Deadly Pumpkin Slice (A Sinful Sweets Cozy Mystery) Read online

  Deadly Pumpkin Slice

  A Sinful Sweets Cozy Mystery Series

  by Carol Lee

  A Bristlecone Book

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2013 Carol Lee

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author and/or publisher. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without written permission from the author.

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  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

  CHAPTER 1

  “Come on Maple,” Sydney called to her golden retriever. Maple was the only reason she felt safe on her bike this early in the morning. Not that she should have any reason to feel threatened. Twin Peaks hadn’t so much as had a jay-walker since she’d move there six years ago.

  Wow, six years. She’d only planned on making it a two year move. Sydney had needed a fresh start, a clean break. She’d gotten that, plus so much more—a new life.

  She’d left her boyfriend, her job, the place she’d called home for three years, and joined her sister, Mia, and her family in Twin Peaks. It wasn’t quite as far from her old life as she’d wanted, but it had been the move she’d needed at the time she needed.

  At the time, Mia had owned and managed Sinful Sweets, the only bakery for miles around. Sydney had come on as the only employee. But when Mia found herself pregnant with her first daughter three months later, she gave herself until motherhood took over and then handed everything to Sydney.

  That left Sydney in charge of the ailing bakery. And today, she couldn’t have been prouder. She’d turned it into a state-wide phenomenon, known for something different each season. This fall morning, she was anxious to make another batch of her famous gluten-free, crustless, individual-sized pumpkin pies. They’d been a hit for the last month and she knew that wasn’t about to let up.

  The health craze toward gluten-free, even for those who didn’t suffer from gluten intolerance or Celiac Disease, had hurt the business right when Mia was getting out. Sydney had made it her mission to find a way to keep their few loyal customers, and add even more. She’d had to get creative.

  Sydney arrived at the back door to her pride and joy and propped her bike against the wall. She fumbled in her shoulder bag to find the keys, never putting them in the same place. She’d considered just leaving a spare under a pot or welcome mat so she wouldn’t have to think about it this early in the morning, but Mia had warned against it.

  “You really think someone is going to come looking to steal my supply of sugar?” Sydney had asked sarcastically.

  “It’s when you get too relaxed that things happen. It can’t be that hard to keep track of your keys!” Mia had shot back. Parenthood had made her less patient with Sydney’s shortcomings. Mia thought that if she could keep track of her keys while juggling her kids—three at this point—anyone should be able to manage it.

  “Here they are,” Sydney mumbled to Maple who waited anxiously for the door to open. She was seasoned at the routine by now, but was always impatient to get inside.

  Sydney maneuvered her bike inside and then followed Maple to the front door. Maple was loved by all customers and greeted them each like a long lost friend. She lay on her bed next to the door, patiently waiting for the first customer, still well over an hour away.

  Maple paced in circles, getting her bed just right, and Sydney patiently waited throughout the process. She knew that if she left too soon, Maple would follow her back to the kitchen and spend the morning there. She didn’t want fur getting in her prized pies.

  Sydney was surprised to see people walking along the sidewalk this early. She loved getting to work before Twin Peaks woke up, but it seemed that this morning was different. Not that crowds were walking past, but she saw enough pedestrians to throw her off her game for a moment. She didn’t give it much thought and Maple soon settled down.

  Sydney got to work. She knew that today would be busy. The week after Halloween kept everyone craving sweets, and individual sized pumpkin pies would do the trick.

  She pulled out enough fresh pumpkin puree to make a triple batch. She prided herself on limiting the amount of canned ingredients she used. She sourced her pumpkins from The Pumpkin Patch, a local farm. She’d even been able to put in her order in the spring so they could grow specifically for her. It might have been more work, but she could see its payoffs with the surprised looks on customers’ faces when they took their first bite. She would have to start planning for next year’s crop before long.

  After the pumpkin, she needed eggs, honey, heavy cream and her secret ingredient—maple. Just a touch gave an exciting extra flavor that kept everyone guessing.

  She mixed all the wet ingredients and got ready for the dry. She found her cloves, cinnamon and ginger.

  When everything was mixed and the oven was heating, she pulled out all of the ramekins she had. She wasn’t sure it’d be enough, but when Grace got in at six thirty, she’d put her to work in the kitchen while she dealt with the morning crowd herself.

  She filled each small bowl and put them in the oven, moving on to the next item on her list—cider donuts. She made the dough ahead and froze them individually. She’d remembered the night before to take them out of the freezer so they were thawed and ready for frying this morning.

  Maple’s bark brought Sydney back to the present. She was good at getting lost in her work. She loved baking so much and she was glad Maple paid attention to the time and told her when to open.

  “Thanks, Maple,” Sydney crooned as she scratched behind her ears and unlocked the front door. She flipped the closed sign to the open side and knew it wouldn’t be long before she heard the distinctive tinkle of bells announcing the first customers of the day.

  Sydney didn’t even make it back to the kitchen before Leah Robbins walked in with her eldest daughter.

  “Mom, we’re gonna be late!” Wendy whined.

  “Good morning, Sydney. Hi Maple,” Leah greeted, ignoring her daughter and offering a single pat on the head for the dog. Sydney used to cringe when non-dog people would pat Maple’s head instead of scratch behind her ears. Lucky for everyone, Maple put up with it and even seemed to learn to enjoy it.

  “Morning, Leah. What’ll it be today, Wendy?” Sydney asked, turning to the teen.

  “Mom’s gonna make me late,” she repeated, hoping to get an ally in Sydney.

  “Late for school?” Sydney asked, surprised that a high schooler would be anxious to get there on time.

  “Yeah. We have to get there early today because the honor’s society is taking the train into the city to meet with state legislators.”

  “I knew it must be something good. Here, on the house, for energy,” Sydney offered and handed a still-warm donut to Wendy.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Leah said.

  “You’re right, I don’t have to, but I want to. She’s been working hard and has a big day today. Congratulations on being in the honor’s society!” Sydney said.

  “Thanks,” Wendy and Leah both replied.

  “Just a coffee for me,” Leah requested. “Black.”

  “Coming right up,” Sydney said and turned her back to them while she filled a cup.

  “Have you talked to Mia lately?” Lea
h asked.

  “Not for a few days. What’s up?”

  “We’re taking the kids to The Pumpkin Patch today,” Leah told her. Leah’s youngest was three, the same age as Mia’s middle, Ariel, and they were in the same play group.

  “That’ll be fun! Are they carving pumpkins after Halloween?”

  “Yeah. Everything’s half off so we’re taking them now instead of last week. A hay ride too.”

  “That’s great! Greet Jake for me. I wouldn’t have the success with my pumpkin pies if it weren’t for him!” Jake was the owner of The Pumpkin Patch and they’d become good friends over the years of working together.

  “Will do. Thanks for the coffee and the donut.”

  “Any day. Have fun Wendy,” Sydney offered as they left. They were morning regulars and one of Sydney’s links to her sister now that they didn’t work together anymore.

  Sydney knew she’d have a little bit of time before the rush truly began, so she walked back to the kitchen to check on the pies. She wanted them out front as soon as possible.

  “Morning Sydney,” Grace greeted with her usual cheer. She’d come in the back entrance and Sydney hadn’t even heard her.

  “Grace, you’ll never stop surprising me with your quiet entrances. Great to see you this morning!”

  “Busy already?”

  “Not yet, but I expect a crowd!”

  “I smell the pies. I can’t wait to see everyone’s smiles!” Grace said with a smile of her own.

  “I’m going to need you to keep up with the washing as they sell, so we can put more in the oven. It’s a good thing they don’t cook for long or we’d be in trouble and never be able to meet the demand!”

  “What about the whipped cream, do you have that ready yet?” Grace asked, scanning the kitchen and taking stock of what had already been done.

  “No! Thank God you’re here! I would have forgotten! You get setup to do that, I’ll go get the cream, sugar and vanilla. Maybe we can make a small maple batch and see if that’s a hit. What do you think?”

  “Always thinking! I love it!” Grace said encouragingly as she got the stand mixer down from its shelf.

  Just like her all natural pumpkin, Sydney also wouldn’t compromise on the whipped cream she used. She was adamant that whipped cream from a can was not whipped cream. She made hers from scratch every morning, using any leftovers as bonus coffee toppers at the end of the day. She knew what went into everything she made, and the whipped cream was no different.

  Sydney heard the familiar tinkling of the bells and walked back out front to see Jonah, the owner of Incredible Acres—the local landscaping company—down at Maple’s level.

  “Who’s a good girl?” he was whispering to her as she wagged her tail and tried to lick his face.

  Sydney couldn’t help but smile. Maple was good for business. “Morning Jonah,” she said, making him look up.

  “Morning Sydney. I was just telling Maple, here, how lucky she is to be the number one employee at Sinful Sweets. She must get more treats than any other dog in town. I don’t think there’s been a day that I was in here I didn’t give her a taste of whatever I was buying. And I see everyone else doing it too.” Jonah looked back down at Maple and then stood up, walking to the counter.

  “She is lucky. I tell her every day. What’s your choice today?”

  “I’m not sure. Maple, what do you want for breakfast?” he asked, turning back to the dog.

  Maple cocked her head to the left, seemingly considering her options.

  “I’ll start with a coffee, and what’s that I smell?”

  “Those are the first of the pumpkin pies!” Sydney said with pride.

  “I’ll take one of those.”

  “Whipped cream on top? We have regular and maple. Or we will soon. Grace, how’s the cream coming?” Sydney called back into the kitchen.

  “We’re nearly there.” The oven beeped and Sydney heard the mixer stop and Grace pull the tray of pies out of the oven. The smell was overwhelming. “And the pies are ready!” Grace added.

  “Perfect timing,” Sydney told Jonah with a smile. “You want your coffee for here or to go?”

  “For here. I’m meeting Allison to talk about next year’s plan for the library’s courtyard.”

  “Great. I’ll get her coffee ready too. I’ll bring the pie to your table. And what kind of whipped cream?”

  “I’ll try the maple, thanks,” Jonah said and turned to take a seat in a booth by a window.

  Sinful Sweets was blessed with its location. Mia had been patient when she’d wanted to open the bakery, and it had paid off. It was located in the center of downtown Twin Peaks, right on Main Street. There was ample free parking, and plenty of other businesses within walking distance. As Sydney had improved the bakery, there were dozens of local workers who made a point of getting either their breakfast, coffee break or lunch snacks from Sinful Sweets. The local economy had improved with its growth. And now they did almost as much shipping of their sweets as they did local business.

  That had been another challenge that Sydney had faced with excitement. It wasn’t easy to ship fresh desserts with only natural ingredients. But she and Grace had come up with some ingenious techniques that had really let them grow. By baking their sweets directly in jars that could be sealed, they’d been able to greatly extend the shelf lives.

  Sydney lovingly placed a dollop of maple whipped cream on top of a pumpkin pie. She loved it when customers ate their pies in the bakery. She still struggled with getting them out of the ramekins without making them into a pile of mess. Presentation was part of her marketing, and to-go pies did not live up to her standards. When shipping them, she’d use only recyclable containers, and would always ask that if customers were in the area, they return them for a second use.

  The familiar tinkling sounded as Sydney placed two coffees and a pie on Jonah’s table. Allison was entering, immersed in conversation with three other familiar faces—Ben, Ella and Levi.

  “We can’t raise taxes that much!” Allison protested. It was a common conversation when Ben was around—a town councilman. The library and the school were always hurting for funds and the only solution seemed to be to raise taxes. But what taxes were raised were hotly debated.

  Allison abruptly ended the conversation and made her way to Jonah’s table. Ben, Ella and Levi met Sydney back at the counter.

  “Morning Sydney. Just the usual for Ella and me today,” Ben ordered, an exasperated look still on his face.

  “Coming right up. What about you, Levi?” she asked Leah’s husband.

  Levi stared at the ground, completely lost in another world.

  “Anything for you, Levi?” Sydney asked again.

  “I’ll have. . .” he looked around, exhaustion on his face, “. . .what Jonah has. That looks too good to pass up.”

  “Here are your coffees, Ben. Levi, regular or maple whipped cream on top?”

  “Huh?” he asked, again lost in thought. “Oh, regular. Thanks. And to-go.”

  “No problem.” Sydney turned to fill the order and crossed her fingers the pie would come out of its baking container at least presentable. She heard the door open again and voices fill the bakery.

  This was what she lived for. She loved making people’s lives better, and the best way she knew how was to make them good food. She’d toyed with the idea of expanding to include a wholesome lunch menu instead of just desserts, but until she took the leap to hire more help, she was happy to stick to the sweets she offered. And business seemed to be booming, so why fix something that wasn’t broken?

  Grace and Sydney tag teamed the morning between filling orders, baking more pies and washing dishes to keep everyone fed and happy. Just as Sydney had predicted, it was busier than usual. While kids were feasting on their haul from Halloween, their parents got the same sugar craving and filled it at Sinful Sweets. Sydney couldn’t complain.

  Neither Sydney nor Grace ever felt tired until they sat down after they close
d for lunch to fill orders to ship. They both enjoyed the afternoon just as much as the morning. They might not have ever met their customers, but they knew just as much about them and personalized each of their orders as much as possible.

  One customer had a standing weekly order. She bought a dozen chocolate chip cookies every Friday, arriving on Mondays, and a couple times a month would add the seasonal special. Over the years that she’d been ordering, Sydney had learned that she was a child therapist and always kept enough cookies in her office to bribe hesitant patients. She would cut the cookies into pieces, and they would all be gone by the end of the week when the next order was placed. Once Sydney learned the customer’s reason for buying so many cookies, she would often place a couple gluten-free treats in, just in case.

  Just before Sydney was ready to turn the sign back to closed at one thirty, the bell tinkled and in walked Detective Austin Massey. He was Mia’s neighbor, but Sydney hadn’t gotten to know him as well as some of her other customers.