by Holly Plum
If Joy's cheeks weren't red before then, they were now. Joy felt as if her blood was about to boil. She saw more customers lingering around the aisle, but she could barely keep herself together. Joy couldn't stand being in the same room as Maple.
“I'm fine.” Joy casually laughed. “No need to worry, Maple.”
“You should think about taking some time off," Maple suggested. "You know, take some time to relax. I mean I couldn't possibly with how many orders I've got to fill, but I'm sure it would do wonders for you skin."
“I'd be more relaxed if you stopped telling people that my bake shop is closing down when it most definitely is not,” Joy responded. "Who would've thought that someone as busy as you would even have the time to run her mouth through town?"
The aisle was quiet.
“Excuse me?” Maple gasped.
“Oh don't act coy, Maple. I saw your car parked outside my shop that night, and you almost ran me over. I know you were involved somehow. You've been out to get me since day one.” Joy clenched her fists. It was unlikely that Maple McWayne would ever dare throw a punch at her in public, but Joy was ready if she did.
“My car has been in the garage for over a week," Maple answered. "You must have mistaken me for someone else."
CHAPTER SEVEN
The day wasn't as bad as Joy had feared. In fact, it went a lot faster and smoother than she could ever have hoped. She'd taken a detour to the beach to calm down after her encounter with Maple. She'd cast a few lines, and despite her aching muscles, found that it helped her to relax. Joy had even caught a small fish for Cheesecake's dinner. By the time she got to the bakery, Joy was in a much better mood.
When Joy told Sara Beth what had happened, her assistant had hugged her. Sara Beth had also saved the day by bringing snacks, and she seemed to have an endless supply of sweet tea in the refrigerator. And even more – she had already begun preparing the kitchen for a long day of work.
Crystal's wedding cake was going to be a five-tiered cake with flowers make of fondant and sugar paste. The dark chocolate cake that Crystal had decided on was particularly tricky. But tricky was okay. Joy had done tricky before. As they measured out the dry ingredients, Joy reached for Patty's Secret Spice Blend and found that it wasn't there. Detective Sugar still had it as evidence.
“Oh, cupcakes." Joy buried her head in her hands. "What are we going to do without my mother's spices? This is going to be a disaster."
Sara Beth calmly sipped her sweet tea and brought a miniature lemon pie over to Joy. She knew that a sweet treat would help her calm down. But Joy didn't look up. She held her hands over her face and held back tears.
“We can't make the cake,” Joy said. “Crystal will throw a fit in front everyone if this cake doesn't taste exactly like the one she taste-tested.” Joy sighed, pulling herself together. "I guess there goes our biggest client."
“Joy,” Sara Beth intervened. “You are a great baker. I have to drink gallons of sweet tea every day just to stop myself from eating everything in the shop.”
“But we need that spice blend,” Joy reminded her. “My mother was brilliant, and you know I've haven't been able to recreate her secret recipe. Last time I tried, it tasted like cinnamon pepper or something else that no one would ever want to use in their batter."
“What if you made the cake your way without your mother's spices?” Sara Beth observed her boss cautiously. "I mean, the shop is yours now. Come up with your own secret ingredient."
"The day of a major cake order?" Joy asked.
“We have every spice on the planet in this kitchen,” Sara Beth reassured her with a smile. “All we have to do is find the right blend. My taste buds have been brutalized beyond repair from all that sweet tea, but your palate is perfect. We'll figure it out.”
Joy freshened herself up in the bathroom while Sara Beth set up a spice station. They spent the afternoon smelling different combinations of the spices they thought could be Patty's secret blend, and tried mixing a few with small bowls of vanilla cake batter. Eventually, they settled on something close to it and tried it with a large batch of chocolate cake batter. Joy was relieved that it was safe to try the batter before it was baked since Crystal's cake didn't include any dairy. At least Crystal made something easy.
“Oh, wow.” Sara Beth cheered as she tasted a spoonful of batter, “That's really good. In fact, it's practically dead on.”
Joy was less impressed. She rolled the sweet, slightly salty batter over her tongue and identified the different flavors – bitter chocolate, warm vanilla and cinnamon, sweet sugar, and cardamom. The extra secret spices brought some heat and depth. But it needed something else. As she licked her lips, Joy realized she'd need to bring it together herself, and she knew exactly what needed to go in the mixture.
“Wait, let me try this.” Joy reached across the large collection of spices to the very back row and picked up smoked paprika.
Sara Beth raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side, watching Joy measure out teaspoons at a time and blending it into the mixture. Sara Beth was skeptical, but she knew her boss had a knack for pulling things off last minute.
Joy mixed it in thoroughly, and then took a small teaspoon of batter. She offered it to Sara Beth. Her assistant eyed it cautiously and opened her mouth. Sara Beth's eyes went wide with surprise.
“Oh my gosh,” Sara Beth mumbled. “It's different, but it's ... better.”
“Really?” Joy could barely believe it herself. She dipped another spoon in the mixture and tried the batter. She gasped. It was amazing. The subtlest smokey flavor brought the chocolate forward, and the paprika added a little spice that highlighted the cinnamon and vanilla.
“You're a genius, Joy.” Sara Beth smiled and hugged Joy again. “Wait until Crystal tries this.”
For the first time in a long time, Joy was impressed with herself. It didn't matter if it was her mom's exact spice blend. All that mattered was that she'd created an incredible cake batter, and hopefully, it would bake into a scrumptious cake.
Joy and Sara Beth prepared a test cake first. A small four-inch square that baked quickly. They let it cool while they created large quantities of the chocolate cake spice blend but held off on the smoked paprika until they tasted the baked result.
Together they took a forkful of cake each, popped it into their mouths, and smiled. Joy smiled. This cake was close enough to the original chocolate cake that Crystal had ordered. An untrained palate wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But Joy could taste how supreme this was. There was even more depth and richness.
Joy and Sara Beth spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening mixing and baking everything they needed for Crystal's wedding. They'd have to do the rest early the next day, and then assemble each tier at the wedding venue the following morning. They snacked their way through two bags of white chocolate coated pretzels, a bowl of caramel popcorn, and an endless supply of tarts and pies from the case out in the front of the shop. The sun was setting, and Joy's stomach felt a little queasy without any real food.
“I'll get us some dinner.” Sara Beth was the first to call for a break.
“Thanks,” Joy smiled and began tidying up as Sara Beth left out the back door.
Joy looked forward to carrying the trash out to the back street. After spending all day indoors working with hardly any customers to interact with, she needed the fresh air. Joy floated out the back door and into the darkened street. She pushed open the dumpster and, stopped when a loud noise filled her ears.
Joy froze, and listened. Someone yelled into the night. It sounded like a woman. A woman was shouting. Joy spun around, looking for someone in trouble. She only saw the empty street, and the street lights were beginning to flicker.
Joy walked cautiously, peering into parked cars and between the garbage cans that dotted the street. An engine revved. Joy looked ahead and saw a car driving away from the back of the bake shop. Joy couldn't believe it, but she was sure it was the same car she'
d seen nights before. It had the same logo on the side. The car belonged to The Sugar Room.
CHAPTER EIGHT
It was the day before Crystal's wedding. Joy and Sara Beth came in early to finish preparing the decorations for their giant masterpiece. Joy still felt sore from Crystal's yoga class, and groggy from another night of poor sleep. Sara Beth looked much the same. She had trouble remembering where she'd put things. But the cakes were made, and they looked magnificent.
When Joy opened up the front doors for the day, the smell of rich, sweet chocolate cake spilled out onto the street. Soon enough there was a line out the door, and customers searched the display case for the source. Sara Beth lost count of how many times she had to let people down gently by explaining “Sorry, it's a custom order.”
The bake shop sold out of everything chocolatey – cupcakes, muffins, croissants. And despite the lingering rumors, all of the chocolate tarts were sold before noon. Joy's luck had changed overnight. Joy was serving her final slice to old Joel when Crystal appeared at the counter with a man at her side.
“Hi there, Crystal." Sara Beth chirped. “Are you all ready for the big day?”
“Lucas and I just wanted to pop in and see how everything is going.” Crystal smiled calmly, but her hands were tightly clasped together, and her knuckles were white.
“I'm Lucas,” the man extended a hand. Sara Beth took it and almost felt like she ought to curtsy.
Joy eyed Lucas from a distance. He towered over Crystal, and he kept a hand placed on the small of her back. It was almost like Lucas was keeping Crystal steady.
“Nice to meet you.” Sara Beth began giggling, still holding onto his hand. It was no secret that Lucas was handsome.
“I'm Joy Cooke,” Joy interrupted. “You must be the famous fiancé we've heard so much about. You two must be very excited about tomorrow.”
“We're thrilled," Lucas answered. "And thrilled to meet you, Joy. Sorry, it's taken me so long to come by the shop. Crystal and I were just in the neighborhood and thought we would stop by to check on the cake."
“I smell chocolate," Crystal interrupted. "I'm taking that as a sign from on high that everything is going according to plan."
“Everything is ready for tomorrow," Joy informed her. "We'll be arriving at the manor early in the morning, and assembling and decorating the cake on site. It's a big order so we wouldn't want it to topple over while in the car.”
“Oh, of course not.” Crystal laughed uncomfortably. "We wouldn't want that. Not at all."
Lucas smiled warmly. “We have complete faith in you, Joy. Our fate is in your hands … so to speak.”
Joy smiled back at Lucas, refraining from mentioning anything about the last bit of chocolate Crystal had taken home with her. Lucas seemed nice. Maybe a little too nice.
Crystal laughed again at nothing in particular, then began to take deep breaths. She was nervous about her wedding day. A normal emotion for a future bride to experience. But Crystal's nervousness was unusual compared to her day-to-day persona.
“Of course, my apologies for everything that has happened,” Lucas said. “I hope your shop wasn't affected too badly. I didn't know Tony very well, but it's always sad when anyone passes under such strange circumstances.”
“So the two of you met?” Joy pushed.
“Once," Lucas casually admitted. "He was a tad intoxicated at the time, but he seemed like an okay guy.”
Crystal continued with her breathing exercises.
Joy lowered her voice to avoid including other customers in the conversation, “Intoxicated? Did you meet him in a bar?”
Lucas laughed and said kindly, “No, I don't drink. Tony very clearly did, though. I was walking Crystal home a few months ago, and he was wandering around our street. There's a bar not too far from her house. He must have been looking for a taxi.”
“Hmm,” Joy replied. Crystal's breathing exercises had become so intense that it looked as though might pass out, but she continued smiling politely at Joy.
“We'd better go,” Lucas said.
“Of course. Would you like to take something to get you through the next twenty-four hours?”
Lucas chose a cherry tart that was sharp, bitter, and sweet with a creamy layer of custard hidden under the cherry topping. Crystal chose the only dairy-free option for the day. It was a cookie shaped like a penguin, decorated with dark chocolate wings, tiny eyes, and a beak. She began eating it before they left the shop, the cookie crumbling in her hand as she pushed huge pieces into her mouth, mumbling about her low blood sugar.
As Joy and Sara Beth closed up for the evening, Joy mopped the floor and recounted to Sara Beth what Lucas had told her about Tony.
“Oh my goodness,” Sara Beth replied, cleaning the glass of the display case. “Do you think that Tony could have been stalking Crystal and put on the drunken act as an excuse for being in the neighborhood?”
“Well, maybe,” Joy replied, mopping under the front tables. “But I don't know how trustworthy Lucas is, or if we should believe that story.”
“Are you kidding me, Joy? He's clearly an angel with a heart of gold.”
"I'll agree that he is handsome.” Joy chuckled. "But don't let his looks cloud your judgment."
“He was a very nice man,” Sara Beth insisted. "Not the sort of guy I would picture Crystal with, though."
“Was it just me or did he seem a little too nice?”
Sara Beth shrugged. “There's no such thing as too nice. There's nice, and then there's …”
"Crazy?" Joy guessed, thinking of how Crystal almost had a panic attack in front of everyone.
Joy kept mopping, and the meditative motion of moving the mop back and forth across the floor let her mind rest for a few moments. But then distracting thoughts came rushing back in. What was it about Lucas that made her suspicious? Was she just sleep deprived, and stressed out? Was Maple really winning customers over to The Sugar Room? Would she stoop so low as to sabotage Joy like this?
Joy washed the same spot on the floor for the seventh time when she saw something move with the corner of her eye. She spun around and looked out of the front shop windows, and into the night. Something flashed under the streetlight and then disappeared into the darkness. Joy dropped her mop and raced to the window, but she couldn't see anything.
“Is everything okay?” Sara Beth raced over. “I heard a crash.”
“I just –” Joy was shaky. “I thought I saw someone out there.”
Sara Beth stood beside her and peered out into the night. “Whatever it was it must be gone. I don't see anything.”
“I think I'm just tired.” Joy sighed, and picked up the mop.
CHAPTER NINE
“Oh, Cheesecake,” Joy sighed as she plopped down onto her couch. “I'm going nuts.”
Cheesecake jumped up to sit beside her and lovingly placed a paw on her leg.
“This wedding is getting to me. I just about accused Crystal's fiancé of committing murder. Crystal almost had a panic attack in the store, and I'm going to be catering their wedding tomorrow.”
Cheesecake meowed as if he understood perfectly.
Joy sighed and nodded. “I need a break when all of this is over. I need some me time."
Joy scratched Cheesecake under the chin. “Oh, you must be hungry. Good news, I caught you a fish. All this stress has its advantages I guess. I'm certainly getting to the beach more often.”
While Cheesecake chowed down on his fresh fish, Joy sat on the couch and opened up a box of chocolate truffles she had been saving for a special occasion. The box was elaborately decorated with gold leaf and royal blue ribbons with a stamp on the back that said made in France. As she lifted the lid, Joy was greeted with an array of three beautifully symmetrical globes of chocolate. Inside each was a different flavor, and she planned on trying them all that night.
First up was a traditional French truffle. A dusting of cocoa powder hit Joy's tongue first, bitter and almost coarse. As she bit into th
e truffle, its firm shell gave way quickly to expose the dense chocolate ganache underneath. Joy took her time savoring the taste, letting her tongue roll around her mouth. She licked her lips and finished it off by taking the tiniest bites she could, not wanting it to end.
Next, a raspberry-filled chocolate truffle. The crisp shell broke as Joy bit through it. Immediately her mouth was flooded with a tart, sticky raspberry syrup. The shell on this one was thicker than the last, and double-layered. Joy sucked the raspberry from the middle.
Cheesecake purred through bites of his fresh fish dinner, and Joy practically purred throughout her dessert.
The final chocolate truffle was flavored with a decadent honeycomb caramel. The chocolate shell was decorated with a shard of honeycomb intricately shaved into the shape of a snowflake. Joy bite into it and the rich caramel flavor spilled onto her tongue. It was a match made in heaven. The caramel was slightly salted, and the honeycomb was deadly sweet. Joy sighed and enjoyed the flavors, feeling the muscles in her body finally relax for the first time in a week. She ate the chocolate truffle one tiny bite at a time and finished off with the honeycomb decoration. Licking her lips, she closed her eyes and thought about nothing but desserts.
Joy went ten whole minutes without worrying, but a train of thought took Joy from cake to wedding cake to that chocolate tart, and then the death of Tony Florentine. She opened her eyes and felt her shoulders tensing up again. The killer was out there somewhere.
Despite Sara Beth's adoration for the man, Lucas certainly had a motive. But was Lucas capable of murder? What about Crystal? Surely not, but her anxiety could have made her a loose cannon. And Tony stalking her could have been the final straw. Or maybe Crystal and Lucas were working together, and Joy was about to supply a wedding cake to a pair of murderers?
Cheesecake jumped onto Joy's chest and pressed his forehead against her face. He purred as if instructing her to calm down.
Joy took a deep breath and gave Cheesecake a grateful pat. She scooped him into her arms and carried him off to bed. With a huge day of work ahead of her tomorrow and her mind racing at a million miles an hour, Joy didn't want to take any chances. She took a light sleeping pill she reserved for rough nights like these, curled up in bed with Cheesecake, and prayed for some rest. It took almost an hour of Cheesecake purring soothing lullabies for Joy to fall fully asleep, but finally, her mind quieted down, and she fell into her dreams.
