The Blackmail Flour Trail: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (Slice of Paradise Cozy Mysteries Book 3)

by Nancy McGovern

Nathan looked at Faith with a smile. “You like it?”

  “I love it,” she said, unhooking her arm and giving him a kiss.

  He grinned, then started jumping on rocks, making a path over the water, until he was standing right by the waterfall pool. “That sound,” he said, pointing at the waterfall. “That sound.”

  Faith loved it, too. It was a small waterfall, so wasn’t quite the crashing sound she’d heard at other falls. It was gentler than that. Stronger than the whisper of a brook, but still peaceful and serene.

  “Now I know why you told us to bring food and stuff,” Laura said, setting down the smaller cooler they’d brought. Yale had carried the larger one. “I don’t ever want to leave.”

  Yale wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind and swayed her side to side. “Ah, could you imagine living here. A small wooden house by the ravine. Wow. Wouldn’t that be something? No mortgage either.”

  Faith grinned. “Nathan, you up for it?”

  “You’re joking,” Nathan said. “I’d do it. Being around nature? That’s all I want, really. That’s how I found this place anyways. I was looking for some wild tropical plants, so I could get some cuttings for Paradise Point. I think it’s about the only waterfall and forest around here that isn’t some tourist attraction pruned and perfected within an inch of its life. It’s amazing, huh?”

  “It really is,” Faith said, turning around and looking in wonder. On the other side of the ravine, the forest started to slope upward, amplifying the effect of being in a secret hiding place.

  “Argh, why did I go into phys ed?” Yale groaned. “I should have been a banker or something. I’d buy this right now if I could. You know someone will buy and develop soon, and then all the nature’s lost.”

  Nathan’s eyes brightened. “We could go four ways. Maybe we could afford it then.”

  Laura laughed and reached into her pocket. “Okay, I’ll contribute 10 cents and an old fluffy Skittle. Seriously, Nathan, we can’t even get this place four ways.”

  Nathan was still clambering over rocks, running his hands along tree branches. “I really really want to live here.”

  Faith watched him. He seemed so much in his element there. His dark eyes were alive with feeling, his body lithe and full of energy. His stature was straighter than usual, his voice clearer. She herself felt better too, but the change in him was immense. In that moment, she felt like she really would love to live a life like that. A little house by the water, living the simple life… Then with a jolt, she realized she was turning into her mother! Though, in truth, Diana was not such a bad person to emulate at all. As long as Nathan didn’t turn into her father.

  Soon they were all changed into their bathing suits and slipping into the water by the waterfall. It was shallow, coming up to Faith’s waist, and a cool relief from the sweltering Florida heat.

  “Aah,” Faith said, feeling more relaxed than she’d been in a long time. Perhaps ever. She’d even turned her cell off so she could bask in their new hideaway without her normal life intruding. Reality seemed hyper bright in that moment, and she knew the memory would remain etched in her mind forever. She ducked under the water, submerging herself in the cool waterfall pool, and letting her hair swish this way and that as she moved. After a couple of seconds she resurfaced and found an underwater rock she could sit on while she drank from one of the bottles of water they’d brought in the cooler. “This is… Just… Wow. I needed this.”

  “Me too,” Laura said. She was sipping on a bottle of Diet Coke which looked out of place a bit. She lay back against a rock and let her legs rise up in the water to the top, and made little flicks of her foot, sending up splashes. “I didn’t realize how much until now either.”

  Yale had a beer, and sat on a rock ledge, flicking his own foot into the waterfall from time to time. “This is what I call a good morning off.”

  “Got some!” Nathan called, coming through the trees in his flip flops and trunks, his arms full of plants. He laid them down with as much care as if they were babies. “Look, Angel of the Night, Black Gold Rhododendron, and a Needle Flower tree. You can’t get those in stores much,” he said. “Not even the really good garden center in Port St Lucie.” Then he came hurrying over to the waterfall pool and slid down into it, right underwater. His waving auburn hair came back up black and straight, clinging to his neck, his brown eyes and strong jawline more prominent than ever. “I wish it was deep enough to dive in.”

  Faith, seeing him here, in his element, was even more attracted to him. It felt so satisfying to see him light up and shine with his passion. He looked free, above all else. That slightly nervous edge to him was gone. Totally gone.

  He came and sat next to Faith and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “So… I can’t go and beat up the Deputy Sheriff, we’ve established that much,” he said, laughing. “But like you said, we can find out who this is. Then you’ll be off the hook.” He couldn’t help an eyeroll then. “Even though the whole thing is just dumb.”

  “What have you all thought of so far?” Yale asked.

  Faith’s mind was so relaxed. Usually when she thought about who might have killed Wilhelmina, her thoughts tied themselves up in knots. But now she felt cool, calm and confident. “I don’t know who it is,” she said. “But we do have a lot of information. Like the fact that one of my baking utensils could have been the murder weapon.”

  “Faith gave presents to everyone, even though I told her not to,” Laura said, tutting like a disapproving aunt. “The ones that could have been used as weapons she gave to Karen, Chad and Marigold.”

  “Tamalynn accused Chad of having an affair with Wilhelmina,” Faith said. “Now I don’t know if that’s her being insecure or whatever, or if she’s really onto something. I mean, Marigold said that Tamalynn’s only a judge because she didn’t want to be left alone when Chad was judging. So it’s safe to say she’s not… well, the strongest person. She might have just been insecure and throwing accusations around.”

  “Maybe,” Laura said. “Or maybe Chad and Wilhelmina really were having an affair. Then he killed her because… she was going to tell Tamalynn?”

  “But you just said that Tamalynn already knew.” Nathan kept going from one side of the waterfall pool to the other, unable to keep still. “Ha, maybe Tamalynn did already know, so she decided to kill Wilhelmina.”

  Faith thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Have you seen that woman? She’s like a tiny little twig. She wouldn’t have the strength to kill someone with a baking implement. A gun or something, maybe. But giving a hard enough whack over the head? I sincerely doubt that.”

  They fell into silence for a while, and all they could hear was the gentle crashing of the waterfall, and tropical birdsong in the trees.

  “But I don’t get it,” Yale said. “Why would they leave the utensil at the crime scene if they used it as a murder weapon?”

  “To frame Faith, of course,” Laura said. “Then they called the Deputy Sheriff to tip him off that Faith had threatened to kill Wilhelmina.”

  “Yeah, but wouldn’t Faith just tell the Sheriff that she gave them the gifts?” Yale said. “It wasn’t exactly a secret, was it?”

  “Did you tell him that?” Nathan asked.

  Faith scrunched her eyes tight. “I can’t remember. I don’t think so.”

  “What?” Yale said. “You have to tell him!”

  “I will as soon as we get back,” Faith said. The thought of breaking her perfect moment in paradise with a call to her least favorite person in the world wasn’t very inspiring. “But Yale’s right. The person would have expected me to tell the Deputy Sheriff that I gave the gifts. So maybe… maybe they weren’t framing me, but someone else?”

  Nathan shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe they dropped the weapon, but didn’t realize they did until after. Then they had to cover their tracks, so told the Deputy about you, so that he’d haul you in, and you’d tell him about the gifts. Then it would look like they were innocent, maybe?
Maybe they would say that they were the ones who got framed.”

  “This is confusing,” Laura said. “My guess is they’re not as clever as we’re making out. I think they killed Wilhelmina, then freaked out and pinned it on Faith because she was the first person they could think of.”

  Yale sipped his beer. “All possibilities.”

  Faith was so relaxed she actually began to laugh. “Yep, and no idea which one is really true.”

  “I think it’s Nico,” Nathan said. “He’s got this weird vibe.”

  “You can’t base things on vibes,” Laura said. “I think it’s Karen. Because she was paid by the Baking Babes to get them into the final.”

  “Maybe,” Faith added.

  “So Baking Babes pay her half the prize money, let’s say, if they win,” Laura said. “So Karen skews the results as much as she can. But then Wilhelmina completely thrashes them and she can’t make the scores work out. So that evening, she kills Wilhelmina, certain that the Baking Babes will make automatic qualification.”

  Faith thought for a moment. “I think she does have the strongest motive out of anyone. The story doesn’t sound all that farfetched either. She’d be getting $25,000, if your story’s right. That’s a sweet enough deal to make some people murder. But how can we be sure?”

  “Maybe you should try and talk to her,” said Nathan. “See if you can squeeze any info out of her.”

  Faith swirled her arms in the water – she loved the feel of it. “We can try, but it’s not like we’re going to come across her again before the pre-contest lunch, I don’t think. Today’s event was to be the last one.”

  “Unless we can come up with some excuse to go to the hotel,” Laura said. “We can make up any old story about wanting to go see her, like… I don’t know, ask her something about baking. Just flatter her, make it like we need her expertise or something.”

  “We could do that,” Faith said. “That might work.”

  “There you go then,” said Nathan with a smile. Then he launched himself back into the water, and made a flip under the surface. When he came up he was dripping wet and grinning from ear to ear. Then he shook his head, his hair flinging all over the place and sending water splashing in every which direction.

  “Nathan!” Laura said. “Your hair-water is going in my Coke!”

  Faith spluttered. “Hair-water. That’s a new one!”

  They laughed and joked and swam the rest of their time away, until Yale said, “I have to get back. I only have the morning off, unfortunately.” He got up out of the pool and started drying himself, sighing. “Back to reality, eh?”

  “See, I don’t get when people say that,” Nathan said. He was bringing back more plants from the other side of the ravine. “Why does the bad or boring thing have to be reality? Isn’t this just as much reality as everything else?”

  Laura had just finished eating one of the sandwiches they’d brought with them and dusted her hands off. “It’s not exactly the daily grind, is it?”

  “I like Nathan’s attitude,” Faith said, and not just because she was so fond of him. She really did. “Like, I never thought I’d ever have a tearoom. That was my dream that I thought could never be reality. Why couldn’t this be the same? Maybe it sounds farfetched for Nathan to get this land, but maybe it might just happen. Who knows?”

  Laura shook her head as she wrapped herself in a towel. “Maybe, but I seriously doubt it.”

  “Can you stop?” Nathan said, with so much feeling that everyone looked around to stare. He was so easy going that he rarely got passionate like that. “Ugh, I hate that. Why does everyone just have to believe that life is boring or you have to stay in the box all the time?”

  “You have to be realistic, Nathan,” Laura said firmly.

  “You can believe that for your own life if you want, but not for mine,” Nathan shot back. “I believe in dreaming and having vision. And, yeah, I might not get this land, but I’m sure not going to give up before I’ve even started.”

  Laura put her hands on her hips. It seemed Nathan was about the only person she could do confrontation with, without bursting into tears. “Oh, all right. And when you live on this land how are you going to support yourself? Swimming under a waterfall doesn’t pay the bills, you know.”

  Nathan turned away, to face the forest that climbed the hill, and let out a grunt of frustration. It echoed through the ravine valley.

  “Laura, Nathan,” Faith said, widening her eyes and hoping they would stop.

  “You’ve just started doing really well with your landscaping and getting your own place and stuff,” Laura said. “I just don’t want you to throw that away and go back to… well, you know… doing nothing.”

  Nathan whirled around, his eyes bright with determination. “You don’t get it,” he said to Laura.

  “I think I do,” Faith said. “You wouldn’t give up your landscaping.”

  “Guys,” Yale interjected, “I really need to hurry or I’ll be late for my first class.”

  Nathan laughed, then jumped across some rocks back to where he’d left his towel and clothes. “Sure.”

  Faith already had her towel wrapped around her. She switched on her phone, and gasped.

  “What?” Laura asked.

  “I have like…” Faith scrolled down and counted… “twelve missed calls from Marigold.”

  *****

  Chapter 11

  Faith hurried to call Marigold back. Suddenly all the calming effect the ravine and forest had had on her evaporated into nothingness.

  Before Faith could get a word in edgeways, Marigold’s voice came through the phone, quiet, but packed with tension. “Where in the heck are you?”

  “W… what?” Faith said.

  “What do you mean w… what?” Marigold whispered furiously. “You’re supposed to be here at the Sunrise Bakery in Paradise Glen Village for filming, as was arranged weeks ago. I’ve been trying to reach you for hours. What do you think you’re playing at?”

  Faith’s stomach dropped. “But Nico said…”

  “Nico said what?”

  “Nico said you were canceling that,” Faith said, a lump forming in her throat. She realized Nico had tricked them.

  “He said what?”

  “Yeah, he came by to the tearoom to tell us that—”

  “Hold on, I’ve got someone on the other line,” Marigold said. “Don’t hang up.”

  “All right.” Faith got a holding beep and covered the mouthpiece with her hand, then looked up at Laura and the others. “Nico was lying. The interviewing is still on and she’s wondering where on earth we are, Laura.”

  “I knew you couldn’t trust that guy,” Nathan said. “I knew it.”

  Laura just shook her head, looking numb.

  “Can we walk and talk?” Yale said. “I really have to get back.”

  “Oh, sure, sorry,” said Faith. Laura and Nathan packed up the things back into the cooler and Faith hurried to slip a sundress over her head before Marigold came back on the phone.

  When Marigold spoke again, her voice was totally different. Hollow, devoid of life. “Faith, come down to the hotel, please. Immediately. Deputy Sheriff Valdez said so.”

  Faith squeezed her eyes shut, wishing none of it was real. “Okay,” she whispered, trying not to let her voice crack. She’d had her guard down so much when they were by the ravine that she wasn’t prepared for this. She didn’t feel strong in the slightest. “I’ll be there,” she said, though it came out more as a croak. “Bye.”

  “Babe, what’s wrong?” Nathan asked.

  Laura hurried over and wrapped Faith up in a hug. “What’s going on, honey?”

  Faith opened her mouth, about to explain, but then burst into tears.

  *****

  “Let’s just finish this one and then close the whole thing down,” Marigold said evenly, though Faith could see her hands shaking.

  They were in the lobby, waiting for Deputy Valdez to come downstairs. Faith was trying
to figure out what was going on, but everyone was too wrapped up in their own drama to pay any attention to her.

  “Why should we be cowed into nonexistence by some murdering coward?” Chad spat. “Your mother would be ashamed that you were so easily deterred. I thought your vision was to go on for centuries to come.”

  “Don’t you dare talk about my mother,” Marigold spat. “I don’t want to do this anymore. My mother would not have liked this the way it is.”

  There was a silence then, heavy with emotion.

  “I think we should close down now, maybe?” Tamalynn said tentatively. “There’s too much bad press for this thing to be a success, surely?”

  “No such thing as bad press,” Nico said. “It all generates hype, buzz and interest. Did I tell you about that time when that slimeball Ian Blake at the Times wrote a terrible review for my baking book? I wrote a stunning rebuttal and sent it to the online Times with a link back to my website. It gave me the biggest traffic spike I’ve ever had.”

  “Exactly,” Chad said forcefully. “We can make this work, and then come back next year bigger and better than ever. We can’t give up on your mom’s legacy.”

  Marigold’s face was a storm cloud. “I told you not to speak about my mom.”

  “You don’t own her, you know,” Chad spat.

  Tamalynn stroked Chad’s arm, as she often seemed to do when he was upset. “I know you were close to Cynthia, but maybe—”

  “No, you don’t!” Chad snapped. “You weren’t there. You don’t know.”

  Tamalynn jerked her delicate hand away from his arm as if it were red hot. “Okay, Chad,” she said quietly. “I can see you’re angry right now, but please…” Then her voice cracked. “Don’t take it out on me.” Then she stood up, and swallowed, managing to find a squeak of a voice. “I’m just going to the ladies room.”

  Faith looked up to watch her go, wondering if she should follow. A moment of peace sounded heavenly, but Faith was worried she’d burst into tears again. Faith wished Laura were there beside her, or even Nathan. He’d offered to come with her instead of take the plants back to Paradise Point, but she’d refused. Laura had insisted she could get Danica or Stephanie to cover while she accompanied Faith, but Faith had turned down that offer, too. She had felt, at the time, like it would be brave to keep the Chevy van going all the way down to Paradise Inn alone, with her head held high as she went to meet her nemesis Valdez. But now she felt like that was stupid and foolhardy and proud, and she could have really done with a supportive presence right then.