Sugar and Vice

by Eve Calder

  Next she painted three sides of the house with cheery red icing, smoothing it out as she worked with an offset spatula. On the front, she did the same, carefully leaving several voids in the gingerbread.

  Reclaiming the white icing, she drew on a big window, then added a large door. She filled in both with white icing, added a few highlights, and smoothed it over with the spatula.

  Kate stepped back and smiled, surveying her handiwork.

  Now all it needed was an Oliver-worthy yard. She returned to the batch of white icing in her mixing bowl, added a few handfuls of coconut flakes, along with a few drops of green food coloring, and carefully slipped the bowl under the stand mixer. A minute later, it was the perfect shade.

  As she carefully formed little patches of icing grass, Kate thought of the news that Maxi had shared that morning. How many people would know that the flower shop was getting sod in the backyard? The people installing it, certainly. Could it have been someone on the crew or connected with the company?

  And who else would have known? Kate couldn’t see Peter sharing it with the folks at his office. But she could imagine Maxi telling the whole town about Peter’s Valentine’s Day gift.

  Even if the florist only chatted with one or two friends, word would get quickly around Coral Cay. Especially if it was the right one or two people.

  Gabe Louden had been spot on when he noted that downtown might not have great cell service, but the community was wired in other ways.

  More important, who was Alvin? She made a mental note to ask Sam about Amos’s nephew, Teddy. At this point, she didn’t even know the man’s last name.

  And it was definitely time to pay Ben Abrams a visit and get that composite sketch for Manny. Perhaps a dozen chocolate crinkle cookies—Ben’s favorite—might buy a little goodwill?

  Finished with the lawn, Kate stepped back and looked at the doghouse. Almost perfect.

  She went into the refrigerator and retrieved two small plastic bags with the marzipan decorations she’d made earlier. In one, a little red fire hydrant. In the other, a small purple Frisbee.

  Chapter 33

  Kate shivered as she sat in the lobby of the Coral Cay police department. It wasn’t just that the AC was going full blast. Her last few visits here had not been happy occasions.

  She hoped this one might change her luck.

  “You here to see Ben?” Officer Kyle Hardy asked brusquely, from the other side of the glass partition.

  “If he has a minute,” Kate said, brandishing a box of cookies. “I just wanted to chat for a sec, and give him these. And I have a box of the peanut butter ones for you. Just to say thanks for the help the other night. With the treasure hunters.”

  Kyle Hardy’s face actually lit up. It was the first time Kate had ever seen him smile. The first time she’d met him, the twentysomething cop had all but decided she’d imagined—or staged—a break-in at the bakery. The second time they’d met, he’d arrested Sam Hepplewhite for murder. So their history was complicated.

  “Now that’s really nice,” the officer said, looking genuinely pleased. “Thank you. Ben’ll be free in a couple of minutes. He’s just finishing up a few things.”

  “That works. Are you coming to the welcome party for the new vet this evening?”

  “I’m working. Routine patrols. But I might try and drop by on my dinner break. You met the guy yet?”

  “Last month. He was in town, and he popped into the bakery. Seems nice. And Oliver likes him.”

  “Good, ’cause we could really use a decent vet. My mom’s schnauzer is getting up there. Seems like she’s taking her in every other month or so. And the clinic is all the way over in Elmwood. Be nice to have a vet on the island for a change.”

  A few minutes later, Kyle reappeared behind the glass. “Ben’s free now. You want to come on back?”

  “Let me guess,” Ben Abrams said, getting up from behind his desk to usher her into his office. “You want to give me cookies and tell me that Maxi and Peter are innocent of any wrongdoing.”

  “No, I just wanted to say thank you for helping us out the other night,” she said. “With the prowlers. And if you have that sketch of Al—I mean, our friend from the garden, I was going to show it around. To see if anyone recognizes him.”

  “For what it’s worth, I believe Peter and Maxi had nothing to do with this,” Ben said. “I’m still concerned it might have something to do with his work, though. And I think he is too. But I will investigate every lead—no matter where it goes.”

  Kate nodded. “That’s fair. And Carl put in the cameras this morning. At least that should help.”

  Ben flipped the lid on the bakery box and inhaled deeply. “Oh man, I love these things.”

  “Fresh out of the oven,” Kate said proudly. She neglected to mention that she’d baked them just so she’d have an excuse to visit.

  He offered her the box, and she politely took one. “You should try the chocolate icebox cookies, too. We nearly had a fight in the bakery over those.”

  “Yeah, I might’ve heard something about that,” he said, reaching into his desk drawer and pulling out a single piece of paper. “OK, part of the problem with these sketches is there’s a lot we don’t know—like coloring and hairstyle. If the guy had a beard or a mustache. If he’d shaved his head—don’t understand that one,” he said, smoothing his dark hair. “But it seems to be a trend. So the artist gives us a sheet with a few options.”

  He slipped the page onto the desk in front of her. “These are the ones we got back for your friend.”

  Kate studied the faces. Or, more correctly, face. With different coloring, different hairstyles and different facial hair, each rendering looked like a completely different person. She remembered Maxi’s description of Teddy. “Do you have any idea what he might have done for a living or what he weighed?”

  Ben shook his head. “Not so far. But the M.E. is taking this one as a personal challenge. And I wouldn’t bet against her. As far as what he did, the doc thinks it could have been some kind of manual labor. He did a lot of walking. There was some wear on his hands and feet. Plus those shallow depressions on his shoulders, where he was likely carrying something on a regular basis. Also looked like he could have had some recent injuries to his hands. Maybe been in a fight. Teeth looked OK—like he might have had braces and good care growing up. But no signs of recent work. Although it doesn’t sound like he needed it. He broke an arm as a kid. That healed up fine. And it looks like his nose might have been broken once or twice in the past few years.”

  Kate looked at the sheet wondering if any of the thumbnails might resemble Teddy.

  “Does he match any of the missing persons reports you’ve found?” she asked.

  “Nope. Closest is some trust-fund type reported missing a few months ago in Boston. But the geography and timing are all wrong. He wasn’t reported missing until April. And there’s no reason to think he’d have been anywhere near here. Plus, whoever our guy was, I don’t see him as well off.”

  “You didn’t land in Coral Cay until after all this,” Ben continued, waving a hand toward the page. “No idea who he might be?”

  Kate shook her head, hoping they were wrong about Teddy. Should she ask him? Or was it better to wait until they had some proof?

  “I’m going to swing by and show this to Maxi and Peter later,” Ben said. “To see if any of these gentlemen might look familiar. And if you want to share them with your buddy Manny, I wouldn’t object.”

  Kate flinched. So much for her stealth investigation skills. “What did Carl say, exactly?” she asked, chagrined.

  Ben smiled and plucked two more cookies out of the box, placing one squarely on the desk in front of Kate and palming the second for himself. “That the guy is a right royal pain in the posterior. But he’s not bad at his job. Look, I’m not proud. And I have precious little to go on right now,” he said, nodding toward the sheet depicting the many faces of Alvin. “So if I can get a few leads, at this poin
t I don’t care where they come from.”

  Chapter 34

  As soon as Kate got back to the bakery, she picked up the phone and dialed the flower shop.

  “Flowers Maximus, this is Maxi.”

  “How would you like yet another job?” Kate said. “The bad news is that there’s plenty that could go wrong. The good news is I can pay you in cookies.”

  “Kinda sounds like all my other jobs,” Maxi said. “Except for the part about the cookies.”

  Kate peeked around the corner, eyeing the crowd in the shop. “I need someone to help me carry the doghouse over to Oy and Begorra. I can’t exactly deliver it on the bike. And the bakery’s been slammed all day, so Sam’s got his hands full. I wanted to get this thing over there early. So they’d have it for the start of the party.”

  “I could use a break. I’ve been working with flowers all day. You know, between watching the guys stick cameras in the yard. By the way, those carrot cake things were a hit. I think they actually might have prevented war from breaking out.”

  “Nah, I talked to Ben. I suspect Manny’s starting to grow on them.”

  “The only thing I saw him growing on was Carl’s last nerve. So when do you want to move your house? ’Cause I got something I think might help.”

  “Anytime you have a minute. I figure if I can get it over there early, then I can show up later, after I’ve locked up and started some of the baking for tomorrow. I’m opening in the morning, so I can’t stay late.”

  “Me either. Parent-teacher conferences at Javie’s school. Come to think of it, I might steal a box of cookies for the teacher. My little guy can be kind of a handful.”

  “You got it. Oh, and Ben gave me a picture of Alvin,” Kate whispered into the phone. “What they think he might have looked like. I didn’t mention Teddy. I figured you look at it first. If he looks familiar, then we talk to Ben.”

  “In that case, chica, I’ll be right over.”

  Chapter 35

  In the bakery kitchen, Maxi lounged against the counter while Kate leaned in and examined the shiny stainless-steel cart her friend had just wheeled through the back door. It was about three feet high with two shelves—the top one padded with a black rubber mat.

  “OK, that is more than slightly brilliant,” Kate said, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Yeah, I kinda thought so my own self,” the florist said.

  “And it will actually fit,” Kate said, looking back at the doghouse in question. “I don’t believe it. How on earth did you come up with this?”

  “I use it when I’m putting together some of the really big flower orders. Sometimes for deliveries, too, if they’re close enough to walk. Best of all, it means we don’t have to wrestle your cookie casa in and out of the Jeep. I even wiped it down good so it would be shiny and super clean.”

  “I love this,” Kate said. “Where can I get one for the bakery?”

  “Hey, I can hook you up with my supplier. He’ll be happy to sell you one.”

  “I’m going to take you up on that,” Kate said, marveling at the contraption. “So why didn’t you tell me the resorts were cutting back on their orders?”

  Maxi frowned. “Corizon, it’s just a little blip. Business goes up, and sometimes it goes down. You’re already helping me with Alvin. And so is Ben. And Manny. But the flower shop? That’s my thing. It’s like my garden. I may have to water and weed and plant. But if I care for it—watch over it—it’ll blossom again. It won’t always be perfect all the time. But I’ll have a super beautiful garden.”

  Kate paused, torn. She wanted to help. But she didn’t want to push.

  “OK, that’s fair,” she said finally. “So tell me about Pirate Night Dinners.”

  Maxi shook her head. “Ay, to me, the best part of the festival. Although the parade is pretty good, too.”

  “I heard you were supposed to host this year.”

  Maxi smiled ruefully. “I know it sounds kinda silly now. Especially with Alvin and everything. But I was really looking forward to it.”

  “Well, Sam and I wanted to know if you’d like to borrow the Cookie House?”

  Maxi looked up hopefully. “It’s a lot of work. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

  “So show me,” Kate said, smiling. “It’s my first festival. Besides, you’re hosting. I’m just helping. And don’t forget, I used to work in restaurants.”

  Maxi’s face bloomed. “Except for a few feet and a fence, it’s almost the same location. All of the advantages without any of the Alvin problems.”

  “Actually, this might be better,” Kate said. “It’ll be a lot less work with the two of us than it would be for you alone. And if we have a big group of people over here, we can kind of keep an eye on your place, too.”

  “The best part is the hosting business brings dinner and does all the cleaning up,” Maxi said excitedly. “And we all take turns. Everyone does a different night. Although, the first night is a barbecue. You know, to kick off the festival.”

  “So who decides who’s cooking which night?” Kate asked.

  “Officially, the Coral Cay downtown business group. Unofficially, Barb. She keeps the list and organizes everybody. Sometimes we have too many volunteers. Sometimes not enough. But La Presidenta makes sure it comes out OK. Even if she has to twist a few arms to do it. And she makes a great pot of chili, too. Picante y delicioso.”

  “What about tables and chairs and linens?” Kate asked.

  “Our business owners group pays for that. Barb rents them from a service. Kinda like you do for a wedding. Are you sure you want to do this? Sam is gonna hate it.”

  “It was Sam’s idea. Well, him and half of Coral Cay.”

  “Yeah, ’cause the other half thinks I planted Alvin,” the florist said lightly.

  “They do not,” Kate said, giggling. “But they might believe you already have too much on your plate.”

  Maxi beamed. “Well, then please tell all of them muchísimas gracias!”

  Chapter 36

  Kate and Maxi carefully maneuvered the cart—with a large box on top covering its precious cargo—through the front door of Oy and Begorra.

  While it was late afternoon, well before the dinner rush, the pub still enjoyed a smattering of customers. Mostly tourist families grabbing a hearty lunch.

  “Hey, guys!” Andy Levy called from across the gleaming wood bar. “Is that what I think it is?”

  “If you mean, is it a super large doghouse made of cookies, then, yes,” Maxi said.

  “We also brought a few dozen of some of the other varieties, for the party,” Kate added, pointing to the white bakery boxes stacked on the lower shelf of the cart.

  “Ex-cell-an-tay. Bridget’s in the back getting things set up now. And thanks for the balloons,” he said to Maxi.

  “De nada. It’s not a party without balloons.”

  “True,” Andy agreed, nodding. “And this party’s gonna be great. Doctor Jack won’t know what hit him. Hey, you wanna hear something cool? Those key lime tarts are totally on fire. We’re sold out again. Any chance we might be able to get a few more?”

  “We’re fresh out now, but I’m baking more tonight,” Kate said. “I can drop some off tomorrow morning after I take the rolls over to Sunny’s studio. Will that work?”

  “Oh yeah! We just need them for the lunch crowd. And probably the dinner crowd.”

  “So what’s this Dr. Scanlon like?” Maxi said. “I haven’t met him yet.”

  “He eats a lot of his meals here. Mostly, takeout though, ’cause he’s getting his clinic set up. I know he’s crazy for Bridget’s Irish stew sandwiches, he’s from Denver, he likes to ski, and he loves the ocean. So far, that’s about it.”

  “I hope he likes to water ski, ’cause there’s not much snow around here,” Maxi said.

  “I kinda got the impression he’s not a big fan of frozen winters,” Andy said, lowering his voice. “Oh, and Sunny’s trying to recruit him to take a yoga class.”
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  “Sunny’s trying to recruit everybody to take a yoga class,” Maxi said. “No news there.”

  Kate nodded. “When he was in Coral Cay last month house hunting, he mentioned he was really looking forward to a little beach weather. Speaking of coming here to escape the cold weather, do you remember Amos’s nephew, Teddy?”

  “He bought the old Henderson place!” Andy said suddenly, snapping his fingers.

  “Teddy?” Kate and Maxi asked in unison.

  “Doctor Jack,” Andy replied. “Hey, whatever happened to Teddy? Wasn’t he gonna move here?”

  “That’s what everybody thought,” Maxi said, sliding an eye toward Kate.

  “Do you remember his last name?”

  “I thought it was Tully,” Andy said. “I remember Amos said, ‘Meet my nephew Teddy,’ and we shook hands. Maybe I just sorta filled in the blanks. Man, that guy could eat. He used to come in here and put away two meals in one sitting. Wonder where he got to?”

  “Oh, I heard he just went back home,” Kate said, vaguely. “Now, where can we set up this doghouse?’

  * * *

  “So where’s this picture of Alvin?” Maxi said, as the two of them walked back down Main Street.

  Kate swung the backpack off her shoulders and retrieved a manila folder. She carefully extracted a sheet and passed it to Maxi. “They don’t know about hair and eye color—or hairstyle, either,” she explained. “So they kind of guess and draw a few different versions.”

  The florist gripped the photocopy in both hands, studying the illustrations.

  “Do any of them look like Teddy?”

  “I don’t know,” Maxi said, shaking her head. “This one could be him, if the face was a little fuller. Plus Teddy has a beard and a mustache. And his hair is kinda shaggy. It’s hard to tell.”

  “Ben said that Alvin had a broken arm, probably as a child. And he’d had his nose broken in the past few years. Also that he did a lot of walking. Would any of that fit?”