Measured Mayhem Read online

  JESSICA BECK

  THE DONUT MYSTERIES, BOOK 42

  MEASURED MAYHEM

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Measured Mayhem (The Donut Mysteries, #42)

  Hot Cocoa Treats

  The Easiest Donut You’ll Ever Make

  Lemon Perfection Donuts

  Donut Mystery 42 MEASURED MAYHEM

  Copyright © 2019 by Jessica Beck

  All rights reserved.

  First edition: 2019

  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.

  The First Time Ever Published!

  The 42st Donut Mystery

  Jessica Beck is the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Donut Mysteries, the Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries, the Classic Diner Mysteries, and the Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries.

  WHEN SUZANNE GETS AN urgent call from her old college roommate, she drops everything and rushes to help her. When she arrives, Suzanne learns that someone may be trying to drive her best friend from school crazy, or worse yet, kill her, and Suzanne must dig into what’s really happening. Is her friend just being paranoid, or is there really a target on her back?

  To You All, My Dear Readers Who Have Joined Me Along The Way,

  And as always and ever, to P & E, Spouse and Daughter,

  For taking part in life’s journey with me!

  Chapter 1

  WE WEREN’T EXPECTING to find a body when we walked into the house.

  Technically, Autumn found it, I should say.

  For the first time in my life, I found myself wishing that I were the one to stumble across the murder victim instead of her.

  It would have made life so much less complicated for Autumn at the beginning, but in the end, I doubt that it would have made all that much of a difference who found it.

  After all, dead is dead, no matter who stumbles upon it.

  And once more, I found myself thrown into the middle of a homicide investigation that could end up being the death of me, or of someone I cared about very deeply.

  “Suzanne, it’s Autumn,” the familiar voice said on the other end of the line when I answered a call at my cottage in April Springs, North Carolina, that I shared with my second—and very best—husband, Jake.

  “Not yet it’s not,” I said automatically. Autumn Gentry (now Autumn Marbury) had been my roommate in college, and while we’d been close at the time, over the years we’d drifted apart until now we shared just birthday and Christmas cards. A phone call from her was rare indeed.

  My answer wasn’t an attempt to be funny, at least not consciously. When Autumn and I had first met, she’d introduced herself that way, and I’d automatically responded that it was the dead of summer during our freshman orientation tour of the campus, and then I’d told her that I was glad she was getting an education, because things like seasons were important to know out there in the real world. I’d said it all with a grin, and in the end she’d laughed right along with me, and we’d bonded from that very moment with our odd takes on the world around us.

  “I know it’s been a while since we’ve spoken last,” she said. “I really am sorry I couldn’t make it to the ceremony. I would have loved to be there, but I just couldn’t make it work. Congratulations again.”

  I’d invited Autumn more out of a sense of nostalgia than any current feelings I might have had, but I’d still been a little disappointed when she’d failed to show up. “No worries. You sent us a lovely present,” I said, remembering the generous check that had helped pay for our honeymoon in Paris.

  “Listen, I know this is last minute and everything, but I was wondering if there was any way you could carve out a few days and come see me,” she said, her voice taking on a hint of desperation.

  “Is something wrong, Autumn?” I asked her.

  She hesitated far too long to answer me to be convincing. “No, everything’s fine.”

  “Don’t lie to me, girl. We’ve been through too much together for that, even if it has been a few years since we’ve seen each other.”

  Autumn paused again, and then finally, her voice nearly a whisper, she said, “Suzanne, I need you. In fact, you might be the only person in the world I can trust right now.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked her. Autumn had been one of the strongest women I’d ever known in my life, even rivaling Momma at times. Hearing the beaten tone in her voice worried me.

  “Not over the phone,” she said, choking back her emotions. “I know I’m not giving you much information, but if you could come to Cheswick right away, I can cover your losses at Donut Hearts.”

  The last time I’d seen her in April Springs had been at the grand opening of the donut shop. Autumn had been happy for me at the time, and everyone had loved her instantly. That was just the kind of personality she had. At her wedding a few years later, we really hadn’t had that much time to chat one on one, so it had been a while since we’d been able to spend any quality time together.

  “There won’t be any need to do that,” I told her.

  The disappointment was real in her voice. In a dead tone of voice, she said, “So you won’t come.”

  “That’s not what I meant at all,” I quickly explained. “My assistant and her mother would love to fill in for me. Of course I’ll come.”

  “You can say that without even asking them first?” she asked me.

  “As a matter of fact, we were talking about it this morning,” I said.

  “Feel free to bring Jake with you, too,” Autumn said a little hesitantly.

  “I’ll ask him, but it’s probably just going to be me, if that’s all the same to you. He’s helping our mayor remodel his cabin by the lake.”

  “I thought he was a state police inspector,” Autumn said, clearly confused about the situation.

  “He was, but he retired. At least he did for a while. It’s too complicated to get into over the phone. I’ll tell you all about it in a few hours when I see you.”

  “You’re really coming, then?” she asked, and I could hear the slightest spark of hope return to her voice as she said it.

  “I’m really coming,” I said. Autumn had saved me from more than one jam I’d gotten myself into in college, and if I could repay even some of the interest on her kindnesses in the past, I’d do it without an instant of hesitation. “Are you still living in the mansion on the hill?” It was what we’d called the place her husband had bought for her as a wedding present, a sixteen-room estate nestled in the hills of a small town outside of Asheville’s city limits. I couldn’t imagine how much it had cost him, but from what Autumn had told me, he’d come from an extremely wealthy family, not that she’d known about any of that until their wedding day. Jeff had managed to keep it a secret from her the entire time they’d been dating, springing it on her after they were married. Only then did she learn that he was, in reality, Jefferson Winston Marbury IV, heir to the Marbury fortune. He shouldn’t have worried about her motives, eve
n though I couldn’t really blame him. Autumn was completely uninterested in money, status, or power.

  At least that had been the case when I’d known her in school. Who knew what might have happened in the intervening years?

  “No, I’m not there anymore. I’ve moved out recently,” she said, her voice faltering yet again. “I’ll text you the directions. Suzanne, don’t you have to at least ask Jake if it’s okay for you to come?” she asked me.

  “I’ll tell him where I’m going, certainly, but I don’t need his permission,” I said lightly.

  “You haven’t changed one bit, have you?” Autumn asked, her voice lightening for a moment.

  “I wouldn’t say that, but I’m still my own woman. Catching Max cheating on me was one of the low points of my life, but I came back stronger and happier than ever because of it.” I lowered my voice a moment. “Is that what happened to you? Did Jeff cheat on you?”

  I honestly believed that she was about to answer when I heard her doorbell ring in the background. “That’s got to be Lee. I’ve got to go. See you soon,” Autumn said, and then she hung up.

  I was sure that I’d get the whole story in a few hours, but it was going to be hard to wait. I couldn’t imagine Jeff ever cheating on her. He’d been devoted to her; at least that’s what she’d told me the last time we’d spoken.

  Had something changed between them, or had something else happened that had clearly thrown her world into a spin? Who was this Lee coming to see her, and had he possibly played a role in what had happened to my former college roommate?

  There was no use speculating. I’d know soon enough.

  “Jake, do you have a second?” I asked as I walked into the lake house he and George Morris were remodeling.

  “Sure, I can take a break,” Jake said as he reached for a bottle of water and wiped his brow before taking a drink. “George, Suzanne’s here,” he called out.

  “Hey, Suzanne,” the mayor and my dear friend said as he peeked his head out from a doorway. There was a sledgehammer in his hands and a huge grin on his face. Though he was covered with dust from the construction, or destruction, his smile showed that he was having the time of his life. “Jake and I are killing it.”

  “Just be sure you don’t kill each other while you’re doing it,” I told him. The truth was that it had been some time since I’d last seen our mayor so happy.

  “I’m not making any promises,” George answered, smiling brightly. “Jake, you’ve got five minutes, and then I’m going to go ahead without you.”

  “Got it,” my husband said as he turned back to me once the mayor had disappeared outside to the front deck that faced the lake.

  “How’s it really going?” I asked my husband once we were alone again.

  “We’re starting to see some real progress,” Jake said with a grin. “I’m not sure what I want to do with my life in the long run, but for now, it’s fun tearing things up with George. He’s good company.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Jake, I got a call from Autumn Marbury twenty minutes ago. She needs me right away.”

  “Why, did something happen to her? Can I help in any way? Do you need me to come with you?” I loved that those were the first three questions out of my husband’s mouth. He had a wonderful heart, and I cherished it.

  “The truth is that she invited you too, but I got the impression that she would rather I come alone. Is that okay with you?”

  “It’s fine by me,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about me. Are Emma and Sharon going to run the shop while you’re gone?”

  “They are. As a matter of fact, I stopped by there first on my way to see you,” I said.

  “So, your bags are already packed and in the back of your Jeep,” Jake answered with a laugh.

  “Guilty as charged,” I replied with a grin.

  “Have a safe trip then, and call me if you need me. Honestly, it’s the perfect time for you to go, with me busy here and your mother and Phillip at Duke. If you hear about his surgery before I do, let me know, okay?”

  “I will. I still can’t believe he didn’t want us there with him.”

  “I completely understand,” Jake said after taking another hefty swallow of water. “He’s a private man. I bet not five people in the world even know about his cancer. If I were in his shoes, I’d be the exact same way.”

  “I know,” I said. “Momma’s going to call me as soon as he gets out of surgery, so I’ll let you know the second I find out how it went.”

  “That’s all I ask,” Jake said. “Suzanne, if you do decide that you need me, I’m never more than a phone call away.”

  “I know, and I greatly appreciate that,” I said as the screen door opened and the mayor came back inside.

  “Time’s up,” he said as he pointed to his watch. “If you keep goofing off much longer, I’m going to have to dock your pay.”

  Jake answered, “That’s going to be tough, since you’re not paying me anything. I volunteered for this, remember?”

  “Oh, that’s right. In that case, take another two minutes to kiss your wife, and then let’s get back to work.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jake said with a grin, adding a mock salute as well.

  “I’ll call you when I get there,” I told Jake.

  “I’d give you a big hug and a sloppy kiss, but as you can plainly see, I’m filthy,” he said.

  “I’ll take my chances,” I answered as I hugged my husband and then kissed him thoroughly before letting him go.

  “See, I warned you. I got you dirty,” he said with a grin after we broke the kiss off.

  “As far as I’m concerned, it was totally worth it,” I replied as I dusted myself off. “Now get back to work before he kills himself without you,” I said in a low voice.

  “I heard that,” George said from the other room.

  “Good,” I told him, and then I left them to their demolition. “You were meant to.”

  When I got back into the Jeep and headed west, I had a ninety-minute drive ahead of me, but I was certain it would feel as though it were a lot longer.

  There were just too many questions without answers about my old friend dancing through my mind.

  Chapter 2

  I FAITHFULLY FOLLOWED the directions to Autumn’s new place, but as I got closer and closer, I began to wonder if my GPS had somehow made a mistake. This wasn’t the high-class district with multimillion-dollar estates where she’d been living before. Instead, there were modest starter homes everywhere. Even those began to thin out as the road got narrower and the pavement got rougher. Finally, I came to the end of the legitimate road, though the GPS urged me on. Then I noticed the beaten-down path through the grass into the woods, so I followed it, more on faith than on assurance that I was still on the right course. A hundred yards later, I was rewarded with the sight of a modest cottage housed in a small clearing, its shingles stained brown, green, and gray with age, the long-weathered horizontal siding matching as well. At least the yard had been recently mowed. There were even some sunflowers planted around the place in different locations. It was what told me that I’d found the right place after all. Autumn loved sunflowers, and Jeff had commissioned fields and fields of them to be planted for her enjoyment soon after they’d married. An old Honda that was beginning to rust sat on the barely graveled path in front of the place, and I wondered just how far from grace my friend had fallen.

  A battered old pickup truck was pulling out as I was coming in, and the young man driving it waved to me and smiled as we passed each other. Could that have been the mysterious Lee? He had to barely be in his twenties, with a mop of brown hair and a radiant smile. The guy was handsome, there was no doubt about that, but he had to be at least ten years younger than Autumn, and me too, for that matter.

  Before going up and knocking on the door, I phoned Jake to let him know that I’d arrived safely. “I made it, such as it is.”

  “What’s wrong with the mansion?” he asked me.
/>   “Jake, Autumn’s living in a cabin in the woods and driving an old car. Something’s going on, and I aim to find out what it is.”

  His voice cautioned me, “Suzanne, be gentle with her. If she’s recently split from her husband, she called the right friend to help her through it. I can’t imagine anybody being better suited to console her than you.”

  “Thanks,” I said as I noticed the front door open and saw Autumn step out. “She’s walking out to the Jeep even as we speak. I’ll call you later.”

  “I’ll be here,” he said.

  I had a moment to take in my former roommate as she walked toward me. If I hadn’t known better, I never would have believed that Autumn and I were the same age. Not only did she look haggard and worn out, but she had also lost a dangerous amount of weight, at least to my eye. The worst thing of all, though, was the dull and lifeless look in her eyes. Something had clearly beaten this woman down, and for the life of me, I couldn’t imagine what could have so completely robbed her of her spirit.

  Hopefully I wouldn’t have to guess anymore, and soon she’d tell me what was really happening in her life to bring her to the state she was in at the moment.

  “Hey, stranger,” she said as she hugged me. Again, I could feel the loss of weight in her embrace. Autumn had always been on the lithe side, never seeming to gain an ounce no matter how much she ate, but this woman in my arms was almost emaciated.

  “Hey yourself,” I said. “You look terrible,” I blurted out.

  To my surprise, that made her laugh out loud. “I’ve really missed having you in my life, Suzanne. There’s no one else on earth who would say that to me.”

  “It’s out of love. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do,” she said.

  “Was that the mysterious Lee I just saw leaving?” I asked her, carefully watching her reaction.

  “Yes, he’s been a life-saver since this all started happening,” she confessed.

  “Is he by any chance the new man in your life?” I asked.