Killer Halloween Cookies: Book 2 in The Killer Cookie Cozy Mysteries Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  KILLER HALLOWEEN COOKIES

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Killer

  Halloween

  Cookies

  Book Two

  in

  Killer Cookie

  Cozy Mysteries

  By

  Patti Benning

  Copyright 2016 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

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  KILLER

  HALLOWEEN COOKIES

  Book two in Killer Cookie Cozy Mysteries

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  Lilah Fallon hung her apron up and glanced over at her boss, Randall Price. Technically she had another fifteen minutes until her break, but she didn’t think he’d mind — or notice — if she took it a bit early. Still, it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. She didn’t quite sneak past him, but she was careful not to draw any undue attention to herself as she slipped through the door that led to the dining area.

  Free from the heat and greasy smell of the kitchen, she hurried over to the table where her best friend was waiting. She had met Valerie Palmer, known to most everyone as Val, years ago, in college. They had been roommates, first in the dorm, then later renting their first apartment together. When Lilah decided that she was ready for a change of pace from the high-stress business world that her father was so in love with, Val had been the one who had come up with the idea that Lilah should move to her hometown of Vista, Alabama.

  Lilah had spent the last couple of years floating from job to job as she searched for her true calling in life. She hadn’t exactly made much progress on that front, but never once had she regretted her decision to move to Vista. She loved everything about the small town, and had made some of the best friends of her life there. She even enjoyed working at the diner, and owed Randall more than she could ever repay for giving her so many chances there. Still, she was always on the lookout for something new. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life working in a small town diner, no matter how much she liked it.

  “Want some fries?” Val asked, pushing the basket of thick cut French fries towards her as she sat down.

  “Thanks, but no. I’ve been eating here way too often lately. My body is craving something that hasn’t been fried within an inch of its life.”

  “Your loss.” Her friend pulled the fries back and dipped a couple into ketchup before popping them into her mouth. “How’s the job hunt going?”

  “Not well.” Lilah sighed and slid Val’s soda towards her, pulling a sip through the straw. “No one’s hiring around here. I’m probably going to be at the diner for a while.”

  “Well, what exactly are you looking for?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess just something that’s a change of pace. I’ve been working here since the salon job went south, you know.”

  “Well the Granger Farm is hiring,” her friend said, sliding the soda back across the table toward herself. “They’re only looking for seasonal employees, though. To help with the holiday stuff.”

  “Ooh, we went to their haunted hayride last year, didn’t we?” Lilah asked, perking up. “I loved that.”

  “I’ve gone every year since I can remember,” Val said. Her face fell as she added, “The farm manager is trying to get it closed down, though. He says it’s too much work.”

  “That’s terrible. Don’t the owners of the farm have a say?”

  “They live in another state. Michigan, I think. From what I’ve heard, they don’t care much what Mark — he’s the manager — does as long as the farm keeps bringing in money and tourists.”

  “I hope he ends up deciding to keep the hayride going,” Lilah said. “If I can get a job there, maybe I can convince him.”

  “I volunteer there every year. This late in the season, there’s only a few paying positions left, but maybe you’ll find something you like.”

  “Thanks.” She beamed at her friend. “If the hours are right, I’ll be able to work both jobs at once. I might actually start saving up some money. You’re the best, Val.”

  “If you want to thank me, how about a piece of Randall’s famous pumpkin pie, with extra whipped cream on top? We can split it, if you want.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll pop on back and get an extra big slice.”

  Still smiling, Lilah hurried into the kitchen, her thoughts filled with visions of herself on a tractor, leading the haunted hayride. The diner was steady work, but there was something to be said for throwing caution to the wind every once in a while, and jumping feet first into something with a lot more potential for fun.

  ***

  One of the best parts of working at the diner was how close it was to her home. It only took her a couple of minutes to cross the street and go halfway down the block to the little yellow house that she had been renting for the last two years. She had a car, but it had spent the last six months sitting in her driveway, waiting for her to scrape together enough money to replace the blown head gasket. The mechanic had told her that it would probably be more efficient to just buy a whole new car, but Lilah wasn’t ready to see her old junker permanently retired just yet. If she did end up getting a job at the Granger Farm, then she might be able to put enough money aside to pay for repairs — which in turn would open up a whole new world for her. She could even get a job in the next town if she wanted to.

  Feeling good about life, Lilah let herself into her colorful, cheery home and was immediately greeted by a beagle whose entire back end was wagging, and an or
ange tabby cat who rubbed against her ankles, purring.

  “Hey, Winnie,” she said, bending over to pet the dog. The cat meowed, bumping his head against her hand. “And hi there, Oscar. You two are happy to see me, aren’t you? You’re not going to like it very much if I start working a second job. I promise it will just be temporary, though. And I’ll buy you extra treats.”

  At the mention of treats, Winnie’s ears perked up and she ran over to the counter on which Lilah kept two cookie jars. The first one, shaped like an owl, was filled with dog and cat treats, and the second, plainer one had human cookies. Lilah was just waiting for the day that she reached into the wrong one by mistake and got a mouth full of beef flavored dog treat. It was bound to happen eventually, and she kept thinking that it might be smart to get a new system. For now, the setup worked just fine, though. She reached into the owl jar and grabbed a pair of treats, one of which she tossed to Winnie — it bounced off her nose when she tried to catch it, and she ended up chasing it across the kitchen — and the other she set on the floor for Oscar to examine. Then she reached into the human cookie jar and took out a treat for herself.

  She was especially proud of these cookies, because she had made them entirely on her own. They were basic sugar cookies with homemade icing that she had colored orange for the upcoming holiday. Nothing special, but definitely tasty. She was really beginning to get the hang of this whole cookie making thing, thanks to her friend and neighbor, Margie Hatch. The older woman was a patient teacher, and always ended their cooking sessions on a good note — usually with a plate of cookies and a cold drink from her seemingly bottomless fridge.

  Lilah bit into the cookie and closed her eyes. This was the life. She had her beloved pets, a delicious dessert that she had made herself, and the prospect of a new job in front of her. It was shaping up to be a great autumn.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  “So I just stand here until someone comes by?”

  “Right. Hold as still as you can so they don’t notice you too soon, then when they get near you, sort of jump out at them. Maybe scream or moan, I don’t know. If there’s little kids, be less scary.”

  “Okay…” Lilah looked down at herself doubtfully. She was dressed as a scarecrow, and the costume was already uncomfortably warm but mostly all her shifts would be would be at night when it was cooler. When Val had said that there weren’t many paying jobs left at the farm, she had been right. Still, she supposed that acting as a living prop for the hayride would be fun enough, and she couldn’t complain about the check she’d be taking home at the end of every week. “That’s it? That’s all I have to do?”

  “Pretty much. Like Mrs. Perry said, it’s not a hard job, but you do have to stand around in the cornfield for a few hours, then when it gets dark head out to the trail for the hayride. Some people don’t like being on their feet that long.”

  “I’m used to it,” she said, smiling. “I work as a waitress. Thanks for showing me the ropes, Johnny.”

  “Not a problem. Should we give it a dry run? I’ll go out to the start of the maze, and start walkin’ through, and you jump out at me when I come by. I’ve gotta do a walk-through anyway, to make sure everything’s perfect for opening night.”

  “All right. I’ll just, uh, be standing here.”

  Johnny shot her a thumbs up and began walking back out of the maze. Lilah watched until he had rounded the corner, then began tugging at her costume. It was tight in all of the wrong places, and she was beginning to get the feeling that it hadn’t been made for a woman’s form. The burlap mask — really just a sack with eye and mouth holes cut out — was uncomfortable too, scratchy and stiff. Still, she was glad that she had gotten the job. It should be a lot more fun once the corn maze and hayride opened and she had actual guests to spook. She had heard that there would be fog machines this year, along with the creepy music and masked menaces. She half wished that she could be on the ride, instead of being part of it.

  Her staff radio crackled at her hip. She fumbled with the costume, trying to reach it. At last she pulled it off of her waistband and hit the transmit button.

  “Hello? Sorry — I missed that. Could you repeat it?”

  “Yeah, it’s Johnny. I’m not going to be able to do that walk-through after all. The boss wants me for something else. You just go on and head home. Keep the costume clean. See ya’ opening night.”

  “Right. Okay. Thanks again for showing me everything.”

  She released the button and waited a few seconds in case he was going to reply, then clipped the walkie talkie back onto her pants. Going home early wasn’t a bad thing; she could practice her scary shrieks in the mirror just as well as she could here, and she would be able to get out of the uncomfortable costume sooner.

  Lilah turned right and began walking back the direction that she and Johnny had come when he was showing her her spot in the maze. It wasn’t until she came to the first T that she realized she hadn’t been paying all that much attention on the way in. Which way had they come? From the left? She looked down both paths, but couldn’t see anything familiar along either.

  “Left it is, then,” she muttered. Even if she was wrong, it couldn’t take her that long to find her way out of the maze… could it?

  Nearly an hour later, she had her answer. It most definitely could take her a painfully long time to find her way out of the maze. The thought had crossed her mind to page Johnny and ask him for help, but it was just too embarrassing. She didn’t want to admit to anyone that she had spent the last hour getting more and more lost in a corn maze. She was beginning to get tired of walking, not to mention the fact that it was sweltering inside the costume, and she was pretty sure that she was getting a rash from the burlap. Why did she think working on a farm would be a good idea? What if she got lost like this when the maze was open? Well, at least then she would be able to follow the other families out.

  “Okay, I’m pretty sure I’ve been here before,” she said, stopping at a three-way split in the path. “I think I took both sides, so maybe the middle one this time.”

  Crossing her fingers, she continued on straight, and was rewarded a few minutes later when she rounded a corner and saw the corn maze’s exit. She hurried towards it, eager to get to Margie’s car — her friend had been kind enough to let her borrow it for the evenings while she worked this temporary job — and store the terribly uncomfortable outfit in her trunk. She was only feet away from freedom when the sound of raised voices made her jerk to a halt.

  “Your flyers still advertise the hayride. I don’t know if I want to put money down on something that’s still in use.”

  “Look, we’re gonna use it for a day or two before the ride’s shut down, then it’s yours. Nothing’s gonna happen to it. If you don’t want to put a down payment on it, that’s fine, but I’m going to keep going down the list of other buyers. I’m not holding it without anything down.”

  She didn’t recognize the first speaker’s voice, but she definitely recognized the second. It was Mark Perry, the farm manager. He had been there at her job interview. Lilah took a couple of steps backwards and hid around the corner. This didn’t sound like a conversation she should interrupt.

  “Fine. Here’s two-hundred, but I expect it back if the trailer’s broken or damaged in anyway. It better be in exactly the same condition that it is now. I’m not paying for junk.”

  “You’ll get your money back if anything happens,” said Mark. “But it’s not going to. Is that it? Do you want to look at anything else?”

  “I guess I’ll take a look at those fog machines, too. Might as well, since I’m here.”

  The two men’s voices began to fade as they walked away. Lilah waited until she couldn’t hear them anymore, then cautiously approached the exit and poked her head out, looking in both directions to make sure the coast was clear. What had she just heard? It sounded like the farm manager was a bit closer to shutting down the haunted hayride for good than Val seemed to think
. She knew that she would have to call her friend right away when she got home. It might be too late, since money had already traded hands, but maybe there was still something they could do.

  Before heading to her car, Lilah decided to swing by the farm store and see if they had anything cold to drink. After spending an hour wandering around the maze in full costume, she was parched. She straightened her costume , then pushed through the door. She recognized the woman at the counter immediately; it was Mrs. Perry, a kind-faced woman who Lilah would have guessed was in her fifties.

  “Hi, dear,” she said after a moment’s silence as she looked the living scarecrow that had just walked into her store. “You’re the new hire, aren’t you?”

  Lilah nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, I was just —”

  “Don’t apologize, I think it’s a fine idea to get used to your costume before the big day. We’ve had people stumble over their own feet on opening night too many times to count. You’re a friend of Val’s, right?”

  “That’s right.”