“Why do you have them deliver on a day that you close early?” asked Alba.
I glanced in my rearview mirror as I pulled away from the curb. “They usually deliver on Thursdays, but we were out of so much stuff. Louis didn’t order everything we needed on the food order last week, so we’ve been low on lots of stuff. I didn’t think we could make it until Thursday.”
“Can you roll up your window, Sweets?” asked Mercy from the back seat, rubbing her arms with her hands. “It’s freezing in here.”
I looked back at her with furrowed eyebrows. “Seriously? I’m roasting! How are you cold?” I asked. I rolled up my windows, despite the fact that I was sweating profusely from all the running around we’d been doing. I braked at the stop sign and then crossed the main street and pulled my car into the alley where Abraham was waiting for me in the food truck.
Hurriedly I jumped out of the car and ran around to the driver’s side door. “Thanks for calling me. It would have been horrible if we missed you,” I said out of breath from the mad rush from Habernackle’s to the bakery.
He smiled back at me. “No problem at all. I’m glad you left your cell number on the order. I’ve got all your boxes unloaded, I double counted everything against the invoice, but you’re welcome to check if you want.”
I smiled back at him. Abraham had been delivering to Bailey’s Bakery and Sweets since I started my internship back in January. I knew Mr. Bailey trusted him, so I trusted him. “It’s okay Abraham. I know everything will be there if you say it’s there.” I signed the top copy of the invoice he handed me and gave it back to him.
He ripped off a sheet and handed it to me. “Here’s your copy. Thanks, Sweets. Will you have another order on Thursday?”
“Yes, I’m sure we will, I’ll see you then.”
He tipped his hat at me and then crawled back up into his big truck and started the engine.
I looked back at my little car that I’d parked in the alleyway. The girls were all lounging, looking at their phones. Mercy was huddled up in the blanket I kept in my backseat. I knocked on Alba’s window.
She rolled it down and looked up at me. “Yes?”
“I’m going to run inside and put this stuff away quick.”
“Go for it. We’ll be right here.”
I turned around and looked at the stack of boxes on the loading dock behind the bakery. Louis should be here helping me, I thought angrily. I had sort of hoped the girls might offer to help me carry the food inside, but I hated to ask. They’d already helped me clean up after the party. I didn’t want to put any more of my responsibilities on them, but I really wanted to get back to school so I could get some homework done.
Unable to bring myself to ask for help from the girls, I pulled my keys from my pocket and unlocked the back door of the bakery just as Abraham pulled his truck away. I waved a quick goodbye and pushed the door open. The minute I did, I noticed the lights were on inside the kitchen. That’s funny, I thought. I’m sure I shut these off when we left. I looked around curiously. “Louis?” I called out. Maybe he remembered I put the order in and was coming back to put it away himself.
“Louis?” I called out again as I bent over to unlock the overhead door to the loading dock. The door stuck as usual, and I really had to put my back into it to get it to budge. Finally, it moved, letting out a big creaking moan as it rolled towards the ceiling. Sunshine, fresh air, and a nice breeze poured into the kitchen. I made a mental to note to ask Louis to get the door oiled for me.
I looked down at the stack of boxes. “Louis?” I called out one more time. When Louis didn’t answer me, I sighed. He wasn’t in the bakery, after all. I must have forgotten to turn off the lights, which was odd because I was sure that I had. Then a thought occurred to me. I peeked my head out the overhead door and looked to my left. Mr. Bailey’s parking spot. Abraham’s truck had obscured the spot when we first got there. I hadn’t noticed, but Mr. Bailey’s car was parked in his spot. I let out a breath of air. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought I was going crazy for a second,” I whispered to myself.
“Mr. Bailey, it’s just me, Sweets,” I called out into the eerily quiet bakery. “I placed a food order and needed to get it unloaded. I’ll be out of here in a jiffy. Lots of homework to do tonight.” Mr. Bailey loved to hear about the things I was learning at the Institute and about all the things my friends and I enjoyed doing. I always loved sharing things with him. He was such a nice man – just like a grandfather.
I pulled the two-wheeled cart out of the corner and scooped up the first stack of boxes, lugging them onto the cart. I drug the stack of dried goods over to the metal rack where we kept those items, shoved them off with my foot, and decided I’d unpack the boxes in the morning. The few boxes of refrigerated items had first priority.
“Mr. Bailey?” I called out, glancing back towards the lobby. He must be in his office, I thought with a shrug. I squatted down and picked up a big box of butter and eggs and took it to the walk-in cooler. Leaning it against the wall and balancing the box on one knee, I was able to flip the light on with my free hand. The minute I did, I was shocked to discover the cart with the wedding cake and all the half drank champagne glasses inside. “Oh, nice cleanup, Holly,” I mumbled. I’d assigned her to clean that mess up. I stashed the box I carried on a shelf and looked at the cart and then pulled out my phone to check the time. It was three-fifteen. I sighed. If I dumped and washed all the glasses on the cart and figured out what to do with the cake, it would be nearly four by the time I got back to campus. I knew my friends wouldn’t want to wait around that long. It was already getting late.
I groaned and decided to clean up the cake and drinks in the morning. Louis would be around then. He could pitch in and help. I nodded, satisfied with myself that I was going to make him help. “Serves him right,” I whispered.
I flipped off the light in the walk-in cooler and went back to the loading dock. I grabbed one of the last two boxes of frozen items and took it to the walk-in freezer. The box balanced precariously on my raised knee as I pulled open the heavy door and reached around the corner to feel for the light switch. But the light was already on. I made a face. I didn’t even remember going in there during the party. Had I left it on from the day before? Then it occurred to me that maybe Mr. Bailey had been in there. That had to be it. “Mr. Bailey!” I called out as I shoved the door open wider with my hand while I quickly heaved the box up into my arms. “You left the light o…”
My heart stopped beating when I saw the body on the floor. The box I carried in my hands hit the floor with a thud. “Oh my god!”
6
Sweets
“Mr. Bailey!” I fell to my knees next to Mr. Bailey’s unconscious body and shook him. “Mr. Bailey, wake up!” His flesh was cool to the touch. My heart pounded wildly, and my body trembled. Fear gripped my lungs like a vice, making it difficult to breathe. “Oh my god, Mr. Bailey, wake up!”
A little voice inside of me told me it was too late. I’d found him too late! But another voice told me not to give up. I had to save Mr. Bailey. I had to get him out of the freezer! I curled my hands under his arms and pulled with all of my might. Inch by inch I pulled him towards the freezer door, shoving the heavy door open with my rear end.
“Mr. Bailey, please don’t die!” I cried as tears streaked my face, making my vision blurry. Had he had a heart attack? Had he gotten locked inside the freezer and frozen to death? What happened? Thoughts swirled through my head as I got him into the middle of the kitchen on his back. I pumped his chest as I sobbed over his cold corpse. One, two, three, four… I counted as I started compressing his chest, blubbering all the while. The panic swirling around me made me unable to count past ten. Finally, I leaned over to give him a breath. He smelled of almonds and pastrami.
Just then, I felt the presence of someone behind me. Oh, thank God! It had to be one of the girls looking for me! “You’ve got to help me! I-It’s Mr. Bailey!” I rattled, looking over my shoulder.
The face looking back at me wasn’t who I had expected. “Louis!” I breathed in shock. What is he doing here? “Louis, you have to help me!” I begged.
He looked down at me with those hollowed-out eyes of his. “What have you done?” he demanded, furrowing his eyebrows at me.
“What have I…?” I asked, looking between Louis and Mr. Bailey and then back up at Louis. “I – I haven’t done anything. He was like this when I found him!”
“You found him right there on the floor like that?” he asked skeptically.
My head shook anxiously. “Well, not exactly like this… He was in the walk-in freezer. Th-the light was on…” My head was beginning to feel woozy as I continued to pump his chest.
“You moved him?”
“Yes – I – he was cold. I had to get him out of there!”
“You had to cover up what you did. Isn’t that what you mean?”
“What I did? Louis, I didn’t do anything to Mr. Bailey, I would never!” I choked as my tears dropped on Mr. Bailey’s cold chest.
“You had no problems stealing my job!” he bellowed down at me.
“Your job? I didn’t steal your job. Louis, why aren’t you helping me? I need your help. You need to call for an ambulance, or you need to take over CPR so I can call the paramedics.”
Louis frowned at me. “You just want my hands all over Vic’s dead body so I can take the rap for this. Oh, no. I’m not stupid.”
“Take the rap for this? Louis, I’m serious here. You need to call an ambulance. Or the police. Please, help me before it’s too late!” I screamed.
A chortle escaped Louis’ mouth. “Too late? You’re doing CPR on a dead man. Tell me what exactly we’re going to be too late for?”
I looked down at Mr. Bailey. His body didn’t move. Something sensible inside of me kicked in. I searched for a pulse, but couldn’t find one, and I still hadn’t seen him take a breath. I felt the remnants of the wedding cake I’d made him and Char moving around in my stomach. I was scared I was going to lose it. Instead, I threw my head back and screamed. “No!!”
Mercy
Sweets’ tinny, high-pitched voice spilled into the alleyway. Alba and I looked at each other for a split second after hearing the scream. I threw off the blanket I’d wrapped myself in and pulled my feet off the center console as the four of us erupted from the car and climbed the loading dock.
“Sweets!” I called out as the four of us entered the kitchen.
“Sweets are you alright?” hollered Jax.
“Over here!” she hollered.
I was surprised to see Louis Albertson standing next to the large stainless-steel island in the middle of the kitchen. I could see the top of Sweets’ head on the other side of the counter.
“Sweets?” hollered Holly.
“Over here,” we heard her cry again between choked sobs. “Help me! Call 911. Somebody, please!”
We rushed around the counter to see Sweets pumping the chest of Mr. Bailey’s seemingly lifeless body. All of us sucked in our breath as our hands flew to our mouths. My eyes were wide as I took in the sight before me. She was trying to resuscitate him, but he already looked long gone.
Alba kneeled down on the other side of the body and felt for a pulse. We watched anxiously as she felt around on his neck. Finally, she looked up at Jax, Holly, and me and shook her head sadly. She reached out and put her hand over Sweets’ hands to stop her. “He’s already gone, Sweets,” she said gently.
Sweets stopped pumping Mr. Bailey’s chest and covered her face with her hands as sobs racked her body. “No!”
Holly knelt down next to her, putting an arm around Sweets’ shoulders. “You did everything you could,” she whispered.
My stomach twisted. Mr. Bailey was gone? What? We’d just seen him alive and well an hour and a half ago! Jax buried her face in my shoulder as she began to weep. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. Mr. Bailey was gone? How? Why? Immediately I looked around. As a medium, looking for ghosts had never been my first instinct, but in this instance, I needed to see Mr. Bailey’s ghost with my own two eyes. I needed to know his mortal body was really gone. “Mr. Bailey?” I called out.
“He’s gone, Red,” said Alba. She was fighting to keep her own emotions in check. I could hear the catch in her voice.
I nodded my head. “I know,” I whispered. “I’m looking for his – for his spirit.”
She raised her head in a nod of understanding.
Jax sniffled and pulled herself off of my chest. “Do you see him Mercy?”
“I’ll look.” I looked at Jax. “I need you to call 911.”
With big eyes, Jax nodded obediently. She pulled out her phone and took a few steps towards the back of the kitchen as I moved towards the lobby.
“Mr. Bailey?” I called out again. I poked my head into his office but didn’t see anything. My eyes scanned the kitchen one last time before moving towards the lobby.
When I was out of sight from the girls, I called his name again. “Mr. Bailey?”
“I’m over here,” a voice whispered back.
My head turned to see Mr. Bailey’s spirit seated in the booth we had all been seated in earlier in the day. “Mr. Bailey!” I said as goosebumps skidded across my arms and legs.
Mr. Bailey’s head was in his hands. “I’m dead,” he whispered. The boisterous man we knew and loved was gone. In his place was this tiny, shell of his former self.
I nodded as I approached him tentatively. “I know,” I whispered back. “I’m so sorry Mr. Bailey!”
He looked up at me, his forehead furrowed up to his bald head. His face was scrunched up. He wanted to cry, but he couldn’t cry. Not as a ghost. Ghosts couldn’t shed tears. “My poor, poor Char,” he whispered.
My thoughts moved to Char then. How was she going to survive this? Losing her Vic was going to be devastating for her.
“How did this happen? You were fine less than two hours ago!” The pitch of my voice sounded an octave higher in my ears.
Mr. Bailey shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t really know how it happened. Maybe it was a heart-attack.”
“A heart-attack? Is that what you think it was?”
He shrugged again. “I really don’t know. I wasn’t feeling very well when I got home. Char thought I should lie down, but I thought I needed to move around a little and get my blood pumping. So I told her I was going to go for a drive and I ended up here. I thought I’d walk around a little – see if the symptoms would go away. I was checking inventory in the freezer when I suddenly felt strange. The next thing I knew, I was a ghost, and I was staring down at myself on the floor of the freezer.”
“I’m so sorry Mr. Bailey. This is devastating. I need to call Char,” I said as I looked down at him.
“She’s not going to know how to handle this,” he said slowly. “We thought we had so many good years left together. We had so many plans.”
I didn’t notice the tears rolling down my cheeks until I felt one of them drop onto my hand. I let them fall as I listened to him talk. He told me all about the plans they’d made on their honeymoon and how he was planning to cut back at work so they could have more time together. My heart wrenched in my chest, and I had to fight to keep myself together. I had to be strong for Mr. Bailey and Sweets.
I looked up when I heard the wail of sirens. An ambulance tore past the front windows and around the corner. They’d be coming in through the kitchen.
“Maybe it’s not too late,” I suggested, uncomfortably. “Maybe they can still save you.”
Mr. Bailey shook his head sadly. “It’s too late. I’ve been like this for a while.”
“B-but … maybe …” I began.
He stood up and walked towards the kitchen. “It’s too late for me dear. My time has come to an end. Come on. Let’s go watch the show. I’d like to know and understand how I died at least.”
I hung my head as I followed Mr. Bailey back into the kitchen. Even from behind, Mr. Bailey’s ghost fe
lt five sizes smaller than the loud, out-going man I was used to. Now, he was small, almost meek. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Everything felt surreal.
Inside the kitchen, the paramedics were already kneeling over Mr. Bailey’s body. Alba, Holly, and Jax had Sweets up off the ground and were huddled around her, comforting her as she sobbed on Holly’s shoulder. Like an eerie statue, Louis stood behind the paramedics, watching them work.
Mr. Bailey’s ghost stood behind them, watching them work as well. He shook his head sadly. “It’s too late fellas,” he whispered, though only he and I could hear him.
My eyes swung back to Louis. For having worked with Mr. Bailey for so many years, he didn’t look the least bit upset about the older man’s sudden passing. In fact, he almost looked satisfied. Was he happy that Mr. Bailey had died? Did he think that he’d get to run the bakery now? Was that what put the near-smirk on his face?
“Mercy?” I heard a voice call out to me as I watched the scene unfolding in front of me dazedly. “Mercy?”
I looked up to see Detective Mark Whitman looking down at me. He wore his usual uniform – a corduroy blazer over denim jeans.
Just looking at him in that coat, I suddenly felt overheated. I struggled to take a deep breath. I wiggled my toes inside of my sneakers. “Aren’t you hot in that jacket, Detective?” I asked him.
“Mercy, are you alright?” he asked, ignoring my out of the blue question.
I bit on the inside of my lip and nodded absent-mindedly. “I’m fine. It’s Sweets. We should be worried about Sweets.”
“Why? What happened with Sweets?” he asked, looking over at my group of friends huddled against the walk-in freezer door.
“She found him. In the freezer,” I whispered. I didn’t want Sweets to overhear. “She tried to resuscitate him.”
“She tried to kill him is what she tried to do,” said Louis from across the room.
My head snapped to the right to stare at him venomously. Protecting my friend suddenly became my top priority. Alba glared at him too. How dare he accuse Sweets of anything so evil? Sweets wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Witch School Dropout: A Witch Squad Cozy Mystery #7 Page 5
