Masquerade mystery, p.1
Masquerade Mystery, page 1
The Bakeshop at Holiday Bay:
Masquerade Mystery
by
Kathi Daley
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2025 by Katherine Daley
Version 1.0
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Bakeshop at Holiday Bay
Black Forest Mystery
Masquerade Mystery
The Inn at Holiday Bay
Boxes in the Basement
Letters in the Library
Message in the Mantel
Answers in the Attic
Haunting in the Hallway
Pilgrim in the Parlor
Note in the Nutcracker
Blizzard in the Bay
Proof in the Photo
Gossip in the Garden
Ghost in the Gallery
Turkey in the Trap-Room
Cookies in the Cottage
Details in the Document
Clue in the Clam
Portent in the Pages
Poison in the Pudding
Lantern in the Lighthouse
Hint in the Hashtag
Pawn in the Pumpkin Patch
Secret in the Santa
Riddle in the Review
Clue in the Carriage House
Witness in the Wedding
Christmas in the Candlelight
Secret in the Storm
Clue in the Cottage
Message in the Manuscript
Trouble in the Theater
Evidence in the Espresso
Christmas in the Country
V in the Valentine
Kidnapped in the Kitchen
Answers in the Ashes
Wallflowers in the Window
Trouble in the Turkey Truck
Bistro at Holiday Bay
Opera and Old Lace
Moonlight and Broomsticks
Cupid and Cool Jazz
Sunshine and Sweet Wine
Clues and Canines
Ravioli and Resolutions
Homecoming and Homicide
Mummies and Moonshine
Cons and Canines
Bookstore at Holiday Bay
Once upon a Mystery
Once Upon a Haunting
Once Upon a Christmas
Once Upon a Clue
Once Upon a Harvest Moon
Once Upon a Snowy Night
Holiday Bay Cast
The Inn at Holiday Bay
Abby Sullivan – owner of the inn – dating Colt (Rufus – cat, Molly – dog)
Georgia Carter-Peyton – minority owner and inn manager – Tanner’s wife (Ramos – dog)
Jeremy Slater – full-time inn employee – Mylie’s husband
Mylie Slater – full-time inn employee – Jeremy’s wife
Annabelle Cole – Jeremy’s niece – lives with Mylie and Jeremy (Snow White – cat)
Danny/Daniel Alexander Slater – Mylie and Jeremy’s son
Haven Hanson – full-time inn employee (Baxter – dog)
Bailey Sullivan – mysterious stranger working at the inn
Hazel Sullivan – Bailey’s daughter
Police Chief Colt Wilder – Police Chief – dating Abby
(Colt’s niece and nephew – Mackenzie/Mackey Hudson and Tyler Hudson)
Tanner Peyton – owner of a dog-training academy – Georgia’s husband
Lonnie and Lacy Parker – Abby and Colt’s best friends
(Parker Children – Michael, Matthew, Mark, Mary, Meghan, and Madison/Maddie)
Officer Alex Weston – Colt’s second-in-command – dating Leo Atwell (Cooper/Coop – dog)
Officer Brax/Braxton Baker – newest officer assigned to assist Colt
Gabby Gibson – police dispatcher
The Bistro at Holiday Bay
Shelby Morris – owner of the Bistro – living with Dawson (Hennessy – cat)
Amy Hogan – Shelby’s business partner and friend, head chef – lives with Cambria (Marley – cat)
Dawson Westwood – Shelby’s business partner, bar manager – lives with Shelby (Goliath – dog)
Nikki Peyton – waitress, backup bartender – Tanner’s half-sister
Lucy Lansing – waitress – lives with Eden Halliwell
Charmaine Kettleman – recently promoted to dining room manager
Cambria Collins – sous-chef – lives with Amy
Beck Cage – PI with an office in the Bistro (Meatball – dog)
Leo Atwell – lives next to Shelby – dating Alex Weston (Fisher – dog)
Sierra Danielson – Shelby’s half-sister
Sage Wilson – Shelby’s half-sister
The Bookstore at Holiday Bay
Lou Prescott – owner of Firehouse Books, along with Velma (Toby – cat, Houdini – cat)
Velma Crawford – owner of Firehouse Books, along with Lou – Royce’s wife
Eden Halliwell – full-time bookstore employee
Royce Crawford – member of Murder on Tuesdays – Velma’s husband
Cricket Abernathy – owner of All About Bluebells, along with Marnie – Thursday evening book club
Marnie Abernathy – owner of All About Bluebells, along with Cricket – Thursday evening book club
Andy Anderson – owner of Surfside Deli, along with Eli (Rusty – dog)
Eli Anderson – owner of Surfside Deli, along with Andy (Rusty – dog)
Savannah Garrison – all three book clubs – Joel’s friend
Joel Stafford – head of Murder on Tuesdays
George Baxter – part-time resident – Murder on Tuesdays
Hazel Hawthorn – longtime local – runs the local cat rescue – Thursday evening book club
The Bakeshop at Holiday Bay
Piper Fairchild – owner of Piper Fairchild Events (Penelope – dog)
Paisley Bradford – owner of Courtyard Bakery
Sully Sullivan – author who works as interim elementary school principal
Kyle Davidson – friend of Amy’s who is helping Paisley out at bakeshop
Bristol Cunningham – new owner of A Bit of This and That
Table of Contents
Bakeshop at Holiday Bay
The Inn at Holiday Bay
Bistro at Holiday Bay
Bookstore at Holiday Bay
Holiday Bay Cast
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 1
“Is this Piper Fairchild?” a woman with a formal tone asked after I’d answered my cell phone.
“This is Piper. How can I help you?”
“I have Mrs. Colesberg on the line. Please hold.”
The woman put me on hold before I could respond, but since Lucy Colesberg was a new client of Piper Fairchild Events, I followed the instructions I’d been given. While I’d worked in the party planning industry for years, I’d only just opened my own business four months ago, so I was eager to please.
While I waited, I settled back in the leather desk chair that I’d splurged on, and smiled down at my teacup Havanese, Penelope, who was sitting on a pillow next to my desk, watching me work. She was such a good assistant. Loyal, dependable, patient. She might not be as helpful in the office as a human assistant would be, but she worked for dog toys and treats and was an enormous asset in the customer relations department, given that most of my customers loved her.
“Piper?” Lucy asked after coming on the line less than a minute later.
“Good morning, Lucy. How can I help you?”
“I need to make changes to the plans we discussed for the holiday open house.”
I figured that would be fine since the open house Lucy and I had discussed for the fifty to seventy-five guests the Colesberg family planned to invite to their home wasn’t to take place until December twenty-first, and this was only mid-October. “If you’ll just give me a moment, I’ll find the notes I took during our previous conversation.” I opened my desk drawer, but didn’t see the file I was looking for, so I piled everything that had been inside the drawer onto the surface of my desk in an effort to locate it. My best friend and business partner, Paisley Bradford, had been nudging me to set up the file cabinets I’d recently purchased. Perhaps I really did need to take the time to do that.
“Ah, yes,” I said once I found the file. “The last time we spoke, you requested a Christmas buffet for up to seventy-five guests to be held from eleven a.m. until four p.m. on Sunday, December twenty-first. You asked that I provide food, décor, and music appropriate for the holiday. Does that all sound right?”
“That is what we discussed. The problem is my husband has decided to invite his business associates to the party in addition to the friends and family I’d planned on, which means the guest list will need to be increased by at least fifty.”
“So the total number of guests we’re looking at will increase from seventy-five to one hundred and twenty-five.”
“We should plan for a maximum of o ne hundred and fifty since I haven’t been able to get an accurate number from my husband.”
“That’s fine. I’ll plan for one hundred and fifty guests. Any other changes?”
“The family-style buffet we discussed will need to be modified.”
Modified? “Are you asking for a sit-down dinner?” I hoped not, since I had no idea where I’d find a venue for a sit-down dinner for up to one hundred and fifty guests the Saturday before Christmas at this late date.
“No. We’d still like to hold the event in our home, and we’d like to offer food that can be eaten while mingling or standing at the tall cocktail tables we discussed, so a buffet would work best, but my husband will be looking for a menu to impress.”
I assured the woman I’d be able to provide her with any menu items she decided on, even though I had no idea if the caterer I’d planned to use would be able to handle a gourmet selection. Paisley had planned to provide sweet treats for the open house, but I’d hired a new company based in Bar Harbor that was known for their casual homestyle buffets to handle the rest.
“Do you have a menu in mind?” I asked my client in an attempt to wrap my mind around the exact sorts of changes we’d need to make.
“Not specifically. My husband wants something nice. Sushi rather than hot dogs.”
Hot dogs had never been a menu item, but I understood what my client was looking for. “Why don’t you let me work on a sample menu. Once I have some options for you to choose from, we can talk again.”
“That sounds fine. I’ll expect to hear from you in a week or so.” With that, she hung up.
I put my head in my hands and groaned. When Mrs. Colesberg first spoke to me about the open house, she assured me she was looking for a casual event for family and friends with simple food items that could be enjoyed while mingling. She wanted food choices that could be enjoyed by both children and adults, and she wanted food that would be easy to keep either hot or cold, as needed, throughout the day. We discussed items such as mini meatballs, potato puffs with cheese and bacon, salmon pinwheels with a dill dipping sauce, ham rolls with cream cheese and chive filling, individual-sized Christmas quiches, and beef and shrimp skewers with red and green bell peppers.
Based on the conversation I’d just had with the woman, it sounded as if she was looking to trade out the simple fare I’d been planning for items such as caviar canapes, crab wontons, and lobster-stuffed rellenos. Not that any of these items were particularly difficult to make. I just wasn’t sure the caterer I’d already hired would be on board with the changes. If the woman I’d hired didn’t feel she could provide the gourmet fare needed, I supposed I’d forfeit my deposit and find someone else. Of course, since the party was scheduled to take place during the busiest few weeks of the year, replacing the caterer wouldn’t be easy.
Shuffling things around on my desk, I pulled my notepad out and jotted down a few ideas. What I really needed, I decided, was to consult with a chef. In the past, I’d consulted with my good friend, Georgia Carter-Peyton, when it came to putting together a complex menu. Georgia had always been happy to help when needed, but she was due to deliver her first child, a daughter, the week after Christmas, so I doubted that she’d be up to helping us cater a holiday open house so close to her due date.
“Maybe Amy,” I mumbled to myself as I began shoving everything I’d piled onto my desk back into my desk drawer. Amy Hogan was the head chef and part-owner of the Bistro at Holiday Bay, a close friend, and an excellent cook.
Penelope must have decided it was time to go out since she began to whimper. I looked down and smiled. “Okay, just a few more minutes.” The tiny dog got up and began to pace around the room as I tried to stuff everything I’d just taken out of my desk drawer back into the same desk drawer. “I’m coming.” I threw up my hands in defeat when the desk drawer refused to close. “I’ll take you out and then come back and organize this mess. I guess the desk drawer needs some attention anyway.”
As I stood up, an envelope, which must have slipped onto my lap from the pile on the desk, fell to the floor. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that the envelope that had settled on the floor was the same envelope that had contained the threatening note that had been left on my desk four months ago. I bent over, picked up the envelope that had been returned to me after law enforcement dusted it for viable fingerprints, and reread the note tucked inside. The typewritten note demanded that I return what I’d taken or face the consequences. The problem, as far as I knew, was that I hadn’t taken anything from anyone, which had left me wondering who delivered the darn thing in the first place.
Officer Alex Weston had tried to find answers for me, but she’d only been able to recover a partial fingerprint from the envelope, which she unsuccessfully tried to match. At the time, she assured me that she’d done everything she could, and I believed her.
Penelope barked to get my attention before running toward the door. I set the note on my desk, grabbed her leash, and we hurried to the grassy area between the road and the beach. Once Penelope settled on a spot to do her business, I cleaned up after her and then wandered along the paved pathway that ran parallel to the beach and the bay.
Penelope was a tiny thing, weighing only about five pounds, and while she seemed to have a lot of energy at times, she preferred brevity when it came to walks. After only a few minutes of trotting along the pathway, she jumped up onto my leg to let me know she preferred to be carried. I bent over, picked her up, and headed toward a bench that overlooked the bay. I had a lot to do this afternoon and really needed to get back, but my life had been pretty stressful as of late, so I decided a few minutes to decompress was warranted.
As I looked out over the vast expanse of the sea, I felt my blood pressure drop considerably. There was something so calming about the rhythmic ebb and flow of the waves that arrived in patterns determined by forces I never fully understood. To me, the waves symbolized strength, beauty, and mystery, and despite how tough my day had been, simply watching the rolling swells usually eased me into a state of peaceful meditation. I’d just begun to contemplate the idea of getting back to my busy day when my cell phone rang. It was my good friend, Lacy Parker.
“Hey, Lacy.” Lacy had taken pity on the fact that I was vastly overwhelmed this Halloween season and had volunteered to help me with the event, which was sponsored by the town. “I was just thinking about Halloween on the Bay and think we should touch base this week.”
“Things have been hectic with soccer in the afternoon, but I have time to meet in the morning. Does that work for you?”
“It does work for me. Do you want me to come to your home?”
“I thought I’d just stop by the bakeshop after I drop the kids at school. I should be there by nine.”
“Nine would work well. I’ll be sure Paisley has fresh coffee and hot muffins.”
“That sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.”
With that, she hung up. Lacy was such an awesome friend. I was sure she had no idea how much I appreciated her offer of help when she realized that I’d let myself become overbooked. Since this was my first big event working for the town and my first major holiday since going out on my own, I really wanted to please everyone.
I set Penelope on the ground and continued down the walkway. Most afternoons, I took Penelope for a bit of a longer stroll, but today I needed to get back for my client meeting at the Breckenridge estate. I’d been so thrilled when Hillary told me that Catherine Breckenridge agreed to hire me to plan her annual masquerade ball that I really hadn’t stopped to think about how stressful and time-consuming it would be to manage such a high-profile event in addition to the Halloween event I was coordinating for the town. The reality, however, was that if I wanted to develop a reputation with the wealthy clients who owned vacation homes in the area, I’d need to accept jobs that would challenge my planning skills and highlight my business.
I was about to turn around and retrace my steps when I noticed that the back door to Bristol Cunningham’s store, A Bit of This and That, was open. If I cut across the alley and through Bristol’s store, it would save me at least five minutes. Bristol’s store was the only courtyard business with access to the alley, which, in my opinion, provided a less desirable setup than the other four courtyard businesses with access to both the shared courtyard and either Main Street or Bay Avenue, busy thoroughfares that ran parallel to each other.
