Cookies & Catastrophe

by Beth Byers

  I turned to the part of the kitchen where I did the baking and considered the cake recipes I’d planned for the next day. We always had triple chocolate on Wednesdays, plus I was going to do my carrot cake and a specialty cake. The specialty, I thought would be a combo of white chocolate and peppermint. I’d layer it high with crushed peppermint. I could already taste it in my mouth and if it was as good as I’d imagined, I would be eating a piece for me and flavorless Simon.

  I started baking, ignoring everything but the sound of Az’s deep voice humming as the lunch rush slowed, and we started prepping for the following day. While my cakes baked, I made pies for the following day and then stacks of cookies. The cinnamon rolls and pies were made but put in our fridges unbaked. The frostings were ready to go, but I wouldn’t construct the cakes until the following day.

  I’d extended our hours to 3:00 pm in a mad attempt to get a steady enough staff to keep the diner open until 8:00 pm. So far the new staff was totally useless, and I was going to go insane before we had enough to even see us through the busy season. Thankfully that was months away.

  Az sent the new people home and the three of us finished up.

  “They’re all useless,” I told Az and then coughed until I had to bend over.

  Az handed me a glass of water and then said, “You okay there, Rose?”

  “She ran into a burning house to save dogs,” Zee said with a snap, but I knew she didn’t really disapprove. We’d closed our doors and let Daisy out of the office, though she knew she had to stay at the entry of the kitchen. She was watching us avidly as Az did the prep cooking for the next day, Zee scrubbed the last of the dishes, and I wrapped up the cookies. Regardless of Daisy being my precious, floppy-eared, basset hound puppy, it was Zee who fed the dog bits of chicken breast.

  “Are you ok?” Az asked again, pushing the water at me. I took a sip, coughed, and then sighed.

  “It’s just catching up with me,” I said as I coughed into my elbow. I’d put on one of those germ masks because I was baking, but man, I was craving my bed.

  “The question,” Zee said, “Isn’t who would kill Donna but which one who had reason acted on it.”

  “I don’t want to be involved,” I told Zee. There was a bit of a whine in my voice, and I’d have flinched at the sound of it if I weren’t just so tired and hurting.

  There a knock at the door and I saw Jane with Mattie behind her. They were my two best friends since I’d moved to Silver Falls and at least once a week, we got together. I almost cried in relief at seeing them since they’d save me from Zee.

  “Oh hey,” I said to Zee, “Saved by the good doctor. Please leave me out of it.”

  Zee’s eyes narrowed and Az said, “She doesn’t feel good, Zee.”

  “Fine,” Zee snapped.

  “I’m going to leave,” I said. “Are you two good?”

  “Yes,” Zee snapped. She went over to the espresso machine and snapped, “Wait.”

  I let Jane and Mattie into the diner while Zee made drinks and I went to get Daisy, my things, and came back out. Mattie had boxed some cake and grinned at me while Jane held the drink carrier.

  “Drink your tea,” Zee ordered. “They are instructed to make you lay down, and Jane has an inhaler for you.”

  I sniffed and then said, “You do care.”

  “Get out of here,” Zee replied, sniffing meanly, “And don’t come in on time tomorrow.”

  Chapter 4

  “I know you don’t feel good,” Jane said as we got to the cottage. “But…”

  As usual, we were at my cottage because Jane had teens who were relentlessly interrupting and Mattie’s place was always a mess.

  “You must feel crappy too,” I said to her.

  “Oh I do,” Jane said, but there was something in her voice that hinted at something other than what I felt.

  I took a sip of my tea as Jane pulled a bottle of whiskey from her bag and added it to the tea. I raised my brows at that and then I said, “Have you been drinking all day?”

  “All day,” Jane said, blearily. She had picked up one of the puppies and then yawned. “I…did something horrible.”

  I blinked at that and looked at Mattie whose face was an emotionless mask.

  “Have you been drinking at work?”

  “What? No. I didn’t go in. Well…not for longer than a few minutes.” She sniffed and then nuzzled the puppy. “I love this dog.”

  “Jane are you ok?”

  “No,” Jane said. “Not at all. I’m not even drunk enough. Maybe if I were drunk enough it would go away.”

  “What needs to go away?” I asked gently and took another sip of my tea. My throat was hurting and now that I thought about it, my eyes were burning. I wanted nothing more than to kick out Jane and Mattie and curl up on my bed with Daisy.

  “What I did,” Jane said as if I should know what that was.

  I honestly couldn’t imagine her doing anything truly wrong, let alone this dramatic. She spent her weekends at her sons’ sports games. She worked early to be home for her boys when they had dinner, she did house calls to the patients who couldn’t come in easily and she was worried about. She was great.

  “Is this about the file Jenny had on you?” My voice was soft and gentle, but Jane still flinched. I hadn’t mentioned either of the files the previous owner of my diner had kept on the town residents. When I’d found the records of wrongdoing, I’d packed them up into the closet inside the office and double padlocked them in.

  “Worse than that,” Jane said, a tear rolled down her cheek leaving me gaping. Jane was usually so sensible and stolid. I’d cried since we’d become friends. Mattie had cried at least three times. But Jane hadn’t. I made us a cup of something or other, not really paying attention, and said it would be ok.

  I took Jane’s hand and said, “Tell me what I can do.”

  “I need you to find the killer,” Jane said.

  I gasped and then—because I was so shocked—asked, “Of Donna?”

  “Of course of Donna,” Jane said. “I tried to find the evidence, but…I couldn’t find it. If we don’t beat Simon to it, then everyone will know what I did and my life will be ruined.”

  That was melodramatic and terrifying given that it was Jane who was talking. Reasonable, responsible, stolid Jane. Jane the doctor. I glanced at Mattie and asked, “Do you think her life will be ruined?”

  Mattie’s mouth twisted, but her expression said that Jane’s fears were a real possibility.

  “Simon will find the killer.” My statement was gentle but Jane started frantically shaking her head.

  “He can’t know.”

  I blinked, took a breath, and felt my head pulsating. I had reached the limit on ibuprofen, so I asked, “Do you have a Vicodin?”

  Jane nodded. It was probably illegal, but she gave me one. I cut it into quarters, took a piece, and then drank the rest of my tea.

  “I’ll do what I can.” I was no expert investigator. Why were people trying to keep me involved in these things? Zee and now Jane. Just because I stumbled across the killer of the poor kid who’d been poisoned in my diner didn’t make me some sort of Hercule Poirot.

  “Do you believe that I didn’t kill Donna?” Jane asked, her gaze searching my face.

  “Yes,” I said. I met her eyes and let her see in my face that I truly believed her. She was too kind to have killed. I rubbed my lungs where they hurt and said, “Zee pointed out today that the problem won’t be finding who wanted to kill Donna. It’ll be finding out who decided to finally do it.”

  Mattie’s hack of laughter wasn’t that amused. Jane didn’t laugh at all. She rubbed her own chest and then said, “I wanted to. I wanted to snuff her out like a rabid dog.”

  I leaned back, shocked at the hatred on Jane’s face. I wouldn’t have expected her to feel that way and it gave me a shred of doubt in her innocence. I reminded myself that no responsible killer would ask someone to investigate the crime. I hoped that Jane wasn’t playing s
ome multi-leveled game with me.

  “Simon will find the killer if we don’t right? He won’t arrest the wrong person?”

  “Right,” Mattie said as Jane just took a long swig from her whiskey bottle not even bothering with the tea.

  “When you’re sober,” I told Jane, “You’re explaining yourself. Go sleep on the couch.”

  “We have to get started,” Jane protested.

  “I can’t,” I admitted. “I’m too hurt. Besides, we have to start with Donna’s place, and it’ll be swarming with cops and firemen until after dark.”

  “Then? We’ll go? Then?” Jane asked, a little frantically.

  “No,” I said. “Goodness. Not until way after dark. Way, way. Now tell me I’m not evil because I hate myself for what I’m about to do.”

  I picked up my phone, bit my lip, and then called Simon. His voicemail answered which was so much better. I didn’t want to lie to his voice—not when I’d just started hearing his own quiet affection in his.

  “Hi,” I said, closing my eyes, so I didn’t have to see Mattie’s expression while I did this. “I just remembered something. Henrietta Golden was up when I was in the neighborhood, and she said something about Donna and death. I’m…probably reading into it.” I was. “But…you know…”

  Fill in the blanks yourself, Simon, I thought. Don’t make me actually lie to you.

  “See you soon,” I finished lamely, ending the call and wishing I wasn’t so horrible.

  “Did you just lie to Simon?” Mattie was staring, eyes wide.

  I shook my head. “I just…told him something I knew was meaningless when Henrietta said it.”

  I hated myself right then. I was trying to mislead Simon, so we’d have time to find the killer before he started finding Jane’s secrets. I knew it was wrong…what was I doing?

  “I’m going to nap until we leave. We need flashlights and…I don’t know. Stuff.”

  Mattie said, “I’ll get those. You need your roots done. Make an appointment to come see me.”

  I grunted in reply. I didn't care about my hair right then. I just put the mama dog and her puppies in the dog crate and crawled into my bed.

  Before I fell asleep, I called Zee. All I said was, “Be at my place at midnight.”

  I hung up before I could hear Zee’s crow of triumph. Using the steps I’d bought her, Daisy got onto the bed and curled up at my feet. She weaseled her way up my body until her face was pillowed in the curve of my side. I played with her long ears as Jane said from the living room, “They brought Donna’s body into the clinic.”

  I looked towards Jane and could just see her face propped up on couch cushions from my spot on the bed. The cottage was tiny and leaving the door open made it seem like we were in the same room.

  “I went in because I needed to know Donna was really dead. When I verified she was, it was the first time I’d ever seen someone dead and had been anything other than sorry.”

  Jane curled onto her side, but I didn’t need her to explain. She hated herself for her feelings. It was because of those emotions—that real regret—that I wanted to help her. I wasn’t sure what her secret was, but I guessed it wasn’t something that would end our friendship.

  I closed my eyes and my heart against the emotion of everything that was happening. Caring about Jane was what would get me out of bed at midnight, but I couldn’t hold it in my mind right then. I needed sleep. My body demanded it. So I closed my eyes and that beautiful princess, Sleep, immediately flowed over me.

  Chapter 5

  Mattie shook me awake hours later. The sky was completely black as was her entire outfit.

  “Get dressed in something else,” she ordered.

  I sat up slowly, moaned because of the aches and she said, “Zee’s here. Why?”

  “We need her,” I said. Zee knew everyone and probably everything there was to know about this town. If Donna had been blackmailing Jane, Donna had been blackmailing other people too. And if anyone would know who, it would be Zee.

  Zee, like Mattie, was dressed in head-to-toe black.

  “How did you know we’d be up to something surreptitious.”

  “I saw Jane’s face. And, of course, I knew what kind of woman Donna was. It was easy to put the pieces together. Plus, of course, I’ve known what Jane was hiding since before she had J.J.”

  J.J. was Jane’s son, and I froze. She adored her boys. I honestly couldn’t imagine anything about J.J. that would be worth being blackmailed over.

  “You know?” Jane’s voice was aghast.

  “I have eyes, don’t I? If your J.J. is Hank’s, I’ll eat my hat.”

  Oh my lands, I thought. I tried not to gasp and was barely successful. Mattie saw the expression on my face, but Jane’s gaze was fixated on Zee in sheer shock.

  Jane’s mouth dropped open and she said, “They look alike. J.J. has Hanks…”

  “That boy is the spitting image of Jason Mathis. Though, J.J. has picked up Hank’s mannerisms.”

  Jane didn’t respond so much as gasp and choke at the same time.

  “You should just tell Hank,” Zee suggested. “He couldn’t love that boy any more. I doubt that will change.”

  “J.J. will care,” Jane said. “It will devastate him. I can’t. I won’t.”

  My eyes were wide and my mouth clenched shut, so I didn’t stick my foot in my mouth. I had met her boys, and they both looked very much like Jane. But, of course, I had never met Jason Mathis. Or for that matter Hank who’d been fishing on his boat in Alaska since I moved to Silver Falls.

  “Did you kill Donna?” Zee didn’t seem to be very concerned by the idea which was more alarming to me than the question.

  “Of course, she didn’t,” Mattie and I said in unison.

  “I’m just checking to see if we’re catching the killer or hiding the evidence,” Zee said in a voice that was all innocence.

  I blinked at that and Zee said, “Donna was a foul creature and got what was coming to her. It’s a real testament to the goodness of our town that someone hasn’t murdered her before now.”

  Jane pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. “How long have you known?”

  “If anyone was lying about how pregnant she was, it was you,” Zee told Jane. “You told Hank that the baby had to come early because he was too big. That was a good one. But believable given how you’re a doctor and Hank missed all the appointments working out of town.”

  I bit my lip as Zee patted Jane on the arm and said, “That was smooth, Jane.”

  “Since then?” It didn’t seem that Jane appreciated Zee’s attitude very much.

  “I saw how Jason looked at you, too. That was a big clue.”

  Jane gaped at Zee, and I rose to make myself coffee. I was befuddled by it all and sort of shocked that the sweet small-town of Silver Falls had sucked me into madness yet again. You’d think that where I’d lived before—a shady suburb of a big city—would have gotten me involved in murders if anywhere would have. But here I was, only a few months into my life in Silver Falls and my fresh start, and I was being dragged into yet another murder investigation.

  “So you didn't go to help Donna, did you? In the burning house? I heard how heroic you were. You were looking for something. I take it that we need to find that.”

  Jane’s voice shook when she admitted, “Donna had a DNA test done on Hank and J.J. Can you believe that? She has proof that J.J. isn’t Hank’s. She walked into our old house and took Hank’s toothbrush and J.J.’s hair.”

  “And why can’t we just tell Simon and ask him to help us?” I asked, rubbing my brow as I took another piece of Vicodin with my coffee.

  “Hank will be back soon from fishing and crabbing in Alaska. They’re…closer than brothers,” Jane said. She sounded sick and broken inside.

  “So Simon would tell Hank?”

  Jane nodded. Her lips were trembling and she said, “It will destroy J.J. which would be bad enough. But Hank won’t forgive me either. Things were
rocky back then. Maybe if I’d been straight with him from the beginning—but not after all this time.”

  “So let’s do this,” I said. “We’ll go to Jane’s, park there, and then sneak over.”

  No one objected, so Jane and I dressed in whatever I could find that was black. Somehow I ended up in leggings and a black tank and a long cardigan. Mattie handed me the sort of knit cap that a burglar would use, while Jane changed into the better of the black outfits we’d been able to dig up. She wore my only pair of black jeans and black turtleneck.

  I drove because Zee didn’t like to drive in the dark, I didn’t trust Jane after day drinking even though we’d napped, and Mattie’s car was too small. My sweet Daisy whimpered when I put her in the dog crate, and to feel better, I promised her a long walk and then gave her and Mama dog both a treat.

  “Does Donna have children?” I asked Zee.

  “Are you kidding? She was too rabid to marry.”

  “I want to keep the dogs,” I said. “I might have to steal them forever.”

  “You gonna be the crazy dog lady?” Zee glanced at me and then said, “You better wrap Simon up tight before he does the math on the number of dogs between you.”

  I grinned and then didn’t say what I was thinking as we’d arrived at Jane’s neighborhood. I turned into her drive, flipped off the headlights, and parked.

  “Quiet everyone. Don’t be fools,” Zee said. She flipped off the overhead light, so it wouldn’t turn on when we got out, and then led the way through the grass, hugging to the trees, and into Donna’s yard.

  Donna’s place on the bluff was away from the neighborhood and towards the edge of the cliff. There was nothing between Donna’s house and the sea, so we crept around the house, waited until we were on the private side, and then turned on one flashlight until we got inside. The police tape was easy to cross, and the backdoor lock had been broken by the firemen. I’d expected breaking and entering to be a little more difficult.

  The kitchen was scorched, but we moved through that. Whatever Donna had on Jane—and others—would be hidden away somewhere else.