Last Licks

Book 3: Lickety Splits Mystery

by Cynthia Baxter

Genres: Culinary Cozy Mysteries; Cozy Mystery

Synopsis

It's autumn in the Hudson Valley, and Kate McKay has some tricks up her sleeve for a deliciously spooky season at her Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe. But with a cold-blooded murderer thrown into the mix, the scares are about to become a little too real....

Kate receives the shock of a lifetime when she's blindsided by an offer she can't refuse. An assistant movie director desperately wants to shoot a key scene at Lickety Splits and she's willing to pay big bucks to sweeten the last-minute deal. All Kate has to do is tolerate a bustling film crew for a few hours and provide one important prop — a scoop of handmade ice cream....

But when up-and-coming actress Savannah Crane drops dead after spooning down some chocolate almond fudge, Kate's first taste of Hollywood might be her last. Someone poisoned the leading lady, and with Lickety Splits draped in yellow crime scene tape, detectives are ready to cast Kate as the leading suspect....

Determined to clear her name, Kate finds herself churning through a long list of unsavory characters to catch the real killer lurking around town. As she uncovers the truth about the jealous rivals and obsessive stalkers who haunted Savannah's life, Kate soon realizes that tangling with the late starlet's "fans" could make this her most terrifying fall yet....

Includes mouthwatering ice cream recipes from the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe!

Release date: August 25, 2020

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 304

Sample

“How does this sound? Green ice cream—pistachio would be perfect—that’s mixed with chocolate chips, nuts, crushed chocolate cookies, and—here’s the best part—tiny eyeballs made of sugar!”

“It sounds amazing,” I told my eighteen-year-old niece Emma, whose big brown eyes were lit up with excitement. “And I bet you have a great name for it.”

“I do!” she replied gleefully. “Monster Mash!”

“I love it,” I told her. “I’m adding it to the list. Of course, we’d have to find someone who actually makes sugar eyeballs.”

Halloween was less than three weeks away, and Emma and I were sitting at one of the round marble tables at my ice cream store, the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe, trying to come up with fun flavors that had a spooky theme. We had just finished our usual breakfast of Cappuccino Crunch ice cream, which I consider a perfectly respectable substitute for a more normal breakfast since it contains coffee, cream, and protein-rich nuts.

But so far, our enthusiasm had greatly outweighed our productivity. In fact, Monster Mash was only the second flavor I’d written on the list. The other was Smashed Pumpkins, which was pumpkin ice cream with pecans and pralines—both smashed into little pieces, of course.

Yet while we were still at the brainstorming stage for creative new flavors, thanks to my artistic niece, my shop already looked like Halloween Central. I had given her free reign with decorating, and the results had astounded me. Just looking around was enough to put me in a Halloween mood.

Emma had begun by hanging fake spiderwebs all around the shop. She’d made them by draping strips of gauzy fabric from the shiny tin ceiling and along the exposed brick wall. She had even put them on the huge, cartoon-like paintings of ice cream treats that my best friend, Willow, had painted for the shop. One was a picture of a huge ice cream cone, one was a banana split, and the third was an ice cream sandwich. The webs were anything but eerie, especially because of the furry stuffed spiders she had added here and there. In fact, the huge smiles she’d embroidered on their faces made them look positively cute.

Intertwined in the spiderwebs were strings of tiny orange lights. They nicely complemented the string of orange jack-o’-lantern lights that Emma had hung across the front display window that overlooked Hudson Street, Wolfert’s Roost’s main thoroughfare. To me, those grinning pumpkins captured all the fun of what had always been one of my favorite holidays. A second string of jack-o’-lantern lights festooned the glass display case that contained the giant tubs of ice cream.

But the best part of Lickety Splits’ Halloween décor were the life-size creatures my clever niece had made out of papier-mâché, paint, fabric, and glue. At the moment, Count Dracula was sitting at the table behind me, his mitten-like hand holding a plastic spoon. In front of him was a ceramic coffin the size of a dinner plate piled high with fake ice cream made from balls of fabric. Emma had done an incredible job of replicating one of Lickety Splits’ signature dishes, the Bananafana Split. And customers were more than welcome to share the Count’s table while they ate their own ice cream.

Emma had also constructed a life-size witch, complete with a tall, pointed hat and a long, crooked nose. She stood at the front door, greeting customers. Well, scowling at them, actually. But when you’re dealing with Halloween clichés, mean-looking witches are so much more effective than friendly ones.

Outside the shop, on the pink-and-lime-green bench I’d placed underneath the display window, sat Frankenstein. His face and hands were made from nubby green burlap. He even had bolts in his neck. He was grinning at the ice cream cone he held, which was piled high with three humongous scoops. Definitely a monster-size portion by anyone’s standards.

To make these creatures, Emma had enlisted Grams’s help. Night after night, my niece and my grandmother had sat up at the dining room table long after I’d gone to bed, bent over their sewing like pioneer women. But instead of quilts or gingham prairie dresses, they were creating these wonderful, lovable monsters.

True, I’d had to say no to Emma’s idea about dripping fake blood over Count Dracula’s banana split. After all, I was in the business of selling ice cream, not freaking out potential customers. But I’d said yes to the fuzzy black-felt bats she had wanted to sew onto his shoulders. The way I saw it, you could never have too many vampire touches.

I was astounded that Emma had found the time to work on such an ambitious project. A few weeks earlier, she had begun taking two classes at the local community college. One was Life Drawing, meant to feed her outstanding artistic talents. The other was some computer thing I never did understand. All this was in addition to working part-time at my ice cream shop. Since I hadn’t been eighteen myself for a decade and a half, I didn’t know if all young women her age had that much energy or if she just happened to be exceptional.

“How about ice cream concoctions that are based on popular costumes?” Emma suggested. “Like . . .” Her eyes traveled around the shop, taking in the characters she had created. “Like pirates and clowns and maybe even ghosts.

“We could make clowns whose heads are a scoop of ice cream and faces are made from pieces of candy,” she went on. “And ice cream cone hats! We can put frosting on the cones and then stick on colored sprinkles—”

“Or pearls,” I interjected. “We could decorate the hats with pearls. The candy variety, not the jewelry kind.”

“What on earth are pearls?” Emma demanded.

“They’re tiny round balls made of sugar,” I explained. “They’re also called dragées. They come in all colors, but my personal favorite is the shiny silver variety.”

“Like miniature disco balls?” Emma asked, blinking.

I laughed. “Exactly,” I said, adding ice cream clowns to the list. “How about ghost ice cream cones? A scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cone that’s been dipped in white chocolate.”

“And witches!” Emma cried. “Ice cream cones make perfect witches’ hats! We can cover them with something smooth and black—fondant would work great. And we can make little brims . . .”

“Wonderful,” I said, scribbling away.

“But we still need more Halloween-inspired flavors,” Emma said, frowning. And then her face lit up. “How about Creepy Crawlers? We could start with chocolate, since it’s brown like dirt, and mix in gummy centipedes and spiders.” Excitedly, she added, “We could put in powdered cocoa, too, so it really looks like dirt. And maybe there’s something we could use for pebbles . . .”

I grimaced. “I’ll have to think about that one. It sounds fun, but I’m not sure anyone would actually want to eat it.”

“I bet it’d be a real hit with ten-year-old boys,” my niece countered.

“True,” I replied. “Probably with forty-year-old boys, too.”

I was in the midst of making notes about the Creepy Crawler flavor when the door to my shop opened. I glanced up, surprised to see a young woman striding inside confidently. Even though I’d unlocked the door when I’d come in that morning, the CLOSED sign was still hanging on it.

Yet even as the woman glanced around and saw that Emma and I were the only ones in the shop and that neither of us was standing behind the counter selling ice cream, she looked perfectly at ease as she surveyed my store.

She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties and was dressed in fashionable-looking jeans, a baggy, oatmeal-colored sweater, and brown-suede ankle boots. Her thick, flyaway red hair was pulled back into a messy bun, with lots of loose ends falling around her face and neck.

“I’m sorry, but we’re not open yet,” I told her.

“So I see,” she said, still looking around. Her tone crisp and businesslike, she asked, “How big is this space?”

“About nine hundred square feet,” I told her. “That includes the work area in back.”

“Are you the manager here?” she asked.

My stomach suddenly tightened. I wondered if she was an inspector of some kind. I instantly felt guilty, even though I was pretty confident that I had nothing to feel guilty about.

“Yes,” I replied, growing increasingly wary. “I’m also the owner. My name is Kate McKay.”

“And I’m Chelsea Atkins,” she said.

I glanced over at Emma, who looked as if she was just as puzzled as I was. “Is there something I can help you with?” I asked.

“I hope so,” she said. “I’m the assistant director on a movie that’s being filmed here in the Hudson Valley. Which means that my job is basically to make sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.”

Once again, I looked over at Emma. Her expression had changed completely. Her eyes had grown wide, and her cheeks were now the color of my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ice cream.

“A film? You mean like a big Hollywood movie?” she half-whispered.

“That’s right,” Chelsea said, her tone still brusque. “It’s being made by a production company called Palm Frond Productions. It’s based in Los Angeles, which is also where I live.”

“Who’s in it?” my star-struck niece asked.

“No one you’re likely to have heard of,” Chelsea replied. “At least, not yet. But this movie, The Best Ten Days of My Life, is going to make its star famous. Savannah Crane is destined to be the next big thing. Some people are even saying that she’s about to become the new Jennifer Jordan.”

Thoughtfully, she added, “Ironically, Jennifer Jordan tried out for this role. She really, really wanted it, too.” She shrugged. “But that’s Hollywood.”

“I love Jennifer Jordan!” Emma cried. She reached into the purple backpack lying on the floor beside her and pulled out a tattered magazine. “Look! She’s on the cover of this week’s issue of People! I even follow her on Twitter and Instagram!”

I glanced at the actress pictured on the cover of the magazine. Jennifer Jordan was beautiful, with long, straight, jet-black hair and huge eyes the color of dark chocolate. Her cheekbones were so sharp that they practically stuck out of the page. I vaguely remembered seeing her in a movie, but I couldn’t remember which one.

“But I’ve got a problem,” Chelsea went on, “and I wondered if you might be able to help.”

“We can help!” Emma cried. She began fluffing her mane of wildly curly dark hair, not quite as black as Jennifer Jordan’s but much more distinctive because of the blue streaks running through it. You’d have thought she was auditioning for a role in this movie herself.

I was much more cautious. “What exactly is the problem?” I asked.

“Tomorrow morning, we were scheduled to shoot a key scene at a diner that’s a few miles from here, over in Woodstock,” Chelsea explained. “But the owner called me late last night and said there’d been a small fire in the kitchen. The fire department has closed the restaurant, and no one is allowed on the premises until it’s finished its investigation. So we suddenly find ourselves with no place to film the scene.”

I could see where this was going. “But this isn’t a diner,” I said, pointing out the obvious.

“No, but the diner part isn’t important,” Chelsea said. “What we need is an eatery of some kind. A place that has some charm. Some style. And it just so happens that the main character, the role of Suzi Hamilton that Savannah Crane is playing, is eating ice cream in this scene. That’s why I went online to look for ice cream shops in the Hudson Valley and found yours.”

“I see,” I said.

So did Emma. She looked as if she was about to burst.

“You want to film a scene for a big Hollywood movie here?” she cried. “At Lickety Splits?”

“It would sure be a quick fix for a disaster we didn’t see coming,” Chelsea said. “Normally, the location scout on a project like this spends a long time finding the spots where each scene will be filmed. But we don’t have much time. Basically, we’re stuck. And, well, you can help.” She looked at me expectantly.

“What would I have to do?” I asked uneasily.

“Basically nothing,” Chelsea said. “That is, aside from closing your shop for whatever length of time we need to finish filming. Probably just a few hours, starting first thing tomorrow morning. Another thing is that the crew would have to come in beforehand to set up. Ideally, we’d show up late tonight, ideally around nine o’clock.”

“But what about all these wonderful Halloween decorations my niece put up?” I asked, still doubtful.

“I promise you that by the time we leave, this place will look exactly the way it does now,” Chelsea assured me. “The first thing we’ll do is take plenty of photos. Once we’re finished, we’ll put everything back.”

Glancing around, she added, “And if there’s any damage, which hardly ever happens, we’ll fix it. I can guarantee that at the end of the shoot you won’t even know we were here.”

I thought for a few seconds, then thought of something else. “What exactly happens in the scene?” I had visions of chaotic shoot-outs, ceilings caving in, and bad guys being pushed through windows.

“The scene opens with Savannah Crane’s character sitting at a table by herself, eating ice cream,” Chelsea explained. “Her boyfriend comes in and sits down. They have an argument, and then he gets up and leaves. End of scene.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“That’s it,” she said.

Do it! Emma was mouthing, practically jumping out of her chair.

“Would it be okay if I was here during the shoot?” I asked, trying to sound casual. “With a few members of my staff, of course,” I added, nodding toward Emma. “I’d feel much more comfortable if we could stick around to keep an eye on things.”

“As long as you understand that you have to stay out of the way,” Chelsea replied. “And that you have to remain absolutely silent while we’re filming.”

I was about to say yes when she reached into her bag and pulled out some papers.

“Here’s a contract that outlines the terms,” she said as she handed it to me.

I read through it quickly and found that it pretty much spelled out everything she’d just said. There was a bit of legal mumbo jumbo, too, wording I couldn’t come close to understanding.

I should have Jake take a look at it, I thought. He is a lawyer, after all. And I want to be perfectly certain that—

And then I caught sight of a number at the bottom. With a dollar sign next to it.

“What’s this number?” I asked, blinking. “This dollar amount?”

“That’s what we’ll pay you for the shoot,” Chelsea explained patiently. “It’s our normal fee. I’m afraid it’s non-negotiable, but it is pretty standard.”

I literally had to stop myself from letting my jaw drop. I was that flabbergasted.

It was a very large number.

“I’m sure all this is fine,” I finally managed to say, “but I’ll have to run it by my lawyer.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Emma’s face fall. She started making histrionic gestures that were so distracting that I turned away.

“But that shouldn’t take long,” I added. “He can probably look at it this morning.”

Chelsea nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. As I said, this is our standard contract, and we’re offering the usual amount. How about if somebody stops by to pick up the contract later today?”

“That’s fine,” I said, still reeling. “I’ll let you know when it’s signed.”

“So we’re set,” Chelsea said.

“I guess so,” I replied, feeling a bit dazed. Emma was pumping her fist in the air in victory.

“Great. Here’s my contact info,” Chelsea said, handing me a business card. I, in turn, grabbed one of the flyers I keep on the display counter, jotted down my cell phone number, and gave it to her. In addition to the shop’s phone number and address, the flyer lists Lickety Splits’ hours and a few of our most popular flavors. Emma designed it, of course. After all, she’s my marketing department and my art department as well as my best employee.

“I’m so glad this is working out,” Chelsea said, reaching over and shaking my hand. “And don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any more questions.”

“I do have one more,” I said. “Will anyone actually be eating any ice cream during the shoot? I just want to know what to have on hand.”

“We will need ice cream,” she replied. “We could supply it ourselves, but given how fast all this is happening, it would be great if you could do it.”

“I’d be happy to,” I told her. “I also have dishes and spoons, of course.”

“Perfect,” Chelsea said. “Sometimes the props people make a big deal about what they want to use, but the prop master on this shoot is pretty mellow.”

As soon as she left, Emma exploded.

“O-M-G, this is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in this town!” she shrieked. “A real Hollywood movie, being filmed here—right in your shop!”

“It is pretty cool,” I admitted. I was already busy with my phone, texting Jake about the movie shoot and asking him to stop by to look at the contract as soon as it was convenient. “I just hope that—”

“A Hollywood director! Real cameras! Movie stars!” Emma cried, waving her arms in the air excitedly.

“The actress playing the lead role isn’t exactly a star,” I pointed out. “At least not yet. And—”

“Just think, Kate, you can hang framed photos of the actors and the director on the wall!” she continued. “Autographed!”

“Emma, that’s a nice idea, but—”

I was about to tell her about my lingering concerns. One was the possibility of things getting broken and never really fixed correctly, no matter how well intentioned the film crew was. Another was disappointing my regular customers when they showed up to buy ice cream and found that my shop was closed.

But before I had a chance, the door opened once again.

Emma snapped her head around. I got the feeling she was expecting a famous movie star to walk in. Instead, Grams was coming into the shop.

When I was five years old, my father died. Soon afterward, my mother, my two older sisters, and I moved to the Hudson Valley to live with my grandmother. Then, when I was ten, my mom died. Grams became our mother then.

In fact, Grams was the reason I was living back in my hometown. She had fallen on the stairs back in March, seven months earlier. It immediately became clear that now that she was getting older, she needed help running the house. So I came up with the obvious solution: I left my job working for a public relations firm in New York and moved back to Wolfert’s Roost.

My grandmother wasn’t alone. There was a man with her. A tall, attractive man who appeared to be about her age.

Which I found at least as interesting as a movie star walking into Lickety Splits.

As usual, Grams was dressed comfortably. But over the last several weeks, as she’d gotten more and more involved with volunteer activities at the local senior center, she’d started wearing spiffier outfits. Today, for example, along with her beige pants and the black blazer she wore over a cream-colored blouse, she had draped a mint-green silk scarf around her neck. She had recently gotten a haircut at Lotsa Locks, the hair salon a few doors down from Lickety Splits. As a result, her gray, blunt-cut pageboy was doing an exceptional job of falling into place.

But there was something else I noticed. Today, she looked prettier than usual. More animated. Her eyes were bright, and her face seemed to be glowing, an effect that had nothing to do with makeup. I had a hunch that the good-looking man she was with was the reason.

He, too, was nicely dressed, wearing crisply-ironed khaki pants, a black knit golf shirt, and shiny black loafers. His silver hair was almost the same color as Grams’s, and his eyes were a distinctive shade of hazel.

I had to admit that they made a cute couple.

“Hi, Grams!” I greeted her. “This is a nice surprise. What brings you into town this morning?”

“I have someone I’d like you both to meet,” she replied, smiling. “A new friend I made at the senior center. Emma, Kate, this is George Vernon. George, this is my great-granddaughter, Emma, who’s an amazingly talented artist as well as a computer genius. And this is my favorite granddaughter—although I guess I shouldn’t admit that. An. . .