“You're right. I remember those times, too. We would come in here after riding our bikes by the water and she would have fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies ready for us. They would still be warm and chewy.” Brynn smiled as she recalled her aunt's generosity.
“Yeah, those were fun days,” Lisa agreed.
Both women turned toward the door when the bell rang, signifying someone walking in. Brynn's eyes widened at the sight of her Aunt Beulah. “Oh crap,” she whispered to Lisa.
“Yeah, speak of the devil and he shows up,” Lisa muttered under her breath.
“Aunt Beulah,” Brynn said as she stood up. “I was just getting ready to call you.”
Beulah Michaels was Millie’s sister. She was a tall woman in her late sixties with short gray hair and broad shoulders. Lisa used to joke when they were little that she could have been a linebacker for the Giants, to which Brynn would laugh until she almost cried. Both girls remembered her as being meaner than Millie. Lisa always hated when they ran into her at Brynn's house. She hardly visited, but when she did, she made her presence known with her loud voice and hateful tone.
Beulah strode slowly into the bakery without saying a word, never taking her eyes away from Brynn's. She got within two inches of Brynn's face before finally speaking.
“Why didn't you call me yesterday?” she hissed.
Brynn was dumbfounded and without her voice. “I – I –” she stammered. “I forgot. With all of what happened. I just forgot.” She found the words but struggled to form a sentence.
“Oh, I bet you forgot,” Beulah said snidely. “I'd say you weren't even planning to call me.”
Brynn looked at Lisa then back at Beulah. “I was, Aunt Beulah, I promise. I've just been caught up in Aunt Millie’s death and the bakery,” she trailed off as Beulah pushed past her and walked into the kitchen.
Lisa immediately followed her and Brynn knew her protective instincts would kick in at any moment, probably resulting in a huge fight. Both women were strong-willed, but Beulah had pure meanness coupled with hers. On the other hand, Lisa had never been one to back down from anything.
“So this is your bakery now, huh?”
There it was. The reason for her hostility.
“Yes, ma'am. That's right. I leased the building from Aunt Millie a couple of months ago and began the remodel on it.” Brynn was trying her best not to start a fight.
“You leased it? Don't you mean, you own it?” Her words were sharp.
“Well, I own the fixtures and the appliances because I bought them when I remodeled the place, but I only rent the building from Aunt Millie.” She wondered why it was a big deal.
Beulah turned to her and laughed. “You can't be serious? You expect me to buy that bull!”
Lisa stepped up to Beulah. “Hey, listen here you old –” she stopped when Brynn interrupted.
“Excuse us, Aunt Beulah,” Brynn said as she reached for Lisa's arm and practically dragged her to the kitchen.
“What are you doing?!” she demanded.
“I'm stepping up for you. That old hag's not gonna come in here and step all over you while I'm here.”
“Listen, I appreciate your loyalty, I do. But now is not the time to be starting family feuds. Aunt Millie has been killed and apparently I'm the only suspect they have because I was in the house at the time. Aunt Beulah is here, and I can't handle a fight on top of it all. So please, take it easy for me,” she said in her most pitiful voice.
“All right. But if that old witch says one more word to you, she will get it.” Lisa straightened her clothes and walked back to the dining room to where Beulah now stood.
“I'm sorry, Aunt Beulah. What were you saying?” Brynn tried to compose herself enough to speak with her hateful aunt.
“I was saying, don't play dumb, my dear.” Beulah slowly as she turned to face Brynn.
Her stare was enough to cause a chill to run down Brynn's spine.
“Aunt Beulah, I have no idea what you're talking about.” Brynn backed up a couple of steps as the old woman stared at her.
Beulah shook her head in seeming disbelief. “Don't tell me she didn't make you aware of the fact she left you this place in her will?”
Brynn's heart sank. Her eyes welled with tears. “What? No, I had no idea.”
Beulah chuckled. “I find that hard to believe.”
Brynn looked at Lisa and knew she was on the verge of attacking. “Aunt Beulah, who told you this?”
“Millie herself, that’s who. The last time I spoke with her, almost two weeks ago, she told me if anything ever happened to her, you'd get the building,” she said with a smirk.
“I had no idea,” Brynn said sadly. “That's so kind of her.”
Lisa walked over and put her hand on Brynn's back. “It was very nice of her, Brynn. She loved you so much.”
“Nice? Are you kidding?” Beulah was upset. “This place should have been mine! I'm the one who helped her get it cleaned up all those years ago. I'm the one who loaned her the money when she had to buy a new oven! I'm the one who should have gotten it after her death!”
She slammed her hand on the table so hard that both girls jumped and screamed at the same time.
“You may think you have it Brynn, but I'll contest the will if I have to. It belongs to me more than you. What did you ever do for her?”
Brynn was about to speak up and defend herself when she saw Alec coming through the door with another officer.
Thank goodness they're here. Maybe she'll shut up now.
“Hey, Alec. What's up?” she asked, trying to steer the conversation away from confrontation to something a little more civil.
“Brynn, I need to talk to you in private,” he said.
“Sure, let's go.” She led the way to the backroom where her office was. “Have a seat.”
“We can't. We're gonna have to shut the doors for a while. This is Officer Hazelett.”
“Hi,” was all she offered to him as she kept her eyes on Alec. “What do you mean?”
Her brow furrowed like it always did when she was genuinely confused, leaving a small crease on her otherwise smooth forehead.
“I mean, we have a search warrant to take a look around and see if there's anything here that would be helpful to us.”
“You can't be serious,” she said. “This is my business. I can't just close it down. We just opened!”
“Ma'am, we have a search warrant that says we can,” Officer Hazelett retorted.
“Amos, I can handle this,” Alec said as he raised his hand slightly. “Brynn, it won't be for long and I promise to tread lightly and keep you informed.”
Brynn shook her head. “What choice do I have?”
“None, unfortunately.”
“Alright, I'll be at home. Call me when you're done so I can come and clean up.”
“Will do,” Alec offered.
Brynn walked back to the dining area and looked at Lisa in defeat. “Well, they're running us out for a while.”
“What? Why?” she questioned quickly.
“They have a search warrant and need to check things out.” She looked at Beulah. “I guess we'll go home.”
The girls went to get their purses when suddenly they heard a loud laugh. Turning back to Beulah, they saw her smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
“Is something funny?” Lisa demanded.
“Not funny,” Beulah returned. “Just satisfying.”
Brynn knew her aunt was happy her bakery was closing. She knew the moment Beulah spoke of how it should have been hers that Brynn was going to have a fight on her hands. But there's one thing Beulah didn't know about Brynn. She was tough and she, like Lisa, never backed down from a fight.
“Hey, Alec?” Brynn called out.
He came to the doorway of the dining room.
God, he's handsome.
“Can you lock up behind us, please?”
“Sure,” he said as he followed them to the door. “Don't worry, Brynn.” He smiled,
causing her heart to skip a beat.
She nodded slightly and the three ladies walked toward their vehicles.
“I'll follow you to my sister's house,” Beulah said dryly.
Brynn was quiet for most of the drive across town until something hit her mind like a lightning bolt. “Hey!” she shouted in the silence, scaring Lisa.
“Ah! You scared the crap out of me!” she said as she giggled. “What's wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I'm sorry. But I had a thought. You don't suppose Aunt Beulah would have killed Aunt Millie, do you?” Brynn knew it was a bit off a stretch, but it was worth exploring.
“I think she's certainly capable of it,” Lisa said. “I mean, given her greed that we just witnessed about wanting the bakery, I think she could have done it and not batted an eye.”
Brynn chewed her bottom lip as she pulled into the driveway. After parking the car, she turned to Lisa. “Listen, don't mention this to anyone, not even to Alec.”
“Hey, I got your back. Whatever you say stays in here,” she said as she tapped her head.
“You're the best,” Brynn said as she leaned over and hugged Lisa quickly before getting out of the car.
Upon seeing Beulah pull in, the girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Brynn knew they were in for an eventful evening.
“Listen, I'm going to spend the night with you,” Lisa said.
Brynn’s eyes lit up. “Oh, thank you so much.”
“I have a feeling that you're going to need all the help you can get.”
They were inside the house when Brynn tried her best to be polite.
“Aunt Beulah, can I make you some tea or coffee?” Brynn asked her, even though it made her sick to even offer.
“No, you cannot. Whatever I want, I'll get for myself.”
Lisa raised her eyebrows and smiled. Brynn knew what was about happen but didn't stop her.
“How about a muffin, Aunt Beulah? We got plenty left over,” Lisa added with mockery.
Beulah looked at Lisa as if she'd kill her. Lisa shrugged and set the pan back on the stove.
“I'd like to talk to you alone, Brynn,” Beulah announced an hour later, as the girls were fixing a salad for dinner.
“Well, I'm sorry, but Brynn won't be talking to anyone alone,” Lisa said.
Brynn watched as her friend’s protective side emerged and it brought her some relief. She knew she couldn't handle the onslaught of questions Beulah would have for her, let alone the accusations she would make if left by herself with the old hag. She was happy her best friend and confidant was there for her. She looked at Lisa and smiled, then looked back to Beulah and shrugged.
“I guess my attorney is going to be with us tonight, Aunt Beulah,” Brynn added dryly.
“Attorney! Ha!” Lisa cackled. “That's a good one, Brynn. Yeah, I'm her lawyer now.”
Beulah stood up and towered over Brynn. She lowered her face to meet Brynn's and with a cold, dead look in her eyes, she spoke low and slow.
“Let me tell you something, little girl. You're NOT gonna get what's mine, do you understand?!”
Brynn and Lisa both backed up a step. Although Lisa was tough, she knew she'd probably met her match in the wrinkled old trout.
Beulah stepped forward as they moved back another step. “Before this is over, I'll not only have the bakery, but I'll have her car, the house, and all its furnishings.”
With trouble about to ensue, Lisa grabbed her cell phone from the counter and stepped outside the kitchen door, still within earshot of Brynn.
“This is Lisa Newcomb. I'm calling for Detective Alec Anders.” Brynn heard silence from the other room before Lisa spoke again. “This is an emergency. Patch me through to him, please!”
The last thing Brynn needed was for Alec to not pick up.
“Hey, Alec, it's Lisa. Listen, I know you're busy, but you need to get over here to Brynn's house right away. We've got trouble with the aunt.”
Another few seconds of silence and Lisa went into her usual wise-cracking mode. “What do you mean which aunt? The one that's not in the morgue. That’s ‘which aunt’! Get over here before she chews Brynn and me up and have us for dinner!”
She stepped back inside the door to join her them in the kitchen.
“Where's the bat?” she asked.
“She's in the bathroom, smoking.”
“I knew she smoked,” Lisa said snidely. “You don't get a voice that deep for no reason.”
The girls looked at each other and giggled.
“I called Alec. He's on his way.”
“Thank you. I can't handle her on my own. And neither can you, although I appreciate your efforts.”
Brynn heard Alec knock on the door less than five minutes later. Rushing to the living room, she opened it and smiled. “Thank you so much for coming,” she said as she hugged him without thinking.
Pulling away from him, she saw the surprised look on his face. “Oh god, I'm sorry. I'm just so glad you're here.”
“What is she doing?”
“Just screaming and harassing me. I want her to go to a hotel, but I’m afraid that if I ask her she won't leave. She keeps saying she has rights to this house. Please just make her leave me alone.”
“I will. Where is she?” he asked.
“In there.”
Brynn led him into the kitchen, where Beulah was sitting and Lisa was back to chopping the lettuce.
“Ms. Michaels, my name is Alec Anders. I spoke with you on the phone yesterday.”
Brynn was taken aback by his statement. He spoke to her on the phone? What? Was she the one who'd put the crazy idea in his head that I killed my aunt? What was he doing talking to Beulah?
“I want to ask you if you'll go to a hotel tonight and stay there to keep trouble down?”
“No, I won't,” Beulah said plainly.
“Well, if you keep harassing Brynn, I'll have no choice but to arrest you. This is her house and you are a guest. Is that clear?”
Brynn looked at Lisa who was staring wide-eyed at him. “Wow,” she mouthed silently.
Lisa nodded her head and smiled.
Beulah stood up. “Fine, I'll leave, but we're not finished here!”
After Beulah’s forced departure and Alec saying hello to Versace and Thunder, things had calmed down enough to sit and talk.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Brynn asked him.
“No, thank you. I’m kind of glad Lisa called. There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, shifting in the chair.
“Okay, this sounds serious,” Brynn said, jokingly.
She watched as his face seemed to harden. “It is, Brynn.”
“Okay, now you’re starting to scare me.”
Alec rubbed his chin before speaking. “We got the preliminary toxicology screen back this evening and it appears that Millie died from ethylene glycol poisoning.”
Brynn’s ears heard the words he’d just spoken, but her mind had no idea what they meant. “Okay, what is that?”
“It’s the chemical found in antifreeze,” he said softly.
Her heart sank. “Antifreeze? How in the world did she get antifreeze in her body?”
“We don’t know. That’s what we’re trying to figure out now.”
“Okay. Is that something that she could have touched maybe in the garage and then it soaked into her skin or something like that?”
Brynn was pouring over every possible scenario as to how Millie could have gotten antifreeze poisoning.”
“It’s very unlikely that’s how it happened. I don’t think that she could sit in a bathtub full and get enough in her to kill her. No, she ingested it somehow. We just have to find out how.”
“So, that’s why your guys are at the bakery?”
Alec nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
Brynn’s mind was racing and her heart was breaking. Why would someone give Millie antifreeze?
Brynn
With the police not leaving the bakery unti
l well after midnight, Brynn and Lisa decided to wait until morning to try and straighten up any mess the detectives may have left during their “investigation”.
Figuring that it would be a time-consuming job, the two arrived bright and early to find the only things that had been disturbed were the ovens, a few pans, and the sink.
“Wow, that's crazy,” Brynn said as she came back into the bakery kitchen after giving the dining area the once-over.
“What?” Lisa asked as she turned on the hot water to fill the sink.
“For some reason, I thought the whole place would have been torn upside down and we would have this massive clean-up to do.”
“Brynn,” Lisa said as she looked at her with a smirk. “You watch way too much TV”
Brynn picked up the dish towel and playfully swatted her on the shoulder before going to the fridge to take out the dough for baking.
Working non-stop for three hours was enough to cause the girls to yawn in unison.
“Ha ha!” Brynn laughed. “Stop that!”
“Hey, you started it,” Lisa said. “Besides, I'm pooped. I didn't sleep very well in Millie's bed last night.”
“Really? Was the mattress not comfortable?”
“Um, the mattress was fine. It's the thought that she died in the house and I was on her bed.” Lisa shivered as she spoke of Millie. “I'm sorry. I don't mean to make her death sound trivial, but it just gave me the willies around one this morning.”
Brynn tried her best to smile. “I know. I thought about her, too. Leaving me this place was so kind of her. I guess there was some love in her after all.”
“I guess,” Lisa agreed as she spread the glaze on the cinnamon rolls. “It's too bad she didn't share it with others in this town. She'd still be alive if she had,” she said nonchalantly. She licked the excess icing from the spatula and carried the tray out to the case.
Brynn joined her with the eclairs and cream puffs, perfectly lining up each one in its own spot on the shelf. She smiled as she closed the door and admired her work.
“Are you ready?” Lisa asked before flipping on the sign outside.
Wanted_Big Bad Brother Page 125
