She answered e-mails pertaining to a few leads she was chasing, hoping they would turn into more than just leads. An e-mail from an address she didn’t recognize caught her attention. Opening the e-mail, Abby felt her adrenaline kick in big-time. She scanned through it once, then again before hitting FORWARD. Chris needed to read this. Reaching for her cell phone inside her well-worn briefcase, she pushed the number two on her speed dial.
He answered on the first ring. Abby’s heart rate sped up at his “hello.”
“Chris, it’s me. I just received a very interesting e-mail. I just forwarded it to you. Read it and give me your advice. I’ll hold on.”
Abby heard Chris chuckle. “Good evening, Abby. How are you?”
Smiling, she spoke. “I’ll tell you after you read that e-mail I just sent. I’ll hold.”
Chris’s sigh could be heard over the phone. Abby heard him rustle around, heard a few clicks, then the automated “You’ve got mail” voice.
Locating the e-mail, Chris said, “Okay, give me a minute.”
Abby waited while he read the e-mail. A few seconds later, he came back on the line and asked, “Do you still have the contact info for Special Agent Gaynor? He needs to see this ASAP.”
“Somewhere. Hang on a second.” Abby rifled through her beat-up briefcase, searching until she found what she was looking for. “I have it. Who calls? Me? You?” Abby wanted to make the call herself, but there were times a tabloid reporter had absolutely zilch in the clout department. This was one of those times.
“I’ll take care of it,” Chris said.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to mess with your guy time. Mom said you had a friend at the beach house this week. I can imagine house-sitting for her was at the top of your list.”
“Hey, it’s Toots. I’d do just about anything for her. My buddy is passed out in Sophie’s bedroom. Three drinks, and he was a goner.”
Abby laughed into the phone. “Okay, I’ll send you the contact information in an e-mail.” Abby paused, wanting to say something else, something cutesy and fun, but nothing came to mind. “Call me as soon as you learn anything, okay?” She hoped she didn’t sound desperate, but in a way she was. She needed to see Chris but didn’t have the guts to tell him straight up that she missed him. It was still too early for that kind of talk. She’d waited half her life. She could wait a little while longer.
“I’ll not only call you. What would you say if I invited you and Chester to dinner tomorrow night? You can meet Steve. I’ve told him all about you. When I said you were hotter than Meg Ryan, he drooled.”
Abby’s smile spread across the universe. Yes! Life was good. So very good right now that she could actually taste it.
“Well?” Chris asked again. “Or did you have plans?”
“He really drooled?” Abby couldn’t help but ask. “Is he hot?”
Chris’s laughter was so loud, she had to pull the phone away from her ear.
“I’ll let you be the judge of that. So does this mean you’ll come?”
“Sure, Chester could use the exercise. Want me to bring anything?” she asked.
“Nope, just you and Chester. Eight o’clock work for you?”
“Perfect,” Abby replied.
“Maybe I’ll have heard from Agent Gaynor. I know how much you want to find that SOB you used to work for. There are a few others who also wouldn’t mind getting their hands on him.”
“It’s been almost a year. The FBI has been so close, but every damn time they think they’ve got him, the jerk disappears into thin air. This e-mail, if it’s legit, just might be their chance to snag him, charge him with whatever the hell they can. I would love to see the look on that smug, phony playboy’s face as the feds escort his ass to prison. He was always such a wuss.”
Chapter 10
Back home in Charleston, just like clockwork, and despite jet lag, Toots awakened at her normal time of five thirty. She had a busy day ahead of her. First and foremost she planned to travel to the new bakery to find out what, if anything, was going on. Knowing Charleston was full of superstitions, folklore, and numerous tall tales, Toots seriously doubted there was any merit to Bernice’s stories of witches and evil.
After taking a quick shower, she dressed in a pair of khaki pants, a white blouse, and her favorite navy blue loafers. She pulled her dark auburn hair up in a topknot, added a touch of peach blush, mascara, and her favorite coral lipstick. Ready to face the day, she raced downstairs to make a pot of coffee for Bernice. For as long as she could remember, this had been their morning routine. Toots always had the coffee brewing and a large box of Froot Loops, whole milk, and loads of sugar ready for their breakfast. Since Mavis had been on her healthy diet, losing one hundred pounds, both she and Sophie had gone along with the regimen to lend their moral support. Showing once again that no good deed goes unpunished, they had almost died from sugar withdrawal each and every day when Mavis served up oatmeal and fresh fruit for breakfast. Now that Toots was back home, it was time to hit the Froot Loops and the sugar. Healthy breakfasts be damned.
Downstairs, Mavis was already in the kitchen, preparing oatmeal with sliced strawberries and whole-wheat toast. “Good morning, Toots. I thought you would sleep in today, this being your first day home.”
“No, I told you girls last night I plan to investigate the new bakery. You want to go with me?”
“No, I can’t. Would you mind if I borrowed one of your vehicles to drive to the post office or FedEx, if they have one close by? I have several packages that I need to get in today’s mail.”
“Of course not. Sophie seems to think there’s a big mystery surrounding you and your packages. Is there?” Toots asked.
Mavis looked down at her bowl of oatmeal, unable or unwilling to meet Toots’s gaze. “No, not at all. Remember I told you I had promised I would send all those packages up north?”
“Yes, I do, but I still think something fishy is going on with you. Sophie does too.”
Bernice chose that moment to enter the kitchen, putting a stop to their conversation. “It’s been a long time since I walked into the kitchen and found a pot of coffee brewing. How long do you plan to be home this time?”
Mavis appeared glad for the reprieve and continued slicing strawberries.
“As long as it takes. Why?” Toots asked.
Bernice poured herself a cup of coffee, removed the half-and-half from the refrigerator, then added three heaping spoonfuls of sugar. “I don’t know. I just thought after all that ghost talk last night, it might’ve scared you off. Are you really going down to that bakery?”
Toots rolled her eyes. “Of course I am. Now I’m going to finish this coffee and leave. Mavis, if you want to borrow the keys to the Lincoln, Bernice will give them to you with directions to the post office, FedEx, whichever. Sophie and Ida are still upstairs sleeping. I have no clue when they’ll be down. Just make sure they have some breakfast.”
“Well, I can see that you’re back to your same old bossy self,” Bernice quipped.
“Yup, and you’ll be lucky to keep your job if you start sassing me,” Toots said with a smile.
“You’ve been saying that for thirty years,” Bernice snapped.
“And I’ll be saying it for thirty more if we’re lucky. Now I’m out of here.” Toots grabbed her purse off the counter, scooped up the keys to her Land Rover, and headed for the garage.
Bernice flipped her the bird.
It felt good to Toots to be back in her own vehicle. While she loved the sporty red Thunderbird she had purchased in Los Angeles, it was just a toy car. What was even better, she knew Charleston like the back of her hand and could get anywhere with no need to study maps, use a GPS, or get directions. In addition, though morning traffic in Charleston was heavy, it was nothing like the traffic in Los Angeles. Twenty minutes later, she found herself parking her Land Rover in front of The Sweetest Things, the bakery Bernice thought was spooked. The Sweetest Things. She liked that name, thinking it was very a
ppropriate. Inside, the sweet smell of dough rising, sugar bubbling, and melting butter teased her senses like a drug. It had been so long since she’d had real sugar, her body might react in strange ways. The bakery appeared empty. Had it not been for the sweet, tantalizing smell wafting throughout the small shop, she would have thought it was closed.
The thought had no sooner entered her mind when a woman of no more than thirty appeared from the back of the kitchen. She was small and slender, with short blond hair worn in a spiky do; her bright blue eyes were the color of the sky. A cheerful grin greeted Toots. “Hi. My name is Jamie. Can I help you?”
“I’ve been dying for some sweets and was told to come here.” Damn! Talk about putting your foot in your mouth. Toots remembered a man had just died while waiting in line for his sweet treats. She hoped she hadn’t offended the young woman.
“You came to the right place. I’ve been baking for five hours and need to take a break. How about you pick something out? I’ll pour you a cup of coffee, and you can join me. On the house.”
That was the last thing Toots had expected. It didn’t look as though people were beating down the doors. Why the offer of free sweets and coffee, she had no clue, but she was going to take Jamie up on it. Plus, she wanted to find out exactly what had happened to that man who died while waiting in line. The poor woman looked beat, like she could use a break.
“That’s a lovely offer, dear. But you don’t look like you have a lot of customers. Why would you give away all these lovely desserts?”
The young woman poured two cups of coffee and filled a plate with a variety of pastries before coming out from behind the counter to sit down at the small table in front of the window. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard what happened here?”
Yes, she had, but she wanted to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. A small white lie was in order. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been in California for the past several months.”
“I guess that’s a good thing,” the young girl said. “Otherwise, you might not be sitting here eating these pastries or drinking this coffee with me.”
“I can’t imagine why you would say that. This place is adorable.” And it was. Decorated in shades of pink and red, the shop looked like something right out of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Colorful and sweet. Toots placed her hand beneath the table and crossed her fingers. It was her second lie in less than five minutes.
“I know this isn’t the most popular area in Charleston, especially for a bakery. When my grandmother died, she left this building to me. I spent the last six years working in the bakery department of a large chain grocery store. I’d always wanted to have my own bakery, and when Mimi died, I figured it was finally my chance. My assistant and I spent days preparing all the baked goods. I’d spent weeks decorating, ordering, just doing all the general things required to open a new business.
“I blew my advertising budget to hell because I had so much positive input from the locals. On opening day, we had a line wrapped around the building, and I was in my heaven. Then the worst thing possible happened. While a man was waiting in line, he suffered a massive heart attack and died. I have to admit he was a hundred pounds or more overweight, and I’m sure the heart attack would have happened no matter what, but Charleston being Charleston, word spread quickly that my bakery was”—Jamie paused, a slight smile lifting the corner of her lip—“to die for. Haunted. With all the local superstitions and folklore, that was all it took to ruin me. I’ve heard some are even calling me a witch. I’ve had a few tourists come in, but that’s about it. I’ve got enough money to keep the place going for another month. After that, it’s all she wrote. So now you know my sob story. What’s yours?” Jamie took a sip of coffee.
Bells went off in Toots’s head. Her gut told her this was the right thing to do, and before she changed her mind, she formed a quick financial plan. Rightfully, she should check with Abby first, but then those days were over, she reminded herself. No longer accountable to anyone other than herself, she could make a snap decision if she wanted, and the hell with it.
“Have you ever thought of getting a partner?” Toots asked, her voice laced with excitement.
“Yes, I have, but I don’t know of anyone who’s willing to toss their money into a bakery, especially now, in these terrible financial times. Though it’ll break my heart, I think I’m going to have to chalk this up to experience and move on.”
Not wanting to reveal her plans before she’d given them five minutes’ more thought, Toots asked, “Have you been to a banker? I have a good friend in town who is president of the Bank of Charleston. Maybe I could put a good word in for you.”
Jamie shook her head; a smile that didn’t reach her eyes showed pretty white teeth. “My credit sucks. There is no way a bank would lend me a plugged nickel.”
Toots looked at her watch. Five minutes had passed. It was time to make a decision. There was one final test, and if it worked, her decision was made.
“Do you make pralines here?” Toots asked.
“Actually they’re one of my specialties. I just made a batch. Hang on, and I’ll get you one.” Jamie raced back to the kitchen, returning a minute later with a plate piled high with pralines.
She held the plate out for Toots. Not needing an invitation, Toots took a praline off the plate, sank her teeth into the rich, sweet, sugary confection, and her decision was made.
“I think you’ve just found yourself a partner,” Toots said.
Chapter 11
Four hours later, Toots parked the Land Rover in the garage. She was barely out of the vehicle before Sophie and Bernice practically pounced on her.
“Where in the world have you been? We’ve been worried sick about you,” Bernice said.
Toots got out of the car, slammed the door, and walked inside the house without saying a word. Sophie followed her inside like a bad odor.
“I’m here now. That’s all that matters. And besides, it’s none of your business. You all are the nosiest bunch of old women I’ve ever seen,” Toots remarked.
“We thought maybe you’d had a heart attack!” Sophie informed her. “People die when they go to that bakery. If you weren’t my best friend, I’d kick your ass right now.”
After Toots had a few seconds to gather her thoughts, she decided she couldn’t put off the inevitable. “Where are Mavis and Ida? There’s something I need to discuss with all of you.”
“Mavis went to FedEx. Then she said something about stopping at Catherine’s clothing shop. Ida went with her. She said something about looking for a salon so she could have her hair done and a manicure and pedicure. I expect they’ll be gone the rest of the day,” Bernice said.
Being her usual sarcastic self, Sophie spoke up. “Please, please tell me you haven’t found your ninth husband. If that’s the case, I’m going to have you committed to the nearest nuthouse.”
Toots shot daggers at Sophie. “Do I look like an idiot?”
“You want the truth or a lie?” Sophie asked.
“What I want is to smack that smirk off your face right now,” Toots said.
“Go for it,” Sophie singsonged.
“Seriously I need to talk to you all. I did something today, and I want your opinion.”
“I hope you didn’t have a bikini wax,” Sophie said smartly.
“You have an ugly mind,” Toots responded, though she couldn’t help but smile when she recalled Ida’s telling them about the time she’d had a bikini wax. “I met the young woman who owns the bakery. Her name is Jamie.”
“And that is supposed to impress me how?” Sophie questioned.
“If you could keep your big trap closed long enough, I might be able to tell you,” Toots said. “The young woman is about Abby’s age. Apparently she inherited the building from her grandmother and sank every dime she owned into the business. When that obese man died in front of her store, her business went from what might have been fantastic to a few stray tourists here and there.
&
nbsp; “She invited me for coffee and pastries. By the way, she makes the best pralines I’ve ever tasted. That alone should draw a crowd. Long story short, I went with my gut instinct—as you know I’m famous for doing—and offered to buy half of the business. I am now half owner of The Sweetest Things.” Toots looked at the two women, saw the expressions on their face. Shock and awe.
“Have you been drinking?” Bernice asked.
“I think she’s been smoking pot,” Sophie announced, almost beside herself.
“Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ll lose every dime if you decide to make it public that you are part owner of that wicked place. I heard she was a witch,” Bernice said, her voice rising to near hysteria.
“I knew you would say something like that,” Toots commented. “That woman is no more a witch than you are. She’s had some bad luck because of horrible circumstances, but that’s no reason for her to throw the towel in. If you tasted one of her pralines, you would know exactly what I’m talking about,” Toots said with a smile.
She watched Bernice and Sophie, the looks on their faces. Stunned didn’t begin to describe their expressions. Their mouths hung open like treasure chests waiting for more booty to be shoved in. Toots figured their tongues would start flapping again momentarily.
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