The Cakes of Wrath (A Piece of Cake Mystery)

by Brady, Jacklyn

  My brain was spinning as I walked back to Zora’s yoga studio. I’d done too much. Every step hurt, but I went as fast as I could. If Zora was the one who’d vandalized Zydeco tonight, did that mean she’d thrown the rock through the window? Slashed my tire? Zora? She’d seemed so matronly. So nurturing. So caring.

  It was hard to believe she’d been responsible for all the vandalism, but even harder to argue with the evidence. After the way Scotty had reacted tonight, I was also having a hard time believing that he’d attacked me twice and killed his own daughter. I was beginning to think that maybe I wasn’t a very good judge of character.

  Lights gleamed from the Feathered Peacock when I arrived, making it look warm and inviting. I said a little prayer that Zora wasn’t there, and I tried the door. It opened right up, emitting the pungent aromas of sandalwood and citrus and the sound of voices.

  I let myself inside and followed those voices through a room filled with hardwood floors and shining mirrors. Soft lighting made the wood gleam, and candles burning along a low shelf were reflected in the wall of mirrors. A handful of yoga mats were rolled up and stacked in the corner, but the room was otherwise empty.

  The voices were louder now, so I moved to the end of the hall and peeked into an open door. Pearl Lee sat at a small round table with a half-empty cup of tea in front of her. It must have taken me even longer to get here than I thought. Zora stood in front of a small counter, slicing a lemon. Beside her sat another cup, and a teakettle steamed on the nearby stove as the water cooled.

  After the way Pearl Lee had run off, it was difficult for me to understand why she was calmly drinking tea with her arch-nemesis. Maybe it was a Southern belle thing. Zora spotted me in the doorway and smiled as if we were old friends. “Rita! What a lovely surprise. Come in. Join us. There’s still plenty of hot water. Would you care for some tea?”

  Not especially, but I couldn’t just walk out the door and leave Pearl Lee to fend for herself, even if they were being oddly civilized. Miss Frankie would never forgive me if something happened to her. I moved into the room and tried not to look suspicious of Zora, which was really hard to do when I could plainly see flecks of red paint on her sensible walking shoes.

  “Do you have a preference?” she asked. “I have several varieties to choose from.”

  I shook my head. “Whatever the two of you are having is okay with me.” I sat, choosing a seat that would let me keep an eye on Zora and tried to look nonchalant as I nestled a tea bag in my cup. “Pearl Lee, why did you run off? I was worried about you.”

  Pearl Lee waved a hand in front of her. “It’s fine, Rita. Zora and I are just having a friendly chat.”

  Zora carried the kettle to the table and filled the cup with hot water. “Well, I don’t know how friendly it is,” she said, standing over me with that kettle of boiling hot water in her hands. “But we are having a chat.”

  “Oh? Well, catch me up. What are the two of you talking about?”

  “About Scotty, of course.” Pearl Lee took a delicate sip of her tea. “I’m just explaining to Zora that Scotty and I are together now.”

  Zora put the kettle back on the burner, and I swallowed a sigh of relief. “I’m trying to explain to Pearl Lee that I don’t care about Scotty,” she said, cutting another slice of lemon with a thwack of the knife on the cutting board. “Really, dear, how many times do I need to tell you that?”

  Pearl Lee sipped again and smiled at Zora over the rim of her cup. “We found your earring at Zydeco, along with the message I assume you left for me. That’s hardly the work of someone who doesn’t care about a man.”

  “Whoa!” I said with an uneasy laugh. “Let’s not go there. We don’t know that Zora did anything.” I tried to send Pearl Lee a warning with my eyes.

  It missed and went right over her head. “Scotty ishn’t intreshted in you, Zhora. You might ash well accept it.” Pearl Lee sounded so odd I took my eyes off Zora for a split second. Pearl Lee gave her head a wobbly shake, as if she was trying to wake herself up. Then she giggled softly and drank some more tea. “Thish ish good,” she said, still slurring, “but it’s a touch bitter.”

  Zora slowly put the knife on the cutting board. “Is it? I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

  I had a bad feeling about this. I pushed my cup as far away from me as I could get it and that’s when I spotted the syringe on the counter beside the sink. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “With her?” Zora tilted her head toward Pearl Lee. “I’m afraid she’s just taken a massive overdose.”

  Everything inside me turned to ice as pieces of information slid into the previously empty blanks in my head. Zora had killed Destiny. Zora had almost hit me with the van. Zora had, no doubt, hit me in the alley and then run off to establish an alibi using Edgar to do it. I shot to my feet and skirted the table, trying to reach Pearl Lee. “What did you give her?”

  In a flash, Zora picked up the knife and held it to my throat. “Just some sleeping pills. Back away and leave her alone.”

  I fumbled for my phone and managed to pull it out of my pocket, but Zora was too fast for me. She slashed downward with the knife, slicing the side of my hand with the blade. I tried to hang on to the phone, but the pain was too severe. I dropped it onto the floor and watched it skitter under the table, out of my reach. Pearl Lee made a sound that might have been a word and sagged to the floor like a rag doll.

  “Please!” I said. “Let me help her.”

  Zora looked at me as if I were the crazy one in the room. “I don’t think so. She’s just getting what she deserves.”

  “Why? Because Scotty preferred her to you?”

  “Because she turned his head.” She sneered down at Pearl Lee and her glittery outfit. “Look at her. What man can resist a woman who dresses like that? I tried to tell him what she was like. I tried to warn him, but he just wouldn’t listen.” She wiped her brow with the back of her hand. “He never listens.”

  I had a feeling she was talking about Destiny now, and my stomach lurched. I didn’t want to hear what crazy thoughts were inside her head, but I had to keep her talking. If she hurt me any more, I’d be down for the count and I wouldn’t be able to help Pearl Lee at all.

  “You tried to help him with Destiny,” I said as I looked around for something to staunch the flow of blood from my hand. “I’m guessing he didn’t appreciate that either?”

  Zora sneered at me. “I’m guessing that you’re trying to get me to confess to murder. Do I look stupid to you?”

  I wouldn’t have used the word stupid, but I thought she was definitely in need of mood-altering drugs. Aloud I said, “But you did kill Destiny, didn’t you? Why?”

  Zora wiped her forehead again with one hand and gestured with the knife toward the door behind me. “I’m sorry, dear, I just don’t have time for chitchat. I’m a little busy trying to decide what to do with you.”

  I wiped blood on my slacks and grabbed a tea towel from the table. “It’s too late,” I said as I clumsily wrapped my hand. “Scotty has already figured it out. Even if you kill me, he’s calling the police right now. He’ll tell them that you’ve been dealing prescription drugs in the neighborhood.”

  Her round face twisted with anger. “I am not a drug dealer.”

  “How do you do it?” I inched a little closer to Pearl Lee and checked to make sure she was still breathing. “Where do you get the drugs from? Who is your supplier?”

  “You make it sound so sordid. You’re as bad as Destiny turned out to be. You have no idea what it’s like to live in constant pain. You have no idea how difficult it is to work through the medical system.”

  “So you sell drugs because the system is messed up?” How noble.

  “Some people have pills they don’t need, and some people have money and no pills. I am a facilitator, not a dealer. Now stop talking. Let’s walk out front and make sure the door is locked.”

  I couldn’t let her do that. I was still holding out hope that when Sco
tty realized Zora wasn’t happily beading a few blocks away, he’d come to the yoga studio and find us. But if I was going to get the upper hand, I’d have to find some kind of weapon and then try to catch her by surprise. The most important thing was to get her away from Pearl Lee so Zora wouldn’t use that knife on her while she was down.

  Feigning resignation, I turned around and moved back into the hallway. I searched frantically for something I could use to defend myself but Zora hadn’t left so much as a speck of dust on the floor. I could feel her behind me, breathing heavily, the knife just inches from my shoulder blades. Whatever I did, I’d have to move quickly. I couldn’t afford to hesitate.

  Mentally moving ahead, I tried to remember what I’d seen in the room with the hardwood floors. Yoga mats in the corner. Candles burning on a low shelf. They weren’t much, but the mats might work as a shield and the candles would at least give me some kind of weapon.

  The hallway stretched out endlessly in front of me. It seemed to take forever to get to the door at the other end. I tried to steady my breathing so I wouldn’t give Zora any clues about what I was planning.

  Three feet. Two.

  Even in my injured state, I was younger and in better shape than Zora. My injuries would slow me down and make me less pliable than normal, but I had to at least try to save myself. I waited until I was halfway across the room and then ducked and lunged for the stack of yoga mats.

  Zora cried out in rage and threw herself after me. I grabbed a mat with one hand and held it in front of me. I felt the knife hit the mat, but thankfully the rolls of padding absorbed the blade. Using all my strength, I shoved it at Zora and used it as a battering ram.

  She lost her balance and hit the floor. I tried to pull the knife out of the padding, but it was in too deep so I tossed the mat with the knife still embedded in it as far away as I could and threw myself on top of her. Zora was stronger than she looked. She bucked me off and I landed on my injured shoulder. Hard. Searing pain tore through my back and up my neck. Tears burned my eyes, but I fought them back. She’d caused me enough pain already. I wasn’t going to let her beat me now.

  We scrambled across the floor together, both of us trying to get to the knife first. I lost the tea towel in the process, but I didn’t care. I grabbed one thick ankle and tried to slow her progress. She elbowed me in the chest and knocked me back a few inches.

  I saw her hand, inches away from the yoga mat and the knife, and decided to go with plan B. I dove for the row of candles, grabbed one, and heaved it at her with all my might. Hot wax flew everywhere and Zora let out a yelp, but it didn’t slow her down at all. Before I could pick up another candle, she jerked the knife out of the mat and came at me with a roar.

  I ducked, tucked, and rolled, grabbing another candle in the process. Every inch of my body screamed in pain, but I couldn’t give up now. Zora had already killed once, and she’d left Pearl Lee for dead in the other room. I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.

  I tossed the second candle and the knife hit the floor. I scrambled toward the reception area, hoping to get outside before she could lock me in. I had to call for help. It was the only way to save us.

  When I’d put a foot or two between us, I got to my feet, wincing as pain radiated from my shoulder into every extremity. My heart was pounding, my ears roaring with fear and panic. I could hear Zora coming after me, her footsteps heavy and determined.

  I raced past the reception desk and reached for the front door just as Zora grabbed me around the waist and jerked me backward. I kicked and screamed, flailed with my arms, and fought to see where she had the knife. I tried to remember anything I knew about self-defense, but my mind was completely blank.

  By some miracle, one foot connected with Zora’s leg with a satisfying chunk. She stumbled a little, and I knew this was my chance. I kicked again and locked both hands together to use as a club. The cut on my hand burned and dripped blood, but I couldn’t let that stop me. Twisting toward her, I brought my hands down on her throat as hard as I could. She staggered again and her grip on my waist loosened enough for me to slip away.

  She was between me and the door now, cutting off my escape route. I looked around frantically for something in this room I could use to protect myself and spotted a letter opener on the reception desk. I closed my fist around it just as she grabbed me again. My strength was ebbing fast, but I drew on every last drop I could find within myself and plunged the letter opener into her shoulder.

  She screamed in pain and staggered backward, grabbing at the shaft and trying to pull it out of her shoulder. That was all I needed to reach the door and tear it open. I raced out onto the porch, shouting as loud as I could for help. I was aware of someone racing toward me, of a familiar voice taking up my cry for help, and the sound of a police siren nearby. Red and blue lights streaked through the night, but I didn’t have time to wonder how they’d arrived so quickly. I felt arms slide tenderly around me and looked up into Gabriel’s worried brown eyes. I don’t think anything has ever looked so good to me. At that moment, he really did look like a superhero.

  Thirty-three

  Sometime later, I took a sip of weak hospital coffee, grimaced, and put the cup on the table in front of me. My hand throbbed beneath the bandage the paramedics had applied at the Feathered Peacock, but I was feeling lucky that I was alive to feel the pain.

  Pearl Lee had been rushed to the hospital, still alive but not by much. I was sitting in a tiny waiting room with Gabriel, who hadn’t left my side for a minute. That was great, except for how he’d also badgered me into letting the paramedics bring me in. I understood his concern, but I’d had enough of this place. I didn’t mind waiting here for word about Pearl Lee, but I refused to come back as a patient—at least not for a few months.

  The police had found Zora trying to slip out the back door. She’d put up a fight, but she’d also lost a lot of blood from that wound in her shoulder. It hadn’t taken long for them to subdue her and haul her off to jail. I was still having trouble believing how completely she’d fooled me.

  Moose and Scotty sat across the room from us, which felt a little awkward given that I’d been convinced that at least one of them was a cold-blooded killer for the past ten days. They’d come running up to the Feathered Peacock a few minutes after the police arrived, ready to slay dragons or do whatever it took to save Pearl Lee and me. Which was actually really sweet. I thought Scotty had looked a little disappointed that it was all over before he got there. I know he was genuinely concerned about Pearl Lee.

  Over the past few hours I’d picked up enough of the story to know that when Scotty had realized Zora wasn’t happily beading, he’d also realized that something was seriously wrong. Since the beading class was held just two doors away from the Dizzy Duke, Scotty had gone to the bar looking for Moose, who was there drowning his sorrows in Jack Daniels. And that’s how Gabriel found out that I was in trouble. He’d told Scotty to call the police and then he’d torn out of the Duke and come to my rescue.

  Now we all sat together while somewhere a team of medical professionals tried to save Pearl Lee’s life. Too agitated to sit still, I stood and paced until the sound of rapid footsteps in the corridor drew me to the door hoping that one of the doctors was coming with good news. Instead I saw Miss Frankie clutching the hand of her best friend and neighbor, Bernice, and talking to someone at the nurses’ station. I had called Bernice while Gabriel and I were en route, explaining the situation and asking her to go next door so Miss Frankie wouldn’t be alone when I told her about Pearl Lee. Bernice, a sweet little lady with a poof of white hair and an accent as smooth as Southern Comfort, is a real trooper and tougher than she looks. Even though she’d been ready for bed when I called, she’d offered to drive Miss Frankie to the hospital and meet us here.

  Miss Frankie glanced in my direction, saw me in the doorway, and hurried down the hall toward me. We still had issues between us, but this probably wasn’t the time to talk about them. Putting all t
he awkwardness out of my mind, I hugged both her and Bernice, who had trailed her down the hall.

  “How is she?” Miss Frankie asked. “Have you heard anything? What do the doctors say?”

  “We don’t know anything yet,” I said. “They’re working on her now.”

  “Where is she? Here in the emergency room?”

  “Probably. I really don’t know. They’re not saying much. Would you like to sit down? We may be waiting for a while.”

  Miss Frankie’s amber-colored eyes were dark with worry and her lips quivered. “I just can’t believe this is happening. Sugar, I need you to tell me everything. How on earth did she end up with that horrible woman?”

  “I’ll tell you the whole story,” I promised. I put an arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. She leaned against me as she had more than once in the past year, and I changed my mind about that apology. Maybe this was the perfect time for it.

  I asked Bernice to give us a minute. She disappeared into the waiting room and I led Miss Frankie a few feet away from the door. “I’m so sorry this happened,” I said. “I failed you. Not only did I not keep Pearl Lee busy at Zydeco and away from men, I let her get seriously hurt.” That was a major understatement, but I didn’t want to make the situation appear too bleak. Pearl Lee had to be okay. She just had to.

  Miss Frankie looked astonished by what I’d said. “Oh, Rita, nobody can contain Pearl Lee. She’s always been that way. We give it a gallant try, though. I suppose it helps a little. The truth is, I never should have asked you to take her on. It was sheer selfishness on my part.”

  “Well, so was my handing Edie’s baby shower over to you,” I admitted. “I thought anything would be better than having to plan that shower. Turns out, I was wrong.” I paused, took a deep breath, and then let out the rest in a rush. “About the other day—I shouldn’t have shouted at you the way I did, especially not in front of the Bryces. It was horribly rude. I just hope you can forgive me.”