A Waffle Lot of Murder

Book 4: All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery

by Lena Gregory

Genres: Amateur Sleuth; Cozy Mystery

Synopsis

For diner owner Gia Morelli, her seasonal fall menu calls for two main ingredients—maple syrup and murder . . .
 
While the first hints of autumn grace Boggy Creek, Florida, Gia misses the colorful harvest traditions she left behind in New York. On a scramble to make new fall memories—and promote her irresistible pumpkin spice waffles—things take a dark turn when she gets roped into the Haunted Town Festival, a spooky celebration held on deserted farmlands. The desolate area conjures plenty of eerie vibes at night, but Gia and her best friend, Savannah, are nearly frightened to death upon the discovery of the event organizer’s body buried in the nearby woods. More alarming, the local rumor mill says the woman’s shady dealings may have egged someone into sending her to an early grave. Now, there’s no shortage of creepy clues to feast on as Gia and her pals try to stop a killer with a very scary appetite . . .
 
Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!
 
Praise for Lena Gregory
 
“Hold on to your plates for this fast-paced mystery that will leave you hungering for more!”
—J.C. Eaton, author of the Sophie Kimball Mysteries, on Scone Cold Killer
 
“Family secrets, old mansions, and a growing list of murder victims—these elements and more blend together to make an intriguing as well as entertaining cozy mystery.”
—RT Book Reviews on Occult and Battery
 
“As breezy and salty as a gust of wind off the chilly bay waters.”
—Juliet Blackwell, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchcraft Mysteries on Death at First Sight
 
“An intriguing opening to a fun new series.”
—E. J. Copperman, national bestselling author of the Haunted Guesthouse Mysteries on Death at First Sight
 

Release date: October 6, 2020

Publisher: Lyrical Press

Print pages: 230

Sample

Chapter One

“That letter is not gonna open itself, ya know.” Savannah snatched the envelope Gia had been turning over and over for the better part of five minutes, slid the tip of one rhinestone-studded maroon nail beneath the flap, and slit it open.

“Yeah, well…” Gia climbed back onto her step ladder and returned to the cornucopia she was arranging on a shelf behind the All-Day Breakfast Café’s counter in honor of fall’s impending arrival. At least, everyone assured her fall was coming. Hard to tell without the leaves changing color and the crisp clean air that would have heralded the change of season in New York. Whatever devastating news awaited her inside the envelope could wait until she was done decorating. “Remember what happened last time I received a letter from the town council?”

“That’s a little dramatic, don’t ya think?” Savannah waved her off and started reading. “How long has this been sitting here? It’s dated over a week ago.”

Gia spread some hay around the shelf beneath the arrangement. “I don’t know. A few days, I guess. I picked up the mail on Friday but didn’t get to go through it all until this morning.”

“Mmm-hmm…” Savannah shot her a knowing look and lifted a brow. “AKA, you saw the town council return address, tossed the letter aside, and ignored it for the weekend.”

And there’s the down side of having a best friend who knew you too well. “It’s possible it went something like that.”

Earl and Cole, who were both sitting at the counter drinking coffee, and good enough friends to get away with it, laughed.

Earl, the elderly gentleman who’d been her first customer when she’d opened the café, pointed to her work in progress. “You have an empty space there.”

Gia straightened, then leaned back, careful not to tumble off the step ladder. Sure enough, he was right. She shifted a couple of gourds to fill in the hole. “Better?”

He wiped his mouth with a napkin and set it aside, then pushed his empty plate away, sat back and studied her creation. “Yup.”

“Makes me realize fall’s comin’.” Cole, who worked the grill a few days a week to help her out and to alleviate his own post-retirement boredom, stood and took his and Earl’s empty breakfast plates, then rounded the counter to put them in the bin Gia kept there. “I gotta get started prepping to open.”

“Sit a few more minutes. Have another cup of coffee if you want. I already cut up all the vegetables last night.” Though they’d had a huge Sunday morning breakfast crowd, the evening had slowed enough for her to get started preparing what they’d need for Monday morning.

Savannah held the letter out to Gia. When she didn’t take it right away, Savannah shook it. “Look.”

Gia made no move to take the letter. Her last experience with the town council had left a bitter taste in her mouth, but if Savannah’s enthusiasm was any indication, this letter might not threaten such dire consequences. “I guess they’re not trying to shut me down again.”

“Nope. On the contrary, this is awesome. Who knows? Maybe they want to make nice after your last encounter.” She grinned and thrust the letter toward Gia again. “Now take this, and see for yourself.”

Gia set the small pumpkin and gourd she was holding aside, climbed down from the step ladder, and took the letter from Savannah.

“See?” she squeaked.

“Savannah, I haven’t even started reading it yet.”

“Well, I’ll save you the trouble. You’ve been invited to participate in the annual Haunted Town Festival.” She squealed and clasped her hands together.

After quickly scanning the letter, Gia tossed it onto the counter. “It says I’ve been cordially invited and I can have a table and a house. What does that mean, exactly?”

Savannah grabbed a can of Diet Pepsi from the small refrigerator beneath the counter, despite the perfectly good soda fountain sitting right above it, and popped the top—how she managed it with those long nails, Gia had no clue. “The Haunted Town Festival is huge, probably the biggest event of the year around here.”

“All the proceeds go to the animal shelter, so people come from all over to support it.” Cole refilled his and Earl’s coffee cups.

“Thanks,” Earl said and took a sip. “He’s right. All of my kids come with their kids, been doing it every year since they were little, and none of them have ever missed a festival.”

Cole lifted the coffee pot toward Gia.

“No, thanks.” She’d already had three cups—any more and she’d be too jittery to work. “What do they mean by a table and a house?”

“Okay.” Excitement brightened Savannah’s already brilliant blue eyes. “So, the Festival is held on the old farmlands just outside of town. There are a large number of abandoned outbuildings out there, and most of them are used for themed houses. Like haunted houses and the like. You get to set up your house with whatever theme you want, and then, on the night of the Festival, you have a bunch of people work your house and scare the people coming through.”

“Those houses are hard to get. The same groups get them every year.” Earl frowned. “I wonder whose house opened up?”

“I heard Tim and Cathy retired and moved up to Pennsylvania to be by their youngest who just had her third baby in less than five years,” Cole said.

“Certainly sounds like she could use the help,” Earl agreed. “But what did they do with their plumbing business?”

“Their oldest son took it over, but he must have decided not to do the house this year. Who knows?” Cole shrugged. “Maybe it was too much, with taking over the business and all, or maybe he just didn’t want to do it without the rest of the family.”

“Either way, I guess you lucked out that a house is available.” Savannah tapped a nail against the letter. “There’s a number right there. You’d better call right away. That house will go fast, if it hasn’t already. I sure hope they held it for you, being they sent an invitation and all.”

“I don’t know.” It sounded involved, and if it was too much for someone who’d been doing it for years, how was she supposed to pull it off? Of course she didn’t know why the last person had backed out. “What about the table? What’s that?”

“The table is great advertising, the chance to get word out and offer a variety of samples from your menu. We can put out a few different dishes, easy to eat things you can pick up and eat on the go; homemade muffins, scones…” Cole snapped his fingers. “Oh, you know what would be perfect? Some of those pumpkin spice waffles you were playing around with last week.”

“And don’t forget the cold brew coffee.” Savannah grabbed an order pad and pen and started jotting notes. “Maybe we could even do a smaller version of your breakfast pies, like make them in little mini pie tins people could carry with them or sit at one of the picnic tables and eat.”

The table sounded like a great idea, get word out about her business, let people taste some of her menu items. “Maybe I could just do the table and not the house.”

“Nah,” Cole said. “The table is work and great advertising, but the house is the fun part.”

“Then it’s settled.” Savannah scooped the letter off the counter and held it out to Gia.

Gia held up her hands. “Wait, guys—”

“And don’t forget home fries. They’ll be sure to bring in customers.” Earl winked at Gia.

“Thank you, Earl, but I—”

“You know what?” Savannah fished her cell phone out of her oversized mustard-yellow bag, checked the number on the letter, and dialed. “I’ll just call them myself.”

“Wait. I didn’t even—”

She held up a finger and turned away. “Hello? Yes, hi. I’m calling for Gia Morelli at the All-Day Breakfast Café…Yes…Sure, I can hold…”

“Savannah, wait—”

She turned back toward Gia and covered the mouthpiece. “You’re the one who’s always talking about missing fall in New York, missing the old traditions you had, driving out on Long Island… Yes, I’m still here.”

Earl picked up where she left off. “Hitting up the farm stands, pumpkin picking…”

“Roasted sweet corn, apple cider,” Cole added.

She shot them a dirty look. “You two aren’t helping matters.”

They just laughed at her. Traitors.

Savannah sighed. “I’m on hold again.”

“All right, so maybe I have been missing New York, and perhaps I’ve mentioned it once or twice.”

Savannah pinned her with a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me glare. “Ya think?”

Gia scowled, though she couldn’t really argue. As much as she loved Boggy Creek, straying from the familiar was proving difficult at times, especially with the arrival of her favorite season.

“Well, you’ll never stop missing your old traditions if you don’t start making new ones,” Savannah said.

“I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” She smirked. “I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t.”

“I think the table is a great idea, but maybe we could skip—”

Savannah held up a finger and returned to her call. “Yes. Yes, we haven’t decided on one yet, but I’ll get back to you later on and let you know…”

“Looks like you’re doing the Festival.” Earl laughed out loud with no regard whatsoever for the look of horror that had to be plastered on her face if the sinking feeling in her gut was any indication.

“But I—”

“Ah, let her have her fun.” Cole grinned at Earl. “Now for the good part.”

“Oh, what’s the good part?” At the moment, nothing sounded good, or fun. It all seemed like an overwhelming amount of work and less time she could spend with Thor, her Bernese Mountain Dog. Hard to believe he had just turned a year old and she’d had him for almost that long. At the same time, it seemed he had been a part of her life forever and she couldn’t imagine being without him.

Earl nodded toward her, his eyes filled with understanding. “First off, I know that look. It’s the same one my daughter-in-law gets every time she’s invited to something that doesn’t include her little girl. So let me ease your mind. Thor can be with you while you set up and work on the house, and he can be there before and after the haunting hours. Guests are allowed to bring their pets, but Zoe gets a bunch of high school students together and sets up an old stable as a doggie day care center for the workers.”

Zoe had been watching Thor since Gia brought him home, and she was amazing. “I guess that would be all right.”

“It’s for his own safety. During the peak hours, you are ‘haunting’ your house, so it’s dark and creepy, and you can’t really keep an eye on him.”

“Speaking of pets, have you ever considered some kind of pet breakfast food?” Cole turned the pad Savannah had been using around and jotted something down. “We could make something up and offer it at the Festival to get an idea if people and their pets like them.”

Hmm…that was a good idea. A homemade breakfast treat for dogs. She could set up a stand by the door of the café for them. “I like that idea. Maybe something with peanut butter. Thor loves peanut butter.”

“And bacon,” Earl added with a grin. “Who doesn’t love bacon?”

Gia was beginning to warm to the whole event. At least, the table part of it. The house she wasn’t so sure about. She’d never even visited a haunted house, never mind trying to set one up and work it.

“Woo hoo!” Savannah pumped her fist in the air. “We got it!”

“The house?”

“Yup. Now we just have to come up with a theme.”

“A theme?” Gia’s stomach turned over. What had Savannah gotten her into?

“Yeah, you know, like vampires or werewolves or something.”

“Nah.” Cole shook his head. “How about something different? Something unusual.”

“Clowns.” Earl tapped the pad Cole was jotting ideas on. “Write that one down. Every single one of my kids is terrified of clowns. We could do a circus themed house.”

“We?” Hmm…maybe, if they all pitched in and worked on it with her the whole thing wouldn’t be so bad. She had to admit, it would be nice to spend time with her friends somewhere other than work.

“Of course. What? Did you really think we’d throw you to the wolves without backup?” Earl grinned. “Besides, you don’t really think I’d miss this, do you? I bet some of my kids would love to participate too. And my grandson is old enough. It sure would be nice to spend some time doing something fun with him.”

“Don’t forget Willow and Skyla,” Cole tossed out. “And maybe Trevor and some of the kids who work in his shop want to join us too.”

“And my brothers.” Savannah frowned. “Wait…Didn’t the Ramseys do clowns last year?”

“Oh yeah, you might be right.” Cole scratched clowns off the list. “How about zombies?”

Savannah waved off the idea. “Zombies are overrated. Besides, every haunted attraction has zombies.”

“True.” Cole tapped the pen against the pad, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Apparently, the Haunted Town Festival was a serious event in Boggy Creek. At least, it was to her friends.

Gia warmed to the idea. An event that involved the entire community sounded great. It would be good for business, and she was always looking for ways to immerse herself in the community. She’d grown to love Boggy Creek over the past year. She wanted to be a part of everything that made it so special. Still…she had no clue what she was doing. And Gia had never been very adventurous. She preferred the familiarity and safety of her comfort zone. In spite of that, the one impulsive decision she was forced into making—her move to Boggy Creek, Florida—turned out to be the best thing she’d ever done.

Savannah waved a hand in front of her, trying to recapture her attention. “Ghosts? Aliens? Horror movie monsters?”

They tossed around ideas for the next few minutes, until Cole glanced toward the clock hanging above the cut out between the kitchen and dining room and jumped off his stool. “Yikes! We got so carried away we forgot we had to open.”

Gia headed for the front of the shop, where a couple already waited on the sidewalk for her to unlock the door.

Savannah fished her keys out, then slung her bag over her shoulder. “And I have to get to work. I have paperwork to do, and I have to get in touch with a seller to find out what time I can get my potential buyer into a house.”

Gia unlocked the door and held it open for her two customers. “Good morning. Have a seat wherever you’d like, and I’ll be right with you.”

Savannah scooted behind the couple before Gia let the door go. “I’ll pick you up about seven, and we can go see our house and decide where to set up the table. Barbara Woodhull, one of the event coordinators, is meeting us out there at seven thirty.”

“Sure thing.” There was no point in arguing. Apparently, her friends had decided she’d be participating, so Gia gave up. Besides, she might even enjoy it. She’d been missing fall, which had always been her favorite season. She had been a bit homesick and down lately, despite her love for Boggy Creek and its residents. Maybe a new annual tradition would help ease some of the nostalgia that had been hounding her. But she still couldn’t help wondering what she’d gotten herself into.

Chapter Two

Still not convinced she was doing the right thing, Gia climbed out of Savannah’s new Mustang convertible and ran her fingers through her tangled curls. Riding with the top down in the little blue sports car was amazing but left her long, dark hair looking like a rat’s nest.

Savannah ran a hand over already perfect long blonde hair. She’d been smart enough to pull it back into a bun before they’d left. She smoothed her long cream-colored skirt.

Oh well. Live and learn. Gia scanned for critters as they crossed the deserted hard-packed dirt field that barely passed for a parking lot. “Are you sure it’s okay to be bumbling around out here when it’s getting dark?”

Savannah lifted a brow. “Gia, the event takes place after dark.”

“Oh.” She swallowed hard and forced a laugh. “Right.”

“Besides, Cole opened this morning, so we couldn’t come out here until you closed.”

“True.” But it didn’t make her any more comfortable on the deserted farm after dark. When half the town was lingering around, it would probably seem less frightening. Of course, that was the idea of the event, to scare people. It seemed they’d found the perfect setting.

Streetlights surrounding the lot lit up as she followed Savannah toward an old outbuilding that had seen better days. Rust spotted the corrugated metal where jagged holes had rotted through the walls. One spotlight shone above the large, partially open garage style door—at one time, they must have kept tractors or other farm equipment in the building. Another spotlight lit the small, closed door next to it.

Savannah pushed the roll-up door, and it screeched as it opened. She stepped into the lighted interior and yelled, “Barbara?”

Gia followed her in.

An enormous black animal crouched beside a pile of wood.

Gia screamed and lurched back.

Savannah caught her and laughed, then pointed to the stuffed black wolf the size of a small car. Gia’s horror was reflected in its black eyes. Its lips curled back, revealing brown stained fangs and a row of jagged teeth.

“Scary, huh?” Savannah didn’t seem fazed by the creature that appeared to be pouncing toward them. She patted its muzzle. “You should see it when they turn it on. Debby from the animal shelter does a huge section in the woods. She’s been offered a house every time one opens up, but she prefers the section of woods between the last two houses. Because she runs the event, she likes to let donors have the houses. Anyway, they hook this monstrosity up to an air compressor and set it in the trees. Then, every time the pressure builds up, the whole thing shoots forward into the path. You can hear the screams from all the way in town. Scares the life out of me every year, even though I know it’s coming.”

Gia walked around the wood base the animal stood on. If this was any indication of the attention paid to detail for this event, it must be amazing. “Where did they get something like this?”

“A theater company used it for a prop one year, then donated it to Debby for the Festival.”

“Donated?”

“Debby can be very persuasive, and she’s quite passionate about the Festival. It brings in a good portion of the funding she needs to run the shelter and provide food, blankets, veterinary care. Some of the animals she takes in spend their whole lives there, and they need care.”

Gia’s heart ached to think of Thor ending up in the shelter forever, not that the animals there weren’t well cared for. Debby treated them all like her own—but nothing could be the same as going home to a family that loved you. Thor had brought so much to her life at a time when she’d desperately needed it.

Savannah shot her an I-told-you-so look. “You can go out to the shelter and pick out another one after the Festival.”

“I never said—”

“You didn’t have to; it’s written all over your face.”

“Yeah, well, Thor’s been amazing. With just the two of us in the house, surrounded by all that property, there’s no reason I can’t bring home another one.”

“Or two.”

“Don’t push it.” But she couldn’t deny she’d been thinking the same thing. Sometimes Savannah’s intuition was scarier than the big black wolf staring her down. “And you stay out of my head. It’s creepy.”

Savannah laughed out loud, and a pang of love shot through Gia.

She’d never had another friend like Savannah, someone who knew her so well, accepted her for who she was, despite her faults, cared about her so much, and would do anything in the world for her without an instant of hesitation.

“Thanks, Savannah.”

“For what?”

“Just for being you and for being such a good friend.”

“Always.” Savannah gave her a quick hug, then stepped back, looked around, and frowned. “I wonder where Barbara is. It’s not like her to be late. From what I hear, she runs this event like a drill sergeant.”

“Maybe she got held up at work.” Gia started forward, strolling between piles of props, wood, paint cans.

“She doesn’t work. As far as I know, anyway. Even though Debby is technically responsible for the event, Barbara Woodhull and Genevieve Hart put this whole thing together every year, coordinate everything down to the last detail. I can’t imagine them doing that while holding down jobs.”

“You don’t know them well?”

“Not really. I’ve seen them around; Barbara seems a little stand-of. . .