Corpse at the Christmas Cookie Exchange
A Maddie Mills Cozy Mystery
Cindy Bell
Copyright © 2022 Cindy Bell
All rights reserved.
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This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and locations portrayed in this book and the names herein are fictitious. Any similarity to or identification with the locations, names, characters or history of any person, product or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.
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Chapter One
The quiet pitter-patter of small paws against the sidewalk brought a smile to Maddie Mill’s lips. No matter where her thoughts wandered during their walks, when she heard the sound of the paws of her West Highland White Terriers hitting the sidewalk with excitement, it always brought her a burst of warmth.
When she’d first adopted the two pups, she’d wondered whether it would be a mistake. Her own children were young adults, and taking on two new dogs reminded her of the newborn stage. Starting over in her late forties had seemed like a bad idea. She had no idea at the time, being happily married and living in a secure home with what she assumed were stable finances, that the two dogs would end up being such an important part of her life.
When Maddie’s marriage fell apart, they had been a comfort. When she realized that her husband had gambled away all of their money, and lost their home in the process, been arrested for fraud, and she was left with next to nothing, the dogs were the reason she pushed herself to keep going. She wanted a home for them. She wanted to provide them with the life she had promised them when she had adopted them. Despite having to move across the country to make that happen and take up residence in her parents’ old house, Bella and Polly had helped to keep her spirits up throughout the entire transition.
Now she lived in Bayview, a place she’d grown up in, a place she’d never expected to move back to. She’d landed there without more than a few pennies to rub together. Now she had a large house that needed updating, and a bakery that, with the help of her sister, Tammy Webber, and Tammy’s daughter, Katie, they were taking a huge risk by reopening. Although things were still tenuous, she finally felt as if she could breathe again. She was filled with excitement to be reopening the bakery in just a few days.
The brief sound of a siren, followed by flashing lights, made her jump. An instant later she calmed down as she recognized the police car that rolled up beside her.
“Jake, you have to stop doing that.” Maddie pressed her hand against her chest as she sighed. “It always gives me a shock!” She held tighter to the dogs’ leashes as they jumped up against the side of the car in an attempt to get to Detective Jake Holden.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Jake smiled as he put the vehicle in park. “I just happened to be driving around and noticed you out walking. Aren’t you cold? It’s getting chilly. You don’t even have a coat on.”
Maddie rolled her eyes as he began his lecture. She could remember his tone of voice from decades before, when he would warn her about the high school parties on the beach.
“I’m fine. We’re just going for a quick walk. I have a cookie exchange party to attend tonight.”
“Sounds delicious.” Jake chuckled.
“Honestly, I’d rather not go, but Tammy insisted we go. She said it will be good for the bakery, because Jennifer Pearsons is hosting it, and apparently there will be lots of business owners there. Tammy thinks it will be a good opportunity for networking.” Maddie cringed. “This is one part of owning a business that I’m not great at.”
“Oh yes, Jenny hosts the party every year.” Jake smiled. “Tammy’s right. She’s a great person to get to know when it comes to business. As the local Realtor, she has a lot of connections. I do have to warn you, though, her get-togethers can be a little stuffy. She takes everything like that very seriously and often goes over the top. At least you’ll have Tammy for company.”
“I know, anything to save me from the small talk.” Maddie groaned. “Of all the things that I’ve learned over the years, enjoying small talk has not been one of them.”
“Well, I can help a bit with that.” Jake smoothed down his thick, brown hair and smiled. “I’m not going to be there for long, but I’ll be stopping by. Jenny always makes sure there’s some cookies for me to pick up to take to the station.”
“Oh, that’s nice of her.”
“It is. So, I’ll see you there.” Jake winked as he shifted the car back into drive. “Looking forward to it, Maddie!” He pulled away from the curb before she could say another word.
Maddie stared after the car. With the leashes still clutched tight in her hands, her stomach did a flip-flop. What was that feeling?
“Why does he always make me flustered?” Maddie muttered to herself as she began walking back toward her house.
Polly jumped up against her leg and gave a quick, cheerful bark.
“I know you like him, Polly.”
Memories from long ago rushed through her mind. Jake wasn’t a skinny boy anymore who had spent most of his time patrolling all the teenage shenanigans around him. As a police officer, and now the chief of police, he’d developed a muscular frame and a confident, if not arrogant, personality that set her on edge at times. But the protective boy who had pulled on her hair at school still gazed out at her from behind those striking green eyes. She couldn’t shake the way he made her feel, but with her divorce barely finalized, and years of betrayal to work through, she knew that a romantic relationship was the last thing she needed. Still, she couldn’t deny the way he left her feeling flustered.
As Maddie neared the house she and her sister had inherited from their parents, she began to run through everything she needed to do to get ready for the party. She needed to organize all the cookies. She’d been so busy getting the bakery ready for the opening, she had left everything for the party to the last minute. She wondered if there might be a way to get out of going. With only about an hour before the start of it, she couldn’t think of an excuse that would make sense. And she knew Tammy would be upset. She also knew she should take advantage of showing off her baking and, in the process, advertising the bakery.
Maddie was sure Tammy would help her get everything ready. Although her younger sister was the dreamer out of the two of them, she always had Maddie’s back when she needed it. She had been the one to help her find a way through things, find a way out of trouble, even if it meant getting into a new kind of worse trouble.
Over the years, while Maddie had been married, they had drifted apart to some degree, busy with raising children and managing husbands and households. But since they had both ended up back in Bayview and were reopening their family’s bakery, it felt as if no time had passed at all. They were together again, and despite the ways their lives had changed, their bond had remained strong.
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