Mixing Up Murder Read online

  Mixing Up Murder

  Little Dog Diner, Book 1

  Emmie Lyn

  © 2019, Emmie Lyn

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Editor: Helen Page

  Proofreader: Alice Shepherd

  Cover Designer: Lou Harper, Cover Affairs

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Sweet Promise press

  PO Box 72

  Brighton, MI 48116

  For Melissa.

  Thank you for believing in me.

  Contents

  About This Book

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  What’s Next?

  SNEAK PEEK: Serving Up Suspects

  What’s After That?

  More Blueberry Bay

  More Emmie!

  About This Book

  Murder wasn’t supposed to be on the menu at the Little Dog Diner, but that’s exactly what we got served anyway.

  Hi, I’m Dani Mackenzie and I’m the unfortunate soul who owns said diner. Looks like business is going to be slow for a little while as the whole town scrambles to find whodunnit.

  At first I just needed something to keep me busy while on my forced vacation, but now as the clues stack up, I’m caught in the middle of this crazy mixed-up murder. And I’ll do anything to get to the bottom of what really happened and why it happened in my kitchen.

  Too bad the only known witness to the crime is the victim’s terrier, Pip, and no one believes she bludgeoned her owner to death. But if not her… then who? And, perhaps more importantly, who’s next?

  Author’s Note

  Hi cozy readers!

  Welcome to Misty Harbor on Blueberry Bay on the coast of Maine where cozy mysteries abound. You are about to meet Dani Mackenzie, her grandmother Rose, and her spirited Jack Russell Terrier, Pip, along with many other great characters. Sit back and enjoy!

  Click here to sign up for my newsletter and never miss a new release.

  Chapter One

  “Why did I ever let you talk me into going to Ray’s funeral?”

  I didn’t really expect my best friend, Lily, to answer me. She just gave me one of her looks. The one that talked me into spending a beautiful Monday morning attending a service at Two Wilde Funeral Home for someone I never even liked.

  As though I had nothing better to do.

  But… what do you do when your best friend needs you at an unpleasant affair? You put on your best little black dress, hold her hand and your nose, and hope for the best.

  “Dani,” Lily said, tenderly tucking one of my wayward curls behind my ear. My attempt to control my mass of auburn hair with a tiny silver hair clip failed miserably. Several curlicues always refused to cooperate. “Thanks for coming with me,” she said in her musical voice. She completely ignored my discomfort and slipped her arm in mine. “I can’t believe Ray died before the divorce became final.” Then she maneuvered me toward the funeral home.

  We took the steps up to the columned entrance of Two Wilde two at a time, late as usual because Lily got hung up worrying how she looked. She thought black made her long, blonde hair fade to a washed-out cream. I had to talk her out of an electric blue, figure-hugging sheath. “Sure, it makes your hair look like a crown of spun gold,” I told her. “But you’ll never live down the snide merry widow jokes in this town.

  As far as her comment about her husband’s death was concerned, I should say I was shocked, but I couldn’t, because I wasn’t.

  Lily’s soon to be ex-husband had been a worthless piece of scum as a husband, but on paper, he owned a lot of real estate in Misty Harbor, Maine, the picturesque town where we lived. Now everything would go to Lily. I couldn’t be happier for her. And, I admit, I was a teensy bit jealous. She was set for life. And me? I’d be working my fingers off feeding the locals at the Little Dog Diner for, well, forever.

  Don’t get me wrong. I loved our diner. Yes, our—my grandma, Rose Mackenzie who owned the building and took care of the books, and Lily and I who did the day to day cooking and serving—had our own business, the Little Dog Diner. So, Lily wasn’t just my best friend, but my business partner as well. I had an interest in her future, but who could blame her for choosing financial freedom over working? Um, no one.

  I pulled the heavy wood door of Two Wilde Funeral Home open, pasted an appropriately somber expression on my face, smoothed any wrinkles out of my black dress, and followed my friend inside.

  The door clicked shut behind us and all heads turned in our direction. A few gasps and whispers by Ray’s family along the lines of, “I can’t believe Lily brought Danielle Mackenzie,” followed those head turns, but we stared straight ahead, locked our arms, and made our way to the casket.

  An open casket.

  Surrounded by white lilies.

  “You didn’t warn me about that,” I hissed in Lily’s ear as I jabbed her in the side, harder than I intended.

  She winced. “Would you have come?” she whispered back.

  “Of course not.” We were three steps away from looking at the dead face of Raymond Lemay, and I didn’t know if I’d make it without losing my blueberry muffin. Lily dragged me by the arm, reluctant as I was, up the aisle to the casket. I closed my eyes and let her blindly pull me to the spot I didn’t want to be near under any circumstance. The sweet scent from the lilies around the casket was so strong I wanted to fan my hand in front of my face or rush outside to suck in fresh air. I didn’t do either.

  “This is the best he’s ever looked,” Lily whispered. “You won’t believe it, Dani. His face is actually handsome now that he’s relaxed. Open your eyes.”

  Against my better judgment, I cracked open one eye maybe an eighth of an inch. Then I closed it quickly, took a breath and opened it a sliver again. And held it open. “Okay, not as gruesome as I expected,” I admitted.

  I opened both eyes and blinked. “Who knew a dead guy could look this good,” I said when I was sure my breakfast would stay put. “He looks like he’s sleeping peacefully.” Then something caught my eye. Like almost blinding me. “What’s that sparkling on his chest?” I whispered to Lily, after checking to be sure no one was watching, I reached in and snatched the item off Ray’s shirt. I caught a quick look at what I held in my hand, and saw it was just an earring probably from some weepy relative leaning too far over the body. I tucked it in my pocket to deal with later.

  Together, we stared at the pale face, dark hair, and square jaw
of Lily’s dead husband. Just as we were about to turn around and join the rest of his family, his eyes popped open and he winked.

  A blood-curdling shriek filled the hushed room, and then I added my scream to the racket.

  Raymond’s little terrier, Pip, who had been sitting quietly at one end of the casket with a pink bow clipped on her head, yipped and yapped and charged at us, probably thinking she needed to ward off some terrible spirit about to invade her precious Raymond.

  My arms flew up in the air. My silver hair clip popped open, releasing a cascade of crazy curls around my face.

  Pip nipped at my ankles.

  Lily crashed on to the thick, cushy carpet.

  The room fell silent as I tried to make sense of what had happened.

  All I could imagine was that Lily had just died from shock right in front of my eyes. Either that, or I had lost my mind. Or both, since the reality was too crazy to believe.

  I crouched next to Lily and fanned her pale face with the program I’d grabbed on the way in. “Lily, don’t you dare leave me” I ordered. “Come on, open those beautiful blue eyes. You’re my best friend in all the world, and I need you to keep me sane, especially in this roomful of your in-laws.”

  I heard a snort above me. It was a familiar sound. One I’d heard more times than I could remember. The snort that belonged to Lily’s almost ex-husband, Raymond, the dead guy who winked at us. A shiver of alarm zinged up my spine.

  What was going on?

  Lily moaned. I nearly fainted with relief and moved so she’d only be able to see me when her eyes opened. “What happened?” she mumbled.

  My plan to shield Lily failed. I felt Ray’s hot breath on my neck as he crouched next to me. Lily’s eyes opened so wide I was afraid they might freeze into a fright mask and never close.

  Pip wiggled close to Lily and licked her cheek.

  “See, Lily?” Ray said, his voice actually tender. “Pip’s thrilled to see you, too.”

  Lily pushed herself to a sitting position, her cheeks regaining a bit of healthy pink glow. She pointed her finger at Ray. I truly expected to see daggers fly from that finger straight to Ray’s heart, sending him back into that white casket he’d recently inhabited. “What the heck is going on?”

  “Lily,” Ray said in his fake soothing tone as he reached for her hand.

  She slapped him.

  “You wouldn’t answer any of my calls.” His whiny voice told me something was up. This guy never begged for anything. He took what he wanted. “I was desperate to talk to you and stop this silly divorce you seem to be intent on carrying out.”

  “Silly? You think you can sweet talk me after what you did?” Lily pushed herself straighter as her spine seemed to grow a steel rod.

  “I said I’m sorry.” He even bowed his head a little.

  I gagged. My blueberry muffin threatened to make a grand entrance. Again.

  My head swiveled between Lily and Ray so fast I thought it might fall off. “Sorry?” I couldn’t help but get involved. “If you hadn’t put your, you know what, in you know where, we wouldn’t be here.”

  The entire room fell silent. Even Pip sat down. My hand flew to cover my big mouth. “Did I say that out loud?” I asked Lily.

  She nodded.

  I stood up. “Sorry folks. The shows over.” I grabbed Lily’s hand and pulled her up next to me. “Let’s go. I’ll treat you to my latest creation—my blueberry cordial. I think we could both use a shot.”

  With that, Lily and I, with our heads high, walked past Ray, past his family, past the whispers of, “Did you hear what she said?” We continued to march out the door and down the steps of the white-columned funeral home like the aggrieved widow Lily should have been, leaning on her bestie for support.

  “Too bad all that money will stay in his bank account now,” I said, steering Lily to the parking lot. I did my best to console her with my arm around her waist as we continued to my car.

  And I meant it. I really wanted the best for my friend, even though I had very recently experienced a small pang of envy.

  “Oh, Dani,” she said with a shrug. “It’s never been about the money for me. When I first met Ray, he was the sweetest, kindest guy I’d ever dated. It was love at first sight. But…”

  I bit my tongue since I’d never seen that sweet, kind side of Ray Lemay. He’d always had an ego the size of the ocean and a lust for money that seemed to rule his every action. But who was I to point any of that out to Lily? She’d finally discovered his betrayal when she found him in bed with her cousin. Of course, Ray shed some tears—fake I assumed—and promised Lily the moon, the stars, and a trip to Bali.

  Lily had enough sense to walk out on him and serve him with divorce papers. After a little encouragement from moi of course, because sometimes your best friend needs more than a helping hand and silent support.

  “But what?” I asked, hoping Lily would finish her thought.

  “I never told you this because, well, you and Ray never seemed to hit it off.”

  “I won’t argue with that.” With my car idling, I asked, “Tell me what, Lil?”

  “Ray kept a box full of cards and letters from all of his old flames. I told myself he was being sentimental, but now?” She tilted her head as if trying to solve a puzzle. “Now, I’m not sure what to think.”

  I decided staying silent, which was hard for me, was possibly the best course of action at the moment. I reached across the seat and squeezed her hand before I pulled away from the funeral home and headed to the Little Dog Diner.

  I could feel her eyes on me as she said, “Thanks, Dani. I know I can always count on you. At least we have the diner—you, me, and Rose.”

  “Yes, I said,” keeping my eyes on the traffic but feeling a warm flush at her reminder of our bond.”

  Until she added, “Ray always hated our arrangement.”

  “What?” I said, giving her a side eye? “Why? What business was it of his what our arrangement was? Er, is?” A little twang of nervousness clutched at my midsection. Was she about to share another tidbit I wasn’t expecting?

  I couldn’t see the expression on her face when she said, “He thought I should own the building.” But I could tell she had turned to me, her seatbelt stretching over the “appropriate” black widow’s outfit I’d talked her into wearing. “Do you think Rose would sell it to me?”

  “Sell you the diner?” The idea rendered me speechless, well almost. I’d sped the few miles across town, and now I pulled into the narrow strip between two properties owned by my grandmother, Rose Mackenzie: the Little Dog Diner and the historic brick building next door. She had connections in the Blueberry Bay Area, going back generations.

  “Actually,” Lily said, her voice trembling a bit. “Ray thinks I should own both properties.”

  My eyebrows hit my hairline. Of course, he does, that slimy real estate investor. “And why does Ray think that’s what you should do, Lily? You do realize that Rose has her business in that historic building next to the diner. Do you know how old it is? What would she do with the Blueberry Bay Grapevine? And what about me? Would I have to move out of the apartment above the newspaper?”

  This conversation was irritating me to no end. I turned to her and narrowed my eyes. “And why, all of a sudden, are you doing what Ray thinks is best for you?” I smelled something rotten in the air and I didn’t like it.

  Lily seemed to slink down in her seat. “I didn’t think about all that.” Was that an apology I heard in her meek voice? I’d take it. After all, she was my best friend.

  “This is what I think, Lily.” I slid out of my twenty-year-old Honda held together with duct tape. “Ray owns the building on the other side of the diner and my guess is he wants to gobble up all the prime real estate on this street for himself. If you’re actually still talking to him, tell him he’s crazy. Rose will never sell.”

  We entered the Little Dog Diner through the kitchen. “You first,” I said to Lily as I opened the door. I didn�
��t want her to see the expression on my face until I had a chance to get rid of the shock over her absurd suggestion. Sometimes, Lily and I were not on the same page, usually when Ray got himself involved in her life. Too bad the guy was still vertical.

  With the diner closed on Monday’s, I grabbed a bottle of my blueberry cordial and dragged Lily back outside and up the stairs to my apartment.

  A double shot of cordial would help immensely, even if it was only ten in the morning. It was late enough for a drink somewhere, right? Besides, I suspected Lily was holding back a few more tidbits of information about Ray, and I needed to loosen her tongue.

  Chapter Two

  Lily sank into my overstuffed and threadbare couch with a heavy sigh and a look of defeat. She toed off her sandals and wiggled her feet. “I can’t believe Ray faked his own death. How’d he get away with it, anyway?”

  From the sad droop of her mouth, I could tell the events of the morning had taken a toll on Lily. “You do know that he owns the Two Wilde Funeral Home building, right? Nick and Frank Wilde probably owed him a favor.”

  Sometimes I couldn’t understand how clueless Lily was. After all, she’d been married to Ray for four years. Didn’t she know anything about his real estate business ventures? I sure as heck would have had my nose in all the paperwork.