Orange Thyme Death Read online

  Copyright © Leena Clover, Author 2019

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.

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

  Orange Thyme Death – Dolphin Bay Cozy Mystery Series

  Book 2

  By Leena Clover

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  Books by Leena Clover

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  Berries and Birthdays – Pelican Cove Cozy Mystery Book 3

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  Sprinkles and Skeletons – Pelican Cove Cozy Mystery Book 4

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  A Pocket Full of Pie - Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Book 2

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  For a Few Dumplings More - Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Book 3

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  Back to the Fajitas - Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Book 4

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  Christmas with the Franks – Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Book 5

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  Save big with the first Pelican Cove Box Set

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  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

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Anna Butler filled a piping bag with cream cheese frosting and started working on her orange thyme cupcakes. Her book café was set for a grand opening in three days and she was making some last minute tweaks to her signature recipe. Anna had run Bayside Books, the popular Dolphin Bay bookstore for twenty years. Now she had leased the space next door, knocked down the wall between the two stores and created a cozy space where people could enjoy a hot or cold drink along with her gourmet cupcakes.

  Anna had come a long way in the past two years. Her husband John had been taken suddenly, leaving her a widow at 55. Just when she was coming to terms with her grief, she was diagnosed with the dreaded C, breast cancer. Anna battled the disease bravely, going through the long and tedious treatments with a brave face. Now she was ready to get back in her groove and start her own café, a dream she had cherished for a while.

  Anna swirled the frosting over a freshly baked cupcake and placed it before the young woman sitting at the kitchen table.

  Cassie Butler, Anna’s 36 year old daughter, looked up with a frown.

  “I just finished breakfast, Mom,” she muttered. “And I can’t taste any more cupcakes. My pants are beginning to split at the seams.”

  “Stop exaggerating,” Anna said lightly. “I need to get these right for opening night.”

  Cassie picked up the cupcake, took a small bite and moaned with pleasure.

  “These are yum! You have nothing to worry about.”

  “You think the people of Dolphin Bay will go for these?” Anna asked.

  “They are going to line up outside your door, just to get a whiff of these,” Cassie nodded loyally.

  Cassie Butler was currently at a loose end. She had left her home at 16, lured by the bright lights of Hollywood. She won an Oscar award at 21 and basked in its glory for a while. Her life had been a roller coaster ride in the years since then, with two failed marriages, a declining career and a surprise comeback via a Mexican telenovela. She had been living in the lap of fame and luxury when her business manager absconded with most of her fortune, leaving her high and dry with a big tax bill. Cassie had come home to lick her wounds and look after her ailing mother.

  “Did you lock up the store properly last night?” Anna asked Cassie.

  Cassie could be a bit absent minded.

  “Don’t you trust me, Mom?” Cassie asked with a pout. “I’m actually old enough to follow simple instructions.”

  “No need to get your panties in a wad, missy. You forget to do a lot of things.”

  Cassie sulked for a while. Anna ignored her and decided to add more orange zest to her frosting. She wanted the citrus flavor to really pop.

  “We never talked about the wine festival at Mystic Hill,” Cassie said after a while. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

  Anna’s cheeks turned red.

  “It was nice. I didn’t expect so many people would turn up.”

  “You thought you would have Gino to yourself, huh?” Cassie teased.

  “Don’t be silly. Why would I think that? I knew it was an open event.”

  “But you were a special guest, weren’t you?”

  “Gino did make me feel special,” Anna agreed. “He introduced me to so many people I barely remember their names.”

  Gino Mancini was a well known figure in Dolphin Bay. He owned the famous Mystic Hill winery and the vineyards that produced the excellent local wine. He had been a decorated veteran, a city detective and police chief of the Dolphin Bay police force. He had retired from the force a few years ago and devoted himself to the family business. Cassie thought he had a tendre for Anna. Anna’s friends agreed.

  “Did you have a good time though?” Cassie asked.

  “I did,” Anna nodded. “And I drank way too much wine.”

  “When is Gino taking you out on a proper date?”

  Anna blushed a bit more.

  “Tell me about the concert,” she said, evading Cassie’s question. “Did you have a good time last night?”

  “The best!” Cassie said, nodding eagerly. “You missed it, Mom. That girl was so good.”

  “I don’t like this new fangled music, Cassie. I don’t understand it.”

  “But that’s just it,” Cassie argued. “She sang
the blues. What could be more old fashioned than that? Her voice is pure gold. They are calling her a young Ella.”

  “After Ella Fitzgerald?” Anna asked doubtfully. “That’s high praise indeed.”

  “I think she’s worth it.”

  Anna was glad to find Cassie had enjoyed herself. There wasn’t much for her to do in Dolphin Bay. She was almost like an outsider, having been away for twenty years. Cassie spent her days lying around the pool, watching movies or talking to her fitness trainer friend Bobby on the phone. Bobby lived in Los Angeles and was always too busy to pay a visit.

  The local resort was hosting a young singer and one of Cassie’s high school buddies had invited her to go along. Anna had literally forced her to go.

  “How was Teddy’s wife?” Anna asked.

  “She’s cool,” Cassie said with a shrug. “She’s watched all my movies. They have a Cassandra Butler movie night every month!”

  “Don’t sound so surprised,” Anna smiled. “I bet you still have thousands of fans around the country.”

  “I don’t know, Mom. I think I’m history.”

  “You just need a new release,” Anna consoled. “You’ll be back at the top before you know it.”

  “Enough already, Mom.” Cassie flared suddenly. “I don’t need that kind of pressure.”

  “Take as long as you like. I can really use your help at the café, Cassie. But keeping you here would be selfish of me. You are meant for greater things.”

  Cassie looked mutinous.

  “Aren’t you getting late, Mom?”

  Anna started loading the dishwasher with all her baking utensils.

  “Those petitions worked like a charm, didn’t they?” she mused.

  “You have plenty of friends in Dolphin Bay, Mom. No matter what Lara Crawford says.”

  Anna’s face hardened a bit.

  Lara Crawford was the town mayor and Anna’s nemesis. She had made it her personal mission to make life difficult for Anna. According to Lara, Anna was guilty of murdering her husband John. Lara went around bad mouthing Anna at every opportunity. But she didn’t stop there. She had pulled some strings to make sure Anna didn’t get the license for her café. Then she had gone and reopened the investigation into John’s death.

  Anna’s friends had canvassed the locals and collected signatures declaring support for the proposed café. The powers that be had finally caved in and given her the green light to open her café. But Anna was still on the hook for being involved in her husband’s death.

  “John and I were together for thirty five years,” Anna said, blinking back a tear. “We had our ups and downs but we loved each other unconditionally. I would never do anything to harm him.”

  “I know, Mom,” Cassie said loyally. “I believe you.”

  “What about those classes you were going to enroll in?” Anna asked, steering the conversation to a neutral topic.

  “They seem a bit expensive. I can learn it online for free.”

  “Why don’t I sign you up? My treat.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Cassie hedged. “I am not even sure I’m cut out for cooking. I might be better off learning film production or something.”

  “I think you should work on your GED first.”

  Cassie pretended she didn’t hear her mother.

  “Aren’t you meeting the Firecrackers today?” she asked, referring to Anna’s special friends.

  “Mary and Julie are meeting me at the store,” Anna said, perking up. “We are going to give the café a thorough cleaning before we arrange all the furniture.”

  “Again?” Cassie scoffed. “How many times have you done that already?”

  “I want to get it right, Cassie. I want the space to feel cozy and welcoming.”

  “The fireplace makes it cozy alright,” Cassie assured her. “And all that overstuffed furniture you have collected seems perfect for the place.”

  “I hope so,” Anna said enthusiastically. “We are going to string some lights on the outside along with the big banner Julie ordered.”

  “What about the chalkboard? Is it here yet?”

  Mother and daughter chatted about all the chores they had to get done before the café opened to the public. Anna knew Cassie had planned a surprise party for her the day before the opening. A select group of her friends had been invited. It was going to be held at the café on the evening before the inauguration. Anna was secretly looking forward to it.

  “Have you looked at the time?” Anna exclaimed suddenly. “Time for me to go, kiddo.”

  Anna checked her face in the hall mirror, waved goodbye to Cassie and hurried out. She was cycling to her bookstore a few minutes later, a faint smile of anticipation on her face.

  Life was looking up for Anna Butler.

  Chapter 2

  Cassie lingered over her coffee. She had enjoyed herself at the concert the previous night. Teddy Fowler’s wife had gushed all over her, making her feel important. She now had an open invitation to Sunday dinner at the Fowler residence.

  Cassie placed a call to her friend Bobby. Bobby appeared on the screen a moment later, dripping with sweat.

  “I’m doing lunges,” he announced. “Can I call you back, sweetie?”

  Cassie hung up and looked around her. She cleared the breakfast things and wiped down the counters half heartedly. The turquoise pool beckoned. She went to her room to change into her bikini. Cassie swam her usual twenty laps in the pool and settled down on her favorite cabana. She had a stack of magazines beside her in case she got bored along with her phone which hardly ever rang nowadays. The only people who called her were Bobby or her mother.

  Cassie was just about to doze off with her arms behind her head when the phone rang. It was an unknown number. Cassie ignored it but the phone continued to ring persistently. She finally sat up on her elbows and answered the phone desultorily.

  “Hello?”

  “Cassie! What took you so long?”

  “Mom!” Cassie sighed. “I’m out by the pool.”

  “Listen to me carefully, Cassie.”

  Cassie picked up the urgency in Anna’s voice.

  “I’m at the police station.”

  “What?”

  Cassie sat up with a jerk, flinging her feet down on the floor.

  “What are you doing there, Mom? Is everything alright?”

  “Calm down and listen carefully. I found a dead body in the store when I went in this morning. I called the cops, of course. Now they have brought me in for questioning.”

  Cassie found it difficult to breathe.

  “What do you mean, dead body?” she parroted. “Like an actual dead person?”

  Anna became impatient.

  “That’s what I said, girl. Get Julie or Mary and come here.”

  The call ended abruptly.

  Cassie’s legs wobbled as she stood up and began pacing around the pool. She dialed Julie, her mother’s friend.

  Julie Walsh was a romance author of some repute. She was always busy writing her next book.

  “Hey Cassie? Can I call you back? I’m in the middle of …”

  “Listen up, Aunt Julie!” Cassie broke in. “Mom’s at the police station. They found a dead body at the bookstore.”

  Julie took charge.

  “Get dressed. I’m coming right over.”

  Cassie was standing outside the white picket fence when Julie drove up in her big SUV. She barely stopped long enough for Cassie to get in.

  “Mary’s visiting her kid in San Jose,” she said grimly. “So it’s just you and me for now.”

  Cassie asked for Teddy Fowler as soon as they entered the police station. Teddy must have heard her. He peeped out of a small room and beckoned them over.

  “Where is she?” Julie demanded. “Where are you holding her?”

  “Is my mom under arrest?” Cassie spoke up. “I want to see her.”

  “Calm down, ladies,” Teddy said smoothly. “We did bring Anna Butler in for questioning. It’s jus
t routine at this time.”

  “She didn’t do anything!” Cassie said fiercely.

  “That remains to be determined,” Teddy shrugged. “As of now, she is just the person who discovered the body. But we can’t overlook the fact that the dead guy was found on her property.”

  “So what?” Julie thundered. “That doesn’t make her a suspect.”

  “She’s the only one who had access to the shop,” Teddy pointed out. “We will sort all that out when we question her. Why don’t I get you ladies some coffee?”

  “Can I talk to her?” Cassie asked again.

  “She’ll be out soon,” Teddy promised. “You can take her home then.”

  “I think we are in for a long wait,” Julie sighed. “I’ll take that coffee now, Detective.”

  Cassie fired off a few text messages to Bobby. He called her back immediately. Cassie spoke to him in a hushed voice, oblivious to the glares a desk clerk shot at her.

  Teddy ushered Anna out half an hour later. She fell into Julie’s arms without a word.

  “Let’s go home,” she said before Cassie could ask her anything.

  Cassie put the coffee on when they arrived at the Butler residence. Julie pulled out a bottle of whiskey from a kitchen cabinet and poured some into Anna’s cup, ignoring her protests.

  “You need some liquid courage today, Anna. Drink up and start at the beginning.”

  Mary hurried in through the kitchen door, looking flustered.

  “I just got back from San Jose.”

  She pulled Anna into a tight hug.

  “Are you okay, sweetie? What happened?”

  “We are all waiting to hear that,” Cassie said pointedly.

  “I went to the store this morning, just like every day,” Anna began. “Mrs. Chang was coming out of Paradise Market. She waved at me and I waved back.”

  “Go on …” Cassie was impatient.

  “I stood under the magnolia tree,” Anna continued. “Something felt a bit odd. I couldn’t really figure out what. The sidewalk was covered in a blanket of blossoms and the air was full of their heady scent.”

  Cassie tapped her foot on the floor, wishing her mother would hurry up.

  “Tell us what you found,” Julie said, gently prodding Anna to get to the point.