Angel in Disguise

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  He chuckled. “Do you always worry about things so far in advance?” Her brow wrinkled. He fought the urge to rub his finger over it to ease her worries.

  “When it comes to my business, I guess I do.” She brightened up. “We’ll worry about that when the time comes. If necessary we’ll hire an assistant.”

  His hands stilled. “What about you? If your business increases that much how do you handle it alone?”

  “I hire one of the college kids home on break. They’re eager to earn some spending money, and I’m glad for the help.”

  He finished putting cookies on a baking sheet, shoved them in the oven, and set the timer.

  When he turned around, Julie was gone. He scanned the area until he found her at the wall, examining each caricature.

  He wondered if he’d drawn the thief. Wouldn’t that be something?

  Whoever he was, he had to be a local. The sheriff had the reputation of getting the job done, but at the moment she was stumped. She’d find him. Eventually.

  He went about his work, wondering which recipe he’d give to Mia to make today. The child really did have a gift for baking. He didn’t want to have her burn out at a young age. Maybe they’d do something different today.

  But they didn’t. When Mia ran into the shop she was more than ready to get to work. After she’d counted her change from the cup, she put it carefully into her piggy bank. “Let’s make chocolate-chip cookies today,” she said as she wrapped a tiny apron around her waist and turned around for Gabe to tie it.

  “I like the aprons your grandma made.”

  “Me, too.” Mia grinned. “She’s going to make me three more.”

  Julie had been right. He’d created a cookie monster. “Are you sure you want to make cookies today? We could do something else.”

  Mia shook her head. “The customers expect my cookies. Besides, my piggy-bank isn’t full.”

  “Then we’d better get to work.”

  The cookies were on a covered tray for tomorrow’s customers when the sheriff walked in.

  After greeting Julie and hugging Mia, the sheriff came into the kitchen and closed the door. That door was never closed.

  I should have left sooner. Not just for the day, but left Lobster Cove. He had become too comfortable, too complacent.

  Now he was caught.

  “Hi,” she said as she pulled a bar stool up to the work space and sat down. “Got a minute?”

  “I was about to call it a day.”

  “This won’t take long.”

  Gabe had expected this conversation sooner, but couldn’t help but wonder why now.

  “Have you found your small-time thief?”

  “Why do you say small-time?”

  Gabe shrugged. He couldn’t tell her the truth. And he wouldn’t lie. “Whoever is doing the stealing seems to be concentrating on small items that are easy to hock. Small-time.”

  “I see.”

  His patience had run out. Gabe wanted this conversation over, then to get on the Harley, if Jeff would sell it, and head out of here. It wouldn’t do him any good to have the sheriff breathing down his neck, sticking her head in every day, sometimes twice a day just to check on him.

  He looked out the window. Mia was watching them. Julie was pretending to be busy with the clean up. How could he leave the two of them?

  Julie would be in such a lurch she’d have to close the shop tomorrow. Either that or come in earlier than she liked.

  He turned back to the sheriff. He’d learned his lesson. Don’t get involved with the locals. He’d known from the first day how risky staying here would be. But the quaint little shop and its pretty owner had lulled him into thinking this would be a safe place to stay for a while. He’d been wrong.

  When he looked back at the sheriff, she was watching him closely. “Out with it, sheriff. What do you want to ask me?”

  “Jeff Knox, your landlord, was robbed today.”

  What the hell? Gabe went on full attention mode. “Are you serious?”

  “Afraid so.”

  “When? What did they take?”

  “Jeff said he went to work around seven. He forgot some papers and came back a couple of hours ago to pick them up, saw his side garage door wide open, and found all his tools missing.”

  Gabe almost laughed. If he hadn’t cleaned the damned garage, the thief would never have found the tools. “So why are you here?”

  The sheriff looked him in the eye. “We found a third of the tools in the closet in your apartment.”

  “You went in my apartment without permission? Where I come from, that’s illegal.” His stay in Lobster Cove just got shorter. Dammit! Who would point the finger at him?

  “It would be if you were the owner. Jeff gave his permission.”

  “Jeff thinks I did this?” That hurt. Gabe thought they were becoming friends.

  “Actually, he protested. He said you had access to the tools anytime you wanted, and there was no way you’d help yourself.”

  Good old Jeff. He believed in Gabe. But the sheriff didn’t. “I didn’t take them. But you knew I’d say that, didn’t you?”

  “Afraid so.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s next, sheriff? Are you here to arrest me?”

  “No.” She started to get up. “But Jeff’s tools were found in your closet, you’re the only stranger in town, and your identity doesn’t check out. I would like you to take a lie-detector test in the morning. Maybe then, I’ll believe you.”

  “I see.”

  “I don’t think you do. Right now, you’re my only viable suspect.”

  She started out the door. “I’ll expect you in the office around eight in the morning.”

  “Otherwise, I spend the night behind bars, right?”

  “Something like that.”

  He looked out the window. Both Julie and Mia were watching carefully. “Do they know?”

  “Not yet. Julie thinks highly of you. I thought it best if you do the honors.”

  He nodded.

  The sheriff walked out.

  Gabe stood there watching as she told her friends goodbye.

  How could he do the same? He cared for them too much to hurt them. His leaving would do just that.

  Mia was too young to understand.

  Julie would understand and be crushed.

  He’d never thought a heart could hurt with regret. It felt like a piece of his had been carved out of his chest.

  When the sheriff left, he headed for the back door.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me what Lynn wanted?”

  “Jeff was robbed sometime today. She wanted to know if I had seen anything.”

  “Jeff was robbed? What did they take?”

  “Tools.”

  “I’m getting worried. There’s been too many of these robberies lately. I can’t help but wonder if I’m on the thief’s hit list.”

  “You’re probably not the only one thinking the same thing.” He started for the back door.

  “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

  He waved and left.

  It was best this way. He’d leave a note with Jeff.

  She’d been looking for a pastry chef when he walked in. She’d find someone to take his place. But the sign was still in the window and as far as he knew, not a single applicant had appeared.

  The thought made his eyes water.

  Damn.

  He gunned the motor of the Harley and headed to his apartment.

  A few hundred yards behind him a patrol car pulled out and followed him.

  The sheriff didn’t trust him. Smart.

  It was a good thing she didn’t really know him, or she’d know it would take a helluva lot more than one patrol car to keep him here.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gabe put three hundred dollars in an envelope with a note for Jeff, and another envelope with a note for Julie before setting his alarm for midnight. There should be no problem getting out of town then. He’d
talked to Jeff earlier. He had apologized profusely, told Gabe the sheriff was after the wrong person.

  Gabe had kept the conversation short on the excuse that he had to get up early the next morning, that he had several specialty cakes on order as well as the usual items.

  He wasn’t lying. It was all true. All except the fact he wouldn’t be there to fill the orders. He felt like dirt leaving Julie without so much as a goodbye. She’d be in a lurch tomorrow. Would she be able to get the case filled before customers came in? He didn’t think so.

  Sleep was impossible. What would she do? Would she close the shop if she couldn’t find another pastry chef?

  He shouldn’t have stayed in the first place. Now he was worried about Julie, the shop, and Mia. What would she think? She was a baby. She’d never understand. Neither would Julie.

  The sheriff would. And she’d paint him guilty. He might just as well hang a damned sign around his neck.

  When the alarm went off, Gabe was glad to get up. He dressed in the dark, put the last few essentials into his backpack, and shut the door behind him. There was no moon, the night dark except for a distant streetlight. He walked over to Jeff’s back door and wedged the envelopes where he’d be sure to see them when he stepped outside.

  With a heavy heart, Gabe walked his Harley out the side door. He didn’t have the papers but was betting Jeff wouldn’t turn him in. The patrol car still sat across the street. How had this happened? You know. You’re the stranger in town. Naturally you’d be the first suspect when anything goes wrong. And if Sheriff Mackenzie ever found out where he’d spent the last year of his life, she’d personally run him out of town.

  Dammit, he didn’t want to leave. Lobster Cove was beginning to feel like home—a place where he could spend the rest of his life in peace. The realization that it wouldn’t happen here or anywhere else, for that matter, didn’t make leaving any easier.

  He hoped the deputy assigned to the task was fast asleep as he quietly rolled the bike down the street. Damn thing was heavy. Every muscle screamed for relief before he made it a block. He was panting after two blocks. It would have to do. Hitting the gas, he gunned the motor, and took off. As far as he could tell, no one had seen him.

  He passed the You Are Leaving Lobster Cove sign with regret. He’d never see Julie again. Never see her smile. Never see her eyes light up when she sampled his pastries. Never see her look of astonishment and pleasure when the case turned up empty at the end of the day.

  And he’d never see Mia. What a pleasure it would have been to see her grow up. Help her learn the art—teach her the difference between a good pastry chef and one who excelled, the way his mom and dad had.

  With Julie he’d felt happy. For the first time since he’d laid his parents to rest he’d found a sense of tranquility. He’d wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to live in Lobster Cove on a permanent basis—to live in such a peaceful place day in and day out. How would it feel to never have to wonder if a hit man was on his trail?

  He took a ragged breath. He’d never know.

  It was dark out. Clouds obscured the moon and stars, making the night seem even darker, and found himself alone on the highway. The wind whipped right through the double pair of jeans he’d put on and his heavy jacket.. He shivered He’d head for California. It was warmer there.

  He’d like to know who put those damn tools in his closet. Someone wanted him to look guilty. Probably wanted to make him run. Just like he was doing. He slowed the bike. The sheriff was damned smart. But she was wrong about him. As a cop, she knew who looked suspicious—who rang the wrong bells. Gabe was guilty on all scores—of looking suspicious, but nothing else. Still someone had fingered him.

  To make her look closer?

  Damn, they had no idea what kind of Pandora’s Box that would open. Gabe couldn’t let that happen. Not to Julie, or to Mia. Their lives might depend on his remaining anonymous.

  No matter where his mind wandered, it always came back to Julie, and how his actions would affect her. Despite her worries over her mom and her business, she was a lucky woman. She had a loving family, a thriving business, and the respect of the community.

  Gabe had nothing. Not even his real name.

  He was doing the right thing. The robberies had been minor, which meant the sheriff would not likely put out a bulletin for his arrest. He couldn’t count on it, but he suspected that would be the case. Unless Jeff turned him in for stealing the bike, he should be free to go wherever the mood took him.

  The Harley ate up the miles. Instead of making Gabe feel better, however, he felt worse.

  He couldn’t help but remember how Julie’s hair kept coming loose and looked so cute around her face—how he loved her smile, the way she genuinely enjoyed her customers. How good her hand felt in his, that morning on the beach.

  Julie Whitney was a rare individual.

  And he was leaving her behind.

  He wasn’t running scared. He wasn’t being a coward. The word wasn’t in his vocabulary. He had a legitimate reason to stay on the move, one that included those closest to him. If he didn’t, someone in the Valine mob could find him.

  He realized that no matter where he ended up, as long as he was living off the grid, he could be looked at as riff-raff.

  There had to be a way he could stay put and have a life.

  Lobster Cove was a good distance behind when he finally accepted the truth. He cared for Julie a lot. Was he, for the first time in his life, falling in love?

  Being in love, settling down with a family hadn’t been in his life-plan. Or had it been drummed out of him over the years? Whatever, the thought stunned him when he realized that was exactly what he wanted with Julie and with Mia.

  Then why are you on your Harley in the middle of the night and getting farther and farther away from the woman who means so much to you?

  He slowed his Harley, pulled to the side of the road. His mind went to the customers who came in on a daily basis. Could one of them be the thief? Did someone specifically want him to be blamed? Had he made an enemy in town and didn’t know it? So far he’d done nothing more than say a few words to the customers.

  At least the thief hadn’t taken his money. He’d checked the cash he’d hidden under a loose board in his closet before he put it in his money belt. Every penny was accounted for. So who could it be?

  And how could he leave Lobster Cove behind without making sure Julie was safe?

  God almighty, what was wrong with him?

  Making a one-eighty, he guided his Harley back to Lobster Cove.

  If he had to he’d find the damned thief himself. At least then the sheriff would get off his back.

  By the time he’d washed up and put on his apron, he was right on time, with nobody in town the wiser. For all they knew, he’d just gone out on an early morning ride.

  What would he bake today?

  Pulling out his mixer, his baking pans, and the ingredients he’d need, he turned his mind to possible suspects.

  Determined to have a life, he worked faster and harder than ever. The oven couldn’t keep up. He’d have to talk with Julie about adding another. But first he’d find the thief, then he’d take care of the mob.

  ****

  The phone rang a little after midnight. Jeff. Why would he call in the middle of the night? “Gabe took the Harley and left, Julie. I thought you should know.”

  Julie’s heart stopped. Gabe wouldn’t do that. Not to her or to Mia.

  “Are you sure?” her voice cracked.

  “I couldn’t sleep. There was a patrol car watching the house when I knew Gabe was innocent. I felt guilty and it bothered me. I was looking out the window when I saw him walk to my back door and leave a note and cash for the Harley and an envelope for you. Then he tied his backpack down and walked the bike down the street. I watched to see if the deputy saw him, but he must have been asleep.”

  “Read the note he left for me.”

  “Are you sure? It
could be personal.”

  “Read it.” Her heart was breaking even before she heard the paper rattle.

  “It’s one word, Julie. Sorry!”

  “That’s it?”

  “I’ll bring it to you on my way to work.”

  “Don’t bother. Did you call 911? He stole your bike.”

  Jeff chuckled. “He paid for it, Julie. More than I could get if he hadn’t fixed it. If I were Gabe, I’d do the same damned thing. Get the hell out of Dodge.”

  “You still think he’s innocent?”

  “Of course I do. Don’t you?”

  She did. But why had he run if he was an innocent man? It didn’t make sense. It was obvious he had something to hide. Robbing houses wasn’t it, especially if he’d left cash for the bike. So what could be serious enough to leave them? She knew he liked it here. She’d seen it on his face when she took him on a tour of the town. She saw it daily when his face lit up with accomplishment as he brought out another luscious confection.

  When she hung up from talking to Jeff, she had a good cry. She was falling for the guy and he’d taken off. Left her. What did that tell her?

  He didn’t care.

  But he cared for Mia.

  What would she tell her daughter? Julie groaned, turned over and tried to sleep. But sleep wouldn’t come. Mia would never understand.

  Julie didn’t understand.

  Why didn’t he face his accuser and tamp down the accusation?

  She sat up in bed.

  How much trouble was Gabe Vaughn in?

  Whatever it was, it was too big to allow him to stay in Lobster Cove.

  What could she do? What would she do?

  She put her hands to her head. There was no way she could keep the shop open without a pastry chef. Deep in her heart, she knew there would never be anyone as good as Gabe.

  She was going to be sick.

  She barely made it to the toilet before she threw up.

  The shop would just have to stay closed today.

  As the clock ticked around to three o’clock, she got dressed and went to her car. The least she could do was put together her muffins, a couple of cookie recipes, and one or two cupcake ones.

  Only by now the customers were spoiled by Gabe’s rich, sweet, delicious pastries.