Sugar Cream or Murder Read online

  “Sugar, Cream or Murder”

  Le Doux Mysteries #2

  By Abigail Thornton

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  SUGAR, CREAM OR MURDER

  First edition. September 21, 2021.

  Copyright © 2021 Abigail Thornton.

  ISBN: 979-8201745325

  Written by Abigail Thornton.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  NEWSLETTER

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  DEDICATION

  To my oldest.

  You see life through a different lens

  and I love you for it!

  Never stop teaching me about life and love.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  No author works alone. Thank you, Cathy.

  Your cover work is beautiful!

  And to Laura, for your timely and thorough editing!

  NEWSLETTER

  Stay up to date on all my new releases by joining my newsletter!

  You can find it and other exciting news at

  abigailthorntonbooks.com

  CHAPTER 1

  “What do you think, Vi?” Wynona set the new jar on the open shelf and stood back to admire her collection. Rows upon rows of tea mixtures decorated her shelves. They were all homegrown and custom made, and after everything Wynona Le Doux had been through, she was extremely proud of her accomplishment.

  Violet, Wynona’s purple mouse, chittered and ran circles on the workshop table. The creature had gotten its unusual color during a hex gone wrong from Wynona’s sister, Celia. Wynona and Violet had become wonderful friends ever since the near-disaster and the tiny rodent was now a permanent fixture in Wynona’s life.

  Wynona smiled. “I know. It looks good, doesn’t it?” She let her eyes scan the neat labels, which included lists of all the ailments the teas would help. Her mind continually churned with more ideas of how to mix herbs and tea leaves in order to help people, and Wynona looked forward to trying them all.

  Violet skittered down the table leg and dashed across the room, diving into a dark corner.

  Wynona frowned, but didn’t stop the creature. It wasn’t like Violet belonged to Wynona. They were friends, not master and pet. When Violet decided she was done with a situation, there was little Wynona could do about it, except hope that her small companion came back later to enjoy a meal together. Wynona was growing used to Violet’s lavender color and had even decided the uniqueness of it fit the mouse’s bold personality.

  Wynona knew what it was like to be different, especially when that difference came because of a curse. Maybe that was why she had put such effort into drawing Violet out from her hidey hole behind the bookcase after Celia’s attempted killing. Birds of a feather and all that...

  The biggest difference between the two was the fact that while Violet’s curse was visible to everyone, Wynona's was nearly invisible. She had had the unfortunate luck to be born into the most powerful witch family in all of Hex Haven. Her father and mother ruled the valley, with her father holding the title of President Le Doux.

  At her birth, Wynona had more than likely been born with great powers, if her family line was anything to go by, but something had gone wrong. From the moment she had entered the world, her powers had been bound.

  Her family had been completely unaware of the problem until it was too late and no amount of research had helped them find the culprit. As someone who had now become completely worthless to her family, Wynona spent all her growing up years isolated in the castle. Her family and even the servants either ignored her, or treated her like dirt.

  The only bright spot in her life had been Granny Saffron Le Doux. She had refused to allow Wynona’s unfortunate situation to color the way she treated her grandchild. Thus the older witch had taken Wynona under her wing and taught her everything she could that didn’t require magic.

  The large inventory of teas and spices were a testament to Granny’s tutelage and why Wynona had named her tea shop Saffron’s Tea House.

  Without her grandmother, Wynona would never have escaped her family and never had a chance to live her own life.

  “And despite dead bodies and grumpy vampire police chiefs...we made it, didn’t we?” Wynona whispered to the empty room.

  Violet must have decided to take a nap, since she didn’t answer.

  Brushing her fingers against her pants, Wynona began to put away all the tools she had used to create her latest tinctures. Her workspace smelled like someone had spilled incense on every surface, but she didn’t mind.

  Each smell only reminded her of her granny and the few good moments of her childhood. There were times when it was far too easy to dwell on the bad parts of her life. Like the fact that her family hated her, the fact that she had no magic, the fact that she’d been mentally abused as a child...

  But Wynona didn’t want to dwell on those things. She wanted freedom from it all. Freedom from pain and nightmares and heavy grudges. That’s why she had decided to open the shop. When she was busy helping other paranormals, she was too busy to be angry at her family.

  It was a win-win for everybody. Wynona got to use the skills Granny had taught her and her family could ignore a pest they hadn’t wanted in the first place.

  Wynona was just wiping down the last workcounter when her stomach growled. She automatically put a hand on it and grimaced. “Guess I should have eaten breakfast.” Shaking her head, she quickly finished up, then hurried inside.

  Her kitchen was just as neat and tidy as the rest of her house. There was something so wonderful about having a place for everything and everything being in its place. An unbidden smile pulled at Wynona’s lips as she walked into her small, but cozy kitchen. She had bought the house from a dryad when she’d first escaped her family. It bordered on the Grove of Secrets. A magical forest that no sane person or creature ever entered willingly.

  The isolation had been perfect for Wynona. The magic of the forest helped infuse the plants in her greenhouse with a little something extra, and nobody bothered her while she was working.

  The pan she had placed on the stove started sizzling and Wynona pulled herself from her wandering thoughts and cracked a couple of eggs. A squeak from behind caught her attention and Wynona smiled over her shoulder. “Hungry?”

  Violet stood on her back legs, nose twitching toward the stove.

  “Grab a seat,” Wynona said, waving toward the table. She grinned wider when she could hear the scuffling of tiny legs hurrying to their usual spot. Without missing a beat, Wynona stirred the eggs and gathered two plates. One large, one small. It only took a few moments to toss some bread in the toaster and begin to put the food on the plates.

  “Here you go.” Wynona added a few slices of strawberries to each serving, then set the tea saucer in front of Violet. The house was quie
t as the two ate their simple meal, contentment thrumming through the air.

  Wynona couldn’t stop the smile on her face as she ate. It had taken her a long time to get to this point. Years of heartache, struggles, failures and now finally, she was seeing a rainbow at the end of the storm. She had her business, she loved what she did, and she had new friends. Including the little mouse at her side.

  “Good?” Wynona asked.

  Violet chattered, scrubbing her face with her tiny, purple paws.

  Wynona’s phone buzzed and she grabbed it from the farside of the table.

  We still on for lunch?

  Wynona glanced at the clock. She had promised her friends she would host a tea luncheon.

  Yep. As long as you bring the flowers you promised.

  Primrose was Wynona’s best friend who happened to be a fairy, and was also one of the premiere flower growers in Hex Haven. Just like Wynona and Violet, Prim was a bit different from the rest of her species in that she didn’t have any wings, but no one could talk to a rose the way Prim could.

  Wynona had seen flowers move as Prim walked by, just because they felt her presence. Being born without wings definitely hadn’t dampened Prim’s magic at all, though many in the fairy community refused to acknowledge it. The flower farmer’s own ostracization was part of the reason she and Wynona had become such good friends.

  Wynona had learned very quickly after escaping her parents’ castle that tragedy brought people together.

  Oh, they’re ready. It’s the invitation to the wolf shifter that I’m worried about.

  Wynona bit her bottom lip. Deputy Chief Strongclaw, otherwise known as Rascal, had been instrumental in not only saving Wynona’s life when she was helping catch a killer a few months ago, but he had also seen to it that Chief Ligurio, a grumpy vampire who had a grudge against the Le Doux family, listened to Wynona and her ideas.

  Along with that already impressive resume, Rascal was also very handsome and a strong flirt. Wynona had so little experience with men that she wasn’t sure if his flirting was serious or not, but she would be the first to admit that she wanted to find out.

  In an act of bravery, she had invited him to this Sunday’s afternoon luncheon. It would be his first time attending one of her tea parties and Wynona was more than a little nervous. Though she wasn’t exactly sure why. It wasn’t a date and she didn’t even know if Rascal was interested in her as more than a friend. But the sprites that took flight in Wynona’s stomach whenever they were close to each other gave her hope.

  You didn’t chicken out, did you?

  Wynona sighed and texted back.

  No. I invited him. He said he’d come.

  Wynona could practically hear the squeal that would be leaving Prim’s mouth right now, and just knowing it was happening was enough to make Wynona smile...again.

  She couldn’t believe this was her life now. A year ago this was nothing but a dream and here she was, looking forward to many more days spent just like this.

  “Come on, Vi,” Wynona said, standing up and stuffing her phone in her pocket. “Let’s go make sure those imps haven’t burned down the kitchen.” Wynona bent down and picked Violet up and put her on her shoulder. “And let’s hope that their antics didn’t drive Lusgu into giving his notice!”

  CHAPTER 2

  “Ouch!” Primrose cried, jumping to her feet and swatting at her back. “You ridiculous imps!”

  Wynona pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. “Kyoz and Gnuq!” she scolded. “Stop it right now!”

  The twin imps, their blue faces nearly purple with laughter, danced through the air on their way back to the kitchen.

  “If they weren’t the best bakers in town now that Chef Droxon is dead...” Prim said through gritted teeth. Rubbing her shoulder, she sat back down.

  “I’m sorry,” Wynona moaned. “I wish I could tell them to get lost, but trying to keep up with the baking and the tea making was too much!” She shook her head. “At least they aren’t here full time. They were dropping off tomorrow’s pastries.”

  Violet chittered and nuzzled Wynona’s neck in a comforting gesture.

  Wynona’s hand reached up, petting the creature in an almost unconscious gesture.

  Prim made a point of looking around, then pinned Wynona with her bright pink stare. “I thought you said you invited him.”

  Wynona pinched her lips together and tapped the edge of her teacup. “I did. He said he’d come.” She didn’t want to admit to the heavy feeling in her stomach. She had been excited to see Rascal again, but now that he was ten minutes late, she was beginning to wonder if maybe he wasn’t as excited to see her.

  “Sorry I’m late!” Rascal came skidding into the dining room. The wolf shifter’s hair, as usual, was standing up in messy piles all over his head. His chin had a couple days’ growth on it, just tempting Wynona’s fingers to touch.

  She curled said fingers into fists. Handsome as Rascal might be, they didn’t have that kind of relationship...yet. The Deputy Chief of the Hex Haven police station had become Wynona’s friend, but so far that’s all they were. She needed to remember that.

  “Rascal!” Prim cried. “Finally! Someone to arrest those two troublemakers in the kitchen.” She opened her pink eyes wide and waved toward the doorway behind her. “They’re menaces to society.”

  Rascal grinned and sauntered to the table. Reaching down, he grabbed one of the mini pies and took a large bite. Groaning, he quickly swallowed and ate the rest of it. “No can do, Prim,” he said, grabbing the napkin Wynona offered to wipe the blueberry off his mouth. “The only crime they’ve committed is making something too good to resist.”

  Wynona grinned, then blushed when Rascal winked at her.

  He slid lazily into a seat.

  “Let me get some more hot water,” Wynona said, standing from her seat. “This is too cool to steep properly.”

  Rascal grabbed her hand as she started to walk away. He grinned at her with those golden eyes, his thumb rubbing her knuckles. “You don’t have to go to that trouble.”

  “It’s no trouble,” she replied breathlessly. Blinking, Wynona straightened and slowly pulled her hand out of his. The feeling was entirely too warm and comforting. Turning, she practically fled to the kitchen.

  “Messy, messy, messy...” Lusgu, the brownie who cleaned up the tea shop, shook his head and muttered. “Wolves shouldn’t be allowed.”

  Wynona sighed. “How did you even know he’s here?” she asked. Her hired janitor had hated Rascal from the start, though Wynona had no idea why.

  Lusgu glared at her and tapped the side of his nose. “He’s here.” One side of the small man’s mouth curled up in a sneer. “Messy.”

  Wynona had to pinch her lips to keep from laughing. One day she would get to the bottom of that mystery, but right now, she would simply keep Lusgu and Rascal away from each other as best she could. Focusing on the task in front of her, she turned on the stove top in order to heat the kettle.

  Lusgu grumbled, then pointed a finger at the pot.

  Steam began to pour out of the spout, whistling immediately. Wynona forced herself to keep smiling and say thank you to the cantankerous employee before picking up the kettle and taking it out front. She worked hard not to let it bother her, but watching others use their magic so easily always brought out a trickle of jealousy. There were many times in her life when that magic would have been more than useful. In fact, it could have saved her life not too long ago, but Rascal had saved it instead.

  She owed her new friend more than she could say.

  Pushing the door with her back, she went back into the dining room and her friends. “Lusgu didn’t seem happy that you were here,” Wynona teased. “I wouldn’t recommend going inside the kitchen.”

  Rascal gave a dramatic shiver. “Good thing I have you to protect me.”

  Wynona chuckled. “I’m afraid I have very little control over the brownie.”

  Prim sniffed. “And that’s why n
o one else wanted him on their staff.” She held the teacup to her lips and raised her eyebrows.

  Wynona rolled her eyes. “You seem to have a lot of opinions when it comes to my staff.”

  Prim pursed her lips, her shoulders straightening. If she had been born with wings, like the other fairies, Wynona was sure they would have been fluttering enough to pull her up in the air.

  “Someone has to watch out for you,” Prim said haughtily. She grinned, breaking the snooty persona she had put on. “Otherwise this place would be overrun with misfits.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Rascal said as he set down his tea cup. “There’s absolutely nothing weird about a wolf shifter being on the police force.”

  “Maybe not,” Prim said wryly. “But there is something wrong with a man who doesn’t know how to use napkins.” She held one out on the end of a long finger.

  Rascal snorted, but took it from her. Once again he wiped his mouth, only this time it was the powdered sugar leaving a mess.

  Wynona tried to cover her grin with her cup, but she knew full well that Rascal could see it. When the tips of his ears turned red, she couldn’t help but grin even wider. Her eyes dropped from his and she took a long sip of her tea. Mint and lavender was one of her favorite combinations. Just right to help her calm down before hosting a busy day tomorrow.

  In fact, every day was a busy hosting day. Her calendar was wonderfully booked for the next several months. Sundays were just about the only day Wynona had to spend time with friends and loved ones.

  “So tell me about these imps,” Rascal said, setting his cup down. “When did you find them?” He reached for another pastry, then paused. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said quickly. “Your cookies and stuff were great, but these are...” He made a face as he trailed off, realizing that he had inadvertently insulted Wynona.

  Prim put a hand over her mouth, trying to hold in her giggling, but the sound was completely audible.