A Cake Caper

by Constance Barker

  “Fine,” I said begrudgingly, and we hopped back into the car and headed to Laney’s place a few streets away. Again, there was no reply despite several minutes of knocking and Logan even calling through the letterbox.

  “Doesn’t look like anyone’s home here either,” Logan said, finally admitting defeat.

  “That’s okay. We can try my plan next,” I responded cheerfully. I made to move past Logan towards the back gate, but he grabbed my arm and held me firmly.

  “Your plan involves breaking and entering Coco. I’ll give you three guesses as to whether or not we’re going to try your plan next. Actually, scratch that, you should only need one guess.”

  “Yes, we will try my plan?” I guessed hopefully, grinning up at him.

  “Okay, okay, you definitely needed two guesses. That one’s on me,” he shot back, trying to hide a smirk.

  “Oh, come on Logan. We need to figure this out, please let’s just have a look around.”

  “You know Coco, I’m not sure how many conversations we’ve had about needing a search warrant to enter a place and search it, but I’m sure it must be at least 100 by now.”

  “100? Get out of here. I haven’t been involved in 100 murders.”

  “Really? It sure feels like it sometimes, Coco.” Logan ignored my righteous outrage and led me back to the car.

  I held up my hands in surrender. “Okay fine, you win. We’ll wait for the warrant. Call me when you get it and we’ll go in together?”

  He smiled his perfect smile and for a second I completely lost my train of thought. “Nice try Coco but this isn’t going to be like the other times. You’re coming to the station with me to get the warrant.”

  He pulled open the car door and waited for me to get in, his smile never faltering. I huffed as I did as I was told. I always was a sucker for a perfect gentleman.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll have some officers hang around Terry and Laney’s to keep an eye out for their cars,” Logan added as he got in and whisked us away to the station.

  Logan went to apply for the warrant and came back with two cups of coffee and some delicious looking donuts. He offered the box to me and I grabbed the biggest chocolate one.

  “What’s the big occasion Mr. Moneybags?” I teased him as I took a sip.

  “Well on my way back to you it occurred to me that more of our dates have been about trying to chase up clues to my murder investigations that you always find yourself tangled up in, than they have been us sitting down to dinner. So, I thought I should apologize and level the playing field a little.”

  I took a bite of donut to hide my smile. Logan was a good one, all right. Even if he was committed to following the law a little more closely than I was in emergencies.

  We looked up as a uniformed officer approached us, looking apologetically at Logan. “Sorry sir, but it seems there’s a big dog show out in Tillsdale that your Terry Arbuckle and Laney Tomas have gone to, along with a bunch of others. They won’t be back until after the weekend.”

  Logan turned to me and smiled ruefully. “That’s why their houses were empty. Sorry Coco, but we’re going to have to hang fire on this one. We’ll talk to them when they get back and see if we can get some answers.”

  I nodded and shrugged at him. “I guess it wasn’t to be. But they won’t be gone for long. I should get going then, I don’t want to take up all your time.”

  Logan walked me to the doors but as I hugged him goodbye his eyes narrowed. “Coco, promise me you’ll wait until I say so before following up on this.”

  “Of course I will,” I said, smiling at him. I hoped he hadn’t noticed my crossed fingers as I said it, but Laney had been acting way too suspiciously for me to let this go.

  As soon as I could I headed for Laney’s house. I picked the lock easily enough (thank you, Vivian, you scary woman), and started to look around.

  Laney’s house was largely unremarkable. She clearly loved dogs, both real and ornamental, and her shelves and units were full of china dogs of various breeds. I dug through her library books and found a lot of popular crime and murder mysteries piled into stacks on the coffee tables.

  I headed through to her bedroom and rifled through her desk. I was about to give up when a sheaf of papers came loose, and I pulled them out. Flicking through them, I realized they were letters and my eyes widened as I read them.

  The letters were addressed to Oliver and bore no sender name. They were threatening him, and I gasped as I read through them, each one getting more and more violent and angry. They kept mentioning Rose and I felt sick to my stomach.

  Had Laney written these awful letters to her own boyfriend? Or had someone else written and sent them, and Oliver had brought them around and shown them to Laney? I couldn’t tell but I felt incredibly out of my depth.

  I was reading through the letters a second time to try and find clues as to who might have sent them, when I heard a sound from the front of the house. I froze and strained my ears. It sounded like the front door opening.

  Fug nuggets!

  I heard a rattling from the foot of the stairs as someone bumped the coat rack on their way through the hall, and knew I wasn’t the only one taking advantage of Laney’s absence to have a poke around. I had to get out of here.

  Fast.

  Chapter 21

  I took a deep breath and tried desperately to think of a way out. Someone was downstairs, but if I stayed up here they would surely come up at some point and then it would be game over. Could I hide somewhere, in a wardrobe maybe?

  I heard the sound of drawers slamming closed downstairs. Whoever was down there was having a good look around. For a second I wondered who it was and then shook my head to chase the thought away. It didn’t matter who it was, and I had been in this situation so many times by now that I knew better than to try and catch a glimpse of them.

  I crept towards the stairs and looked through the gaps in the wooden bannister. If they left or went into another room, I might be able to get out and run before they could see me. A shadow fell on the ground below the stairs and I held my breath.

  I could only hope that my frantic heartbeat wasn’t audible to my fellow intruder.

  A dark, hooded figure walked back down the hall, their back in view, and I kept completely still, hoping against hope that they wouldn’t decide to go upstairs quite so soon. They paused, hand on the bannister and one foot on the bottom stair and I felt my time running out.

  Then, they let go and walked into the living room instead. A wave of relief washed over me, mingling with the terror that was screaming to get out now. I gripped the letters tightly in my hand and crept down the stairs.

  They couldn’t see me from the living room but they could see the front door, which meant that the only escape route open to me would be the back. I inched down the stairs and around into the hallway, barely breathing. Just a few more steps down the hall and I would be in the kitchen, and a couple more steps after that and I would be out of the back door.

  On tiptoes I took miniscule steps, trying to balance my need to be fast with my need to not be seen. I was halfway down the hall and the back door was in my sights.

  Keep going Coco. You can do this. You have to do this.

  A floorboard creaked beneath my foot and I looked down in horror. I hadn’t noticed it when I went through the downstairs of the house earlier. Oh, heavenly hazelnut swirls.

  I looked up at the back door and prepared to make a dash for it, but the intruder was quicker. As I started to run all the lights went off and the house was plunged into darkness.

  Oh no. Did they find the circuit breaker?

  I crashed into the small table in the hall, sending it flying. As I staggered backwards, willing my eyes to adjust faster to the sudden darkness and trying to feel my way along the passage, a gloved hand closed on my arm and dragged me back against a solid chest.

  I screamed.

  A hand covered my mouth as I grappled to free myself. I tried to bite at leather-clad
fingers and squirm out of the intruder’s grip, but they were much stronger than me. I kicked out, my foot connecting with the side of the staircase hard and causing me to yelp.

  The intruder pushed me to the ground and I fell hard, knocking my nose against the wood flooring. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, certain that this was the end. I was about to be murdered.

  Images flooded my mind of Rose and Masie, Scooter, Vivian and Stella, Henry and Red. I saw Logan, laughing with frosting on his nose after I had begged him to try my new cupcakes. I felt the hand on my arm again and tried to prepare myself for what I knew was coming.

  I should have listened to Logan for once. Why did I come back here alone? Why didn’t I tell anyone?

  Suddenly the weight lifted from my back and I heard running footsteps. I stayed perfectly still, eyes squeezed shut and gasping for breath. Minutes passed and in the distance I heard a car door slam, an engine revving and tires squealing as someone sped away.

  I lay listening to my heart thudding and my shaky breathing for a little while longer before I dared to open my eyes and glance around me. I was alone on the floor of Laney’s house.

  I swallowed and gently eased myself into a sitting position, rubbing my wrists and chin. I wiped some tears from my eyes and examined myself for any damage. I was alive.

  I sat on the floor for a few more minutes, hugging myself. I couldn’t believe my luck that the intruder had decided not to hurt me. They must have guessed that I hadn’t seen them.

  As I stood up on shaky legs and brushed myself down, I realized I was no longer holding the letters. I checked the floor to see if I had dropped them in the dark, but they weren’t there. I frowned as I realized that the intruder must have stolen them from me before they ran.

  So that must have been what they were looking for. But why? Had they written the letters and not Laney after all? Was the intruder the murderer and they were checking to make sure there was no evidence of them?

  But why would Laney have the letters? Had she been working with the killer?

  My mind whirled with all the possibilities, but I couldn’t make sense of any of it. I shivered, and my brain suddenly kicked back into gear. I needed to get out of this house before anyone else showed up.

  I ran to my car and sat there, debating where to go. I didn’t know who the intruder was but supposing they had seen me properly, and recognized me? I could be in more danger if I went home alone.

  I decided to go to Rose. Not only would I feel better with company right now, but those threatening letters mentioned her by name a lot. She might be in danger too, and I couldn’t leave her alone without warning her.

  Mind made up, I took one last look at Laney’s house before I started my engine and drove away as quickly as possible.

  Chapter 22

  “I know it is crazy to ask you to run over to Mad Batter, but I want to say this in public and not alone,” I told Rose over the phone.

  “Coco, anytime,” she said. “And I’ll be over in a few.”

  In a matter of minutes she walked in the door.

  “Thanks, Rose,” I said. I took off my coat and gingerly sat next to her in one of my seats, looking around. There were a few customers in but it wasn’t peak time by any means, so it was private enough and not too private that it spooked me.

  “Oof,” I groaned when I turned a little too quickly in my seat to crack my back. I was still a little sore from the scuffle.

  “So why did you bring me here?” Rose asked as she sat down next to me.

  “Well, I just came from Laney’s house,” I said.

  “You talked to Laney?”

  “Well, no.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought you said you came from her house.”

  I took a deep breath and looked around. Charles was chatting with Vivian, who was looking rather entranced with her own words, just a table over, so I tried to whisper. But no one was really listening to me, because I was just being paranoid and everyone was way more concerned with cupcakes. Still, I knew I needed to lower my voice. Particularly concerning my favorite crime.

  “Yes, but she wasn’t home...”

  I paused for a second, wondering how to say what I did next.

  “Coco, so nice to see you,” Vivian hopped over.

  Stella came to the other side of me, Charlie right behind them. “Now, Coco seems a little busy...”

  I gave Stella a thankful grin.

  “But Charles just popped in and I wanted to tell him about this banana macadamia nut muffin, how I was amazed just how good it is,” Vivian said, shoving a bite in her mouth, and then pulling another from the table to shove in Charles’s face.

  “Yumf,” he groaned through a big bite. When he swallowed, he looked to me. “The almond extract scent is heavenly. Isn’t it, Rose?” He asked. Charles stared her down.

  Rose gave him a polite smile but then gave me a pointed look. “After Coco tells me more about her inventory checklist issue, I’m sure she’ll pull more out of the oven,” Rose said, waving her hand.

  Stella clearly understood that we were busy, grabbing Vivian’s arm.

  So did Vivian, but it was for about two seconds until she told Charles that he needed more coffee. “You look tired.”

  “I could go grab that,” I said. Rose grabbed my arm this time. “I think Scooter can handle it.”

  Scooter heard Rose’s voice and appeared, coffee carafe in hand. It was enough to distract Stella, Vivian, and Charles back to the table they were sharing.

  I decided it was best to just rip the band-aid off, though I wished I could just drink a few big gulps of coffee first.

  “I may have broken in to her house,” I said to Rose finally in my best hushed tone. I was never much of a good whisperer, but when I looked over, all I got was a brief smile from Charles, who was looking at Rose between nodding for Vivian’s antics.

  “Was Logan with you?” Rose asked, yanking my attention back to her.

  “No, and I didn’t tell him I was going. He would have stopped me.”

  “That’s true,” Rose said. “Did you find anything?”

  “I did,” I said. “Laney had letters. Threatening letters to Oliver.”

  Rose smiled wide. “Really? That’s wonderful. Well, I suppose it’s not wonderful, but it’s a clue. A big one.”

  She looked happier than I had seen her since Oliver’s murder.

  “Yeah. It’s real evidence that you didn’t do it. Granted, I don’t know if Laney was the one writing them or if Oliver just showed them to her, but we’ll know more if we look at them again.”

  “Well, let’s go to the police station right now.” Rose said, standing up. “Do you have them with you?”

  “Well...” I started. “I kind of got tackled at Laney’s and someone took the letters away.”

  She sat back down, a bit deflated. “Oh I see,” she said. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I'm fine, but we still know that they exist,” I assured Rose. “If we can get them back, that’s good. There could be more evidence we could find too.”

  Rose smiled at me. Even with the bad news, she was still doing much better.

  “Yeah. Thanks, Coco. I owe you big time for this.”

  “What are friends for if not to eliminate you as a murder suspect?” I joked.

  We both laughed.

  Rose sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with Candy. I can’t keep her her at my place forever. I think I better go check in on her, as I don’t want her to wake up alone when I go back home.”

  I pictured the big, sleeping sweet dog and wondered if I should take care of her, too.

  “Why don’t I take her home with me?” I suggested. “I’ll go over to your place with you and I’ll take her back with me. Then I’m not alone and I’ve had time to relax.”

  “Really? You would do that?” Rose looked so hopeful and I knew this was an offer she didn’t want to refuse.

  “Yeah, why not? She is pretty cute after all. Besides, I do
n’t have a cat to worry about like you do.”

  I gave Scooter a nod to the door and Rose and I headed out.

  Sure enough, when we arrived at Rose’s place, Candy was ready and alert and happy to have company. She woke up with a small jump and blinked at me a few times.

  “What do you think, Candy? Do you want to go home with me?” I spoke to her a baby voice. Her tail started to wag.

  “See, Candy wants to come back with me,” I told Rose. “We’re going to watch so many reality shows together. Besides, with me being a baker and all, her name is perfect.”

  “Sounds like you two party animals will have a great time,” Rose said.

  “Oh, we will.” I told her. “We’re going to have the best time. Isn’t that right, Candy?”

  Candy jumped down from the chair and looked up at me with big puppy dog eyes, now much more alert.

  “Here, I’ll get you her things,” said Rose. “You can have a whole Candy starter kit.”

  She gathered up Candy’s food, toys, and other things she needed. We packed it up in bags. I put the leash on Candy and got ready to go.

  “Be sure to lock up and be safe while I’m gone, okay? I’m serious,” I told Rose.

  “Coco, you worry too much. The killer attacked you, not me.”

  I didn’t like how flippant she was being about everything. I was seriously worried that she could be in danger.

  “No, Rose, really. Be sure to lock all the doors and don’t let anyone in.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, mom.”

  I ran through all of the terrible things that could happen if Rose didn’t properly secure her home. I decided to convince her to come back with me. I shouldn’t just take Candy to protect and comfort me...and leave Rose all alone.

  “Why don’t you just come back to my place with me and Candy?” I said. “I need help carrying this stuff anyway.”

  “I don’t want to go out tonight, Coco. I just want to stay in tonight.”

  “Come on. It’ll be fun.” I tried to think of something tempting. “I’ll let you reorganize my cupboards. I won’t even complain when I can’t find anything.”