Strawberry Cream Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 1 by Susan Gillard

Chapter 1
     
    “I’ll take a dozen glazed and a dozen chocolate with sprinkles, please.”
     
    Heather smiled at the customer standing across the glass display case from her.  Even though her shop specialized in gourmet donuts, she still made sure to stock the old favorites.  She reached under the counter for one of the flattened cardboard boxes they used for to-go orders and, with an ease that came from years of practice, assembled it by pulling the sides of the box upright and locking the tabs into their slots.
    Not that she usually worked the early shift at Donut Delights.  That was the advantage of being the owner; you could hire people to get up at 3:00 a.m. and arrive at the shop by 4:00 to start baking while you slept in.  Usually, Heather got there around 10:00.  But today, she had decided to come in at 8:00, in the hopes that staying busy with the rush of early morning customers would keep her mind off of—
     
    Heather clenched her teeth and forced herself to focus on each lusciously glazed donut as she placed it into the box.  One…two…three…
     
    She finished with the glazed and chocolate-with-sprinkles customer and turned to the next customer in line.  “What can I get for you today?”
     
    “Oooooh,” the woman said, “I just don’t know.  Everything looks so delicious.”  She pointed at one of the trays displaying donuts.  “What kind are those?”
     
    “Those are Southern Pecan Pie donuts,” Heather said.  “The donut itself is a little heavy, but not cake-y.  Has a little bit of the texture of a pie crust.  It’s filled with the same kind of filling used in pecan pies, and topped with more filling and halved pecans.”
     
    “I’ll take half a dozen of those,” she said.  “Ohhhh, my waistline.  But it’ll be worth it.  Let’s see, I need another half dozen of something.  What do you recommend?”
     
    “How about the Lemon Meringues?  Light donut base with lemon filling.  Topped with lemon glaze, crust crumbles, and plenty of meringue.”
     
    “I’ll take a half dozen of those, too,” the woman said.  “I probably shouldn’t, but—oh, make it a dozen.”
     
    Heather smiled, boxed up the customer’s order, and rang up the transaction.  When the woman was on her way happily out the door carrying two boxes, Heather grabbed a coffee pot and went out into the dining area to refill customers’ cups.
     
    She stopped first at the table right in front of the big, bay window, as she always did.  The tiny, elderly woman with the silvery white hair smiled at her, and she topped off the woman’s cup with a smile of her own.  “How are you today, Eva?” she asked.
     
    “I’m blessed,” Eva said.  “Can’t complain.”
     
    “You never complain,” Heather said.  “You’re a ray of sunshine every single day.”
    It was true.  Eva Schneider came to Donut Delights each morning, ordered a different gourmet donut and a cup of coffee, then took the same table by the window, if it was available.  Always with a smile on her face, she never gave much information about herself.  But she was always eager to listen, and Heather sometimes felt selfish when she found herself doing most of the talking.
     
    The bell above the door jingled, and Heather looked up to see another customer enter the store.  She almost glanced away—customers came in and out all the time—but then, she noticed the gun in a holster on his hip and the shiny silver badge right next to it.
     
    Heather realized she was staring and returned her gaze to Eva’s pleasant face.  Well, she thought, cops eat donuts too.  Of course they do.  Everyone knows that. 
     
    “Go wait on your customer, liebchen ,” Eva said.  “I’ll still be here.”
     
    But as Heather headed for the counter, Officer Whatever-his-name-was spoke to her.  “I’m looking for Heather Janke,” he said.  “Is she in?”
     
    “I’m Heather,” she said, frowning.  “Can I help you with