Pastries and Pilfering

by Danielle Collins

  Then she strolled along the street, happy to see others walking around at a similar pace. When she got to the front of the building, she saw that it was a restaurant with a patio space out back. Rather than go in, she circled around to the back through a narrow alleyway just past the building. From there, she peeked out and could just see Brice and his assistants sitting down at a large table near a rock fountain.

  The man seated at the table with them wore a blazer of a light blue, his pinstriped shirt opened much too low in the front to reveal gold chains mingling with his dark chest hair. His black-rimmed glasses gave him a distinguished, expensive look.

  Who was this man? Why was Brice meeting with him? It obviously was important enough that he blew her off or couldn’t take her with him. But more than that, she wanted to know what they were saying.

  That was when she saw her opportunity. A mariachi band was making the rounds singing at each table and they had just finished up a song. They were coming toward the table that Brice was at and everyone’s attention as on the band.

  She took a breath and prayed for invisibility even as she jetted out toward the waterfall.

  “Hey!” a voice cried out.

  Chapter 7

  “Play somewhere else!” the voice said.

  Margot stood with her back plastered to the large rock waterfall structure that sat at the corner of the patio. There were tall palm trees jutting up into the sky, which provided natural shade but the water also acted as a cooling agent under the hot Ensenada sun.

  She held her hand over her abdomen, her heart still pounding. She’d assumed they’d seen her make a dash for the relative cover of the waterfall, but apparently she had gone unnoticed while Gold Chain told off the mariachi band.

  “I’m glad you could meet on such short notice,” the man said.

  Margot tried to move closer but was afraid of being seen, despite the lush foliage covering the rocks. The rushing water created a barrier to the sound and it was difficult to hear everything being said.

  “I didn’t feel like I had a choice.” Brice’s tone was clipped.

  “Life is full of choices,” the man said. His words were followed by a raspy laugh.

  “Choices to cheat me?” Brice said.

  “Cheat? What? What is this cheat?” Gold Chain sounded incredulous.

  “I’ve given you what you asked for and you’ve consistently under-delivered.”

  “You don’t know what you speak of, I—”

  One of the women with Brice interrupted Gold Chain’s tirade and said something but her tone was so soft that Margot missed it.

  “Well, that is a lie. All of it is a lie. I had no hand in it. You come down here on your fancy cruise or shooting a movie and you think we are all barbarians. That’s not how I do business.” Gold Chain sounded angry now.

  “We shall see,” Brice said, sounding unconvinced.

  Margot frowned. What was going on? What was Brice involved in and what had the man under-delivered on?

  The woman was speaking again and Margot kicked herself. She knew if she moved any closer she would give away her position.

  “Down to business—if you still wish to partner with me,” Gold Chain finally said. His tone held anger but Brice didn’t interrupt again. “I’m sending Andres here to run a very important errand, one you know that is very crucial to our…business. And we’re going to have a Mexican feast. No more talk of cheating or murder.”

  So one of the women had mentioned the death on the ship—the murder. This filled Margot with curiosity, but she also honed in on the man’s words. Who was Andres? If he was the one doing their bidding, then she needed to follow him. Especially if they were just going to sit and eat all afternoon.

  Sending someone to do their bidding would make complete sense. Brice, though American, was still a well-known actor. If he’d shot a movie in Mexico as well, then more than just tourists could recognize him. There was no way he could be tied to…

  Her thoughts came to a skittering halt. What? What was all of this?

  “Andres, llevar esto a Ramone, por favor.”

  Risking a peek, Margot snatched a glance of Andres. He was tall, lanky, and dressed in a faded brown t-shirt with dirty khaki pants. He almost didn’t look like he belonged in the restaurant, but she watched as he took the proffered envelope from Gold Chain and shoved it into his waistband at the front of his pants. No risk of pickpocketing that way.

  She ducked back down behind the rocks when he turned to leave and contemplated her exit. There was no more mariachi band for her to count on for distraction. She glanced around and her gaze alighted on a large, black cord. Smiling to herself, she waited only a moment before yanking the cord.

  Suddenly, the large fountain dripped to a stop. As expected, Gold Chain made a fuss at the fact that the cooling water had stopped and, seeing her opportunity, Margot slipped past the table that was focused on a harried waiter coming to the loud, jarring calls of the demanding man.

  Smiling to herself, she slipped back down the alley and out toward the front of the restaurant just in time to see Andres at the end of the block. Thanking God that she’d worn comfortable sandals, she picked up her pace and reached the end of the block just in time to see Andres turn down a narrow alleyway. She was careful to keep her distance, and thankful that there were enough pedestrians to hide behind when Andres did a cursory glance behind him.

  He stepped from the alley into the street and, after a few moments, she did the same. They had passed what she assumed was the main thoroughfare and were now on another side street. The dilapidated condition of the buildings made her stomach clench in unease but she kept on.

  Then, as the foot traffic began to dissipate, Margot began to worry that he would notice her. How could he not? She was a white, obviously American woman and stuck out like a store thumb. She hid behind a stack of old crates as he rounded another corner then came out just as two young men stepped into her path.

  “Hola, chica,” one said with a sly smile.

  She came to a halt and clasped the straps of her purse. She should have known better. The minute he left the more heavily populated areas, she should have gone back. But it was too late for ‘should haves’ and time for her to figure out her next move.

  “Excuse me,” she said and tried to walk around them.

  “Hold on. Not so fast.” The other one spoke and put a hand on her arm.

  She immediately stepped back and sized them up. She had reached the Black Belt Level in Krav Maga and was confident of her ability, but she really didn’t want to fight these men.

  “Let me pass,” she said, looking both of the men in the eyes.

  “No.” He reached out and went to grab for her, but she maneuvered past his grip with lightning speed.

  The other man laughed at his buddy’s inability to get a hold of Margot but she was already prepared for his attempt when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

  “There you are, honey,” the voice said. Her stomach lurched and her attention jerked to the side to see who had come up behind her. Her shock nearly made her gasp.

  Gabe.

  She swallowed, blinking up at him. “These fellows weren’t bothering you, were they?” He looked between the young men who started to back up when he appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

  “Nah, mister,” one said, then they both turned and ran off.

  “Honey?” she said, looking up at him, a million questions vying for her attention.

  “I figured it was better than any other line I could come up with. Fancy meeting you here…Margot.”

  “Same to you, Gabe Williams.”

  “You’ve got a good memory.”

  “You’ve got good timing.”

  He gave her a cocky half-smile and shrugged. “What say we got back to the nicer parts of Ensenada?”

  She agreed and let him lead the way. He seemed to know exactly where he was going and, when they reached the busy streets, he stopped near a vendor that sold fruit ju
ice. Passing the woman a few pesos, he handed Margot a cold drink.

  “Here, this’ll help take the edge off.”

  She resented the fact that he thought he knew her, but she accepted the drink anyway and took a long sip. It was good.

  “Are you on the cruise?” she asked, her eyes never leaving his face.

  “I am.”

  “Do you know Kristen Chambers?”

  He hesitated a moment too long, his weight shifting from one foot to the other, before he said, “That name doesn’t ring a bell.”

  He was lying, but she had no way to prove that. Though she did think she caught a hint of something that passed behind his eyes. It was there and gone so fast she couldn’t be sure, but it looked like sadness.

  “Well, I trust you’ll be all right to get back to the ship.”

  “I never asked you how you found me?”

  He grinned. “Just lucky, I guess.”

  A loud noise drew her attention down the street and when she turned back, he was gone.

  Rather than chance another unpleasant encounter with young men looking to scare foolish tourists who’d lost their way, Margot took another taxi back to the ship. She was cutting it close as it was and rushed to her room to change into her baking attire. Then she made her way to the kitchen.

  When she arrived, she recognized Michael Bowers there, directing two burly Mexican men hauling in crates.

  “Oh, Mrs. Durand,” Michael said, his smile looking tight. “I didn't know you’d be here. I hope we’re not disturbing you.”

  “No, I just came to get a head start on the desserts for the gala tonight.”

  “Ah yes,” he said, looking down at his clipboard. “And Miss Petit?”

  “I’m not sure where she is. She’ll probably be along soon.”

  “Good.” His curt reply matched his tight nod. “Just a delivery of flour. The workers will be gone any minute now.”

  Soon, the men had left and Michael gave her a slight bow before leaving as well.

  Faced with a quiet kitchen, Margot let her mind wander. She needed the calming effect baking would have on her and was happy to get started without Addie, but her mind wouldn’t let go of the strange events of the day. Where had Andres gone? Were the young men associated with him or were they just opportunistic? Where had Gabe come from? Had he been following Andres as well?

  So many questions and yet nowhere near enough answers.

  Rather than muddle through it all, she opened one door of the gigantic refrigerator and pulled out butter. Butter was always the perfect start to any recipe.

  And then she set to work.

  When Addie came in an hour later, she took in the work Margot had already done with surprise. “You’ve been busy.”

  Margot looked up and smiled. “Thought I’d make up for leaving you earlier today.”

  “Leaving me?” Addie tugged an apron on then turned to wash up at the sink. “What do you mean?”

  “We were supposed to go into Ensenada today.”

  “Oh my gosh.” Addie turned around, hands still dripping. “We were, weren’t we?”

  Margot was shocked. They had only made plans that morning and the girl had already forgotten? What was going on? She had never been so forgetful in school, Margot knew that for a fact. She appeared flustered and after the argument Margot had overheard, she wondered if there wasn’t something seriously wrong going on.

  “Addie,” Margot said, resting her hands on the cool metal top of the counter. “What’s going on?”

  “Wh-what?” she said, toweling off her hands and turning to the list Margot had made on the white board next to the bank of ovens.

  “I’ve known you for years now and, though we haven’t seen each other much of late, I know you’re not some flighty school girl who forgets things like trips into town with her friend. Something’s got you preoccupied and I wish you’d just open up to me about it.”

  “You’re right,” she said, her tone clipped. “I'm not some school girl and if there is anything wrong, it’s my business, not yours. You’ve always been nosy, Margot, but seriously—cut it out.”

  Margot blinked, taken aback by the girl’s cruel words. Then, an instant later, Addie’s eyes welled with tears.

  “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean that.” She let out a long breath and propped her hand on her hip, shaking her head. “I’m…I’m just under a lot of stress right now. And yes, there are some things that I really can’t share with you right now. Not with anyone really…” She looked over her shoulder as if someone would come in the door at that exact moment. “But I’ll tell you when I can, okay?”

  Margot felt her sympathies return and nodded with a small smile. “Addie, I wouldn’t force you to tell me anything you didn’t want to. I just want you to know that I’m here for you no matter what. If you need a listening ear, okay. If not, that’s just fine.”

  Addie held her gaze as if assessing if Margot really meant what she said. Then, finally seeing what she needed to, she nodded. “All right.”

  “What do you say we make some amazing French pastries?”

  Addie gave her a small smile, agreed with a nod, and they went to work. Halfway through their list of baked goods, Noah showed up. His face was red and splotchy as if he’d gotten a sunburned from being outside for too long, and he looked tired.

  “Sorry,” he said, slipping on his own apron. “I overslept on the beach.”

  Margot narrowed her eyes and noticed the line at the back of his neck. There was white skin next to beet red skin as if he’d gotten sunburned from above. That didn’t usually happen on the beach since most men didn’t wear shirts when they were lying out. Then again, maybe Noah did. Still, to be late to one of the most important baking times seemed extremely irresponsible.

  He stepped to the whiteboard. “Want me to update?”

  Addie gave a curt nod, no doubt unhappy at his tardiness, and went back to the dough she was working with. Margot watched as Noah took inventory of what they’d already gotten done and what was left to finish up. He put lines through the pastries they’d finished, wiped out a few pastries, and reorganized based on baking times. His writing was extremely neat and Margot smiled to herself thinking of Dexter and his chicken scratch.

  When they were finally finished, Margot was shocked to see that they only had an hour until the gala was set to begin.

  “You’ll have enough time to get ready, right?” Addie asked, looking worried.

  “Yes, of course.” Margot took off her apron and tossed it on top of Addie’s and Noah’s in the bin near the back door. “I’ll see you there?”

  “Definitely. And Margot—” Addie stepped toward her. “I’m really sorry. About earlier. I…I was way out of line. You have always been a good friend to me and this— Well, it’s killing me, but I really can’t talk about it. Yet.”

  Margot wrapped her arms around her friend and squeezed lightly. “It’ll be fine. And apology accepted. Now go get ready and I’ll see you at the pastry table.”

  “Deal.”

  Margot watched Addie disappear into the back hall and turned toward the hall that would lead to her quarters. There was definitely something that Addie was hiding. Until this point, she hadn’t considered it had anything to do with Kristen Chambers’s death, but was she wrong to rule out her friend because she knew her?

  Of course Margot didn’t think Addie capable of murder, but that shouldn’t negate the fact that her friend was definitely hiding something.

  The only question was: what was she not telling Margot?

  Chapter 8

  Margot hastily swiped sparkling eye shadow across her eyelids, biting her lip in the process and worried that she wouldn’t be ready in time. The baking had taken longer than she expected, but she wasn’t usually the type of woman to spend an exorbitant amount of time on her appearance. Instead, she did what she could to make her eyes pop with thicker eyeliner and an extra coat of mascara, and then she slipped into the sapphire blue dress she’
d purchased just for this cruise. A woman had to treat herself every once in a while, didn’t she?

  After stepping into a pair of three inch, navy blue heels, she looked at herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door. The dress hugged her curves and flowed out at the bottom in a mermaid style, and the sweetheart neckline sparkled with tiny, silver speckles that glittered in the overhead lights from the cabin. She felt elegant and allowed a small, ruby-lipped smile before turning to her iPad to check her emails before she left for the gala.

  The smile appeared again when she saw that Adam had emailed her back. She immediately clicked on it and read his short reply. He told her not to worry and then wished her an exceptionally fun night, making sure to tell her that he hoped it would be full of surprises. Then, before the sign-off, he said he hoped she was wearing his favorite dress. She laughed out loud at this and shook her head, envisioning the dress he was talking about.

  After they had attended the rainy Washington D.C. street festival, Adam had come to her pleading for her to join him at a fancy dinner to be held in D.C. He’d explained that his brother Anthony, a detective in D.C., had invited him and he needed to bring a plus one. He’d begged her, fighting off her halfhearted excuses with his charming smile, and she’d caved.

  It was that night that she’d worn her fancy red dress, the one that had left Adam speechless for a full minute when he’d first seen her, and the same dress that had caused him to be distracted more than once during the party. She remembered his sweet smile even now.

  Well, he wouldn’t know it, but she had a feeling he’d like this blue dress just as much as the red.

  She closed the case of the iPad and looked once more in the mirror before stepping toward the door. But then she hesitated. She wished Adam was there. He wouldn’t stop until Kristen’s death was properly investigated. He would have gone with her to trail the man. He would have— No, what was she thinking? He would have given her a stern talking-to if he even knew she’d gone out of the tourist safe zones in the city.