MYSTERY: COZY MYSTERY: WOMEN SLEUTHS: Madeline's Secret Recipe Series (Cozy Humor Kitchen Detective Mystery) (Suspense Sweet Cove Short Story Culinary Comedy)

by Lorrie Bannett

  Mary also made sure that there were enough people paraded in the county court of Tarpon Bay, trying their level best to get the attention of the court to revoke the temporary barn placed on Madeline’s local restaurant to continue making the pastries until the pressure died down.

  That was really good for the case since it showed that the people of Tarpon Bay were in solidarity with their Madeline and prove to the world that someone very powerful is pissed when people from very humble backgrounds such as Madeline’s start making some good money.

  “And that is how I am going to turn the heart against them. Once we show the world that Madeline is innocent, the jury will have nothing on her since they were members of the public. They will throw this case out of the window before you even know it. All you need to do is make sure that you are always smiling even if it’s hurting you, agreed?”

  “Agreed.”

  “Good. Also try as much as possible to avoid meeting people since you don’t know them any longer. Avoid the strangers as much as you can. And even if you have to meet up with some old friends, then you will be required to make it as short as possible. Don’t you dare a problem with anyone even if they provoke you? They will always try their level best to get you. Even if you can’t see them, cameras are always on you. The whole world is watching.”

  Madeline looked at her lawyer with rounded, wide eyes. For a moment, she thought that Mary Moore was doing nothing but exaggerating. But the truth of the matter is that Madeline had finally entered into the world that she had no idea about. People were out to get her and would stop at nothing until they achieved their goal.

  “I know Mary; I know… I am in a different world now, and very powerful people are out to get me.” Madeline said, rolling her eyes.

  Everyone laughed lightly. Madeline didn’t know for a fact that she had her mother’s sarcasm. But eventually, the reached agreement that she was going to do all in her power to stay away from people especially those that she didn’t know. And with that, Mary stood up, straightening her skirt.

  “And where do you think you are going?” Edward asked frantically.

  “Well, I have witnesses waiting for me in your local church. I need to coach them.”

  “Are they asking for anything?”

  “Uh Madeline, I am very disappointed that you never listen to a damn thing I say. I already told you that I am good. As a matter of fact, they asked if they were to make contributions towards supporting your case. But I told them there was no need. I am taking this personally.”

  Madeline smiled. After all there were good people in this world and it reminded her why she was making pastries in the first place. It was just too darn wonderful. And for some moments, she figured that it was about time for her to just kick back and have a good time with her family since Mary Moore had this one under wraps.

  Chapter 5:

  -The Ruling-

  A week seemed to fly and once again, Madeline McDougal was back on the front pages of all the outlets countrywide. At first, Madeline thought that the fire had died down because nothing was forthcoming from the media and for once after several days, Madeline felt she was at peace.

  Mary Moore had come over the previous day and had to sleep in the guest room as she spent the better part of the day coaching Madeline McDougal. She had never been arrested before, and that alone gave her reason to worry. But thankfully, Mary Moore was ready to help her overcome the problem at hand.

  At the end of the day, Mary decided that it would be a nice thing for her to follow her instructions.

  “Finally, I will need you to look crushed but not scared. That way, the jury will see just how much you have nothing to hide while you won’t have a problem being honest since you have nothing to hide. Do you get my drift? Good. Now it’s time for us to make the necessary steps to win this.”

  Madeline didn’t see the need to wear makeup despite her nieces pressuring her to do so.

  “Go away. I am a cook, not some cover model.”

  “We know aunt. But at least it will make you look presentable.”

  “Are you girls saying that I don’t look presentable?” Madeline said in a sharp voice, trying to feign anger. But her smile gave her away.

  The two girls hugged her tightly. This feeling of spontaneous oneness was just about everything Madeline needed at that moment. She didn’t want these kids to get affected by the problems that she was going through. She was innocent, and she was also confident that everything was going to get sorted out. Besides, she had grown to love Mary Moore and managed to trust her.

  “Ok, in as much as I would hate to break up your farewells, I just have to. We don’t have much time and the judge in this place is conscious about time.”

  They wanted to have the case hearing in New York, but Mary Moore worked her charm and made sure that the hearing was carried out in her hometown citing that it was Madeline’s first time being arraigned in court, and she was shaken. And that was why it would be human to let the hearing done at her home.

  The people were still protesting outside the court, and since the judges didn’t want to disappoint the public, they decided to grant her wish. This move was good sign since it showed that Mary’s charm had worked. She had managed to make the accusers look bad since the people whom Madeline had supposedly poisoned the ones who were protesting her arrest citing that the poisoning had been orchestrated by competition.

  Mary Moore had made sure that some of the top journalists from New York and Los Angeles had toured the area to talk to the natives, and nobody had anything bad to say about Madeline and the entire McDougal family.

  That explained why Mary Moore was in such a jovial mood. She knew that the case was going to be yanked out of the window. And as they drove through the streets, most people had come out cheering and clapping for Madeline. Madeline got taken aback. The latter was just too good to be true.

  As a matter of fact, she thought it was so sweet that she started crying. And just like that, Mary Moore found something that she was going to use to their advantage.

  “I need you to open the window and wave to your people.”

  “What? My people? You are making me looking some queen.”

  “But you are my dear… you are the queen of pastries.” Mary said with a touch of pride in it.

  Madeline thought for a moment and smiled. That was a very good idea. No, it was a brilliant idea. And even though Madeline didn’t know that the reason Mary wanted her to do so was because she knew there was a car full of journalists trailing them. She knew that if the whole country could see just how people loved Mary, then they would drop these accusations and let her go free.

  “Driver, can you pull up to the curb for a moment, I need this queen to address her subjects for a moment.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  And as soon as the car pulled up, Madeline opened the door, and her town mates embraced her. She was overwhelmed with happiness. They told her messages of hope and promised her to stay strong. And as they were doing that, the journalists came over and started filming that powerful moment. The live feed was being broadcasted all over the country, and it won people, just like counselor Mary Moore had planned.

  “My good people of Tarpon Bay, I am very sorry, but I have to cut your reunion short. We have to be at the courtroom in half an hour, and it’s my responsibility to take this good woman there or else my neck will face the guillotine. So please, if you can, meet us in the court after about two hours where she will talk to you after our assured victory.”

  And with that, Mary whisked Madeline back into the car, and the driver drove off. The purpose of her stopping over was achieved. And now the only thing that was remaining was making sure they had gone through with the case and winning it. For the sake of Madeline, the McDougal family as well as the people of Tarpon Bay.

  ***

  Everyone cheered as soon as the case got dismissed for Madeline McDougal. Mary Moore was worth her salt, and she dismissed the big time lawyers that
they had been anonymously hired to bring her client down. And since the hearing was being aired live due to public demand, there was no way the judges were going to rule against her.

  “You won dear, you won.”

  “I wouldn’t have done it without your help you know. But I have a big problem now. I think it would be a good idea for you to help me stop these people from coming back to get me.”

  “That is a smart move. And for real, they will be back to make sure that you pay for making them look bad. As long as you are out there, their business will continue to dwindle as yours grows. You just won the hearts of every person in the country, and I think they will continue to support your brand.”

  Madeline thought for a moment. This win was huge, and she was nothing but grateful. Cameras were flashing all over the place and in as much as she was trying to hide from the flashes, she just couldn’t. Mary Moore saw that her client was struggling, and she couldn’t help but laugh a little. And so she made sure that she made her know that good old Mary had her back all the way.

  “Don’t worry. You will get used to this in a matter of days, queen of pastries.”

  Madeline just nodded right before she went back to waving at the cameras. And as they got to the door, they opened all of a sudden, and her ears got engulfed in cheers. The queen of pastries, the name, was already starting to grow on her already.

  Chapter 6:

  -Picking up the pieces-

  Now that everything else had cooled off, it was time for Madeline McDougal and her family to prepare and embark on some serious baking. It seemed as though it had been ages before they had anything to do with baking, and it was time for them to get their heads back into the game.

  Madeline’s sisters had already come back from New York and Los Angeles and made sure that everything was going to work out. Thankfully, they hadn’t been approached by anyone who tried to buy their family secrets, and that was a good thing. But Madeline knew that this was far from over.

  And that was why they needed to pick up the pieces as soon as possible and get to that point where they were always staying ahead at all times. And if at all these anonymous competitors would try something out, Madeline was going to be ready.

  “I just want you guys to know that I wouldn’t have stayed on top of the game were it not for you. You were my rock. And now that I am back, all I want to do is keep on making the pastries.”

  “We love you too sister. But what the heck is going to happen to the other stores? I think everything has spoilt after they were shut down to pave the way for the investigations.”

  “Sister you have nothing to worry about guys. My lawyer told me that the government was going to compensate us for any damages caused. I will leave all that to her. But in the meantime, I am being told that people are in demand for our food. Now we need to do what mother used to, let’s have a free day in appreciation of our people for standing with us during the troubled times.”

  Nobody wanted to waste any more time. They all made sure that they had jumped into the kitchen and put on their aprons. They had made the posters the previous day about the free pastries using the secret ingredient and everyone in Tarpon Bay just couldn’t wait for another moment. It was time for them to go out there and enjoy. It wasn’t just a win for the family; it was a win for the entire town.

  Once in the kitchen, Madeline poured the flour into the mixing bowl that she had been using for almost a decade and smelled it. A fortnight away from her kitchen bakery was torture enough. And now that she was back, she just couldn’t be happier. It felt as though things were finally starting to add up in her life and needless to say, she was the happiest person ever. This feeling was amazing indeed.

  She took two packets of pure wheat flour and emptied them in the bowl right before mixing it with a considerable amount of warm water. She let the water mix with the flour for a while right before she embarked on stirring. It was just too good. After that, Madeline took ten eggs, bit them up one by one before emptying the shells into the mixture. She just couldn’t wipe away the smile on her face. It was a big win for her and her family. They were back in business.

  After a couple of minutes of making the dough, it was finally time for her to add the magic component that had got the entire country amazed. She just smiled.

  Chapter 7:

  -Time to reinvent-

  The cookout was amazing. And to make matters even better, everyone from the town showed up. That made it difficult for the people to get a good bite. But they didn’t want to strain the family by making them bake more pastries, so they shared the few pastries amongst themselves. And yes, they still tasted like little pieces of heaven away from heaven.

  The new business name the “Queen of Pastries” was still ringing in her head. And for a moment, Madeline thought of assuming that as the official name for the company. But she knew that she had to consult with her family so that they can make the move as a unit.

  The unfortunate circumstance had made Madeline realize the importance of family and why it was such an amazing thing for her to have her family close. If it weren’t for her family, Madeline wouldn’t have won that case. It was just too darn complicated. But Edward knew just the right person to call, and once Mary Moore was called in, she ironed out everything.

  Surprisingly, Mary Moore didn’t charge a single dime for the case. And she said it had something to do with Edward chipping in on her tuition money after her father died. She felt indebted to the family and refused any payments at all. She was good, and for that matter, Mary Moore decided it was a good thing for her to stay with her as a legal advisor. An offer that Mary Moore couldn’t refuse.

  Mary could have stayed for a while. But she had other clients to work with and so she had to cut her victory party short. But at the end of the day, they had both benefited. Madeline had won the case and Mary Moore, who had just started her independent law firm, had just proven to the entire country that she wasn’t just about her good looks.

  She was a kickass lawyer. And after winning the case, calls from different clients from all over the country were buzzing all over. It was good for business.

  In other words, everyone who was on Madeline’s corner won: Madeline got her good reputation back and in the process managed to win plenty of customers; Mary Moore proved her worth as a lawyer and her brand new law firm had taken off and finally, the faithful folk of Tarpon Bay had free pastries.

  But amid all the good things that were happening to the family, Madeline wasn’t settled at all. As a matter of fact, it seemed as though there was something missing. She still had the recipe on lock. But that wasn’t the issue at hand. The problem was that she knew that her competitors were going to try as much as possible to catch up with her. And that was the reason she needed to reinvent as fast as humanly possible.

  And that was why she called for a meeting once again that evening. But this time round, it was a meeting amongst the siblings. She knew that even though her sisters weren’t as good as she was, they still understood most of the recipe and could have them all sorted out without any problems.

  As soon as they came by, Madeline went ahead and said whatever she needed to without wasting any time.

  “I think it is about that time we reinvented. It is really good that we have time to do this.”

  “Why? Everyone loves our pastries. If we try and change the secret recipe, then it might ruin everything.”

  Madeline thought for a moment. Her sister was right. If all they meddled with the recipe, then who knew the kind of disaster that would befall their budding company. The money was trickling in, and they were on their way to the Forbes list without a doubt. But still, Madeline thought it would be a good thing for them to reinvent and so she persisted.

  “I am not talking about the recipe or the ingredients. We cannot change those. All I am trying to say is that we can’t stay the same. People will get used to us and start looking for other options that excite them.”

  “So that means that we
don’t have to let them get bored?”

  “Exactly!”

  “And how on earth are we supposed to do that? We are just pastry makers. We don’t know anything about packaging and rebranding.”

  “Yes sister, but we have money, right? I think it’s about time we get a brand manager whom we will pay to make sure that everything is all sorted out without any problems.”

  The three girls sat down and thought about what their little sister had said. She had a very valid point and needless to say, they were going to follow it to its fruition.

  They had been through a hell lot of problems not to take charge and live their lives accordingly. It was a matter of life and death, and they all chose life. And to stay alive in this doggy dog world, one had to learn how to reinvent.

  “I was thinking about rebranding and also getting to change the name to Queen of Pastries. You know, they felt jealous and tried to put us down. But in the end, we came back much stronger than they had anticipated.”

  Mary shut up and took a good look at her sisters, studying their reaction slowly. It was just too good to be true. They liked that name.

  “I think it’s a brilliant name dear. Let’s do this!”

  And just like that, it was brand new dawn for the McDougal brand of pastries.

  Chapter 8:

  -The financial incongruity-

  The business was booming, and the sisters were happy working together. The news was reaching them that the fans of the newly branded Queen of Pastries were doing well. As a matter of fact, it seemed as though the inconvenience of the case hadn’t done any damage. If anything, it felt as though it had achieved a milestone in their business. Things were more promising than they were in the first place.