Jessica Beck - Donut Shop 18 - Dangerous Dough Read online

  The First Time Ever Published!

  The 18th Donut Mystery

  From New York Times Bestselling Author

  Jessica Beck

  DANGEROUS DOUGH

  Other Books by Jessica Beck

  The Donut Shop Mysteries

  Glazed Murder

  Fatally Frosted

  Sinister Sprinkles

  Evil Éclairs

  Tragic Toppings

  Killer Crullers

  Drop Dead Chocolate

  Powdered Peril

  Illegally Iced

  Deadly Donuts

  Assault and Batter

  Sweet Suspects

  Deep Fried Homicide

  Custard Crime

  Lemon Larceny

  Bad Bites

  Old Fashioned Crooks

  Dangerous Dough

  The Classic Diner Mysteries

  A Chili Death

  A Deadly Beef

  A Killer Cake

  A Baked Ham

  A Bad Egg

  A Real Pickle

  A Burned Biscuit

  The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries

  Ghost Cat: Midnight Paws

  Ghost Cat 2: Bid for Midnight

  Jessica Beck is the New York Times bestselling author of the Donut Shop Mysteries from St. Martin's Press and Author of the Classic Diner Mystery Series and the Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries from Cozy Publishing.

  To you, my loyal readers,

  this is the one you’ve been asking for!

  Dangerous Dough by Jessica Beck; Copyright © 2015

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Recipes included in this book are to be recreated at the reader’s own risk. The author is not responsible for any damage, medical or otherwise, created as a result of reproducing these recipes. It is the responsibility of the reader to ensure that none of the ingredients are detrimental to their health, and the author will not be held liable in any way for any problems that might arise from following the included recipes.

  Chapter 1

  A honeymoon, by its very definition, isn’t supposed to last forever, but I wished that mine with Jake had been longer than the week we spent together in Paris after our hurried nuptials. Flying back to North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas Airport was bittersweet after the wondrous time we’d spent exploring the City of Lights hand in hand as a freshly minted married couple, but the glow was suddenly extinguished when we got back to my Jeep in the long-term parking lot and found my mother there waiting for us.

  I knew instantly that there was trouble—that much was obvious from her face—but I didn’t have any idea just how much until she told us the real reason she was there.

  Chapter 2

  Eight Days Earlier

  “Can’t you do that any faster?” Jake asked me as I finished making out the day’s deposit slip. He’d just proposed and I’d readily accepted, but that didn’t mean that I could drop everything and just go. After all, Donut Hearts needed to be taken care of before I could leave.

  “I’m working as fast as I can,” I told him with a grin. “Who knew that you could be so impatient?”

  “I’m afraid that if I give you too much time to think about it, you might change your mind,” he said with a smile matching my own.

  “There’s not a chance in the world of that happening, mister,” I said after I took the time to give him a quick peck on the lips. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  “That’s good, because I feel the same way about you.” He frowned for a moment before he spoke again. “Don’t forget, you need to call Emma.”

  “As much as she means to me, I’m not inviting her to our wedding, Jake. If I ask more folks than Momma and Grace to be our witnesses, where do I draw the line? Do we have to invite Chief Martin? How about your friend Terry Hanlan? Can we exclude Emily Hargraves? If we invite her, then what about Max? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not have my ex-husband attending my wedding, but that’s not all. What is Gabby Williams going to say if we invite the others but we exclude her? Before we know it, it’s going to be completely out of control. Don’t worry; Emma will understand.”

  “I’m not talking about the ceremony, Suzanne. You need to ask her to take over the donut shop while we’re gone.”

  “You’re right,” I said with a laugh as I reached for the phone. “That’s something I really have to take care of before we take off. Let me call her right now.”

  “Hang on a second,” Jake said as he put a hand on mine. “We need to figure something out first. Are you going to tell her the real reason we won’t be here for the next week?”

  “Why not? We’re getting married, and I want the whole world to know,” I answered with a smile. I couldn’t help it. Grinning now seemed to be my resting face.

  “Well, they certainly all will if you tell Emma the truth. Can you imagine Ray Blake not putting it on the front page of his newspaper? Last week he ran a headline about the volunteer fire department getting a cat out of a tree. I’ve got a feeling that he’s going to think this is a lot more newsworthy than that.”

  “Let him,” I said, “unless you don’t want folks to know.”

  “He can put it on a billboard for all I care,” Jake said. “I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with it. Go on. Make the call.”

  “Isn’t there someone else you need to call yourself?” I asked him before I dialed Emma’s number.

  “Not me. I’m all set. George will be ready for us at one, Grace and your mother are on standby, I’ve made our plane reservations for seven tonight, and we’re staying a week at a quaint little place on the Isle de Saint Louis that a guy on the force recommended.”

  “Where exactly is that in Paris?” I asked him.

  “Trust me; you’re going to love it. It’s on an island in the Seine, the one right next to Notre Dame. I checked it out a month ago online, and it looks awesome.”

  That was touching, since I’d told him time and time again that I’d wanted to go to Paris all my life. Who knew that he’d actually been listening? “You already looked into it? Jake, how long have you been planning this honeymoon?”

  He grinned sheepishly at me. “To tell you the truth, I was planning to take you anyway; going there on our honeymoon sounded like a perfect excuse to me.” As he was saying it, he must have realized how that sounded, because he quickly added, “Not that I need an excuse to go anywhere with you.”

  I had to laugh. “Don’t worry about how it sounded. Today, of all days, you get a Get Out of Jail Free card from me. After all, it’s our wedding day.”

  “It is at that,” he said, and then he frowned slightly. “Does that mean that it’s bad luck for me to see you before the ceremony?”

  I kissed him again before I replied. At that rate, I was never going to get my deposit done, but who cared? I was getting married! “As far as I’m concerned, it’s never bad luck when I see you.” I made the call, swore Emma to secrecy first, and then told her our news.

  “You’re getting married!” she shrieked happily. “That’s wonderful.”

  “Emma, you can tell your father, but could you at least wait until three o’clock this afternoon?”


  “Sure, but why the delay?” my young assistant asked.

  “Because the ceremony will be over by then.” I hesitated, and then I knew I had to tell her that she wasn’t invited to the nuptials. “You know that you are one of my dearest friends, but we’re just having two witnesses today, and there will be no guests at all. Can you forgive me for excluding you?”

  She laughed at the news, which was a good sign. “Suzanne, I’d think you were insane if you did it any other way! If Grace or your mother can’t make it, you can call me to be a witness, but otherwise, you have my blessing not to invite me.”

  “How did you know they’d be our witnesses?” I asked her.

  “Who else would you ask? Mom and I will be delighted to step in at the shop while you’re gone. I’m assuming you’re going on a honeymoon, aren’t you?”

  “Jake is taking me to Paris,” I said happily.

  “Mom’s going to be jealous that you’re going to France and she isn’t.”

  “To tell you the truth, I still can’t believe that it’s happening,” I said.

  “Well, don’t worry about Donut Hearts for one second. She’ll be in good hands.”

  “I know she will,” I said. “Thanks.”

  “It’s truly wonderful news, Suzanne,” Emma said happily.

  “It is, isn’t it?” I replied, and then I hung up. “It’s all set,” I told Jake.

  “Good,” he replied. “Now are you finished?”

  Thank goodness the money we took in balanced the first time I ran my report. If it hadn’t, I wasn’t sure that I would have even cared. “I’m ready to go,” I said.

  “Then let’s get out of here. We can pack our bags and leave right after the ceremony,” Jake said.

  “Why the rush? Our flight doesn’t leave until seven, so we’ll have plenty of time to make it.”

  “I’m trying to avoid anyone making a fuss over us,” he admitted.

  I had to laugh. “We both know that’s not happening. Momma’s going to insist that we have some kind of celebration before we go. You can bank on it.”

  Jake’s brow furrowed for an instant. “Suzanne, we don’t really need to share this moment with anyone else, do we?”

  I patted his arm gently. “Do you honestly think it would be for us? It’s just Momma’s way of saying she’s pleased with our decision, and she wants the world to know it.”

  “Maybe it will just be a few people,” Jake said.

  My groom could believe that if he wanted, but I knew in my heart that he was delusional.

  My mother was many things, but low profile wasn’t one of them.

  To my great surprise and relief, there wasn’t a huge crowd waiting for us when we got to the courthouse. Jake must have sensed a shift in my mood, because he glanced over at me. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

  “Not on your life. I was half expecting a mob to be here waiting for us, though. In all honesty, I’m kind of relieved that no one else is here.”

  He patted my arm gently. “Your mother is respecting our wishes.”

  “I know. That’s what is so crazy about it. Maybe they’re all waiting inside to ambush us.”

  Jake’s laughter was infectious, and I found myself joining him. “Suzanne, are you ready to do this?”

  “Always and forever.”

  I was happy to see Momma and Grace waiting just inside the door for us. After a round of quick hugs, I told my mother, “Thank you so much.”

  “For being here? You know that I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

  “Sure, for that, but most of all for not making this a mob scene.”

  “I know how to show restraint when it’s called for,” Momma said a little diffidently, and then she smiled at me. “Shall we?”

  The four of us made our way to the mayor’s office, and again, I held my breath as Jake opened the door.

  I was relieved to see that our officiant was alone. Dressed in his finest suit, the mayor smiled broadly as we entered.

  “Let’s get this thing rolling, folks. You’ve got a plane to catch,” George said with a hearty grin. “Are you both ready?”

  “We are,” Jake and I said in perfect unison, as though we’d practiced beforehand.

  George’s grin broadened. “That’s what I like: a couple in perfect synch.”

  The mayor moved in front of his desk as Jake and I joined him there. Momma and Grace were just a few steps back, but it felt as though no one else in the world was there but my fiancé and me. Jake squeezed my hand, and then he winked at me as I turned toward him. I smiled back, and we moved to face George together.

  As the mayor finished reading from his script, I saw that there were a few errant tears in George’s eyes, though they were difficult to see through my own. Jake wiped absently at his own cheek, and I was certain that if I looked backward, Momma and Grace would be weeping as well. There was no sadness in any of it today; they were all tears of joy, and I welcomed them, a proper beginning for the new life that Jake and I were embarking on.

  “Go on. Kiss your bride,” George urged as he finished the ceremony, and Jake took me in his arms and did just that. The applause behind us was lost on me.

  I had myself a brand-new husband, and I couldn’t have been happier about it.

  Once we had all signed the documents George had laid out for us, I turned to my new husband. “Just think. Tomorrow we’ll be together in Paris.”

  “I’m starting to think that you might have married me just for the honeymoon.” He reddened a little before he added, “You know what I mean. I’m talking about the trip.”

  I kissed his cheek. “Of course you are.”

  My mother coughed a bit to get my attention. “Suzanne, there’s something you both need to see before you go anywhere. It’s important.”

  I knew this was just her way of trying to whisk us off to whatever festivities she’d planned for us, but I didn’t have to make it easy on her. “What could possibly be that important to us today, of all days?” I asked her.

  “Come downstairs to the basement with me and you’ll see,” she said. I recognized that enigmatic smile, and I knew that something was about to happen.

  “You arranged some kind of reception for us, didn’t you?” I asked her.

  “Now, don’t be angry,” Momma said. “I thought your friends might like the opportunity to wish you well before you jetted off across the ocean.”

  Well, it wasn’t as if I hadn’t been expecting it. Jake was just going to have to grin and bear it until it was time to leave for the airport. “How many folks did you invite?”

  “Just a few,” she said, and I could tell instantly that she was lying.

  “Which means the entire town,” Grace said happily, and then we all started laughing.

  “Why not? Let’s go,” I said, and then I put my arm around my husband’s. My, I liked the sound of that. “We might as well pretend it was our idea all along,” I told him.

  “It’s going to be fine,” Jake replied, much calmer than I’d expected.

  “Seriously? You hate crowds, and you detest it when folks make a fuss over you. This is going to be both.”

  “True, but at least this way we can get all of the well wishes out of the way at once,” he said. “That has to be better than being stopped on the street every other hour by folks for the next six months.”

  “Point taken, but this isn’t going to keep folks from saying anything later.”

  “Let’s just go and do our best to enjoy it,” he said, surprising me for the first time as my husband. I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last.

  Later that evening, just after we’d boarded the plane to Paris, I turned to Jake and asked, “Are you still okay with the fact that Momma threw us a reception after our impromptu wedding?”

  He laughed. “Ask me that again tomorrow in Paris. Fair warning. As soon as we settle into our seats, I plan on sleeping the entire way there.”

  “That sounds good to me,”
I said, echoing his sentiments. The airline had upgraded us to first class at the last moment when they found out we were newlyweds and realized that they had two seats available up front, and we were enjoying the luxury that entailed, though I realized that coming back in the economy class might be a little tough to take later.

  For now, I was determined to enjoy it for all that it was worth.

  Our honeymoon was even better than I’d dreamed it would be.

  On our last day in Paris, we were eating chocolate croissants again from a bakery near our hotel as we strolled along the Seine. I looked over to find Jake grinning at me. “What is it? Do I have chocolate on my nose again?”

  “Not yet, but I have high hopes for you. Has this been everything you dreamed it would be?”

  “Paris, or being married to you?” I asked him with a smile of my own.

  “I was talking about Paris, but I’ll take an answer to either one.”

  I pulled him closer to me and said, “Both are beyond my wildest expectations.”

  “Are you sorry we have to go back home today?” he asked me as we passed another lamppost I’d grown to love so much. It was funny some of the things I’d come to enjoy.

  “A part of me feels as though I could stay here forever,” I said, “but I miss my shop. How about you? You don’t have a job to go home to anymore.”

  “No, but I have a new bride, and that’s good enough for me. It’s going to be nice not having anything to do for awhile.”

  “How long do you think that might last?” I asked as I took the last bite of my croissant.

  “You might be surprised. I’m looking forward to being a househusband.”

  “Good,” I said, and then I glanced at my watch. “We’d better get back to the hotel. We’re cutting it close as it is.”