The Cheesecake Fake: A Culinary Cozy Mystery Set In Sunny Florida (Slice of Paradise Cozy Mysteries Book 2)

by Nancy McGovern

  Molly gave her a tight lipped smile. “I have to go teach basketball now. Oh, and the food was good, if you actually do care about that.” She opened the door and gestured for Faith to walk out.

  “Thanks,” said Faith. “Sorry to come and trouble you on a school day.”

  “It’s fine.” Molly didn’t sound like she meant it.

  Yale was nowhere to be seen, so Faith went back to the reception desk, signed out, and returned her pass.

  *****

  “Ugh,” Krystle said, taking the handwritten recipe from Faith and placing it in one of the trays on her immaculately neat desk. They weren’t just any ordinary plastic trays, of course. They were in a sleek silver design, with light gray gauze stretching between them and looking effortlessly chic and modern. “You know I don’t even read your recipe column anymore, Faith. I have to get one of my staff to type it up for me. Mini chocolate pudding cups with glazed orange slices. Are you trying to kill me with decadence?”

  Faith laughed. “Well, you asked for sweets and chocolate, so that’s what you’re getting. Besides, there’s orange slices so that gives it some semblance of healthy.”

  “Ha!” Krystle said. “We can pretend that’s true, if you like. I have to watch every calorie I eat, Faith. After that pecan pie slice I had only salad and lean meat for days. How do you and Laura stay so slim, running that place? Full of cakes and pies and brownies and… oh gosh, I’m making myself hungry now.”

  “We go jogging, actually,” Faith said. “Before we start work, we sometimes jog around the park. Maybe three times a week, I guess. Our apartments are like two minutes away, so we can head home and shower before starting work.”

  Krystle nodded. “That sounds nice. Much nicer to run through all those tropical gardens instead of being cooped up in a gym.”

  “You bet,” Faith said. “Even when I was in Minnesota, I didn’t go to the gym. I’d rather be out in the real world. Otherwise I just can’t get motivated.”

  Krystle tapped her fingers on the desk, seemingly agitated. “I have one of those crosstrainer things in my house. I bought it after watching an infomercial. You know the ones, with tanned, toned 20-somethings pushing with ease and looking all ripped. And then I try it and feel like a sweating pig, out of breath within five seconds.”

  “But you’re slim!”

  “Slim, because I have very good control over what I eat,” Krystle said. “But not fit. I’d rather exercise and eat more, but I just can’t seem to get the hang of it.”

  Faith smiled. “You should come jogging with us one time. It’s real fun when you’re doing it together.”

  “Maybe when this Shakespeare open air event is done and my post-play feature’s printed. How are you guys getting on? I saw your snazzy new van.”

  Faith spluttered. “Snazzy? I don’t think so. But she does the job. And everything’s going real well. Obviously tomorrow we have to get all the supplies and make all the preparations, so it’s going to be manic. But we’ll still have loads to do on the day as well.”

  Krystle nodded. “Sounds good. Do a great job, if you can. I mean, Graeme’s already got a lot of clout in the community, but if he becomes mayor it will be even better. If you’re in his good books, he could really take you places.”

  “Well, we’re hoping everyone’s going to love it,” Faith said. “There sure are a lot of people to feed though, huh? Although I swear half the guests are his own family!”

  “Haha!” Krystle said. “Yes, he’s quite the patriarch.”

  “I would have thought Danica’s the matriarch.”

  “That’s true. All right, they’re… co-archial,” Krystle said with a laugh. “You should see them all in church on Sundays. Rows and rows and rows of ‘em. The Trigg clan. I honestly don’t know how Graeme does as much as he does. And Danica, too, cooking for them all. A lot of the grown up children still live on the grounds, in various houses. Some even in the main house. It’s just… different, I guess.”

  Faith smiled. “They’ve got a lot of energy, I’ll give them that. And they’re ready and willing to put on a huge open air production and party. Amazing.”

  “They’re good at acting, too,” Krystle said. “Graeme and all the kids.”

  “Does Yale act?” Faith asked. “He’s the only one I’ve met.”

  “Absolutely! He did an awesome Tybalt the other year. I’d say he’s one of the best. If not the best, out of the whole bunch.”

  A sharp knock sounded on Krystle’s door. By the time she’d opened her mouth to say, “Come in,” it had already been pushed open roughly.

  It was Tara.

  Faith thought quickly, and seized her moment. “Oh hi, Tara,” she said in a friendly tone. “I’m really sorry about what happened the other day. Is your cat all right, by the way?”

  Tara, as Faith had hoped, was too stunned for words. She froze to the spot, like she had been slapped in the face. Then her brow furrowed. “Yes, my cat is fine, thank you for asking.”

  “I didn’t know you had a cat, Tara,” Krystle said. “I wouldn’t have thought you were a cat person.”

  “Well, yes, I do.” Tara was wearing a white linen jacket and she tugged on it, looking uncomfortable. “And she’s absolutely fine. There’s nothing to worry about, so I’d appreciate if we all stopped talking about it.”

  But Faith wasn’t going to give up that easily. “I was just concerned because I figured it was an emergency.”

  “Why would you think that?” Tara said, tapping her heel on the floor over and over again.

  “Why else would you be at the veterinary clinic that late in the evening?” Faith asked innocently.

  Tara clicked her tongue. “Look, you’re obviously quite a strange person, Faith. I don’t really have time for this.” She looked pointedly at Krystle. “She’s probably just trying to divert the attention away from the horrible review I’m being forced to give her.”

  Krystle shook her head. “Now, Tara, I already told you—”

  “Look, I’m just here to confirm the word count since I happened to be passing,” Tara said. “I don’t have time to stay around and chat. Now, I shall of course have my usual 500 words. Then Becky’s 1000 words will be added to it, and I shall have 1500. Is that correct?”

  “Er, no,” Krystle said, looking uncomfortable. “Actually, I’ve given the 1000 to a young landscaper. Faith’s friend, Nathan. He’s going to write about gardening and outdoor DIY projects.”

  Tara folded her hands across her chest. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Well, actually,” Krystle said firmly, “a lot of people like to fix up their garden around here, so I think it makes a lot of sense. Probably more sense than a fashion column ever did, in all honesty.”

  Tara’s face had gone eerily pale, and Faith noticed her hands were actually shaking. For a moment, Faith felt a wave of compassion and sympathy washing over her. How horrible it must be to be Tara. She seemed to take everything so personally, and suffer from so much stress along with it. “No,” Tara said. “That’s not fair, Krystle. You know it isn’t. You told me that I would be in line for her word count. You gave me your word.”

  Krystle looked bemused. “When?”

  “Don’t pretend like you don’t remember,” Tara said. “You said you were thinking of getting rid of her, and I asked if I would get her column inches and you said quite possibly. Quite possibly, that’s what you said.”

  Krystle shook her head. “I apologize if I made you think you were getting her word count, Tara, but it was just a throwaway remark. I think I was even tipsy at the time. It was when we had champagne here, wasn’t it? For our 1,000th paper published.”

  Tara stared at her, stony faced.

  “Come on, Tara,” Krystle said, softening her voice. “500 words is plenty. Really it is. And I can’t let you write a bad review about Faith’s place.”

  Tara was really shaking now, so much so that her hand was making her purse vibrate. “It’s wonderful to see how much my con
tribution is valued. I don’t think you understand, Krystle. I sacrificed so much for this paper. I could have had a wonderful, thriving career in New York, being paid big bucks to critique the finest eateries in the Big Apple. I could. But instead, I chose, out of the goodness of my heart, to stay here, and serve my hometown. So I have had to take on humble work as a piano teacher, and a less glamorous lifestyle.” She spoke very dramatically, like she was in a play. “And this is how you repay me?”

  “I think you need to go now,” Krystle said gently. “You can write an overall positive review about Faith’s place, or you can pick somewhere else to write about. But we need positive, encouraging reviews. The last few months yours have been getting very negative. Positive, all right? 500 words. I need it within a couple days.”

  “I’m afraid you’ll just have to suffer without.” Tara then stalked out. Faith heard her burst into tears through the door as it closed.

  Krystle sank down in her office chair, putting her head in her hands. “Give me strength.”

  “Whoah,” Faith said. “Why is she taking it so personally? I mean, not to be rude, but it’s just a newspaper. It’s not life or death.”

  Krystle sighed. “It isn’t rude, it’s true. It’s just a darned newspaper. And so much drama for it. They don’t pay me enough, either. Not to make it worth my evenings and weekends, which always somehow fill up with work.”

  Faith sat down. “Why don’t you quit?” she said. “Do something else.”

  Krystle slumped down on her arm. “I just might, you know, Faith. I just might.”

  *****

  Chapter 16

  Laura flung a bumper pack of cream cheese in the shopping cart. They were at the largest bulk store in the state, which conveniently happened to be less than an hour’s drive from Paradise Point. And with their Chevy van, they were under no pressure to skimp on food to pack it in a car, or rushed for time while a driver waited for them.

  “So you really think Molly did it?” Laura asked.

  Faith picked out some good quality cream. “You know, I can’t work it out. Tell you what, let’s start from the beginning.”

  “Okay,” Laura said, sounding enthusiastic.

  Faith smiled, realizing how much she’d missed their closeness. Since she’d gotten the whole Deputy Valdez issue off her chest, she felt much more open and free around Laura.

  “So back on the boat,” Faith said. “Who pushed Becky? We’ve ruled out the driver of the boat, and you and me. Graeme could have done it, but I can’t see a motive.”

  “Maybe… he and Becky were having an affair, and she’d threatened to tell his wife?” Laura suggested.

  Faith laughed. “Ew. He’s old enough to be her father.”

  “Sometimes age gap relationships work,” Laura said. “My cousin’s husband is 30 years older than her, and they’re all loved up. You never know.”

  “Really?”

  Laura nodded, as she took a few packets of mozzarella from the refrigerated section. “Yep.”

  “Wow.”

  “And he hasn’t even got money, before you ask,” Laura said, “so she’s no gold digger. Anyways, who’s next?”

  “Well, Krystle, I guess,” Faith said. “But what would her reason be?”

  “Maybe… she wanted Becky to leave the paper but Becky wouldn’t go?”

  “Nah, I don’t think so,” Faith said. “Krystle seems to have a sensible grasp on the value of the paper. Who doesn’t is Tara. She was going crazy at not being given Becky’s extra words.”

  “It’s gotta be her!” Laura said. “Think about it, like we said before. She wants that expensive cat.”

  “Ooh, yes, and she said she had sacrificed a glamorous life to stay and do the column, and she had a beat up old car. So we know she doesn’t have money, but wants it.”

  “See?” Laura said, like the case could be immediately closed. “So she locks her sight on this crazily expensive cat. Wants to get her hands on it. So she kills Becky first, by hitting her on the back of the head and pushing her off the boat.”

  “Okay…” Faith said. She was trying to find any little errors in the theory, not to prove Laura wrong, but to make sure they weren’t kidding themselves.

  “Then she bides her time before killing Dr. Asante. She uses a needle and some of the medicine he uses in his practice to kill him, making it look like it could have been suicide. One accident, one suicide. That’s what Tyler… I mean, Deputy Valdez, thinks.”

  “So she’s fooled him,” Faith said. “But how did she know which medicine to use? I wouldn’t have the first clue.”

  Laura grinned. “Aha, but not everyone’s stuck in the 90s like you, with a brick of a flip phone. Everyone’s got internet on their phones these days. She could have just looked it up.”

  “True. But then how did she get access?” Then she gasped. “What about Molly, huh? Since she dated Dr. Asante for three years, she’d surely know where everything was kept, and how to get in there. Maybe she really does still love him secretly. She killed Becky to get her out of the way. Then she… she told Dr. Asante she still loved him, but he was going to report her. That’s when she killed him.”

  Laura had been picking through margarine tubs, but her hand froze. “You’re brilliant, Faith. I think that one makes the most sense.”

  “You know, I think I should call the receptionist at Dr. Asante’s,” Faith said. “She could tell us if Molly ever came in there, or who else has access, something like that.”

  “Good idea,” Laura said. “Why don’t you do that now? I’ll keep going with this.” She took control of the massive trolley with some difficulty and began to maneuver it down the vegetable and fruit aisle.

  Faith got her brick flip phone and called the veterinary surgery. It was answered after many rings by the frazzled-sounding receptionist who said, before Faith could even say hello, “I’m afraid we cannot accept any appointments right now. We hope to have a new veterinarian placed here soon, but until then—”

  “Coral?” Faith said, remembering the unusual name from the receptionist’s name tag.

  “Um, hi?”

  “It’s Faith. Do you remember, I have the little kitten called Nimbus, who had a—”

  “Faith!” Coral said. “I’ve been looking all over for your number!”

  “You… you have?”

  “I wanted to tell you something,” said Coral. “I probably should have told you ages ago, but I figured it wasn’t important. And with… well, with everything that happened, I forgot.”

  “What is it?” Faith asked.

  “Oh, well, the day that Dr. Asante… well, the day of the incident, he gave me a medicine package to put in the safe at the front. Sometimes we do that for certain customers. I can be quite a scatterbrain when it comes to looking all through the different medicines in the store room. There are just too many of them. So he made up a bag for you and put it in there that afternoon. He said he would take it home with him in the evening so he could give it to you the next morning.”

  “Oh?” Faith said. This was beginning to sound interesting. “Any idea what it was? Something to do with… you know… what happened?”

  “Oh no!” Coral said quickly. “Nothing like that. Just medicine for your cat. He said he’d taken a look over the checkup papers and your cat needed extra supplements or something. Nothing urgent, but he said he wanted to take it to you personally so he could visit your tearoom. He was under a lot of stress. I think he just wanted to get out in Paradise Point and stop thinking of everything.”

  Faith was bitterly disappointed. “So it’s just medicine?”

  “Yes,” Coral said. “Oh, I just remembered. You write -a column for the paper, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  “I was wondering how I get to run a notice. It’s just that… well, one of the pets has been stolen.”

  Aha. “A very expensive cat, that once belonged to Becky Harris?”

  “Y…yes. How do you know that?”

>   “I think I know who did it,” Faith said. “I was passing that night, and saw someone come out with a basket.”

  “Oh my gosh, who? No, actually, don’t tell me. This place is scary enough as it is. But you’ll tell the Deputy Sheriff, won’t you?”

  Faith looked forward to another joyous call with Tyler. “All right.”

  “So when will you come and get the medicine for your cat?”

  Faith checked her watch. “Well, I’m out of town now, but I think I’ll be getting back around 6.30pm. Is that too late?”

  “Um, yeah, I’ll be gone by 5. What about tomorrow?”

  “I can’t,” Faith said. “I’m catering a party. You’re closed on Sunday, right?”

  “Yes,” Coral said. “Do you want to come on Monday? We’re open from 8am to 5pm.”

  Faith made a mental note. “Sure. Thanks, Coral. I’ll make sure to ring the Deputy now and tell him about who I saw taking the cat.”

  “Thanks, Faith,” Coral said. “See you Monday.”

  “Oh, just one more thing!”

  “Yep?”

  “You know Molly Pilgrim?” Faith asked. “She used to date Dr. Asante.”

  “Nope, can’t say I do.”

  “All right, no worries. See you Monday, Coral.”

  “Bye then.”

  “Bye.”

  *****

  “I can’t even look,” Laura said, turning her head away from the register.

  “That’ll be $3,204.98,” the cashier said.

  Faith whipped out the money without a flinch. Danica had given her plenty more, as champagne and wine was to be included, too, and they only wanted the best.

  “That’s more than our van!” Laura muttered, nudging Faith.

  “Be cool,” Faith whispered back. “They’ll think you’re dodgy. It’s bad enough paying in cash.”

  The cashier seemed to agree with Faith, because she scanned every single $100 note under a special fraud detection scanner.

  “Got your toothbrush, Faith?” Laura said.