Forever Fudge Read online

  MOUTHWATERING PRAISE FOR NANCY COCO’S CANDY-COATED MYSTERIES

  Oh Say Can You Fudge

  “Beautiful Mackinac Island provides the setting for a puzzling series of crimes. Now that Allie McMurphy has taken over her grandparents’ hotel and fudge shop, life on Mackinac is good, although her little dog, Mal, does tend to nose out trouble.... Allie’s third offers plenty of plausible suspects and mouthwatering fudge recipes. ”—Kirkus Reviews

  “WOW. This is a great book. I loved the series from the beginning and this book just makes me love it even more. No one can make me feel like I am in Mackinac Island better than Nancy Coco. She draws the reader in and makes you feel like you are part of the story. I cannot wait to read more. FANTASTIC is the only thing I can say further about this book.”—Bookschellves.com

  To Fudge or Not to Fudge

  “To Fudge or Not to Fudge is a superbly crafted, classic, culinary cozy mystery. If you enjoy them as much as I do, you are in for a real treat. The setting of Mackinac Island immediately drew me to the book as it is an amazing location. The only problem I had with the book was reading about all the mouthwatering fudge made me hungry.”—Examiner.com (5 stars)

  “We LOVED it! This mystery is a vacation between the pages of a book. If you’ve never been to Mackinac Island, you will long to visit, and if you have, the story will help you to recall all of your wonderful memories.”

  —Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and Meows

  “A five-star delicious mystery that has great characters, a good plot, and a surprise ending. If you like a good mystery with more than one suspect and a surprise ending, then rush out to get this book and read it, but be sure you have the time since once you start you won’t want to put it down. I give this 5 Stars and a Wow Factor of 5+. The fudge recipes included in the book all sound wonderful. I am thinking that a gift basket filled with the fudge from the recipes in this book, along with a copy of the book, some hot chocolate mix and/or coffee, and a nice mug would be a great Christmas gift.”

  —Mystery Reading Nook

  “A charming and funny culinary mystery that parodies reality show competitions and is led by a sweet heroine, eccentric but likable characters, and a skillfully crafted plot that speeds toward an unpredictable conclusion. Allie stands out as a likable and engaging character. Delectable fudge recipes are interspersed throughout the novel.”—Kings River Life

  All Fudged Up

  “A sweet treat with memorable characters, a charming locale, and satisfying mystery.”—Barbara Allan, author of the Trash ’n’ Treasures mysteries

  “A fun book with a lively plot, and it’s set in one of America’s most interesting resorts. All this plus fudge!”

  —JoAnna Carl, author of the Chocoholic mysteries (NAL)

  “A sweet confection of a book. Charming setting, clever protagonist, and creamy fudge—a yummy recipe for a great read.”—Joanna Campbell Slan, author of The Scrap-N-Craft and The Jane Eyre Chronicles

  “Nancy Coco’s All Fudged Up is a delightful mystery delivering suspense and surprise in equal measure. Her heroine, Alice McMurphy, owner of the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop (as much of a mouthful as her delicious fudge), has a wry narrative voice that never falters. Add that to the charm of the setting, Michigan’s famed Mackinac Island, and you have a recipe for enjoyment. As an added bonus, mouthwatering fudge recipes are included. A must-read for all lovers of amateur sleuth classic mysteries.”

  —Carole Bugge, author of Who Killed Blanche Dubois? and other Claire Rawlings mysteries

  “You won’t have to ‘fudge’ your enthusiasm for Nancy Coco’s first Mackinac Island Fudge Shop Mystery. Indulge your sweet tooth as you settle in and meet Allie McMurphy, Mal the bichon/poodle mix, and the rest of the motley crew in this entertaining series debut. ”—Miranda James

  “The characters are fun and well-developed, the setting is quaint and beautiful, and there are several mouthwatering fudge recipes. ”—RT Book Reviews (3 stars)

  “Enjoyable . . . ALL FUDGED UP is littered with delicious fudge recipes, including alcohol-infused ones. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery and look forward to reading more in this series.”—Fresh Fiction

  “Cozy mystery lovers who enjoy quirky characters, a great setting and fantastic recipes will love this debut.”

  —The Lima News

  “The first Candy-Coated mystery is a fun cozy due to the wonderful location filled with eccentric characters.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  Also by Nancy Coco

  The Candy-Coated Mystery Series

  ALL FUDGED UP

  TO FUDGE OR NOT TO FUDGE

  OH SAY CAN YOU FUDGE

  ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS FUDGE*

  ALL YOU NEED IS FUDGE

  OH, FUDGE!

  DECK THE HALLS WITH FUDGE*

  FOREVER FUDGE

  *e-novellas

  Forever Fudge

  Nancy Coco

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  MOUTHWATERING PRAISE FOR NANCY COCO’S CANDY-COATED MYSTERIES

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  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

  Teaser chapter

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2018 by Nancy J. Parra

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-4967-1606-4

  eISBN-13: 978-1-4967-1607-1

  eISBN-10: 1-4967-1607-8

  This book is for the readers.

  Thank you for being part of my life.

  Chapter 1

  “Allie, have you heard the news?” Jenn, my best friend and this season’s assistant manager of the McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop came bouncing into the office.

  “There’s a town hall meeting tonight,” I said, and didn’t look up from my work on the finances. Labor Day weekend was the official end of the season on Mackinac Island. It was the Tuesday after and I was working up the numbers to see how successful the season had been and if I could stay in business.

  “Yes,” Jenn said as she sat on the edge of my desk. “But do you know why?”

  I set down my pencil. “Tell me.”

  “They’re announcing that a televis
ion pilot for a mystery series set on the island will be shot starting next week.”

  “A mystery series set on Mackinac?” I sat back. “That’s cool.”

  “It is so cool. Marsha Goodwin told me that a Hollywood producer visited us on vacation a year or so back and wanted to do a series set here. They finally got up the funds to shoot the pilot. They will be doing outside shots here and then inside shots back in their LA studios.” She wiggled into place on my desk. “Now, here’s the fun part, for a mere two thousand dollars, they will include shots of the exterior of the McMurphy. We could be part of the opening credits for the run of the show!”

  “I’m familiar with television shows,” I said, thinking back to this summer’s cooking show I got roped into. “While a pilot is cool, that doesn’t mean a show will get made.”

  “But it’s a shot you can’t pass up,” she said, and crossed her arms. “What if the series takes off? You could be on the opening for years and on reruns forever.”

  “Two grand is—”

  “Not that much money for that kind of exposure. Think about how business has picked up since that cooking show.”

  I looked at my computer screen. Our online fudge sales had doubled. We only had a limited amount of rooms to rent so we were turning people away. “It has been good for business,” I mused.

  “And you want to keep up the exposure,” she advised.

  “But we are already running to capacity. Any more orders and I’ll have to stop making batches by hand and start farming it off to a factory.”

  “Why would that be bad?” Jenn frowned at me, confused.

  “Because we are known for our handmade fudge,” I said. “Anyone can make fudge in a factory. We make fudge in the kitchen by hand.”

  “So hire in another candy maker and start another shift,” she said. Then she hopped down and planted her hands on my desk. “The Old Tyme Photo Shop and all the others on this side of Main Street are pitching in for the exterior shots. You don’t want to lose to the other side.”

  “What other side?”

  “The other side of Main,” Jenn said, and waved her hand and straightened. “People will be counting on your support tonight.”

  “No pressure,” I muttered sarcastically, and rubbed my hands over my face. “If I do this, I’ll have to take the money out of the roof remodel fund. That means we would not have the patio roof for events next year.”

  “They are both long-term investments,” Jenn pointed out. “But I think this television show has a chance to really take off.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s starring Dirk Benjamin,” she said with an exaggerated sigh.

  “Dirk Benjamin?”

  She jumped up and pulled out her phone. “Yes, you know—he did that made-for-TV movie about broken hearts where the older guy has Alzheimer’s and the older woman falls for the younger handy-man.. . .”

  “I don’t watch much TV,” I said.

  “Oh, you know him,” she said. “I’ll pull up his IMDb page.” She flipped through some screens on her phone and then turned it toward me. “See?”

  On the screen was a head shot of a very handsome man. I swore there was a twinkle spot of light coming off his teeth. “He is nice-looking.”

  “He’s more than nice-looking,” she said, and turned the phone back toward her. “He is the latest ‘it’ guy for the small screen. He’s been slotted to play the local police detective. There is no way this pilot won’t take off.”

  “So wait, that guy is playing Rex Manning?” I chuckled at the idea that a young Hollywood actor with so much hair and a toothy smile would be playing Rex. Rex Manning was rougher around the edges, with a bald head and more action-movie-guy looks than romantic hero looks.

  “Well, not exactly,” Jenn said. “The series is about a Mackinac Island writer. You know, an updated version of Jessica Fletcher. She finds clues to murders and he steps in to arrest people.”

  “Oh boy, I bet Rex loves that idea,” I said. Rex wasn’t very happy with my meddling with his investigations. I highly doubted he would be happy about a television show depicting the Mackinac Island police as needing an old woman’s help to solve crimes.

  Jenn smirked. “Rex hates it. I heard that Dirk is shadowing Rex for the next week to get a feel for how he does his job.”

  That thought made me laugh. “Okay, now I have to call Rex and see how he’s taking it.” I picked up my phone.

  “Before you call,” Jenn interrupted. “Are you in for the two thousand?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said with a shake of my head. “The pilot could get made and not picked up or even shown to anyone for years. I think I’ll keep my roof improvements.”

  Jenn stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. “Sad. I think your neighbors aren’t going to be too happy.”

  “We just can’t do everything,” I said with a shrug. “They are business owners. They’ll understand.”

  * * *

  Later that afternoon I took my bichon poo puppy, Mal, out for her afternoon walk. We went out the back of the McMurphy and across the alley to Mal’s favorite patch of grass.

  “Allie,” Mr. Beecher called my name. Mr. Beecher was an elderly gentleman who wore three-piece suits and walked twice daily around the island. He reminded me of the snowman narrator from the Rudolph stop-motion television show. Or more specifically, he reminded me of Burl Ives.

  “Hello, Mr. Beecher. How are you today?”

  “I’m well, thanks,” he said. “I hear that you aren’t going to put in for the pool to get the television show to shoot your side of the street.”

  I sent him a weak smile. “Word travels fast around here.”

  “You’ve got some folks up in arms over it,” he said, then reached into his pocket and took out a small treat. Mal raced over and did her tricks for him. “I told them that you were entitled to spend your money as you saw fit.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’m saving up to remodel the rooftop. It will make a great space for weddings and bridal showers and other kinds of parties. The view of the straits is awesome.”

  His eyes twinkled. “Like I said you are entitled to spend your money as you see fit. I think your grandfather would be proud of what you’ve done with the place.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “I wish Papa were here for my first season, too.”

  “What’s our little friend up to?” he asked, and pointed out that Mal was sniffing around the side of the Dumpster two buildings down.

  “Mal,” I called. “What are you doing? Get over here.” I clapped my hands. Mal refused to come. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Sometimes she can get really stubborn.”

  “Do take care. They like to put poison out by the Dumpsters to keep the rats away.”

  “Oh no.” My heart rate sped up. I don’t know what I would do if Mal got poisoned. I hurried down the alley to the Dumpster calling her name. “Mal. Mal, come here, girl.” It wasn’t rat poison she was sniffing around, but a pair of men’s tennis shoes . . . with the person still wearing them. “I’m sorry,”I said, and pulled her off the man. “She has never met a stranger.”

  The guy was half sitting, half lying down against the side of the building. His head rested against the Dumpster, a hat covering his face as if he needed a nap and wanted to keep the sun out. He didn’t make a sound. I froze.

  “Is he sleeping?” Mr. Beecher asked as he rounded the Dumpster.

  “Oh, boy,” I said, noting the dirty jeans and torn sweatshirt he wore. “Hello? Sir?” I reached down and jiggled his shoulder. The hat popped up and revealed brown eyes wide open, but opaque, staring at nothing. “Sir?” I put my hand on his neck to feel for a pulse, but one touch let me know he was dead. The body was cold.

  I straightened, my nerves on edge. Mal wiggled in my arms. Mr. Beecher stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled.

  “So you’ve found another dead man,” he stated.

  “I think so,” I said, and fumbled for my phone. “Do you recognize him?
”

  “He sort of looks like Jack Sharpe,” Mr. Beecher mused, tilting his round head to get a better look at the body. “Of course, Jack is a better dresser.”

  “9-1-1, what is your emergency?” Charlene the dispatcher’s voice was clear on the other end of the phone.

  “Hi, Charlene, it’s Allie.”

  “Oh, dear me, who’s dead now?” She sounded pained.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m in the alley behind Main Street . . .” I stepped back to look at the store names stenciled on their back doors. “Behind Doud’s Market and Mackinac Gifts.”

  “I’ll send Rex out,” she said. “But he isn’t going to be happy.”

  “I’m not responsible for making Rex happy,” I replied.

  “That’s not what I hear,” Charlene chuckled. “I’ve sent a text out to Shane as well to get CSU over there. There is a dead body, right?”

  “Yes,” I said solemnly. “But just because I call you doesn’t automatically mean someone died.”

  “Honey, the only time you ask for help is if someone dies,” she pointed out. “Are you alone?”

  “No, Mr. Beecher is here, too.”

  “Well, good. Who found the body?”

  “Mal did,” I answered.

  “That pup has a nose for the dead,” Charlene said.

  In the distance I heard sirens. The alley wasn’t very far from the administration building where the ambulance and police were housed. The ambulance was one of the only motor vehicles allowed on the island.