Susan Gillard - Funfetti Murder

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2017 by Guardian Publishing Group - All rights reserved.

All rights Reserved. No part of this publication or the information in it may be quoted from or reproduced in any form by means such as printing, scanning, photocopying or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Table of Contents

I can see how this donut gets its name, Lilly said. The Funfetti Donut is lots of fun!

Then its a success. Thats what I was going for, Heather said with a smile. She felt it was an especially sweet moment, both because she was able to spend some quality time with her daughter and because they covered in a thin layer of sugar. Finding the exact balance of color and donut-cake-base had been a deliciously dusty experience this time, but Lilly didnt seem to mind. She had a huge grin on her face.

I bet were going to raise a lot of money with these, Lilly said.

Heather nodded. She chuckled as she admitted that it was always her aim to make money with her treats when she sold them at her shop Donut Delights. However, profit wasnt the main reason for her business. She loved bringing joy into peoples lives with something she had a talent for, even if it was just for snack time.

The Funfetti Donuts that she and Lilly were cooking up werent for the display counter at Donut Delights, however. They were for a bake sale that Lillys school was having. The PTA seemed to be banking on parents having time to help with the fundraiser in between school letting out and summer plans beginning. It did seem to work in Heathers case. She was happy to help with Lillys school, especially when it came to bake sales. She would much rather whip up some of her world-class donuts for a cause than to sell raffle tickets or help with a car wash. However, her world had seemed very busy of late. It was sometimes hard to balance motherhood with owning a small business and, of course, solving the occasional murder.

Luckily, she and Lilly were able to team up and create a donut for the event together. Working together creatively as mother and daughter had been as satisfying as the confectionary concoction they came up with.

Lilly had suggested that they make something eye-catching and colorful so it would stand out on the bake sale table, and Heather had happily obliged. Using that idea as a springboard, Heather had come up with the cheerful Funfetti Donut. It was a basic vanilla flavor so it wouldnt scare away any potential buyers, and it had bursts of every color of the rainbow.

They were just about to bite into a sample of their hard work when they were joined by other hungry mouths. Heathers best friend and partner in solving murder cases, Amy, had come in to investigate the source of the delicious smell. She was joined by Heathers newest Donut Delights assistant Emily Potts.

Are these the donuts for the bake sale? Amy asked.

Yes, Heather replied. But there might be a few that can stay here for our enjoyment.

Lilly giggled as Amy and Emily Potts inched forward toward the colorful dessert. Amy picked up a donut right away to begin her edible enjoyment. Emily Potts was more reserved. She was Heathers most studious assistant and carried a notebook around with her to take notes on the new flavors. True to form, she opened her notebook to a blank page and prepared herself to write about the newest donut.

What is this colorful one called? Emily asked.

This is the Funfetti Donut, Heather said. It was Lillys idea to make something so colorful to attract attention at the sale.

Lilly beamed and then helped Emily Potts with her notes, making sure she spelled Funfetti correctly. To make the note page match the fun theme, Emily Potts allowed her to doodle some happy donut drawings in the margins.

I think it will work, Amy said. I cant take my eyes off them. Or at least I cant until theyve all been devoured, which I think Im about to embark on.

Heather jokingly hit Amys grabbing hands away from the table, but did say seriously, We cant eat them all. Theyre for Lillys school.

But schools out for the summer, Amy pleaded.

Heather allowed her friend to have a second helping, but then started boxing up the other donuts to hide temptation.

Theyre raising money for new playground equipment, Heather said. I think the hope is that they will raise enough with this event that they can start ordering and building soon. Ideally, the new playground would be ready when school opens in the fall.

Heather was being very efficient with boxing up the donuts and had almost put them all away before she realized that Emily Potts had never had her sample. She handed one to her grateful assistant.

Its delicious, said Emily. Sweet and simple, but beautiful to look at.

Its a vanilla cake base with Funfetti sprinkles inside to give it a colorful look. Then it has vanilla icing on top with even more sprinkles.

Its like a cake and a donut at the same time, Amy said. I love when you combine my favorite desserts together. Whether its cake and donuts. Or pie and donuts. Or cinnamon rolls and donuts. Basically, anything and donuts.

Emily Potts finished her donut and notes with a smile. Im sure everyone at Donut Delights will love these as much as we do.

I hope so, Heather said. But these guys are headed to the bake sale first. Then Ill display them here.

Do you need any help bringing them over to the sale? Emily Potts asked, always willing to assist.

Amy is going to help me, Heather said. If I can still trust her around the donuts.

Dont worry, said Amy. If I eat any of the donuts at the bake sale, Ill pay for them and donate to the cause. I bet they could get a new swing set with all the donuts I eat.

They all laughed. Then Heather got down to business making sure that Emily Potts and the other assistants could run the business while she was out. Amy and Lilly helped Heather bring the boxes of Funfetti Donuts to her car.

Thanks for doing this, Mom, Lilly said.

Im happy to, Heather said. And lets hope our Funfetti will lead to fun on a new playground!

Here you go, Heather said, handing Funfetti Donuts over to a mother and son who were patrons at the bake sale. It was hard to tell who was more excited about trying the fun flavor because they both had big grins and expectant eyes. They took appreciative bites and walked off together in good spirits.

Heather and Amy were selling their donuts at a table and enjoying the atmosphere. The sale had only wanted parent volunteers, so they had dropped Lilly off with her dad who was planning a trip to the movies for the two of them. Ryan had kissed Heather and told her how happy he was to have an afternoon off from investigating murders. The detective had made sure to knock on wood after that comment, and Heather and Amy had left him on his own to see if the superstitious behavior would hold up.

The bake sale was set up under a veranda in one of Hillsides parks. The locations original intention was to allow for bands to play for residents who could either wander around in the parks natural beauty while listening to music or to set up lawn chairs and enjoy a concert. School marching bands and an occasional garage band did play songs there, but the veranda was used just as often for other fundraising activities.

Heather had been concerned about all the sweet goods being out in the Texas heat for the bake sale, but the weather was being mercifully kind and wasnt baking them and the desserts in its sun. As she looked around, she saw that other members of the PTA had planned ahead and had coolers for the items that should stay chilled and for beverages. She was also proud to see that her donuts were one of the fastest selling items on the tables. Either the knowledge that they were from the Donut Delights baker or Lillys idea about bright colors (or a combination of the two) were causing her Funfetti Donuts to be quite a success. This was not lost on Amy.