A Case for the Cookie Baker

by Candace Havens

  What were they hiding?

  Then two things happened at once. The lights went out and someone banged hard on the door.

  My body tensed, and there was a scream. This time it wasn’t from me.

  I had a feeling Depends would be a part of my future wardrobe if this continued.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I maneuvered through the dark and met Jasmine at the door. Someone hit the door hard, and we grabbed each other. She tried to show me her phone, but it was a black screen.

  “The security system is temporarily out,” she whispered, as she glanced at her phone. “But the generators should kick in soon.”

  She peeped through the small hole in one of the doors, and then glanced back at me and frowned.

  “Who is it?”

  “You’ll see.”

  She opened the door and in walked a very wet Jake and Mike, and just behind them were my brother and Lucy. Then Kane ran up.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Jake said. “We wanted to surprise you.” He hugged me. “Just play along,” he whispered.

  “Sorry we were late,” Lucy said, and then hugged me like an old friend. She and I got along better than when we first met, but we weren’t that friendly. That sounds mean. But I’d never seen Lucy hug anyone.

  My brother hugged me, which never happened. “Follow my lead. It will all make sense soon.”

  They all had presents. “Those go by the cake.” Jasmine pointed toward the dining room. “Grab some food and wine, and we’ll get started on the next game.”

  She was better at playing along than I was. One of the suspects must have said something that had him call in the troops. But the for the life of me, I had no idea what it was. My brain was still trying to figure things out when fingers snapped in front of my face.

  I focused and found Jake smiling at me. “We really did surprise you.”

  I nodded and then grinned at him. “Best surprise ever,” I said louder than necessary.

  There was a strange buzzing and the lights popped back on.

  Everyone laughed and then introductions were made. It could have been any party anywhere, except one person was possibly the killer.

  “Everyone load up your plates and we’ll start the next game.”

  *

  A few minutes later, we sat in a large circle. “Jasmine, is it okay if we play my favorite game?”

  “Yes. I have the papers you asked for ready.”

  “What game is it?” Jake asked.

  “Werewolf assassin,” I said. “It’s like the game Mafia you probably played when you were a kid, except, I like werewolves better. Do you guys know how to play?”

  “It’s been so long,” Shannon said. “I think maybe I was in collage the last time.”

  “I’ve never heard of it,” Lizzie said.

  “We used to play it at family gatherings. It can get pretty heated.” He smiled. “Maybe it will be better with strangers.

  “It’s a fun way to find out what people are really like,” Greg added. “Birthday girl used to make me and my friends play all the time.”

  “You liked it and so did your friends.” I smirked.

  I gave a quick explanation. “It sounds complicated but it’s easier once we get going. The important thing is to try and fool everyone and to never reveal your identity until it’s time. And don’t take it personally, especially for those of you who are new to our little group. It’s all in good fun. And remember, if you’re a werewolf, it’s important to lie as well as possible, and pretend to be a human.”

  I handed out the pieces of paper, and I cheated. I knew who was getting what role. The narrator, detectives, and werewolves were all carefully designed before we arrived. Though, now we had a few more people than I’d been expecting.

  The great thing about the game is I would be able to see who was gifted at lying.

  We began, and I told the werewolves to open their eyes and see who was on their team. Their job was to band together and make it seem like one of the civilians were the assassin. I asked the detective, who was Lucy, to ask her first question.

  “How many people have you killed?” she asked.

  It was interesting to listen to the responses from each of the werewolves and I watched carefully to see who the best liar was. Two of them had tells, though they probably had no idea.

  The third was slick and very good at lying. Interesting. That was unexpected. Did I have it all wrong?

  We came to the part where the civilians had to vote one person out of the game. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud when Jasmine was voted out. She was supposed to stay in until the last two, but she wasn’t a very good liar. The whole gist of it was the best liar would be left standing.

  By the end of the game, there were three people left and I was more confused than ever.

  Greg glanced at me and frowned. He too, was surprised by the outcome. He had to be wondering the same thing. Did we get it all wrong?

  Our party had taken an interesting turn. My mind whirled with possibilities when it came to the game we just finished. Everyone stared in shock as Lizzie laughed hysterically. “I can’t believe I won. I never win games.”

  None of this made sense. Lizzie had been with Shannon and Jasmine when the murder happened. Besides she was five foot and I’d be surprised if she weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet. She was the epitome of petite, which wasn’t fair since she made delicious cakes and cookies all day.

  A few people stood up and stretched.

  “What is going on?” Shannon mouthed. “I feel like I just missed something major.”

  “Later,” I whispered back.

  “Hey, Lizzie, congrats on your win,” Lucy said. “You probably don’t want to talk business tonight, but I need to make an appointment. I promised my sister I’d get a unicorn cake from you for my niece.”

  Lizzie smiled sweetly. “I’m always happy to talk about cake.” They went off toward the food.

  Lucy had separated her from the pack for a reason.

  I glared at Greg and shook my head.

  There was no way Lizzie was guilty.

  Levi and Jere were getting themselves more wine. Greg and I jumped up and motioned to Kane to meet us by the front door.

  “What’s up?”

  “How sure is the time of death?” I asked.

  He glanced at Greg.

  “I want to know the same thing,” Greg answered.

  “You guys understand that it’s always approximate. There is no way to know exactly when it happened. But not much rigor had set in. I’d say from the time the body was found, it was within an hour and a half, maybe.”

  My stomach churned.

  “And you are sure it had to be a man?”

  He shrugged. “Or a tall and strong woman. Very strong.”

  A pain struck the back of my eyeball. I rubbed my eye.

  “I think you just broke Ainsley’s brain,” Greg joked.

  “Why all the questions?” Kane asked. “We’ve talked about this a couple of times.”

  I sighed.

  “Lizzie is a more adept liar than we could have ever imagined,” Greg whispered.

  “Yes, or no one thought it could be her because she’s so sweet and has an air of innocence about her,” Kane said. “But there’s no way she had the physical strength to do that kind of damage.”

  “She has guilt about that night,” Greg said. “She might be an accomplice or an innocent bystander. That’s what Lucy is doing right now. Without asking about that night, just about her history and such. We can’t find much about her background.”

  “She went to school with the victim. They married way too young. He came out and they got divorced. And then they ended up as friends. She’s been spending time all over America studying different baking styles. What else do you need to know?”

  Kane laughed. “Maybe you should just hire Ainsley as a full-time consultant.”

  “Don’t give her an
y ideas.”

  Jere and Levi held hands and were adorable together. I just didn’t see them as killers.

  But who could it be?

  Pictures flashed through my brain and they moved so fast that I could barely keep up. And then one face was left. That had never happened before but it was like my subconscious had known who the killer was all along.

  “Oh. No.”

  “What is it?” Greg asked.

  “Lizzie may know more than what she and Becky have said. I want a chance to talk to her alone first. Okay?”

  Greg appeared puzzled for a moment, and then it was as if a lightbulb had gone off. Before he could say anything, Lizzie walked up. “I feel like you guys are talking about me,” she said, and she didn’t look happy about it.

  I took her hands in mine. “I think it’s time you tell us everything.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I can’t. I made a promise.”

  “I know you think you are protecting her, but that kind of trauma could cause permanent damage. She needs help. Serious, psychological help.”

  Her eyes watered and she shook her head. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but I don’t know anymore.”

  She went and sat down in a big fluffy chair in the living room. Her head in her hands, she waited.

  Everyone gathered around and I knelt by her chair and took her hand. “It’s okay. You had the very best intentions. We all know that. Take your time and tell us everything.”

  “What’s going on?” Jere asked. “Why is Lizzie crying?”

  Shannon shushed him.

  “Why don’t we take a seat,” Lucy said. At least everyone wouldn’t be looming over her.

  Greg turned on the recorder on his phone, and then sat down in the chair next to Lucy.

  Shannon leaned forward and handed Lizzie some tissues.

  “That night, I’d run out to get more sugar before I headed over here. Business had been much better than I’d planned and we’d gone through so much. I bought all they had at the grocery store.”

  “Did you go back to the bakery?”

  “No. I told her I would, but I didn’t. I was running late to come here, so I texted her to just finish up and head home. I left her there alone.” She sobbed. “She texted back that she was scared. I told her she’d be fine and to lock the door when she left.”

  She took a deep shuddering breath.

  “When I found out about the murder—I didn’t know what to think. I had a suspicion that he’d surprised her. He had a habit of trying to scare the wits out of people. He thought it was a funny joke.”

  “I can attest to that,” Jere said.

  “So can I,” Levi added. He didn’t seem as upset as I would have expected. Maybe he just wanted to know what happened as much as the rest of us did.

  “What you don’t know, is she and another girl were mugged on a school trip. The men who did it made them get on their knees execution-style, and then shot off their gun. Both girls were traumatized. And that just happened last year. It’s why she wanted to move away from home. Everyone looked at her with pity.

  “Loud noises bother her, and she’s afraid of men. She told me about it when we first met. In the beginning, I thought they’d all been attacked. But then some of the facts started to come out about the suspect being tall and strong.”

  Suspects usually tried to throw shade at one another. Lizzie didn’t seem the type to do that. Was she making it look like Becky did it?

  “She’s not small and used to do shot put in high school. But she makes the most delicate flowers for cakes you’ve ever seen.

  “The day after everything happened, she called me but she couldn’t remember anything. I promised her that I would take care of everything but she was in a daze. She kept saying, ‘He touched me. He touched me.’”

  She coughed and then put the tissues to her nose. “She whispered it and I asked her who touched her. When a young girl says that, your mind goes to the worst places. Then she said: the man. The man at the bakery. He’d probably surprised her and she panicked. I had to protect her.

  “All of this is my fault. If I’d done what I promised. He’d still be alive, and Becky wouldn’t be suffering so much.”

  “Did she tell you anything about that night?” Greg asked.

  “Nothing past what I told you, and what she explained to you guys. It’s still not clear in her head. I honestly don’t know how Mrs. Whedon ended up in there. I’m sorry, Ainsley. I had to protect her, like I would any friend. And I wasn’t sure what exactly she’d done. I don’t think I was aware at the time how messed up it was. I may have said to her that her memories were probably all mixed up. And that we’d ask Ainsley to help sort things. But I told her until the memories came back, that she should keep quiet.”

  Her hands were shaking so hard, that I held them in mine.

  “Hey, you’re in a safe space. Do you think Becky killed Mort?”

  She trembled. “You have to understand that I didn’t even process everything that had happened, and my part in it, until the funeral. I thought it best if everyone thought it was just a random person. Maybe a robbery. I’d planned to tell Ainsley on the way home after the funeral that I might have an idea of what happened. But I’d just found out that I’d inherited part of the company.

  “I didn’t see it happen, but she was the only one there. There’s no way Mrs. Whedon did it. Becky can’t remember much except that someone touched her and then she was in the freezer. I’m sorry to all of you. This is not who I am but I was so scared for her.”

  “Becky is adorable,” Shannon said. “I honestly might have done the same thing.”

  We all turned to look at her.

  “If it were one of you, I’d do anything to protect you. Are you saying you wouldn’t do the same?” She pointed to me and Jasmine. “We made a pact to bring a shovel if anyone of us called. No questions asked.”

  She was right. We had made that pact when Jasmine had been going through all of her family stuff. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them.

  “I think maybe I shouldn’t be hearing this,” Greg said. He said it in a way that made me snort. Shannon, Jasmine, and I laughed hysterically while the rest of the room just stared at us.

  “Sorry,” I said, as I tried to pull myself together. “I laugh when I’m stressed. So do Shannon and Jasmine. It’s one of the reasons we’re friends. Inappropriate laughing. We’re usually the worst at funerals.”

  Lizzie reached out and hugged me. “I’m so sorry about everything, and especially Mrs. Whedon. You have to understand I would never do anything to put her in danger.”

  I hugged her back. “I have a feeling she did that all by herself.”

  “Promise me you’ll come visit me in prison?” she asked.

  “You’re not going to prison,” I said.

  “She did aid and abet a murder suspect,” Lucy chimed in. She was always so helpful when it came to the law.

  “Did she?” I asked. “She suspected Becky might have killed Mort, but she had no proof. And how did Mrs. Whedon end up in the freezer? Would any of us have turned Becky in if we heard this same story a few weeks ago?”

  Jake shook his head. His hand had been on my back this whole time, giving me strength.

  “We would have done exactly what we’ve been doing,” I said. “I mean, we might have tried to get her some psychological help.”

  “Ains makes a fair point,” Greg said. “We would have badgered Becky for the truth, and might have done more harm than good to her mental state.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “Greg, you’ve gone soft.” But there was no harshness in her tone.

  He shook his head. “I keep reminding you that this is a small town and we look out for our own.”

  She sighed and looked hurt.

  Hmmm. There might have been trouble in paradise but there was no time to solve that mystery now.

  “Becky. We need to get to her or at least warn her parents,” I said. “If she starts to
remember—I don’t know what will happen.”

  Greg’s phone buzzed. He scowled at the message.

  “What is it?” Lucy asked.

  “Becky’s missing.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  A half hour later we were in Becky’s parents’ barn in Round Top. We’d picked up George but left Julia Roberts with Carrie. My dog is great at finding people—not just dead ones.

  Jake’s search and rescue team had joined the one in Round Top and there were at least forty other people there willing to go out and look for her in the torrential rains. They’d loaned all of us raincoats and hats, and big boots that didn’t fit.

  One of the guys from the rescue whistled sharply and everyone quieted down. “We’ve assessed the situation. It’s dangerous out there. The ground was dry so the flooding is worse than usual. For now, until it stops, Chief Jake from Sweet River has helped us formulate a plan and it’s a good one. So, listen up.”

  Jake cleared his throat. “We have a young and possibly frightened girl out there.”

  He was interrupted by several gasps.

  “What’s wrong?” Shannon whispered.

  We were on the far side of the barn, and couldn’t see what was coming in.

  “It’s Becky’s horse,” her mom cried.

  Oh. No. That couldn’t be good. Please, don’t let anything happen to her. I sent up a silent prayer. She might be a murderer but poor Becky had been through enough.

  Some police officers took the mother back to the house.

  “Right,” Jake said. “We’ve broken the ranch into quadrants. It’s important that the teams stay together. It’s easy to miss things in weather like this. You’re looking for clothing, or tracks, if there are any left. And anything that might be out of place. We check in every fifteen minutes. I can’t stress this enough: do not try to be a hero. The last thing we need right now is to have to save someone else.”

  He sounded so authoritative and strong. My heart did double time.

  Get it together, Ainsley. This is no time to daydream about Jake.

  “When I call your names, please come forward.”