Baby Bundt Cake Confusion (Murder in the Mix Book 31) Read online

  I take a sharp breath. “How dare you!”

  “Yes.” Noah gives her a wild-eyed look. “How dare you, Ivy. Look, I don’t pretend to know why Lottie keeps running into corpses, but I certainly don’t think she’s in any way responsible, and I don’t think he is either.” He shoots Everett a quizzical look that begs the question.

  “No,” Everett says rather adamantly. “I had nothing to do with this. We didn’t even hear a gunshot.”

  Ivy shakes her head. “Let’s see your weapon, Everett.”

  He quickly produces Ethel and Ivy lands a pair of gloves on before taking it from him. “I’ll take this in and give it to forensics. Once they clear you, I’ll help shout it from the rooftops.”

  “Thank you,” Everett says. “I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome.” She flexes a short-lived smile. “Why don’t you do everyone a favor and take you wife home? I’ve got a homicide investigation to deal with. Noah, I’ll keep you updated, but I’m sorry, until you’re cleared from suspension, I’ll have to ask you to steer clear of this case.”

  Noah looks as if he’s about to leap from his skin. “It’s a double homicide. These are my friends, Ivy. Nobody knows this crowd like I do.”

  “Or me.” Everett is quick to toss his investigative hat into the ring. “I’ll help you with whatever you need, Ivy. You have my number.”

  “That I do.” She takes a moment to glower my way. “It goes without saying you’re to stay out of this, Lottie. You have a baby due in a few weeks. Please focus on that instead.” She takes off before I can get a word in.

  “How do you like that?” I huff in her wake just as Carlotta and Evie hustle on over.

  “Dad!” Evie’s eyes widen with fright. “You didn’t kill the guy, did you?”

  “No.” Everett pulls her into a strong embrace. “I would never do that. We just walked out and found them that way.”

  “Good.” She pulls back and blows out a breath. “I’ve gotta call my friends. I just saw two freaking dead bodies, and rumor has it my dad is a killer. I knew if I tagged along tonight you guys would not disappoint. This is so freaking cool.” She dashes back into the hotel and Everett groans.

  “I’d better go stop her before she revs up more rumor mills than necessary.”

  “Good thinking,” I say. “And tell her this is not so freaking cool.”

  “That’s for sure.” He takes off and Noah pulls me close.

  “Come on, Lot. Let’s get inside ourselves. Once Everett rounds up Evie, we’re taking off. I’ll rub your feet and try to get your mind off things.”

  Carlotta slaps her thigh. “Leave it to you, Foxy, to try to slide in under the radar. You know a dead body gets Lot all riled up. I wouldn’t be surprised if you blew two old friends away just to get her in a frisky mood.” She shrugs my way. “What can we say, Lot? He knows your love language is corpses.”

  “It is not,” I hiss her way. I’m about to further correct her when I see Slater, Jasmine’s ex, speaking to the woman with the silver hair in a heated manner. They’re both looking back at the bodies intermittently, and she’s nodding frenetically at whatever it is he’s telling her.

  “Noah, look,” I whisper and point in their general direction.

  “Things look tense,” he whispers.

  We watch as Slater stalks off back into the ballroom while Stassi runs into the parking lot and takes off into the night.

  A deputy from the sheriff’s department pulls out a bullhorn and shouts for everyone to step back into the hotel while they collect names and numbers.

  Noah ushers both Carlotta and me in that direction and Ariella and Jen step in front of us as we head that way.

  Jen wraps her arm around her friend’s shoulders.

  “Can I call anyone?” she asks the new widow sweetly. “Can I get something for you to drink? Your coat? A chair?”

  “No.” Ariella takes a deep breath as she looks from me to Noah. “I’m in shock. I don’t know what to do or think. None of this feels real. Tell me it’s all a bad dream. Tell me I didn’t just lose my husband.”

  “I’m sorry.” Noah offers his old friend a mournful smile. “Let me take you home tonight. I’ll arrange for a deputy to come back and pick up your vehicle in the morning.”

  “Okay.” She holds herself tightly as she gives my torso an apprehensive look. “I’m sorry, Lottie. I’m sorry you and Everett got dragged into this. I’m so very sorry.”

  “Hey”—I reach over and give her arm a quick rub while holding my enormous belly with my other hand—“it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. And neither did Everett. Whoever did this is going to be arrested sooner than later. Just between us, the sheriff’s department isn’t the only one on this case. Noah, Everett, and I will all put our heads together to nail whoever did this to the wall, and fast.”

  “She’s right.” Noah gives me a wry look. Ivy calls him over and he excuses himself a moment.

  “Ariella?” I look to the poor woman with grief in my heart. “What do you think Owen and Jasmine were doing out there?”

  Her mouth strays open. “Owen had left my side. I don’t know what he was doing, but Jasmine said she was coming out to have a smoke.”

  Noah comes back. “Ariella, why don’t you wait right here. I’m going to walk Lottie over to the refreshment table where her employee is stationed.”

  Noah does just that and we find Lily already closing up shop and collecting the cutlery that we bring out to events like this back into the bin along with the rest of our things.

  “I can’t believe this, Lottie.” Lily shakes her head. “But I should have expected it. And don’t worry. I’ll get straight to ordering extra supplies so we can beef up production of these lemon Bundt cakes. I don’t know how you seem to finagle your sweet treats into just about every homicide in Vermont, but I have to give it to you—you’re a marketing wonder.”

  It’s true. Every last homicide I’ve somehow stumbled into—well, let’s just say one of my desserts has been front and center as well. And as fate and the morbid fascination of the public would have it, there always seems to be an uptick in demand when it comes to the infamous treat at hand.

  When my mother owned the Honey Hollow B&B, she ran the Haunted Honey Hollow B&B tours out of it at eighty dollars a head, and once she was through with them she sent them to my bakery for what she dubbed as The Last Thing They Ate Tour. She’s still running her haunted tours, albeit all the proceeds go to Cormack and Cressida now. But on the bright side, she’s still sending the tourists my way afterwards, so there’s that.

  Noah takes off to take Ariella home, and I’m about to get straight to the task of helping Lily clean up when my belly decides to harden into a bowling ball. I drop the stack of forks in my hand and grip my stomach as my eyes squeeze shut.

  “Whoa,” a female voice pipes up from my right and I open my eyes to see Serena standing there looking at me with a touch of wonder. “Hey? Are you having a contraction?”

  “No way,” I tell her. “It’s nothing. I’m just practicing for the real deal.”

  “When is your next doctor’s appointment?” She squints over at me as if she didn’t believe a word I just said.

  “In a week. Dr. Barnette says she wants to start seeing me weekly up until the big day. So there’s nothing to worry about on my end.”

  “Have you packed your bag for the hospital?”

  A tiny spike of terror strikes me. “I’ve been meaning to. I mean, obviously, everyone keeps telling me to do it.” Specifically my best friend Keelie and my sister Lainey, both of whom just had babies last summer. “But, to be honest, I’m half-afraid that will send out some signal to the universe that I’m ready to have the baby. And I’m not ready to have the baby.”

  “Yes, you are, Lottie.” Serena shakes her head at me. “Look, you can deny that this baby is coming all you want, but in less than a month you’re going to have an infant on your hands whether the nursery is painted, there’s a crib set up, or even if your bag is packed for the maternity ward. You have toured the maternity ward, right?”

  “Toured it?” I inch back in horror. “Why would I do that?”

  “So you know what to expect. You don’t want to be caught off guard, do you?” She glances to the ceiling. “Look, I was supposed to run a tour with the birthing class we just finished up, but things got wild toward the end and we never got around to it. I’ll put your name in with the head nurse and give you clearance to take a tour on your own. Since you can’t be trusted to do it…” She waves behind me, and soon Everett and Alex have joined us. “Everett, I’m arranging for a tour of the maternity ward for you, Noah, and Lottie. I’ll get the details to you soon. Make sure she’s there.”

  “I will,” he says as his lips flicker just this side of a smile. “Thank you. We appreciate that.”

  “Speak for yourself,” I mutter.

  Alex leans in. “Don’t worry, Lottie. Both of my brothers are going to be there for you.” He offers Everett a mock sock on the arm. “And I do consider you my brother. I’m rooting for you, Everett. Noah told me all about the sleepwalking defense. I’m sure it’ll work out for you.”

  It’s true. Noah remembered that Everett had a well-documented case of sleepwalking. And Everett’s acting attorney, Fiona Dagmeyer, one of his old girlfriends who has been thoroughly Essexed, agreed that it might work. I guess we’ll find out next month when the trial gets underway.

  Alex and Serena say goodnight and take off just as a familiar brunette with cobalt blue eyes comes this way.

  “Oh my goodness!” Meghan Baxter, Everett’s sister, strides forward. “You two are here for less than five minutes and we’ve got a mountain of corpses in the back alley. Tell me it’s not true, Essex. You didn’t
gun those people down, did you?” She pulls us into a double embrace, and I’m momentarily smothered by her flesh and sugary perfume.

  “That you had to ask is an insult.” Everett pulls back. “Don’t breathe those words again, Meghan. This night has given me more than I can handle already.”

  “So much for having a great reunion.” She makes a face as she looks out at the crowd. Meghan looks like Everett in female flesh, but she’s voluptuous where he’s rock hard, and her humor is a bit drier and biting. I like Meghan a lot. “I guess I missed all the fireworks. That’s what I get for showing up late.”

  Evie comes up and hugs her aunt with ferocity. “If it isn’t the Marvelous Ms. Meghan,” Evie teases. They’ve grown pretty close, considering the fact they just met this past year, and I’m glad about it, too. Evie deserves to have a normal family life, especially after Cressida did her best to strip her of it.

  “Evie, my favorite niece.” Meghan wraps the crook of her arm around Evie’s neck and gives her a noogie. “But you just might have to share that honor if your mom has a girl. I guess I’ll see you all tomorrow at that big—”

  Evie all but tackles Meghan a good ten feet away and now she’s whispering into Meghan’s ear and the two of them are nodding frenetically.

  “What was that about?” I ask while Lily and Everett exchange a quick glance.

  “Who knows?” Everett wraps his arms around me. “My guess is boy trouble.”

  “You’re probably right.” After narrowing her two boyfriends to one, Evie has had nothing but one drama after the next in her dating life. Not that Everett and I are thrilled with her dating at all.

  My stomach squeezes tightly once again and I press my lips together, not wanting Everett to catch onto the amount of discomfort I’m in.

  I’m positive this baby isn’t making its debut into the world tonight. And I certainly don’t want an unwarranted tour of the maternity ward any sooner than I have to have it.

  I blow out a slow and steady breath just the way Serena taught me during those birthing classes she presided over, and soon the tight feeling subsides.

  I spot Carlotta off in the corner of the room and gasp. In her arms is that white silky-haired pooch who came back from the other side to help us solve this murder.

  But there were two suspects, and I get the feeling I should keep my eye out for another ghost to make itself known—and here’s hoping the killer makes himself or herself known, too.

  Noah

  Snow falls softly as I run into the Ashford County Sheriff’s Department.

  It’s just about midnight, and after I dropped Ariella off at home, I thought I’d head out this way. At this point my jaunt to the station is more or less out of habit. But seeing that there was a double homicide tonight in Fallbrook, the victims of which were two of my old friends, I’d say I have more than a horse in the race and every right to be here.

  Who knows? This might just be the catalyst to get myself off suspension and back behind my desk where I belong.

  No sooner do I set foot into the warmth of the building than Everett cycles through my mind. He belongs back on his bench as much, if not more, than I belong back here.

  Last January when Florenza Canelli, in her ghostly form, promised she would help me thwart a deadly mob war, I foolishly told Lottie to take the deal. Initially, I was going to be the only one stealing her body from the morgue. But Everett had to play the part of hero and joined in on the effort. In fact, he did just that last month, too, when he took the fall for the entire debacle. But, then again, it was his face that showed up clear as a bell on the security footage and his alone.

  Let’s hope the sleepwalking stint he had during his adolescent years comes back to serve him well. If anyone can put enough doubt into that jury’s mind next month, it’s the shark he’s hired to defend himself, Fiona Dagmeyer.

  I pull out my phone and quickly shoot a text to Lottie to make sure she’s safe and hopefully at home by now.

  She texts right back. I’m fine! I’m home. Carlotta, Evie, Everett, and I are eating everything we can find in the kitchen. Come join the midnight madness. I’ll save a cruller for you.

  My heart warms just knowing Lottie and the baby are safe.

  My baby.

  I’m convinced of it. Or at least I was up until I realized this baby will be here in just a few short weeks. I guess I can’t live in my delusions forever.

  The truth will be here soon enough. And if that’s Everett’s child, I’ll have to accept it. But I know myself all too well. It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow. Usually I can put up a good front when I need to. I’m just not sure how I’ll fare in this scenario.

  I let Lottie know I’m out in Ashford but that I’ll see her tomorrow.

  Lottie has no idea about the big surprise set out for her in the afternoon. And considering it’s at her mother’s old B&B, I’m hoping there won’t be too much drama. But considering the fact Cormack and Cressida are at the helm of the crazy train, I don’t see how it can be avoided.

  The station is buzzing. It’s far too bright in here for this late hour, but the bustle at the sheriff’s department never seems to die down as of late no matter what the time.

  I head over to the homicide division, where I find the exact two people I was hoping to see, and they both happen to have their heads knit together as they examine a cache of photos.

  Ivy’s lips pucker at the sight of me.

  “No.” She gets back to the pictures from the crime scene already sprawled out over her desk.

  Sheriff Jack Turner straightens as he looks my way. He’s tall, barrel-chested, and has more salt than pepper in his hair these days. I’d like to think we’ve grown to be friends over the last few years I’ve worked here, and I do believe that’s true. He happens to be the father of Lottie’s best friend, Keelie, and I think a lot of the kindness and mercy he’s shown me over the years is somehow tied to his affection for Lottie. After her own father passed away, I know that Jack stepped in and was like a father to her as well.

  “Noah.” He shakes his head, that mournful look on his face letting me know this probably wasn’t a great idea. “It’s late, Noah. And you don’t belong here.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” I say it as kindly as possible. “I do belong here. Lift the suspension. Get me back at my desk. Nobody around here knows the victims like I did. I played ball with Owen. I took Jasmine to the homecoming dance when we were kids. I know how their minds worked. And I know the circle of friends that surrounded them, too. I realize it’s a long shot, but I’d bet money I know the killer. I’m an asset in this case.”

  The sheriff blows out a breath as he looks to Ivy and they share a quick nod.

  “I can’t lift your suspension, Noah,” he says. “That unfortunately needs to run its course. The review is almost up, and it’s looking as if it’s in your favor. But in the meantime, I don’t see why you couldn’t act as a character witness in an effort to aid the case. Consider yourself unofficially on the case. But”—he holds up a finger just as a rocket of relief shoots through me—“try to remember you’ve been suspended without pay. Any minute you give to the department will be of your own time. And seeing that you’re expecting a child, perhaps”—he shakes his head at that one—“I’d help Lottie get things ready for the baby if I were you.”

  “I will. But I’m doing this, too. This is in my blood. It’s who I am. And these were my friends. This is personal. I’d do it without pay every day of the week.”

  “Good.” He flexes a quick smile. “You’ll have to.”

  “What have we got?” I look down at the crime scene photos. “Did you run an ID on the gun?”

  Ivy nods. “It belonged to Judge Owen Kellerman.”

  My blood runs cold a moment. “Any prints?”

  “None.” Ivy slides a photo of the snow my way. “What do you make of this?”

  “Sloppy footprints,” I whisper. “You don’t get that from running. Whoever fled the scene knew they wanted to cover their tracks. This was no heated argument that got carried away. Whoever did this was plotting it, and plotting their escape. They had access to his gun, too.”

  “Maybe,” Ivy says. “Or perhaps the weapon was pulled on them and they won it in a struggle? They could have thought to smear their footprints as they fled the scene. We can’t be sure it was premeditated at this point—or if Kellerman’s gun was fired at all.”