One Last Bite: A Darling Bakery Cozy Mystery (Darling Bakery Cozy Mysteries Book 1)

by Brenda De Witt

  The man’s eyes lit up. “Sure, I love banana nut. It’s my favorite bread, but I’ve never had it as a cupcake.”

  “Well, have one of these on the house,” Dani said as she handed the man a cupcake right off the tray.

  He bit into it and was so impressed that he bought a half dozen.

  Dani helped Matt keep the line moving until the display shelves were almost bare.

  “I’m not complaining,” Dani said wiping her forehead. “But, where on earth did all those people come from?”

  Dani reached into her apron pocket to pull out her cell phone and check the time. In the rush, she’d missed a text message from Gretchen.

  Check out Eunice’s blog!

  Dani’s stomach fluttered as she read the message and then tapped the attached link. She held her breath as she waited for Eunice’s blog to appear. The headline almost caused her to drop her phone.

  I feel great! Thanks to The Darling Bakery!

  Dani stared at the headline unable to comprehend what it meant. Then she tapped the screen to open the post.

  For years I’ve suffered from a very sensitive stomach. I have a terrible sweet tooth and baked goods seemed to cause me the most trouble. That is until I tried one of Dani Darling’s new gluten-free cupcakes.

  Dani stared at her phone in shock. She had to reread the sentence three times before she continued.

  I never considered that my issue might have been Celiac disease, but when I felt no discomfort after eating a scrumptious Apple Spice Cupcake on Tuesday I knew I had to share this miracle.

  Thanks to Dani Darling and the Darling Bakery I can now indulge in my favorite sweets again. I suggest you hurry down to the bakery and get some cupcakes for yourself before I get there and buy them ALL!!!

  As soon as Dani finished reading the post she hit speed dial.

  “Can you believe that?” Gretchen asked without saying hello.

  “This is incredible,” Dani said with a laugh. “Last week she was practically accusing me of murder and this week she’s the bakery’s number one fan. And her readers have already taken her advice. The bakery has been packed this morning!”

  “Congratulations, Dani! I knew things would work out.”

  Dani let out a sigh of relief as she hung up the phone. Now if she could just figure out what happened to Guy she could really celebrate.

  Chapter 18

  The late afternoon sun beamed through Dani’s car window on Thursday as she sat waiting for Marla’s bus to arrive. She drummed her fingernails on the steering wheel trying to keep her thoughts focused on anything other than what was really bothering her. Clint still hadn’t called with any news about Ingrid and Dani was eager to find out that Guy’s killer had been brought to justice.

  How could a woman kill her own husband, Dani wondered. Even as mad as she was with Brad for cheating on her, Dani couldn’t imagine killing him. Well, the thought did go through her mind once or twice, but actually acting it out was something different.

  Dani was about to move from drumming her fingernails to biting them, but as soon as she stuck her thumbnail in her mouth and was about to chomp down an image of Yolanda, The Nail Bar owner, flashed in her mind. Dani moved her hand away from her mouth and rapped her fingers back around the steering wheel. At some point, she was going to have time to accept Yolanda’s offer for a free manicure and she didn’t want her nails to look even worse than they already did.

  Thankfully, Marla’s bus pulled up five minutes later.

  Both she and Marla were already dressed for the memorial service so there was no need to stop at Dani’s house first. Dani walked over and opened the passenger side door for Marla and once she was settled in they headed for the funeral home where the service was being held.

  Dani wasn't really paying much attention to the route she was taking to get there. All she wanted to do was get there quickly since Marla’s bus had been late and put them a little behind schedule. Dani drove on auto-pilot with her thoughts still preoccupied with Ingrid. They’d stopped at an intersection and Dani was just about to keep moving forward when Marla spoke up.

  “Isn't that the street where…” Marla paused and looked over at Dani without finishing her sentence.

  Dani glanced up at the street sign. Reynolds Ave. Dang, she thought to herself. Why hadn’t she paid more attention to the route she was taking. They could have gone down 5th Street and totally avoided this area.

  “Yes,” Dani finally answered softly. “The house is a few blocks that way.” Dani nodded her head to the left.

  “Would you mind if we drove by,” Marla asked. “I know it may seem a little strange, but I’d just like to see the last place where he was alive.”

  Dani had to admit that the request surprised her.

  “I don’t want to look inside or anything,” Marla clarified. “I just want to sit out front for a minute.”

  Dani nodded her head. “Sure, Marla. Anything you want.”

  Dani made the left turn and drove down the street for a few blocks. She couldn’t even imagine how difficult all of this was for Marla. She and Guy had known each other for quite a while and losing a friend isn’t easy under any circumstances. Dani figured Marla must be looking for some kind of closure.

  As they pulled up to the house, Dani noticed a dark-haired man walking across the front yard and away from the house. There was something familiar about the man, but he disappeared around the corner before she could get a good look at him.

  “Do you want to get out and walk around a little bit?” she asked Marla thinking maybe she could follow the man and figure out who he was. Dani didn’t get a look at the man’s face, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew him.

  “No,” Marla said quietly. “We don’t have enough time for that. I’d just like to sit here for a moment.” Marla turned her face to the window. When Dani saw Marla bring her hand to her eye to wipe away a tear she reached into her purse, pulled out a Kleenex and handed it to Marla.

  “Thank you,” Marla whispered without turning toward Dani. After she dabbed her eyes she reached over and took Dani by the hand. The tender gesture made Dani think that any moment she was going to need a Kleenex too.

  “I’m ready to go now,” Marla said softly.

  Dani looked toward the house again but brushed off the thought of trying to identify the dark-haired stranger. He was probably just someone interested in buying the property, she thought as she started the car and she and Marla headed to Guy’s memorial service.

  ***

  By the time they got to Sutter’s Mortuary, Marla’s spirits were much lighter. “I hope they don't have any of those long-winded people speak during the service,” she said with a giggle. “Guy would have hated that. He wasn't very big on pomp and circumstance.”

  “I wonder why they decided to have the memorial service here?” Dani pondered. She knew a lot of local people had memorial and funeral services in a church.

  “Oh, I guess that was partially my doing. Sam Miller, Guy’s attorney, called me to ask if I had any idea what kind of arrangements Guy might like. He’d tried to contact Ingrid, but she never even returned his phone calls.”

  Dani gritted her teeth at the mention of Ingrid’s name.

  “Well, I’m glad you were able to help with the arrangements,” Dani said. It was hard for Dani to imagine Guy marrying a woman who was so cold that she wouldn’t even help plan his memorial service. He was such an upbeat guy with so many friends but you just never know why people ended up with the partners they had. After all, she was with Brad for three years before she came to her senses, so she could hardly question anybody else's choices.

  The small chapel at the mortuary was packed with people by the time Marla and Dani arrived. A violinist from the Riley Youth Orchestra was playing softly as the guests waited for the service to begin. Gretchen saw Marla and Dani walk in and waived them to the front of the chapel where she had saved seats for them both.

  “You made it just in time
,” she whispered to Dani.

  “Sorry we’re just getting here. Marla’s bus was a little late and then she wanted to stop at the Reynolds Ave. house on the way here.”

  Gretchen glanced over at Marla and nodded as if she understood without Dani having to say more.

  The service went off smoothly. It was short and to the point just like Marla said Guy would have wanted. To Dani’s surprise, Ingrid was in attendance — without handcuffs.

  As soon as she could Dani made her way over to Clint. “Why is she here?” Dani asked in an irritated tone. “Why haven’t you arrested her?”

  Clint pulled Dani away from the crowd before he spoke. “Her alibi checks out Dani. She couldn’t have killed Guy.”

  Dani’s heart dropped like a rock.

  “She didn’t exactly tell the whole story originally, but it still checks out.” He paused and looked around before he continued. “Ingrid was at a casino on Wednesday morning. There’s videotape to prove it. On top of that, one of the blackjack dealers we interviewed distinctly remembers Ingrid playing at his table all morning. He said she kept ordering free drinks but never bothered to tip the waitresses.”

  Dani’s eyes grew as large as saucers. “You mean Ingrid is the one with the gambling problem?”

  She glanced over at the woman she wanted to hate and almost felt sorry for her.

  “Yeah,” Clint continued. “Apparently that was the reason she and Guy separated in the first place. Ingrid promised to quit gambling, but she didn’t. She admitted to destroying Guy’s finances, but she didn’t kill him.”

  “So why was Guy attending Gambler’s Anonymous meetings if he wasn’t the one with the problem?” Dani asked confused.

  “I checked that out too. Apparently, the community center has recently started a support group for the family members of addicts. The meetings aren’t listed in the brochure yet.”

  Dani just nodded her head. It all made sense, but now they were back to square one. They still had no idea who Guy’s killer was.

  Clint stepped away to greet some of the other guests and Dani went in search of Marla. She didn’t want to give her the news about Ingrid right then, but she did want to make sure Marla was still okay.

  Dani saw Marla in the reception area near the punch bowl talking to the mortuary director who’d officiated the service. She was about to walk over and join them when Anne Davenport, the real estate agent who’d found Guy’s body, called her name.

  Anne, Lisa Atwood the other real estate agent and Trish the owner of the tax service Anne shared an office with were all standing together talking.

  “Hi Dani,” Anne greeted as cheerfully as she could. “It's so good to see you again, although I wish it was under better circumstances. I’ve just been a wreck about this whole thing,” Anne said shaking her head solemnly. “If Trish hadn’t offered to drive me over here today I don't know how I would've made it.”

  Trish just smiled. “It’s understandable to need some support at a time like this,” she croaked in her smokers voice.

  “Yeah, it’s a sad occasion indeed,” Lisa agreed. “Every time I show that house now all I can think about is poor Guy. The good news is it should be selling soon,” Lisa said hopefully. “The owners finally gave me permission to do some long overdue upgrades to motivate buyers.”

  “What kind of upgrades?” Dani asked. In her mind, the house was such a mess tearing it down might be the only real option.

  “Well, nothing as drastic as what I recommended they do, but they're at least going to pull up that old moldy smelling carpet in the living room and upgrade all of the appliances in the kitchen. You’d be amazed how much adding a few stainless steel appliances impacts a buyer’s interest.”

  “Dani, I think I’m ready to go now,” Marla said as she walked up to the little group.

  “Okay, Marla. It was nice seeing all of you again,” Dani said to the women as they turned to go.

  “Thank you for coming,” Marla added and gave each of them a heartfelt hug.

  ***

  Dani and Marla left the mortuary and headed to Dani’s house. Dani had invited Marla to spend the weekend with her in Riley because she was concerned about the older woman going home alone after the memorial service. It’s hard enough to grieve the loss of a friend, but doing it alone could be unbearable.

  When Dani and Marla turned into the driveway of her house, Queen Sheba was already perched in the window as if she was expecting company.

  “Oh, my goodness, Marla. I’m sorry. I totally forgot to ask you if you’re okay with cats.”

  “Yes,” Marla said, already waving at Sheba from the car. “I can’t have pets in the apartment where I live, but if I could I’d definitely have a cat. There’s just something about their regalness that I admire.”

  Well, if it was regalness that Marla liked, she was going to love Queen Sheba. Dani opened the front door to her house and before she even had a chance to make a formal introduction, Sheba began making circle eights around Marla’s ankles and rubbing her head against Marla’s pants leg.

  “I think she likes me,” Marla said with a giggle as she bent over and scratched Sheba behind the ears.

  Sheba let out a loud purr, her signal to Dani that she approved of their house guest.

  “Marla, I’m going to get you settled here so you can relax and take a nap if you want to. I need to head back to the bakery for a few hours.”

  “Would you mind if I go with you,” Marla asked softly. “I don’t need a nap and I think it would be kind of fun to see your baking business in action.”

  “Of, course,” Dani said enthusiastically. “But I’m not sure if your new friend is going to appreciate you leaving her so soon.”

  They both laughed, but a moment later Queen Sheba must have decided she’d indulged her house guest enough and walked away from Marla while the older woman was still scratching her head.

  “I guess that means it’s okay for me to leave,” Marla said with a giggle and she and Dani headed back outside to the car.

  Matt and Rhonda were already gone for the day when the two women arrived at the bakery. Before they left they’d laid out the cupcake pans Dani needed to fill the Daughters of Riley Gala order. Dani kept thinking about Sarah’s comment about the cupcakes from the career fair. She didn’t care what that snooty woman thought, she knew her cupcakes were going to taste just fine if she baked them tonight and frosted them tomorrow before Dani delivered them to the hotel.

  “Is there anything I can do to help,” Marla asked as she thumbed through the recipes in Nana’s recipe box.

  “Well, since you asked,” Dani said timidly. “I could use some help in my office.”

  Marla followed Dani to her office.

  “Oh, this isn’t bad at all,” Marla said as she looked around. “I thought you said your office was a mess.”

  “Looks can be deceiving,” Dani said and walked over to her filing cabinet. She opened the first drawer for Marla to see.

  “Oh, my,” Marla exclaimed. “Where are your file folders?” she asked as she lifted an unorganized stack of papers out of the drawer.

  Dani reached under her desk and pulled out an unopened box of folders.

  “I’m afraid the rest of the drawers are as bad as this one,” Dani confessed.

  Marla just nodded her head. “Alright young lady,” she said grabbing Dani by the shoulders and spinning her around to face the door. “You go back to the kitchen and do what you do best. Just leave this mess to me. I’ll have you organized before you know it.”