Pumpkin Smoothie Murder (Harmony Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 4) Read online

  PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE MURDER

  A Harmony Café Cozy Mystery

  Anna Lakewood

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Copyright

  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

  Smoothie Recipe

  Also by the Anna Lakewood

  Thank You!

  Copyright © 2017 by Anna Lakewood

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into 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 copyright owner of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  Autumn Wood left the front door of the Harmony Café open while she readied the juice and smoothie bar for business, allowing the smells of fall to drift inside. It was pure delight to breathe in the aroma of dried leaves and autumn air, promising that Christmas was just around the corner.

  Autumn took great care in writing out the details of the pumpkin spice smoothie special in a festive orange color on the display board she situated on the counter. The basket of luscious produce on the counter emanated an irresistible, fruity scent that made Autumn’s mouth water.

  Autumn’s West Highland Terrier, Mochi, trotted after her as she walked over to check the fridge to make sure that the pumpkin puree she'd been experimenting with was ready for another round of pumpkin spice smoothies. She was more than a little excited about her fall specials, eager to get the town of Mineral Springs into the excitement of the season.

  When her assistant, Rowan Scott entered the café through the front door, his attitude was a stark contrast to Autumn’s merry, fall bliss. He practically slammed the door, sending the welcome bell dancing frantically overhead. He stomped inside, rummaging in his half-open backpack for his apron.

  “What’s got you so worked up?” Autumn asked, turning the Closed sign to Open. “Why did you come through the front door today?”

  Rowan’s look was loathsome. “It’s those dang Cosmic Keeper.”

  “The what?”

  “Guy Horne’s posse—that crazy, alien-loving group.”

  “Oh, yeah, Guy Horne.” Guy Horne was indeed an alien fanatic who made claims all through the year about upcoming invasions, but he became especially vocal around Halloween when people were in the mood to be spooked, enticing them to buy into his outrageous claims. “I didn’t realize there was a name for his group of followers.”

  Rowan scoffed. “Yeah, well, they should be called the Parking Space Keepers. Those guys hogged every parking spot on the block. I had to drive around forever to find a space.”

  “I would have thought you would be friends with them,” Autumn remarked. “You being a sci-fi buff and all.”

  Rowan always brought a sci-fi novel with him to work and had been working on writing a book of his own. Though it did seem as if he'd been writing for eternity.

  “No way,” her assistant retorted. “I love the idea of extraterrestrials, but I'm not crazy. The things the Cosmic Keepers come up with are ridiculous—not logical at all. They don’t even back up their claims with science. Guy Horne tells his followers tales that are too close to the plots of many popular sci-fi novels. He's such a rip-off.”

  Autumn, who would never call herself a fair judge of such things, only shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it. I’m sorry they upset you so much. But, they’ll most likely spook a few people with their stories and then be gone. You know how they get around this time of year.”

  Rowan looked out the window, sneering at the group of Cosmic Keepers gathered outside. “They'll be out of here once the snow comes.”

  Autumn was going to tell him not to wish away the autumn season when the bell above the door announced their first customer of the day.

  It was Gwen James, a vehement advocate for animal rights and the head of the local animal shelter. Autumn recognized her from various fundraisers that had been held in the past to support stray cats and dogs. She was a slightly eccentric looking woman in her fifties. Her mousy brown hair which was graying at the temples was always pulled back into a loose ponytail, and her sneakers tended to have multiple sets of chew marks. She always sported shirts with interesting phrases. Today the saying displayed on her orange tee was Cats are like potato chips: you can’t stop with just one.

  “Hello,” Autumn greeted her.

  Gwen was already browsing the menu, taking a particular interest in the special pumpkin spice smoothie of the week. “Hello, there. Well, and hello to you,” she said, turning her attention to Mochi who was wagging his tail, tongue hanging seemingly feet out of his mouth. “Aren’t you a cute one?”

  Mochi accepted Gwen’s praise and a pat on the head with enthusiasm.

  “He’s a great addition to the café. It always warms my heart to see pets happily owned by caring people.” Gwen grinned with approval.

  “Yes, I don’t know what I’d do without him.” Autumn chuckled. “I’m so forgetful, but he keeps me organized. Can I help you decide on anything?”

  “Hmm, I’m not sure. Just looking for a little pick-me-up.”

  “A pick-me-up?” Rowan chimed in. “It’s eight-thirty in the morning.”

  Gwen laughed, peering through outdated glasses frames at the ingredients of the special. “Running an animal shelter calls for early mornings, my friend.”

  “How are things going at the animal shelter?” Autumn asked.

  “Very well,” Gwen responded. “We’re gearing up for the pumpkin run, as you probably remember.”

  “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it last year, but I intend to go this year.”

  “Great," Gwen replied. "Speaking of which, you wouldn’t be interested in participating in the run, would you? I’m looking to round up a few more folks, and the fee is only fifteen dollars. Plus, you get a free t-shirt.”

  Autumn might have known that asking about the affairs of the shelter would lead to something like this, but she didn’t mind.

  “I’d be glad to join," Autumn agreed. "I support the work you all do, and it would be the least I could do to show my support.”

  “Splendid,” Gwen exclaimed.

  “I guess I’d better start training for the race then.” Autumn tried to remember the last time she'd worn her running shoes. The café had been incredibly busy, and it had been a while.

  “Don’t stress over that. It’s the participation that counts and not the time.”

  “Fair enough." Autumn smiled. "What can I do to up your energy this morning?”

  “I think that that pumpkin spice smoothie sounds just fantastic,” Gwen answered.

  “Coming right up.”

  Gwen drank her smoothie with enthusiasm and thanked Autumn again for agreeing to join the race and to be on the lookout for any other recruits. Autumn said that she most certainly would.

  The rest of the day at the café was reasonably busy, and when closing time came, Autumn was satisfied with how her pumpkin spice smoothies had been received. She would need to buy more spices
to meet the demand if it remained just as popular for the rest of the week.

  Autumn was just about to head upstairs to change into workout clothes, intent on getting in a run in preparation for the fundraiser when there was a tapping at the front door. Her brow furrowed as she walked back to the front of the café.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she murmured. It was her little sister, Skye. Skye only came around when she’d gotten herself into trouble, which happened pretty frequently.

  Autumn unlocked the door. “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, that’s a nice greeting to give your sister,” Skye remarked.

  Autumn exhaled. “It’s just that you didn’t give me any warning and I haven’t heard from you in weeks. Dare I ask, what’s up?”

  Skye thrust her hands onto her lean midriff which was exposed thanks to her crop top she wore with an unbuttoned sweater over it. She sported skinny jeans and tennis shoes. “Am I the bearer of bad news or something?”

  Autumn’s brows rose. "Usually."

  “Okay, I set myself up for that one,” Skye hurried on. “I have a favor to ask you.”

  Autumn already knew what it was. “Oh, Skye.”

  “Can I at least come in?”

  “Why not.” Autumn stepped aside.

  The moment Rowan saw Skye, he lost every ounce of sense he possessed. He stuttered a hello which Skye nonchalantly returned before dropping down on a stool and swiveling toward her sister.

  “I need—”

  “To work some hours,” Autumn finished.

  Skye had the good grace not to be mad by the interruption. “Yeah. Is there any way you can squeeze me in for a couple of shifts?”

  It wasn’t as if Autumn could say no. She had a long-standing agreement with her parents that she would look after her flighty little sister when she needed work.

  Autumn glanced over in her assistant’s direction to see that Rowan had been staring over in anticipation. He quickly looked away when his boss caught his eye. She prepared herself for Rowan to be practically useless for a while as she answered her sister’s query. “Sure, we can add you in.”

  “Great," Skye responded. "You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

  “That's what sisters are for.”

  “Now I can finally relax a little,” Skye replied, massaging her temples. “Though, I'm still not in the clear.”

  Autumn wasn’t in the mood to hear about her sister’s predicament at the moment, though she knew she would get the details eventually. “I know a way to get whatever's bothering you off of your mind."

  “What?”

  “How about joining me in the annual pumpkin run? I’m headed on a practice jog right now.”

  Skye exhaled. “I guess I could use the exercise. Can I borrow some running clothes?”

  “Yeah, I was just about to go up and get mine. Can you finish locking up, Rowan?” Autumn rolled her eyes when her assistant was too busy staring at Skye to hear her. Skye was too busy adjusting her tasseled belt to notice. “Rowan?”

  “Huh?” Rowan scratched his head.

  “Can you finish locking up?” Autumn asked him again.

  “Oh, uh, sure.”

  “See you tomorrow then," Autumn replied.

  In no time, Autumn had changed into a t-shirt and yoga pants, and Skye was dressed in the crop top she’d come in and shorts. Autumn dug out an extra pair of running shoes and socks though Skye declined the socks, slipping her feet in bare.

  Mochi bounced eagerly at the door. Autumn lead them toward a biking trail that ran above the town, knowing they would be able to catch a view of the sunset on their way back down.

  Autumn filled Skye in on a few changes they’d made at the café since the last time she’d worked there, thinking that it would help distract her sister from whatever money trouble she was facing. Skye seemed grateful for the distraction, and the run went well. Autumn was pleased to discover that she did the trail in less time than she’d expected. Gwen might not have thought that time was an important factor in a fundraiser race, but it mattered to Autumn. She was always striving to be healthier.

  “Ready to head back down?” Autumn asked after the sisters had stopped to take in the fall sunset for a few moments.

  Skye agreed, and they made their way back down the trail.

  They’d almost reached the end of the course when Mochi stopped, growling.

  “What’s up, boy?” Autumn asked, stopping to jog in place so that she could see what had upset her dog. She squinted in the direction Mochi was looking and then stopped jogging. Autumn took a step off of the trail.

  The sight before her rendered Autumn speechless, but it made Skye scream.

  Chapter 2

  Autumn blinked a few times, hoping that what she was seeing was some sort of illusion. But, she wasn't. There was a body just off of the trail, and it was lying in what appeared to be a crop circle. Autumn had seen crop circles on TV and in movies, but she couldn't fathom why one would be on a mountain jogging trail.

  “Oh, my gourd, Autumn.” Skye was blubbering.

  Autumn took a step closer. "Is this a prank or something?"

  “No, don’t!” Skye exclaimed clutching Autumn’s arm.

  “Skye, we have to see who it is.”

  “But … Fine." Skye moved forward with Autumn. When they’d gotten a view of the man’s face, Skye gasped. “Oh, no, I do recognize him.”

  “Who is he?” Autumn had trouble accepting that she was looking at a dead body. The man was wearing jogging clothes and appeared to be in his thirties just like Autumn.

  “His name’s Mick Milton.” Skye’s voice was shaky. “He’s the boyfriend of a friend of mine, Nikki. Oh, crap, I wonder if she knows.” She broke down, covering her face and moving back.

  Mochi licked Skye’s leg in an attempt to comfort her.

  “We need to call the police.” Autumn’s tone was steady, but when she pulled her cell phone out, she realized that her hands were shaking. She was relieved to find that they were close enough to town to get a cell phone signal and she dialed the police.

  “Detective Green? Skye and I ran into a little situation up on the biking trails. You’d better come and take a look.”

  Once she’d hung up with the police department, Autumn went to her sister to make sure she was alright.

  Skye’s arms were wrapped tightly around herself, and she was shaking her head and muttering “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Poor Nikki.”

  “It’s going to be alright,” Autumn said. “The police will be here soon, and they’ll find out exactly what happened.” She continued to talk to her sister, doing her best to be reassuring. By the time Detective Green and two police officers arrived, she was somewhat calmer.

  “Jiminy,” Detective Green remarked. “Quite a find.”

  “I’ll say,” Autumn replied, dryly.

  “Are you two alright?”

  “Physically, we’re fine. I calmed Skye down some—she was pretty shaken up. She recognizes the man. She says he’s the boyfriend of her friend, Nikki. She says his name is Mick Milton.”

  “Do you mind sticking around while we take a look?”

  Autumn shook her head and was soon joined by one of the police officers who dove into a list of questions. Autumn explained that they’d been running on the trail in preparation for the town's pumpkin run and that they’d encountered the body at the very end. They hadn’t seen anyone else during the course of their jog.

  “What do you think?” Autumn asked when she was rejoined by Detective Green.

  The Detective’s brows rose. “He has a head wound. But, the peculiar thing is that it’s already been stitched up.”

  The statement caused a shiver to shoot down Autumn’s spine. “Oh. That’s weird.”

  “Weird?” one of the police officers chimed in. “Bizarre is more like it. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “You know what I think it is?” the other officer commented. “I think it’s
the work of aliens.”

  “Aliens?” Skye repeated, looking both disbelieving and spooked at the same time.

  “Don’t tell me that a sensible man like you believes all that baloney the Cosmic Keepers preach,” Detective Green said. “It’s nonsense, you know.”

  The officer shrugged. “How would you explain this?”

  “It’s the work of some demented human being, that’s what I think,” Detective Green answered. “I’m sorry you ladies had to find this, but we’ll be looking into it directly. I’ll have one of the police officers escort you both back down.”

  Autumn and Skye gratefully put some distance between themselves and the crime scene, leaving Detective Green and the other officer to move forward with their investigation.

  Chapter 3

  When Autumn suggested that Skye stay at her apartment with her that night, it was no surprise that she agreed readily. Skye had definitely been shaken up.

  “I just don’t know what to do,” Skye said. She’d been rearranging the pillows on the air mattress Autumn had blown up for her. “I just don’t know what to do. I need sugar.”

  “Sugar?” Autumn asked.

  “Yeah, will you make me something?”

  Figuring it was a pretty easy request to fulfill, Autumn agreed. “I’ll try out a new vegan cupcake recipe I found.”

  “Okay, but make sure they’re good.”

  “No one has ever complained about my seasonal treats, Skye. You don’t have to worry.”

  “Ok. I think I’ll call Nikki," Skye said. "The police officer said he was going to give her a call right after we got back to town, so she must know about Mick by now.”

  “That’s probably a good idea.”

  Skye sat down on the air mattress to dial Nikki’s number while Autumn headed to the kitchen. She located the vegan cupcake recipe and dove in. The cake was chocolate and included avocado in the batter. It was a little strange, but Autumn figured the maple syrup and cocoa the recipe called for would disguise the flavor of such an odd ingredient. She pulled a natural orange food dye out of the cupboard to color the frosting.