Killed on Blueberry Hill

Book 3: Berry Basket Mystery

by Sharon Farrow

Genres: Mystery; Cozy Mystery; Female Sleuths

Synopsis

It’s peak tourist season in Oriole Point, Michigan—the blueberry buckle of the fruit belt. Nothing draws the crowds quite like their annual carnival. And nothing turns it sour faster than murder . . . The Blueberry Blow Out festival has begun and it’s time for Marlee Jacob, owner of The Berry Basket, to shine. Unfortunately it’s also bringing out the worst in her fiancé Ryan Zeller. Ryan’s rivalry with Porter Gale, owner of Blueberry Hill Farm, spills over into a very public and very ugly fight. And after they compete in the pie-eating contest and a raucous tug of war, their orchard blood feud takes a deadly turn . . . The death of the king of Blueberry Hill is a shock but not too surprising—he was a diabetic whose last pig out meal was deliciously fatal. But when authorities discover that someone tampered with Porter’s insulin, a tragic accident is looking like murder—and Ryan is the key ingredient. Now Marlee’s investigation to clear his name is taking her deep into the Gale family secrets, and she’s being shadowed every step of the way by a killer whose sweet revenge is just beginning . . . Includes Berry Recipes!

Release date: October 30, 2018

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 258

Sample

As owner of The Berry Basket store in Oriole Point, Michigan, I’m regarded as an expert on all things berry related. My involvement in two murders this summer tacked on amateur sleuth to my résumé. Now I prepared to add glutton to that list of accomplishments. Of course, I first needed to win the blueberry pie–eating contest to earn the title, but I felt confident I had the determination—and the appetite—to pull it off.

Adjusting my rain poncho, I sat down at the picnic table.

“You can win, Marlee. I know you can.”

I glanced up to see the concerned blue eyes of my fiancé, Ryan Zellar.

“But what really matters is that you beat Porter’s wife. The Gales can’t defeat us twice in one morning.” Ryan seemed genuinely pained by the prospect.

Fifteen minutes ago, his brother had been beaten in the men’s pie-eating contest by Porter Gale. Ryan’s family ran Zellar Orchards, and the Gale family, led by Porter, owned Blueberry Hill, the largest blueberry farm in the state. To Ryan’s dismay, Blueberry Hill exceeded them in sales and global reach, resulting in a rivalry between the two families. I didn’t understand the enmity. After all, Blueberry Hill sold only blueberries, while Zellars grew everything from peaches and apples to four kinds of berries. It seemed silly to turn a healthy commercial competition into an orchard blood feud. But a feud it certainly was, and the reason I wore a plastic poncho on a sunny August day, readying myself to dive into a blueberry pie.

“The odds are in my favor. I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch today, so I’m starving. And blueberry pie is my favorite. Last year, I finished off half a pie at the Fourth of July picnic.”

“I remember. I swear, I don’t know where you put it.” His appreciative gaze swept over my trim body, visible beneath the transparent poncho. “I only wish I’d volunteered to compete in the men’s contest instead of Richard. Even if I don’t like the taste of blueberries, I couldn’t have done any worse than my brother.”

“Don’t blame Richard. He did his best.” Indeed, Ryan’s youngest brother made a valiant attempt to bolt down his pie but broke out in a coughing fit midway through.

“Give me a break. How does someone snort blueberry pie up his nose? And for Porter to win makes it even worse.” Ryan glared at the man who stood at the end of the table. “The man’s a diabetic, for God’s sake.”

“What!” I looked over at Porter with alarm. Like Ryan, he appeared to be giving last-minute encouragement to his wife, Sloane, one of my fellow contestants. “If he’s diabetic, he shouldn’t be eating sugar, especially not an entire pie. What if he goes into insulin shock?”

“Don’t get my hopes up. The man looks as healthy as an ox. He’s as dumb as one, too.”

Ignoring Ryan’s sarcasm, I observed Porter more closely for signs he might become ill. But he appeared remarkably robust. I knew he was the same age as Ryan—thirty-four—but his powerful, stocky frame made a sharp contrast to Ryan’s lanky physique. Not that Ryan wasn’t muscular, but he didn’t give the impression of brute force like Porter did. I didn’t find it surprising Porter had eaten a whole pie in record time. He seemed like a person who wouldn’t let anything stand in his way, including a pie-eating contest at the fairground. Still, as a diabetic he should steer clear of sugary pie. He might not be dumb, as Ryan claimed, but Porter had proven himself reckless where his health was concerned.

My attention turned next to Porter’s wife, Sloane, who looked more like a cast member of The Bachelor than a pie-eating contestant at the county fair. Although a pretty girl, Sloane wielded her cosmetic brushes with such zeal that she often brought to mind a Kabuki performer. Today was no exception. Since the contest required that she stick her face in a pie, I didn’t understand why she wore cherry-red lipstick, a shimmery bronzer, and false eyelashes. I thought her an unlikely candidate for such a contest. No doubt her husband “volunteered” her for the event, as Ryan did me.

I watched as Sloane tucked her shoulder-length mass of perfectly highlighted blond hair beneath a shower cap to prevent it from getting covered in pie filling. My fellow contestants did likewise. I should have followed their example. Instead, I skimmed my long hair back into a ponytail. Bad enough to be photographed with a face covered in blueberry pie. Doing so while wearing a shower cap and a rain poncho ranked too high on the cringe meter.

Two women acting as the contest judges covered the picnic table with a white plastic tablecloth. A moment later, volunteers delivered our blueberry pies, each one set before us with a flourish. My empty stomach growled at the delectable sight and smell of fresh-baked buttery crust and blueberry filling. The flies agreed, and I shooed them away.

“Don’t let Sloane Gale win,” Ryan reiterated.

“Don’t worry. She’s probably never taken part in a pie-eating contest before.”

Actually, I had no way of knowing what Sloane Gale might enjoy. Oh, we’d exchanged a few words at Oriole Point county events. Our lakeshore village numbered only four thousand residents, so none of us were strangers to each other. But I didn’t know much about her aside from the fact she married Porter Gale a little over a year ago, and that they had no children. I judged her to be a good decade younger than Porter, but her Vogue photo shoot makeup made it difficult to gauge her exact age. A younger millennial, for sure. And one unprepared for the indignity of taking part in a pie-eating contest.

When a loud electronic hum rang out, all eyes turned to an elegant blond woman who surveyed the crowd from the nearby outdoor stage.

Ryan groaned. “Why is Piper announcing your contest? Isn’t it bad enough she runs everything in town? Now she’s barging in on county business.”

“You know the Blueberry Blow Out involves everyone in Oriole County. That includes the villagers.” I grinned at him. “Don’t forget I’m from the village, too.”

“Not for long. As soon as we get married, you’ll be out in the country with me.”

“That’s still up for discussion,” I reminded him, but his attention had shifted to Piper.

“I need everyone to quiet down now,” Piper said in a tone demanding obedience.

As the crowd near the stage grew silent, Piper frowned in the direction of the carnival midway, where a cacophony of bells, whistles, and calliope music could be heard. When it became apparent she had no control over the din coming from the rest of the fairground, she rolled her eyes. To Ryan’s consternation I liked Piper, despite her air of entitlement, which she wore as easily as a cashmere stole. Yes, she sometimes tried my patience, but since she was nearly twenty years older than me, I allowed her some leeway. Ryan did not.

He was right about Piper getting involved in everything. Piper ran the Oriole Point Tourist and Visitor Center in town. And as a descendant of Oriole Point’s founding family, Piper Lyall-Pierce managed to take control whether the event took place at city hall or a tractor pull. Her social standing rose even further after she married retired executive Lionel Pierce, also known as our mayor. These things, along with her enormous wealth, put Piper at the top of the Oriole County food chain. Only I wouldn’t have thought Piper cared to take part in something as slapstick as a pie-eating contest. Then again, Piper couldn’t bear to be left out of anything.

Tapping her microphone, Piper said, “Attention, everyone. It is time for the women’s blueberry pie–eating contest. Before we commence, how about another round of applause for the victor of the men’s event: Porter Gale, owner of the world-famous Blueberry Hill.”

Whistles and cheers rang out as Porter took a bow. Oriole Point not only sat along the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, our surrounding countryside was known as Michigan’s fruit belt. Tourism and the orchards provided much of the employment in the village and the county. The biggest of these commercial enterprises, Blueberry Hill enjoyed the grateful support of its workers, evident in the reception Porter now received.

Ryan swore under his breath, increasing my worry. What if I didn’t win? I looked at the women who sat at the table with me. Could I beat all of them? Sloane, probably. But the others hailed from farms and orchards out in the country. As the only contestant who lived in the village, I had no idea what their eating capacity might be. Perhaps they ate more pie than I did. And faster, too.

Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to take part in the contest when Ryan asked me. I needed to say no more often. Especially to him. Only I felt I had little choice. Ryan’s sister-in-law Emily had won this contest four times. This summer a pregnant Emily suffered from morning sickness, and her sensible doctor disapproved of the mother-to-be gulping down an entire pie in a few minutes. Even the highly competitive Adam Zellar thought Emily should refrain from fairground contests this year. Of course there were four other Zellar brothers whose respective wives and girlfriend could have been drafted for the event. Ryan decided my two years as owner of The Berry Basket qualified me as the best woman to pig out on berry pie. Besides, the Zellars already regarded me as one of them, even if Ryan and I wouldn’t exchange vows until January. If I won today, the Zellars won, too.

I smiled at the assorted Zellars waving at me from the crowd of onlookers. When Ryan’s dad gave me a big thumbs-up, I sent a silent prayer to the pie gods.

Piper tapped the microphone once more, which brought the cheers and hoots for Porter to a close. I wondered what had happened to Walter Kluyper, owner of Kluyper Feed Store. He’d presided over the men’s event with lusty enthusiasm. Certainly, Walter seemed better suited as a pie contest emcee than Piper, who wore a black sundress covered with huge sunflowers that I suspected came from the latest RTW collection of Dolce and Gabbana. I’d spent several years as a producer at the Gourmet Living Network in New York City and knew my designers.

“For those who have just joined us,” Piper said, “let me welcome you to the opening day of our annual Blueberry Blow Out. Because this is the height of tourist season along the lakeshore, many of you might be from out of town. If so, you will be interested to learn that Michigan leads the nation in highbush blueberry production. Every August, Oriole Point County celebrates the bounty of our blueberry harvest with seven days of festivities here at the fairground. We hope you enjoy the many activities we have scheduled, which include live musical performances, amusement park rides, vendor booths, and a variety of competitions. This brings us to the women’s blueberry pie–eating contest.”

She pointed a blue air horn at the twelve of us in our plastic ponchos. “As soon as my air horn blasts, these ladies will race to see who can finish eating an entire blueberry pie first. And they must do so without using their hands. Before we proceed, I’d like to thank the Cooking Circle members of Oriole Point’s First Presbyterian Church for baking the pies.”

A smattering of applause greeted this acknowledgment.

Piper continued, “The first woman to eat her pie wins fifty dollars, along with the title of Women’s Champion Blueberry Pie Eater of Oriole County.”

I made a face. There were lots of things I’d like to be known for instead of stuffing myself with pie. But I’d never turn down a blue ribbon. And because I hadn’t eaten a thing all day, my appetite for that pie grew every second. However, my thirst outweighed my hunger pangs. The afternoon sun beat down, causing my bare legs and arms to grow damp beneath the poncho. Reaching for the water bottle each contestant had been given, I let out a cry of protest when someone yanked the bottle out of my hand.

“No drinking until after you’ve eaten the pie,” a familiar voice hissed in my ear. “Water cuts down on your appetite. You need to stay ravenous.”

I lifted an eyebrow at Andrew, one of three retail clerks I employed at The Berry Basket. “It’s like a sauna out here and I’m dying of thirst. If my mouth is too dry, how do you imagine I’ll be able to eat an entire pie?” Snatching the water bottle away from him, I unscrewed the cap and took a long swig.

“That’s enough.” He took it from me once more. “Dean and I bet twenty dollars you’d win this contest. I have no intention of letting you blow this thing right before it starts.”

“You and your brother shouldn’t be betting on the contest at all. And why are you here? You’re supposed to be manning our Berry Basket booth right now. Or did you convince Dean to take over for you? His shift doesn’t start for another hour.”

“Don’t be silly. Dean isn’t about to miss this. He’s right there.” Andrew nodded at his older brother, who waved at me from among the crowd.

People who saw the Cabot brothers for the first time often assumed they were twins. Both were tall, attractive, auburn haired, and as concerned with style and fashion as Piper, but without her disposable income. Despite their striking similarities, they were eleven months apart in age—actual Irish twins, given their Celtic ancestry. They also were the bearers of every snippet of gossip in town; their knowledge surpassed only by the rumor-spreading talents of their mother, Suzanne Cabot, who worked as receptionist at the local police station. Between the three of them, Oriole Point had no need of a newspaper or Twitter feed.

Luckily, I’d grown quite fond of both brothers in the two years they had worked for me. There were times I felt more like their big sister than their employer. They were often as hard to control as kid brothers, too.

My best friend, Tess, stood beside Dean, holding up her phone to let me know she was about to film my pie-eating efforts. Dean fished his own phone out of a back pocket and held it up, too. While I expected Tess to be here to give moral support, I should have known neither Cabot brother would miss the chance to watch their boss make a public spectacle of herself.

“If neither of you are at our booth, who is? It can’t be Gillian. She’s working at the store today. Please don’t tell me you left our merchandise and the cashbox unattended.”

“Do I look that irresponsible?” Andrew threw me an injured look. “I spotted Theo at the fairground today, so I asked him to watch the booth while I came here.”

“Theo? Theo’s a baker. He doesn’t know anything about sales.” I didn’t need to add that Theo suffered from crippling shyness. Andrew knew my Berry Basket baker grew anxious and uncomfortable when surrounded by too many people.

“Theo will be fine,” Andrew replied. “You baby him too much.”

Ryan crouched down beside me. “Concentrate, Marlee. The contest is about to start.”

“He’s right.” Andrew massaged my shoulders, as if I were a boxer about to go into the ring. “Keep your head down. Focus. And eat like a pig.”

Taking a deep breath, I readied myself. Except I couldn’t get rid of the image of a panic-stricken Theo left alone at the store’s booth. Now I had another reason to gobble up that pie. As soon as I did, Andrew could be sent to relieve my skittish baker.

The blare of the air horn made me jump. As shouts rose up from the crowd, I looked at the blueberry pie before me. I’d taken part in pie-eating contests at summer camp and knew exactly what to do. Clamping the side of the aluminum pie plate with my teeth, I flipped the contents of the pie onto the table. It spread before me in a gooey blue mass. Like a human vacuum cleaner, I started to slurp up the blueberry filling.

The sticky filling coated my face and lashes; some got into my eyes, but I continued to eat, running my tongue along the tablecloth to scarf up as much as possible. Turning my attention to the crust next, I reminded myself to chew the pieces a few times before swallowing. The woman next to me hadn’t and began to choke, just as Ryan’s brother had.

With Ryan and Andrew cheering me on, I quickly devoured what was left of the pie. Smeared with blueberries, I raised my head and sat back. The crowd hooted and yelled. The judges who stood at the end of the table signaled to Piper, who once again blared the air horn.

“We have a winner!” Piper yelled into the microphone. “Marlee Jacob, owner of The Berry Basket, is this year’s women’s champion of the Blueberry Pie–Eating Contest!”

Relief washed over me, accompanied by a wave of nausea. I hoped I wasn’t about to be sick. Andrew clapped me on the back, which didn’t help.

“Fantastic!” Ryan grabbed my face and gave me a jubilant kiss. When he pulled away, I giggled to see his own face now smeared with blueberry filling. “You’re the best, Marlee. The best! No one else came even close.”

When I glanced over at the pillaged pies on the table, I saw he was right. I could have eaten much slower and still won. At least, everyone had a good time. My fellow contestants, covered in varying amounts of blueberry pie, laughingly extended their congratulations to me. Except for Sloane Gale. As soon as I had been declared the winner, Sloane ripped off her plastic poncho. A stony-faced Porter shook his head. I didn’t know why they seemed upset. Sloane’s pie looked like she had taken all of three bites out of it. More like nibbles, actually.

While I wiped my face clean with a wet towel, Sloane got to her feet. Tossing her shower cap to the ground, she marched off into the crowd.

“It’s not over, Zellar,” Porter snapped at Ryan.

“You got that right. In an hour, we’ll be humiliating Blueberry Hill in the tug-of-war.” Ryan gave a playful tug to my ponytail. “And my victorious girlfriend is going to help beat the crap out of the Gales one more time.”

I stopped cleaning my face. “Wait a second. I’m in the tug-of-war, too?”

Porter shot Ryan a disgusted look. “How pathetic. Leave it to a Zellar to expect his girlfriend to do all the work for him. You’re a loser, Ryan. Always have been. Always will be.” He turned his attention to me. “I’ve heard you’re a smart woman, Marlee. If so, you should know better than to marry someone like him. Get out while you can.”

“You’re the one who’s pathetic!” Ryan shouted at Porter as he left to join his wife. “Can’t even handle losing one little contest.”

I looked up at Ryan. “You never said I was supposed to be part of the tug-of-war.”

Ryan reacted as if I had spoken gibberish. “Of course I expect you to take part. All my sisters-in-law have begged off. Emily can’t this year because she’s pregnant. Adam would deck me for even suggesting she take part. Amanda has no upper body strength, so she’d be as little help to us as her husband was at the pie-eating contest. Barry’s wife sprained her ankle in the tug-of-war last year. Now Melissa flat out refuses to do it again. And Jim told me that Beth has cramps today, which is the worst excuse ever. But it doesn’t matter. You’re in much better shape than they are. You’re strong, too. I’ve seen you carry around heavy crates of berries. You’ll be fine. Only I wish you’d worn jeans instead of those shorts. Your legs might get scraped pretty bad.”

My mouth fell open.

“I’m with Porter on this.” Andrew put his hand on my shoulder. “Let Marlee sit out the next contest. She won’t have time to digest all that pie before then.”

Ryan laughed. “You’re both overreacting. If we pull hard enough, the contest will be over in seconds. No time for her to get sick. And what if she does? It will be worth it if Marlee helps us beat Blueberry Hill.”

Another wave of queasiness swept over me. This time I wasn’t certain if it was the blueberry pie I had wolfed down—or the suspicion that Ryan cared more about his feud with Porter Gale than he did about me.

Gluttony has its rewards and drawbacks. The fifty-dollar check counted as a reward, as did the fervent gratitude of the Zellar family. The entire Zellar clan had to be prevented from hoisting me on their shoulders and parading me about the fairground in a victory lap. The drawbacks included too many photos of me slathered in pie. A local news station from Grand Rapids had filmed the event, which would allow the rest of west Michigan to witness my victory on the six-o’clock news. The worst drawback: a nasty stomachache to accompany my blue ribbon. I swore to never let Ryan sign me up for another pie-eating contest.

I felt relieved when Ryan and his family left to check out things at the Zellar Orchards tent set up at the fair. I also ordered both Cabot brothers back to work at our vendor booth. And I managed to escape after only a five-minute conversation with Piper, most of it filled with her complaints about the disorganized behavior of the Blueberry Blow Out volunteers.

That left only Tess, who waited until everyone was gone before coming over to give me a friendly hug. “Congratulations,” she said. “You and Porter Gale have proven yourselves to be Oriole Point’s most eximious pie eaters.”

“I don’t know if I’d call our achievement either distinguished or excellent. But I’d describe my current state as crapulent.” Tess Nakamura and I became best friends back in fifth grade when we tied for first place in the regional spelling bee. Since then, we’d kept our spelling skills in shape by using the occasional uncommon word.

Tess pulled a bottle of Tums from her purse. “I figured you might be feeling sick.”

“You’re a lifesaver. Now I need to get out of the sun. Otherwise I may faint or throw up. Possibly both.”

Tess looked around for a shady spot. “Follow me.”

A few minutes later we sat down at an umbrella table near the kiddie pony rides.

“All right, what’s going on? You don’t look happy. And I’m betting it’s not just from gorging on pie.” Tess waited while I chewed three fruit-flavored Tums.

“It’s Ryan,” I said finally. “He entered me in the pie-eating contest without asking me. And that was okay. After all, I do love to eat, especially anything with blueberries. But now I learn he signed me up for the tug-of-war, too. A contest scheduled to take place in less than thirty minutes. My stomach will not be ready.”

“That was presumptuous of him. And rude.”

“It’s not just him signing me up for contests. Ryan won’t stop pressuring me to put my family’s lake house up for sale. He’s determined to have us live at the Zellar Orchards. And he wants to break ground on a house there before the end of the month. I’m afraid he’ll build the house no matter how much I protest.”

I held up my ponytail to allow what little breeze there was to reach the back of my neck. The lakeshore felt like a rain forest today. Not for the first time I envied Tess her short, asymmetrical haircut. “And last week, I discovered the ceiling fan on my back porch had vanished. Without a word to me, Ryan hauled it off to the county dump.”

“What!”

“Ryan hates fans. He always complains about them. But it was my fan and he removed it from my house.” Although Ryan spent a lot of nights at my lakeside home, we maintained separate residences. I resented him treating my possessions as if they already belonged to him.

“He needs to stop making decisions for you. It’s disrespectful.” She frowned. Tess in a disapproving mood brought to mind a fierce female samurai. “If this is any indication of what your life with Ryan will be like, maybe you should reconsider your decisi. . .