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

by Nancy McGovern

  “Huh?”

  Laura nodded at the scanner. “We’re going to be staying here all night at this rate.”

  “Oh ha ha. Just wait five minutes and we’ll be done. There’s nothing wrong with waiting for a bit.”

  Laura grinned. “You know who you sound just like? Your Grandma Bessie.”

  “Well, there’s worse people in the world to sound like.” Even though Grandma Bessie could be crotchety and irritable, she was principled and hardworking and loyal, too. “See? She’s done now.” She then nudged Laura and put on her best Grandma Bessie impression. “So you can quit your whining, kiddo, and get pushing that cart.

  “Aah!” Laura said. “That’s uncanny. Yes, ma’am.”

  Faith took the change and said, “Thank you,” to the cashier.

  It was only when they were unloading bags into the van that Faith remembered what she’d promised Coral. “Hey, Laura, I need to tell Tyler about the cat. You know, about my seeing Tara taking it.”

  “I’m not calling him, if you’re going to ask,” Laura said.

  “I was just going to ask you for his personal cell number.” Faith frowned. “But why? Everything okay?”

  “I’ve just been thinking about what you said. I think you’re actually right. He’s not very nice. I mean, I do think he means well. And he tries to be good at his job and do the right thing and be responsible. I like all of that. But he can be very abrupt. Rude. Arrogant. And he tried to throw you in jail. Really that last one should have struck him off my list. I don’t really know what I was thinking.”

  Faith felt bad then. “Oh, man. I feel like I’m getting in the way of what you want. I didn’t mean—”

  “No, it’s all right,” Laura said, her voice strong. “I’m not just doing what you say or anything. You just made me think, is all. He is a good guy, and responsible, but he has a lot of flaws. I know everyone has flaws.” She grinned, then pretended to fluff up her hair. “Even me, wonderful, gorgeous, talented me.” Then she was serious again. “But… well, I’m not convinced he’d be good for me. I felt like… I was slipping away from you. From us. From Nathan. From us being happy and working well together. Looking back, I feel like… well, I feel like I wasn’t really being myself.”

  Faith felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart area, that once she’d only thought you could get from nice movies and fluffy kittens, and people enjoying your baking. “Well, I’m glad you feel more like yourself now.”

  “Yep,” Laura said happily. She held up a bag of cleaning supplies they’d brought to clean up the Triggs’ kitchen after the party and smiled widely. “I wasn’t even enjoying cleaning as much as I used to.”

  Faith gasped in mock horror. “Duh-duh-duh-duh!” she sang dramatically. “Whatever will we do?”

  “Well, it’s not like you’d pick up the slack, is it, Miss Pigsty?” Laura wiggled her eyebrows with a cheeky look.

  “Hey, that’s not fair! You wanna call names? Okay, then, Miss Clean-The-Chair-Before-You-Sit-Down.” Faith began to laugh.

  “Pfft,” Laura said. “Is that the best you can do, Miss Leave-A-Bowl-In-The-Sink-To-Soak-Overnight?”

  “Everybody does that!” Faith protested. “But not everybody actually wipes down their vacuum cleaner with antiseptic wipes after every use.”

  Laura nodded decisively. “Well, they should.”

  “Oh, brother.”

  “Well, we’re done unpacking,” Laura said, maneuvering the cart back to the cart bay. She stuck her tongue out over her shoulder. “Love ya, mucky pup.”

  “Love ya, clean freak.”

  *****

  Chapter 17

  Everything was set, and the spread looked magnificent.

  Platters of sophisticated French baguette pizzas with anchovies and olives and fresh tomatoes sat alongside the quiches, their upper class mozzarella-prosciutto skewers, and so many other delicious dishes.

  But the teetering cookie stacks and the pies and cakes and puddings were Faith’s firm favorites.

  Faith took it all in with a huge smile. “Well, looks like we can go enjoy the show.”

  “Enjoy?” Laura said, incredulous. “What I’d like to know is where Nathan’s got to.” They’d all driven up in the van together to bring the food, but then he’d turned back to go and get some of the plant arrangements that wouldn’t fit in. He’d been gone for ages.

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll get it all done in time,” Faith said breezily. “No one will even notice. Just chill. You’re all wound up.”

  Laura flopped down on one of the stools at the kitchen island. “You’re right. I’ll try and relax.”

  “Why don’t we start handing out canapés now?” Faith suggested. “Since Graeme and Danica have ordered all the mini cheesecakes in the existence of the world, it would only make sense we try shift some of them.”

  Laura smiled. “Sounds like a plan. Aaand… since we’re trying to so desperately get rid of them, I think I could offer my services.” Then she picked up a mini cheesecake and popped it in her mouth. “Mmm.”

  Faith giggled. “Well, if you’re going to bully me into joining you…” She followed suit, taking one of the perfectly bitesize cheesecakes and savoring every last bit of creamy caramel apple flavor. “Aah.”

  Just as they were walking out, their platters to the ready, Yale came in, dressed in some Olde Tyme gear.

  “Oops!” Laura said, just about avoiding him.

  “Well, I do ask for your forgiveness, sweet damsel,” he said, making a ridiculous flourishing bow.

  Laura gave a neat little curtsey, laughing at him. “Well, I shall deign to forgive you, good sir.”

  “And I shall projectile vomit over the balcony,” Faith said in a hoity-toity voice, until they all laughed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t even say that. I like you two together.”

  Laura blushed. “Faith!”

  It seemed Yale’s costume and all the fun of the day made him bold. He turned to Laura and said, “Well, Faith likes us together. I like us together. Do you like us together?”

  Laura looked shy, then her eyes tracked over to Faith.

  Faith knew when she was a third wheel. “Coming through with canapés!” she said with a smile, pushing past them to get outside. She really was happy for them. They seemed like such a great match.

  Out on the lawn, everything looked spectacular. That morning a group of men with a huge truck had come and set up the staging area, even bringing in a painted set for the background. They were putting on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the set was a gorgeously painted backdrop of woodland. Faith vaguely remembered doing a scene or two from the play in drama class in high school, but couldn’t recall much.

  Plenty of chairs had been brought in, too. Not those horrible plastic folding ones, but proper chairs with arms and soft padding, so people would be comfortable throughout. Nathan had placed a few plants around the perimeter of the lawn in the last few days, but he was meant to come and put potted trees and palms along the edges of the seating area, and some on the stage for the forest.

  To the side was the open marquee, where Faith and Laura would carry the food out to once it was intermission. That was when the main meal was to be had. Before then it was champagne and plenty of canapés. People milled about in fine summer evening clothes, or dressed up to the hilt in their Shakespearean costumes.

  Faith spotted Krystle with her husband Greg and two teen sons, all of them in crisp pale linen. Krystle wore a gorgeous pale blue linen gown that grazed her ankles, patent cream ballet shoes – heels were not allowed on the lawn, Danica had stressed - and a simple gold bracelet to finish the look.

  Faith thought she looked wonderful, and wished she herself had chosen a more understated dress. Hers was flashing like flames of fire, red, with a bright orange Aztec pattern leaping up and down as it crossed the fabric. Everyone else seemed to have picked pastels and she felt a little out of place.

  “Hey,” Faith said, going over to them. “Hi, Greg.”

 
“Hi there, Faith,” Greg said.

  Faith looked at the two sons, racking her brain for their names. “And… Sam, and Leyton, right?”

  The teen boys looked a bit awkward, and just nodded and murmured.

  “Yep, you got it right!” Krystle said, giving Faith a hug. “You look gorgeous, as always.”

  “Oh, I was just thinking how amazing you looked!” Faith said. “Anybody want a mini cheesecake?”

  “Ooh, boys, you’ll love these,” Krystle said. “These are the ones we had at the boat party, right?”

  Faith grinned. “The very same.”

  Tara swept past, wearing a long, flowing green dress and dark glasses, her hair scraped back into an elegant chignon. “Oh, I wouldn’t bother, then.”

  Faith rolled her eyes and ignored. She’d gotten good at ignoring bullies in high school. Yeah, yeah, she said in her head. Keep on walking.

  Faith circled among the guests, Molly Pilgrim among them. There was a bit of awkward tension when they first saw each other, but soon Molly took a couple of cheesecake bites and smiled. “These look really good, Faith. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Faith said, moving onto the next group of champagne-clinking attendees, feeling somewhat distracted.

  She’d promised herself that at the party she’d let her hair down and enjoy herself. No thinking about the murders and agonizing who could have committed them. But the first thing she’d thought when Tara swept by was, Could she be the killer? And the same thing popped into her head when she saw Molly. To even things out and make sure she wasn’t missing anything, she forced herself to think that about Krystle, too, even though it felt ridiculous. And Graeme, of course.

  Faith scanned the crowd, but she couldn’t see him. Danica was arguing with Tara about her high heels ruining the lawn, but Graeme was nowhere to be found.

  “Boo!” Laura said, jolting Faith from behind.

  “Ah!” Faith cried out, terrified, then had to do some pretty nifty handwork to save the platter from falling down. “You crazy woman!”

  “Oops, I’d forgotten you were holding that!” Laura said, then slapped herself on the head. “Sorry. And I’ve forgotten mine, too. One sec.” She ran back into the Trigg mansion, leaving Yale by Faith’s side.

  “Think she’s just happy,” he said, looking pleased with himself as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

  Faith smiled. “You’re probably right. Want a cheesecake?”

  He grinned back. “I had four inside.”

  “A fan like your dad, huh?” Faith said. “Where is your dad, anyways?”

  “Not sure,” Yale said. “Probably giving Julian a painkiller. That poor horse.” He shook his head. “He’s got some internal problem we can’t figure out. Dr. Asante could have done it, but…”

  “But he’s not here to,” Faith said. She hung back, looking over all the guests. “Do you really think Molly could have done it?”

  He shrugged. “Right now, I have no idea.”

  “Me neither.” If she was forced to pick right then, she think she would choose Tara as her prime suspect. Not only had she stolen the cat, but she’d lied about it. Plus, she seemed downright psychotic. Her motive for murdering Becky could have been about column inches, and Faith wouldn’t have been at all surprised. But when Faith had called Deputy Valdez to let him know she’d seen her sneaking around the veterinary practice, he hadn’t been the least bit interested. “I’ll look into it,” he’d said in a bored monotone that she knew meant he wasn’t going to spend a second’s thought on the matter. It was so frustrating dealing with him.

  Laura came back holding her platter, her face flushed. “I’m back,” she announced.

  Yale surprised them all by planting a huge kiss on her cheek. “See you, babe,” he said. “I have to go sort all my props out.”

  Faith found herself giggling as he left. She nudged Laura. “So…?”

  Laura was trying not to smile, but the edges of her lips kept turning up, no matter how much she tried to stop them, and her eyes were bright as stars. “So what?”

  “Do I feel luuuuurve in the air?”

  “Oh, please,” Laura said, looking away and trying to be serious. “Don’t be so immature, Faith.”

  Faith laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

  Laura stuck her chin in the air. “It’s early days. Don’t make more of it than it is.”

  “Yeah?” Faith said, watching her with a smile, knowing what was about to happen. If only she waited long enough…

  And then it happened.

  Laura’s calm demeanor shattered, and she squealed, looking like she was about to burst with excitement. “Yee hee!”

  “That was one loud kiss,” Faith said with a grin. “I think someone likes you a lot. A heck of a lot.”

  “Ahh,” Laura said, shaking her head, her face alive with happiness. “Ahh.”

  Just then Graeme came up to them from in the direction of the stables. “Look at that! It’s like I wished for my favorite food, and then it appeared out of thin air. Thank you, girls.” He stacked five cheesecakes one on top of another. “I’ll have to go hurry and put my costume on.”

  “Is your Julian all right?” Faith asked.

  Graeme froze. “Yes…? Who told you about that?”

  “Oh, well, Yale just mentioned he wasn’t feeling so well.”

  “That boy,” Graeme blustered. “So overdramatic. Horses are tougher than he thinks they are. A tiny little graze on his Glacier, he’s calling a veterinarian over. I’m not calling someone out just for a bit of pain. We’ll ride it out, see how it goes.”

  “Right,” Faith said. “It’s good you can administer painkillers here, as well. That way I guess you don’t have to rush off to the veterinarian every time.”

  Graeme’s brow furrowed. He looked genuinely confused. “We don’t do painkillers here. Yale told you that again?”

  Faith nodded, also getting more confused by the minute.

  “That boy.” Graeme shook his head. Then he looked over, as Danica was angrily pointing toward the house. “Sorry, ladies, I really have to go.”

  “Ugh,” Laura said once he was gone. All the joy was gone from her face. “I knew I couldn’t trust that Yale. Look, already he’s lying to us.”

  Faith watched Graeme’s tall figure throw a long shadow on the lawn as he hurried back into the mansion. “Maybe. At least, one of them is.”

  *****

  Chapter 18

  It didn’t take long for all the mini apple caramel cheesecakes to disappear. They were a huge hit, and Faith couldn’t resist taking one here and there herself.

  It was when she returned to the enormous kitchen in the Trigg mansion that she heard the final piece of evidence that made everything click into place.

  “Yes, I am the legal owner,” Faith heard Tara snap. Faith froze, listening outside the kitchen, careful not to make a single sound.

  No one replied, so it was obvious Tara was on the phone.

  “My name is Becky Harris,” Tara said. “I can show you all the documents, don’t worry. I will drive across to your home so you can view him... Hey, don’t worry, South Carolina isn’t exactly far. It’s much better that you see the cat in your own home. To be sure that everything is suitable.”

  Now Faith was sure, without a shadow of a doubt. Tara had wanted to get her paws on that expensive cat all along. So she killed Becky first, then Dr. Asante. She had been clever, making the first a possible accident, and the second a possible suicide. Clever enough to fool Deputy Valdez.

  A rage rose up in Faith then, thinking about the innocent people who had to die for her greed. Her heart especially burned for Dr. Asante, who seemed a kind, dedicated man and veterinarian. She burst into the kitchen, holding the empty platter above her head. “You!” she spat with fury.

  Tara dropped the iPhone, which was attached to a charger, on the counter, and gasped with fright. But she was quick off the mark, lunging toward a knife block and grabbing the lar
gest she could get her hands on. It slid out of the block with a sching sound that made Faith’s blood run cold. If Tara had been prepared to kill Becky and Dr. Asante, surely she wouldn’t let Faith stand in her way, either.

  “I can’t believe you did this,” Faith said. She actually felt her heart ache. She lowered the platter down to cover her chest, ready to use it as a shield in case Tara lunged at her. “How could you be so cruel?”

  “Oh, get off your high horse,” Tara spat at her. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same.”

  Faith shook her head. “You’re absolutely despicable. Disgusting.”

  “So what? I’ll be rich.”

  “No, you won’t,” Faith said hotly. “You’ll be broke and ruined and locked up in jail where you belong.”

  “Is that a fact?” Tara danced toward her, the knife in hand.

  Faith dodged back, and Tara laughed, enjoying the power she had.

  “Come on, Graeme!” a woman shouted angrily. “You’re taking forever!” The voice – which Faith quickly realized was Danica’s – got louder every second, and soon she was standing in the kitchen. “Oh, hello, Faith. Tara.” It was then she saw the knife. “Oh my gosh!”

  Tara whipped around. “Don’t move!” she hollered at Danica.

  Danica put her hands up, like it was a gun, not a knife, pointed at her.

  But Faith was just as quick off the mark as Tara had been. Quick enough to seize her chance. She brought the platter down as hard as she could over Tara’s head.

  “Aaah!” Tara screamed. She dropped to the floor and the knife fell out of her hand. Faith kicked it away.

  But Tara wasn’t badly hurt, and within a moment was getting up again.

  Then Danica launched herself right at Tara, pushing her back on the ground. Tara was stick thin, and Danica was a hefty lady, so it was extremely successful. Danica got comfortable, sitting right on top of Tara. Tara flailed and screamed and hit and kicked but Danica held her down like she was nothing but a toddler having a tantrum. “Oh no you don’t,” she said firmly.

  Faith fished her flip phone out of her sundress pocket and was soon on the phone to the Sheriff’s Department. “Come quickly!” Faith said. “We’ve caught the killer and subdued her, but she’s dangerous!” They promised her they’d make their way to the scene instantly, but Faith didn’t allow herself a single moment of relief. Tara was still kicking up a storm, and though Danica was handling it well, Faith wasn’t sure which one would outlast the other.