 
## Killer Cupcakes

Celebrity Cupcakes Cozy Mystery #1

By Milda Harris

Copyright 2015 by Milda Harris

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Killer Cupcakes (#1)

Murderous Muffins (#2)

Death by Chocolate (#3)

Adventures in Funeral Crashing (#1)

Adventures of a Graveyard Girl (#2)

Adventures in Murder Chasing (#3)

Adventures of a New Year's Kiss (#3.5)

Adventures in Homicide and Heartbreak (#4)

Adventures in French Sleuthing (#5)

The New Girl Who Found A Dead Body

Doppelganger (#1)

Doppelganger 2: On the Run (#2)

Connected (A Paranormal Romance)

Crashing Prom

Cover Art by Brett Gilbert

http://www.brettgilbert.com

Edited by Rachel Joyce

<http://brightsideeditorial.com/>

Story Editor: Lauren Cramer

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Epilogue

Ava's Cupcake Recipe

Excerpt - Murderous Muffins

Excerpt - Adventures in Funeral Crashing

About the Author

## Chapter One

I was on Hollywood Boulevard standing on the red carpet. Paparazzi camera flashbulbs were going off. Fans were screaming. I was sure this is what it was like to be famous. Too bad I wasn't dressed in an evening gown, my hair and makeup done to perfection, with a hot male actor on my arm about to head into a movie premiere.

Instead, I was wearing an apron emblazoned with the words Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee. It was very unglamorous actually. Truthfully, I just wanted to blend into the fancy red carpet. I couldn't wait for it all to be over so that I could go back to my normal, everyday life. I just had to get through this spectacle first. It's for work, I kept reminding myself. I can do this. After all, I only needed to stand there and smile with the rest of the employees. I could do that. I hoped.

The only thing keeping my mind off of being on display was that there was a really cute guy standing next to me that was totally crush-worthy. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Tall, dark, and handsome was a pretty good description of him. To that I'd add that he did have one imperfection. There was a small scar on his right eyebrow. It didn't detract from his face at all, though. It only made him seem sexier somehow, like he'd had a little danger in his life and you had to get to know him to find out about it.

It was my first day of work and it had been insanely busy since I'd arrived, so I'd only caught his name by way of his name-tag. It wasn't like I would have asked him. I was way too shy around cute guys to do that. Heck, I was quiet most of the time unless I knew people. Still, being quiet meant that I was great at observing, and finding out his name was the first thing I did.

His name was Easton. It sounded like an actor's name. Then again, maybe he was a writer like me. It was Hollywood so the odds were that he too wanted to be involved in the business someday. Suddenly his green eyes met mine.

I glanced away, feeling my cheeks burn pink. I hoped it just looked like I was getting too much sun. It was out in full force this afternoon. Had he looked away from me yet? Half of me hoped so because I felt embarrassed for getting caught checking him out. The other half of me sort of wondered if Easton had taken a moment to check out my name tag when he'd looked at me. Ava. My name is Ava, I thought at him. I knew my cheeks were flaming red now. I wished I didn't get so shy around hot guys. It threw a major wrench in my dating life.

"Are you okay?" The girl on the other side of me whispered. Her name-tag said Charlotte.

"Oh. Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks," I said automatically and focused my attention on her.

Charlotte had red, curly hair and looked like a hot mess. I'd seen her around the shop as we were setting up for the grand opening. Even from that brief observation, I could tell that she was outspoken, saying whatever popped into her head. I think she had pissed off half of the employees with her bluntness. She was pretty much my exact opposite. I usually thought through most of what I said very, very carefully.

Charlotte broke into my thoughts, "Okay, good because you just turned this weird shade of red."

I think my skin about turned purple this time. I wanted to shush her, but then I really might draw Easton's attention. Maybe it was better not to say anything. Who knew what she might reply back with if I kept the conversation going.

I looked away from Charlotte and focused back on the proceedings. My new boss, Nina Bell, was about to cut the ribbon, officially opening her Hollywood Boulevard bakery, Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee. That meant the grand opening was almost over and I could not only get away from Charlotte, but I'd also soon be out of an all too real spotlight.

I looked out at the sea of people staring at us and felt a little bit nauseated. I knew it was good for business that they were all there. Nina was probably thrilled. This was a huge draw for a mere cupcake shop grand opening. Her marketing plan was off to a huge success.

I actually thought Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee would get tons of foot traffic from tourists even without Nina's publicity stunt. It should make bank automatically. It was in the perfect spot, appropriately located right off of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Everyone who visited Hollywood came to see not only the Walk of Fame stars, but Mann's Chinese Theater and the movie stars' footprints and handprints in front of it. They also came to take bus tours of the stars homes, and do a variety of other things that appealed to those curious about fame, celebrity, and Hollywood. Tourists abounded every day of the week at all hours of the day and night.

Regardless, Nina had come up with a great opening day marketing plan to get the word out that her bakery was open and awesome. Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee was having an official opening ceremony with a red carpet leading into the store. Easton, Charlotte, most of the other employees, and I, stood on it behind Nina, wearing our aprons proudly. Okay, I wasn't exactly proud. Instead, I was still mostly counting the seconds until it was over and I could go back inside the store.

Nina stood poised to cut the ribbon. Cameras flashed and it was a picture perfect moment, but none of us were why the paparazzi and throngs of fans had gathered around us. The opening of a bakery was boring to all of those Hollywood types. They usually only came out for movie premieres. The draw for our bakery was actually the person that stood next to my boss. Her name was Penelope Rose. She was the main attraction. Penelope was a real life, super famous television and movie star. Tons of people had flocked to see her even if it was only for a bakery opening.

I wasn't a fan of Penelope Rose, but like everyone else I knew her name. Penelope was the star of a mystery procedural show called Whodunit. It was in its second season and she was the breakout star of the year. Suddenly she was everywhere. She had two movies coming out. She was always on talk shows. Everyone was gossiping about her.

I wondered how Nina had convinced Penelope to show up for the opening of her bakery. Maybe she knew her. They were both in their late twenties. Then again maybe it was just a stroke of luck, but however it happened, it was pure genius. Everyone in Hollywood was going to know we were open for business. I wouldn't be surprised if today's sales wiped out all of the bakery items in the store. In fact, the word of mouth from Penelope's appearance alone might last us for the next couple of weeks and make Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee the hottest bakery in LA.

After that it was up to the cupcakes. Still, I'd tried Nina's cupcakes. They were so delicious that pretty soon Penelope Rose would be a faint memory and Nina's cupcakes would be all anyone could think about. To top everything off, there were tons of free samples waiting once we actually opened the store. Even if the fans weren't planning on buying, the teasing taste of Nina's cupcakes might lure them into a purchase. They were seriously that good. Nina was a really talented baker. Even if I didn't have my goals set on working in a bakery forever, I hoped I learned a few things while I worked at Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee.

"She's really cool isn't she?" Charlotte whispered in my ear as she gazed at Penelope Rose.

I nodded. At least we were now officially off of the topic of my changing skin color, and getting farther and farther away from Charlotte noticing my crush on Easton and potentially mentioning it. Besides, everyone was whispering about Penelope. It was a totally safe topic.

In fact, the burly guy on the other side of Charlotte had just told the hipster next to him that Penelope was smoking hot. The hipster ignored the burly guy, seeming like he couldn't care less. He was probably too cool for celebrity crushes. The burly guy didn't notice and instead started in on listing Penelope's fine appendages. Her eyes, her lips, her boobs... I tuned out thinking that the burly guy might want to watch what he said since he was at work.

Besides, I was a little distracted because the girl behind me had started totally freaking out about Penelope being there, right there in front of us, only a stone's throw away from where we were standing. It was escalating as the event got into full swing, like she was feeding on the energy of everyone else. If I didn't know better, I'd say that she had only taken the job at Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee to meet Penelope. Then again, it wasn't like Nina had advertised that Penelope would be at the grand opening. She had only told us just before Penelope's manager showed up. I think it was probably an attempt to avoid the freaking out that the girl behind me was doing anyway.

Charlotte continued talking up a storm. I sort of wished she'd be quiet because a couple of people were starting to look at us. Still, I had to admit that Penelope Rose was a way safer topic than Charlotte trying to discuss Easton's good looks with me while he was standing next to us. I just kept nodding in the right places.

Charlotte took that as her having my full attention and gabbed on, "And I heard she's dating Chance Fox. You know the guy from those alien action movies who has the amazing abs? I'm totally jealous. They are like the perfect hot couple. It's like they were meant to date. Still. Why couldn't Chance have met me first? He's not that much older than me so it totally could have happened. You know?"

Then Charlotte switched topics and started talking about her huge crush on Chance Fox, totally forgetting that we'd been talking about Penelope Rose and not her man-hunk. Her words. I just stared at Penelope, only half listening to Charlotte now. I was surprised to see that Penelope was just as beautiful and cool as she seemed on her TV show.

Reacting to the fame seemed effortless for her. I wished I could act as cool and collected as her with so many people watching me. Maybe some people really were born for fame. She was already a pro at being a celebrity even if she was only a recent one.

Maybe I was a little biased, though. Right before the proceedings, Penelope had taken a moment to say hello to any of us that cared to meet her. It was more than most celebs would probably do. It definitely left an impression on me. Yeah, okay, I'll admit I was second in line to meet her. It was by chance. I swear. Although, I guess I also thought it was pretty cool to actually meet a celebrity. Since moving to Hollywood I'd only seen a few from afar.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Penelope said as she walked up to me and shook my hand.

She wasn't that much older than me since I was only twenty-one, but I was still really intimidated. No, I wasn't a superfan like the girl currently hyperventilating behind me, but I was definitely a little dazed. I realized that I had no idea what to say to Penelope. I didn't know her and I suddenly felt really awkward.

I think I just said, "Hi."

At least I hoped I said that and not something totally unintelligible. Yeah, my brain turned to mush a little. I definitely got a little shell shocked by the whole famous thing. That was half the fun of living and working in Hollywood, right?

At least I wasn't totally unaffected like the hipster who'd left to go to the bathroom when Penelope showed up, like he'd have some other chance to meet her sometime. Then there was the guy who verbally bashed her as soon as she walked past him. I really hoped she didn't hear him. She didn't act like she did. Then again, maybe that was another aspect of her coolness: the ability to ignore the people that hated you. Of course, there was also the girl with the pixie cut who pretended to fix her makeup at one of the tables instead of shaking Penelope's hand. She was getting ready for the cameras like the paparazzi outside were showing up for her and not Penelope Rose.

All the while, Penelope's manager was running back and forth between Penelope and the crowd outside. It was lucky that he was young. Somehow, I'd always thought that agents and managers were ancient, like fifty or something. This guy wasn't that old, maybe in his early thirties. He was actually pretty handsome too. Then again, maybe that had something to do with his impeccably tailored suit and meticulously groomed blonde hair. He was definitely a metrosexual.

His running back and forth made me nervous, though. I think he was driving Nina slightly crazy. Penelope took it in stride. Yeah. She was completely cool.

"Ava. Ava. Ava!" Charlotte said way too loudly next to me.

"Huh? What?" I turned to look at Charlotte, bringing myself back to the present.

Charlotte gestured to Easton. I automatically looked. His eyes were on me. Had he actually been trying to get my attention? Seriously? I smiled.

Easton's return grin made my heart melt. "Mind taking this up there?"

For the life of me, I couldn't refuse that smile. It made his eyes light up and it turned the rational side of my brain off. So, I automatically took the elaborately decorated cupcake he held out to me. I felt myself nodding. It was then that my brain kicked in and I realized what I was agreeing to do.

Panic roared through my ears. The hand holding the cupcake started to shake. I couldn't do this. I tried to say no, but Easton's eyes were still on me. I had to do it. I'd look like an idiot in front of him if I didn't.

I turned and scanned the crowd. There were more people than I could count in front of us. I glanced back at Easton. I really couldn't do this.

"You're about to be up," Easton said instead of taking back the cupcake like I hoped he'd do.

"Huh?" I managed to say.

Nina cut the bright red ribbon that we'd tied across the doorway. "And now I officially open Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee!"

The ribbon fell to the ground. Except for me, all of the employees cheered as they'd been told to do. Most of the crowd watched Penelope. This was pretty much my worst nightmare because in about a minute, they'd all be watching me.

Nina continued, "Before we let everyone in, Penelope Rose will take a bite of the first official cupcake to be eaten at Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee."

I knew that was my cue to bring over the cupcake Easton had just handed me. I still couldn't move. My feet felt like lead.

"Go," Easton said as if I didn't already know.

I felt myself start to sweat. Why had Easton handed the cupcake to me? I hadn't volunteered for this job. In fact, the pretty girl with the pixie cut had offered to do it earlier. Had he gotten us confused? I didn't see how since we didn't look alike at all.

My boss Nina turned back to look at us. Her gaze went to Easton and then immediately landed on the cupcake and me. Everyone's eyes were going to follow in a minute. I tried to rationalize what was about to happen. It was part of my job. I knew I could force myself to ignore everyone. I just had to set my mind to it. I didn't have stage fright, after all. I just didn't particularly like being the center of attention.

I took a deep breath. I could do this. I looked at the cupcake in my hands. I didn't usually get giddy about baked goods unless I was eating them myself. Still, even I had to admit that the specially made cupcake for Penelope looked amazingly tasty.

"Ava?" Easton's voice broke into my thoughts.

I looked up from the cupcake. No, I hadn't already forgotten that I was supposed to give it to Penelope Rose. I had just been hoping that something miraculous would happen to change the situation.

I forced myself to take one step and then another. Somehow I walked all the way over to Nina and Penelope. I balanced the cupcake carefully on its dish, trying to mentally tell my hands to stop shaking. It would be beyond embarrassing if I dropped it. I came to a stop between them. Everyone's eyes were really on me now. I could see multiple cameras flashing. I tried not to think about it even though that was all my brain wanted to do. Luckily, it was all sort of surreal so my brain couldn't even really process that all of this was actually happening. Still, I dazedly wondered if I'd make it into a local news story or even into a segment about Penelope Rose on TMZ.

Nina took the cupcake from me and then held it out to Penelope, "I call this the Marilyn Monroe Cupcake. It's a vanilla cupcake with cream cheese frosting, but at the center is a to die for lemon filling inspired by Marilyn's trademark blonde hair."

"My favorite actress and I'm sure this is about to be my favorite cupcake," Penelope smiled at the crowd.

The crowd cheered. Nina handed the cupcake to Penelope. I didn't know if I should stay where I was or go back to my spot between Easton and Charlotte. I hesitated and like everyone else, I found myself drawn to watching Penelope take the first bite of her cupcake. She managed to do it without smudging her lipstick. In fact, it was the sexiest bite of a cupcake I'd ever seen. Marilyn, herself, would have been proud.

Penelope finished chewing the bite she'd just taken and looked out at the crowd, "It's definitely the best cupcake I've ever tasted. You all have to try one."

The crowd roared. Nina beamed. Photographers snapped photos. The opening of Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee couldn't have been planned any better.

Then it all went to hell. Penelope turned pale. Her cupcake fell to the ground with a splat. Fans screamed. Camera shutters clicked in rapid succession. The paparazzi could smell blood and they were all trying to get the photo that would make them a huge payday.

Penelope's knees buckled and she completely collapsed. Luckily, I was behind her. I managed to catch her in my arms before she hit the ground. I wasn't inconspicuous anymore. My picture was going to be plastered on every tabloid and internet site within minutes. The only thing that could possibly make the whole situation worse was that I was also pretty sure that Penelope Rose was dead.

## Chapter Two

I slumped to the ground with Penelope in my arms. Cameras continued to flash, but for once I barely noticed them. I was all too conscious of the dead weight in my arms. I knew I had to do something, but I couldn't think straight.

People ran toward us. I laid Penelope down flat on the ground. I'd taken a CPR class for Girl Scouts as a preteen, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what to do. I needed to take a refresher, although I don't think any kind of a class could ever completely prepare me for a situation like this.

I think I was also in shock. I'd never seen someone drop dead before. I'd only ever been to one funeral, so this was the second dead person I'd ever seen. Yes, I was assuming Penelope was dead, but someone should still try and save her in case I was wrong. Luckily, other people were reacting.

As a blur rushed past me to Penelope's side, someone pulled me away from her body. I looked up to find Easton's arms around my waist. Normally I would have been totally thrilled, but at the moment I was too preoccupied with the mayhem going on around us.

Someone was giving Penelope CPR. I blinked, trying to focus my vision. It was her manager. He'd just been in the way as we were setting up for the grand opening, but now I was glad for his hovering. Maybe he could save her. I hoped he would. I didn't want her to be dead.

"Are you okay?" Easton asked, peering down at me.

He still hadn't removed his hands from my waist. I could actually feel the heat from them through the thin Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee cotton T-shirt I was wearing underneath my apron. I turned away from Penelope to look at him. His green eyes were searching my face. Feeling my cheeks burn pink yet again under his gaze, I moved away from him and he dropped his hands.

"Are you okay?" Easton repeated.

"Yeah. Just shocked, I think," I managed to say.

"Understandable," Easton said.

'That's an understatement." The full force of it all was just starting to hit me.

I was definitely going to make the news. I wondered if the paparazzi would hound me about Penelope and what it felt like to catch her as she collapsed. I felt sick. I didn't want to even think about it. I glanced over at her. Her manager was still trying to revive her. I looked back at Easton.

Easton noticed and gave me a wry smile, "You know, ironically, this is just like one of the episodes of Whodunit."

He watched Whodunit? Actually, that made sense. Half the male population probably watched it for Penelope since she was gorgeous.

"Except the main character just died and now the show's going to be cancelled."

"Well, we don't know that she's dead yet," Eason reminded me.

"Yeah..." I said. I glanced over at her again. I couldn't stop myself. I kept hoping that I was wrong and that Penelope was sitting up and laughing at all the unnecessary attention, but she was still immobile. "Although, I'm pretty sure that she is dead. Call it a gut feeling."

"Then that probably means it was the cupcake," Easton said.

My mind turned this information over, horror replacing my shock. "Wait. You think she was murdered?"

Easton nodded. "Definitely."

"But... But maybe it was an aneurysm or a heart attack or something," I said, even though I didn't believe my own ideas. Another sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach believed that Easton was right and that I'd just been a front row eyewitness to a murder. The paparazzi were definitely going to want to talk to me now.

Easton shrugged. "That could be the case, but she's really young and way, way too famous. I'd bet on murder over natural causes."

I looked over at her again. Penelope still hadn't moved. The uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach twisted and I felt even more ill. Her manager looked like he was starting to get exhausted, but he wasn't stopping CPR.

I could hear sirens from an ambulance trying to make it down Hollywood Boulevard and past all of the gawking tourists in their cars. I hoped they could help her. It hadn't been too long yet to save her, right?

That's when I spotted the probable murder weapon: the cupcake. It was half smashed underneath Penelope's body, having fallen out of her hands as she collapsed. I didn't realize I'd laid her down right on top of it. I hoped the police could still do forensics on it.

A thought popped into my head and I turned to Easton, "But how would the cupcake have killed her?"

"Poison? Maybe she was deathly allergic to a particular ingredient? It has to be the cupcake," Easton said.

He was right again. Those were obvious theories. I was just having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Penelope might have been murdered. "But who would do that?"

Easton followed my gaze to the baked good turned murder weapon. "Well, I guess the question to ask was who had access to the cupcake?"

I looked back at Easton. Our eyes met and even though I didn't really want to say it because I already liked her, I blurted it out anyway, "Well, Nina. She made it."

Easton's eyebrows shot up. "Are you accusing our boss of murder?

I felt like I needed to backtrack, "Uh. No. I'm just saying. She made the cupcake and if anyone was going to put something in it then she had the most hands-on access so..."

"It had to be her," Easton finished my sentence.

I shrugged. I glanced over at Nina. She was frozen, staring down at Penelope's lifeless body. She didn't look like she'd just murdered her. Then again, maybe she was a good actress. I wouldn't know. I didn't know her that well, even if she had been a cool boss so far. Besides, it's not like I'd ever met a murderer before. Truthfully, I would have been quite happy to have lived my entire life without this whole experience.

"What would she have to gain by killing Penelope, though?" I asked out loud as I thought it over.

"Press like you wouldn't believe," Easton gestured at the cameras flashing around us.

The paparazzi were having a field day. I resisted the urge to check the internet on my phone. I was too afraid I'd see a picture of myself holding a dead Penelope Rose. I wasn't ready to see that yet.

"But who is going to come to a place with killer cupcakes?" I asked.

Easton looked at me. "You'd be surprised at people's morbid curiosity. Besides, Killer Cupcakes is a catchy name."

"I don't think Nina did it," I really didn't.

It would be stupid of her to bake poison into her own cupcake. Nina was going to be the police's first suspect. If she wanted to kill Penelope, it was not the smartest way to murder her.

"Do you know her?" Easton asked.

"Well, no," I admitted. "I only talked to her at the interview and, well, today when she put me to work getting the store ready. It's just a feeling."

"I do actually know her," Easton said. "She's my aunt."

My mouth dropped open and then I shut it. He was obviously joking. "She's way too young to be your aunt.

Easton smiled. "Not really. My mom and her are about twenty years apart in age or something like that."

"Oh." I hadn't thought of that. "And you just let me accuse her of murder?"

Easton smiled. "Well, if we're actually trying to solve the case, she has to be a suspect."

"Wait. What? Are we actually trying to solve the case?" I asked.

I thought we were just talking and theorizing, trying to make sense of the insane situation we were in. I hadn't actually been trying to play amateur sleuth. I'd mostly been relishing distracting myself with Easton.

Easton looked at me, "Do you have anything better to do right now?"

I looked around. The scene was chaos. I didn't think the bakery was actually going to be open today. That was too bad. All of the cupcakes were going to go to waste and they looked absolutely delicious.

"No," I admitted, because the only other thing I had to do was totally freak out. Solving a mystery might help continue to keep my mind off things.

"Well, then, let's figure out who did this," Easton said.

"Wait. Why are you so gung-ho about this?" I asked.

Easton shrugged.

"Oh. Come on. Why?" I wanted to know.

Easton smiled, "Well, first off, I've always loved a good mystery. It started in grade school with Scooby Doo."

"Really?" I returned his grin.

"I also admit to reading all of the Sherlock Holmes books in high school."

"You're dedicated," I joked.

"Exactly, and now we're knee-deep in a murder mystery. Plus I don't really want my favorite aunt to go to jail. Besides, aren't you curious who did it? You're a writer, right? Have you ever played amateur sleuth? It might be an experience worth writing about someday."

Wait. What? "How did you know that?"

"I heard you talking to my Aunt Nina," Easton said.

Whoa. Easton had eavesdropped to learn more about me? Was he possibly interested in me? I studied him for a clue as to if that might be the case, but I couldn't tell. Still, he'd taken the effort to learn something about me. So, maybe. Definitely, maybe.

"Well, what are you?" I asked.

"What am I?" Easton asked back.

"What do you do besides work here?" I clarified.

Easton smiled again, "I'm an actor/writer/producer."

I raised my eyebrows. "A triple threat?"

"Yeah," Easton said.

I had a hard enough time sitting down to write scripts, so those multiple ambitions made him seem even more attractive. "So, why are you working here?"

"My Aunt Nina said I could have a flexible schedule. That's a plus when I'm trying to shoot shorts in my spare time. I'd like to eventually get some into film festivals. Plus, I like to cook and baking is an offshoot, so I figured it would be fun too," Easton said. "How about you? Are you into baking?"

I laughed. "No. Not at all."

I didn't add that I didn't even cook my own regular meals for the most part. I usually settled on quick, microwavable foods or soup from a can. Truthfully, all of my forays into cooking for myself usually ended in disaster. Easton definitely didn't need to know that before he got to know me. Wait. Did he want to get to know me? Whoa. Was it possible he'd cook for me someday?

"So, why are you here?" Easton asked, breaking into my fantasy of him cooking me dinner without his shirt on.

Still, butterflies continued to flutter around in my stomach at his question. It sure sounded like Easton wanted to know more about me, "Well, I'm good with coffee. I worked at a coffee shop for two years in college. I actually just graduated and moved out here. Rent is crazy expensive so I needed to get some money coming in while I write. When I ran into Nina and she mentioned the barista slash cashier job, it seemed like fate."

"Maybe this is fate too," Easton said.

"Huh?" My cheeks burned again. I really hated my fair skin sometimes. It gave me away too often.

"Maybe you and I are meant to solve this case," Easton grinned.

"Are you making fun of me for believing in fate?" I asked, hoping Easton hadn't realized where my brain went when he mentioned fate.

"I think you make your own way in this world and your choices define what happens next in your life," Easton said.

"I still believe in fate too," I said. "I think it's a little bit of both."

"Well, fate or not, what do you say? Solve this mystery with me?" Easton asked.

I wanted to ask him why he picked me, but I was afraid. Besides, I think the answer I wanted from him was something like: I chose you because you are super hot. In actuality, he might have picked me because I was in the right place at the right time and he was bored.

Either way I already knew what my answer was, so I gave it to him. "Alright. I'm in. Let's solve this."

Easton put up his hand in a high five gesture. I raised mine in return and he slapped his hand into mine. A jolt of electricity shot through my body as his palm touched mine. I wish it had stayed there for more than an instant.

"And you just made fun of me for believing in fate?" I asked.

Easton laughed. "High fives are classic."

"Uh-huh. If you say so," I said.

"I do," Easton's eyes met mine.

My stomach flipped and in an effort to get Easton's attention off of me in case my cheeks were turning colors again, I said, "Anyway, back to the case."

Easton took the bait, "Okay, who are our main suspects, besides my Aunt Nina?"

"Well, Penelope's manager should definitely be on the list," I looked over at him.

He was collapsed on the ground next to Penelope, trying to catch his breath. He didn't look immaculate anymore. His impeccable suit was rumpled, his hair was disheveled, and he looked completely worn out. Another person had taken over doing CPR. I hoped the ambulance arrived soon. If Penelope had eaten a killer cupcake then she had to get to the hospital right away to try and get the poison out of her system. Well, if she had any chance at all. I was still pretty sure she'd instantly dropped dead from whatever was in the cupcake.

Easton followed my gaze. "Her manager should definitely be on the list. Maybe he was stealing money from her."

"Or maybe he'd profit because of her death," I added. "She won't just be a flash in the pan celebrity now. She'll be famous forever."

"Ironically, just like Marilyn Monroe. She's going to be immortalized as a beautiful woman who died too young."

"That just brings the suspicion back around to Nina," I said. "She's the one who named the cupcake."

"I know," Easton said.

"Okay, who else is there?" I asked.

Easton looked around the crowd. "Well, I'd say fans and paparazzi, but none of them had access to the cupcake."

"But we all did," I said.

"What?" Easton turned to look at me.

"Every one of the employees at Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee had access to that cupcake."

Easton nodded. "That's true. If Nina left it alone, any one of us could have put something in it. Although, that means... Are you saying I'm a suspect? I had it in my hands for a little bit too."

I nodded reluctantly because I sure hoped Easton didn't do it. I hadn't really included him in my initial thought, but technically he had to be in the pool of suspects. He'd held the cupcake in his hands. In theory, he could have put something in it. The thing is, I was developing a huge crush on him. It would be a major turnoff if he turned out to be guilty of murder.

Easton continued, "Don't look so glum about accusing me. After all, that means you're a suspect too."

Oh no. That was true too. In fact, I was the one that handed the cupcake to Nina before Penelope took it and ate it. I swallowed hard as realization hit me. Once the police arrived, I'd be one of their main suspects. In fact, my name would probably be on the list right after Nina's and Easton's. Suddenly this wasn't a fun, distracting game that I was playing with a hot guy. My freedom might be at stake if I didn't solve this case.

## Chapter 3

An ambulance pulled up. Paramedics got out. Paparazzi and fans scattered to let them through. They headed straight for Penelope. The police showed up right behind them. At first there were only two police cars. Then more came and it seemed like flashing red lights were everywhere.

It was chaos. Even more people rushed up to try and see what was happening. Shock and horror rumbled in waves through the crowd as more people heard the news. The police immediately started trying to corral potential witnesses, including some fans and paparazzi, over toward the cupcake shop's small outdoor patio, to separate them from the growing crowd of curious onlookers. Easton and I were directed over there too, and we immediately obliged them, but I was pretty sure that the police weren't going to get everyone who saw Penelope collapse. There were too many witnesses that had now intermingled with curious onlookers. Other policemen started setting up camp inside. I didn't think any of us were going to be leaving anytime soon.

I knew my mouth was gaping open as all of this happened. I'd never seen an active crime scene like this. I almost felt like I was on a movie set and had to keep reminding myself that everything happening in front of me right now was real. I was from a quiet town in the Midwest. Things like this didn't normally happen where I grew up. Maybe this was just life in the big city. I still wasn't quite ready for it even if my brain knew that things like this happened every day.

On top of that, I'll admit it, I was still freaking out at the thought that the newly arrived police might haul me off to jail on murder charges. Although I'd have a ton of time to write screenplays in prison, I didn't really envision my twenties, thirties, and possibly more, behind bars. Easton and I really had to solve this case. I'd seen way too many movies where an innocent person got sent to jail. I did not want to live one of those stories.

"Earth to Ava," Easton said.

"Huh?" Was my eloquent reply as I ripped my eyes from the tragic scene in front of me and looked back at Easton.

"I don't actually think you did it," Easton said.

That was a relief, but it didn't mean the police would feel the same way. "That's good because I didn't. To be fair, I don't think you did it either."

"Thanks," Easton said.

I hoped it wasn't just wishful thinking on my part that I was discounting him as a suspect, especially since he did have the opportunity. Still, there were tons of other possibilities to look at, "Do you know any of the other employees? I've only talked to you and Charlotte."

"Charlotte?" Easton asked.

I gestured to her. "The girl with the crazy red hair."

"And?" Easton asked.

I thought over my initial impression of Charlotte. "Well, unless she killed Penelope because she has a crush on her boyfriend Chance Fox, I'd say she's innocent."

"People have murdered for crushes," Easton said.

I nodded. "Yeah, except that I think Charlotte would probably admit to doing it before she realized the words were out of her mouth. I don't think she has a mental filter when it comes to talking."

Easton laughed. "Sounds like she'll be fun to work with."

No doubt. I could never let Charlotte know I had a crush on Easton. She'd totally tell him. Heck, she'd almost outed my feelings to him during the ceremony, not even realizing it.

"Well, I only know Skylar and Cole. I met Skylar this morning. Cole helped me and my Aunt Nina set up the store over the last couple of days," Easton said gesturing to the pretty girl with the short brown pixie cut hair and the burly guy in his mid-twenties who obviously spent time at the gym.

I refrained from asking Easton if he was interested in Skylar even though I really wanted to know. "Any thoughts on them?"

"Skylar and I only exchanged the typical niceties," Easton said.

"Niceties?" I asked.

"Yeah. Just a hi, how are you, how'd you start working here kind of conversation," Easton said.

I rolled my eyes. "I know what it means. I just thought it was an interesting word choice for a guy."

"Well, that's because I'm cool like that," Easton said. "Anyway, I really don't know about Skylar. She seemed nice enough."

I cringed at the word nice. I got the impression that in Skylar's case it meant hot and sexy and I felt a little jealous. I knew I didn't have a claim on Easton, but my crush was only growing the longer we talked.

Easton continued, "Cole and I spent a few days together, though."

"And?" I asked.

"And he's a sports guy. He loves MMA and football."

"MMA?"

"Mixed Martial Arts," Easton clarified. "Have you heard of UFC?"

I had. "Okay. So, do you think he could have killed Penelope?"

Easton frowned. "Maybe. I mean, he's into fighting, but then again, if he was going to kill someone, wouldn't he do it physically? Poison suggests someone who doesn't want to get their hands dirty."

"Or get caught," I added.

Easton nodded. "True. Beating someone to death leaves a little more evidence. Although if it was Cole, I don't know why he'd off Penelope. All he really talked about was sports. I doubt he even watched Whodunit."

"Okay. Well, then I'm not sure that helps much," I sighed. "And of course there's all of the other employees. So, the question is where do we start? All we have are theories."

"Well, how about we start by talking to my Aunt Nina," Easton said.

I looked over at her. "She looks like she's about to hyperventilate."

"Exactly," Easton said. "And I should be a good nephew anyway and lend her some support."

I wondered how he was going to do that when we'd been told to stay on the patio. I didn't think it was a good idea to disobey the police, especially since they might look pretty closely at Easton and I as suspects anyway. Easton obviously didn't feel the same way. Instead, he slipped past the distracted policeman that was supposed to be monitoring us and walked toward his aunt.

I hesitated as anxiety rushed through me. Images of the policeman tackling us to the ground and arresting us ran through my brain. Still, the officer did look really engrossed in talking to the pretty paparazzi woman chatting him up.

Easton looked back for me. I had to decide. I followed him. I didn't really have any other choice since my freedom was at stake no matter what I did. At least this way I was being proactive. Although, if I dug a little deeper into my psyche, I'd also have to admit that I didn't want to look like a coward in Easton's eyes. Okay, I know you're not supposed to let a guy dictate how you act, but come on, I couldn't help wanting to impress him.

I rushed to catch up to Easton just as he walked up to Nina. She was standing just beyond the paramedics, watching them work on trying to save Penelope's life. A policeman was trying to talk to her, but she barely noticed. Her eyes, like everyone else's, were glued to Penelope's lifeless body.

"And we'll need to know the names of all of the employees who..." The policeman was saying.

Easton sidled up to his aunt, throwing an arm around her shoulders, and addressed the policeman. "Actually, I think my aunt needs a few minutes to collect herself before she starts answering questions. She's obviously in shock. I'll take her over there to sit down."

The policeman looked like he might protest.

That was when Nina finally noticed Easton. "Yes. That's actually a good idea. I can't even think straight right now."

The policeman looked annoyed, but nodded. "We'll still need to talk to you. As soon as possible."

"I know," Nina said and Easton quickly pulled his aunt away from the chaos before the policeman could interrogate her any further.

Before I followed them, something caught my eye. Penelope's manager was hovering a few feet away from us, just behind the paramedics and policemen surrounding Penelope's body. His eyes hadn't left his client's. Another policeman was trying to talk to him.

The manager's eyes flashed angrily over at the policeman, "I told you. I'm not moving until I make sure she's alright."

"Well, we need you to go over there, sir," The policeman said. "She's being well taken care of."

"I need to see that for myself," Her manager said.

"You can watch from over there, then. We need to clear the area so we can start trying to figure out what happened," The policeman said.

"I'd like to know what happened too. One minute she was fine and then she was on the ground. This doesn't make sense. Her physical for Whodunit came back great. She was in perfect health." Her manager said.

"Well, the best thing you can do for her is to join the others," the policeman repeated.

The manager stood his ground. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"Sir, you need to calm down," the policeman said.

The manager's face was twisted in grief, "How can I be calm? My Penelope is on the ground, dying."

Then a different policeman stepped in front of me, blocking me from eavesdropping. "Miss, we're going to need you to move over there with everyone else."

"Oh. Okay. Sorry," I spun around and headed toward Easton as the words my Penelope ruminated in my brain.

Did all managers talk about their clients like that? In a way, it sort of sounded like he was dating her. Still, like Charlotte, I thought Penelope was dating Chance Fox. Maybe I was wrong or maybe Penelope had been having a secret affair with her manager. That would make things complicated. Could he have killed her because of an affair gone wrong? Or had he been secretly in love with her? Maybe she didn't return his affections, so he murdered her? He had to be a suspect. There were too many valid possibilities why he might have killed her.

As I thought this over, I saw that Easton had led his aunt over to one of the patio tables in front of Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee. Two other employees were already sitting there. One of them was Skylar. My heart twisted a little at the come hither smile she gave Easton as he approached.

"Can you guys move?" Easton said in response. "She needs to sit down."

I resisted the urge to smile at Skylar's stricken expression. I was ninety nine percent sure she usually got her way with guys. I was also pretty sure she was an actress. Since she had volunteered to bring the cupcake to Penelope, she definitely liked attention. Plus all of the pretty people in Hollywood were usually trying to get themselves in front of the camera so it was a logical assumption. Yeah, I knew I shouldn't judge, but come on. She was after my crush. I couldn't help it. I hadn't even said hello to her yet and I already didn't like her. That was so unlike me. My crush on Easton and Skylar's flirting with him had brought out the inner cattiness in me. I knew we'd be working together and that I had to let it go, but I couldn't help what my brain threw out at me.

Skylar and our other coworker moved without another word. Nina sunk down into the chair. I made my way over to them, feeling suddenly shy. Our chatting about a murder mystery seemed like ages ago even though it had only been a few moments, and they seemed absorbed in conversation. I pulled out my phone a few feet away from them, not daring to interrupt. Besides, I was curious about Penelope's dating history now. I wanted to get up to speed on my celebrity gossip. I opened my internet browser.

Easton's voice interrupted me before I could even type Penelope's name into my search box. "Ava, what are you doing? Come here."

My eyes snapped up to his. Easton beckoned me over. Nina's eyes narrowed and she looked between us like she knew something was going on. Oh no. I didn't really want my brand new boss to think I had a crush on her nephew. I wasn't sure what her workplace romance policy was and I didn't think today was a good day to find out. Still, I didn't know how to avoid Easton's request either, so I walked over to them.

"My Aunt Nina was just telling me about Penelope," Easton said. "You should hear this."

Nina turned to me, "We knew each other in college. We were roommates freshman year."

That was interesting. I hadn't really expected Nina to say that. Then again, somewhere in my brain I knew that Penelope was once a normal girl before she was famous. "What was she like back then?"

Nina smiled, reminiscing. "She was, well, Penelope. She had that light around her. You sort of knew she'd end up famous or something one day. Of course, Penelope had her faults. Freshman year she had the most annoying loser boyfriend. She drove me crazy that semester, bringing him over to our room all the time. All he wanted to do was smoke pot. Our room reeked after he'd been over. It was totally annoying, but only Penelope could smooth things over so that most of what I remember about that semester with her is grand adventures and laughing."

"How did she end up becoming an actress?" Easton asked.

"Well, she always wanted to be one and after freshman year, she quit school to pursue acting. We kept in touch after that. She had some small parts, struggled for a long while, and then she landed the lead role in Whodunit. That was it. Immediate fame. Like I said, she was destined for it. She just needed the vehicle. Then, when I decided to open my bakery she offered to help publicize it. Penelope was like that. She struggled to make her dreams a reality and she wanted to help others make it too. She knew this bakery was my dream," A tear rolled down Nina's cheek. "It's weird to say was, but I think..."

I followed Nina's gaze back to Penelope. The paramedics hadn't taken her away and it looked like they'd stopped trying to resuscitate her. The police were talking to them. That couldn't be good. Did that mean that the front of Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee had officially become a crime scene? My gaze landed on Penelope's manager again. He was on his cellphone, pacing. His eyes were still locked on Penelope.

I turned back to Nina. I had to know. It could be important, "She wasn't dating her manager was she?"

"What?" Nina's eyes snapped up to my face. "How did you know that? Nobody was supposed to know that. Did the tabloids find out?"

"She was dating him?" I asked, a little surprised that I was actually right. Maybe I did have some intuitive sleuthing skills after all.

Nina nodded. "It was a new relationship. She and Chance broke up a few weeks ago, but Penelope's had the hots for her manager, Tyler, for ages. Turned out it was mutual. They've been super hot and heavy over the last two weeks. She's been gushing about him."

I felt a pang in my chest. I felt really bad for Tyler. I knew it wasn't like they'd been dating for years, but still. It had to hurt.

"Did she and Chance break up over Tyler?" I asked.

Nina hesitated, "Penelope didn't say that was why. She said they'd grown apart, but I don't know. Maybe. She really liked Tyler. I wouldn't be surprised if Chance picked up on it and that was the real reason they ended things."

Now I was just curious. "Did you actually get to meet Chance Fox?"

Nina smiled. "I went out with them a few times. He was cool and definitely gorgeous in person. It was a little nuts to be out with both of them, though. Fans kept coming up to us and asking for pictures and autographs."

I nodded. I couldn't imagine being that famous. It would be a completely different world with people watching your every move. The thought of it made me feel anxious. It didn't surprise me that some celebrities went crazy.

"So, what do you think of Tyler?" Easton asked bringing things back around to Penelope's murder.

I knew that Easton was asking if Nina thought Tyler was bad for Penelope. Could Tyler's grief just be an act? How was I going to tell? Who was acting and who was sincere? Even if I had some intuition working in my favor, this whole investigating thing was nothing like it was on television. I had no idea if we were on the right track or not.

Nina seemed thoughtful. "You know, I was happy for Penelope. She'd talked Tyler up so much that even I was excited to meet him today. I thought he might be good for her because he was just a normal guy. He might be able to keep her grounded while she dealt with the newfound fame, you know?"

I nodded. "So you liked him?"

"Well... I will say that he was a little too detailed in getting ready for Penelope's appearance today. It was kind of annoying. Penelope and I had already arranged everything ourselves. He wanted to have his say too."

"So you didn't like him?" Easton clarified.

"No, I didn't say that. I was still hopeful for Penelope. I wanted her to be happy. Besides, I only met him today so I'd have to get to know him better to really tell. He seemed all right overall. The thing is, he could have only showed one side of himself to me—the professional one. I'm not even sure if he knew that Penelope had told me they were seeing each other."

Easton and I exchanged a look. Had Tyler micromanaged Penelope's appearance because he'd been planning to kill her? Maybe. Something bothered me, though. Why would he hook up with her in the last few weeks if he planned to murder her? That didn't make sense unless he was some kind of a sociopath. Or was it a romance gone wrong? Had Chance come back into the picture? Maybe Penelope and Chance were getting back together.

I tried another tactic. "Did Tyler have access to the cupcake?"

Nina frowned at me, thinking. "Uh, well, he tried one of them. He said he wanted to sample it before Penelope tried it. Again, he needed to have his say. I didn't mind, though since he raved about it afterward. He said it was the best cupcake he'd ever had. That was pretty cool."

"But did he have access to the actual cupcake that Penelope was going to eat?" Easton asked.

Nina thought for a moment. "Well, yes. I showed it to him."

"Were you with him the whole time it was around?" Easton asked.

"Wait. Easton, are you insinuating..." Nina started to say.

Easton smiled. "Yes, I am. Ava and I are trying to figure out what happened to Penelope."

Nina frowned again, but this time her frown was deeper. "Easton, don't you think that's dangerous?"

"And we're surrounded by the police," Easton waved her concern away. "We won't get into trouble. It's just a friendly game of whodunit."

Nina looked at me. "What do you think Ava?"

I smiled tentatively at Nina. "I hope the police catch whoever did it, but..."

Nina looked between us. I think she knew that was my way of saying that I was game because of Easton. I didn't want her to think that, though.

I continued, "But it's also an interesting experience to have as a writer. I promise we won't do anything crazy. We're just throwing out theories. We'll leave the real solving and capturing of the killer to the professionals."

Nina nodded. "All right. I don't completely approve, but I do want to know what happened to Penelope. If you guys find anything out, please mention it to the police. They're going to talk to all of us anyway. The officer was telling me that before you two walked up."

"So, was Tyler left alone with the cupcake?" Easton asked.

Nina sighed, but said, "I was with Tyler when I showed him the cupcake. He wasn't left alone with it at all. I don't think. When Penelope showed up, he was either with her or checking on the crowd outside. He completely lost interest in Penelope's cupcake after tasting its twin."

That put a wrench in the thought that maybe Tyler killed Penelope. "Was anybody else left alone with it?"

Nina thought for a moment. "Well, you had it Ava."

I still wasn't thrilled about that. "I'm all too well aware."

"I had it too," Easton offered.

"And I know you didn't do it," Nina said.

Easton smiled.

Nina continued, "Other than that, I'm not sure who was left alone with it. I was near it most of the time. I think. Truthfully, I didn't realize it would become important to remember where the cupcake was at all times."

"Well, was the cupcake itself left alone at all?" Easton asked.

"Um, yeah. I'm actually not sure. Wait. You know, I did go to the bathroom at one point. So, yes," Nina said. "Still, there were other people around. It was in the bakery case with the others."

That meant it could be any one of the employees. I hadn't been focused on the cupcake until I realized I'd be bringing it over to Nina and Penelope. I had no idea if anyone had tampered with it before the main event. I doubted any of the others had noticed anyone messing with it either even though we'd definitely have to ask them. We had our work cut out for us if we were going to solve this mystery.

A few minutes later the police came over to talk to Nina again. She told us that she was ready to speak with them. I was sort of interested in listening to them talk to her, but they took her inside the store. The area was crowded with witnesses, but Easton and I walked to the edge of the patio. It was at least a semi-private spot to talk since we weren't surrounded on all sides.

"So, what do you think? Did Tyler the manager do it? Or my Aunt Nina?" Easton asked once we were out of earshot of the police.

"I don't think your Aunt Nina is capable of murder," That was true and it wasn't because Nina was my boss and might fire me if I accused her of murder. "As for Tyler, maybe he could be a suspect. He was really OCD about Penelope's appearance which is a little weird, but then again he might just be obsessed with planning all of the details of his important clients."

Easton smirked at me. "Well, especially the important client he was secretly dating."

"So, do you think he did it then?" I asked and then threw out a theory. "Maybe he thought she was going to go back to Chance Fox or something."

Easton shrugged. "I'm holding off on my accusation until we talk to him."

"We're going to talk to him?" I asked.

Easton smiled. "Yeah. To complete our investigation we have to talk to him."

"How are we going to get around the police?" I asked.

"Well, for starters they're not talking to him right now. He's just sitting over there," Easton said.

I followed Easton's gaze. Tyler was sitting alone on the ground just beyond the circle of policemen around Penelope. I was surprised that the police hadn't corralled him onto the cafe's patio with the rest of us. Maybe they had forgotten about him. Regardless, he wasn't going anywhere. His eyes were still glued to Penelope.

I felt nervous. This had the potential to be really awkward. I didn't normally do really awkward. Actually, I never did it. Ever. "We can't go up to him. What are we going to say?"

"We'll make it up as we go," Then Easton grabbed my hand.

Tingles shot up my arm at the direct touch of his hand. My whole body almost turned to jelly as he dragged me forward. I barely had the time to feel anxious about the impending train wreck of a conversation that was about to happen. I almost didn't even register slipping past the policeman that was supposed to be watching us again.

Easton turned to whisper to me once we'd made it past the policeman, "He's not doing a very good job is he?"

I was at a loss for words because of the proximity of his face to mine, so I just shook my head in agreement even before I'd processed what he'd said. Easton smiled at me in return and continued to pull me forward. I tried to shake myself out of the stupor I was in, but the feel of Easton's hand in mine overpowered all of my rational thought. I was sort of glad of it, though, because for once I wasn't an anxious mess as we headed into an uncomfortable situation.

"Hey," Easton said as we approached Tyler. "Are you okay? Nina wanted me to check and see if you needed any water or anything."

Nina had done no such thing, but I nodded my agreement again. I also reluctantly pulled my hand out of Easton's. I needed to give this conversation my full attention and his hand in mine was too distracting. Of course as soon as I let go of Easton's hand, I felt my anxiety about the situation returning.

Tyler tore his gaze off of Penelope. Even so, he barely seemed to register us.

"I'm fine," He dismissed us.

"You don't seem fine," I managed to say.

His eyes flicked over to me. "Should I be fine?"

Wow. He looked destroyed. My heart clenched in my chest and I had to look away from him. Suddenly, I didn't think of him as a suspect anymore. I just knew in my gut that he didn't do it.

Easton didn't seem moved. "Do you know what happened?"

Tyler glared at him. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

I jumped in before Easton could reply, "He's just asking. We're all really shocked and sad about this."

Tyler nodded at me, but then immediately turned back toward Penelope.

Easton opened his mouth to say something to get Tyler's attention again, but I didn't let him. "I think we should get back to the others."

This time I grabbed Easton's hand to lead him away from Tyler. It was totally bold of me and for a few seconds I relished holding Easton's hand again. Aside from a quick glance down at our entwined hands, Easton followed me and didn't say anything. His fingers wrapped around mine. My stomach flipped. I ignored it as best as I could.

When we were out of Tyler's earshot, Easton stopped me. "So, what was that?"

I turned to face him, pulling my hand away from his since it suddenly felt awkward to be holding his hand. "I just didn't want to ask him any more questions."

Easton studied me. "I know he looked upset, but you do know that he could just be acting, right?"

"I don't think so." Well, I was pretty sure at least.

"Ava, you know that sometimes you need to ask the hard questions in order to get some answers," Easton said.

I wasn't sure what to say to that. Besides the fact that I didn't like hard questions in the first place, I also didn't think Tyler could take any of them without breaking apart. Easton watched me.

After a moment Easton gave in. "Fine. I get it. We have plenty of other leads to follow anyway. Let's go talk to the other employees. If everything points back at Tyler, though, we have to talk to him more than we just did."

I nodded, feeling relieved. I didn't think we'd need to talk to Tyler again. We headed back to the patio and the others.

The policeman who was supposed to be keeping an eye on the witnesses on the patio frowned at us as we walked by him. He didn't say anything, though, and just let us pass. I noticed him immediately start scrutinizing everyone on the patio. I wondered if he was doing a headcount to see if anyone else had slipped by him.

The other Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee employees were all clustered in a group at the end of the patio. A case of water had been brought out and a few of them were grabbing free bottles. Others were on their cellphones probably texting everyone they knew about the drama at their new job. Charlotte started toward us as we approached.

Charlotte had a funny smile on her face and I wondered if she had seen me holding Easton's hand a moment ago. Panic gripped me. She'd better not mention it!

I decided to head Charlotte off before she could make any kind of comment, leaving Easton's side, and rushing up to her, "I've been looking all over for you!"

That caught her off guard. "You have?"

"Yes. I have a question for you," I said.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

I leaned and whispered to her. "Easton and I have a bet going."

"You do?" Her gaze flicked between us.

Easton jumped in, taking my lead. "Yeah. We think one of the employees might have killed Penelope."

Charlotte's mouth formed an O in surprise. "I thought it was an overdose. You guys think it's murder?"

"Yeah," I said.

"But so many celebrities die of overdoses nowadays. It's like in the news all the time," Charlotte said.

"She didn't die of an overdose unless someone put it in the cupcake," Easton said.

"Do you have any theories?" I added.

Charlotte didn't even have to think. Her mouth was already open and ready to spill, "Well, Riley is Penelope's super fan."

"Who's Riley?" I asked even though I was pretty sure I already knew.

"The girl over there, sitting on the ground," Charlotte said.

Riley was sitting cross-legged on the ground reading a paperback book. She was wearing glasses and her long hair was in a single braid down her back. If I hadn't seen her enthusiasm earlier myself, I wouldn't have guessed she was Penelope's super fan since she looked like more of a bookworm.

Charlotte continued. "There's also Max."

"What about Max?" Easton asked.

"Max was complaining about Penelope all day. He thinks she's overrated and untalented," Charlotte said.

"Really?" Easton asked.

I looked over at him. Max was the guy who'd made a snarky comment when Penelope did the meet and greet with the staff. He looked like a normal twenty-something otherwise. He was the definition of a clean cut American boy.

"Yeah," Charlotte said. "He's totally over her and I even heard him say good riddance when it looked like she was dead and not just unconscious."

Wow. That was harsh. It's one thing to not be a fan of a celebrity, but to happily wish them dead was completely different. Easton and I exchanged a glance. Then my brain kicked in. Would the murderer really mutter that under his breath? He wasn't a very good criminal then, was he?

"Thoughts on anybody else?" I asked.

"Well the other five employees are Skylar, Vicki, Cole, Lucy, and Nolan," Charlotte said. "I haven't had that much of a chance to talk to them, although I know that Skylar is a writer."

What? Seriously? She was a writer? I totally had her pegged as an actress. The fact that Skylar was not only interested in the same guy as me, but the same creative medium, really irked me.

Charlotte continued on, "And Vicki is a theater actress. She's been in all kinds of plays across LA. She knows she should probably move to New York, but she can't stand cold weather."

I looked over at Vicki. She had long blonde hair, a golden tan, and a genuine smile that I'd only seen waver since Penelope's collapse.

"And Cole is obviously on steroids and a total workout junkie," Charlotte gestured to the burly guy.

Yeah, I already knew that since Cole was practically bursting the seams of his Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee T-shirt. As I turned from Cole to look back at Charlotte, I caught Easton trying to hold back a smile. I knew exactly what he was thinking and tried not to smile either. For not knowing much about some of the employees, Charlotte sure did know quite a bit since she kept talking. I wondered how she'd sum me up from our brief conversation. Then again, maybe I didn't want to know.

"Then Lucy's a junior in college studying marketing. She wants to backpack in Europe when she graduates, so she's working here for the money to do that."

I glanced over at her. Lucy was an African-American girl sitting next to Vicki. She'd seemed normal enough too, from afar. It looked like she was the youngest of the group.

Charlotte went on to the last employee, "And Nolan is a struggling actor who has become a little jaded by the business. My guess is he'll move back to wherever he's from within the year. He seems so done and really kind of depressing."

Nolan was the hipster with the dark hair, beard, and trademark black rimmed glasses. Maybe he'd given up or maybe he thought seeming depressed was cool. Then again, maybe he just didn't want to talk to Charlotte.

"There is our boss Nina too. She's a total sweetheart, but..." Then Charlotte stopped short, at a loss for words for once.

I waited for her to finish her sentence, curious about her "but" regarding Nina. Then I realized that her eyes were focused on something behind me. I turned to look. It was Chance Fox. The Chance Fox.

I gaped at him, unable to help myself from getting starstruck. Even the police seemed in awe since nobody had stopped him from entering the crime scene.

I was surprised to see that he really was ridiculously hot in person. He was obviously toned in all the right places and his tight jeans and black muscle T-shirt emphasized the fact. His face was chiseled perfection and his eyes were a to die for blue. His hotness was so not lost on Charlotte, who was busy drinking him in. Everyone was staring at him, actually. Not only was he Chance Fox, world famous superstar, but he was headed straight for Penelope.

## Chapter 4

I was wrong. Chance wasn't heading straight for Penelope. He walked by the circle of people around her, his jaw set and his eyes focused on her manager, Tyler. The crowd, who had been chattering, went silent. The only sound was of the paparazzi cameras clicking thousands of pictures.

Tyler didn't even look up from Penelope as Chance walked up to him. His eyes only saw Penelope. Chance, on the other hand, hadn't even glanced at Penelope's body. All he saw was Tyler.

"This is all your fault," Chance said, throwing a punch at Tyler's face.

Tyler looked up, but then he just took the punch. He didn't even move to block it. I wasn't sure if he didn't have time to react or if he was so numb from Penelope's death that he didn't care. His face whipped back at the contact of Chance's fist. A trickle of blood oozed from Tyler's bottom lip.

"Yeah! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Cole yelled, and a couple of other people started chanting along with him.

Tyler looked over at Chance, finally reacting. His eyes were ablaze with anger as he moved to face Chance. "How dare you accuse me when you..."

Tyler didn't even finish his sentence as he took his own swing at Chance's face. He struck him hard with an audible crack. Whoa. Did he break Chance Fox's beautiful nose? Blood gushed out of it. I couldn't look away. Chance didn't seem to notice. He was already pulling his fist back to strike Tyler again.

The police swooped in before he could take another swing. An officer restrained Chance. A second policeman grabbed Tyler. The photographers continued to snap pictures. It was going to be a monumentally huge day in celebrity gossip. They had a murder, a celebrity brawl, and potentially a celebrity arrest. Killer Cupcakes, er, Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee was about to get an infamous reputation.

I turned to Charlotte, surprised that she hadn't started a running commentary on the fight after her initial shock of seeing Chance in the flesh. I found that she wasn't standing next to me anymore. I looked around and saw her making her way toward Chance, who was now sitting on the ground, a policeman standing over him.

I did a double take. Had Charlotte climbed over the small fence around the patio to get to Chance? I watched her in awe. Saying anything that came to mind was one thing, but it looked like she did anything that came to mind too.

Chance was saying something to the policeman keeping him from restarting the fight with Tyler, but I couldn't hear anything. Maybe he was threatening a really expensive lawsuit since the officer was nervously eyeing all of the paparazzi cameras.

Charlotte walked up to both of them, saying something. She was lucky the cop wasn't wrestling her to the ground and arresting her too. The policeman said something back to her. Charlotte nodded and she held out a tissue to Chance. He looked up at her. Their eyes locked. I almost expected the swelling of a music score. There was most definitely something there. Chance took the tissue and held it up to his nose.

"Are you seeing this?" I asked Easton.

Easton turned to me, "A budding romance? It's totally unbelievable, but...."

"There it is. Wow, Charlotte's got game," I said. "She was just telling me how hot he was during the ceremony and somehow she just made it happen."

"Go Charlotte," Easton said.

A thought ran through my brain and a ball of dread filled my stomach. Oh no. I kind of liked Charlotte. She wouldn't have killed Penelope to get her own shot with Chance Fox would she?

I squelched my rising panic. No. That wasn't realistic, was it? She'd have to bet that Chance would show up to the crime scene. He might not have. Heck, he could have been out of town filming his latest movie.

Easton broke into my racing thoughts, "Could Chance have killed Penelope?"

That hadn't even occurred to me. "He had no access to the cupcake."

"True," Easton said. "But maybe he hired someone."

"Are you saying that he put a hit out on Penelope?"

Easton shrugged. "He has enough money to do that."

I thought about it. "Well, if Chance hired someone, then we're back to one of the employees spiking the cupcake with poison. But which one of them could be a hit man?"

I scanned the group as I asked the question. None of them looked like a hit man to me. They were all around my age and just starting out in life. Still, someone had killed Penelope. I really, really hoped it wasn't Charlotte. She hadn't met Chance before today, had she? I cast a weary eye toward her. The paramedics that had been trying to resuscitate Penelope had walked over to take a look at Chance's face. Charlotte's hand was on his back, in a comforting gesture. Was that weird? Still, I didn't want to mention my suspicions about Charlotte to Easton just yet because I didn't want to believe them.

"Well, let's go talk to the other employees then," Easton said. "See if anybody has sociopathic tendencies."

"Can't wait," I said sarcastically.

Easton chuckled.

Truthfully, I was a little nervous. A hit man was even more dangerous than a murderer. Then again, all we had were theories. We needed more facts to make a real analysis.

We walked over to the group of employees. They were still clustered together. The only one missing was Vicki because the police were talking to her. I was a little nervous about my turn on the hot seat. There were tons of pictures of me holding the cupcake, so it wasn't like I could lie and say I hadn't been alone with it. I didn't have a motive, but would that matter to the police?

I focused on the present. The only thing I could do to sway the police from suspecting me was to have a really good theory about who actually did it. I looked around at our fellow employees. How were we even going to start this conversation? None of us really knew each other. We were all still strangers. It wasn't like we could outright ask who did it.

"Okay, who here did it?" Easton asked with a laugh just as I thought that.If I'd said that, people would have just thought I was weird. Then they would have made snarky comments. It worked for Easton, though. People smiled. Then again, a couple people ignored him too. I would definitely never have been so bold.

"I think the butler did it," Max joked. "Or her limo driver."

"Yeah, sure, Max. You probably offed her because you're just way cooler than her," Riley said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Max said. "Down kitty."

Riley about turned purple.

Skylar jumped into the conversation. "I personally think that it's her manager. It's always someone you know."

"I just wish the cops had let him and Chance Fox fight longer. I wanted to see if Chance was as badass as his movie characters," Cole said.

Max snorted.

Lucy piped in, "Of course he's not. He's just an actor. I think it has to be one of her fans. All celebrities have stalkers."

"Why would one of her fans have done it? They love her," Riley was taking personal offense to Lucy's theory.

"Because some people are crazy," Lucy said.

"Nolan?" Easton asked since he was the only one in the group that hadn't said anything.

Nolan looked up from his phone, the definition of an unaffected hipster. "I'm not playing this game."

"And I'm not playing this game either. It's morbid. Someone just died. It's not amusing," Riley was getting really angry and I thought I could see tears about to fall from her eyes. "So can you all just stop? Penelope meant a lot to a whole bunch of people and now she's gone."

The atmosphere immediately became uncomfortable. Easton hadn't meant it that way of course. I knew that he was just trying to lighten the mood to get people to talk. Now, it was the opposite of that and we still didn't have any more clues. We only had more theories.

Then again, were people's responses to the murder a clue? Max, Skylar, Cole, and Lucy had been willing to talk about it and some of them were even jokey. Riley was upset. Nolan hadn't said anything at all. We hadn't even talked to Vicki yet. I glanced over at the two other employees not in the group. Nina was still talking to the police and Charlotte hadn't moved from Chance's side.

I glanced at Easton. He looked uncomfortable. He saw my eyes on him and turned to look at me, giving me a slight smile. My heart began to race and I immediately smiled back. He raised his eyebrows.

"Any ideas?" He whispered in my ear.

I shook my head. How could we ask anyone more about the murder now? I needed to talk to Easton in private. We had to brainstorm. At any point the police were going to take me away for questioning. I didn't know how many ways I could explain to them that I hadn't put anything into the cupcake in my brief time holding it. I'd prefer to give them the name of Penelope's killer instead.

"Let's talk," I said.

"Sure," Easton followed me away from the others, to the other end of the patio.

When they couldn't overhear us, I turned to face Easton. "Maybe we should try and get some of the employees alone. I mean, try and talk to them one on one. I know the patio is crowded, but we can at least try and see if they might let something slip in a personal conversation versus a group one. I know I'm more comfortable talking one on one."

Easton thought about this, "That's worth a shot. Who do you want to take first?"

"Uh..." I hadn't thought this through. I had to purposely get someone alone, talk to them about the murder, and figure out if they were a suspect? By myself? I kind of preferred Easton's presence next to me while we investigated. "You know, on second thought, I'm not sure they'll even talk about the murder. Riley was getting really pissed."

Easton shrugged, "So, we start with some of the others and leave the cantankerous ones for last."

"Uh..." I started.

Easton frowned at me, "Aw, come on. You're not chicken are you?"

I looked at him. "What? Are we twelve? That does not work after high school."

Easton laughed. "Well, it sometimes works."

"Maybe on someone like Cole," I said.

"Now you're just typecasting," Easton said.

"Maybe," I admitted.

"Come on, Ava. It's just talking to someone for five minutes," Easton said.

That was true. It just brought me out of my comfort zone for the millionth time today. I expected to get to know the other employees over the course of working together, not while trying to solve a murder mystery on my first day of work.

"Fine. Five minutes," I said, although my stomach was already twisting in knots.

"I'll let you choose who to talk to first," Easton said.

I looked over at the other employees. Who would be the easiest person to discuss the murder with? Lucy? Max? Cole? Maybe Skylar could be added to that list too, although I didn't really want to talk to her. I felt like I was about to draw the first straw in a series of short straws.

Then I heard the paparazzi cameras going off again. What was happening now? I followed the direction of their camera lenses to the commotion they were capturing. The police were arresting Tyler. I looked at Easton.

"Well, I guess we don't need to talk to the others after all," I said, feeling surprised. I really hadn't thought that Tyler was guilty.

Easton was watching Tyler's arrest now too, "Really?"

"Yeah," Still, I found I shared Easton's incredulousness despite the fact that the police definitely had more experience solving cases than we did.

Easton sighed. "Well, I guess we wouldn't be series regulars on Whodunit. I knew we gave up on that lead too quickly."

That was completely my fault. Easton would have pressed Tyler harder. I should have let him.

"Yeah. Well, on the bright side, at least we won't be arrested now, right?" I said.

Easton nodded. "That's a definite plus. Still, let's try and get closer. I want to see if we can hear anything. I want to know why he did it."

We walked over to a spot on the patio where we could get a better look at what was going on. Tyler was protesting. Chance looked amused as he talked to a police officer. Charlotte stood next to him with a lovestruck look on her face.

"They're charging him with assault," Skylar said just as I wondered what was going on.

I spun around, surprised to see her standing next to us. "Wait. Assaulting who? It's murder if anything."

Skylar looked at me like I was stupid. "They're arresting him for assaulting Chance Fox."

I turned to Easton, frowning. "Is this really happening?"

"Yeah," Easton couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene either.

"How?" I asked.

"Because he's a celebrity," Skylar deadpanned.

I forced myself to keep my composure and not give her a dirty look. Then I noticed that she was trying to weasel her way in between Easton and I. Seriously?

I stepped a little closer to Easton, "But Chance hit Tyler first. There's even paparazzi pictures of it all."

"Yeah, looks like even the cops bow down to celebrities," Easton said, completely absorbed in the Chance/Tyler drama and not in Skylar's and mine.

I forgot Skylar for a moment and looked at Chance. He was grinning at Tyler's fury. He might be hot, but I didn't think he was a nice guy at all. Charlotte was still standing next to Chance, though, looking at him with lovestruck puppy dog eyes. She seemed unaware that there was anything off about him. That made me nervous. Penelope's murder was still unsolved. Charlotte really wouldn't have committed murder for Chance Fox, right? I still didn't think so, but I glanced back at Chance. There was definitely something about him that I really didn't like. Underneath his celebrity, I got an impression of a really slimy actor who did anything and everything for his career or himself.

I turned to Easton, "You know what? I think the murderer is Chance Fox."

No, I wasn't trying to get out of talking to each of the other employees about the murder. I was just suddenly pretty sure. I only needed to prove it. As an added bonus, I really wanted to wipe that smug look off of Chance Fox's face.

## Chapter 5

"What?" Skylar looked totally appalled at my suggestion that Chance was the killer, but I ignored her.

Easton looked thoughtful, "Yeah, Chance Fox? I don't know. We never figured out who might have done the hit for him if he did it. He definitely couldn't have murdered her himself. He wasn't here. He had no way to personally poison that cupcake."

I watched as Chance continued to jeer at Tyler, "You're getting what you deserve!"

"Get over yourself!" Tyler retorted as the officer taking him away roughly pushed him forward.

Chance smiled. He'd just wanted a reaction from Tyler. Oh yeah, he knew how to press people's buttons and manipulate those in authority. I really hoped Penelope had been the one to dump him.

Whoa. A light bulb went off in my brain. I knew why I really didn't like Chance. He reminded me of a guy I'd liked freshman year of high school. Wow. That was a weird blast from the past. I hadn't thought about Daniel Harper in ages. I looked over at Chance again. Yeah, Chance even looked like Daniel a little bit. They definitely had the same nose. Regardless, it was his persona that really struck a cord with me.

I'd had a crush on Daniel Harper when I was fourteen. He was popular and I was somewhere in the middle of the high school food chain. He ended up using me to make Piper Paisley jealous. I found out and it completely crushed me. I'd been in love with him before he made it a point to notice me. Then, when I found out it wasn't real... Yeah. It was my first heartbreak. Chance Fox was just like him. I could tell. They had the same presence. Okay, maybe a part of me wanted the murderer to be Chance just to get back at all of the Daniels in the world who thought that they could use people to get what they wanted. Then again, wouldn't that same persona be the exact type of person to murder someone who wasn't doing what he wanted her to do? Maybe Penelope was going to expose Chance in some way. Chance would so not like that. The problem was: how would I even go about finding that out?

I felt a tap on my shoulder, startling me. I turned around to face a guy in his twenties with shaggy hair and a camera around his neck. Easton turned too. Skylar was absorbed in staring at Chance Fox.

"You work here, right?" The shaggy haired cameraman asked us. "Who's that guy?"

He gestured toward the other employees, who were still sitting in a group at the end of the patio. I frowned at him, feeling suspicious. He must be one of the paparazzi, that the police had corralled as a witness to Penelope's suspicious collapse. Was he going to give out our names to some news outlet? I didn't want to be hounded just because I'd witnessed Penelope Rose's murder.

"Why?" I asked.

The guy looked annoyed for a moment, but quickly tried to hide it, "Because I think I recognize him."

"What?" Now I was curious. Why would he recognize one of our employees? I followed his gaze. "Which one?"

"The guy right there?" He pointed at the hipster.

"His name is Nolan," I looked at Easton. "Do you know his last name?"

"No idea," Easton said.

"Nolan, Nolan, Nolan," The photographer said to himself.

I looked at the photographer. "Where do you recognize him from?"

He was definitely annoyed with me now for interrupting his thought process. I swear he almost did an eye roll, "I'm trying to figure that out."

I glanced at Easton. Should I tell him more about Nolan? What if there was a connection to the murder? "Well, I heard he was an actor, but I don't think he's that successful that you would have taken a picture of him..."

"No. He's not a celebrity, but he really looks familiar," The photographer frowned still trying to place where he knew Nolan.

"Maybe he looks like someone you know personally?" I offered.

"You don't have a last name, do you?" He asked, pulling up his cell phone and typing in Nolan's first name.

I shook my head.

"Well, can you find it out?" He asked.

"It's Hill. Nolan Hill," Skylar said, jumping back into our business.

I glared at her. This time she ignored me. The photographer frowned. Then he pulled out his cell phone. I saw him pull up the internet and search for Nolan Hill. Nothing came up.

"Darn it," He muttered under his breath. "I thought I had something."

Easton and I looked at each other and moved away. We left him there muttering to himself. Skylar took the opportunity to talk to him further. She probably wanted to get her name in the tabloids. Personally, I wanted to get as far away from him as I could. I didn't need my name tied with a murder.

I wondered if we should warn Nolan that one of the paparazzi was internet stalking him and that he might end up on TMZ. I thought about this. Did Nolan actually have something to hide?

For the heck of it, I pulled out my own phone and searched for Nolan Hill. There were a few guys with the same name. I went through the first few pages of search results, but none of them were the Nolan that worked with us.

"Did you find him?" Easton asked, leaning over my phone.

"No. I didn't have any luck looking him up either," I said, still thinking.

I erased my initial search and then simply typed in Nolan and Penelope Rose. My brain froze at the results. I read the first headline four times before my mind realized what I was reading: Penelope Rose and her college sweetheart, Nolan Wilson.

I clicked on the link. I zoomed in on the picture. Penelope was walking out of a trendy Hollywood restaurant with a man. He was clean shaven with bleach blonde hair and looked like a surfer. Our Nolan looked completely different. I zoomed in on the photo and looked closely at his face, particularly his mouth, eyes, and cheekbones. I tried to picture dark hair, a beard, and glasses.

I heard Easton's breath catch. I think I about stopped breathing, myself. It was definitely him. Nolan had dated Penelope.

Then the questions came flooding in. Why would he do it? How could he have known Penelope would help Nina by doing a personal appearance at the grand opening? Why hadn't Penelope or Nina recognized him even if he looked different?

"We need to tell the police," I said automatically.

Easton nodded. We both walked over to the nearest police officer, the same one who had been neglecting his duties earlier when he let us slip by. He was watching the crowd.

"We need to talk to you," Easton said.

The officer turned to us. "You kids need to wait over there. They'll bring you inside in a few minutes. We're going as quickly as we can."

I frowned. We weren't kids, but suddenly I felt like one anyway. Maybe we should try someone else, but who? The rest of the police were actually investigating, not babysitting.

"We actually have a lead in your case," Easton continued.

I thought the officer was going to roll his eyes, but somehow he managed not to. "Okay. Like I said, we're going to talk to all of you. It's procedure. Go wait over there."

"But—" Easton started.

"I'm not going to ask again," The police officer said firmly.

Easton nodded. Then we both turned away from the police officer. Neither of us said anything for a moment.

"Should we try someone else?" I asked.

"I think it's too late for that," Easton said.

"What?" I asked and then followed his gaze.

Nolan, like Charlotte, had hopped the small fence around the patio when we'd stopped to talk to the policeman watching us. Now, he was walking toward Chance. Nobody was paying attention to him. Was he going to kill Chance in front of everyone? There was no other reason for him to talk to Chance. Goosebumps broke out over my arms as horror washed over me. I was about to witness a second murder. We would never get to him in time. Even if I didn't like Chance, I didn't want him dead. And Charlotte...

For once, I didn't think or worry about looking weird or being the center of attention. I automatically ran forward, hopping the fence like the others must have done. Easton did the same. I had to try and stop it from happening.

"Hey!" I heard the policeman who had been babysitting us yell.

I ignored him and focused on the scenario unfolding in front of me. Nolan walked up to Chance and handed him something. What was it? It looked like a bottle of water. Chance said something. Nolan nodded and walked away. Easton slowed down. I did too. Maybe we were wrong. Maybe...

Wait. Chance handed the water to Charlotte. I ran for her, not waiting for Easton. The water had been poisoned. I was sure of it!

Charlotte started to put the bottle up to her lips. I was almost there. She was about to drink from it. I grabbed it out of her hands. Some of the liquid splashed onto my hand. I sure hoped whatever poison was in it didn't kill you by passing through your skin.

"What the heck? Ava, what are you doing?" Charlotte was incredulous.

"Saving your life," I said, still looking at the hand I'd spilled the water on. It looked normal enough. Should I talk to one of the paramedics?

From behind me I heard a thud. I spun around. The photographers started snapping more photos.

"Seriously? What now?" I heard one of the policemen say as they all reacted to the situation.

I turned just in time to see Easton struggling on the ground with Nolan.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Cole chanted again.

I wasn't sure why Cole was so into it. Truthfully, neither of the two guys seemed like very good fighters. Easton was trying to wrestle Nolan to the ground and keep him there. Nolan was trying to get Easton off of him. It only lasted a second because the police surrounded them and then pulled them apart.

I moved forward to try and explain. I didn't want them to arrest the wrong man or even worse, let Nolan go. Nolan was sure to flee to Canada, Mexico, or some other untouchable place as soon as Easton let him go if he wasn't arrested. A policeman stopped me. Again. I tried not to throw the poisoned water I was still holding at him. I was seriously getting angry. I had something important to say.

"Miss, you need to stand right there," He said.

I didn't let him stop me. This was too important, "But you don't understand. That guy, the hipster one, Nolan, he's the one that killed Penelope Rose."

The policeman frowned at me.

I held out my phone to him, showing him the picture of Nolan with Penelope, "And I think he might have been about to try and kill Chance Fox."

## Epilogue

A billion hours later and I was finally cleared to go home. I ached everywhere like I had spent the day working. Being a witness to a murder was exhausting and stressful, yet it was all I could think about. I had no idea what occurred after Easton tackled Nolan. I prayed that he hadn't been arrested. He'd been trying to stop Penelope's killer from fleeing. He'd done the cops a favor. Still, I couldn't be sure what happened to him. I was separated from them and questioned by the police. I'd finally gotten dismissed after telling them what I knew about a zillion different times.

I walked into the back of the bakery to grab my purse. I heard someone walk up behind me and immediately turned to look. I didn't need any more surprises today.

"Hey, Ava," Easton said, smiling.

The police hadn't arrested him! Yay! I stopped myself from hugging him. That might be a little too strange.

The only problem was that now my heart was beating a mile a minute and I could barely think, "Oh, hey."

I tried to sound like I wasn't suddenly nervous to be alone with Easton. It was just the first time we'd been alone all day. Even though we'd spent several hours solving a murder together, it suddenly felt a little weird.

Was it just me or was there something there? Maybe my crush was requited? Yeah. There was no way I was going to ask. He'd have to make that move. I was most definitely shy in that respect.

Easton grinned at me, "It was fun playing whodunit with you."

"Ditto," I said, cringing on the inside. Ditto? Ditto? Why'd I say that word?

"We make a good team," Easton continued, not noticing my word choice.

I nodded. I was waiting. Was he going to ask me out? It sure felt like he might! I fumbled with my purse like I was looking for my car keys. I'd already put them in my pocket, but I was trying to stall just in case Easton had something more he wanted to say to me. He was standing sort of close to me, only about a foot away. That had to mean something, right?

"They arrested Nolan," Easton said instead of asking me out. "And they took Tyler in too, even though they all know that Chance started the fight."

"So, they believed us that Nolan did it?" I asked, trying to squelch my disappointment at the topic. I did actually want to know what happened to Nolan, and the policeman questioning me hadn't been very forthcoming.

"Yeah, they do. I overheard them talking and I saw them carry away your water for evidence. I think it's safe to assume the cupcake and the water were both poisoned, don't you?"

"Oh. Definitely. There was no way he'd go over to Chance except to kill him. Right? I mean, he did it because he was still in love with Penelope and she dumped him or something?" That was my guess as far as motive at least.

"I actually asked him," Easton said.

"You what?"

"I asked him why he did it," Easton repeated. "When I had him on the ground."

I would never have had the guts to do that, but now I had to know. "And?"

"And he wouldn't say anything," Easton frowned. "He was too busy trying to shove me away."

"Oh," I was disappointed.

"But," Easton continued. "After the police finished talking to me, my aunt told me who he actually was and it's obvious why he did it."

"Who was he?" I asked.

"Well, we already knew they dated, but remember the guy my aunt mentioned? The boyfriend who was always smoking weed with Penelope freshman year of college? That was him," Easton said.

I thought about this and voiced the questions I'd considered earlier, "But then why didn't Nina recognize him? Why didn't Penelope?"

"I'm not sure about Penelope, but my aunt said that he looked and acted so different that she didn't put it together. It had been about ten years. She didn't really remember what he looked like. She did know what happened between him and Penelope though," Easton said.

"What?" I asked.

"They dated that year in college and then they both moved to Hollywood. They lived together for ages. Nina was still in school and didn't see much of them at that point, but she and Penelope kept in touch. Then Penelope got her first big break. It was a lead role in a small indie movie, but it was the first major role she'd ever gotten. It put her on the map. He was jealous. They tried to work things out for a while, but then Penelope broke things off with him. He started trying to control her. That was the end for Penelope. He was not going to tell her what to do, especially when it came to her career," Easton said.

"I'm guessing Nolan didn't take it well."

"Not at all," Easton said. "She had to get a restraining order. He wouldn't leave her alone. When she landed Whodunit he finally disappeared. She thought it was finally over."

Poor Penelope. It hadn't been over at all for Nolan. I had one more question, "But how did Nolan know that Nina would ask Penelope to help with her grand opening?"

"I asked my Aunt Nina that too. She thinks that a mutual friend told him. That's her theory. A few people besides the two of them and Tyler knew well in advance that Penelope would be here today," Easton said. "And half the staff, including Nolan, was just hired in the last two weeks. He must have been waiting for the opportunity to get close to Penelope again."

"Wow. I wonder if he thought he'd get away with it," I said.

Easton shrugged. "Probably. If that reporter hadn't recognized him from that ancient photo, he might have."

"But he shouldn't have tried to poison Chance then," I said.

"Maybe he couldn't resist," Easton theorized. "The celebrity gossip made them sound like a golden couple. It probably made him crazier, seeing him only a few feet away."

"Maybe," I said.

I was amazed at how twisted love could become. How could you murder someone you had declared you loved? Scary. Poor, poor Penelope. I was glad her killer was caught. At least she'd have justice.

Easton was still looking at me. I looked up at him. I suddenly noticed how near he was to me. Had he moved closer? I tried to judge the distance, but I was having a hard time not looking up at his face. His lips were right there! I met his eyes again. Wow, that scar on his eyebrow was sexy. Ah! Why was neither of us talking?

I had to say something, anything. "Uh, random question, how'd you get the scar on your eyebrow?"

Easton chuckled. "That is random and it's not that exciting of a story."

"So, what is it?" I asked.

"Guess," Easton said.

"Guess?" I repeated automatically.

"Well, yeah. How do you think I got it?" Easton asked.

I had no idea, but I had to say something. "Were you in a fight?"

Easton shook his head, "No."

I tried again. "Car accident?"

Easton smiled. "No again."

"Can't you just tell me?" I asked.

"Nope," Easton was grinning like he was about to start laughing at me.

"Why not?"

"Because you've probably already got a big head about figuring out Nolan was Penelope's killer," Easton said.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Seriously? The reporter figured it out. I just pieced the last puzzle piece together."

"Well, Miss Modesty, keep guessing. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," Easton said.

"Oh, come on," I was out of ideas.

"Well, then it'll give us something to talk about the next time we work together," Easton said.

My stomach flipped.

Easton broke into my thoughts just as they were about to get good, "Anyway, mind if I grab my stuff?"

"Huh?" I blinked up at him.

"My bag's right behind you," Easton smiled.

"Oh," I moved over a foot, feeling my cheeks turn pink again.

I tried to think of some more scar guesses to get him to stay, but my mind was a total blank. Actually, it wasn't completely empty. I kept fantasizing about a shirtless Easton as the barista, making coffee the next time we worked together. It was hot the way he poured the shots of espresso. Then Easton grabbed a satchel off the bookshelf behind me, bringing me back to reality.

All of the employees had left their things in one of the bookshelf's cubbyholes. I wondered if Nolan had left anything. Then again, maybe the police had already put it in evidence.

"See you later," Easton said as he walked casually past me.

"Yeah, see you later. Bye!" I called after him.

Easton walked back out into the front of the store as I stared after him. I suddenly couldn't wait for my next shift. I was really going to like working at Killer Cupcakes...er, I mean Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee.

## Ava's Super Simple Cupcake Recipe

1. Buy box of cupcake mix.

2. Follow step by step instructions on the box.

3. Try not to burn the cupcakes in the oven because you've decided to write a screenplay while listening to music with your noise-canceling headphones on and can't hear the oven timer going off.

Note to self: I will most definitely need to tweak this recipe once I get a little more baking experience under my belt.

###

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Murderous Muffins (Celebrity Cupcakes Cozy Mystery #2) is out now!

Check out the first chapter on the next page!

###

## Murderous Muffins

Read the first chapter of the next Celebrity Cupcakes Cozy Mystery!

It had been one week exactly since the killer cupcake murder and Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee still had a line around the block for a good part of the day. We were infamous and our cupcakes were delicious. It was a winning combination for drumming up business.

Our best seller so far was the Marilyn Monroe cupcake. It was quickly followed by the classics, chocolate and vanilla. There were no fancy names for those since they were in the classics cupcake section of the bakery case. Nina also had a cupcake of the day and that one usually went quick too. Today's was the Elvis cupcake. It had peanut butter frosting on top of a banana cupcake. Yum. I tried it right before my shift and it was absolutely delicious.

I'd only worked three shifts so far, both about eight hours apiece. By the end of each one I found that my feet were killing me. I was either on register and handing out baked goods or playing barista and making coffee drinks, but I never stopped moving. When I took the job I thought it would be low key because I was working at a bakery. Boy, was I wrong. There were thirty minutes left of my shift. I'd been watching the clock between taking customer orders. It wasn't because I couldn't wait to get off work. It was because I knew Easton was coming in.

I hadn't seen him all week and I'll admit, I'd been pretty disappointed about that. Today was actually the first time I was going to see him since Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee opened for business. I was super excited about it too. I'd even taken care to touch up my makeup during my break. I looked as great as I could in a T-shirt, jeans, and work apron. The only downside was that I was working with Skylar. I'd been lucky earlier in the week since I'd gotten to work with Charlotte. I was starting to wonder if Skylar was as wary of me as I was of her. In theory we should have tons to talk about. We were both wannabe writers in Hollywood and I was pretty sure we both had a crush on the same guy. It should have made for an interesting shift. It hadn't, though. We hadn't talked at all except for the occasional necessary request. Of course, it had been busy. Still, in other jobs I had, even if you were swamped, there was usually some gossip time in between. With Skylar and I it had been silent. Was I just feeling awkward? Or did she dislike me too?

It was lucky then that in the last two hours we'd had a trainee. Even though we were all new too, he was there to observe and help us. His name was Dylan. He was twenty-four and a musician. I would have guessed that anyway from how he looked. He had dyed black hair and a small eyebrow ring over his left eye. Other than playing and writing music, he worked a few part time jobs and Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee was going to be one of them. He seemed cool enough. Unlike Skylar, at least he was trying to make small talk. He had asked us both questions about ourselves, trying to get to know us. The mood had actually lifted considerably since Nina had brought him over to join us.

"Excuse me, sweetheart. We'd like to have some cupcakes," my current customer asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I turned away from Dylan and back to the register. I thought it was so weird when random guys called me honey or sweetheart, but I just ignored it. Then I tried not to stare. He totally had that old Justin Bieber swoop haircut. It was completely outdated. Then again, maybe he wanted to be Justin Bieber. He sort of looked like him, although maybe it was just the haircut. His clothing style wasn't the same at all. He was dressed in a really expensive button-down shirt and pants.

Before I could wonder if he liked to flip his hair, he turned to his friends and said, "You guys should all get one. This is the place where Penelope Rose ate a killer cupcake and dropped dead. It's famous."

Out of the corner of my eye, Dylan raised his eyebrows. We hadn't talked about Penelope yet. He probably had a thousand questions. I know I'd want to know more if I hadn't had a front row seat to what happened.

"Ryder, I can order for myself and Luca, thank you. Excuse me, can I have a muffin?" Ryder's friend pushed his way to the front, knocking him aside. I wanted to roll my eyes. I swore Ryder might have. I noticed that Dylan smirked at me, silently laughing at the uncomfortable situation I'd just been thrust into. Maybe he wasn't as nice as I'd first thought. I hoped the customers didn't notice.

Seriously, though, why did people come into Celebrity Cupcakes and Coffee for muffins, doughnuts, and cookies if we were known for our cupcakes? Of course, I'd never say that. I was great at customer service. I couldn't help my thoughts, though. At least I wasn't like Charlotte, who would have just told the person exactly what she thought of their request. Then again, I hadn't seen or heard of her doing that so maybe she did have a little bit of a mental filter when it came to job preservation. I looked at the customer. He was in his late twenties with sandy brown hair and brown eyes, one of which had a lazy eyelid. Then again, maybe he'd been so busy sightseeing he just hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. He was obviously a tourist because he was wearing a Hollywood T-shirt.

I put a smile on my face and said as sweetly as I could, "I'm sorry we don't have muffins. We only serve cupcakes."

The girl holding his hand spoke up, "Well, I'll have a chocolate cupcake and a latte."

I punched it into the register. "Would you like anything, sir?" He frowned at me, "I'm actually still having a problem. You should serve muffins. Aren't they pretty much the same as cupcakes anyway, except with no frosting? Plus they go great with coffee."

"Honey," his girlfriend said. I kept the smile on my face, "Sorry about that. If it helps, I know there are other coffee shops around if you want muffins. Otherwise, I swear we have fantastic cupcakes." He wasn't done, "Yeah, except I don't have time to go down the street and find something. We're going on a tour. I want a muffin." "I'm sorry," I said and when he didn't say anything I added "Cupcake?" The customer still didn't answer and he wasn't paying for his girlfriend's order or moving aside for anyone else to order either. I wondered if he was thinking of causing a scene. I stopped myself from glancing at Skylar and Dylan. I doubted either of them would help me out anyway.

The girl behind him nudged him. "I have some muffins in my bag."

He turned to look at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "I get hungry."

"Thanks," The guy's girlfriend said.

He'd already turned back around to face me. "You seriously don't have muffins?"

"No," I said.

"Well, what about the Taylor Swift cupcake?" The guy's girlfriend asked. "That's kinda muffin-y."

Somewhere Taylor Swift had said that one of her comfort foods was Cinnamon Toast Crunch and the cupcake inspired by her was a vanilla cinnamon swirl cake batter topped with cinnamon sugar frosting. So, it was actually probably closer to coffee cake than a muffin. Still, I didn't say anything. Maybe he'd go for it.

"No. It's not muffin-y at all," He said. "I just want a plain muffin. Blueberry, banana, whatever."

"They have a..." His girlfriend started to say.

He cut her off. "Cupcakes are not muffins."

"And I told you I have some muffins," The girl behind him said again.

He turned to look at her. I swore it was more of a glare, but his voice came out polite, so maybe I was wrong. "I'm fine. Thanks."

He turned back to me. He did not look fine. I didn't know what more I could tell him. We really didn't have muffins. I wasn't lying. This was one of the bad parts of customer service. Sometimes you had an irrational customer. It wasn't fun at all.

"So..." Mr. Muffin Man, as I preferred to think of him, started to say.

"Hey, Cam. Let the pretty girl off, dude. You're embarrassing Luca. Just order something," Ryder said as he did a Justin Bieber-like hair flip. "I told you, I've got this."

Mr. Muffin Man didn't even acknowledge his friend. Instead, he looked at me. I really wished he would look away because the bad vibe I was getting was only intensifying.

As if on cue with my thoughts, I saw Nina come out from the back. Dylan moved aside to let her pass. Mr. Muffin Man and his friends were all getting kind of loud. This was a train wreck. I was pretty sure I'd said the right things, though. Still, I suddenly felt a little nervous. This was a new job and I really didn't want to get fired. I glanced over at Skylar, but her face was completely blank. Would she back me up if I needed her to? Surely she thought the customer was being irrational too. I was pretty sure Dylan was on my side. Maybe. I didn't know him at all, though, and he hadn't moved to help me yet.

"What's up, Ava?" Nina asked, coming to stand next to me. "He wants a muffin," I told her while eying Mr. Muffin Man nervously.

"That's right. I do," Mr. Muffin Man was so ready to get me in trouble. I could see it in his eyes. "Your employee here says that you don't have any and I don't understand why..." Nina cut him off before he could ramp himself up and said, "Sir, I'm so sorry. She's right. We don't make muffins currently. We might have some alternative options eventually. Right now we only have cupcakes, though. I'm happy to give you one on the house to try. And I'd love it if you filled this out."

Nina handed him one of the comment cards we kept next to the register. He took it. I doubted he was going to take the time to write anything on it. At least he seemed on the downside of his anger now, though. Maybe he just wanted a free cupcake all along.

Nina continued. "We only just opened, so your comments would really mean a lot." He nodded at her and then looked at me. "I'll have a coffee then...and the Taylor cupcake or whatever it is. And my whole order is on the house, right?"

Nina paused, but then nodded even though his order wasn't supposed to be completely free. I wondered if Nina wanted to get rid of him just as much as I did. I now definitely had the impression that he just threw that fit to get free food. Regardless of what I thought, though, I added those items to his order, got their cupcakes, poured him a plain cup of coffee, and gave it to him. He and his girlfriend picked up their food and went to wait for Luca's latte. Skylar had it up and on the pickup counter just as they reached it. That was my only indication that Skylar wanted them to leave too. Nina nodded at me and went back into the kitchen. A wave of relief swept over me. Nina was a cool boss, but she was still my boss so having her watch me ring up customers was nerve-racking. The next customer was waiting.

It was the girl who offered up the muffins, "Sorry about that. He can be a bit of a..."

I heard Dylan mutter something under his breath that I hoped the girl didn't hear.

I didn't want to cause more trouble, so I cut her off and changed the subject, "What can I get for you?"

"Oh. I'll have a Marilyn Monroe cupcake and my fiancé will have an Elvis cupcake. And we'll also have one regular coffee with room for cream."

"And I'll have a Marilyn Monroe cupcake too," Ryder jumped into the conversation, pulling out his wallet.

"I can get this," The girl said. "You've been so great, Ryder. Let us treat you."

Ryder nodded after a moment. "Okay, thanks."

I rang her up and got their coffee and cupcakes. She handed me a credit card. She had an interesting name \- Amelie. I saw the movie with that name in college, but I'd never met anyone with that name. I didn't mention it to her, though. It might be awkward. I'm sure she got the movie comparison all the time.

Ryder and Amelie's fiancé took the cupcakes and coffee and walked off to go talk to Mr. Muffin Man and his girlfriend, who had sat down at a table toward the back of the shop. I swiped Amelie's credit card and waited for it to clear. Our machine could be slow sometimes. As I waited for it to go through, I smiled at her.

Amelie smiled back and then said, "I like your eye shadow. It's a great color."

"Oh, thanks," I said. I'd especially put it on for Easton, so it was cool that somebody else noticed. Maybe he would too.

The credit card went through.

"Thanks and sorry again about..." Amelie started to say.

"No worries," I repeated.

Amelie nodded and smiled, then turned and walked over to her friends. At least she'd been nice. I was glad Mr. Muffin Man was a tourist and hoped I didn't see him back in the shop again. I sometimes just didn't get people. I mean, seriously, how could you get mad that a cupcake shop doesn't have muffins? It's a cupcake shop. We logically serve cupcakes. I sort of wished now that Nina hadn't given him the free food. Upon further thought, I didn't like the idea of rewarding an annoying scam artist customer.

"Does that happen often?" Dylan asked.

"A few a day for different reasons," I answered.

"Fun," Dylan said.

I glanced at Skylar worrying she might tattletale on my complaining and quickly added, "But most of our customers are awesome."

"Of course," Dylan said. "So, tell me about the awesome dead one."

"Later," I hedged as the next person stepped up.

I processed a flurry of new orders. I forgot all about the last five minutes until I saw Mr. Muffin Man walk off with his friends, tossing his barely eaten cupcake in the trash. I wondered if he'd even tried it or if someone else had taken the bite. I wasn't surprised, though. He was probably going to drag his friends off in search of a muffin before their tour just to annoy everyone. He seemed like that kind of a guy. I shook myself out of my thoughts. It really wasn't my problem anymore since they were officially gone. I glanced at the clock. Easton should be here any second. Nervous butterflies fluttered around my stomach in anticipation.

Another group of customers came in. I saw Easton walk in behind them, heading toward the back. My heart leapt at the sight of him. I waited for him to look at me. A second passed, then another. I wondered if I should look away, but I couldn't.

I smiled hopefully, but he kept walking and didn't even look over to acknowledge me. A wave of disappointment washed through me. I pushed it away and focused on the customer in front of me. Still, another part of my brain wondered if Easton had forgotten all about me already. Unless... I glanced at Skylar. Had she somehow managed to ensnare Easton in her claws this week when I wasn't around? Is that why she'd been so standoffish today? I took a deep breath. I was obsessing. If Easton went out with Skylar, it was none of my business. We weren't together. Still, my heart hurt just thinking about them together despite the rational thoughts in my brain telling me that I was jumping to unfounded conclusions. He hadn't looked at her either, after all. Besides, there were probably a billion other reasons why he hadn't looked in my direction and acknowledged me. Right?

###

## Adventures in Funeral Crashing

Read an excerpt from my YA romantic mystery series! It's a **FREE** ebook!

Funeral crashing is a little weird, I suppose, for someone my age. I'm sixteen, almost seventeen, and I just started my junior year at Palos High School in Palos, IL. It's in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Still, I'm not Harold from Harold and Maude, just to make that clear. I love movies and that one is funny and dark, but I'm not like him. I don't stage fake suicides or drive a hearse. He was dark and somber and totally weird. I don't think I'm like that. I like normal things like regular cars. Actually, I'd really love a bright blue convertible. And, I'm not obsessed with death. I just like going to funerals.

I'm kind of young to be a professional mourner, though, right? That's what they call it if you're old school. It tends to be in reference to groups of old ladies, who just love to attend funerals. Maybe they're trying to get ideas for their own funeral. Maybe they want to beat the Joneses' and get a shinier coffin and better flowers than their neighbor had. Or, maybe they just like funerals, like I do. And, when I say funerals, I'm including the wake and the actual burial. They're both part of the same process.

I actually once found a website advertising an exciting career as a professional mourner! I'll admit it - I was googling. It said you could make $500 a day and all you had to do was start calling funeral homes and offer your services. Now that's an awesome after school job! So, I called, but none of them called me back. I guess it wasn't a lucrative career after all. It doesn't matter. I go to them anyway for free.

I know, I know. What more can I say to explain? It's simple. Super simple. I happen to like funerals and I completely realize that it makes me seem like a totally and utterly bizarre girl. Okay, I'm weird. Yes, I'm a freak. I admit it. Hey, I'm not going to make fun of you for singing along to the latest Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber song or anything. You know you do. Those songs are catchy. Believe me, it wouldn't be the first time someone told me I was weird. My ex-best friend, Ariel Walker, loves to tell me how strange I am whenever she gets the chance.

"Kait Lenox is a freak!" tends to follow me around everywhere, at least when Ariel is around. I'm usually busy trying to blend into the wall when she walks by now. It makes life easier, much easier, and I've actually gotten quite good at it. I doubt most of the student population even knows I exist, unless Ariel points me out to them or something.

Ariel was named after The Little Mermaid. You know, the really cute kids movie? Her mother loved it. Well, my ex-bff Ariel didn't grow up to be a sweet little singing mermaid, let me tell you. We were best friends until our freshman year of high school and then poof! She was gone with the popular crowd, like we had never even known each other. Well, we don't know each other unless she stops to tell me how weird I am. Then she's happy to talk to me. That was the year my mother died too. Can you believe that? See what I mean? Ariel is not a nice and sweet singing mermaid. Her mother should have named her Ursula, after the Sea Witch.

Yes, my mother died a little over a year and a half ago. She had ovarian cancer, but by the time the doctors found it, it had already spread. It was like one minute she was diagnosed and two months later she was gone. I try not to think about it. It still makes me really sad and if I dwell on it, I just get depressed. I start thinking about things like if I ever get married she won't be there. Not that I remotely have any prospects, but you know, if I ever do.

I miss her. I really miss her. I'd give anything to have her back and wipe away those last two months. The last moments my mother was alive, she was unconscious in our living room, dying. It's still depressing to walk into the living room. I can almost still see where the hospital bed was, even though my dad has replaced it with a leather couch and a brand new flat screen TV. We all deal with grief in different ways.

The funeral was actually a relief. It was the first funeral I had ever attended. I mean nobody in my family or any family friends or anything had died in the fourteen plus years I had been alive and then the first one to go, is my mom. Sure, I had grandparents die before I was born, but I wasn't born yet, so I never knew them. Anyway, it was a memorable first funeral. I loved my mom more than anything else and it was comforting having all of the people who loved her all around us, even if most of them were just family. And, you know what? It was a nice funeral for being really depressing and all.

It was really cool hearing all the stories about my mom. Things she had never mentioned to me. Like, I didn't know she lived in Los Angeles, California for three months when she was twenty-six just to see if she liked it. She slept on her friend's couch and everything! She was too in love with my dad at the time to stay, but wow, my mom had an adventure! She lived in Hollywood! Where they make movies! I love movies. Maybe one day I'll go into filmmaking even. But, anyway, my mom was there in LA with the movie stars! How cool is that?

Needless to say, the funeral was actually the best part of that whole ordeal. I sound intellectual there, don't I, using the word ordeal? I like to read too – anything and everything. My favorite books range from The Shining by Stephen King (very creepy) to Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (classic romance) to Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (funny chic lit). See, I'm not all dark and dreary. A good book is a good book when you like to read as much as I do. I suppose some of my reading affinity comes from my best friend having ditched me, becoming the weird girl, and having no friends at all upon starting high school. Suddenly, you get a lot of time on your hands to do stuff like read.

So, yeah, I'm not a Goth girl, by the way. I don't wear all black and I haven't dyed my hair black either. I did put bleach blonde highlights into my hair last year, but they've all kind of grown out now and my hair is mostly back to it's reddish blonde again. It's kind of rusty really. My mom always said it was strawberry blonde and that it made my green eyes stand out. I think she was just being my mom because my hair looks rusty to me.

Oh, and to be Goth you have to know it inside out and be good at fashion, in a Goth way. It's not all just wearing black and I'm not good at fashion, by any means. I mostly just wear jeans and T-shirts. To the funerals, I dress up and yes, I do wear black. It's a funeral, you're supposed to. You're respecting and remembering the dead, you know? You should look nice and black is the accepted color for mourning. Besides, the whole point of crashing is to blend into the wake or funeral and fit in, so a black outfit can be key. And, I am there to mourn with them, so it's good to play the part.

So, basically, I'm not a total freak, like Ariel Walker makes me out to be. I just like funerals, which is why I'm at a wake on Wednesday night, instead of at home watching crappy reality television shows or teen dramas like everyone else. And, okay, we do have TIVO and I can always catch them online later, so it's not like I'm missing anything.

It's a wake for Liz O'Reilly. She was only nineteen and died of a drug overdose - a heroin drug overdose to be exact. It made the paper. There have been a lot of overdoses at Laurel Community College in the last two months and it's not the kind of area you'd think would have a major drug problem. I mean, pot, sure, but heroin? Heroin is a hardcore drug. It's something you'd expect to see a problem with in the inner city, not here in the squeaky clean suburbs.

I saw the news article before I even read the obituary. The obituary just said she was taken too soon from her loving family. Nobody wants to admit that their kid was a druggie. Things like that are never in the obituary. Her picture is what really got to me. It made my heart constrict and everything, it was so sad. Liz was really pretty from the photo. You'd never even think of her as using drugs, at least not enough to overdose. Pot, maybe. Alcohol, sure, she's a teenager. Heroin, no way would she be the type to even try it. I guess you can never tell, though. It's crazy.

Liz looked like your average American girl - dark hair, green eyes, tall, thin, and young. I'd bet anything that they used her high school graduation photo for the obituary. It just looked like one of those photos. Liz was smiling and clear eyed, and had her whole life ahead of her. Now, instead, a year later, she was dead and I was attending her funeral. You never knew where life would take you or when it would be taken away from you. Carpe diem, you know?

As a note, you have to be careful when crashing a funeral or a wake. I usually stay toward the back and keep my head down. I like listening to everyone else talk, but I don't actually want to get in on the conversation. Talking to people is a good way to get caught funeral crashing. I mean, you can talk to people, but you have to be very, very careful what you say. When the only info you have on a person is from an online obituary, it's very easy to get caught in a lie. Then again, it's not like the deceased is going to sit up in their coffin and say, "No, I definitely don't know that girl with the rusty hair."

You also don't want to be only one of three people in attendance. Small funerals are a definite no-no. Then you're really forced to talk about the deceased and if you don't actually know them, well, people don't take too kindly to funeral crashers. It's always better to attend a large funeral, so that people don't get too nosy about why you're there. And, like I said, I've gotten very good at blending into the wall in high school, so I'm pretty good at it at funerals too.

Although, there was this one time that I didn't blend so well. Not that I've ever gotten caught, exactly, but when I first started funeral crashing I did have a hiccup. It was the only time I've almost gotten caught. Instead of just sitting down and casually mingling, I got into a conversation and an old man caught me in a lie about his dead nephew and started screaming at me. That's when I made my rule about only minimally talking to people. It was a horrific scene. I acted like he'd gone crazy with grief and then I feigned having to go to the restroom really, really badly. I ended up climbing out the window to escape. I never wanted that to happen again. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I just...wanted to be there.

I figured Liz's funeral would be big enough, being that she was young and all, that I could blend in with any of the college students that might be there. I was right. There weren't a thousand, like I would have thought, but they may have been waiting to turn out at the end of the night – the whole fashionably late thing. Still, there were enough of them that I wouldn't look conspicuous. I had just thought that most of Laurel Community College would show up. I mean, Liz had died so young, but maybe Liz alienated people when she started to use drugs. I know I would have been mad at her for killing herself.

Still, it was a big funeral. It looked like mostly relatives and family friends. There were barely any seats in the viewing room, people were just milling around, and it was still early. You could tell that all of her relatives were there. The woman in the corner surrounded by people looked like it could be Liz's mom. It was profoundly sad. My heart just wanted to reach out to her. I knew how she felt, except the other way around, since I had lost my mom. I mean, I was not going to go up to her and tell her that I had felt the same way because then I'd get asked the worst question you could possibly get asked when you crash a funeral – "How do you know Liz?"

You have to be careful how you answer that, if someone asks you. I mean – a long lost cousin? Well, there tends to be a family historian in every bunch and you can easily get caught if you say you're related. That's what happened that time I almost got caught by the old man. He was the family historian and knew everyone's name back until they landed on the Americas. Seriously. Anyway, it can work sometimes, but not always, as I found out. So, it's risky.

An old, long lost friend? Yeah, well, that doesn't quite work if the deceased is forty-five and you're sixteen. They tend to think something weird is going on then. Nineteen and sixteen? That could work for me. Liz and I probably looked around the same age. I could pass for a young nineteen. I mean, who can tell these days anyway. There are people in my class who look thirty-five.

Would I ever just admit to funeral crashing? I'm sure there would be a situation where you could say that, nicer of course, but I wouldn't. People might get out their pitchforks and burn you at the stake. It's not a hobby that people take kindly to, even though I'm just here to mourn along with the rest of them. I mean, who says you have to know someone in order to celebrate their life and feel sad about them dying? You know? I think it's a nice thing, what I'm doing. I care about people. Still, when you go around telling people that you crash funerals, they don't feel that way about it, no matter how I've intended it.

So, before I ever show up to a funeral or a wake, I make sure to read the obituary and do some Google research. If I can find anything about the deceased and their family, it always leaves me more prepared. And, I always, always, always try to think of a cover, just in case I get asked how I know the deceased. This one was easy. I had a class with Liz at Laurel Community College. If they pressed me on which class, I was going with a normal one like English. She might not be taking English, so I wasn't going to offer, but it was a good bet that she may have taken it in the last year. And, if they kept pressing, my plan was to simply just say that I didn't know her that well, but I thought it was really sad what happened and all, so I decided to come to the funeral and pay my respects.

It was too bad then that I got all tongue-tied and freaked out when Ethan Ripley, the most popular and gorgeous guy at Palos High School, walked up to me and said, "How do you know Liz?"

I had totally had an answer prepared. I swear. It's just that he's so freaking hot that I totally forgot all about it.

###

## About the Author

Milda Harris is a Chicago girl who ran off to Hollywood to pursue a screenwriting dream. She likes silly sports like dodgeball and kickball and loves John Hughes teen movies. She's worked in production on television shows like Austin & Ally, Hannah Montana, and That's So Raven. Now she writes young adult and new adult novels in between chasing after her identical twin toddlers and her super cute dog Licorice.

Sign up for Milda's mailing list – Get free stories! Also learn about giveaways, discounts, and Milda's latest book news!

This book came out of my love for Hollywood, romantic mysteries, and all things sweet (especially cupcakes)!

The Celebrity Cupcakes Cozy Mysteries include:

#1 - Killer Cupcakes

#2 - Murderous Muffins

#3 - Death by Chocolate

The Funeral Crashing Mysteries include:

#1 - Adventures in Funeral Crashing

#2 - Adventures of a Graveyard Girl

#3 - Adventures in Murder Chasing

#3.5 - Adventures of a New Year's Kiss

#3.6 - Adventures of a New Year's Date

#4 - Adventures in Homicide and Heartbreak

Make sure to also check out the Ethan Tells All short stories. The first is Adventures in Double Dating: Ethan Tells the Adventures in Funeral Crashing Double Date Scene. There will soon be one for each full length Funeral Crashing mystery, so keep a lookout for them!

Be sure to check out Milda's other books:

The New Girl Who Found A Dead Body

Doppelganger

Doppelganger 2: On the Run

Connected (A Paranormal Romance)

Crashing Prom

Multi-Author Collections Milda has a chapter in:

Love Firsts (A FREE sampler of YA contemporary romances)

Connect with Me Online:

Website: http://www.mildaharris.com

Twitter: <http://twitter.com/MildaHarris>

Facebook Fan Page: <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milda-Harris-Fans/197576350278408>

Goodreads: <http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4965095.Milda_Harris>
