Blueberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Ann S. Marie Page B

you can let yourself out. Leave the invoice on the kitchen island with the rest of invoices. The head cook will take a look at them and give them to the house mistress.”
    “The house mistress?” Dana hadn’t realized how formal and structural running a mansion for a mega billionaire was. Well, now she knew.
    “Yes, the house mistress.”
    “No problem.” Dana began placing her cakes down. The boxes were all closed so she wasn’t worried about “spreading any viruses” or germs on anything. Not that she had any cold or flu. She made it a point to never show up at work if she had anything spreadable. It would just be a careless and inconsiderate thing to do, unless she had absolutely no choice, of course.
    Mind you, Dana was mostly the management brain of the café since her late grandmother, Grandma Rae or Ma Rae as the town’s folk would call her, passed away unexpectedly. Dana had driven to the small coastal town of Berry Cove in Ontario to settle in, leaving the city of New York behind her, across the border. That was all good and fine, of course. Since her ex-fiancé had jilted her for her best friend and taken her money in the process. Well, he owed her money that she’d given him when she borrowed off her mortgage. But right now, she was switching her focus from romance to business.
    She’d used up the last of her savings to help save her nana’s café from bankruptcy and changed the name and style, while adding her nana’s warm touch to the café and after a grand re-opening, the Cozy Cupcakes Café was now on its way to a new change.
    One of the changes includes catering to the community. Last month they’d done Bea’s Salon and Nail Spa in downtown Berry Cove. And then the mayor had a party that required their pastries. And now the Berry Cove Gazette received Cozy Cupcakes catering for their weekly staff meetings.
    Dana felt a lump climb in her throat. That one was awful because the critic who’d slammed the café’s re-opening turned up dead with a cupcake in his mouth.
    Yeah, and she’d been questioned about it. Though she wasn’t a formal suspect.
    Okay, positive thoughts, Dana. That was in the past. Focus on the present. The present is a gift to be opened, enjoyed and cherished.  She recited one of the Cozy Cupcakes Saying of the Day, which often came with their treats. Something new Dana had thought of. Incorporating her nana’s wise sayings and using her former skills as a copywriter when she worked for a New York ad agency.
    “By the way, is Mr. Renaldo here?”
    “Well, of course he is. Somewhere. Can’t seem to find him. Just set those cakes down here. I’ll figure out what to do with them later. Make sure you let security know when you leave.”
    “Sure will.”
    The woman turned around to leave and left Dana alone, disillusioned.
    Dana sighed deeply. She was glad she was only delivering there and didn’t live there. It was true, a house did not make a home. She certainly didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy and invited there.
    She didn’t want the frosting to melt so she wandered around looking for the fridge. She was just told that they had more than one fridge. The kitchen had another adjacent area and she wondered over there with the tray of cupcakes.
    Before she could get further, she tripped and fell smack hard on the ground. The cupcakes went splat right into her face. She had whipped cream and tasty fruity-filled cupcakes on her face. Great!
    She was toast.
    She was done for.
    What the heck was in her way?
    She got up, rubbing her aching shin and took a better look.
    When she stood up and brushed herself off, she tried to wipe the frosting off her face along with the embarrassment she felt but it didn’t work quite well. She needed a mirror. She turned her gaze south to look down to see what she had tripped over.
    What she saw was a long pair of black dress pants and shoes sticking out from beside the gigantic stainless steel fridge.
    Oh, no.
    Dana felt her stomach turn