Criminal Coconut Cake (MURDER IN THE MIX #55)

Chapter 1 The Victim

THE VICTIM

The festival spreads out before me like a chessboard, and I’m the only player who knows all the pieces.

Easter decorations flutter in the Vermont breeze—pastel streamers, inflatable bunnies, the whole saccharine display of small-town innocence.

How quaint. How perfectly naive. The crowd mills around in their ridiculous bunny ears and spring finery, completely oblivious to the fact their little celebration is about to become very, very interesting.

I adjust my tie and check my watch. Timing is everything in business, and today’s business requires precision. The microphone waits on the stage like a loaded weapon, and I can already taste the satisfaction of what’s coming.

My dear wife thinks she’s so clever with her little secrets.

Her romance novels, her clandestine meetings, her pathetic attempts at independence.

She has no idea I’ve been three steps ahead of her for months.

The private investigator’s photos are tucked safely in my jacket pocket—insurance, evidence, ammunition.

All those stolen moments with her ex-boyfriend, captured in high definition.

But she’s just the opening act.

My siblings think they’re untouchable, protected by family loyalty and blood ties.

How adorable. They have no concept of what I’ve discovered about their operations, their hypocrisies, their carefully hidden crimes.

Bunny with her wellness empire built on lies.

The others with their schemes and their secrets.

Soon enough, I’ll be exposing them all.

The chocolate empire didn’t build itself on sentiment, and it won’t be preserved by it either. Some people learn through gentle correction. Others require more dramatic lessons. Today, Honey Hollow gets a master class in consequences.

I smile and wave at a passing family, their children clutching Easter baskets and chocolate bunnies. Enjoy the sugar rush while you can, I think. The real entertainment is about to begin.

By the time this celebration ends, everyone will know exactly who holds the power in this family.

And more importantly, they’ll know what happens to those who cross me.