Pies & Peril - Culinary Competition Mystery #1

Chapter 11

(Amy)

It was the middle of the afternoon and much quieter than during the morning and lunchtime rushes. Amy ordered a non-fat, vanilla cardamom latte to-go, no pastry despite the sparkling, sugar-coated cinnamon twists stacked on a plate next to the register. She wanted the latte in a disposable cup so she could escape when the temptation got too strong. Sophie, the owner, bustled out of the kitchen, balancing a cake stand mounded with lemon bars covered in drifts of powdered sugar. In other words, squares of citrus-scented temptation.

The barista slid the fragrant latte across the marble counter. Amy picked it up and raised it to Sophie, "Good afternoon. Everything looks and smells wonderful, as usual."

"Thank you." Sophie grinned as she carefully positioned a glass dome over the stack of lemon bars. Her dark brown hair, neatly pulled into a high ponytail, gleamed in the light cast by the recessed lights in the ceiling that highlighted the glass cases full of baked goods. "Coming from you, that's quite a compliment. Why don't you find a seat, and I'll come and chat with you in a few minutes."

"Sounds good."

Amy glanced around the cafe. No sign of Kevin or Lucy. It would be nice to chat with someone and not worry about getting conked with a coffee mug whipped across the room by a paranoid adulterer. Elliot or Kristi didn't appear to be out and about, patrolling the sidewalks in search of her either. That was a good sign. Her information trolling expedition had apparently gone undetected. It was time to relax and enjoy her espresso treat. She settled onto a spongy upholstered chair sitting next to a tiny, dark wood table that's top was just big enough for a couple of dessert plates and coffee mugs. There were tables of all different sizes and shapes, circles, rectangles, hexagons, scattered throughout the coffee shop. It made the space a bit eclectic, yet still elegant.

"How are you doing?" Sophie asked as she plunked down into the chair on the other side of the table. "I can't imagine how traumatic it was for you to find Mandy Jo's body. I still have a hard time believing she's dead. Every morning I expect her to walk through the door."

Amy took a fortifying sip of latte. "Yes, it was a surreal experience. It feels like a bad dream still. Was she a regular customer here?"

"Mandy Jo came in every morning. Even when she wasn't working at the salon she stopped by for a caramel mocha."

"I'd say that's a testament to how good your coffee is. You have quite an army of loyal customers already."

"Aww, thanks, sweetie. She even came in a few times in the afternoon again right before she died, but it was because she was meeting with Elliot Maxson instead of craving another mocha fix."

Whoa. Elliot had been hanging out with Mandy Jo? That was an unexpected tidbit of information.

"Do you have any idea what they were meeting about?"

Sophie shrugged. "No. They always sat in the back corner." She winked. "And I try not to eavesdrop on my customers."

"Oh, gosh. I didn't mean to insinuate that you eavesdrop." Like I do. She tapped on the plastic lid of the coffee cup, a subtle form of fidgeting to relieve the discomfort over inadvertently insulting Sophie. "I was just wondering out loud."

"I'm just messing with you." She patted the back of Amy's hand. "I've been wishing I had walked by their table a few times to find out what they were talking about. It all seems rather suspicious now that she was killed at a contest he sponsored. I guess this is what happens when you have a bookshelf full of mysteries, you try to figure out the murderer."