiding Missy’s eyes while she answered.

“You
know, it’s kind of strange, I’ve asked her that myself, multiple times, but she
never really seems to answer. I get the impression that it may have had
something to do with a failed relationship, but I’m not sure.”

Chas
nodded, savoring a bite of Peanut Butter Parfait. “Just seems a little weird
that someone who is so clearly into a very “California” lifestyle would pull up
stakes and move to a teeny tiny town in Louisiana to run a vegan ice cream
store. I wonder how she got the money for the purchase…Did she have an ice
cream store out there that she sold?” he asked, lowering his voice.

“Hmmm…you
know, she never said. I have no idea. For all I know, she could be a bank
robber,” Missy giggled. Chas chuckled along, but his smile didn’t quite reach
his eyes.

Detective
Chas Beckett had a feeling in his gut that all was not as it seemed in regard
to Echo Willis. He had a good friend who was a detective in the LAPD, and he
pulled some strings to have him run a check on her. His friend, Chuck Grambino,
said that he would do what he could and get back to him in a couple of days. In
the meantime, Chas was going to do some checking of his own and see what he
came up with. It bothered him tremendously that Missy seemed to take the woman
at face value, but he didn’t want to warn her off if there was really nothing
sinister in her past or present.

Feeling
restless, he decided to park his unmarked car behind a building that gave him a
perfect vantage point for watching the back door of Sweet Love. Every other
shop in the area had been closed for hours, but there were still lights on in
the back of Echo’s store. A large, solid panel van pulled up close to the back
door and a man got out. Chas was too far away to see any distinguishing
features, but could tell that he was somewhat tall; around 6’, of medium build,
and wore dark-colored clothing. The man looked around before dashing into the
building, then came back out shortly thereafter carrying a bulky, obviously
heavy bundle. Beckett had seen bundles like that before, and if it was what he
thought it was, his intuition regarding Echo Willis had been correct. When the
van left Sweet Love, it turned the corner right before the block where Chas was
sitting in his car, giving him a perfect line of sight to the license plate.
Copying down the number, he followed the van with his lights off, disappearing
against the backdrop of the darkened city streets, but once he came to a more
populated area, he dropped back further, so as not to be seen, and lost the van
at a stoplight. Instead of heading home, he headed to the station, Chas Beckett
had work to do.

Missy
was disconcerted to say the least, when she awoke to a loud banging on her
front door. Hurriedly, she slipped into her robe and glanced at the time on her
cell phone. Who on earth would be at her door at 6:30 in the morning? Toffee
rose from her plaid fluffy bed in the corner of Missy’s room, stretched and
followed her down the stairs. Sighing aloud when she looked through the peephole
and saw Detective Gilbert Johnson accompanied by two uniformed officers, she
unlatched the chain and opened the door.

“Ms.
Gladstone, sorry to bother you at this hour, but I have a few questions for
you, if you don’t mind,” the detective explained.

“Do
we have to do this now?” Missy sighed, not wanting to conduct any kind of
interview in her robe.

“Time
is of the essence, I’m afraid,” Johnson insisted.

“Fine,”
Missy opened the door to let him in. “Please have a seat at the kitchen table.
I’m going to go get dressed and I’ll be back down in two minutes.”

“Not
a problem,” he nodded, taking a seat. The uniforms remained standing.

Missy
returned, clad simply in light blue capris and a white polo shirt, with her
hair atop her head in a messy bun. “I’m going to make coffee while we chat,
would you like some?” she asked, measuring the grounds into a filter.

“No,
thank you.”

“Would
you boys like a cup?” she offered to the two uniforms standing silently in the
dining room. Both said no, but seemed pleased to have been asked.

“What
brings you here this time, Detective?” she asked, pouring water into the coffee
maker.

“Can
you verify your whereabouts last night?”

“I
was asked to provide three different types of cupcakes for the Methodist Church
New Member Social, so I stayed to meet the new folks, and chatted with Sally
Helgerson, the Pastor’s wife until around 9:00, then I came home, cleaned the
cupcake trays that are sitting to the left of the sink over there,” she
gestured to the trays that were in full view, sitting on a drying rack. “Then I
went to bed, and was actually exhausted enough that I fell asleep immediately.”

“That’s
what I’d heard from Bonnie, down at the station. She was at the social last
night. Just wanted to confirm it with you. Sally Helgerson corroborated that
account, and so did your neighbor across the street, who was sitting on her
front porch and noticed both when you came home and when your lights went out,”
Johnson nodded, making a note in his notebook, then closing it.

“Detective,
why is where I was last night important?” Missy asked, puzzled.

The
detective looked pained, almost as if he’d eaten something that didn’t quite
agree with him. “We…found something, and we thought that you might possibly be
involved.”

“Really?
What was it that you found?” she sat down, her hands wrapped around a cup of
fresh coffee.

“A
body,” he said, watching her for a reaction.

Missy
put down her mug, eyes wide with surprise. “A body? Oh dear…who is it?” she
asked, not certain that she wanted to hear the answer.

“Well,
actually we were hoping that you might be able to help us determine that.”

“Me?
How on earth could I help you determine the identity of a dead body?” she was
horrified at the thought.

“The
description of the individual closely matches the description that you gave us
of the drifter who scammed free cupcakes from you and used your phone to call
Cora Nesbitt before she died. I’d like you to come down to the morgue and take
a look to see if you think it’s the same person.”

Missy
shuddered at the thought, the hair on the back of her neck standing up.
Swallowing hard, she said, “Well, if you think it would help, I could try. Do
you think he’s the one who killed Mrs. Nesbitt?”

“We’re
still conducting an investigation, it would be inappropriate for me to comment
on the case at this time,” he said formally.

“Of
course, I understand,” Missy said softly, overwhelmed. “I don’t have to go now,
do I? I’d really love to have a shower and put on proper clothing before I
leave the house, if that’s okay.”

“That’s
perfectly fine,” the detective stood to go. “Take your time getting ready, and
give me a call when you leave. I’ll meet you at the morgue. The identification
process should be fairly quick,” he reassured her. It was the nicest he’d ever
been since she met him, and she wondered if they were finally close to solving
the case and realizing that she’d had no part in Cora Nesbitt’s death.