A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery Box Set Read online

  “I’m beginning to love it myself,” he said and spooned some chowder into his mouth. “Mmm.”

  “Say Chowder,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Say it.”

  “Chowdah.”

  I giggled. After being in Maine for more than twenty years, I still loved the way Mainers said certain words.

  “Amused?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Now tell me how you ended up here.”

  His eyebrows furrowed for a moment. Then he gave me a wry smile. “Would you believe I came for the scenery?”

  “Well, I might, but Maine has pretty nice scenery all over. What’s the real reason you came here?” I hoped I wasn’t prying, but I really wanted to know. Why had he suddenly just popped up from out of nowhere?

  “I had some, shall we say, issues? With my last job,” he said and helped himself to a piece of bread.

  “Hmm, that sounds interesting. Personality issues with coworkers?” I asked. He seemed pretty laid back and I couldn’t imagine him being a troublemaker at work. But when I was in college I had a part-time job at a bookstore and had a coworker that lived to torment me, always running to the manager to say I hadn’t done my job correctly. She made my life miserable for six months until I quit in frustration one night.

  “Certainly that,” he said and slathered a piece of bread with butter.

  Now we were getting somewhere. “Go on,” I encouraged.

  He gave me a hard look. “Let’s just say I made some mistakes. If it’s okay with you, I don’t really want to get into it.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” I said. Now I felt uncomfortable. I should have left it alone.

  “No, it’s not that,” he said. “It’s just, well, I guess I still need to process things. You know, deal with them on a personal level.”

  I was disappointed. I had hoped he would open up, but it sounded like he didn’t feel I was trustworthy. But then, we hadn’t really known each other long, and I had been a suspect when we first met. I decided I probably needed to give it time.

  “I see some trick or treaters are here,” I said motioning to the family that came through the door. The couple had a fairy princess and a little Frankenstein in tow. Frankenstein was whining, and the princess was being carried by her dad, with her head on his shoulder. The kids looked beat and had probably already been to more than a few houses. For a second I flashed back on when my kids were little and my husband and I would cart them all over town so they could get candy. Those were some cold nights, but so much fun. My throat tightened up at the memory and I took a sip of my water to clear it.

  “So I see,” he said looking over at them. “Cute kids. Looks like they had fun.”

  “Yeah, Halloween is a lot of fun with little kids,” I said. “Do you have kids, Alec?”

  He smiled at me. “No, I don’t. My wife didn’t want them, so we didn’t have any.”

  “Wow, I can’t imagine not having kids,” I said and then bit my lower lip. Maybe I was crossing a line.

  He gave me another smile. “I like this town. I’ve never lived in a small town before and its proving to be really fun.”

  Ah, a change of subject. Alec Blanchard, you are a mystery.

  Chapter Nine

  Alec pulled up to my house, and I saw Lucy’s car parked out front. I glanced over at Alec. Would he get out with me? Would he walk me to the door?

  “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you.”

  “Thanks for coming to dinner with me. It was really nice,” he said. “It beats eating a frozen dinner by myself at my apartment.”

  “I enjoyed myself. Thank you for inviting me,” I said. I hesitated a moment, then opened the car door and stepped out. My heart sank a little that he didn’t walk me to the door. This isn’t a date, I chided myself. There was no reason for me to want him to walk me to the door.

  I turned and waved at him when I got to the door, and he drove off. I sighed. The sound of laughing kids made me look down the sidewalk. A large group of kids was going door to door with several adults in tow. ‘Trick or treat’ would soon be ringing out when they got to my door. I went inside to make sure we were prepared.

  “Hey,” I said to Lucy and Jennifer.

  “Hey,” Lucy said, looking up from their movie. Pitch Perfect blared from the television. A large bowl of candy sat on the coffee table.

  “There’s a group coming up the block,” I said and hung up my coat in the hall closet.

  “Awesome,” Jennifer said without looking in my direction.

  “So, did you get popcorn popped?” I asked, ignoring her lackluster attitude.

  “Yup,” she said, still not looking at me.

  Lucy gave me a smile and a wink. “So how did your date go?” she asked in a sing-song voice.

  My face dropped. She was going to make me uncomfortable. “It was most definitely not a date. We simply had dinner. Alec doesn’t know very many people here in town and I was keeping him company.”

  Jennifer looked at me and gave me a look that could only be described as a sneer. “I can’t believe you would go out with someone that tried to pin a murder on you.”

  I sighed loudly so I could be heard over the television. “I did not go out on a date with him and he was just doing his job. It would be nice if everyone would get that straight.”

  The doorbell rang and I could hear the kids from outside. Some of them were already shouting “trick or treat!”

  “Can one of you please turn that television down? And get the door?”

  I headed for the kitchen as Jennifer headed to the front door. I got out the corn syrup and the vanilla and a large saucepan. I had popcorn balls to make, and I was going to make them regardless of whether I got the stink eye from Jennifer.

  My cat Dixie rubbed against my leg. I reached down and ran a hand over his arched back. Dixie was all black and loved me even when no one else did.

  “You’re such a good boy, Dixie,” I said. He purred his agreement.

  “So, how’d it go?” Lucy said, coming to help me.

  I eyed her. “It wasn’t a date. It was a nice dinner. Seriously. Please don’t tease about this because Jennifer isn’t handling it well. And I’m being serious about this not being a date. I still miss Thaddeus,” I said and silently cursed myself for my voice cracking when I said my late husband’s name. Did it ever get easier?

  “I’m sorry, Allie,” Lucy said, laying a hand on my shoulder. “I was only teasing. I’m glad you got to get out of the house for the evening.”

  “Well, let’s get some popcorn balls made,” I said. There was laughing and giggling coming from the front door as Jennifer handed out candy. For a moment I wished things were simpler like when my kids were little. Back then, getting them to school and soccer practice had seemed overwhelming. Now? Everything seemed complicated. I wished I had that time back.

  I washed my hands and buttered the insides of a saucepan. I made popcorn balls the old fashioned way like I made everything else. Like my grandmama use to make them.

  “Okay, so are we making popcorn balls or what?” Jennifer asked, coming into the kitchen.

  “We certainly are,” I said, trying to sound cheerful. I wasn’t going to let anyone steal my Halloween spirit.

  “Good. I’m hungry. Lucy and I scrounged a frozen pizza out of the freezer while you were having something freshly made,” she pouted.

  “Aw, I’m sorry, sweetie,” I said, trying to hang on to my happy place. “We are going to have popcorn balls in a few minutes. That should make up for it.”

  The doorbell rang and she went to go answer it. I looked over at Lucy. She had let her blond curls run wild and had a black Halloween sweater on that had a haunted house scene depicted on the front.

  “It will get better. I’m sure,” she said. “Did Alec say anything about the murder investigation?”

  “Yes, he said to stay out of it. Ellen Allen told him we had questioned her. I hope he doesn’t find out we also talked to her mo
ther.”

  “Well, we’re just trying to help. He shouldn’t have a problem with that. We might find out something useful to help him with the investigation,” she said, measuring sugar out for me.

  “You’d think he’d be more appreciative, wouldn’t you?” I said. “I’ve changed my mind and now I’m sure it has to be Diana’s husband. They say on television that when someone is murdered, they always look at the family first.”

  “True. He did annoy her a lot with his dance classes,” she said, leaning against my kitchen counter. “I think if we really put our heads together, we can figure this out. Diana needs us to do it for her. Not to mention her boys. If it does turn out to be that their dad killed their mom, it’s going to be so horrible for them.”

  I glanced at Lucy. “Do you think Diana would lie about Ellen stealing? I mean, Ellen told the truth about her mother being sick.”

  “But she still stole the money! You can’t just borrow money that doesn’t belong to you, even if you do plan to pay it back. I don’t think Diana would have lied about anything. I knew her too well.”

  “I know. I just think about what it would be like if I were in the same situation as Ellen,” I said. “Would I be tempted to borrow money that wasn’t mine?”

  I put all the ingredients into the saucepan and hooked a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. We were going to be in popcorn ball heaven in minutes.

  “I don’t know,” Lucy said, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

  Jennifer returned to the kitchen in a sunnier disposition and I heaved an inward sigh of relief. There was nothing for her to worry over. Alec was simply an acquaintance.

  “Spread out the popcorn on some baking sheets, Jennifer,” I said as I stirred the syrup. For a minute I considered stirring in some cherry flavored confectioners oil but decided against it. We were traditionalists in our family and vanilla was the only flavoring we used for popcorn balls.

  When the candy thermometer read 250 degrees, I carefully poured the syrup over the popcorn.

  “That smells so good!” Jennifer said, inhaling deeply. “This is why Halloween is one of my favorite nights of the year.”

  I smiled at her. There was the sweet child I had raised.

  “Mine, too,” I said.

  “I love any night I can come over here and get something good to eat. Allie, you should open a restaurant or something,” Lucy said.

  “That sounds like nothing but hard work, and I’m completely against that,” I said with a laugh. “I’d rather just make treats for people I love.”

  We buttered our hands and got to work forming popcorn balls. The scent of butter, vanilla, and sugar was intoxicating. When we were done, I sprinkled some of them with orange and black candy sprinkles, just to be festive. Sprinkles make everything better.

  Chapter Ten

  The next day, when I roused myself from my sugar-induced coma, I decided I would drop by the police station. I had popcorn balls to remove from my kitchen so they wouldn’t pose a temptation to me. I packed up a dozen of them so Alec could hand them out to his police friends.

  During our conversation at dinner the evening before, Alec had mentioned going to speak with Diana’s husband. I wanted to hear his side of the story and I hoped Alec would agree to me riding along.

  I picked up coffee on the way to meet him. Cream and sugar on the side for Alec since I didn’t know him well enough to know how he took it. Pumpkin spice latte for me. I love fall flavors.

  He was just getting into his car when I pulled into a parking space at the police station. I rolled the window down. “Hi, Alec!” I called and waved to him.

  He stopped mid-sit and looked at me and stood back up.

  I grabbed our coffees and the box of popcorn balls and got out of my car, slamming the door shut with my hip. I wasn’t sure by the look on his face whether he was happy to see me or not. When he spied the coffee in my hand, he smiled. Well, at least I was good for something.

  I had worn a sweater and black slacks so I would look somewhat professional but didn’t go all out and dress business-like. What did modern female detectives wear, anyway?

  “Good morning,” he said when I got closer.

  “Good morning,” I returned. It was cool, but surprisingly not that cold for November 1st. “I brought coffee. Cream and sugar on the side because I wasn’t sure. Oh, and Lucy and my daughter Jennifer and I made popcorn balls last night. I brought enough for you and all your police friends.” I gave him a big cheesy grin.

  “Wow, popcorn balls? It’s been years since I’ve had one,” he said, still smiling.

  “So, are you on your way to talk to Diana’s husband?” I asked, handing him his coffee. He took the cream and sugar I held in a small plastic bag and opened the top of the cup.

  “Yes, I am. Thanks for the coffee, too. I was running a little late and didn’t have time to get any.”

  “Great, can I go with you?” I asked, taking a sip of my latte.

  “What?” he said glancing at me. “What do you mean?”

  “I want to go with you when you talk to Diana’s husband. You know, to see what he has to say.”

  “That’s highly irregular,” he said stirring his coffee and keeping one eye on me. “And I seem to recall asking you to stop playing detective.”

  “But not impossible?” I asked. “And I’m not playing detective. I’m just observing one.”

  “No, it’s not impossible, but I don’t know why you would want to,” he said, leaning against his car. “I asked you not to investigate this thing anymore.”

  “You asked me not to do it on my own and not to do it with Lucy,” I corrected. “If I go with you, then I don’t get into trouble, right? You can keep an eye on me.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Allie, I don’t see how this concerns you. Why are you interested?”

  “Because my friend cared about the victim. And I liked the victim, too. Besides, I did find the body. I would hate for someone to decide that I might be a suspect, even after I was told that I wasn’t.” I had a point there, and he knew it. Someone was going to be looking at that poison apple in Diana’s belly at some point, and I had brought candy apples to the bazaar.

  He sighed. “Allie, you are not a suspect and I don’t see you ever being accused.”

  “Great. So can I come?” I asked.

  He rolled his eyes at me. “Do you know Mr. Bowen?”

  I giggled. “I made his acquaintance once.”

  “Oh, so you’re best friends then? That’s how it works in a small town, right?”

  “You got it,” I said, heading around to the passenger side of his car. No use letting him have time to think this thing over.

  I opened the door and got in. He had a nice black SUV, just like you see on the detective shows on TV. I put the box of popcorn balls on the backseat so he could give them to his friends later. “Wow, you have a shotgun!” I said, noticing the gun between us. It was just like the ones in the regular police cars. “Do you have one of those stick on lights that you can put on the outside of your car in case you need to chase someone?”

  He cocked an eyebrow at me. “As a matter of fact, I do. But don’t touch anything. I don’t want anything to go off accidentally. Especially that shotgun.”

  “Okay, you got it,” I said. The seat was wide and comfy. I could see us taking a cross-country trip in this thing quite easily. Then I bit my lower lip. I shouldn’t think those thoughts. I had no intention of ever having another relationship. I still missed Thaddeus too much.

  He pulled out of the parking lot and we headed toward Diana’s house.

  ***

  Diana had a cute ranch style house painted white. Had. Past tense. It tugged at my heart. The front door was painted red and the front porch floorboards matched it. I sighed as Alec rang the doorbell.

  “Okay?” he asked when he heard me sigh.

  “Yeah. Just a little sad.”

  He gave me a tight-lipped smile. The door swung open befor
e he could say anything else to me.

  “Mr. Bowen?” he asked the man standing at the door.

  “Yes, I’m he,” he answered, looking us both up and down. I didn’t think he remembered me.

  “May we come in?” Alec flashed his badge at him. Dick didn’t seem surprised nor upset that we were there. I guess he expected someone to drop by at some point.

  He showed us in and offered us seats in the living room. “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  “Mr. Bowen, please accept our condolences on the loss of your wife. I need to ask you some questions,” he said, flipping his notebook open.

  “Of course,” Dick said, taking a seat across from us.

  “When was the last time you saw your wife before she died?”

  “At the breakfast table the morning she died,” he said. “The medical examiner’s office called and told me she was poisoned?”

  “Yes, the reports came back. Do you have any idea who would want to poison your wife?” Alec was already jotting notes.

  He shrugged and shook his head. “No. Diana was well liked as far as I know. I can’t imagine who would do that.”

  “Did she seem upset about anything in the days prior to her death?” he asked, still making notes.

  “No,” he said with a shrug. “She was excited about the bazaar. It was all she talked about. She was very active in the community and lived for those kinds of events.”

  I wondered if Dick Bowen was always this calm. Maybe he knew nothing about the murder of his wife. But shouldn’t he have been a little more choked up? Grieving? Maybe his doctor had given him something to help with the grief.

  I felt funny staying quiet for all of this. I decided to speak up. “Mr. Bowen, you probably don’t remember me, but I met you a couple summers ago. My name is Allie McSwain. My friend Lucy worked for Diana. I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what happened,” I offered.

  Dick appraised me. “You do look familiar. I certainly appreciate your concern. It’s a shame it happened the way it did. But it does make things easier.”