Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker (Death by Cupcake Book 1)

by D. E. Haggerty

  When Anna and I are convinced that Kristie performed all the closing tasks properly, I turn to Ben and demand. “Now you need to tell us what’s going on.”

  Ben glances at the front of the store, which is made entirely of glass, and shakes his head. “Let’s go to your apartment.” And thus, we follow the same routine. First, Ben goes to scout out the apartment while Anna and I stand at the entrance to the apartment staring at each other.

  “Okay,” Ben says as he returns to my living room. “Come on in.”

  I immediately move to the kitchen and grab a bottle of wine from the refrigerator. Anna’s already getting the glasses from the cupboard. I pour us two glasses while Ben grabs a beer. We take a seat at my kitchen table and wait for Ben to finally give us a clue about what’s going on in his head.

  “Well,” he breathes out. “The woman who was crying and carrying on is Beth Abrahams, Dr. Abrahams’ wife.”

  “His wife?” I shake my head. That’s not the important question. “How do you know who she is?”

  Ben ducks his head and answers. “After you told me about going to see Dr. Abrahams and he admitted to paying Dolly for her services,” he clears his throat, “I looked into the good doctor.”

  “But why?”

  Ben stares me straight in the eyes and doesn’t flinch. “Because suspects lie.”

  I snort. “Of course, suspects lie. I won’t argue with you about that, but why would a well-respected doctor lie about paying someone for sex? It would ruin his career if it came out. Especially since he’s a gynecologist. I don’t think there are many women who would want a gyno who uses prostitutes.”

  Anna nods in agreement, but Ben shakes his head. “Better to have to move your practice than be convicted of murder.”

  I lean back as I think about this. Ben does have a point. After all, there are people who murder to protect their careers all the time. “I think he was telling the truth. He didn’t stutter or falter. He just came out with the truth right away. In fact,” I stop when I realize what else the doctor had to say.

  “In fact, what?” Ben’s leaning forward with his eyes piercing mine.

  “I didn’t think to mention this before, but when I was at Dr. Abrahams’ office, he said something about his wife. He thought she sent me there or something,” I admit.

  Anna claps her hands. “Oh, maybe the doctor’s wife killed Dolly because she was mad at her hubby for cheating on her.”

  Ben shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “What aren’t you telling us?”

  “Turns out the good doctor was a player. Apparently, this isn’t his first time cheating on his wife. And he’s had several sexual harassment complaints filed against him from nurses.”

  “Really? Why is he still a licensed, practicing medical doctor, then? Shouldn’t he be suspended or something for that behavior?”

  Ben shakes his head. “Every time a nurse complains, she gets transferred and the complaint is dropped.”

  “What a sleazebag!” Anna shouts. “I changed my mind. The doctor killed Dolly!”

  I shake my head at her. “The murderer is a woman, remember?”

  Ben leans forward and grabs my hand before speaking. “Are you sure?”

  “Well, no, but it seems most probable. Even if we discount the fact that women are seven times more likely to use poison than men, there are still a couple of things that point to a woman being the culprit.” I count the facts off with my fingers. “One, the cupcake was placed in the women’s locker. And two, the handwriting analysis seems to suggest a woman wrote the note.”

  “Let’s cut this argument short. Don’t you have a list of everyone who was at the gym at the time the cupcake could have been placed?”

  I immediately jump up from my chair and walk to my laptop in the living room. I lift it up and grab the list from underneath. I walk back to Ben and hand him the list.

  “You crossed out all the men’s names.” He mutters as he goes over the list.

  “Well, yeah, we were going on the assumption that the murderer is a woman.” I’m getting a bit annoyed with him now. I don’t like it when anyone questions my assumptions.

  “He’s not on the list.” Ben admits and hands me back the list. “It still doesn’t mean he’s innocent. Considering how much that man gets around, he could have had another lover place the cupcake for him.”

  I shrug. “I guess. I’m just not buying the doctor is the murderer. Why kill Dolly?”

  “Dolly could have ruined his career if she told everyone he was going to a prostitute.”

  I shake my head. “But if he’s had sexual harassment suits filed against him and he’s managed to beat those charges then he probably thinks he’s untouchable. He was very condescending when I spoke to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he thinks he can do whatever he wants without consequence.”

  “So, then he could be the murderer?” Anna surmises.

  “I don’t think so. A condescending man like that would find murder beneath him.”

  Ben nods. “I’m still going to check on his alibi.”

  “If you don’t think the doctor did it, what about the wife?” Anna asks. “Why was she at the funeral? How did she know Dolly?”

  I grab the list of names from those who were at the gym when the cupcake was planted. Maybe Anna’s right. Maybe the wife did it. But her name isn’t on the list. “She isn’t on here either.”

  I try not to sound upset, but I must have failed because Ben gets up from his chair and stalks over to me. He lifts me and grabs me in a bear hug. “Everything’s going to be all right. We’ll figure it out. If it comes to that, I’ll force the detectives to clear you so you can start the semester next week.”

  I nod, but I don’t believe him. If it was that easy to clear my name, why haven’t the detectives already done so?

  Chapter 21

  I can’t solve problems with cupcakes, but it sure makes me feel better.

  “Hey Callie?” At Kristie’s words, I look up from the lecture I’m working on in the bakery office. It doesn’t matter that it’s already the Thursday before classes start and we still haven’t found out who killed Dolly, I plan on being prepared to start classes next week regardless.

  “What is it, Kristie?” I slide my glasses on top of my head and rub the bridge of my nose trying to alleviate some of the tension that immediately starts to build at the mere idea of not being able to go back to my teaching position.

  “Some guy is here to see you. Says his name is Advokat or something like that.”

  I immediately jump up at the sound of my attorney’s name. Maybe he has some good news for me. “Send him back.” I quickly gather all my lectures notes and pile them in a corner of my desk. I’m just shutting my laptop when Fred Advocaat arrives. He steps in and shuts the door behind him. Does that mean he has bad news?

  “Standard practice when you’re a criminal attorney,” he says with a wink when he sees me staring at the door.

  I breathe a sigh of release and walk out from behind my desk to shake his hand. “Have a seat,” I say and motion to one of the chairs in front of my desk. I sit in the other chair and turn it slightly so I’m face to face with my lawyer. “Please tell me you have some good news.” My voice doesn’t mask the anxiety I’m feeling.

  Advocaat doesn’t immediately respond and instead takes a folder out of his briefcase before setting the case on the floor next to him. He opens the folder and pulls out a piece of paper, which he hands to me. “What’s this?”

  “It’s a summary of the autopsy report and tox screen.” Before I get a chance to even glance down, he continues. “The tox screen proves that Dolly was indeed poisoned. She was poisoned by propranolol.”

  “Propranolol? What’s that?” Besides being a mouthful to say.

  “It’s a beta blocker.”

  “A beta blocker?” I tap my chin and try to think of what I know about beta blockers. “Beta blockers block the effects of adrenaline s
o that the heart beats more slowly and with less force, reducing blood pressure.” I look up when the puzzle falls into place. “Which could cause cardiac failure if taken in massive amounts. After all, the difference between a drug and a poison is only a matter of dose.” My lawyer stares at me as if I’ve grown a third eye or something. “What?”

  He raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure you’re innocent? That’s a lot of knowledge about a drug for someone who isn’t in the medical field.”

  “Please, if I had poisoned Dolly, you’d never know she was poisoned, let alone what I used to kill her.” I’m not exactly lying. I didn’t care enough about Dolly to want her dead, but if I wanted someone dead, I would certainly do a better job of covering my tracks than Dolly’s killer did. It’s amateur hour and yet the detectives are still stumbling around as if this case were some convoluted Agatha Christie novel. “Anyway.” I decide to get back to the real issue here. “How do they know that a cupcake killed Dolly?”

  Advocaat shakes his head at my abrupt change in the conversation, but there’s a small grin on his face. “They tested the cupcake as well, and it was indeed pumped full of propranolol.” He flips open his file and looks at his notes. “Apparently, the fact that the cupcake was made with alcohol may have helped increase the effectiveness of the drug.”

  “Alcohol? We don’t use alcohol in our cupcakes. If a recipe calls for alcohol, Anna uses essence instead.”

  “Never?” Advocaat asks as he scribbles some notes.

  “Nope. You can have a look at the inventory if you want.” I sweep my arm out as if to indicate he has free reign in the kitchen, although Anna would probably kill me if he went snooping around her domain.

  He just shakes his head. “That’s fine. It appears that the cupcake that killed Dolly wasn’t made here then.”

  I nod. “But how does that help us?”

  Advocaat sets his pen down. “As long as you don’t have a subscription to a medication with propranolol, this report shows that you didn’t have the means to kill Dolly.”

  “Means?” I fall into my office chair as I think about the implications of the poison used to kill Dolly. “We need to focus on who could get their hands on a drug with propranolol instead of who wanted Dolly dead and was in the gym at the right time.”

  Advocaat puts his files away in his briefcase. “That’s not my purview. My job is to make sure you aren’t convicted of a crime, and we have enough evidence for even the most biased jury to find reasonable doubt.” He stands and offers me his hand. “If there isn’t anything else, I’ll see myself out.”

  I’m a bit shocked by his abruptness, but then again he probably doesn’t want to know anything about what Anna and I have been up to. It’s not like we’ve been running around committing crimes willy-nilly, but he doesn’t know that, and he obviously doesn’t want to chance learning about any of the specifics. I stand. “Thanks for stopping by,” I say as I shake his hand.

  “No problem. Ever since the other partners found out my client owns a bakery, they’ve been bugging me to bring them some baked goodies.” He smiles and there’s a twinkle in his eye. I guess cupcakes will make even the surliest attorney gleeful.

  I return his smile and shake my head at his boyish grin. “Make sure you grab a box of cupcakes on your way out. On the house.”

  Anna practically barges into Advocaat as she makes her way into my office. She watches to make sure the attorney exits her precious kitchen before she turns to me and slams the door behind her. “What was he here about? Any news?” She’s nearly bursting at the seams with anticipation.

  “I’m glad my possible incarceration is exciting to you.” I sit in my office chair and wait for the inquisition to begin.

  “Don’t be like that. Everyone knows you’re innocent.”

  I raise an eyebrow at her. “Really? Everyone? Because it sure doesn’t feel like that to me.”

  She flicks her wrist at me in annoyance. “Stop avoiding the subject. What did your attorney have to say? Did they find something else? Did they drop you as a suspect?”

  I grab the memo, which Advocaat left for me and wave it at her. “The autopsy report is finished.”

  “And?” Anna bounces in her seat in anticipation.

  “Dolly was poisoned by propranolol.”

  “Propa-what?”

  “It’s a beta blocker used to treat high blood pressure.”

  “High blood pressure? So we need to find someone with high blood pressure?”

  I shake my head. “Not necessarily.” I open my laptop and click on my web browser. “Propranolol could have other uses.” I quickly enter propranolol uses into my search engine. “It’s used for high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, migraine headaches, and certain types of tremors.”

  Anna visibly deflates. “That’s a lot of uses. Any of our suspects could have a prescription for the medicine.”

  I shut my laptop and put my elbows on my desk with my chin in my hands. “I think we may be looking at this the wrong way around.”

  Anna leans forward. “What do you mean?”

  “Well,” I say. “Who do we know who has access to lots of drugs?”

  Anna’s quiet for a moment. “Dr. Abrahams!” She jumps up and shouts.

  “Yes,” I nod. “I think we need to have a little chat with Dr. Abrahams.”

  “Yes!” She pumps her fist in excitement. “Do we know where he lives? Let’s go!” She’s practically out the door already.

  “Hold on!” I shout. Anna turns and stares at me. “First of all, it’s only ten in the morning. He’s probably at work right now. And I don’t think it’s smart to go to his house. If he’s a killer, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

  Anna sags against the door. “So what are we going to do then?”

  “Not we, you.”

  She perks up immediately. “Oh goodie, what do I get to do?” She rubs her hands in anticipation.

  “Make an appointment with the good doctor. I’d do it, but…” She doesn’t let me finish my sentence.

  “I got this.” She grabs my phone. “What’s his number?”

  Chapter 22

  I never met a cupcake I didn’t like.

  I’m taking a bite of the sandwich monstrosity that Anna made me for lunch – because Ben doesn’t want me leaving the bakery without him – when Kristie comes into my office for the second time in one day. “Hey Kristie,” I say around mouthfuls of food. “You’re working a lot lately.”

  She smiles and nods. “Trying to get in some extra hours before the semester starts.” She clears her throat and places the single cupcake box she’s carrying on my desk. “This was dropped off for you.”

  “Dropped off?” Why would anyone drop off one of my own cupcake boxes at my bakery?

  Kristie blushes. “It was a woman. She said she was asked to deliver it to you from some man.”

  “Some woman?” My mind is screaming CAUTION! “Can you get Anna to cover the store and then come back here?”

  Her eyes widen. “Am I in trouble?”

  I shake my head. “No, don’t worry. I just need your help with something.” I smile at her in what I hope is a reassuring manner. She nods and quickly takes off. I cautiously open the box to find a single chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting nesting inside. There’s a Callie’s Cupcakes greeting card next to the cupcake. I cautiously pull it out to read.

  Thought you could use some cheering up, babe. Ben XXOO

  I immediately drop the card back into the box and pick up the phone to dial Ben. He answers on the first ring. “Sweetheart, is everything okay?” He rushes out the question. I hate that he’s right about me being in danger, but now is not the time to care about my injured pride.

  “No, Ben, I’m not. Someone sent me a cupcake with a card from you in it,” I explain.

  “A card from me? I didn’t send you anything.”

  “I know. It’s not your handwriting, and you never call me babe.” It doesn’t even look like the pers
on tried to disguise her handwriting, which is kind of insulting. Did she think I’d be so excited about receiving a gift from Ben that I’d just eat the cupcake? How stupid does she think I am? And who in the world is she anyway?

  On the phone, I hear feet pounding on the pavement. “I’m on my way. Don’t touch anything.”

  I just snort in respond to his admonishment. Like I’d touch anything. “See you soon,” I say and hang-up.

  Kristie returns as I’m getting off the phone with Ben. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll explain in a minute.” I quickly call my attorney to let him know what’s happening. He tells me to call the detectives and that he’s on his way. I don’t have the telephone number of Detective Duchamps or Detective Smits. It’s not like they handed me a business card when they were interrogating me. Instead, I call the police station and ask to speak to one of the detectives. They’re unavailable, and I end up leaving a message.

  I look up from my phone calls to see Kristie staring at me with her eyes bugging out of her head. “Have a seat,” I say and indicate one of my chairs. “You know that I was accused of murdering a woman.” She nods, but before she gets a chance to respond, I hold up my hand. “Please, let me continue. I didn’t kill the woman but Anna and I have been sort of investigating who might have.” I didn’t believe it was possible, but Kristie’s eyes actually get bigger. “I was threatened once before and told to stop snooping or Anna would suffer.” I point to the cupcake. “I’m assuming that this cupcake is poisoned or something because this isn’t from Ben.”

  Kristie doesn’t get a chance to respond as the door to my office bangs open, and Ben rushes into the office. His eyes move up and down my body in a clinical manner checking to make sure I’m okay. When he pulls me from my chair and puts his arms around me, I realize how close I came to not being okay. I start to shake. Ben soothes an arm down my back. “Sshhh, sweetheart, I’ve got you. No one’s going to hurt you while I’m around.”