Brownies and Dark Shadows

by Amber Crewes

  “Meghan Truman! Open up the door this instant!” Kirsty Fisher shouted. Meghan’s blood turned cold.

  “Kirsty,” Meghan whispered in disbelief. Had Kirsty somehow found out that Meghan knew about the Fisher Foundation?

  Meghan timidly opened the door. Kirsty glared up at her. Her blonde hair tucked into an elegant chignon at the base of her neck, and she was impeccably dressed in a cream suit and matching heels. Small diamonds glittered in her ears, and a little cream hat was tilted atop her head. Despite Kirsty’s attire, Meghan noticed that she looked upset; her face was pale, her eyes were red, and her cheeks look gaunt.

  “A word,” Kirsty hissed, pushing past Meghan and stomping into the bakery. “I brought this back to you; your assistant must have forgotten to pack it up,” Kirsty said as she shoved a small flowered plate at Meghan. “Let’s talk. I’m very unhappy, Meghan. I gave you an opportunity to serve your treats at my event, and then the Bishops died! I don’t care if the police have said you are not to blame; people are talking, and who is to say that you didn’t kill that poor couple? It seems a little odd that you are now at the center of two murder scandals!”

  Meghan stared at Kirsty. She tightened her jaw and counted to ten in her head. Meghan wanted to stay collected and cool, but Kirsty continued her rant.

  “How dare you come in and ruin my event with your trashy treats! I did you a favor, and you went and tarnished the Fisher name forever! This is a disgrace, and my foundation is now in shambles because of you!”

  Meghan’s hazel eyes widened, and she counted up to ten and back down to zero, breathing slowly and trying to stay controlled. Kirsty stepped closer to Meghan and stood on her tiptoes, jabbing a manicured finger in Meghan’s face.

  “I am disgusted with this situation,” Kirsty said, glowering at Meghan. “I shouldn’t have even bothered to come around this….this….this kitchen of death!”

  Meghan’s hands clenched into fists, and she saw Kirsty’s eyes widen.

  “Don’t you make fists in front of me!” Kirsty screeched, using her sharp nail to poke Meghan’s chest.

  “Don’t touch me,” Meghan said, her voice flat, but her eyes ablaze with anger.

  “I will touch you if I feel like it! You’ve gone and ruined everything, and I’ll do as I please!” Kirsty snapped as she pressed her sharp nail even further into Meghan’s collarbone.

  Meghan unclenched her fists. She slowly raised her hands and pushed Kirsty away from her.

  “How dare you?” Kirsty shouted, marching back to Meghan. “Do you know who I am? I should call the police! I took pity on you by taking a chance on your desserts after the murder scandal with Norman Butcher, and I was a fool to let some inexperienced, inept buffoon into my event!”

  “How could you say that to me?” Meghan demanded, drawing herself up to full height to tower over Kirsty. “That’s horrible and unclassy! I didn’t even want to do your stupid event anyway! You pranced in here and more or less forced me to do your event, for free, mind you, and now I am facing the scorn of the town! It’s crazy, and you’re crazy!”

  Meghan shoved Kirsty away again, and Kirsty bumped her bottom against the counter. Kirsty’s blue eyes grew large. She stared up at Meghan, and then she burst into tears.

  “You are right,” Kirsty sobbed, leaning forward to wrap her tiny arms around Meghan. Meghan stiffened, unsure of what to do as Kirsty cried in her arms. She awkwardly lifted a hand to pat Kirsty’s head, but Kirsty slapped her hand away.

  “Don’t touch the hair or hat,” Kirsty sniffled, still leaning into Meghan. “I’m just so upset! This has been terrible, Meghan!”

  Kirsty’s vulnerability struck Meghan, and Meghan felt her own eyes fill with tears. She herself then leaned into Kirsty’s hug, and the two women embraced.

  “I know,” Meghan whispered gently. “It’s been terrible.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Kirsty said. “I’m just so embarrassed. My event was ruined, the Bishops are dead, and I just treated you terribly.”

  Meghan pulled back to look at Kirsty. Kirsty’s makeup was still perfectly intact, but she delicately wiped at her eyes with a small handkerchief.

  “I must look awful,” Kirsty whimpered. “Crying is so unattractive!”

  Meghan giggled. “It’s fine,” she said. “You look perfect.”

  Kirsty let out a soft laugh, and then, both women were consumed with laughter, their stomachs heaving up and down. The long, emotional release was cathartic, and Meghan was thankful to have calmed Kirsty down.

  “Look at us!” Kirsty exclaimed. “There’s a murderer on the loose, and we’re here laughing like children!”

  Meghan smiled. “We needed that laugh,” she said. “Laughter and brownies can be the best medicine.”

  Kirsty raised an eyebrow and looked at Meghan’s waist. “Looks like you’ve had a lot of medicine over the last few days,” she said. Kirsty then clapped a hand to her mouth. “So sorry,” she said. “That was rude.”

  Still smiling, Meghan placed her hands on her hips and shrugged. “It’s fine. We’ve had a hard week. Don’t worry about it. Now, you look like you could use a cup of tea. May I bring you one?”

  Kirsty nodded.

  Meghan made a cup of black tea and served it to Kirsty in her best glass teapot.

  “Perfect!” Kirsty exclaimed. “You have been so sweet. Everyone else has been so aloof this week; it’s like they think I planned the murder since it happened at my event! So terrible. If it weren’t for my husband, I would be lost right now. He’s been taking care of everything. He is such a doll.”

  Meghan felt her heart sink. Kirsty had looked so sad until she mentioned her husband, and Meghan saw the love and adoration in Kirsty’s eyes, just as she had seen it at Fisher Fest.

  “You’re lucky to have him,” Meghan said.

  Kirsty nodded. “He’s the most wonderful! Do you have anyone special to help you through this terrible time?”

  Meghan looked down at the counter and shook her head, wondering if she would ever find someone who could light up her heart as Kirsty’s husband did for her. Kirsty’s husband had been at Kirsty’s side when she was the belle of the ball at Fisher Fest, and it was evident that he was standing by his wife now, even in the darkest of circumstances.

  “I don’t have anyone,” Meghan said softly. “Well, I have Karen Denton, and I have Lori, my assistant. They are great, and I love them to pieces! But a love like yours? I don’t know if I’ll ever have that, Kirsty.”

  Kirsty rolled her eyes. “Well, you have enough to worry about!” Kirsty declared. “Love is sweet, but so are your treats. I usually don’t indulge in any of the delicious sweets you have here, but maybe, just this once….? It can be our little secret.”

  Meghan laughed. “I’ll get a treat for you, Kirsty, no worries. It’ll be just between us.”

  8

  “I JUST DON’T KNOW what to do, Meghan!” Lori whispered into the phone. “I needed this job. My rent is due soon, and I still have some loans to pay off from school. I can’t afford to not work, Meghan. I love working for you at Truly Sweet, but unless business drastically picks up again, I think I’m going to have to find another job!

  Meghan groaned. She treasured Lori’s company and Lori’s help; Lori made an excellent assistant, and she possessed impressive cake decorating skills that Meghan was eager to develop! More importantly, she was loyal and sweet, and Meghan had loved having her around.

  “Lori,” Meghan said calmly. “Think about this! The police have publicly announced that am not responsible for the Bishop murders. Everyone knows that! The people in Sandy Bay just have to come around. They will! You’ll see!

  Meghan heard Lori breathing loudly. “Lori?” Meghan asked. “Are you alright?”

  Lori sniffled. “I think I’m having a panic attack, Meghan! I need money, and I need my job! You aren’t from here. People won’t just move on unless they have someone new to blame, and the police haven’t arrested anyone! Who knows what will happe
n!”

  Meghan held the phone tightly and took a long, deep breath. “Lori,” Meghan gently replied. “We’ll figure this out. It will be fine. The police have suspects, I know that for a fact!”

  Meghan then clapped her hand over her mouth. She had not yet told Lori about she and Karen’s own little investigation, and she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble.

  “What?” Lori asked.

  “Lori,” Meghan began. “This is secret information. You can’t ask questions of me. Let’s just say that I know of two main suspects. The police are looking into the twins! They think the twin sons of the Bishops could have done it, and after doing some of my own research, I think there is a good chance they had something to do with it!”

  Lori gasped. “That makes sense! Those twins have always been a nuisance in Sandy Bay! They’re a few years older than me, and they used to tease me mercilessly at school. They’ve had some troubles lately; everyone says they stole from Brian Bishop to start their own business, and it would make perfect sense that they orchestrated the murders of their parents! They’ve always talked about their inheritances, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they killed their parents to get their money as soon as they could!”

  Meghan thought for a moment. “Lori,” Meghan said quietly. “If the twins were trying to get their hands on their money, then that could be proved! Surely the Bishops had a will. But you’d said the twins have been terrible and have taken from their parents already! There’s no way that they were the beneficiaries of their parents’ will if they’ve treated them so poorly! There must be another benefactor!”

  Lori was quiet, and Meghan imagined she was pondering Meghan’s theory.

  “Do you know who handles the wills in town, Lori?” Meghan asked.

  “Sorry, Meghan, I’m not sure,” Lori replied. “When my father died a few weeks ago, he died without a will, and I have no idea.”

  “No problem, Lori,” Meghan said quietly. “Look, give me another week to sort this out. If in a week things haven’t changed, I’ll write you a check and you can find another job, no hard feelings.”

  Lori sniffled. “Thanks, Meghan,” she said as she hung up.

  Meghan immediately called Karen.

  “Karen! I need your help!” Meghan exclaimed. “The Bishops’ will! If we can get to their will, we can find out if the twins were the beneficiaries of the Bishop estate. If they were, that’s a pretty solid motive for killing their parents, and I should tell Jack!”

  Karen laughed. “You’ve been doing some thinking! Fabulous! It sounds like we need to track down that will. Vince Fisher handles all of the wills and legal documents in town, and I would bet that he has the answers we need. Get ready; I’m leaving the gym now and will be over to pick you up in five!”

  9

  MEGHAN STOOD NERVOUSLY in front of the Fishers’ front door. The house, while not as grand as the Bishops’, was beautiful, and Meghan felt underdressed in her plain black and white striped tee, jeans, and white sneakers.

  “Well! Knock on the door! You said that you and Kirsty shared a little moment, yes? Surely she’ll be happy to see you?”

  Meghan raised her left hand to her mouth and began to bite the nails.

  “Stop that!” Karen said, swatting at Meghan’s hand. “Don’t you know that billions of germs can get into your body through nail-biting? Now, get your hand out of your mouth and use it to knock on the door!”

  Meghan obeyed, and she slowly raised her hand to the large mahogany door. She gave it three quiet taps. No one answered it.

  “Well, I guess no one is home!” Meghan said, turning and walking down the steps toward Karen’s jeep. “We tried!”

  Karen rolled her eyes. “You can be such a chicken sometimes, Meghan Truman!” Karen declared as she stepped up and began knocking on the door.

  “Hello? Hello! Kirsty? Vince? It’s me, Karen!”

  The door was opened by a blonde-haired woman in a stiff maid’s uniform.

  “Mrs. Denton! How may I help you?”

  “Hello, Cheryl,” Karen said warmly. “I just need to speak with Vince and Kirsty for a moment. No emergency, but are they home?”

  Cheryl crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head. “They are wrapped up in some things right now and have asked for no visitors,” Cheryl answered. “I can tell them you stopped by?”

  Karen began to push past Cheryl. “No, Cheryl, we need to speak to them now! It’s important!”

  “Well, what have we here?”

  Meghan heard a man’s voice booming in the background. She moved to Karen’s side, and from inside the house, she could see Vince Fisher descending a large staircase in the middle of the room.

  “Karen Denton! How are you?” Vince asked, a smile on his handsome face as he walked to them. Meghan blushed. Vince was gorgeous, and she could feel her face growing warm as she stared at his angular face and perfectly pressed suit.

  Karen smiled at Vince. “I’m well! I just had a little question for you!”

  “Meghan Truman! Karen Denton! What are you two doing here?”

  Meghan saw Kirsty atop the stairs. She was dressed in a violet tea-length dress, and she held what appeared to be a glass of champagne in her hand. Kirsty descended the stairs slowly, her matching violet heels clacking on the marble floors.

  “Hi, Kirsty,” Meghan said.

  “You’ve caught us at quite the time! I’ve just learned that the Bishops left their entire estate to my charity, the Fisher Foundation! Vince pulled out this bottle of champagne to celebrate! I haven’t told many people this, but my charity has been struggling for the last few months, and these unexpected funds will help us survive and thrive!”

  Meghan glanced over at Karen, who was watching Kirsty lean up onto her tiptoes and give Vince a peck on the lips.

  “Come in! You must celebrate with us!”

  Karen and Meghan walked into the house together.

  “Your house is beautiful, Kirsty,” Meghan said, looking at the elegant decor with amazement.

  “Oh, how kind of you, Meghan! I’m so happy we’ve made amends. I had a truly lovely time at Truly Sweet with you!”

  “Mrs. Fisher?” Everyone turned to Cheryl, who walked into the room holding a cordless telephone. “Officer Irvin is on the phone; he is asking to speak with you.”

  Meghan felt her heart drop at the mention of Jack’s name.

  “I have guests, Cheryl! What does he want?” Kirsty asked, her voice filled with annoyance.

  “He says he has some things to follow up about concerning the Bishop investigation. He says he has some confidential information to discuss with Mr. Fisher.”

  Kirsty rolled her eyes. “Just tell him we’re busy and I will call him back later,” she said, folding her hands neatly in front of her.

  Cheryl shook her head. “He says it’s urgent, Mrs. Fisher. He says he is going to stop over.”

  Kirsty sighed. “Fine,” she replied. “Just have him chat with Vince first; I’m going to visit with my guests, and Officer Irvin will have to wait his turn!”

  Cheryl nodded and left the room. Kirsty crossed her arms in front of her chest, the pearl necklace on her bosom jingling as it moved. “Admittedly, I was surprised that the Bishops left us their money; Amy and I have never been quite close, but they were loyal patrons of the Fisher Foundation, and with those terrible sons of theirs...well, it isn’t a wonder that they didn’t let their wealth go to waste! I can use this money for several little projects in town, and their legacy will live on forever!”

  Vince smiled at his wife. “I have some things to attend to before Officer Irvin gets here. Do you mind if I excuse myself, dear?”

  Kirsty nodded. “Of course! I’ll take Meghan and Karen to my office to visit!”

  Karen shook her head. “I forgot my water bottle and midday meal in the jeep; I’m training for another marathon and need to stay hydrated and fed. You two go chat; I’m going to go grab my things. Be right with you!”

  Kirsty s
miled. “Of course, you go! Meghan and I can visit!”

  Kirsty wrapped her small hand around Meghan’s wrist and pulled Meghan down a long hallway.

  “My office is this way! It was designed to look just like Kate Middleton’s private office at Buckingham Palace! You do know who Kate Middleton is, right?”

  Kirsty dragged Meghan into a large, airy room. Light shone in from six floor-to-ceiling windows, and there were vases of crisp, white roses everywhere. Kirsty gestured at an overstuffed white satin chair. Meghan sat down, and while she leaned back into the chair, her eyes scanned the room for clues.

  “My, my, my, silly me!” Kirsty murmured after settling into her own chair. “I forgot refreshments! What a poor host I am. I’ll go call for Cheryl, and she can bring some refreshments!” Kirsty bustled away, her high heels clacking.