Premeditated Peppermint

by Amanda Flower

  “I’m sure you will be able to get the crew back together and keep everything on schedule. I didn’t know Rocky long, but I could tell that she cared about this project. She would have liked it to continue,” I said.

  He scrunched his black brows together and squinted at me. “Are you one of those glass-is-half-full kind of people?” he asked.

  “I guess I am.”

  He snorted. “That’s never done any good for me.” He shook his head. “There’s a small table in the kitchen. We can talk in there.”

  Cass, Jethro, and I followed Linc into the kitchen, which was twice the size of the dining room and free of clutter. All the counters and the table were clear. However, the walls were papered with a busy Amish buggy pattern that gave me a slight headache when I looked at it for too long. When the buggies appeared to be moving, I had to look away.

  Linc sat on one of the kitchen chairs and looked at Cass. “I assume you are here for the negotiations.”

  “Negotiations?” I sat across from him on a chair cushion printed with even more Amish buggies. The tablecloth had buggies on it too. I was sensing a theme.

  Cass held up her hand. “Let me handle this, Bailey. Yes, I’m here to talk about the show. First of all, how do I know that my client will be safe if she is involved in this shoot?”

  Linc moved the napkin dispenser away from the middle of the table so he had a clear view of Cass. I suspected he wanted a good look at his opponent. “Safe?”

  “Yes, her safety is of the utmost importance.” She nodded to Jethro in her lap. “The pig’s safety too, but we will get to that. What’s your plan for Bailey’s part in the show?”

  Linc cleared his throat. “Bailey is Eric’s connection to this little village. She’s the reason we are here, so of course we must have her as part of the show. She provides the ‘personal’ connection. Rocky had wanted it to be a rekindled romance. We would like to shoot a scene in Swissmen Sweets. It will make the perfect set.”

  I started to say that there would be no scene filmed at Swissmen Sweets if my grandmother’s district elders didn’t give their blessing, but Cass held up her hand. “We aren’t doing the rekindled love angle.”

  “And I never agreed to have Swissmen Sweets as the set for your show. The shop is small. There is hardly enough room in there for more than a handful of customers at a time. I don’t know how you think a production crew plus Eric and I will fit in my kitchen. Besides, Swissmen Sweets is open, and Christmas is one of busiest times of the year for us. We can’t close up shop to help you. But most important, it is my grandmother’s candy shop, and she is Amish. We can’t film there without the permission of her church bishop.”

  Linc blinked at me. “What are you talking about?”

  I leaned back. “It’s how the Amish run their lives. They rely on their church leaders to tell them when they can and cannot do things, especially when related to technology. One of their edicts is to live simply. No one could argue that being on television is living simply in the Amish way.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” he snapped.

  A tiny part of me agreed with him, but I wasn’t going to say anything that would belittle my grandmother’s culture. It might not be my way to live, but it had been working well for the Amish for hundreds of years, so who was I to say it was wrong?

  “We will make it well worth your while,” he said.

  “It’s not my choice,” I said. “It really is not.”

  Cass leaned forward. “How much worth her while?”

  I shot Cass a look and asked, “Was it Rocky’s plan to shoot in Swissmen Sweets?”

  He shook his head. “No, she wanted most of the shots outside at the Christmas Market. She was obsessed with getting the perfect holiday shot of the village. We had already shot Eric’s Amish recipes at a soundstage back in New York, so she didn’t see the need to do any more interior cooking shots, but I disagreed. If your appearance is to be a main fixture of the program, we should see what you are able to do.”

  Cass shook her finger. “I don’t know that that’s going to work for us.”

  He held up his hand before I could speak. “I’m not asking you to marry Eric, but we do want to capture some of your chemistry on the screen. The rekindling the romance angle was Rocky’s idea. Viewers like intrigue, especially about celebrities like Eric. She wanted to capitalize on that, and thought it would soften his image. Rocky was right about that. We may have signed him initially because he is a volatile chef, but just in the last year, what the television audience wants has changed. Yelling and screaming chefs are out and sweet, wholesome Amish girls are in.”

  “I’m not Amish,” I said in a deadpan voice.

  “Details.” He waved his hand as if it meant nothing. “You will help him bridge the gap.”

  “At my expense,” I said.

  “Rocky was a bulldog, and she was a shrewd businesswoman. She would do anything at anyone’s expense if it furthered her career and the network. She lived and died by ratings.”

  “Don’t most television producers?” Cass asked. “It has been my experience as a talent manager.”

  I inwardly groaned, wondering how far Cass would take this manager thing. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if she didn’t start sending me out on auditions.

  “Perhaps. Rocky was an idea person, and the network loved her for that. But she wasn’t good with the practical part of producing. That’s why I got tagged to this assignment.” He balled his hands into fists on the tabletop. “You can’t imagine how difficult it was for me to be second chair on this project when it was my idea.”

  His fists were clenched so tightly, I could easily imagine him having the strength to strangle Rocky.

  “Let’s focus on my client’s safety. Should she be worried about anyone else on the production team?” Cass asked.

  “What do you mean?” Linc countered.

  Cass leaned on her elbows on the table with the the pig still on her lap. “A woman has died. I want to know if you think anyone on your team could have done it, and if so, is my client at risk?”

  “You think someone from the production team killed Rocky?” He blinked at her as if the idea had never crossed his mind before that moment.

  I smiled to myself. I knew what Cass was doing; she was trying to get information about the murder suspects while pretending to negotiate my television opportunity. She was so small and compact; it was easy to underestimate her.

  “How well do you know Roden and Pike?” I asked.

  Linc frowned. “I don’t know why this matters, but Pike is a new hire. He’s fresh out of film school and very green. I have worked with Roden for years and so had Rocky. In fact, he was on most of her shoots. He was her favorite cameraman.”

  “Favorite how?” Cass asked. “Like romantically?”

  Linc laughed at that. “No, that’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard. A pretty boy like Eric was much more her speed. She would never date someone like Roden, but they had a great working relationship, much better than Rocky and I had.”

  I wondered if he made this comment about whom Rocky would date from personal rejection. That would strengthen his motive for killing her. From where I was sitting, it seemed to me that Linc Baggins had the best motive for murder out of any of them so far. I glanced at his left hand. He was wearing a wedding ring, but unfortunately that might not mean much if he’d wanted Rocky to be his mistress and she’d turned him down.

  “What about Josie?” I asked.

  He blinked. “Josie? The makeup girl? What about her?”

  “I heard that she and Rocky had an argument last night.”

  He waved away my comment. “They may have had a little spat, but it was nothing to worry about.”

  That was not how Eric had described it. He said it was so bad that he painted it as Josie’s reason to kill the television producer. Again, I wondered why Eric had gone off somewhere with someone like that.

  “Pike mentioned that Josie left not th
at long ago with Eric.”

  He shrugged. “The pair of them are dating, so I’m not surprised.”

  “Eric said you told Rocky that, which caused the argument between the two women.”

  He frowned. “I supposed Rocky had a right to know if we were shooting this special to clean up Eric’s image. He couldn’t be seen running around New York with Josie when he was supposed to get back together with you, his Amish love.”

  “We aren’t doing the romance angle between Eric and Bailey,” Cass said. “End of story.”

  “You’ve made that point loud and clear.” He folded his arms. “But I didn’t know that when I told Rocky about Josie.”

  “But is Josie still part of the crew? I had heard that Rocky fired her last night.”

  “You seem to have a lot of information about the production,” Linc said. “But Josie is still with us. I need someone to do Eric’s hair and makeup for the shoot. Where am I going to find someone in Amish Country to do that for me?”

  Rocky was dead, and Josie was able to keep her job? Sounded like a motive to me, especially if what Eric had told me was true, that Rocky had threatened to ruin Josie’s career in television.

  He waved his hands. “I know what you are thinking, but you’ve got it all wrong. The girl can’t be more than five feet tall and ninety pounds soaking wet. There is no way she could have strangled a woman as tall as Rocky. That’s just not possible.”

  “What if Rocky was caught unawares?” I asked. “If she wasn’t paying attention or was distracted by something else, anyone could have gotten the jump on her.”

  He scowled and studied me. “It seems to me you’ve thought about this a little too much for a candy maker.”

  My cheeks grew hot at his comment, and I realized my mistake.

  Chapter 17

  By asking the production crew so many questions, I was painting a target on my back as a troublemaker and possibly as a potential threat who might have to be dealt with by the killer at some point. I had put myself in this tight spot before and barely made it out with my life.

  Cass laughed away his comment. “Bailey is worried for her safety. This girl will be putting makeup on her. After the murder, it’s only natural for her to be a little leery of anyone in the village she doesn’t know well.”

  I cleared my throat. “The police will want to talk to Josie.”

  He shrugged. “They can if they want as long as they don’t impact my shooting schedule. It’s afternoon now, so we’ve already lost most of today. I can’t afford to lose any more time. They can talk to her when she isn’t working on hair and makeup.”

  I knew Linc had a job to do, but I flinched at his callousness. Rocky hadn’t even been dead for twenty-four hours yet, and it seemed that all he wanted to do was get back to work.

  My conclusions about him were proven right when he said, “So, are you in?”

  Was I going to have to explain for a second time that the shop belonged to my grandmother? It seemed he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Cass leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Considering the danger that Bailey might face by just being part of the show, we are going to need something a little extra due to the extra risk.”

  “Extra?” Linc asked. “Extra like what?”

  Cass leaned farther back in her chair, and the two front legs lifted off the floor. “Make us an offer, and we will consider it.”

  Linc licked his lips and then snapped his fingers so loudly, Jethro jerked awake in Cass’s lap.

  “I have another idea,” Linc said.

  Cass made a gimme sign with her hand.

  Linc ignored her and spoke to me. “How would you feel about having your own show? We would call it “Bailey’s Amish Sweets.” I think it could be a real hit. The Christmas special will be your lead into your very own show. It might even be bigger than Eric’s.”

  I blinked at him. Of all the things the producer might have said to induce me to be part of the Christmas special, that was the very last thing I’d expected. “You want to offer me my own show on your network? Just like that?” He had to be crazy.

  Cass rubbed her hands together. “Now we’re talking!” She flattened her hands on the table. “What would the merchandising opportunities be? A line of cookware?”

  He continued to ignore Cass. “You would have to come back to New York for two to three months to shoot in the studio kitchen. It’s just more cost-effective that way, but we would make the set to your specifications. We could make it as Amish as you like. Of course, that would be after we do a screen test and shoot the pilot to figure out if you have the necessary star power on camera. Some people can be positively charming in real life but fall flat on camera, or they could be wonderful on camera and a complete train wreck in real life. Your Eric Sharp is a good example of the latter.”

  I scowled. “He’s not my Eric Sharp.”

  “So you say,” he said. “If we get the green light after the bigwigs in the network see your screen test, I want you to fly out to New York right after the New Year. We can shoot the pilot in a day, two tops. I feel confident you would be picked up as long as you aren’t one of those people who chokes on camera.” He squinted at me. “You’re not, are you?”

  “I . . . I don’t know. I’ve never been on camera before.”

  “She won’t choke,” Cass said, grinning from ear to ear.

  I stared at my best friend. “But my life is here in Harvest now.”

  She squeezed my hand. “It still can be.”

  “Leave Harvest? Leave my grandmother?”

  “It’s not forever,” Linc argued.

  My head was spinning. “I’ve never been on television before. How do you know that I would work in front of the camera?”

  He looked me up and down. “You are pretty enough to be on television.”

  I scowled at him again.

  “Bai,” Cass said. “Wouldn’t it be great to have the best of both worlds, to have Harvest and New York?”

  It sounded nice when she put it like that.

  “I’ll have Roden do a test shoot with you at your shop. We’ll use the footage for Eric’s special anyway. Maybe you and he can make one of your family’s recipes together.” He ran a hand in front of him, palm out as if wiping a slate clean. “I can see it now. Love and peppermint bark.” He raised his eyebrows at me. “You make peppermint bark, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” My head was spinning.

  “I like that angle,” Cass said. “But not the love thing. There will be no love thing between Bailey and Eric. That has to go.”

  Linc raised his hand. “Fine, but I still need her in a cooking scene for the pilot. It would be best if it’s something really Amish.”

  What’s really Amish ? I wondered.

  “Done,” Cass said.

  I flattened my hands on the table. “I’m not done. I haven’t agreed to this. I have to think it over, and we still don’t have permission to film in my family’s shop.”

  “What’s to think over?” Linc scribbled on the napkin and slid it across the table to me. “Here. This should convince you.”

  “Six episodes—fifty thousand dollars.” I blinked at the words he’d written.

  Cass took the napkin from me and whistled.

  That was a lot of money. More than I had made in almost a year at Swissmen Sweets, and I could make that in three months by just shooting six episodes? It was money that I could use to finally break Swissmen Sweets out of debt and pay for all the upgrades I wanted for the shop. It was enough money to get my own place away from the candy shop and to have my own bedroom again. As much as I liked Charlotte, sharing a room with a twenty-one-year-old Amish woman was getting old. I was too old for that.

  He grabbed the napkin from Cass’s hand and folded it. “Let’s see how your screen test on the Christmas special goes, shall we? Then we will know if you can earn this. Until then, this is all talk.”

  It might be all talk, but I was speechless.


  “Let’s throw in the pig on your program, and Bailey’s pilot, and you got yourself a deal.” Cass thrust out her hand to Linc to shake.

  He stared at the pig.

  “The pig is in or no dice,” Cass said. “Don’t worry. I’m positive both he and Bailey have the star power you’re looking for.”

  Linc shook her hand. “The pig is in.”

  And for the first time, I truly understood what it felt like to be railroaded. I suspected Linc and Cass were professionals at that art.

  Linc got up from his seat. “The production crew will be at your shop bright and early tomorrow morning. It would be a big help if the kitchen were clean and clear of any distractions. My guys will know what to do. They’re pros.”

  He headed for the kitchen door. “We are shooting at the Christmas Market later and the live nativity tonight. We’ll stop by your booth to get some footage of that, too. Now that that’s settled, I have some work to do. I need to be with camera and sound to make sure we are all on the same page as far as my vision for the program. This is my Christmas special now, as it always should have been, and we are going to shoot it my way.” He left the room.

  “What just happened?” I asked.

  “You wildest dreams just came true. That’s what happened.” Cass grinned and brushed her purple bangs out of her face.

  “I don’t think these were my wildest dreams. I think I got hit by a bus,” I said.

  “Maybe,” Cass agreed. “But it was a rich bus full of opportunities.”

  “I don’t know that I want to do this. This TV thing. It’s nothing I’ve ever wanted to do. Eric was the one who wanted to be a star.”

  “You might not know, so I will decide for you. Bai, think of what a great opportunity this is for you and Swissmen Sweets.” She lifted up Jethro and held him in my face. “And don’t forget about this guy. Think of how great it would be for him. Do you know how much more Juliet would love you if you made Jethro the star of your television series? She will want you to marry Aiden today.”