Rest, Relaxation and Murder: A Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery

by Stacey Alabaster

  "Because they're weird," I answered, but I considered the theory for a few minutes. "I'm not saying you're wrong, but don't you think they would have brought something a little better than protein bars if they knew something was going to happen to the chef? It seems more like a health conscious thing, or a germaphobe thing, rather than a murderous thing."

  Pippa dropped the last limp fry. "Maybe you're right. Still, you've got to admit they are odd."

  "I admit that."

  "So who else is on your suspect list?"

  "Who do you think?" I finished the last of my burger and wiped my greasy hands on the napkins, wondering if I should order a caramel sundae. I knew Pippa was thinking the same thing, but we were each waiting for the other to suggest it.

  Pippa pulled her eyes away from the dessert menu. "Those two in the kitchen... What were their names again?"

  "Vikki and Aaron," I answered quickly. I'd been thinking about those names all day, wondering whether I should have given them to Ranger Wilson. But what was he going to do? Pop into the kitchen and wish them a pleasant day? I knew that if this case was gonna get solved, I was gonna have to do it myself. And that meant starting with Vikki and Aaron first thing in the morning, now that I had something solid in my stomach.

  "Vikki more than Aaron," I commented. "She was the one with something to hide. Aaron was trying to drag it out of her. I had the feeling that he WANTED to say something to me yesterday when I caught them squabbling, but he was afraid of her."

  Pippa nodded. "You should try to get him on his own then."

  I nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I trust I can rely on my sidekick to help me out then?" I stuck out my tongue.

  "Sidekick?"

  "Well, I have been the one coming up with all the good ideas so far," I said playfully. "Who do you suggest we interview tomorrow?"

  I wasn't expecting an answer from her, aside from maybe Morris and Jane, who I'd basically already written off as token camp weirdos. But Pippa's face grew serious for a second. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but closed it again.

  "I don't know. No one," she said quickly. "Should we get dessert? I know we shouldn't, but we've driven all the way here."

  "Pippa," I said. "You were going to say something. Someone."

  Pippa looked down at the table and picked up that same fry again, pressing the tip of it into the tray like she was putting out a cigarette.

  "I was just... Don't hate me, Rach..."

  "I won't," I said. "Whatever suggestion you have, I will take it seriously. I won't hate you for it! You're just trying to help."

  "Don't you think we ought to interview Robert a little more?"

  I nodded. "Of course. He was the one who found the body after all. I just haven't pressed it yet because he was still reeling from it before. I think he might need a day or two to come to terms with it. But, definitely. We should ask him for more details about what he saw. That's what those rangers should have done. That's a good idea, Pips. Why would you think I would hate you for that?"

  Pippa was still staring down at the fry. "No, I don't mean... Well, yes, we should ask him about what he saw, but also..." She was having real trouble getting her words out now.

  "But also what?"

  Pippa finally looked up at me. "I mean, he did find the body."

  "I know that. What are you saying?"

  "Isn't the person who found the body...usually the most likely to have done it?"

  I sat back in the plastic booth, which I suddenly realized was incredibly uncomfortable. "He found it by accident, Pippa. We were all out there. Anyone could have discovered it."

  "But not anyone did."

  I was trying to keep my cool. Process the information rationally and calmly. She had a point. I just was having a very hard time taking it seriously. Just because Robert found the body didn't mean that he had anything to do with Ann's death.

  I forced a smile onto my face. "I think that's a very interesting idea you've got there, Pips. Well done."

  Pippa just stared at me for a second before she shook her head. "I knew you were going to hate me for suggesting it."

  "I don't hate you," I cut in. "Don't be silly."

  "But you don't want to believe that Robert could be guilty."

  I looked away from her.

  "And I'm not saying he is, Rach! I just think that after the others, he's the next most likely suspect, that's all. If we're going to do this, we'd better be thorough."

  I was trying to go along with what she was saying, trying to sit there patiently, nodding and agreeing, making all the right noises and faces. But I couldn't help myself. "But what other evidence do you have to accuse Robert?" I asked, practically cutting her head off with the severity of my question.

  Pippa sat back and opened her eyes wide. "I'm not accusing him, Rachael!" She shook her head. "I knew that you would overreact to this. I shouldn't have said anything."

  I took a deep breath. "I'm not overreacting. I just want to know why Robert is a suspect aside from the fact that he found Ann's body."

  Pippa raised an eyebrow. "Well, what is a young guy—a hot guy, at that—doing on his own at a resort like this?"

  I'd already wondered that several times myself. I didn't want to tell Pippa what Robert's answer had been when I'd asked him about it. That he came out on this trip to escape from something. I gulped. What if Robert was hiding something?

  "He's just on vacation," I said. "The same as any of us. Trying to take a relaxing break from our every day lives." I paused for a second before I burst out laughing and Pippa joined me, slapping her hand on the table she found it so hilarious.

  "Yeah, so much for that plan," Pippa said.

  I laughed a little longer then stood up. "Come on, let's get a couple of sundaes for the road. We should really be getting back to camp."

  It was almost midnight once we finally started to approach the resort again. "You've got to start cooking tomorrow," Pippa said. "I don't think I can handle this long drive every time we get hungry."

  "Yeah, yeah..." I was already dreading having to get up early the next morning to cater to an entire resort of people who likely wouldn't be satisfied with anything I cooked.

  I'd just turned the car around the last bend before the lake came into view and Pippa suddenly screamed, pointing to something down by the water.

  "What is it?" I said, slamming my foot on the brake. "Pippa, you scared me! I could have driven the car right into the lake."

  "Sorry," she said, her breathing calming down. "I thought I saw someone walking out on the road."

  "Did you?" I craned my neck to look behind me, searching the road that ran by the edge of the lake. "I can't see anyone."

  I was just about to pull forward again when I saw what she was talking about. "Is that..." No, it couldn't have been what it looked like.

  Because what it looked like was Robert, walking alone along the road with his bag hanging from his shoulder.

  I went to open the door, but Pippa reached out and placed a hand on my arm to stop me. "Wait," she whispered.

  "I have to go and see where he’s going, Pippa!"

  Pippa just stared at me. "What is he doing, Rachael? What is he running away from? Think about it."

  I looked down at her hand still on my arm and swallowed. "There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation."

  "For him taking off in the middle of the night?"

  I shook her hand off me. "I have to go and see if he is alright."

  "Rachael, it might be dangerous. We should call the police."

  "You mean the rangers?" I watched breathlessly as Robert got further and further away from us.

  "Yes. The rangers."

  "They'll be asleep by now, Pippa. They probably won't even pick up the call."

  I opened the door before Pippa could stop me and jumped out, leaving Pippa to fall forward across the driver's seat. "Rachael!"

  I had to jog to catch up with Robert. Hadn't he seen us? "Robert!"
I called out breathlessly as I collapsed forward, slapping my knees. Boy, I really needed to start getting some regular exercise.

  He spun around. "Rachael? That was you in that car."

  To my relief, he started to walk towards me. I'd been worried that he might totally take flight. At least that told me he wasn't on the run. He caught up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder while I tried to straighten up, glad that it was dark out so that he couldn't see how red-faced that small amount of jogging had left me.

  "I tried to find you to say goodbye," Robert said. "But you weren't in your room. I kind of thought that you'd taken off as well."

  Goodbye? Taken off? What was he talking about? "You're leaving?" I asked. "Why?"

  There was just enough moonlight reflecting off the lake for me to see the look of fright in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I just can't deal with being here after what I saw. It freaked me out. I gotta get out of here."

  I placed a hand on his arm. "Robert..."

  "Sorry, Rachael. I really did want to say goodbye to you. I'm glad I'm at least getting a chance to do that."

  "But what are you going to do?" I asked him. "You don't have a car, there's no cabs out here, and there's no bus stops along this road."

  He shrugged a little, causing his bag to slip off his shoulder. "Figured I'd just try my luck hitchhiking till I got to the main highway then catch my bus."

  "Robert, that's dangerous." I wanted to add, especially with a killer out here on the loose. But Robert didn't need to know that Ann's death might not have been an accident. He was already freaked out enough over the whole thing as it was.

  "I'll be fine."

  "Where do you live?" I asked him. "Home, I mean."

  "In a town called Healesville," he said. "About five hours from here."

  I smiled. I knew Healesville. It was only about a three-hour’s drive from Belldale. That wasn't the longest distance in the world. We could make that work. Spend our weekends together and maybe even the occasional weeknight. Not that this was really the time to be thinking about that.

  I pointed to my car. "It's late now. Too late to make that drive. But if you just come back to the resort, I promise that I will drive you home tomorrow. All the way home. Just please don't stay out here hitchhiking. I'll worry myself sick if you do."

  He shot me a little smile. "You will?"

  I nodded. "I will. Honestly. Please just come back and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we'll drive."

  Robert hesitated a moment but then he nodded. "Okay. It is actually pretty chilly out here. Thanks, Rachael."

  "Come on, let me drive you back to the hotel."

  We walked back to the car and I noticed Pippa staring at us like a hawk. As Robert approached the back seat, she shot me a look that said, “What the heck are you thinking?”

  I climbed back in the passenger seat and whispered to her. "It's fine. I'll explain when we get back." Then I turned back to check on Robert. "All good now?"

  "All good," he said, fastening his seatbelt. Pippa just shook her head and seethed silently.

  Well, if she thinks he's such a cold-blooded killer, isn't it a good thing that we stopped him from getting away? I thought.

  When we were back in our room, I pointed that out to her. "Besides, if he was guilty, then he wouldn't have gotten in the car. He would already be a hundred miles away from here."

  Pippa rolled over in her bed and faced the wall. I was clearly back in her bad book. "He still wants to leave, doesn't he?" News that I was intending to drive him home had REALLY not gone down well with her. "Aren't you helping him escape in the morning? It better be after you cook breakfast, by the way."

  I groaned. I'd forgotten all about that.

  But I also knew that letting Robert leave was a bad idea. Letting anyone leave while Ann's killer was still on the loose was a bad idea.

  I looked at Pippa, facing so far away from me that her face was practically pressed into the wall. "Don't worry, Pippa. I have an idea. Try to get some sleep."

  Chapter 7

  "What the heck are you doing here?"

  Well, my first shift in the kitchen was getting off to a great start. It was always nice to get a warm welcome the first day of a new job.

  "Helping out," I said to Vikki as I pushed past her and put on my chef's apron. "It looks like you could do with the help."

  Vikki pouted and looked at Aaron, who shrugged. "We do need the help," he said. He shot me a look. "You know how to cook?"

  "I'm a professionally trained chef," I answered as I began to break an entire carton of eggs into a bowl. Enough to make an omelet for dozens. I told Aaron to start chopping spring onions and chives while I told Vikki to season the pans for frying.

  "Season the pans?" she asked, a confused look plastered all over her face.

  "Yes," I replied, staring at her. "Don't tell me you don't know how to season a pan?"

  She looked at Aaron for help, who also seemed oblivious. I sighed. "No wonder you guys have been struggling. Have either of you even done an apprenticeship? Didn't Ann teach you anything?"

  Vikki shrugged and pouted again. "Ann liked things her own way. She always did everything. All the prep. All the cooking. Aaron and I pretty much just helped put the food on the plates and carry it out to the guests. Until..." She stopped talking and I noticed that Aaron was shooting her a look telling her to shut up.

  "Until what?" I asked.

  Vikki shrugged. "Just until recently, that's all. Ann had been acting kind of strange the last few weeks—disappearing all the time, not telling Aaron and I. The other night wasn't the first time that Aaron and I had been left stranded alone in the kitchen," she said. "But I guess this time, she's not coming back.”

  Hmm, I thought as I began mixing the omelet mixture. So Ann did have a habit of wandering off and disappearing. Maybe it was just an unfortunate accident after all.

  "Vikki?" I asked. "Did Ann know how to swim?"

  She shared a look with Aaron again and hesitated before answering me. "Yes," she said reluctantly. "She was a great swimmer, actually. Before she started acting weird, she used to join in with the guests here at the retreat. And sometimes she’d enter the swimming races across the lake. And she usually won."

  I stared at her. "And do you really believe a champion swimmer would just drown like that?"

  Vikki shook her head and placed the pan down on the stovetop. "No," she whispered. "No, I don't."

  There were cheers as I entered the dining hall with silver trays piled high with scrambled eggs, omelets, freshly baked bread and pork belly for everyone to enjoy. I had to admit, it was nice seeing the smiles on everyone's faces as they dove into their meals. I was reminded, for the first time in a long time, why it was that I cooked and baked—to make other people happy. There was really no other reason for it. And I had to remind myself that making these guests happy made me feel happy.

  Could I really give up that feeling?

  I glanced around the table, grinning as people devoured the food as quickly as Aaron could put it down in front of them.

  Everyone, that was, except Robert. I stopped short when I saw him staring emotionlessly at his food, his arms crossed over his chest and a sour look on his face. I shot Pippa a look. What’s wrong with him? But she just shrugged and went back to shoveling eggs into her mouth.

  "Take the empty plates back to the kitchen," I told Aaron quietly. "I'll be back in there in a minute."

  I tried to walk over to where Robert sat without attracting any attention. I bent down a little so he could hear me. "Is everything all right? Do you not like omelets?" I wondered if maybe he was sulking because he didn't receive his favorite meal. Toast.

  He looked up at me. "You promised me that you were going to drive me home first thing in the morning."

  I swallowed. "Technically I didn't say first thing in the morning." But I knew that had been the implication. I couldn't blame him for being mad. "Try to eat something, then we can talk about it."

 
; He pushed his plate away and stood up. "Won't you have the lunch shift after this?" he asked, a little too loudly and the other guests stopped eating to stare at us. Well, this was embarrassing. A lovers' tiff and we weren't even going out.

  "Robert, can we talk about this somewhere else?"

  He pushed his chair in. "I'm leaving," he said flatly. "The rangers are coming back this morning and they'll be able to give me a lift to the bus stop. Thanks a lot, Rachael. I should have left last night when I had the chance."

  "Robert," I said in a hushed whisper, trying to avoid any more of a scene, but he stomped off.

  I turned helplessly back to Pippa, who pushed her plate back and rushed to follow me to the kitchen.

  "Aren't you going to stop him?" Pippa whispered just as I was about to push my way back into the kitchen to try and hide.

  "You've changed your tune," I said.

  "No. I always thought it was a bad idea for you to drive him home. If he killed Ann, he needs to be kept here. He could flee to anywhere."

  "He didn't kill Ann!" I snapped. Then immediately apologized. "Sorry. That was just really embarrassing having a fight in front of everyone."

  "Not everyone," Pippa said with a raised eyebrow. "Morris and Jane weren't at breakfast, in case you hadn't noticed."

  I hadn't, but that's only because they never joined us for meals. "Do they know there's real food being served now?"

  Pippa nodded. "They’re still refusing to eat it."

  I made a face. I couldn't help but be insulted. "What do they think I'm going to do, poison them?"

  Pippa pulled me back to the subject at hand. "You've gotta do something, Rach. You can't let Robert leave."

  I stared at her and nodded. "You're right, Pips. I'll take care of it, don't worry." I glanced through the window in the door to the kitchen. "Right after breakfast is over."

  "Ranger Wilson!" I said with a bright smile and a tone that was way, way too cheery. I wondered it he would see right through it.

  He didn't. He closed the door of his jeep and smiled back at me. "Hi there, Miss...Robinson, wasn't it?"