Death with a Cherry on Top: A Beach Themed Cozy Mystery (Twisted Sisters Ice Cream Cozies Book 1) by Molly Dox

Chapter 1
    Lottie Carlucci sorted through last season's inventory. She’d tossed any food related items, but napkins, spoons, and ice cream dishes had been saved. The salty air and sunshine dotted the New Jersey shoreline. With warmer temperatures arriving once again, it was time to get things in order.
    Lottie and her sister owned an ice cream stand on Wildwind’s boardwalk. The boardwalk was the biggest and busiest in New Jersey.  Of course, there was plenty of competition on the two-mile wooden walkway, so she needed to be up and running as soon as possible.
    The pre-defined Jersey beach season ran like clockwork. It came back to life in May, right about Memorial Day, while Labor Day ended the fun. School was back in session, and the bustling vacation spot slowed to a crawl. The summer’s overcrowded parking lots were empty, and the hotel rooms that were fully booked through warmer months sat vacant once again. Seasonal was a theme in Wildwind.
    With Memorial Day fast approaching, the town bubbled with energy. Lottie enjoyed the non-stop crowds of summer, but loved the slower pace of September. She considered it the best month of the year. Locals sighed with relief when the crowds dwindled. They didn’t need reservations to get into their favorite places off-season, and the traffic was substantially quieter.
    Every town had a heart, and in Wildwind the boardwalk was the center of everything. Most visitors hit the beach during the day, while nights were reserved for treats and amusements.  For those not interested in walking, there was a tram that ran the length of the boards. It was a two-way trip on a slow moving pseudo-train. The yellow and blue tram had been a steady relic for dozens of years.
    Opening the Twisted Sisters Ice Cream stand was a big moment each year. It meant summer had arrived. Lottie loved the hustle and bustle. It was a nice change of pace, but by the end of the season, she was good and ready to close! Lottie was usually on target to open two weeks prior to Memorial Day. Unfortunately, this year things weren’t going quite as planned.
    As one of two girls, Lottie and Gina were not only sisters, but best friends. While Gina married one of the Ambrogi boys, Lottie preferred a single lifestyle. Whether a Carlucci or an Ambrogi, the girls stuck together. Family was everything. After they lost their mother, their father found his way down to Wildwind, retiring at the popular shore town. It didn’t take long for his kids to follow.
    Pops Carlucci, a retired Philadelphia detective, spent his days helping at the small family businesses and his nights kicking around old memories at one of the local pubs. A spattering of single-ladies kept him happily fed, flirting, and looking for a date.
    There were two Irish pubs across from one another, McNulty’s and Schmitty’s. One housed cops, firefighters, and other EMS workers. The other pulled in laborers. Construction workers, landscapers, and contractors parked their trucks along the sidewalk and made their way into the small bar. You could go in either place, but both found their own unique crowd. While they were two bars, at times it felt like one. There was friendly competition between them, and each spring an annual softball game teased bragging rights for the season.
    ***
    Gina burst through the door, out of breath, as if she'd run three blocks between the family deli and the ice cream stand Lottie was setting up. "Lottie, I need your help! Carla's in trouble."
    Carla was one of Gina's handful of kids. She was the actress of the family. After graduation, she made her way to New York where she starred in off-Broadway plays. Home for the summer, Carla agreed to play a role in the summer stock version of Macbeth. The local playhouse officially opened Memorial Day weekend. 
    Lottie waited for Gina to catch her breath, then answered. "Carla? What do you mean she's in trouble? Is she pregnant? This could get sticky. You never liked her ex-boyfriend."
    "No,