by Amber Crewes
“No problem, Mr. Dane,” Meghan cooed. “So happy to hear from you. I received the order last week and have been busy preparing the first shipment of treats to send over.”
Meghan heard Mr. Dane sigh. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Ms. Truman, but we are going to have to retract our order.”
“What?” she cried. “You are cancelling the order?”
“I apologize for any inconvenience, but due to recent developments, we have decided to go a different direction with our order. You will of course be compensated for your initial efforts, but we will no longer be requiring your services.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she replied flatly. “Please let me know if that changes. Thank you.”
As Meghan hung up the phone, her hands began to shake, and she felt thick, hot tears welling up in her dark eyes. “I barely have any business today, Mrs. Sheridan taunted me, Stephanie may have stolen my recipe for my special éclairs, and Majestic Incorporated cancelled my corporate order! What else could possibly go wrong today?”
3
M eghan nervously gripped the straps of her red leather purse as she and Karen walked across the street to Duly Doux. It was a chilly afternoon; the harsh, salty winds from the Pacific were blowing mercilessly into town, and Meghan shivered as the cool air cut through her thin coat.
“Don’t be nervous,” Karen ordered as they arrived outside of Duly Doux. “From what we know, Stephanie stole your éclair recipe! I know you don’t like confrontation, but this is unacceptable behavior, especially from someone who sought help from you only days ago!”
Meghan nodded. “I know,” she breathed softly. “I know, Karen. I need to do a better job at standing up for myself. I just don’t want to jump to conclusions. Stephanie moved to Sandy Bay for a fresh start, and who knows if this all isn’t just a big coincidence?”
Karen stared into Meghan’s dark eyes. “Meghan,” she began. “Stephanie told me that you gave her your secret recipe! I didn’t mishear her. We need to get to the bottom of this; I hate thieves and cheats, and you don’t deserve to have your kindness wasted. Come on!”
Karen turned on her heel and strode into Duly Doux. The shop was bustling with customers, and Stephanie smiled warmly from behind the counter as Meghan and Karen approached her.
“Meghan! Karen! What a surprise!” Stephanie cooed, tossing her hair behind her shoulder as Meghan glanced around at the crowded bakery. “What can I do for you two ladies today?”
Karen glared at the owner of Duly Doux. “Stephanie,” she hissed. “When I was in here the other day, you mentioned that dear Meghan had given you the recipe to her wonderful eclairs….”
Stephanie’s eyes widened as she looked over at Meghan’s face. “Ummm….I didn’t quite say that, Karen. You must have heard me wrong.”
Karen leaned across the counter. She was only inches from Stephanie’s nose, and she took a long, deep inhale. “Are you sure?”
Looking horrified, Stephanie leaned away from Karen and shook her head. “Meghan? Can you get your friend under control? I don’t know what she’s talking about. I seem to recall saying that I wish you would share some of your recipes with me, but I never said you did share them.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I’ve heard that some of our desserts taste very, very similar, Stephanie. Can you help me understand why that is?”
Stephanie folded her arms across her chest and looked nervously at Meghan. “I don’t think this is a good time,” she whispered, jerking her chin to gesture at the customers who had grown quiet and were now watching the three women interact. “Can we take this outside?”
“Stephanie!”
All three women turned to see a short, plump woman emerge from the back room. “Stephanie, where are those recipes you copied down? I’m about to make another batch of the eclairs, and I need the recipes you copied down so I can make them the way you told me to.”
Stephanie turned and frowned at the woman. “Not now, Trudy….”
Trudy shrugged. “I’m just trying to be a helpful assistant, Stephanie! Come on! I followed the directions perfectly earlier. You told me to make the eclairs exactly as you had written down the recipe, and I did.”
Stephanie’s face paled. “This is not a good time, Trudy! Please go wait for me in the back.”
Trudy rolled her eyes, but she obediently left the counter and returned to the backroom where she had come from.
“What was that all about?” Karen demanded. “What was she referring to, Stephanie? Just tell the truth! We know that you copied down Meghan’s recipes without her permission, and we want to hear the truth!”
Stephanie pursed her lips. “What I am making for my customers is none of your business,” she said coolly. “I’m sorry that your little bakery hasn’t seen much success since Duly Doux opened, but I can’t help the fact that my treats are made better.”
“You treats are made just as mine are!” Meghan shouted as Karen’s face shone with pride. “I know you copied down my recipes! Just admit it, Stephanie!”
Stephanie smirked. “Or what? What are you going to do, Meghan?”
Karen balled her hands into fists. Meghan’s eyes widened as Karen’s impressive biceps bulged out from beneath her tight athletic top. “What is she going to do?” Karen taunted. “More like what she won’t do. You picked the wrong girl to mess with, Stephanie; Meghan has worked hard to perfect her recipes and earn her client base, and I won’t stand by while you steal from her! I hate thieves, and this makes me sick!”
Stephanie narrowed her eyes. “Get out of my bakery!”
Karen batted her eyelashes. “Gladly,” she said. “I do yoga, Stephanie; I don’t believe in violence, but I wish I could just snuff the life out of you and this terrible shop. People like you make me sick. How dare you take advantage of my fabulous friend, Meghan?”
“Get out before I call the police,” Stephanie ordered. “Now!”
Meghan and Karen shot Stephanie one last frustrated look and then left the shop. “I’m proud of you,” Karen said to Meghan as she pulled her into a hug. “You stood up for yourself, and from what we could see, it’s pretty clear that Stephanie had something to hide. You don’t act that nasty if you are innocent, I know that for sure.”
Meghan shook her head. “I just don’t understand how she could be so rude.”
Karen bit her lip. “I could just kill her,” she said. “Your recipes and your bakery are the best Sandy Bay has ever seen! I hope her silly shop folds up soon. She deserves it.”
Meghan smiled at Karen. “Thanks for going with me. You help make me brave, Karen.”
Karen shook her head. “You’re brave on your own, Meghan,” she replied. “You’re brave on your own.”
***********
The next morning, Meghan awoke to the sounds of sirens outside of her window. She rubbed her eyes and tiptoed out of bed, careful not to disturb Fiesta and Siesta, her two tiny twin dogs who had been curled up on both sides of Meghan’s body.
“What is that sound?” Meghan groaned as she peered through the blinds and looked out upon the street. Firetrucks and ambulances were parked carelessly along the sidewalk, and Meghan gasped as she saw the coroner's truck pull in.
“What’s going on?” she said aloud as she watched Trudy, Stephanie’s assistant, walk outside of Duly Doux, her face red and her body shaking. The coroner walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Trudy turned and led the coroner inside of the bakery.
“Oh no….” Meghan muttered. She threw on a bathrobe and slippers and ran downstairs. She spotted Jack Irvin, the handsome, tall, blonde police detective she had been dating for the last few months, and she ran into his arms.
“Meghan!” Jack said in surprise. “What are you doing out here?”
Meghan looked into Jack’s blue eyes. “What’s going on?”
Jack sighed. “There’s been a death, Meghan. I can’t say much more.”
Meghan nodded. “I understand,” she said, surveying t
he police and EMTs running in and out of Duly Doux. “Is there anything you can tell me?”
Suddenly, Trudy burst out of the bakery, tears streaming down her face. “She’s dead!” Trudy bawled. “Stephanie is dead! Someone strangled Stephanie!”
4
E very day comes with its unique package of surprises and opportunities. Some are welcome, while some are not. Meghan’s package so far today, had been very unwelcome.
“Okay, Meghan, I think you’re good to go,” Jack said as Meghan buried her face in her hands.
The couple sat across from each other in a windowless room at the Sandy Bay Police Station, and Meghan was exhausted from nearly two hours of Jack’s rapid-fire questioning.
“He is a thorough detective,” Meghan had thought to herself as Jack read his questions from the notepad. “I hate that I’m here, but I’m so impressed with what Jack can do….”
A few hours after Meghan had awoken to the sirens outside of her apartment, Jack had collected her for questioning. “It’s standard,” he assured her as he ushered her into his police car. “You live right across the street from the murder scene, and with your close proximity, Officer Nunan thought it best that we talk.”
Meghan had nodded and complied with Jack’s request. She had not been concerned about talking at the police station; she had been sound asleep in bed before being awoken by the sirens, and she had no doubt the GPS coordinates on her cell phone would match up with her alibi. Meghan had only grown worried when she walked into the station and saw Karen crying on a bench.
“Karen!” Meghan had exclaimed, rushing forward to take her friend into her arms. “What are you doing here?”
Karen had wiped her nose on her sleeve and sniffled. “Officer Nunan insisted I was brought here to talk. Someone overheard our little conversation with Stephanie at her bakery, and they thought I was serious when I threatened her! Meghan, you know I wasn’t serious; I was just fired up about your recipes. I would never lay a hand on anyone!”
Meghan nodded earnestly. “I know that,” she whispered into Karen’s ear as they embraced in the police station. “Everyone knows that! You are Sandy Bay, born and raised, Karen. There is surely nothing to worry about. Just tell the police what you were doing last night when the murder happened, and it will be fine.”
It wasn’t fine. While Meghan’s alibi was airtight and corroborated by phone records hastily obtained by the police chief, Karen’s whereabouts seemed to be more difficult to trace; she had been signed up to take a midnight yoga sculpt class at the local studio, but she had not shown up to her reserved class time.
“That isn’t like Karen,” Meghan insisted when Jack informed her of the news. “Karen shows up for everything; she is the most dependable woman I know.”
Jack shook his head. “I just don’t know, Meghan,” he said softly as they huddled together in the windowless room. “Her alibi is shaky. She can’t seem to give us a straight answer as to where she was, and from the reports of her outburst at Duly Doux….I think we’re going to have to book her, Meghan.”
“Book her?” she cried, her dark eyes wide in horror. “Jack! She is over seventy years old. She wouldn’t hurt a fly! You can’t book her.”
Jack bit his lip and pushed back his blonde hair. “She could hurt someone, though,” he argued gently. “She has biceps the size of a horse’s! Stephanie was strangled, and it was done by someone strong. Karen is one of the strongest ladies in town….it just doesn’t look good.”
Meghan frowned. “Can I just talk with her? Please, Jack? She’s really upset, and I’m sure I could get some information out of her.”
Jack sighed. “I’m not supposed to do that, Meghan, but just this once….”
Meghan leapt up from her chair and hugged Jack. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Jack nodded curtly. “Don’t mention it. Seriously, I could get in trouble if Officer Nunan finds out I did a favor for you while I was on the clock.”
Meghan smiled. “I won’t tell. Come on. Let’s go find Karen.”
Jack led Meghan into the hallway. Karen was still sitting quietly on the bench, but just as Meghan approached her, a clatter broke out.
“She did it!”
Meghan turned to see Trudy, Stephanie’s assistant, marching down the hall and pointing a finger at Karen. “She did it! Everyone knows it. She and the girl stormed into Duly Doux and caused a ruckus! Karen even threatened to kill Stephanie. Lock her up, officers!”
Karen rose from the bench and glared down at Trudy. “Trudy, how could you say that? You and I go back way longer than you and Stephanie! We’re both from Sandy Bay. How could you say something like that about me? Is this because I made the cheerleading squad fifty years ago and you didn’t? Trudy! This is ridiculous!”
Trudy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t let murderers talk to me like that,” she declared. “Stephanie offered me the best-paying job I’ve ever had, and now you’ve killed her.”
Karen frowned. “This is unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath. “Jack? Jack, dear, can you please take me home? I answered all of the questions you and Officer Nunan had, and I need to run; I have my evening weights session soon, and I don’t want to be late.”
Before Jack could speak, another officer walked up to Karen and nodded at her. “You can go now, Ms. Denton,” the officer said dryly. “We may need to speak to you again soon, though….”
Karen nodded. “Of course. Meghan? Let’s go.”
Trudy screeched. “You’re just letting her go? Officer, everyone in the bakery heard her threaten my boss. Karen Denton is a killer, and she said it herself in front of the entire town!”
5
T he next morning, Meghan’s heart sank as she heard a police siren outside of Truly Sweet. She and Karen had been sipping on tea and discussing the events at the police station, and now, Meghan’s hands were shaking as two officers stepped out of a squad car and marched into the bakery.
“What are they here for?” Karen whispered. “I thought we told them everything.”
Meghan shrugged. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “But let’s just cooperate; it’s been a rough couple of weeks, and I don’t want any trouble for either of us.”
The little silver bells chimed as the officers walked through the front door. Their heavy, dark shoes were loud against the wooden floors, and Meghan nervously brought her fingers to her mouth and began to chew them as the officers approached.
“Karen Denton?”
Karen nodded at the young, green-eyed officer who stood in front of her. “That’s me,” she answered.
“I’m Officer Wilberforce,” the man said. “Ma’am, I’m going to need to ask you to stand up for me.”
As Karen rose from her seat, Officer Wilberforce placed a pair of handcuffs on her.
“What is this?” Karen yelled. “We’ve already spoken to the police! What’s going on?”
Officer Wilberforce shook his head as he tightened the handcuffs. “Ma’am, we have reason to believe that you had something to do with the recent death in town. Our investigators found some charges on your accounts…”
“Charges?” Karen asked. “What charges?”
“A one-way flight from Sandy Bay to Manila,” the other officer offered. “For this evening. It seems suspect, and we need to speak with you immediately.”
“I was going for a marathon!” Karen protested. “And then traveling! Ask her. She knows!”
Officer Wilberforce frowned. “Ma’am, can you just please come with us? We need to sort this out as quickly as possible.”
Meghan jumped as the little bells on the door chimed and Kayley Kane, a local real estate agent, strutted through the door.
“Bad time?” Kayley asked as she looked from Meghan, Karen, and the officers. “I can come back….”
“Let go of me!” Karen shrieked as Officer Wilberforce quickly snapped the handcuffs on her thin wrists and walked her out of the bakery. “You let go of me right now! Meghan? Meghan! This is
a mistake!”
Kayley snapped her gum as Karen was taken out of the shop and edged into the police car. “So,” she said as she raised her eyebrow. “Bad time?”
Meghan sighed. “It’s fine,” she answered. “I can grab your order. You had a box of donuts, right?”
“Yeah,” Kayley answered as Meghan scurried to the back to retrieve the box. “And I need a donut after my day today.”
“Oh yeah?” Meghan asked. “What happened?”
