by Amber Crewes
Meghan cocked her head to the side. “Mrs. Sheridan,” she began slowly. “We didn’t sell the brownies at Fisher Fest. We simply provided desserts. If you did not purchase the brownie, I cannot give you a refund.”
Mrs. Sheridan stared into Meghan’s eyes. “That’s preposterous! Your brownies killed the Bishops, and I want a refund!”
Meghan glanced at Lori and could see that her assistant was on the verge of a meltdown. Meghan sighed, but reached into the cash register and pulled out five dollars. She carefully placed each bill on the counter in front of Mrs. Sheridan, and Mrs. Sheridan snatched up the money and hobbled out of the bakery.
“Last time, your apple pie gave me diarrhea, and now, your brownies are killing people! The nerve!” Mrs. Sheridan ranted to herself as she slammed the door behind her.
Meghan could feel her shoulders relax as Mrs. Sheridan left, but Lori did not look relieved.
“Lori,” Meghan said gently. “Go home. It’s Saturday. Go home, stay home, and don’t come back until at least Wednesday. It’s going to be quiet here, and you need to take care of yourself.”
Lori nodded. She embraced Meghan, and left the bakery.
On Tuesday, Meghan was mopping the bakery’s wooden floors when she heard a knock at the door. It had been a quiet week; not a single walk-in customer had visited Truly Sweet, and Meghan had started locking the front door as a precaution. People in town had been quite cold; at the grocery on Sunday evening, fellow customers navigated their carts away from Meghan as she walked down the aisles, and the check-out man didn’t say a word to her. Meghan could tell that everyone in Sandy Bay thought she was to blame for the Bishops’ deaths, and she was worried someone might retaliate against her.
The knocking continued, and Meghan propped the wet mop against the counter and tiptoed to the front door.
“Hello?” Meghan called out.
“Meghan? It’s Jack. Jack Irvin?”
Meghan’s heart began to flutter. Jack was here to check on her! He had looked so dapper at Fisher Fest, and despite the current situation, Meghan was happy that Jack was here. She threw open the door, and he smiled down at her.
“May I come in?” he asked politely.
Meghan nodded. Seeing the wet floor, Jack edged around the perimeter of the room, stopping to lean against the counter above a dryer patch of floor.
“How are you doing?” Jack asked.
“I’m fine, I guess,” Meghan answered. Jack gave her a pitying look.
“Maybe it’s time you lay off the brownies for good, Meghan” he answered, gazing up and down her curvy body. Meghan’s cheeks grew red. “There is historical proof to show that they do seem to get you in all sorts of trouble.”
The fluttering of Meghan’s heart stopped; she was irritated by Jack’s tone. He was being condescending, and Meghan folded her arms across her chest in response.
“What can I do for you, Officer Irvin?” Meghan asked, adding the formality of Jack’s title in her address to let him know that she was displeased.
Jack stepped back, aware that Meghan was annoyed.
“I’m here to check on you. Officer Nunan wanted someone to come out and make sure you are doing alright,” he responded.
Meghan nodded her head. “I’m just great,” she said. “I’m innocent, but everyone in this town thinks I had something to do with another murder. My orders are all cancelled, including the Weeks Group corporate order, and I have no customers.”
Jack nodded his head. “Well, sorry to rain more on your parade, but I just wanted to let you know that my team might be coming out later to collect some brownies.”
Meghan rolled her eyes. “This is crazy!”
Jack raised one eyebrow. “It’s a murder investigation, Meghan,” he said. “We have to take every measure to understand what happened.”
Meghan narrowed her eyes at Jack. “I saw you eating my brownies at the event, Officer Irvin,” she said. “Who is to say that you don’t have something to do with this?”
Jack shook his head. “I’m just following procedures, Meghan. Please believe me when I say this isn’t personal.”
Meghan lowered her head and stared at her feet. “This bakery felt like the one thing I ever did right in my life,” Meghan said softly. “And now, it’s all ruined.”
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Well,” he said. “Like I said, maybe sweets just aren’t for you.”
He turned on his heel to leave, and Meghan followed him.
“Thanks for your visit, Officer Irvin,” Meghan said curtly as Jack stepped outside.
“No problem,” Jack answered as he walked toward his police car.
Meghan could see Dash, Jack’s adorable golden retriever, wagging his tail on the front seat. For an instant, her heart warmed, but as Jack drove away, her heart grew heavy again.
“What am I going to do?” Meghan murmured, going back inside the bakery and locking the door behind her. She returned to her mop, but before she could begin cleaning once more, she heard another knock at the door.
“Go away, Officer Irvin!” Meghan yelled, frustrated that Jack had returned.
“Meghan? Meghan! It’s me!” Karen Denton shouted. “Come let me in, sweetie!”
Meghan felt relief. Karen was here! She carefully walked to the door and found her dear friend smiling up at her.
“Oh, sweetie!” Karen said, pulling Meghan into her arms. “I’m so sorry about everything that has happened! What a terrible thing! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get over here to see you; I have been sick with the flu for the last few days, but I’m better now, and I thought my girl might need me!”
Meghan collapsed into Karen’s hug, resting her head on Karen’s muscular shoulder. Karen stroked Meghan’s back as they embraced.
“There, there, love,” she whispered to Meghan as Meghan began to cry. “We’ll get to the bottom of this!”
“I don’t know if I can do this anymore!” Meghan wept into Karen’s shoulder. “Opening Truly Sweet made me so happy; I moved here to get a fresh start after my career as an actress in LA didn’t take off, and things were going so well! Now, I’m at the center of another murder scandal!
Did I make the biggest mistake of my life by leaving LA and coming to Sandy Bay? Am I really cut out to run a successful bakery business? Oh, Karen! I don’t know if I can take this or do this anymore!”
Karen placed a hand under Meghan’s chin and guided Meghan’s eyes to meet her own. Her eyes were kind, but she spoke with a tone that indicated seriousness.
“Meghan,” she began. “You are my dear friend, and like a daughter to me! I adore you, and I refuse to let you be driven out of my hometown by this scandal. When I first met you in LA, I knew you were special, and I will not let something like this happen to my special friend, or her business! Do you understand me?”
Meghan did not reply, but Karen continued to stare fiercely into her eyes.
“Meghan, when I ran the marathon in Barcelona last summer, my body felt exhausted; I am seventy-two years old, and most women my age don’t run like that! Seeing the young people sprint by me left me feeling sorry for myself for almost three whole miles! But you know what? Even though I was tired and down, I didn’t give up. Giving up isn’t an option! You can’t just throw in the towel because of a little trouble. Do you understand me?”
Meghan nodded, thankful for Karen’s counsel.
“Good,” Karen said. “Meghan, I was born here and raised here, and I know Sandy Bay like the back of my own hand! I know the people here, and I know how things work. I promise you that I will do my best to help you figure out what happened to the Bishops and to save Truly Sweet! We’ll figure it out, Meghan. Just you wait.”
5
THE DAY AFTER KAREN’S VISIT, the inspiration Meghan had drawn from Karen’s pep talk had vanished; it was a dark, rainy morning, and Meghan was curled up in bed with no plans to leave her room. She had only left her bed to slip downstairs into the bakery, fetching a bag of stale, homemade donuts she had fou
nd in the pantry. Meghan carried the donuts back upstairs and stuffed each one into her mouth, eventually eating the entire bag.
“At least I have an appetite,” Meghan thought to herself as her belly groaned from the mass quantity of sugar she had consumed. “Some people don’t eat anything when they are stressed, and at least I will have my strength!”
Meghan snuggled beneath her purple comforter, feeling temporarily safe from the scandal that had sullied her reputation. She rested quietly, and eventually fell into a light slumber, only waking when the telephone began to ring. Meghan had only received one call since Lori’s frantic call with news of the Bishops’ murder; Kirsty Fisher had called to scream at Meghan, saying that Meghan had ruined her event. Now, as the phone rang, Meghan braced herself.
“Sweetie! Good morning!” Karen greeted. Meghan gave a loud sigh of relief, happy to hear a friendly voice.
“Karen,” she said. “How are you?”
Meghan heard Karen giggle. “You sound sleepy, Meghan!”
Meghan looked down at her legs, still wrapped in her blankets. “I’m still in bed.”
Karen giggled again. “Well, rise and shine, sweetie! I’ve already been out for a long run, been to the gym, and gone to yoga this morning!”
Meghan looked down at the empty bag of donuts beside her. “I’m still feeling down, Karen,” she admitted.
“Well, you’d best perk up, Meghan! I have some news about the Bishops.”
Meghan’s eyes grew large, and she gripped the phone tightly. “What’s the news?”
“Well, my good friend, Jeanne-Marie, works down at the police station, and I asked her if she knew anything! She said no when I asked last night, but she just phoned me and said that there are several suspects in the Bishop murder case!”
Meghan’s heart pounded. “Who are they, Karen?”
“Jeanne-Marie couldn’t give me a lot of information, but she did give me the name of two suspects! Jake and Josh Bishop, the adult sons of Brian and Amy Bishop!”
Meghan gasped. “They were at the event! They told the police that I had something to do with the deaths!”
“That sounds too convenient,” Karen said. “They just happened to place the blame on you and they are some of the main suspects? I think we should look into them, Meghan. Get up and get dressed. We have a lot to do today.”
“Karen,” she said cautiously. “What do you mean?”
“Get up and get dressed, quickly! Put on some dark clothes and tuck your hair back. I have a fabulous idea!”
6
“WE LOOK RIDICULOUS,” Meghan said as Karen guided her orange jeep down the long, winding path leading to the Bishops’ house.
Both women were dressed in black from head to toe; Karen wore a black workout jacket, black yoga pants, and a black running hat, while Meghan wore a pair of bedraggled black overalls she had found at the bottom of her wardrobe. Karen had insisted on wearing black ski masks, but Meghan had firmly refused.
“This is what spies wear!” Karen declared, slowing the jeep down as the Bishops’ grand house came into view. “When I was a traveling nurse in Moscow, I knew a spy, and this is exactly what she wore when she went on missions!”
Meghan sighed. She was far out of her comfort zone, but Karen’s exuberance was contagious, and Meghan was hopeful that their bold endeavor could help unearth the truth about the murders.
“We’ll park over by the pool house. I called Jamie Cruise, the local handyman? He’s done some work around the Bishop place, and he swore that if I parked by the pool house, no one would see me!”
Meghan looked at Karen incredulously. “How exactly did you explain to Jamie that you and I are going on a spy mission, Karen?”
Karen grinned at Meghan. “I may have agreed to be his spotter at the gym next week; he’s always had a little crush on me, and believe it or not, this old lady can still be cute when she wants to be!”
Meghan laughed. “You are too much, Karen Denton,” she said, her heart swelling with gratitude for her partner in crime.
They drove by the Bishop house, and Meghan gasped.
“It’s enormous,” she said breathlessly. “I knew they must have had money if they went to Fisher Fest, but I didn’t realize they were this rich!”
Karen nodded. “Wealthy folks, but still very down to Earth. Brian made his fortune selling priceless antiques, and Amy used to be on some show years and years ago. Can’t remember the name. Anyway, Brian and Amy are….were...darlings. Such a sweet couple. Their boys, on the other hand, not so much; Josh and Jake are twenty-seven, close to your age, but they are trouble! They were in and out of jail as teenagers, but Brian managed to buy them a place at a fancy college abroad. They came back to Sandy Bay refined and handsome after college, but they’ve done next to nothing since. They nearly ruined Brian and Amy a few years ago; they sank two businesses using money they stole from Amy, and lately, they’ve just been living in the basement of their parents.”
“Ugh,” Meghan said. “They sound awful! I can’t believe the town has turned on me when the police have already declared me to be innocent! The Bishop twins have already been so bad; why hasn’t everyone turned on them?”
Karen shook her head. “Brian and Amy were beloved in this community,” she replied. “No one wants to believe that the children of such wonderful people could commit such an act. You are the new girl in town, Meghan. It’s easier for these small town Sandy Bay people to blame you.”
Karen brought the jeep to a halt and turned to Meghan. “Let’s review the plan,” she said, her eyes gleaming. “It’s nearly ten at night, and from what I’ve been told, the twins go to bed early. It’s dark outside, so even if they are awake, no one will see us in our dark outfits! Jamie told me that the basement door is always unlocked, so we will simply walk in!”
Meghan bobbed her head in agreement. “Sounds good,” she whispered.
“Then,” Karen continued. “We will search the house. Surely if the boys slipped poison to their parents at the event, there will be some evidence! The police didn’t search the house, from what I heard, and if they haven’t been here yet, there’s still a chance we’ll find a clue!”
Meghan looked at Karen, her hazel eyes large with concern. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked Karen, tugging anxiously at the straps of her overalls as the two women sat in the parked car.
Karen nodded firmly. “Jeanne said that the boys are suspects, and when she and I talked this morning, she told me that the boys have even been overheard saying that they wished their parents were dead so that they could inherit their wealth! Those twins have always been trouble, and with everything they’ve done to hurt Brian and Amy financially in the last few years, I just think it’s a good idea to start with them!”
Karen and Meghan crept out of the car and walked toward the enormous three-story brick house. All of the lights were off, but Meghan still felt nervous. Karen led Meghan around to the back, and carefully, Karen jiggled the handle of the back door leading off of the pool area.
“It’s open!” Karen whispered in delight. “Follow me!”
Karen and Meghan walked inside. The room was pitch black, and the air was sticky and humid, which was odd, considering it was October in the Pacific Northwest. Karen pulled a flashlight out of the small fanny pack secured around her waist.
“What is this place?” Meghan asked as Karen turned on the light. Karen directed the light around the room, and Meghan could see hundreds of plants lining the walls.
“It’s a greenhouse!” Karen exclaimed. “Look at all of the plants! I see some tropical things over there. It smells wonderful in here!”
Meghan paused, staring at Karen.
“Karen,” she whispered. “Think about it. They have their own greenhouse! What if the twins grew whatever poison was used here? There are thousands of plants here! Maybe they tucked some little poisonous plant away somewhere!”
Karen pointed the flashlight into Meghan’s face. “Maybe you are a s
py after all, Meghan Truman!”
Before Meghan could reply, the room was suddenly flooded with light.
“What is going on down there?”
The color drained from Meghan’s face, and she began to shake. Two tall, handsome men stood peering down at them from the top of a narrow staircase leading down into the greenhouse.
“Mrs. Denton?”
Karen flashed a bright smile at the men.
“Josh! Jake! Hello, boys!”
Josh and Jake Bishop stalked down the stairs. They were identical, both with curly black hair, wire-rimmed glasses, and a smattering of freckles across their cheeks. Meghan had never seen them before, but as they approached her, she saw the resemblance they bore to their father, who Meghan had met at Fisher Fest.
