Tea House, Tights, and Toffee (Sadie Silver Mysteries Book 11), page 1
Tea House, Tights, and Toffee
Sadie Silver Mystery #11
KAILIN GOW
Table of Contents
Title Page
Tea House, Tights, and Toffee (Sadie Silver Mysteries, #11)
Summary
Chapter 1 | Sadie
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About the Author Kailin Gow
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you for picking up Tea House, Tights, and Toffee
(Sadie Silver Mystery #11)
This series is a cozy mystery with clean romance and some pet paranormal elements recommended for age 13 and up.
Summary
Fashionable Celebrity Pastry Chef Sadie Silver loves mixing travel, food, romance, and crime solving wherever she goes or stays...along with the help of her intelligent cat Orchid and sensitive-smelling-nose dog Biscuit, handsome forensic scientist Palmer, and the mysterious gorgeous man who always places an order directly from her for a dozen red velvet cupcakes.
Chapter 1
Sadie
SADIE SAT STARING AT her laptop, her finger simply lying over the keys. Hoping to get some work done on her latest cookbook, she’d gone down to Fortune Falls’ most popular little shop; the Twin Sisters’ Tea Shop.
With every recipe, she wanted to include a little back story, but as she worked on her upside-down, strawberry cream tart recipe, the background story just wasn’t coming together.
She sat back and looked around at the other patrons around her. Seated in her favorite little corner that was slightly set apart from the others, she had a perfect view of the entire shop.
Elle and Emma Grandy, twins in their late twenties that Sadie had known for ages, had done a great job decorating the place. There was something a little traditional, but also a little eclectic about the tea shop. Sadie particularly liked the folk art on the walls and the tiny flower pots set all around the small shop.
“Writer’s block?” Emma said as she came around with a kettle of hot water. She gestured to the kettle.
“I’m good,” Sadie said for the hot water. “Although, maybe a few more sips of tea would help unblock me.”
Emma poured some steaming hot water into Sadie’s teapot and added a spoonful of her favorite loose-leaf tea.
“Thanks.”
“How’s the cookbook coming?” Emma said.
“The first half was easy. I gathered up my favorite old-time recipes, modernized them a bit, added a touch of this and a little less of that. But there’s a bit of history to each of these recipes and I’m having trouble getting this one down in a way that makes sense.”
“Well, good luck,” Emma offered. “I’d love to help you out, but I can barely write a birthday card, much less a book.”
Sadie smiled at the cute redhead with the big green eyes, that adorable splash of freckles and a smile that could light up a room. “Didn’t you get high grades back in English class in high school? If I remember correctly, you got better grades than I did.”
Emma shook her head. “Your memory fails you, dear Sadie. I was way too busy cheerleading to get good grades in just about any class. I mean, I got by, but high grades? I don’t think so.”
“Maybe I’m confusing you with your sister.”
Emma glanced to the ceiling and smiled. “Elle did manage to do a little better than I did, although with all the cheerleading that she did, I don’t know how she pulled it off.”
“Well, you pulled this place off pretty well,” Sadie said, taking another look around at the customers who were all happily sipping their tea while they read, chatted with friends or, like her, worked on their laptop.
Emma followed her gaze. “Yeah. Elle and I really put a lot of work into this place.” She smiled. “Shopping around for all those fanciful teapots was really a lot of fun. Looking for and tasting all of these different teas from all around the world... that was interesting. Definitely an eye opener. And decorating this place. Well... you know that Elle has always had a knack for imaginative decorating. It was her idea to have the place almost all with rich woods brightened up with vivid colors.”
“Well, it has certainly become one of my favorite places to go.”
“Happy to hear it.” Emma turned to leave.
“Hey,” Sadie called out as she noticed a shiny new bling on Emma’s finger. “What’s that all about?”
Beaming, Emma set her kettle down on the table and sat down. “I thought you’d never ask. I just got back from a Caribbean vacation with Adam.”
“Oh. That’s right. Elle told me about that.”
“Well, there we were, sitting on the beach enjoying a nice little drink when he suddenly rolled over on his beach towel with this gorgeous ring on his little finger.”
“How cute,” Sadie said. “And romantic.”
“I’m so happy, Sadie. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I mean, Adam and I have talked about marriage before, but only in a very vague and sort of faraway manner. I never expected him to propose.”
“So, I take it that you said yes.”
“You bet,” Emma said with a wide grin.
“Well, it’s about time. You guys have been together for ages.”
“I have to admit, there were times when I thought it would never happen. I tried not to put any pressure on Adam, but... well, you know what a romantic I am. This is going to be a huge deal, you know. I’ve already begun to make plans for the wedding. My head is positively spinning. And the dress. Oh, Sadie. I can’t wait”
Reaching out to pat Emma’s hand, Sadie smiled. “I’m really happy for you. You two are so good together.”
But Emma’s smile suddenly faded.
“What’s wrong?”
“To tell you the truth, I’m a little worried about Elle.”
Sadie furrowed her brow and waited for Emma to explain.
“My marriage to Adam means that I’ll be moving out.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. I don’t think that Elle could fault you for that.”
“No. But I won’t just be moving out of the apartment that we share. I’m going to be moving out of Fortune Falls.”
“Oh,” Sadie said softly, realizing the impact this might have on Emma’s twin sister. “Where are you moving to?”
“Adam has a really great job in the city.” She paused. “I’m going to go join him in New York City. And, I hate to admit it because I really do love Fortune Falls, but I can’t wait to go to the big city. It’s so exciting, Sadie. But when Elle learns that I’m moving, well, I’m afraid that she won’t be so excited for me.”
“I think you’re underestimating your sister, Emma. Elle loves you and she’ll be happy for you, no matter where you go.”
Emma stood and picked up her kettle. “I hope you’re right.”
“Well, anyway, I’m happy for you, Emma. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She glanced around. “I’d better get back to it.”
“Sure.”
Alone once again, Sadie settled in with her fresh pot of tea and got to work.
She put aside the story that she’d been struggling with and got to work on one that went along with a simple vanilla cake that baked over a thick and sweet syrup.
Her great grandmother had passed the recipe down to her grandmother who had taught it to her mother who had made the cake for Sadie dozens of times.
It was the sort of old fashioned homemade cake that she didn’t have in her shops, although, the more she thought about the more she considered doing a single portion version of the cake.
As she began to write about the struggles her great grandmother had gone through in her younger years, Sadie was suddenly shaken from her work by a shrill and horrified scream.
Scrambling out of her chair, Sadie rushed toward the kitchen where the scream continued to emanate from. She ran into the tiny kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what Lizzy, the young cashier, was screaming about.
“Oh, my God!” Sadie shouted as she shoved the stunned Lizzy aside. “Help me get her down!”
She reached out to Emma who was hanging from the ceiling kitchen light. Around her neck were her tights... the very same tights she’d been wearing only a short time earlier while talking to Sadie.
Chapter 2
“The paramedics are here,” Lizzy said.
With the help of one of the patrons, Sadie had managed to get Emma down from the ceiling light and had laid her down on the counter.
“Brandon! Tyler!” Lizzy called out to the incoming paramedics. “In here! Quick.”
“What do we have?” Tyler said as he came to Emma.
“We found her hanging up there,” Sadie said as she stepped back and pointed to the ceiling. “Her tights were knotted around her neck. But she also has this puncture wound.”
Brandon took a hold of the cloth that Sadie had pressed into Emma’s belly wound, while Tyler checked on her breathing.
“Her breathing is shallow,” Tyler said. “Barely there.” He worked at resuscitating her.
“Okay,” Brandon called out as he gestured for the crowd in the kitchen to disperse. “Clear the way. We’ll bring in the stretcher and get her to the hospital. ”
While Tyler continued to work on Emma to stabilize her, Brandon headed out to the ambulance and quickly returned with a stretcher.
He looked at Sadie. “The police have arrived,” he said as he and Tyler lifted Emma onto the stretcher. “Are you going to be able to fill them in?”
“No,” Sadie said, shooting a quick glance at Lizzy who nodded. “Lizzy can take care of that. I want to get on board with you guys and be with Emma.”
“I can’t let you on board,” Tyler said as they prepared to roll Emma out. “But you can follow us.”
“Okay.”
Sadie followed them out and looked into Emma’s face just before they loaded her up.
“Any idea what happened?” Tyler said.
“None,” Sadie said. “I was talking with her just... what...? Ten, maybe fifteen minutes before I heard the scream.”
“Has anyone contacted her family?”
“I think Lizzy sent Elle a text.”
He got in with Emma while Brandon went to the driver side door.
“See you there,” Tyler said as he closed the door.
Sadie rushed to her car and followed close behind them. They reached the hospital and rushed Emma out of the ambulance and into the emergency.
“Strangulation and puncture wound,” Tyler called out as they wheeled her in.
Sadie tried to follow them, but a nurse cut her off just as they rushed Emma to an examination room.
“I’ll be right there waiting,” Sadie told the nurse as she pointed to the chairs along the wall.
“I’ll be sure to let them know where to find you once they have any news on her condition.”
“Thank you.”
Sadie went to the row of chairs and sat down. But barely a minute later she jumped back to her feet, fidgety and anxious.
She’d investigated so many murders, but they’d been strangers... vague acquaintances at best.
But this... this attempt on Emma’s life. It hit too close to home. Who, in this small, sleepy town would want to hurt one of the Grandy twins?
“Sadie!?”
Turning to the sound of the familiar voice, Sadie turned to see Elle coming to her.
While clearly Emma’s twin, Elle tended to keep her hair a little shorter and was a little more fashionable than her twin sister.
“How is she?” Elle said.
Sadie sat down, urging Elle to do the same.
“They haven’t come out to tell me anything yet.”
“What happened? Why is she here? Did she fall? Scald herself? What?”
“Lizzy found her hanging from a ceiling light in the kitchen. The tights she’d been wearing were knotted around her neck.”
Elle gasped.
“It also appears that she was stabbed.”
She gasped again.
Sadie hated being so blunt, but there was no point pussyfooting around.
“Who?” Elle whispered. “Who would do such a thing? And how? How could anyone..? Oh!”
Sadie felt her own throat constrict with unshed tears.
Elle let out a heartfelt wail and burst into tears as she buried her face in her hands. “I can’t believe it. Emma. I can’t lose her. I can’t.”
Sadie took Elle’s hand and held it in her own. “She’ll be all right,” she said, though she feared she was being overly optimistic. “Emma is strong. She’ll pull through this.”
Elle grasped Sadie’s hand in a tight grip. “Oh, Sadie. She has to. She just has to.” She suddenly looked around frantically. “Where are they? The doctors. Why don’t they come and tell us what’s going on?”
“Give them time, Elle,” Sadie said. “They’re working on her and I’m sure that they’re doing everything they can to save her.”
Elle sat back and stared at the ceiling as tears trickled down the side of her face. “Do you know that Emma and I have never been apart?” she said with eerie calm.
“No,” Sadie said. “I didn’t know that. Though I’m not surprised.”
“I mean, of course I can go off and run an errand while she goes to the shop and things like that, but...”
“How did you manage while Emma was on vacation with Adam?”
Still staring at the ceiling, Elle smiled. “For one thing, I was happy for Emma. That helped to make her absence easier. But I also stayed busy. I mean, I had the shop to take care of all on my own. Okay, Lizzy helped out, but still... And well...”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of candy wrapped in wax paper. “I got the silly idea to try and make candy. I’d been thinking about it for a while. I think there’s something fascinating in what happens when you heat sugar and the endless possibilities. So...”
“You made this?” Sadie said, intrigued as she looked at the pretty wrapper.
“Yep.” She held the candy out to Sadie. “I’d love to get your opinion. Would you mind trying it?”
Though she was in no mood to eat sweets, Sadie offered Elle a wan smile. “Sure,” she said softly as she took the candy. “I had no idea you were interested in this sort of thing.”
Elle shrugged. “I like trying new things.”
Sadie unwrapped the piece and looked at the dark toffee candy. “Appealing color. Nice texture.” She squeezed it then brought it to her nose. “Excellent richness to the scent.” Finally, she put it in her mouth.
“So?” Elle said after a moment of watching Sadie suck and chew on the candy.
“Hmm,” Sadie let out as she gestured with her hand to her mouth. “Very nice. I’m getting...” She let the toffee sit on the back of her tongue. “A very distinct, yet unexpected flavor of... what is that?”
Elle smiled. “My special ingredient.”
“Well, it is very good. Congratulations. If this is your first try at this, then I think that you have a very promising future as a candy maker.”
“Well, truth be told, this wasn’t from my first batch. I think I put in too much of my secret ingredient in the first batch and the flavor was overwhelming. Then there was not enough in the second batch, and it was sort of bland.”
“And the third batch is just perfect,” Sadie said.
Elle smiled again as she nodded. “It couples well with our caramel vanilla tea,” she said. “It’s as if the two were meant to be together.”
“I’ll have to try that some time.”
“That’d be great,” Elle said with growing enthusiasm. “Why don’t you come to the shop tomorrow, and we can have a tea and toffee tasting.”
“I’d love that,” Sadie said half-heartedly. “I mean, your shop is already my favorite place to go... it always inspires me when I’m writing my cookbook... and now, I have one more reason to love it.”
“So, you’re still working on your book, huh?” Elle said. “I can’t imagine how much work that must be. It must be exhausting sometimes.”
Sadie smiled as she thought of all the work that she had already poured into that cookbook. “You know, I left my laptop and all my stuff back at the tea shop. I hope...”
“Lizzy will make sure nothing happens to your things,” Elle reassured her.
Sadie nodded and smiled but her smile quickly faded when she spotted the doctor coming their way. His head down, the doctor came to stand before them as the girls both jumped to their feet.
“How is she doing?” Elle quickly said as she frantically grasped Sadie’s hand for comfort.
“I’m so sorry,” he began.
“No,” Elle let out weakly as she shook her head.
“We did everything.”
“No,” she said more forcefully. Letting go of Sadie’s hand, she stomped her foot and pumped her fists.
“We just didn’t get to her fast enough.”
“No!”
Sadie’s throat constricted as the news of her friend hit her. She sat back down and silently sobbed as Elle grew more and more hysterical.
Chapter 3
“Palmer?” Sadie said into her phone as she headed out to her car with Elle.
“Hey. What’s up?”
“Can you come and meet me at the Grandy tea shop?”
“Sure. What’s going on? I passed by a little earlier and saw some commotion.”
“It’s Emma.” She unlocked the car doors and stood looking up at the hospital as Elle got into the passenger seat. Sobbing, she tried to go on. “I... Please. Just meet me there,” she said with difficulty.
