Carrot Cake & Murder: A Sweet Treats Cozy Mystery Read online

  Carrot Cake & Murder

  A Sweet Treats Cozy Mystery

  Lori Woods

  Moonstone Press

  Copyright © 2018 by Lori Woods

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Afterword

  Also by Lori Woods

  Description

  Molly's Dessert Emporium is going to the dogs - the dog show, that is. When Molly and her team of dessert enthusiasts are recruited to make a specialty dessert fudge for humans and dogs alike at the Savannah Dog Show, they are up for the challenge!

  Everything is going great until someone poisons the dog treats and murders one of the contestants during the show. Can Molly and her team uncover the truth before more dogs are harmed? And will she and Bonnie be able to create the perfect Carrot Cake recipe for her advanced Home Economics class?

  Chapter 1

  “Oh… for crying out loud!” Molly Jenn shrieked when she found a small boy standing in the back freezer of her famous Molly’s Dessert Emporium. He grinned at her ever so slightly, and Molly was certain he had heard his mother shouting for him when she had been in the shop just moments ago. Molly stuck her head out into her shop and called out, “Run get that mom! Tell her I found her kid hiding out in our freezer!”

  Molly took the small child by the hand and led him out of the freezer, and he whined as she did so. “No! It’s so hot!” he wailed, and a moment later, she saw one of her new employees, Whip, come scooting back into the shop—a rather flabbergasted looking woman trailing behind him.

  The woman darted over when she saw the little boy. “Ethan! Where were you?” she shrieked.

  “He was hiding in my freezer,” Molly said. “Must have decided it would be a nice spot to cool off.”

  Savannah, Georgia was experiencing a crazy heat wave that week. Fall had finally arrived, but it had been slow coming. The summer had been exceptionally hot, and it seemed like the weather wanted to do one last hoorah before the year got too deep into fall. Molly had already caught Dazzle, Whip’s sister, and her other new hire, hiding out in the freezer once that week. Even with the air conditioner on full blast, the constant opening and closing of the doors in the shop kept the place a bit humid.

  The mother scorned the small child; she had been running in and out of shops for the past ten minutes, and Molly could tell that she had been seconds from calling the police. Molly smiled. “Can’t really blame him with this heat,” she said. “Maybe don’t be too hard on him. You could probably cook an egg on the sidewalk today.”

  Dazzle, who was working behind the counter, nodded. “I was in there earlier today on my break,” she said. “It is way better than even taking a dip in a pool.”

  The mother seemed to be calming down now. Molly smiled at the woman. “How about a scoop of ice cream for you both, on the house? You look like you could use a treat after that scare.”

  “I don’t know if he has earned ice cream,” the mother huffed, but she sighed. “But… it is awfully hot. I suppose it would be awfully refreshing. We’ve got a good walk back to our car.”

  The little boy grinned ear to ear as Molly made him a scoop of vanilla ice cream and offered the mom her specialty strawberry and marshmallow homemade ice cream. The little boy paused under the pink bird cage in the corner, where Molly’s pet parakeet was fluttering about in its water bowl. Even her bird, Whammy, was burning up that day and was trying what he could to stay cool. The woman thanked Molly again before ushering her sticky-faced child out of the shop.

  “Well, that was quite a way to end the work day,” Whip said, shaking his head.

  Molly glanced up at the pink clock on the wall behind the counter. It was nearly time for Bonnie and Braxton, a set of twins she had hired prior to opening up her shop, to be done with school. The twins’ school year had finally started back, so they only worked evenings and weekends now. Molly had been very anxious about this time of year as Bonnie and Braxton had been absolutely ideal employees; however, she had found the sibling duo, Whip and Dazzle, to be dedicated workers themselves. They were still fairly new to the shop, but they had picked up on everything rather quickly. The two of them were former foster children and high school dropouts, but they had obtained their GEDs and were part of a mildly successful brother-sister dancing duo. The hours Molly had needed them to work had been perfect for them, seeing as how most of their gigs were on weekends and evenings, leaving them free during the day to work the shop.

  “The day sure has flown by,” Molly said, and only a moment later, Bonnie and Braxton came strolling in, backpacks in tow, looking pleased to be arriving at their after-school job. Molly was glad the twins always seemed pleased to be arriving at work; it made the general moral of the shop remain high.

  “What’s up!” Whip called. Whip was the oldest of the group of young employees by only a year, but he preferred their company over the company of just about anybody else his age.

  “How was school?” Molly asked.

  Braxton shrugged. “I was loaded down with homework today,” he griped. “It’s like all my teachers get together and decide when the best time would be to assign me with projects.”

  Molly laughed. “Why don’t you set up at a table? We’re kind of slow right now. Feel free to work on some homework during your downtime. Just be sure you don’t spread your stuff out too far; we want to leave tables open for when customers start getting here, and we don’t want the place to look like a mess.”

  “You are the best boss ever,” Braxton said. Taking up her offer, he pulled out several textbooks and sat himself up at one of the bright pink tables. “By the way, I already got started on that poster you asked for advertising your Back To School Teacher’s Discount Weekend.”

  “Let me see!” Molly cried, hurrying over to peer over Braxton’s shoulder. He always did the incredible artwork for the posters Molly had hanging in oversized frames on the walls advertising new specials. She smiled when she saw Braxton’s poster design. “Looking great, Braxton!”

  “I had a thought on what you should do for the new special,” Bonnie said. “So, I’m taking an advanced economics class this semester, and we just got an assignment to create our own recipe. I was hoping I could get your help. The assignment is to come up with a sweet treat recipe, in which a vegetable is used as a primary ingredient. I was thinking, between the two of us, we could come up with a great carrot cake recipe.”

  “Perfect,” Molly said, clasping her hands together. “We’ll get started right away! I’ll run to the market to gather some carrots, and we can display your dessert as our next special if it turns out great.”

  “I know it will if you’re helping me out,” Bonnie said with a grin.

  “You two sure do a lot for the shop,” Whip said. “I feel kind of bad just working the counter.”

  Dazzle nodded. “Me too.”

  “You guys are new,” Braxton said. “You’ll find your unique way to shine before too long.”

  “Thanks,” Dazzle said with a smile.

  “You guys have a show tonight?” Molly
asked.

  “Not tonight,” Whip said. “We’re just doing some practice at the apartment.”

  “Well, good luck, you two,” Molly said.

  Whip and Dazzle headed out, and Molly followed them out the door so she could go pick up a basket of carrots at the local market for her and Bonnie to try out some various carrot cake recipes. She returned a half hour later to a sweet shop full of people, and Bonnie and Braxton were working hard at serving them. Molly put the carrots in the back of the shop, and while she was back there, she heard her oven ding. “Whoa!” she exclaimed, glad she had been back there when the timer had gone off, because she had completely forgotten she had something in the oven.

  She pulled a small tray out of the oven, and grimaced slightly at the smell. She was trying her hand at homemade dog treats as a lot of people walked their dogs up and down River Street. She had a little sign on the door that said “pets welcome!”, and even provided a small water bowl for owners who were walking their four-legged companions, but Bonnie had suggested about a week before to start selling specialty dog treats.

  Once the treats cooled down, Molly placed them in a bright pink dog bowl and brought them out front. She taped a little sign that read “$1.00 For 3 Dog Treats” on the front of the bowl and sat it down at the edge of the counter. Soon, the crowd cleared, and that gave Molly and Bonnie time to look up some various carrot cake recipes online to get an idea of what they would want to try for themselves.

  Just as they had formulated their own special recipe, a woman entered the shop, accompanied by her dog, a very beautiful white miniature poodle. “Aw, what a cute dog!” Molly said. “Do you mind if I give her a treat? I just made a fresh batch of dog treats.”

  The woman smiled. “What’s in them? Are they safe?” she asked.

  “Perfectly safe,” Molly assured her.

  The woman nodded approvingly, and the dog devoured the treat the moment Molly held it out for her. The dog’s tail wagged excitedly, and she sniffed about, expecting more. “You like those, huh?” the woman questioned. She purchased a small bag full of them and ordered herself an ice cream cone. She went and sat down at one of the tables to enjoy her ice cream, and her poodle excitedly nibbled on several more treats. “Those little treats you made are very cute,” the woman said. “You know... I think I’d like to try some of your fudge as well. Do you do samples?”

  Bonnie happily cut a few sample slices for the woman and placed a plate down on her table. “Do you mind if I pet your dog?” Bonnie asked, and the woman nodded approvingly. Bonnie knelt down and pet the poodle, who paid her very little mind as it was still enjoying the treats.

  “Mmm…” she said as she took a bite of fudge.

  “I’ve also started doing a dog-safe fudge,” Molly said. “Braxton, go grab that batch sitting on the counter in the back.” Braxton hurried in the back and returned with a plate. “I really like these because they’re pet-friendly, but all the ingredients are something you’d find in your kitchen cupboard. I love them myself.” Molly took a bite of one of the dog-safe fudges.

  The woman tried them as well, and she smiled brightly. “These are delicious! And, they’re safe for dogs, too?”

  “That’s right,” Molly said. “They’re mild enough for even my bird up there. In smaller amounts, of course.”

  “Well, that settles it,” she said, standing up. “My name is Jennifer Dottle, by the way, and I’m coordinating an event. I need a caterer to put out some tasty treats for the event’s competitors.”

  Molly smiled. “What sort of event?” she asked.

  “Why, a dog show!” Jennifer said. “And I know the owners would love to be able to snack on these treats and not have to worry about their dogs getting a hold of some. They’re delicious!”

  Molly beamed. “Cater a dog show? I’ll have to come up with some more flavors.”

  “Please do,” Jennifer said. “I’ll leave my information, and we’ll talk details.”

  Molly was excited as Jennifer Dottle left, her pet poodle walking alongside her. Catering a dog show? That was one she never thought she would do, but she was looking forward to it.

  Chapter 2

  “This is, like, really fancy,” Dazzle said as the group headed into the hotel hosting the Savannah Dog Show.

  “You’re not kidding,” Molly said. The hotel was full of people, and most everyone had with them a dog companion of some sort. Molly, Bonnie, Braxton, Whip, and Dazzle each carried a large box in front of them. Several dogs sniffed the air, their tails shooting up, as Molly and the kids walked past them through the lobby. “I’m thinking this fudge is going to be a hit.”

  “I can’t believe how good a treat that’s good for both dogs and people tastes,” Bonnie said, smelling the air herself, like the many dogs around them were doing.

  Jennifer met them in the lobby; her white poodle was off leash but stuck to her side like glue. She gave each of them a VIP badge to wear so they would be permitted backstage of the event. “Come this way!” she said, escorting them to an enormous back room of the hotel, where various dogs and their owners were all stationed. She pointed to an enormous table. “This is where you can put all the snacks. I got a sign that says ‘Dog- and Owner-Friendly Treats’ to put out.”

  “Great idea,” Molly said. “Okay, we got the first load of the fudge. Braxton, how about you and Whip go back to the van to get the rest while Bonnie, Dazzle, and I start putting everything out?”

  “On it!” Braxton said, and he and Whip hurried off.

  Jennifer leaned in and whispered to Molly. “Are their names really Whip and Dazzle?”

  Molly laughed. “It’s their show names,” she said. “They’re dancers.”

  “Okay,” Jennifer said with a chuckle. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Molly, Dazzle, and Bonnie got right to work on laying out the tablecloth and covering the table with different display racks. Then they started putting out the fudge, and by the time the boys had arrived back with the rest of the boxes, they already had quite a full table. Just as they were finishing with setting everything out, a young man came hurrying over. “I’ve been watching you put those desserts out for the past ten minutes,” he said with a smirk. “May I?”

  “Go right ahead,” Molly said. “They’re for the owners and their pets.”

  “Wait, are these dog treats?” the man questioned, pausing with the snack held away from his mouth.

  Molly laughed. “No, they’re fudge, but they’re made with pet-friendly ingredients.”

  The man hesitated. “They’re very good,” Bonnie assured the man, and he finally plopped a piece of fudge in his mouth.

  “Okay, that’s actually really good,” he said and put his hand out. “My name is Isaac, by the way. I’m one of the groomers.”

  “A pleasure,” Molly said, shaking the man’s hand.

  Several dog owners started coming up, but most were just as hesitant as Isaac to try the fudge at first. They were much more willing to offer them to their dogs first until Whip shoved several into his mouth to assure people that the dog-friendly treats tasted just like fudge and were people-friendly.

  “Can we go look around at some of the dogs?” Dazzle asked, holding up her VIP badge that Jennifer had given them.

  “I don’t see why not. Then why don’t we stick around for the actual show? Try to get a good seat?” Molly suggested. “I already closed the shop down for the day, so we might as well have a little fun.”

  “Fun? We’re at a dog show,” Braxton said under his breath, clearly not all that enthralled with the idea of watching a bunch of dogs walk around for judges to look at.

  “Oh, don’t be such a bummer, Braxton,” Bonnie said, and they began to walk around to look at some of the show dogs.

  “Look, another poodle!” Dazzle said excitedly, pointing towards a large black poodle.

  The man standing next to the dog had dark curly hair, and Braxton snickered and nudged Whip. “Is it just me, or do a lot of
these owners look like their dogs?” he asked.

  “I heard that!” the man said in Braxton’s direction, causing the young man to jump a bit in surprise.

  “Oh… sorry,” Braxton said, turning red.

  The man laughed. The group wandered over to him, and he told them they could pet the dog. “Reggie here is a top competitor,” the man said proudly. “I’m George, by the by.”

  “So, you’ve got yourself a good show dog?” Molly asked.

  “Are you kidding?” the woman at the prep station next to George’s said excitedly. “Reggie has taken home first prize at just about every show he’s been in!”

  George beamed. “This is my fiancée, Lilith, and her retriever, Jojo.”

  Bonnie’s eyes glistened at the golden retriever seated up on the grooming table next to Lilith. “Oh, he’s so cute!” Bonnie said, eagerly reaching a hand out towards the dog.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, but Jojo has already been groomed; could you not pet him?” Lilith said. “Sorry.”

  “That’s okay. I understand,” Bonnie said.

  “Speaking of grooming,” George muttered. “Where is Isaac? He was supposed to do Reggie next.”

  “I think Isaac got distracted by our dessert table,” Molly said with a laugh, pointing towards the back, where Isaac was helping himself to another piece of fudge.

  A man with a buzz cut came walking by with his German shepherd on a leash, and he paused in front of George and Reggie. “Ugh, you two again,” the man said. “Can’t you two stay home one year? Give the rest of us a chance?”

  George laughed. “Very funny, Oscar.”