Flag Cake Felonies (MURDER IN THE MIX Book 23) Read online

  Someone calls Jessie from behind.

  “I’ll be back. I’m afraid this is going to be an all-nighter for me,” she says as she takes off.

  “Come on,” Bizzy says, leading straight over to the woman with blue hair without hesitation. “I think we should get right to work.”

  “I like how you think,” I whisper.

  The woman with the blue hair turns to leave, and I block her path.

  “I’m sorry.” She waves us off. “I’m not doing any autographs right now. A dear friend has been murdered.” Her lips curl at the tips.

  “Oh no.” I shake my head. “We weren’t looking for autographs. We’re so sorry for your loss. What was your name again?”

  She blinks back, looking insulted that I even had to ask.

  “Tallulah Velvet. I was one of the authors at the signing earlier today. Ambrosia and I have known each other for years.”

  Bizzy takes a breath. “I heard she wasn’t well liked.”

  Tallulah glances to the sky. “Let’s just say Ambrosia had a dark side. But then, don’t we all?” She glances back to the body as the knife gleams under the moonlight. “I have to go.”

  She sinks into the crowd just as the grand finale erupts overhead in a blinding display of lightning quick detonations. One thunderous explosion after the next goes off, so loud and deafening the ground under our feet trembles. It feels as if a war is going on all around us. And with the body lying just a few feet away, it’s proof there have already been casualties.

  Once the fireworks die down, the murmur of the crowd takes over.

  Bizzy leans in. “Lottie, when you gave your condolences to that woman, Tallulah Velvet didn’t reference Ambrosia as a dear friend in her mind. She called her a backstabbing witch. And then finished it off with she got what she deserved.”

  My mouth falls open. “Did you hear anything else?”

  She gives a quick look around. “Jessie said something about damage control. But I think it was business-related.” Her shoulders jump as she looks at something behind me. “Hey, there’s another author we met earlier today.”

  I turn to find Jackie Hart with her heavily teased hair and pink highlights as she stares hard over at Ambrosia’s lifeless body.

  “Any bead on her thoughts?” I keep my voice low, mostly because I don’t want to interrupt the process.

  Bizzy winces over at the woman. “She said—to the backstabber a backstabbing.”

  We watch as Jackie tosses back her hair before diving into the crowd.

  “That was ominous,” I shudder.

  “Somewhere in there is a springboard as to where to begin our investigation.”

  A bright pink aura appears near our feet and I look down to find a spray of stars swirling around the hair of a pot-bellied pig standing at least two feet off the ground.

  “I think another springboard just popped on up and her name is Bingo.”

  The cute piglet oinks our way and I quickly take up Bizzy’s hand. Not long ago, I discovered quite by accident that I act as a conduit for others to hear the dead. Not in a creepy, clairvoyant way, just in your run-of-the-mill old-fashioned telephone game for the dead sort of way.

  “Where’s my little Valerie?” The ghostly piglet sounds prim and proper with a hint of a British accent. “Has she gone to the other side? Has the killer been apprehended?”

  “I’m guessing Valerie is Ambrosia Whispers’ given name,” I say as I bend over and give the surly specter a quick scratch on the head. “I’m Lottie and this is Bizzy. Don’t you worry. With your help, the killer doesn’t stand a chance. Go out and try to listen in on whatever conversations you’re able to listen in on. We’ll do what we can on our end.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I expect answers quickly. I haven’t missed a Sunday buffet in the heavenlies since I crossed over to the great pigpen in the sky. And if that killer thinks I’m missing out on some good eats, they’ve got another thing coming.” She zips off in a blaze of hot pink glory and I straighten to look at Bizzy.

  “Something tells me this will be buttoned up before too long. Everyone knows you don’t get between a girl and her buffet.”

  Bizzy and I glance back at Georgie as she sobs her way through an account of what happened while both Noah and Jasper attempt to comfort her.

  “Let’s hope you’re right, Lottie.” Bizzy sighs. “With Georgie on the suspect list, things just got personal.”

  Chapter 4

  The Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery sits in the heart of Main Street and has every sweet treat you can think of lining its shelves—chocolate croissants, raspberry hand pies, Bavarian cream-filled éclairs, fresh fried glazed crullers, napoleons, fudge brownies, S’mores brownies, cupcakes in just about every flavor with devil’s food cupcakes leading the pack as far as sales go, thumbprint, confetti, snowball, sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate chip cookies, and last, but not least, sheets and sheets of flag cakes. The walls of the bakery are painted butter yellow while the secondhand mix and match furniture is painted in every shade of pastel, and there’s a walkway conjoining us to the Honey Pot Diner next door.

  My grandma Nell once owned both places, and now both places belong to yours truly. The best part about the Honey Pot Diner just so happens to be the giant resin oak tree set in the middle of the restaurant. Its branches expand and crawl over the ceiling of the café portion of my bakery, and each one of those branches is wrapped in twinkle lights, giving off an enchanted feel.

  I came in extra early this morning and baked up fresh Danishes and croissants, enough scones and donuts to make sure all of Honey Hollow was able to have a wonderful start to this summer day. Of course, after that visit Everett paid me last night, I’m set to have a wonderful century. That man is no one-trick pony. He made sure I forgot all about the atrocity down at the lake. Heck, about an hour in, I forgot my own name.

  Bingo popped into the bakery as I was piping cupcakes this morning and she told me all about the farm she was born and raised on in Oklahoma. She also let me know that Valerie, aka Ambrosia, won a blue ribbon with her help in the 4-H section of the county fair. Bingo is a cutie with her pudgy belly, pink hair dappled with gray spots, and a flat velvet nose. I’ve let her in on the fact she’s able to gobble up just about anything she wants, and let’s just say she’s made quick work of all of the leftover flag cakes that I brought back from the festival at Honey Lake.

  Lily Swanson, a brunette cutie, works the register for me up front. Lily and I go way back. The truth is, Lily didn’t quite care for me while we were growing up. She was best friends with Keelie’s wicked twin Naomi back then, and they sort of made a sport of looking down on me for the most part. Okay, so Naomi isn’t quite wicked. But she’s not quite nice either.

  “Hey?” I look to Lily as the morning crowd begins to wane. “How are you and Naomi getting along these days?” They went from best friends to best enemies once they let a man get between them. And it just so happens that the man in question was Alex Fox, Noah’s younger brother. Alex has a knack for seeing more than one lady at a time, and he just so happened to be seeing both Lily and Naomi for a while there. Things ended badly, as expected.

  “I don’t know,” Lily grunts as she swats the counter with a dishrag. “She reached out about the baby shower and placed an order.”

  “Wait, I thought we were still debating on where to host it. Where does she want the order delivered?”

  “It’ll be at the Evergreen Manor. Naomi wants you to work your dark magic and bring something everyone will like—and lots of it. Her words, not mine.”

  “Will do,” I say. “It’s a privilege to get to bake for both my sister and hers. I can’t believe Honey Hollow is going to get two new residents next month.”

  Lily bucks with a silent laugh. “With all these deaths, it’s almost like you’re making room for them. Stop the slaughter, Lottie. I’m onto your murderous ways.”

  A couple of tourists glance in our direction and I quickly pull Lily to the side.


  “Would you keep it down?” I glance to the front of the café where Carlotta and Georgie are enjoying blueberry muffins while chatting it up with Bingo as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Of course, Carlotta has to do a lot of translating. That whole conduit thing seems to be one-off with me.

  Bizzy and Macy stride on in, looking fresh-faced and ready to tackle the second day of their already tumultuous vacation.

  “Good morning, ladies! What can I get for you? Anything and everything is on the house.”

  “Ooh.” Macy tugs at a blonde lock of hair. “I’ll take a chocolate croissant. Alex is meeting me here.” She gives a sly wink my way. “He’s giving me the grand tour of Honey Hollow today.”

  “Alex Fox?” Lily nearly spits his name out. “Be forewarned, that tour will most likely end in his bedroom.”

  Macy gives a husky laugh. “That’s exactly what I’m hoping for. Lottie, make that two chocolate-filled croissants and a large iced latte. It sounds as if I need to get my energy up.”

  Lily averts her eyes. “I’ll get right on it.”

  Macy heads off to take a seat with Carlotta and Georgie and I note that Bingo does a disappearing act. Unlike Georgie and Carlotta, Macy doesn’t know anything about Bizzy’s transmundane status, nor mine.

  Bizzy tips her head. “Just a glazed donut and a regular latte for me. Any news on who could have killed Ambrosia?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. But I did learn that Bingo once won a beauty pageant at the county fair. She makes Valerie, or Ambrosia, sound like a saint.”

  Bizzy shakes her head, a sly smile sending her lips north. “I did a little research. Ambrosia Whispers was a troublemaker with a capital T. Her social media pages are rife with accusations and name-calling. And she has a rabid following. Her fan page is called Ambrosia’s Armed Forces. She has at least fifteen thousand members. She runs giveaways and gives early chapter teasers for her upcoming books. Jessie posted a notice of Ambrosia’s death all over the internet, and there’s a lot of grieving going on there tonight. It looks as if her fans will be holding a vigil soon at Honey Lake.”

  “Ooh.” I perk up at the thought. “They say the killer likes to return to the scene of the crime. Who knows, they might just show up. With your ability to pry into people’s private thoughts, we might just nail this person in no time.”

  “I wish it worked that way. But you never know.”

  Jasper and Everett step into the bakery, and Bizzy is quick to wrap her arms around her fiancé.

  I make my way around the counter and do the same with Everett.

  He’s looking sharp, smells like all things woodsy, and happens to be shooting those heavily lidded bedroom eyes of his my way.

  “Hey, hot stuff.” My teeth graze over my lower lip. “What are you up to?” I give his slick silver tie a quick tug. Judging by his fancy suit, I’d say he was off to do some serious criminal justice, but then I’ve seen Everett dress the same to have pizza, so I can never be sure.

  “I’m headed to the courthouse.” He lands a warm kiss to my lips and my insides sizzle. “But first, I’m dropping Jasper off at the sheriff’s department. I’ll probably pop in and see what Noah’s thoughts are on the case.”

  “I think I’d better send some cookies.” Noah’s favorite chocolate chip cookies have always made him feel better. Here’s hoping their sugarcoated superpowers help heal his heart—at least a little.

  Jasper looks my way. “Bizzy is worried about Georgie. And I get that. But I want to assure you both she’s not really a suspect. In fact, I’m heading down to see if Noah’s cleared her just yet.” He casts those silver peepers Bizzy’s way. “There’s no need to look into anything. I’m sure the sheriff’s department has this under control.”

  Everett lifts a brow. “Lemon? Do you think you can sit this one out?”

  I offer Jasper a sorrowful shake of the head. “I’m sorry. There’s not a chance.”

  Jasper closes his eyes a moment. “In that case, both of you stay safe.” He dots a kiss to Bizzy’s cheek. “Call me.”

  “I will.” She bats her lashes up at him. “And I will stay out of danger. I’ll be with Georgie and Carlotta—and Lottie, too.”

  Jasper sighs. “Why doesn’t that make me feel better?”

  Everett ticks his head. “Because you’ve met all the players.” He takes me by the hand and leads me away a few steps.

  “Lemon, in no way do I want to tell you what to do, but I strongly suggest you stay away from any potential suspects. That woman was brutalized in a violent way. That tells me the killer is impulsive, volatile, and completely unbalanced. You’ve got a little bit of a reputation as a very effective detective.” He nods his head toward Bizzy. “So does she. I’d hate for the two of you to walk around with a target on your backs.”

  I shrug. “If the killer was smart, they’d leave town.”

  “Nine times out of ten you outsmart them, Lemon. But not before you find yourself in a pickle. Be careful.” He leans in a notch, those hypnotic eyes bearing hard into mine. “Evie’s having a sleepover at the house tonight.”

  “Ooh,” I squeal without meaning to. “It sounds as if I’m having a sleepover, too. Are you up for a repeat performance of that acrobatic routine you pulled off last night?”

  “I don’t do repeats. I’m bringing all-new fresh and original material. Be warned, there might be some aeronautics involved. And you won’t believe the landing I’ve got set for you.”

  “You just terrified my girl parts.”

  He dots me with a kiss. “I’ll find a way to make it up to them.”

  I load Everett up with enough cookies to feed the entire force as he and Jasper take off.

  Alex strides in, and for a second I think it’s Noah as he makes a beeline for Macy, so Bizzy and I follow suit.

  “Alex,” I say and he gives me a quick embrace.

  “Lottie Lemon.” His dimples dig in, and I can’t help but note how alarmingly he looks identical to his brother. They’re both knockoffs of that Wiley Fox, but thankfully neither of them is in the business of ripping off widows. “Heard you’re taking a walk on the Baxter side. Good luck to you. Strangely, Noah doesn’t see this as a breakup. How did you manage that?”

  “Please,” Macy says, wrapping her arms around Alex. “When she’s ready to divulge her secrets, I’ll be the first to know.” She rakes her fingers through her hair. “So are you ready to take me to your place?”

  Alex’s lids hood low. “How did you know the tour starts there?”

  “Because we think alike.” She gives a flirtatious bounce of the shoulders. “And I have a feeling I know exactly what you like, how you like it, and for exactly how long.”

  “Goodbye,” Bizzy says, pushing her sister and Alex toward the door. “Try not to populate the planet while you’re at it.”

  “Ooh!” Georgie hops out of her seat. “If you don’t want the kid, give it to me. I’ve been itching to have a do-over in the childrearing department.”

  Macy waves her off as she and Alex take off, lost in one another’s eyes. And if you ask me, it looks like a hazard ready to happen the way they’re ignoring the ground beneath them.

  Carlotta steps in front of me.

  “Well, Lot? Whose first up on the suspect list?”

  “What do you think, Bizzy?” I ask as I look her way.

  Bizzy shrugs. “Jessie Lane knows who’s who in the author world, and she also seemed to know enough about Ambrosia. I think we grill her and get her to tell us everything she knows.”

  I nod. “And if she doesn’t say it out loud, she might just think it.”

  Georgie hoots and hollers. “We make quite the team. We need to think up a snazzy name for our investigative services.”

  Carlotta lifts her chin. “The Supernatural Sleuths?”

  Georgie ticks her head to the side. “I was thinking something more along the lines of Detecting Divas.”

  “Sexy Spies,” Carlotta counters.

  G
eorgie leans in. “Gorgeous Gumshoes.”

  “Seductive Snoops,” Carlotta shouts, amping up her name game.

  Georgie claps. “Amorous Agents of Justice.”

  Bizzy looks my way. “How soon can we leave?”

  “Give me five minutes.”

  Here’s hoping Jessie Lane has the answers we’re looking for.

  It’s not Bizzy and me with a target on our backs.

  It’s the killer.

  Chapter 5

  It wasn’t all that hard to track down Jessie Lane.

  She mentioned yesterday that she was going to run by the inn to pick up her things, as well as help my mother brainstorm about her cover. Although, I don’t know what they have to brainstorm over. Ambrosia made it clear beefcake was the order of the day. All my mother has to do is slap some bare-chested hottie on the cover and she’ll have a hit on her hands—theoretically.

  Since Evie offered to look after our collective menagerie today, Bizzy dropped Fish and Sherlock Bones off at my place before they came over to the bakery. She said they were thrilled to be reunited with Pancake and Waffles. And, of course, Sherlock seems pretty happy to have a little extra canine energy with Toby around, too.

  Bizzy followed me to my mother’s B&B in her rental car, and soon the entire lot of us walk through the foyer of my mother’s happily haunted home and are greeted by the friendly flock of ghosts in question.

  “Greer!” Her name springs from me in a cheery tone as she and her haunted brood float on over. Standing next to her is her ghostly boyfriend, Winslow Decker, their adopted, somewhat frightening, little daughter, Lea, and their pet cat, Thirteen.

  Both Bizzy and Georgie are in the know when it comes to the supernatural state of this haunted hotel, and neither of them seems to mind, most likely because I highlighted the fact Greer and the gang were exceptionally well-disposed.

  I take up both Bizzy’s and Georgie’s hands.

  “Bizzy, Georgie, standing before you is Greer Giles who died just over a year ago, gunshot to the chest. I solved her murder.”