The Toy Puzzle: Tattle-Tale Mystery Novellas, #1

By Victoria LK Williams

The toys are gone!

All the toys the town has gathered for the local toy drive have disappeared without a clue. Leigh-Ann won't stand for that, and at risk to a secret she's been keeping, she sets out to catch a thief and make sure the kids have a merry Christmas.

The Tattle-Tale Cafe is a great place to grab a drink--and catch up on the latest gossip.

The waitress are friendly and the regular patrons are more than willing to help out when someone is in need. Even if that includes solving a crime or two.

So, grab your cup of Joe and a table overlooking the beach and get ready to hear the latest...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sun, Sand & Stories Publishing
• Release date: Dec 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386312543

Victoria LK Williams

USA Today Best-Selling Author. Victoria writes what she calls Cozy Mysteries with a Tropical Twist. Her series are set in small South Florida towns, with fun characters and a dog/cat or two. She also has one series that is paranormal cozy and the plans for a second.  Victoria can often be found writing from her South Florida home, looking into her garden, watching the birds and squirrels fight over their next meal, while she writes. Her two cats, Miss Marple, and Fletch, often join her at the desk and each has their assigned spot. Victoria's not sure they are there to supervise her writing or watch the birds. Victoria and her husband of 38 years share a love of gardening, and together they have written a gardening handbook for Florida gardeners. The Williams are now empty-nesters, giving Victoria plenty of time to dream up the next story. Until then, you can read any of her current titles in the Citrus Beach Mystery series, Sister Station series, Storm Voices series, Mrs. Avery's Adventures series, Beach House Mysteries, Tattletale Cafe, and now Professor Higgins Investigates.

Book preview

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Chapter 1

Ilooked up as the holiday wreath of silver bells attached to the front door jingled to see two of my favorite patrons walk into the cafe. Most of the lunch crowd had left, but Nora and Liz always arrived at this time of day. They jokingly had told me that it was the best time to get our full service and not feel rushed to leave. And they never did leave fast; these two women could make their lunch break last for two hours without even pausing.

Hi Leigh-Ann, we'll just grab our normal table out on the boardwalk, said Nora

I gave a wave of my hand in agreement to the pretty young woman. I couldn't help but smile as I noticed the two women were laden with bags from their earlier shopping. But what brought the smile to my lips were the festive Santa hats that were perched on their heads. I always wondered if the two women thought they were British on their way to tea with the Queen, because they always came dressed to perfection, and always with a gorgeous hat.

A movement to my right had me turning my head to see one of the newer waitresses start towards the two women, but her movement was arrested by a more seasoned waitress, and I heard her explain to the new hire in a hushed tone: Don't even bother, those two are Leigh-Ann's customers.

But the tables on the boardwalk are mine today –

You’d better learn pretty quick, Leigh-Ann has seniority, and that gives her the pick of the customers. Besides, if you go out trying to take those women's orders, they’re just gonna ask for Leigh-Ann and give you a brush-off. Save yourself the hassle.

The more experienced waitress turned the young girl by her shoulders towards another table and then looked at me with a wink. I gave her a thumbs up; my way of thanking her for avoiding an unpleasant scene.

I would make it up to the newbie later in the day by steering her towards another customer that I knew was a good tipper, but there were certain patrons that I didn't share. And Nora and Liz were at the top of my list.

Grabbing two iced water glasses, I added a lemon into the rim of each and filled them with sparkling water. I gave the women a moment to set their bags down and get themselves comfortably seated before I headed out to the boardwalk.

Hello, ladies. It's good to see you both. I gave a nod to the stash of bags sitting around their chairs. Did you save any sales for the rest of us?

The women laughed at my question and thanked me for the glasses of water. I knew better than to take the order right away; they would need a few moments to study the menu- even though they generally ordered the same thing every time. What they always order differently was their afternoon cocktail. That depended upon their mood and the season, and today was no exception. Some days it was alcoholic; other days it was a tasty brew of coffee or one of my special blends of tea. Today they ordered the specialty of the day, which was hot chocolate. There was just enough nip in the December air coming off the Atlantic Ocean to put any Floridian in the holiday spirit.

That's a popular drink today. I’ll put your order right in.

The two women thanked me, but their minds were on the shopping they had yet to do. As I walked away, I heard them laying out plans for the rest of their shopping day.

A few minutes later I returned to their table with the tray holding two festive mugs of hot chocolate, whipped cream piled so high it almost equaled the size of the cup. I had to admit it was pretty good and I contemplated getting one for myself when my shift was over.

Nora and Liz paused in their gossip long enough to give me their lunch order, and I was right – it was the same salad that they always ordered. I closed my order-pad and turned to walk away. This was a signal for the two women to start the conversation again.

Did you hear about the toys? Liz asked Nora.

My ears perked up as I heard the question. It wasn't something I would typically expect the two women to be talking about. Neither woman had a child that would need toys, and their conversations usually ran around what was going on at the country club. My curiosity was aroused and I almost turned back to listen more carefully. However, I knew the women would still be talking about it by the time I returned with their lunch, so I kept going. I heard the women's voices behind me, but I couldn't make out the words as I walked away. Subconsciously I gave a nod of approval. The restaurant was living up to its name: The Tattle-Tale Cafe.

By the time they finished