One Dead Cookie

by Virginia Lowell

  When he saw the leash, Spunky trotted over to his mistress. He squirmed with excitement as she slipped his fluffy head and front legs through the harness. “Hey, don’t get your fur in a bunch,” Olivia said as she tried to secure the leash. “There, done. No thanks to you, you squirmy little…” Spunky gazed up at her with warm brown eyes full of innocence and adoration. “You are such a little con artist, and I fall for it every time.” She ruffled the long, silky hair nearly hiding his eyes.

  “Okay, let’s go.” As Olivia said those hopeful words, the kitchen phone rang. She hesitated, tempted to let it go. Most people called her cell first. Unless…Olivia picked up her cell phone, which she’d set on the counter to charge. Only it wasn’t plugged in. And the battery was dead. Again. Meanwhile, she had listened through her voice mail spiel on the kitchen phone.

  The message began with a deep and familiar sigh. “All right, Livie, I get the point,” Maddie said. “I didn’t know you hated ‘Chapel of Love’ so much. Would you please turn your cell back on? We’ve got a situation—”

  Olivia grabbed the telephone receiver. “What situation?”

  “Wait, you were monitoring my call?”

  “Come on, Maddie, I wasn’t really monitoring—”

  “And you turned off your cell to avoid me? All because you hate the Dixie Cups? You do realize ‘Chapel of Love’ hit the top of the charts in 1964. Or are you mad at me for some reason?”

  “Maddie, I’m not mad at you. I like ‘Chapel of Love,’ I own all the Dixie Cups CDs, my mother loved the Dixie Cups. What situation?”

  “Oh right, the situation,” Maddie said. “Well, it’s Jennifer. She disappeared again. Herbie’s aunt Len…I mean Lenora Dove, just stuck her head in the kitchen and asked where everybody was. I ran out to the sales floor, and Jennifer wasn’t there. Not anywhere. I checked the cookbook nook and the entryway and even the backyard. No Jennifer. And no note. You might want to get down here right away.”

  “Where was Bertha?”

  “She’s helping me in the kitchen. Jennifer insisted she could handle the floor alone.”

  “Could Bertha fill in on the floor for fifteen minutes? I promised Spunky a run in the park. He hasn’t been out today.” At the sound of his name, Spunky whined and tried to jump up Olivia’s leg.

  “Um, well…it’s kind of even more complicated. Lenora brought a couple friends along, and they’re famous or something, or one of them is famous. I never got hooked on soaps, so…”

  Olivia groaned. At Pete’s Diner that morning, her own mother had arranged for Allan to drive Lenora to the airport to pick up a couple of Hollywood friends. Lenora must have brought them to the store to show them off.

  “Anyway,” Maddie said, “a customer recognized Lenora’s friend, the famous one. She ran out into the park and started telling everyone that he—whose name I can’t remember, but I’ll admit he’s hunky. Although nothing compared to Lucas…What was I saying? Oh yeah, the customer was Polly Franz, and you know she can get out about a million words a minute. So The Gingerbread House is filling up really fast. I’m thinking of calling Del for crowd control.”

  Polly Franz ran the Chatterley Heights food shelf and was well known for her ability to talk nonstop without pausing for breath. “Don’t bother Del about this,” Olivia said. “I’ll be right down. I’m sure the excitement will wane eventually, and maybe we’ll get a few sales out of it.” After she hung up, Olivia removed Spunky’s leash. “I’m so sorry, Spunks. Our run will have to wait for a while. I’d take you downstairs with me, but apparently the entire town of Chatterley Heights is currently occupying the store. I know crowds make you nervous, plus there’s that little escape trick you like to pull. You’ll have to stay up here for now. I promise to come back once everything returns to normal, or what passes for normal in this town.”

  Spunky whimpered, whined, and begged. As Olivia returned his leash to its hook, the poor pup sank to the floor as if he’d given up on life.

  “Nice try.” Olivia bent over and rubbed his ears. “You must be exhausted after all that work. Take a nap.”

  Olivia plugged in her dead cell phone and headed toward the living room. Before leaving her apartment, she glanced out her front window, which looked down on the town square. She saw a thin but steady stream of Chatterley Heights citizens funneling in the general direction of The Gingerbread House.

  With a sudden sense of urgency, Olivia locked the front door behind her and hurried down the stairs. When she unlocked the door at the bottom of the staircase, she found three people in the foyer. She locked the staircase door and followed them into the store.

  Bertha was the first to spot her. “Oh, Livie, I’m so relieved you’re back. Maddie is usually good at handling swarms of people, but she’s upset about something. I’m not sure what.”

  “Maybe she’s upset about Jennifer disappearing again?” Olivia scanned the crowd, which was no worse than the biggest event they’d ever hosted. She noticed there were even a few men. The Gingerbread House rarely attracted men, though special store events sometimes brought in more. They might show up for the cookies and coffee, then slip out. Olivia didn’t see either enticement on hand. Nor did she see her friend and business partner.

  “Speaking of Maddie, where is she?” Olivia asked.

  “I think she’s in the kitchen.” Bertha was about the same height as Olivia, five foot seven, so both were able to see over many of the visitors’ heads. Maddie was not in sight, but Lenora Tucker and her two Hollywood friends stood together in the warm sunshine that radiated through the large window facing the park. Olivia was quite sure their location was not accidental. They couldn’t have chosen a better spot to see and be seen. Tiny Lenora Tucker (stage name: Lenora Dove) stood between two men, her arms interlinked with theirs. The men, one tall and the other a couple inches shorter, faced away from Lenora as if they wanted to escape but couldn’t break the iron grip of a ninety-pound woman who was well beyond fifty, though she would never admit her age.

  “How have sales been since these folks appeared?” Olivia asked.

  Bertha crossed her arms over her stomach, which had slowly shrunk since she and Mr. Willard had found each other. “Dreadful,” she said. “Worse than the Tuesday last winter when we had that awful blizzard.”

  “Nobody came to the store that day,” Olivia said. “As I remember, we sold one cookie cutter, and you were the customer who bought it. You wouldn’t even take your employee discount.”

  “I felt terrible when you sent me home early and insisted on paying me for a full day. And you call yourself a hardheaded businesswoman.” Bertha’s stern tone came from many years spent raising two boisterous and rather spoiled boys who were not her own.

  As several more gawkers crowded into the store, Olivia decided it was time to take action. “Let’s have a little talk with these Hollywood folks…assuming we can crawl close enough to make ourselves heard.”

  “Let me go first,” Bertha said. “I’m bigger.”

  With a firm smile and relentless pressure, Bertha cleared a path toward the three celebrities—if they counted Lenora, which Olivia supposed they ought to do—who were holding court by the window. Nearby, Olivia saw the flash of a camera. Sure enough, Binnie Sloan and her niece, Ned, were slithering through the throng, gathering twistable quotes and embarrassing photos for The Weekly Chatter and the evil blog it had spawned.

  Finally, Olivia got a good look at the taller of the two men standing with Lenora. If Olivia thought she was too mature to do a double take at the sight of an attractive man, she was wrong. She assumed he must be Trevor Lane, star of Midnights in Manhattan. Broad shouldered and lean, he was the type of man who looked great in…well, just about anything. He wore a tan cashmere sweater, sleeves pushed up to emphasize elegant hands and nicely shaped wrists. His forearms were firm without the bulge of excessive muscle, as if he exercised just enough and no more.

  Bertha pushed to the front of the crowd, and Olivia scurried to catch up wi
th her. Finally, Olivia was able to get a clear look at Trevor’s face. He had classic features, almost too perfect, with a strong jaw and cheekbones. His dark brown hair looked thick and natural. The overhead lighting revealed emerald green eyes, although Olivia suspected they owed their intensity, and perhaps their color, to contact lenses. She guessed Trevor’s age to be early thirties, given the length of his career. So far, the years had been kind to him, adding definition to his features. Trevor Lane was, Olivia admitted, the most gorgeous man she had ever encountered. Either he was very lucky, or he’d found a supremely skilled plastic surgeon.

  Olivia’s mother materialized at her side. “Hello, dear,” Ellie said. “I saw you working your way through the adoring crowd. Although you did stop and stare for such a long time, I wondered if you had suddenly frozen, like Snow White.”

  If Olivia possessed a skin tone inclined to blush, she would have. “Snow White ate a poisoned apple, Mom. She didn’t freeze.”

  “You were always so precise about details.” Ellie looked especially petite and graceful in a silky, pale pink skirt that wrapped around her slender hips and tied with a thin ribbon. A matching top with loose sleeves tied at her waist. Underneath she wore a black leotard and tights.

  Olivia glanced at her mother’s feet. “You aren’t wearing your tap shoes.”

  “How observant, dear. My enthusiasm for tap dance has not waned, if that’s worrying you. As it happens, I’d just finished my ballet lesson when word reached me about the population movement toward The Gingerbread House.”

  Word always seemed to reach Ellie, usually without any effort on her part. Olivia had given up trying to figure out how she did it.

  “Would you like to meet Trevor and Dougie?” Ellie asked. “I see Trevor is putting his pen away, so I assume he is signaling the end of his appearance. He and his friend intend to stay in town for a week or so. There will be plenty of time to satisfy everyone’s craving for a Trevor Lane autograph. I’m sure he would be willing to sign for you right now, though.”

  “I couldn’t care less about autographs,” Olivia said.

  “Of course not, dear. Only it would mean a great deal to Lenora. She is so thrilled that Trevor and Dougie have come to visit her. She misses the excitement of her former life. And, of course, she misses her husband. Lenora and Bernie Bouchenbein were truly a love match, no matter what anyone says.”

  The audience dispersed quickly as Lenora guided the two men toward the store kitchen. Olivia hadn’t seen Maddie in the adoring crowd. Bertha was no longer in front of her and hadn’t gone back behind the cash register, which wasn’t like her…though no customers were lined up to pay for purchases, so it didn’t matter. “Mom, have you seen Maddie or Bertha?”

  “Bertha headed toward the cookbook nook with a customer, and I believe Maddie stayed in the kitchen to work on cookies. I’m afraid she was rather miffed at Lenora for demanding refreshments. I do enjoy Lenora,” Ellie said, “but she can be exasperating at times.”

  “We should probably make sure no fights break out in the kitchen,” Olivia said. “Bertha will send an SOS if any actual customers show up.”

  “Lucas is in the kitchen.” Ellie paused at the sales counter to adjust her wraparound skirt. “His presence will keep Maddie calm. The faucet was dripping or something like that, so he dropped by to fix it.” She hooked her arm around Olivia’s elbow. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

  “I hate to admit this, but I barely noticed Trevor’s companion,” Olivia said.

  “I’m sure Dougie is used to that, dear.”

  As they entered the kitchen, Olivia could feel the tension in the air. One look at Maddie’s face told her the source. Lenora was busy appropriating decorated cookies, meant for the engagement party, and arranging them on a plate. She glanced up briefly and said, “Do brew us a fresh pot of coffee, Maddie. There’s a dear.”

  Maddie’s pale, freckled cheeks reddened. She crossed her arms and glared at Lenora’s back, but she said nothing. Nor did she pour the existing coffee, a nearly full pot, into the kitchen sink, where her fiancé, Lucas Ashford, wrench in hand, was listening to the rhythmic drip from the faucet. Olivia suspected her best friend since age ten of angling for a fight.

  Usually it was Ellie who smoothed the waters, but this time rescue came from Trevor’s friend, the man Olivia had barely noticed, who lifted the coffee pot, sniffed it, and said to Maddie, “This smells wonderful. Just let me know where you keep the cups, and I’ll pour.” When he smiled, Maddie relented. She opened a cabinet and the two of them took out seven cups.

  Very impressive, Olivia thought as she assembled cream and sugar. What was his name again?

  As if she’d read her daughter’s mind, Ellie said, “Thank you, Dougie…if I may call you Dougie?”

  “Please do. And you are Ellie, correct?” With a light laugh, Dougie added, “Actually, I’m surprised you remembered my name. Most people don’t. Trevor is the main attraction; I’m just along to fetch and carry.” His tone and demeanor betrayed no trace of resentment. Olivia couldn’t help but notice the impressive muscles in Dougie’s upper arms as he reached for the last cup. She wondered if he might be more bodyguard than friend.

  The subject of the interchange, Trevor Lane, had done little more than smile now and then since Olivia and her mother had arrived in the kitchen. At close range, the rather attractive crinkling around his eyes looked more pronounced. Olivia ratcheted up her estimate of Trevor’s age by a few years, though he was every bit as attractive as he’d appeared from a distance.

  “There,” Lenora said as she lifted a heaping plate of decorated cookies. “I have only a tiny appetite, but I know you two boys must be famished. It was quite a long flight from Los Angeles. I doubt you’ve had a bite of food since you left. I’m afraid this isn’t the most substantial offering, but at least it will keep you going until we can get a proper meal for you.” Lenora placed the cookies on the counter between Trevor and Dougie. As her hand disengaged from the plate, two cookies left with it. Maddie rolled her eyes, and Olivia had to clamp her teeth together to keep from snickering.

  Trevor drank his coffee black and ignored the cookies. In fact, with the exception of Lenora, no one showed interest in the cookie plate. As she sipped her coffee, Lenora filched a third cookie, a lovely wedding gown shape that Maddie had decorated to match the colors of the dress Aunt Sadie had designed and created for her.

  “Oh, do eat some cookies, Trevor,” Lenora said. “I know you avoid sugar, but really, you are too thin. And Dougie, you need to keep up those lovely muscles.”

  As Lenora nibbled along the hem of the lavender-and-yellow wedding-dress cookie, Maddie’s eyes metamorphosed to crystalline orbs, much like the emeralds in her engagement ring. Meanwhile, Lucas tested the faucet and watched for drips, unaware of his true love’s burgeoning rage. Olivia searched desperately for a topic that might break the tension.

  Once again, Trevor’s friend intervened. “Everyone knows Trevor Lane,” he said, “but I should introduce myself. I’m Dougie Adair, general sidekick.” Dougie had a warm smile, which he bestowed on Maddie. “Your cookies are stunning,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like them in New York City or in Los Angeles, and I’ve lived in both cities. I understand you are getting married on Saturday? And you are creating these cookies yourself for the occasion?”

  Maddie unclenched her teeth enough to say, “It’s an engagement party. Everyone is invited.” Lenora sidled up to the cookie plate and reached out her hand.

  “That’s a lot of cookies,” Dougie said, “in very little time, and you’ll need every one. However, I’m always available to devour leftovers, if by some miracle you have a few left after the party.”

  Lenora withdrew her hand and pretended to examine her nails.

  Olivia was impressed. Dougie had masterfully halted the raid on the cookie supply, and he’d accomplished it without directly offending Lenora.

  Maddie softened to her usual friendly self. “How long a
re you two staying in town? If you’re still here on Saturday, you’ll be honorary Chatterley Heights residents and hereby invited to our engagement party. Right, honey?” Maddie winked at her beloved.

  Lucas was hovering near the sink as if he didn’t trust his repair work. When all eyes turned to him, he flushed. “Um, sure.”

  “This is my fiancé, Lucas Ashford,” Maddie said. “He can’t cook, but he can fix anything.”

  “Lucas Ashford,” Trevor said. “I know that name, don’t I?” He glanced over at Dougie for confirmation.

  “Sure, we remember Lucas,” Dougie said. He reached his hand out toward Lucas, who hesitated before shaking it. “You played football in high school.”

  “Of course,” Trevor said. “I remember now. What was the name of the Chatterley Heights team again? The Chatterley Cheaters?”

  “It was the Chatterley Cheetahs, Trevor.” The reproof in Dougie’s voice was subtle but clear. “As I remember, Lucas, you also played basketball. You were really good. Trevor and I weren’t so versatile. We just stuck with football.”

  “And now you’re a plumber,” Trevor said.

  “Lucas is a businessman.” Maddie radiated righteous indignation. “He owns the Heights Hardware.”

  Trevor bestowed a dazzling smile upon Maddie. “You mustn’t take me too seriously. We had a long and tiring flight, and much as I love my fans, they can be exhausting. Dougie is forever warning me to keep my mouth shut when I’m tired, and he’s right.” With a slight bow, Trevor added, “Many, many congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. I wish you far better luck at marriage than I ever had.” Trevor tilted his head toward Dougie. “Or should I have left out that last part?”

  Dougie laughed. “Yes, but nice try.”

  Olivia felt relieved that the mood had lightened, but the interchange had piqued her curiosity about Dougie. The conversation was winding down. Lucas packed up his tools, and Maddie said she’d walk him back to the hardware store. Trevor tried to convince Lenora to take them to the Tucker home, where they would be staying. Lenora insisted that if Trevor ate a cookie, he wouldn’t feel so tired, while Ellie suggested that fatigue responded better to rest than to sugar. Olivia cornered Dougie by the coffeepot. “I’m curious about something,” she said. “If my question is rude, just tell me.”