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

by Nancy McGovern

  “What in the world…?” Graeme appeared at the doorway, dressed up in his Shakespearean gear.

  Danica lifted herself, then sat down heavily on Tara again. “This woman was trying to attack Faith with a kitchen knife. Then she turned on me!”

  “She’s the killer,” Faith blurted out. “I found her out, trying to sell Becky’s cat and pretending she was Becky. She hit Becky over the head and pushed her over the side of the boat. Then she killed Dr. Asante by injecting him.”

  “I did not!” Tara screamed.

  “It’s too late for your lies,” Faith said. “Just give it up, Tara.”

  Laura and Yale arrived at the back doorway that led onto the garden, the same entrance Faith had come through.

  Laura gasped and looked at Faith. “Is she…?”

  Faith nodded, but reality was becoming tighter and tighter, like it was closing a box in around her. She knew what that meant, and as more guests ran over to see what the commotion was, it only got worse. Even Nathan running up, the Chevy keys still in hand, did nothing to calm her fear.

  “Please,” she said, pushing her way through. “Please. Please.” That was all she could say. She felt, deep within herself, that she needed to be in a place where no people were. Where she could breathe, and calm down, and not have anyone stare or fuss over her.

  Curse you, panic attacks!

  But she knew within a matter of seconds, she wouldn’t even have the luxury of thinking that. It felt impossible not to fall into that deep dark hole of total, absolute dread. So often she forgot she was having a panic attack. The whole thing felt so severe, it couldn’t just be a panic attack. This one had to be the real deal, her fearful brain told her. This one would be the one when she was actually going to die.

  Every. Single. Time.

  Faith was running across the lawn in a panic, looking this way and that, trying to find a space where she could be alone. But in her blind frenzy, she could barely even register what she was looking at.

  She screamed when an arm closed around her shoulders.

  “It’s just me,” Laura said soothingly. “Come on.”

  Faith’s breaths were already becoming labored and difficult. It felt like she was trying to suck her air supply up through a tiny little straw. A blocked tiny little straw. But she let herself be led, and soon she and Laura were around the back of the mansion, in a shady area under some large oak trees.

  It’s just a panic attack, she told herself, like she always tried to remember to do. It took a great deal of effort to not listen to that sneaking, slithering voice in her head that said, It’s not just a panic attack. You’re going to die. Today.

  “No!” Faith said out loud.

  “Hey,” Laura said, sounding concerned. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No. It’s okay.” Faith started pacing back and forth. Somehow it helped her feel like she was gaining some control back. It’s just a panic attack, just a panic attack. That’s all.

  It was then that Faith’s phone started ringing. “It’s probably the Sheriff,” she said. She didn’t feel as though she was gasping for air anymore, so that was a good sign. She thrust her phone at Laura, though, totally unable to even countenance the idea of talking to Deputy Sheriff Valdez.

  “Oh, hi, Diana,” she heard Laura say.

  When she heard her mom’s name, something melted in Faith’s heart. She just knew her calming influence would do her wonders, so she hurried over and took her phone back from Laura. Manners had to get put on hold during a panic attack, unfortunately, but she could always apologize afterward. “Mom?”

  “Hey, baby. How are you?”

  “Trying to tell myself I’m just having a panic attack, not dying a random, unexpected death.” She even managed to laugh.

  Her mom laughed along. “You tell that panic attack you’re not going to believe its baloney, right?”

  “You got it.”

  “Now, I wanted to tell you something. Well, actually, two things. Should I go ahead now or call you back later on?”

  Faith found that talking to her mom in such a normal way was helping a lot. “No, tell me now.”

  “Okay. Well, first, I put an offer in on the cabin.”

  “Aww, that’s great, mom.” Normally Faith would have jumped up and clapped with happiness, but the panic attack still had a bit of a hold on her. She knew her voice sounded flat and tried to make up for it. “Really, mom, that’s awesome. I’m so happy for you.”

  “I can’t wait for you to come stay,” Diana said. “The second thing was about the woman you told me about. You know, the woman that fell off the boat?”

  Suddenly all of Faith’s senses were sharp. The panic attack was fading into the background. “What about her?”

  “You said she was from Ohio, right?”

  “Right.”

  Diana made a tsk-tsk noise, then said, “Well, I think I’ve found something out.”

  Once Diana had finished telling her what she’d discovered, Faith’s heart was thumping again, but this was no panic attack. She felt fully in control. She knew what she had to do.

  “This changes everything,” she said, hanging up the phone. “I have to go.”

  “What, now?” Laura said. “What about the catering?”

  “It’s an emergency!” Faith said. “I think… I think…” She looked around, biting her lip, trying to get her thoughts straight. “I just need to go, okay? Please can you keep everything running?”

  “Sure,” Laura said, shaking her head, looking confused. “Are you okay, though?”

  “Yes!” Faith called out, already running across the room, trying to find Nathan to get the keys to the Chevy. “I’ll be back soon!”

  The crowd were still huddled around the kitchen, but she found Nathan in the middle of the lawn.

  “I was looking for you everywhere,” he said. “What in the heck is going on?”

  “No time to explain,” Faith said breathlessly. “Give me the keys to the van. I need to go get something.”

  “Huh? Now?”

  “Yes!” she said impatiently. “Come on, Nathan. Come with me if you want. I just need to go, right now. I need to find something out.”

  “All right, I’m coming.”

  They rushed to the van.

  “I’ll drive,” Faith said, grabbing the keys and swinging up into the driver’s seat. With the way she felt there was no way she could sit in the passenger seat, waiting impatiently as Nathan drove. He could be quite fast, but she felt the need to take the wheel.

  Faith was moving like lightning, swinging the van out of the parking area and down the long driveway. But as they reached the halfway point on the way to the main roadway, she noticed one of the Sheriff squad cars pulling up, its lights and siren on blast.

  “Thank goodness, they’re here,” Faith said. Although, biting her lip, she didn’t know how much use they’d be. She’d have to get to the veterinary clinic first, to find out.

  Then the squad car honked their horn so loud Faith practically jumped out of her skin. “STOP THE VEHICLE!” she heard Deputy Valdez yell, pumped out of the squad car by speakers.

  “What? Why?” Faith said. She was so determined to get to the veterinary surgery that all sense went out of her head. “No!”

  Nathan cried out, “Stop the van, Faith! You’ll get arrested!”

  Faith gripped the wheel harder. The way she felt, she would have led Deputy Valdez on a car chase all the way back to Paradise.

  But then Deputy Valdez swung the squad car in front of her path, and she was forced to bring the van to a screeching halt.

  *****

  Chapter 19

  Faith jumped out of the Chevy, feeling like she had the strength of a thousand men. She knew the tension between her and Deputy Valdez couldn’t stand in her way now. This was too important.

  She flew up to his window. “Deputy Valdez!” she cried out.

  “Stop right there!” he hollered back, unholstering his gun.
/>   The rest of the Sheriff’s department were arriving, squad car after squad car, backing up down the drive.

  Faith held her hands up. “Deputy!” she said. “Please, I need to talk to you.”

  “Why are you trying to leave the scene of the crime?” he barked, holding the gun up toward her.

  “I was the victim!” Faith said. “Tara threatened me with a knife! And she threatened Mrs. Trigg, too. Please let me out, Deputy, it’s urgent.”

  He still had his gun aimed right at her. “Why?”

  “Because I think I know what happened to Becky and Dr. Asante,” Faith said. “Really, it wasn’t an accident and a suicide. They were murdered, I’m sure of it. And I think I might have some evidence. But it’s locked away in the safe at the front desk in the veterinary surgery. I think I have an idea of what’s there. It’s just a hunch, but please, it might make all the difference.”

  The Deputy stared at her, his mouth pinched together, his gun still on her. “I will escort you personally. Mr. Edwards, move the van to the side of the street.” Then he turned back to Faith. “You, get in the back of my car. Now.”

  “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you,” Faith gabbled, wrenching the door open and hurrying into the backseat.

  “Be quiet,” Deputy Valdez snapped. He maneuvered the squad car to one side of the long drive, while Nathan moved the van to the other side.

  The other cars from the Sheriff’s department streamed through the middle toward the mansion.

  “Hurry up, Nathan!” Faith said. “Come on!”

  “Oh, he’s not coming with us,” Valdez said, making a harsh three point turn with the squad car. “We’re going alone.”

  Faith didn’t know if it was the panic attack she’d just had or her dislike of the Deputy combining with her overactive imagination, but she suddenly had images of him driving her to the top of a deep gorge and pushing her down it. But she swallowed and told herself to stop being so ridiculous. She was going where she wanted to go – the veterinary surgery.

  As he pulled out onto the highway, Faith said, “Can’t we put the lights and sirens back on, sir?” Her leg bounced up and down with agitation, and her heart wouldn’t stop fluttering.

  “Not unless there’s a crime being committed at this moment in the veterinary practice. Is there?”

  That wasn’t a genuine question. That was him being smart.

  “No,” she said, and sunk back into her seat, resigned. She was just going to have to wait. She regretted even asking him, too, because he started going even more slowly, obviously just to annoy her.

  The ride back to Paradise was interminable. The highway was actually not too bad, it being a Saturday afternoon, but time seemed to stretch out, a second feeling like a minute.

  Faith felt a whole year had gone past by the time the Deputy pulled up outside the veterinary clinic. And even then, he wouldn’t let her jump out and run in. He’d locked the back doors, so she couldn’t open hers.

  “Wait a minute,” he said sharply, then radioed in a message saying what he was about to do. Then he got out and let her out. “No funny business,” he said. “Remember I’m armed and not afraid to shoot.”

  Shoot me for what?!?! Faith wanted to burst out. But she nodded and said, “Yes, sir,” even though it felt like swallowing a whole shaker full of salt.

  He kept up his agonizingly slow pace all the way up to the door, which he did actually open for her, much to her surprise.

  “Faith!” Coral said as soon as she entered. “I thought you were catering today.”

  “I was,” Faith said, “but I kind of got a spare moment free.” She didn’t want to go into detail and waste time explaining things. “Besides, I really care about the health of my kittens, so I’ve come to get the package now.”

  Coral frowned when she saw the Deputy Sheriff come in. “All… right,” she said. “Just one second.” Then she unlocked the safe and retrieved a brown paper bag, which she handed to Faith. “Here you go.”

  Faith took it quickly and poured out the contents on the reception desk. “Yes!” she said. Exactly what she had expected had fallen out of the bag. “I knew it!” She turned to Valdez. “Deputy, I’m pretty sure who killed both Becky and Dr. Asante, and they’re at the Shakespeare event. Please can we go back there now?”

  “All right,” the Deputy said instantly, which surprised her. “On one condition.”

  “Anything,” Faith said without thinking.

  “You explain to me on the ride back, and I will arrest the perp.”

  “Fine.” She didn’t care if Valdez wanted to take all the glory for himself. Whatever. All she cared was that the victims got their justice.

  *****

  When Deputy Valdez and Faith got back to the ranch, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was in full swing. Only one squad car remained in the driveway, while the rest had gone, and Tara was nowhere to be seen. Faith assumed she’d been hauled down to the station.

  On the stage, some of the Trigg grandchildren were dancing around dressed as fairies, while Graeme, Yale, and some other people Faith didn’t recognize spoke loudly in convoluted Shakespearean language.

  “Right, that’s enough now!” Deputy Valdez hollered. “Show’s over, folks. Everyone stay where they are.”

  Krystle got up from her seat. “What’s going on?”

  Graeme was incensed. “How dare you interrupt the works of a genius!”

  Faith didn’t know if he was referring to Shakespeare, or himself.

  “Don’t take that tone with me,” Valdez said, tapping his gun in his holster. “Now, nobody moves.”

  Graeme crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. Danica looked like she was going to burst into tears. Yale threw Faith a what-the-heck-is-happening look. Everyone else, Krystle and her family, Molly, all the guests, just looked confused. Faith saw Laura and Nathan to the side, where the catering marquee was, and they were the only ones who made her confident. Nathan gave her a thumbs up and Laura smiled. She could tell they knew she knew who had done it. Maybe they could see the confidence in the way she stood tall. Maybe they could sense that a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She didn’t know exactly how they knew, but they knew, that was for sure.

  “You all believe that Tara Johnson was the killer,” Deputy Valdez boomed. Faith realized he wasn’t averse to his own hefty dose of showmanship. “But in fact, that was not the case.” He began to stride up the center aisle, like one of those detectives on TV, revealing his thoughts to a room full of suspects. “The real killer of Rebecca Harris, fashion columnist, and Dr. George Asante, veterinarian, is still among us.”

  He reached the stage and looked around at everyone, making a full circle so he could take in Yale and Graeme and the little flower fairies, as well as the other guests.

  “Isn’t that right?” he said.

  Just then, Graeme picked up one of the potted plants that was on the stage to make the forest. It was a big plant and heavy ceramic pot, but he was a tall, strong man. Before anyone had time to react, he’d lunged forward and smashed it over Deputy Valdez’s head.

  The whole place burst into panic as the Deputy crumpled to the ground, unconscious. All the flower fairies screamed and ran, and the whole place seemed to scatter. Graeme jumped off the stage, over the Deputy’s limp body, pushing through the crowd. Some people tried to grab him but he brushed them off like flies. He was barreling toward the stables at full pelt.

  Faith didn’t know what to do. Only one empty squad car was parked up, and she didn’t know who in the Sheriff department it belonged to or where they were on the grounds.

  Everyone was in a state of panic. Some people were sprinting toward their cars, while others hurried toward the open kitchen door of the mansion. Still yet others froze still on the lawn, so panicked they didn’t know what to do.

  “Dad!” Yale was hollering, running after Graeme into the stables.

  Faith was one of the ones who froze, with no idea what she should do.

&n
bsp; Then Graeme came out of the stables, a huge shotgun in hand. Faith was the first person he saw, and he aimed it right at her.

  Faith thought she had known terror in a panic attack, but this was a whole other level. She could hear Yale screaming, “Dad! Dad!” and trying to wrestle the shotgun off his father, but it sounded so far away it might as well have been in a different dimension. All that existed in the world right then was Faith’s pounding heart, the shotgun, the killer bullet waiting inside for its big moment, Graeme’s finger on the trigger, and his frenzied eyes.

  “You!” he hollered. “It was you who told him, wasn’t it?”

  Faith’s ability to think had evaporated into thin air. But, to her own surprise, her mouth spoke without her having to think about it. “Yes, yes, it was.”

  “I should burst your brains out!” he hollered.

  Yale was clawing at him, but Graeme was so focused and strong and furious that it made no impact.

  “What would be the point?” Faith said. “You’ve already lost what you were so afraid of losing.” She gestured around her at the people looking out of the kitchen, at the little flower fairies crying, hiding behind the scenery. “You’ve already lost your reputation. Lost your family. You’ve been exposed already. So it doesn’t even make sense to shoot me. All you’ll get is years and years more in prison. And you’ll traumatize your own family even more.”

  “Don’t talk about my family,” he spat. “I did this all for them.”

  Faith was suddenly angry, and the truth had to fly out of her mouth, even with the shotgun pointed on her. “No! You did it for yourself! You did it because you wanted to be mayor, and have everyone look up to you and your perfect family. But Becky was going to mess up all your careful plans, wasn’t she?”