Cookies and Chaos

by C A Phipps

  Gran could also be firm. “There is no way to say how long that would be and the Sheriff knows each and every one of you and where you live. I think he’ll find you just fine, should he need to. And Bernie has been waiting outside for ten minutes.”

  With more than a few mutterings they filed out except for Jed who was on the community center committee along with Gran. He gave the floor a quick sweep, while Luke, Beth, and Maddie loaded Honey with the plates. Then they checked the facility once more.

  “You know, Owen hung around town quite often,” Jed offered as he put the broom away.

  So, other people had noticed Owens proclivity for that. “When he wasn’t delivering?”

  “That’s it. He loved to look around the shops. I asked him one day if he had family in town.”

  “Did he?”

  Jed frowned. “He said no, but something about the way he said it made me think it wasn’t true. He also said he loved it here. Said we were a real community, and wished it would always be so. I told him that Maple Falls had been this way for generations and we weren’t fixing to change that any time soon.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Clayton. I’ll ask Ethan to come by your place so you can share your insights with him, if that’s okay?”

  “Sure thing. I love visitors and Ethan has some great stories of his own to tell. He makes a fuss of my Sissy and she hasn’t forgotten that he saved her life after she’d been stolen. With your help,” he added quickly.”

  Maddie smiled, trying to picture Ethan regaling Jed with stories. It seemed unlikely, but she was learning that the Sheriff had qualities she had never guessed at. Jed left in his ’57 Chevy while the rest of them piled into Honey.

  Luke handed her the keys. “I loved driving your jeep. She never missed a beat.”

  “My grandfather said if you look after a car, she’ll last forever.” Maddie started the engine, satisfied with the gentle rumble.

  Gran touched her arm. “He was a wise old fool.”

  A lump caught in Maddie’s throat. “He was wise, but no fool, Gran. He married you didn’t he?”

  They smiled at each other, enjoying the shared moment of memories that happened often between them.

  Oblivious to the feelings in the front of Honey, Luke caressed the worn but intact leather seats. “Who keeps her in this condition?”

  “Me.”

  She glanced at him in the rear view mirror and caught his look of admiration. “My Grandfather taught me about cars.”

  “Among other things.” Gran added. “Not all of them things a young lady should have been learning.

  In that moment as she felt her Gran’s stare, Maddie realised that she should have understood Gran never missed a thing. All this time she would have known what Maddie and her grandfather had been up to when they spent hours out in the fields or in his huge workshop.

  Maddie snorted. “Me? A lady? You know that was never an option.”

  “True,” she sighed. “When you weren’t climbing trees, shooting game or playing detective, you were baking. There’s nothing clean and tidy about any of those things.”

  Beth laughed for the first time. A proper one, which was a lovely sound. And the other’s joined her. The rest of the drive went in a similar manner, with Luke asking her about her questionable talents and Gran making snide remarks. There was truth in what she said, but no malice.

  She let Beth and Luke out by the bakery and watched as the two of them walked across the road to his car.

  Gran turned a little to face Maddie, her matchmaking on high alert. “They make a cute couple. I’m so glad neither of them didn’t wind up in jail.”

  “It was touch and go, I believe, with Beth.” Then, Maddie grinned. “They are cute together. I wonder if Luke had a thing for Beth, even when she was seeing his brother?”

  “I’ve wondered about them too, but right now I want all the details about Owen. I’ve been waiting like a bun burning in a too hot oven all afternoon. What really happened?”

  Maddie didn’t know much more than what had been said at the center, but she retold Gran about the van and Owen’s penchant for loitering around town. Although, to be fair, no-one had mentioned it in a sinister way. Rather, like Jed said, he was enjoying being a part of the general feeling of the town.

  She could appreciate that. Leaving for several years, then returning, had opened her eyes to what a great place it was. Maybe Owen lived or had grown up in a big city, where people weren’t so friendly as they were here.

  “It seems that you have yourself another mystery. You and the Girlz.”

  “Oh, it’s not our mystery . . .”

  Gran made a rude sound. “I bet the four of you are already involved, aren’t you?”

  She couldn’t lie. “We might be checking into a few things.”

  Gran shook her head. “I know you like to help out, but if Owen’s death isn’t what we’d all like to believe—a simple case of accidental death by gas poisoning—then promise me you’ll be careful?”

  “Of course I will.”

  They were pulled up outside Gran’s cottage and Maddie walked with Gran to the door.

  “Something you want to discuss?”

  She nodded. “A comment that Nora made gave me chills.”

  “Nora? Sweetheart, no-one listens to Nora. She’d have us all jumping off cliffs like those lemmings that follow each other to their deaths if she had her way.”

  “That’s a fabricated story, and well you know it.”

  Gran snorted. “It doesn’t stop you from knowing what I mean. But, since it’s got you worried, what did she say?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “That I always know the victim.”

  “Sweetheart, it’s a small town. It would be surprising if you didn’t. Maybe everyone doesn’t know Owen, but they did know the other’s and they do know that you helped in both instances.”

  Gran could always make Maddie feel better and wasn’t that exactly what Mavis had said to Nora?

  Chapter Nine

  The cooking class went on as usual that night and the Girlz were in fine form. They were making chocolate truffles tonight and since they were chocoholics, especially Angel, the news about Owen couldn’t quite dampen their enthusiasm.

  Naturally it was harder for Maddie to push it from her mind, since she had seen him and they hadn’t. She filled their wine glasses, determined not to ruin the evening.

  “I heard that you’re opening up this class to others? Is this our last private class?” Angel asked.

  Maddie took a sip of her wine and looked at Laura who went almost as red as her hair which was an obvious giveaway.

  “Sorry about my big mouth. I only told these guys.” Laura promised.

  Maddie put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. Nothing’s been finalized yet and I did want to talk it over with all of you. The things is, my spare time is pretty limited. If I run two courses then I may never have any time to do other things.”

  “Like yoga?” Angel teased.

  Maddie had been talking about joining the Saturday morning group that met in the park just across the road form the bakery for so long it had become a source of amusement to the Girlz, who brought it up any chance they got.

  “Naturally, that was top of my list,” she replied straight-faced.

  “I imagine the sleuthing would eat into those hours too?” Suzy raised an eyebrow.

  “What sleuthing?” she feigned innocence.

  “Hah! You went with Ethan to the retirement village to scope the van and Owen’s movements, so don’t you deny it.”

  Maddie twirled her glass. “That’s not exactly how it was.”

  “Whatever the intention, my friend, you were doing some detective work out there.” Suzy pointed at her.

  She wasn’t about to tell them, and have to endure the ribbing, that it had been the precursor to a date that never eventuated. “I can’t help it if I seem to be in the right place when there’s a mystery.”

  “I’m not touching that s
tatement with a bargepole.” Suzy laughed.

  Angel nodded. “Be honest, sugar. You love all this broohaha.”

  “I wouldn’t say love, but, well . . . It is fascinating.” Maddie finished lamely.

  “Need any help?” Suzy asked.

  She frowned. “Help? With what?”

  “The murder investigation.”

  “Nobody said anything about a murder investigation.”

  Suzy snorted. “Not aloud. But any fool can see one and one does not equal two here.”

  Angel nearly spilt her wine and just managed to keep it upright. “How’s that?”

  Suzy put her own down and began to tick off her fingers. “Owen’s been in town on and off for several months. Each time he’s here he stays most of the day. His van is often parked outside Mom’s gallery. He goes in every time, browses and buys nothing.”

  “It’s not a cheap place to shop.” Laura said.

  “Maybe not, but wouldn’t he know that from the very first time?”

  Angel tutted. “There’s no harm in looking at pretty things, surely?”

  “No there isn’t, and I could be way off base, but he didn’t strike me as the type to like pretty things.”

  Angel frowned. “Suzy, I’m surprised at you. Any type of person can like the things in a Gallery. Even burly men.”

  Suzy nodded. “Usually, I would agree with you, but I met Owen several times when I was helping Mom at the gallery. He was clumsy and only interested in the paintings. The pricey paintings.”

  Maddie’s skin prickled, a sure sign that she was right about Owen not being who they all thought. “I hear an ‘and’ coming.”

  “And, he asked a lot of questions about the artists. He never wrote anything down, but seemed to be making mental notes by asking me to repeat things several times.

  “Has anything gone missing from the gallery?” Laura asked.

  “Not that I know of.”

  Maddie tapped her fingers on her thigh, which helped with an idea. “Could you ask your mom?”

  Suzy’s eyes widened. “Actually, because of his many visits, I did mention that it seemed odd. Mom agreed, but she liked Owen, and is quite upset about his passing. Maybe I could bring it up in a few days.”

  “Liked?” Angel queried. “In what way?”

  “Don’t be silly. Mom and Dad are as happy as ever.”

  Suzy sounded overly defensive about her parents, which wasn’t necessary as far as Maddie was concerned. They’d been married forty years and there had never been so much as a whiff of any scandal surrounding them. They occasionally bickered like all couples, but had never raised their voices around Maddie.

  Angel was contrite, if a little confused. “Oh, Sugar, I didn’t mean in a bad way. No, I meant she didn’t know him for long. It seems odd that she would be so upset.”

  “Working in a gallery in a small town can be a very lonely job. Some days there are very few customers and the artists are infrequent. They come in with a few works at time, which might be weeks, if not months, apart. Owen came in every week and they got chatting. Perhaps he was lonely.”

  Suzy was almost talking to herself, as if she was also looking for an explanation regarding the friendship that had clearly cropped up between Owen and Cora. An explanation that may or may not be the truth. Only Cora would know for sure.

  Maddie wanted to ease the worry for her friend. “He’d want to keep a low profile if he planned to steal anything, so that couldn’t have been why he was there.”

  Suzy gave her a small smile. “Do you have an idea why he was hanging around my mom?”

  Maddie tapped her thigh. “Nothing that makes any sense. Does she have any high profile artists on her books?”

  Suzy flicked her dark bob while she thought. Then her eyes lit up. “Yes. Nicholas Brack.”

  Laura gasped. “Seriously? He’s mega famous. Does he live in Maple Falls?”

  “He moved back here a year ago. His family owns a place out by the lake. Now, he’s the one who likes to keep a low profile.” Suzy put a hand to her mouth. “Gosh, I hope it’s not a secret.”

  Maddie shook her head. “I wouldn’t think so. Most people who admire his work and live locally would have seen him around, surely?”

  “I don’t have a clue who he is. Then again, art has never been my strong suit.” Angel acknowledged.

  Laura smiled. “I love his work, but I didn’t notice anything of his last time I was in.”

  “They go pretty fast, and Mom hasn’t had one of his for ages. Apparently, he only does commissions for private customers these days.”

  Maddie was busy taking mental notes when she had an idea. “Are you working at the gallery anytime soon, Suzy?”

  “Monday after school for a couple of hours while mom has an appointment. Why?”

  “Can we all come in and look about. It would save upsetting your mom any further.”

  Suzy shrugged. “I guess that would be okay, but I don’t know what you think you’ll find.”

  Angel pursed her lips. “Monday is my slow day. I’ll check my appointments and see if I can work around it.”

  “Perfect. Are you in, Laura?” Maddie asked.

  She grinned. “I’d like to come, but that would mean leaving Luke on his own for an hour or so?”

  Maddie slapped a hand to her forehead. Sometimes she forgot she had a bakery that wouldn’t run itself just because she was involved in a mystery.

  “I’ll ask him if he’d mind holding the fort, because I think it would be good if you did come. You’ll probably have a better idea of a good painting than any of us.”

  “Including me.” Suzy admitted. “Much to my mother’s horror. I’ve worked in the gallery for years and I still don’t get some of the work which mom says is so wonderful.”

  Laura titled her head. “Art is subjective. You might like something I wouldn’t and vice versa.”

  “Yes, but some of us have never been around much art in our lives.” Maddie explained.

  Suzy laughed. “As Laura implied it’s not usual to love something because of a price tag. At least I don’t.”

  “Well, we can chew on the lack of appreciation all night, but I think we should get back to baking.” Maddie stood and handed them their aprons.

  The Girlz were getting much better at following the instructions and Maddie had deliberately chosen something not too hard as well as something she had plenty of ingredients for, since her stocks were getting low.

  With the recipe complete, Angel, Suzy, Laura, and Maddie sat at the counter rolling their truffles in chocolate or coconut. Angel did some in both.

  These hadn’t required baking which was a nice change. Maddie’s pride and joy, other then Honey, had a glass front and stood 5’ high. It could handle many trays at a time, which was a good thing if Maddie was to open up this freebie cooking class to paying customers.

  “So, when do you think our last class together will be?”

  Maddie laughed at Angel hitting on exactly what was going through her mind. “Don’t be dramatic. We’ll still be together, but there will be a few others here too.”

  Her eyes widened. “You mean we can come too?”

  “Only if you want to,” Maddie teased.

  “Of course we want to, don’t we?” Suzy asked the others.

  “Will it be the same do you think? I don’t begrudge the newbies, but I will miss this time when it’s just us.” Angel’s mouth quivered.

  Maddie put an arm around her. “I know, but the aim is by not having another class the four of us would have time to do other things, which could be together or something on our own, that we’ve wanted to do for a while.” She was thinking about Ethan, but Angel was fortunately focused on the four of them.

  “I like the sound of that. What kind of things?”

  “I’m not sure. How about dancing lessons?” Maddie wasn’t sure if she wanted to, but had to throw something into the mix since it was her suggestion.

  Laura gave them a shy sm
ile. “Swimming lessons?”

  Angel frowned. “We can all swim. With the lake on our doorstep we had to learn at school.”

  “Yes, I did too, but the new coach at the country club is quite a hunk.”

  “Laura!” Angel spluttered over her wine.

  She shrugged. “I’m just saying. A little eye candy while we’re there wouldn’t hurt.”

  “I thought you had your sights set on Deputy Jacobs?” Angel had a mischievous smile.

  “I have no idea what you mean.” Laura’s cheeks began to rival her hair.

  Maddie snorted, trying to keep a straight face, but when Angel and Suzy laughed she lost the battle. Laura was so straight-laced at times, that talking about a hunk in any capacity was a treat. It was a shame that this new insight into her personality had back-fired and Angel was like a dog with a bone.

  “When he said he was taking those puppies home after the blackmail and petnapping incident, you two were inseparable and have been giving each other puppy eyes ever since.”

  Laura’s mouth gaped for a moment. “That’s plain crazy. I was naturally glad the puppies had a new home and would be looked after. Rob seemed to be the best solution and naturally I like to know how they’re doing.”

  Angel grinned. “Rob? Not Deputy Jacobs? Well, Rob is cute, fit, loves animals and has the hots for you. What else do you need?”

  Maddie imagined that Angel and Laura had had this conversation more than once since, embarrassed though Laura was, she also had a shy smile that flickered in and out as she tried to be outraged.

  “If I knew that, life would be good deal easier. How about I’ll let you know when I decide? Right now I’m happy just learning to bake.”

  “And help Maddie solve crimes.” Angel winked.

  “Do we know that it is a crime?” Laura argued.

  Maddie grimaced. “Whether a crime has been committed or not has yet to be determined, but Owen did not kill himself. That much I am sure of.” She could have kicked herself for mentioning it again, but the Girlz were happy to rehash the events without being morbid.

  The wine may have helped.

  Chapter Ten