Gingerdead Man (The Early Bird Cafe Cozy Mystery Series Book 6) Read online

  Gingerdead Man

  The Early Bird Café Cozy Mystery Series

  by Ginny Gold

  Copyright © 2014 Ginny Gold

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author and/or publisher. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the writer’s imagination and/or have been used fictitiously in such a fashion it is not meant to serve the reader as actual fact and should not be considered as actual fact. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication / use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  CONTENTS

  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

  IN THE KITCHEN WITH GINNY GOLD

  CHAPTER 1

  Kori was running as fast as possible, her arms pumping and her lungs burning. The trees whipped by as quickly as her eyes processed their presence. She felt the unevenness of the ground beneath her feet; the roots and rocks threatening to trip her even as she miraculously stayed on her feet.

  Suddenly, the trees disappeared and the landscape turned into a meadow. But her legs didn’t stop; she kept running. The sun was now on her face and she felt herself gaining ground on the person ahead. The birds seemed to be enthralled by her movement, each one stopping its song as she approached and ran past.

  She couldn’t tell who was up ahead, but she knew he needed her help. So why did he keep running away from her?

  Just as quickly as the forest turned to meadow, Kori was swimming furiously through a body of water that seemed to be never ending. Her arms wind milled at her sides, pushing her through the waves that grew with each of her movements. They were impeding her progress. She didn’t slow long enough to know if the water was cold, but she got a mouthful of salty water and knew it was the ocean, not a lake or river.

  He finally glanced behind. Kori could make out his face even from her far distance behind him. His eyes bulged in fear, like he knew he needed Kori’s help but didn’t want to accept it.

  She sat bolt upright, eyes wide open, terrified by what she saw in her dream. Donnie Reynolds, the delivery driver she would meet this morning for her Wednesday delivery, was in trouble and Kori might be the only one who could help him.

  She lay back down and turned her head to check the time. It was already quarter after three. Her alarm would go off in fifteen minutes anyway so going back to sleep would be a waste of time. Ibis, her dog sleeping next to her, still hadn’t budged. She pressed as close to Kori’s body as she could get, absorbing any extra heat that came her way.

  After a few minutes of trying to ignore the sense of fear from her dream, Kori sat back up and let her legs fall over the side of the bed, checking with her feet for her slippers so she wouldn’t touch the cold floor. She flipped on a light and was surprised that the windows were covered in snow. Not the first of the winter, but it might last this time.

  By the time Kori brushed her teeth and put on jeans and the newly printed Early Bird Café t-shirt, Ibis stretched on the floor and headed for the front door. Kori added a sweatshirt over the tee, then grabbed her winter coat, a scarf, hat and gloves and stepped into her boots before opening the door.

  Ibis led the way down the steps to the front door of the café. Before Kori followed, she turned up the thermostat for the café so she wouldn’t be working in temperatures so cold she’d have to keep her layers on. She clipped on the leash and the two of them made their way outside and down the sidewalk.

  Everything was covered in half a foot of snow with the moon reflecting enough light, allowing Kori to see without relying on the streetlights. She was glad that the snow had stopped. Wearing her boots had been a split second decision and her sneakers were much more comfortable, but now that she had to trudge through heavy drifts of wet snow, she realized that would have been miserable.

  Ibis wanted nothing to do with a long walk and before Kori knew it she was being pulled back to the café. A plow truck passed them and she waved to the driver, Derek Spears, who waved back and smiled. Most of the year he made his living as the town’s handyman fixing pipes or painting houses, but in the winter he took on the added job of plowing the streets. If he came in later today she’d offer him coffee on the house. He’d definitely need to get warmed up.

  “If that’s all you need, then I’m ready too,” Kori said to Ibis, blowing her warm breath on her freezing fingertips. Her gloves did not keep her hands warm enough in the early morning cold.

  Kori let Ibis back inside and watched her head straight to the dog bed under Kori’s desk in the back office. Kori headed back outside with the shovel. Since the snow had stopped, she figured the best way to warm up would be to clear the sidewalk in front of the café.

  She pushed the heavy snow into piles on the edge of the sidewalk, making parking on the street a bigger challenge than usual, but there was nowhere else to put it. She hoped there would be enough parking in the lot behind the café for anyone who braved the weather today for a hot breakfast and coffee.

  Within minutes, sensation returned to her fingers and she felt blood rushing to her cheeks. When she got inside and took off her layers, she saw her reflection in the dark windows and her cheeks were flushed with color.

  The café was still cold so she kept on an extra layer but switched from her boots to the dry sneakers she spent every day serving and cooking in. Then she got right to work, making coffee and heating up water for tea.

  As Kori walked back and forth from the kitchen to the counter where she kept the self serve coffees, she thought back to the dream that had shaken her awake. It wasn’t what she’d been doing or witnessing that scared her, but the completely real feeling of panic. She’d never experienced such a strong emotion in a dream, as if it was really happening. Now she couldn’t seem to shake it.

  She forced herself to focus. She expected Donnie to arrive in less than half an hour and she wouldn’t worry about his safety unless he was late. With the condition of the roads, that was all too likely. Could she have been dreaming about him getting into an accident this morning on his way to the café? How could she help him? Cancel her order?

  Kori shook her head, trying again to think only about what was on the menu. Christmas was quickly approaching—now only three days away on Saturday—and every morning she tried to offer a seasonal menu. She’d planned the week’s menu in advance, unusual for her.

  Today she was offering gingerbread lattes and hot apple cider for drinks, along with her usual selection of coffees, teas and juices. To accompany them, there would be gingerbread mocha muffins�
�that really could pass as cupcakes but muffins sounded slightly healthier for breakfast—and gingerbread or plain pancakes, ham and cheese breakfast casserole that she had started yesterday afternoon, and granola with dried cranberries, apricots and banana chips, topped with yogurt from Holly Barton’s Meadowlark Dairy.

  Before she started making anything, the sound of the delivery truck pulling into the back parking lot force a sigh of relief. Her dream was just that—a dream.

  Kori slipped on her boots and coat again and headed outside with a dolly.

  “Morning Donnie,” she said when he stepped down from the driver’s seat. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it with all the snow we got last night.” She decided not to tell him about her dream.

  Donnie flashed her a huge grin that lit up his face, his normal greeting. His always happy demeanor was enough to look forward to every other week, the delivery of her food being an extra bonus.

  “Morning Kori. The roads aren’t as bad as they looked. At least not in this truck with the chains on. I should be able to take them off before I leave. I saw plenty of plows, and the roads are getting a good dose of salt now.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t have any trouble getting here. I’m running low on a lot of stuff I need for the next few days.”

  “Got big Christmas plans?” Donnie asked, opening the back of the truck and stepping inside. His thick coat made him seem even bigger than usual.

  Kori brought the dolly closer and guided the first of the boxes down the ramp. “Taking the weekend off. That’ll be a first this month and I can’t wait. Are you going to the cookie exchange at the library on Christmas Eve?” Kori was looking forward to that even more than the actual holiday.

  “Nope. Heading out of town Friday afternoon. Snow’s not really my thing so I’m taking advantage of the holidays to take some time off in the sun.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Mexico. Spending a week on the beach with a drink in my hand.” Kori heard the relaxation already seeping into Donnie’s voice and she smiled.

  “Sounds delicious.” The drink in her hand sounded better to her than the beach. She loved every season in Hermit Cove and winter was just starting. By March she might be ready for a vacation to somewhere warm, but right now she still enjoyed the change in temperature.

  “I’ve got this under control if you need to get things going in the kitchen,” Donnie offered and Kori couldn’t turn it down. There was plenty to get done before she opened at five thirty.

  “Thanks. Come in for coffee before you go if you have time.”

  “Sure thing.” Donnie waved before Kori turned and walked back inside, blowing on her hands again that had quickly frozen in her short time outside.

  Inside, the café and kitchen were warming up and she turned on the ovens to preheat for the muffins and casserole. That would also speed along warming up the kitchen. Next, she had to brave the walk-in fridge to get the pans of casserole, so she didn’t take off her jacket until after they were sitting on the counter. She laughed to herself and was glad that Kiera wasn’t in yet to know that she went into the walk-in fridge in her coat.

  As soon as that thought came and went, the front door opened and she knew she’d barely missed being seen in the fridge with her coat on. Kiera walked into the kitchen, as bundled up as Kori had been. She’d just been able to get her coat off and hang it up before Kiera caught her.

  “Hi Kiera. How were the roads? I meant to call and tell you to come in late if needed,” Kori said, pouring herself a cup of coffee so she’d stop blowing on her hands to warm them up. The heat from the coffee quickly brought color back to her fingertips and she couldn’t put the cup down.

  “Don’t worry, they weren’t bad. Everything’s been plowed already and it’s not snowing anymore.”

  “Oh good. I can put you to work.”

  Kiera hung up her coat and said with a smile, “Of course. That’s what I’m here for.”

  Kori showed her the recipe for the muffins and let her start those on her own. She stuck the casseroles into the oven and started making the hot apple cider. She added cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, orange peels and plenty of other spices to the pot of cider and stirred slowly. She even got out a few spoons to test its flavor before adjusting the spices.

  When Kiera finished the muffins and stuck the first pan in the oven, Kori heard the truck outside start up and drive away. She thought the offer of hot coffee wasn’t enticing enough get Donnie inside, and he hadn’t even brought in her boxes of supplies. She went outside to see if he was just moving the truck closer to make it easier.

  She stuck her head out the door without putting on a coat or boots. She was just in time to see the truck pull out of the parking lot, leaving Donnie’s body behind in a pile of red snow.

  CHAPTER 2

  Kori stood there, staring. She couldn’t feel the cold slowly tugging all of her body heat away from her. She didn’t notice her mouth hanging open, her hand covering it. She didn’t even realize that she’d screamed until Kiera came outside with her jacket and hung it over her shoulders.

  Kori pointed toward where Donnie’s body lay in the snow. Kiera’s eyes moved quickly in that direction before she turned around, making sure not to go into shock. Kori heard the door open into the kitchen and realized Kiera was no longer standing next to her. She couldn’t understand why. She didn’t understand anything as she stood in shock.

  Her shivering finally started to bring her back to the present and she stuck her arms into her jacket. Kiera appeared beside her again, handing her a hat and gloves. Kori took them and put them on without thinking.

  “I called the police,” Kiera said.

  Kori nodded. Of course she’d gone back inside to make the call. At least one of them was able to think clearly. Maybe Kiera hadn’t really begun to process Donnie’s murder so she hadn’t reacted yet. Kori couldn’t get over the fact that she’d just spoken to Donnie and now he was dead.

  Before she even let her brain go down the path of asking why he’d been killed and by whom, she realized breakfast was cooking in the ovens and she needed to check on everything. She turned to go back inside but Kiera seemed to have read her mind.

  “I took the casserole out. And I set a timer on my phone for the muffins. But you can go in if you’re cold. I can stay out here until the police come.” Kiera placed a hand gently on Kori’s arm.

  Kori stared at her and realized that Kiera hadn’t allowed herself the think about Donnie. She didn’t look in the direction of his body. In fact, she was looking everywhere but there. She wouldn’t let herself become paralyzed with shock.

  “Thanks,” Kori said lamely. She should be the one taking care of breakfast, not Kiera.

  They stood in silence, Kori staring at Donnie’s body and Kiera doing everything to keep him out of her line of sight, for another minute until the police arrived. Sirens blared and lights flashed and Kori wished they wouldn’t draw that kind of attention to her café. She would probably have to close for the day and she didn’t need any negative publicity. She didn’t believe the saying that any publicity was good publicity. She couldn’t think of a single way to spin a dead body behind her café as good publicity.

  Kori’s boyfriend, Lieutenant Zach Gulch, immediately came to Kori’s side. He looked around as he ran to her, but didn’t go straight to Donnie’s body as Kori expected him to.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his hands on her shoulders and his eyes never leaving hers.

  In lieu of a response, Kori nodded and fell into his arms. “I don’t know what happened. One minute he was unpacking his truck and the next, the truck was gone and he was out here. Dead.”

  “You didn’t see anything?”

  Kori couldn’t tell if he was asking as an officer or as her boyfriend so she shook her head into his chest rather than say anything.

  “We’re going to have to get your statement.”

  Kori nodded. “I can close the café for the day.”

  Za
ch didn’t respond right away, but when he did, he released her and backed up. “Kiera, can you manage the café for a little bit while we get Kori’s statement? We’ll have to get yours too.”

  “Of course.” Kori noticed that Kiera still didn’t turn in the direction of Donnie’s body.

  When Kori turned to take in the scene, the parking lot was already taped off with police tape. There would be no easy parking for diners. It would probably be a slow day.

  “Detective Young is going to take your statement,” Zach said, leading her away from the café and as far from the body as possible. “You don’t need to go to the station. He’ll talk to you in his car.”

  Kori nodded and let Zach lead her wherever she had to go. She saw Detective Lani Silver, her brother’s ex-girlfriend, taking photos of the crime scene.

  Zach opened the passenger door of a police car and Kori sat down on the seat in front of her. In the driver’s seat, with a tablet computer in his lap, Detective Evan Young, another of her former classmates, looked back at her with sympathy in his eyes.

  “Hi Kori,” Evan said. She thought she detected sadness in his voice. “You okay?”

  Kori nodded. Why did everyone ask her if she was okay? She was still alive. Donnie had been murdered, not her.

  “Can you tell me what happened?” Evan asked, his fingers poised over the tablet, ready to take notes.

  Kori replayed in her head and aloud the events of her morning starting with shoveling the sidewalk. Taking Ibis for a walk didn’t seem important. She told him about her conversation with Donnie and the invitation for coffee when he finished.

  “And then I heard the truck leaving so I went outside to check things and I saw Donnie lying in the snow over there.” She pointed to where more detectives were collecting clues and evidence.

  “You didn’t hear a shot fired?”

  Kori hadn’t even considered who had killed Donnie, but given how much red snow there was, a gunshot wound made sense. “No.”