Dairy-Free Death

by P. D. Workman

  “Just come around the back,” Erin growled, stopping compressions to give Trenton a couple more breaths. Beads of sweat slid down her back. Even though the air conditioning was running, she was sweating copiously. The CPR was far harder work than it had ever been in her classes.

  Eventually, they stopped calling. After what seemed like hours, Erin heard them arrive at the back of the store. Terry commanded Joelle to stay back until he had cleared any hazards. She heard his call.

  “Erin! Are you in there!”

  “In here! Trenton’s down! CPR!”

  She could hear his movements as he opened the door the rest of the way again, and his boots snapping against the tiled floor of the back entryway and kitchen.

  “Is there anyone else in here?”

  “I didn’t hear anyone else.” Erin took a quick look around her, realizing she’d had tunnel vision and had focused only on Trenton and nothing else around him. “I don’t see anyone.”

  In a couple more minutes, Terry was at her side. Erin could hear K9’s panting and smell his doggie breath. Terry ventured out into the front of the store to check the space in front of the counter.

  “I have to check downstairs,” he advised. “Just like at your store.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” Erin gave a couple more rescue breaths.

  “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

  “I will.”

  Terry returned after another delay that dragged out way too long.

  “Any response?”

  Erin glanced at him, then back down at Trenton, still soft and unresponsive under her hands.

  “No. Nothing.”

  “I’ll call for an ambulance. But it has to be dispatched from the city. It will take a while to get here. Once I’ve made my calls, we can trade off. Give you a break.”

  “Okay. Sounds good.” Erin couldn’t believe how unbelievably tired she was after just a few minutes of CPR. She remembered stories she’d heard about people performing CPR for hours. How? How could a person keep it up for so long?

  “Is his airway clear?”

  “Airway is clear,” she confirmed.

  Terry left her alone while he made urgent calls to his dispatcher and to various people or departments in the city. He walked out the back and Erin could hear him arguing with Joelle, insisting that she had to stay outside. Eventually, he returned and knelt beside her.

  “After your next breaths, we’ll trade off. Okay?” He took something out of one of the pouches on his belt and tore the plastic wrapper off of it. He popped it out, and Erin realized it was a mouth guard for CPR. “Sorry, I only have one. You’ve already been kissing him, so…”

  “Yeah. Protect yourself.”

  She saw that he had gloves on too. Blue ones like medical professionals wore. “Do you have another pair of those? I haven’t checked for blood or fluids.”

  Terry dug out another pair. Erin gave Trenton two more breaths, moving over, and Terry took over the compressions. Erin put the gloves on and started a head-to-toe check for blood or other signs of injuries. She couldn’t check his back since they had already started CPR, but she felt the back of his head and neck, his sides, and the backs of his legs, as well as everything on the front. She patted him down, checked for blood on her gloves, and kept going.

  “No blood,” she said. “Maybe it was a heart attack.”

  Terry looked around. There wasn’t much either of them could see from their position on the floor behind the counter.

  “I’ll have to secure the scene after they come pick him up. I didn’t see anything out of place. Did you touch anything?”

  “The doorknob. I don’t think… I don’t think anything else. He was face down. I turned him over.”

  Terry grunted.

  “The door frame was broken,” Erin said. “I didn’t do that. Someone had already forced the door.”

  “The girlfriend?”

  “No, I don’t think so. She seemed pretty hysterical.”

  Terry bent over to give a couple of breaths and went back to compressions. They stopped talking, just focusing on the rescue. When Erin detected that Terry’s compressions were getting slower and less forceful, she was ready.

  “Switch off again.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “We don’t know how long we’re going to have to keep this up. We need to switch regularly.”

  Terry grunted irritably. Erin waited for him to make space for her. When it was time for the breaths, Terry moved over to give them, allowing Erin to get in and start compressions again.

  “How long did they say?” she asked.

  “As soon as possible. They wouldn’t give an ETA.” His expression was guarded.

  Erin considered this. “What does that mean?”

  “If they had a vehicle to dispatch immediately, it would have been half an hour. Since they wouldn’t give an ETA, it means they don’t have a vehicle free, and they don’t know how long it will take to free one up.”

  “Oh.”

  “It could be just a little over half an hour… or it could be a couple…”

  Erin nodded. “Okay. Like I say, we’ll have to switch regularly. Is there anyone else who can help if we get too tired?”

  “I don’t want more people on the scene if we can help it. If necessary, we can get the Sheriff and Tom Banks. Willie Andrews. I’m sure we have a few more CPR-certified rescuers. There’s a volunteer fire department. They’ll have a list of which volunteers are current in their certifications.”

  “I don’t know if I’m current,” Erin said with sudden realization.

  “I’d say you’re already committed.” The dimple appeared in Terry’s cheek. “You seem to know what you’re doing. My dispatcher is also calling around to see if anyone else can send an ambulance. We’ll get one sooner or later.”

  “Hopefully sooner.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  K9 had been watching them attentively but, apparently, he decided they weren’t going to do anything more interesting, or maybe their voices told him it was going to be a long haul, and he lay down noisily beside his partner.

  “K9!” Erin had never heard Terry speak sharply to the dog before. Not even when he had frightened Orange Blossom that first day, barking his head off. Terry pointed firmly to the far wall. “Over there!”

  K9 immediately got up and relocated himself, lying down precisely where Terry’s outstretched finger pointed.

  “Don’t want him getting his fur near… Mr. Plaint,” Terry said to Erin, his voice normal again. “If it’s a crime scene, we don’t want to contaminate anything needlessly.”

  Erin felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Alton Summers again? Or Vic wondering where she had disappeared to? How long before the whole town realized that there was something unusual going down at The Bake Shoppe? She ignored the call, continuing the rhythmic compressions.

  “You don’t think it’s a crime scene, do you? He just… had a heart attack or a stroke…?”

  “Probably. The chances that we’d have another murder in Bald Eagle Falls is extremely low. Extremely low,” he repeated with emphasis. “But… we can’t be sure without more information. We have to assume it is, and protect its integrity the best we can.”

  Erin’s shoulders ached. She knew she should be completely focused on the rescue and counting her compressions, but her brain was ticking them off in her head in the background, and she was too amped up not to talk about what was happening.

  “Do you know anything about Trenton?” she asked. “About when he disappeared the first time? His history?”

  “It’s an open investigation. Or at least, it was open until he showed up in town. I’m not sure whether I can just close it now, or if I need more details about why he disappeared and what he’s been doing while he was gone. I’ve seen his identification… but IDs can be faked. I need verification that he really is who he said he is. Especially with him coming here to collect on an inheritance.”

  Terry looked away from her
, and Erin realized that the situation was remarkably familiar. Like Erin suddenly showing up to claim her inheritance from Clementine. The police hadn’t been involved in the case, but Terry knew the basics. And he had informed her that he knew she hadn’t been going by the name Erin Price when Alton Summers had initially tracked her down. He hadn’t given any indication since making the arrest in Angela Plaint’s murder that he had any suspicions about her, but maybe it was still in the back of his head. Some tiny suspicion that maybe Alton Summers hadn’t done his due diligence to make sure she was who she claimed to be.

  “How will you verify who he is?”

  “Now…?” Terry looked down at the unmoving man. “Now it will be up to someone other than me.”

  “Who?”

  “The coroner.”

  Erin faltered in her compressions, then picked up the rhythm again. “You don’t think… he’ll survive?”

  Terry shook his head. “You started CPR, so we need to continue it. But we don’t know how long he was lying here before you started. Long enough for Miss Biggs to get upset and come find me. The statistics say that CPR will only save four percent of people with an unattended heart attack. Less than that without brain damage.”

  Erin was aware that her compressions were slowing. “Then why are we doing this?”

  “Because once you start a rescue, you have to see it through. I’ll take over on your next breaths.”

  Erin’s arms felt like lead. She kept pumping until he could take his turn. “Okay.”

  Chapter Five

  ERIN STOOD THERE WATCHING the ambulance drive away, red cherry lights rotating slowly, and shivered, though it was still hot even in the shade. Terry put his hand on her shoulder, his touch tentative.

  “You did good, Erin. That wasn’t easy.”

  “I don’t know if I would have started if I’d realized how long it would take. I’m so sore!”

  “Me too. And probably for naught. But we did our best. That’s all that can be expected.”

  The Sheriff and Tom Banks, neither of whom Erin knew well, had taken over the scene. It was probably the right thing for them to do, giving Terry a break after all the work of trying to keep Trenton Plaint’s blood oxygenated and circulating, but Terry stood there looking back at the shop as if lost. He clearly didn’t know what to do when it would normally have been his job to secure the scene and conduct the initial investigation.

  “Why don’t you come over to the shop for a bite to eat and some ice tea?” Erin suggested. “We could probably both use something to boost our blood sugar.”

  Terry nodded. “Yeah, that would be good… just a few more minutes.”

  Tom Banks wound yellow tape around the fence posts. He moved slowly and deliberately. He was an older man, his skin leathery and cheeks cavernous. Erin knew him to be a kind man, but not, she didn’t think, a particularly bright one.

  Erin’s phone gave a short vibration, and this time she took it out and looked at it. Ignoring any of the previous notifications, she just looked at the last one, a text from Vic. Are you okay? When are you coming back?

  She quickly thumbed a message back. Just a couple of minutes. Need some sugar.

  Her phone vibrated in her hand with a return message. Not my department. Talk to Officer Handsome.

  “Not that kind of sugar,” Erin said aloud.

  Terry turned and looked at her, head cocked. “What?”

  “Just Vic,” Erin held up her phone, “being silly.”

  “Oh.” Terry snapped his fingers and called K9 to him. “Let’s head over there.”

  They walked back slowly. Erin pulled her clothes away from her skin. No point in trying to pretend that she wasn’t soaked right through. She was sure that Terry was just as uncomfortable as she was. They had both been through the wringer. “I might close up early today. I’m beat.”

  “I’m sure everyone would understand.”

  As Erin drew up to The Book Nook, she realized she hadn’t retrieved her serving trays yet. And she never had gotten down to The General Store to get the case of jams.

  “Just give me a sec. Or meet me there. I need to grab something here.”

  Terry waited patiently for her, K9 at his side eyeing the birds wheeling high in the sky. K9 liked to be out and about, not staying in one place. He always seemed to find some way to complain to Terry when he had to sit still for longer than he liked.

  Erin went into The Book Nook and waved to Naomi. “Sorry I was so long getting over here.”

  “Sorry? You can’t exactly leave in the middle of giving someone CPR, can you? I would have brought them over to the bakery. You didn’t have to come in.”

  “It was on the way,” Erin said with a tired smile. “How did Book Club go?”

  “It’s amazing how many more people come when they know there are going to be treats,” Naomi said, handing Erin the trays.

  It had taken some talking to get Naomi on-side to start with. She hadn’t wanted anything in her store that could get crumbs or greasy fingerprints in her books. But the Book Club ladies had, as far as Erin knew, been good about it, and any books that did get marked were purchased by the culprit, so Naomi didn’t have to eat the costs. What she paid for in treats she made back in higher attendance and sales.

  “We should try a few themed days,” Erin suggested. It was something she had come up with a few days before, not that she had just pulled out of her exhausted brain. “Like… death by chocolate, Hannah Swensen cookie varieties, stuff like that. What do you think?”

  Naomi nodded eagerly. “That sounds like fun! I’ll look over the shelves and see what stock I need to move that we could tie into.”

  “Great. Just let me know. You know where to find me!”

  “Take it easy tonight. You deserve a rest.”

  Erin agreed, and with her trays in hand, headed back outside. Terry walked her to the door of Auntie Clem’s Bakery, held the door for her, and followed her in.

  “Erin!” Vic hurried around the counter and hugged Erin. The two of them weren’t usually huggy, and Erin pulled back and tried to extricate herself, feeling sweaty and grubby and embarrassed about having someone hug her in that state.

  “It’s okay. It’s okay; I’m fine.”

  Vic released her, but stood there searching her eyes for the truth. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m good too,” Terry offered, eyebrows raised and the dimple in his cheek prominent.

  “I’m not hugging you,” Vic retorted.

  Erin laughed. “Okay, back to work. I just need to change into a fresh apron, and—”

  “No, you don’t.” Vic stopped her, hands on hips. “You go sit down, and I’ll bring the two of you something to eat. And some iced tea. You need to take a break.”

  “There’s work to do,” Erin pointed out. “Things might be winding down because of Trenton… but I still need to get things ready for tomorrow morning. We can probably close early, but we can’t skip prepping for tomorrow.”

  “Go sit down,” Vic repeated firmly. “You’re on temporary leave. I’ll take care of the prep. I’ve got your checklists; I know what to do.”

  “Vic—”

  “No. Go sit down. Go on.”

  Vic gave no sign of backing down. Erin sighed, and she and Terry went over to the small tables and wrought-iron chairs to sit down. K9 sat down at Terry’s side but kept looking toward Vic and making irritated snuffling sounds. Erin looked over at Vic, sniffing the air and trying to figure out what K9 was so restless about. Was something burning in the oven, but only the dog could smell it? Or was there some other danger that he could detect that no one else could? Erin felt a little jumpy after working over what was basically a corpse for a couple of hours. Maybe K9 could smell death, and that was what was bothering him.

  Vic bussed a plate of assorted goodies over to the table. Erin noted that Vic knew which delicacies were her particular favorites and which were Terry’s. She was a bright kid. She brought the iced tea and glasses over separa
tely, and then looked at them. “Anything else?”

  Erin was going to say they had everything they needed, but before she had the chance, K9 nudged Vic’s bare calf with his cold, wet nose, making Vic yelp and jump back.

  “Maybe the dog would like something,” Erin laughed.

  “Oh, you know, he probably would,” Terry said, looking down at his watch. He reached over and scratched K9’s head. “I’m sorry, buddy. Could you bring him a bowl of water, Vic? He’s probably dying of thirst.”

  Vic nodded and went back to the kitchen.

  “Dogs perspire through their mouths, by panting,” Terry told Erin. “His fur helps to keep him insulated from the heat, but it still affects him. He needs to keep hydrated when it’s hot out, just like we do.”

  Erin nodded. She took a sip of her cold, sweet tea. So cold it made her teeth hurt, but she ignored the pain and took a few swallows anyway. She hadn’t realized how dry she was. Vic returned with a bowl of water and put it down in front of K9. He plunged his snout into it immediately, then started lapping the water up noisily. Vic put a biscuit on the table.

  “There’s a treat for him when he’s done drinking.”

  Erin tried to ignore the slurping noises while she nibbled at a muffin. Terry wasn’t eating but was turned slightly, staring into the display case a few feet away.

  “Is there something else you wanted?” Erin asked him. “I’ll get you whatever you like.”

  “No. It’s just… those cupcakes…” Terry pointed at the chocolate chip cupcakes with sprinkles. “There were some that looked just like that at the—at The Bake Shoppe. Were those yours, or was he copying your recipe…?”

  “Oh, no!” Erin laughed. “Joelle bought those. Gluten-free, vegan…” Erin trailed off. “Why…?”

  “And there were some of those ones too, weren’t there?”

  “The red velvet,” Erin agreed. “Yes. She took six of each. Bought, I mean. She bought six of each. The chocolate chip for herself, because she’s vegan. And the red velvet for Trenton.”

  “And took them to The Bake Shoppe.”

  “Yes… well, that’s where they were, wasn’t it? That’s where they were working. Where else would she have taken them?”