Murder and Layer Cake

by Meredith Potts

  That said, even though Gavin was back on his feet again, I still couldn’t believe that he managed to spend all those millions. If I caught him in a moment of brutal honesty, he’d probably admit that he was still in disbelief about it also.

  Gavin’s past aside, in the present, he was beside himself with excitement. “You won’t believe it,” he said.

  “I don’t know about that. After everything I’ve seen in the last few days, it’ll be hard to surprise me,” David said.

  “A Hollywood producer wants to turn my life into a TV show,” Gavin said.

  David’s jaw dropped.

  “I know, right?” Gavin said. “Isn’t this amazing.”

  “That’s one word for it,” I muttered.

  “That’s great news. Congratulations,” David said.

  Gavin stared at me. “Sabrina, aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

  “Of course. Congrats,” I said.

  “You don’t sound very enthusiastic. What are you, jealous?” Gavin asked.

  “No. That’s not it at all,” I said.

  “Then why do you look more concerned than happy?” Gavin said.

  “Because I think you should be careful,” I said.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to blow through the money from this TV deal,” Gavin said. “I’ve learned my lesson.”

  “I wasn’t talking about that,” I said. “But I’m glad you’re going to be wiser with your money from now on.”

  “Of course. It was bad enough blowing eighteen million dollars once.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “I still can’t believe I…” He groaned. “I was so stupid.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” I said.

  “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who went on the spending spree,” Gavin said. “Ironically, me burning through all that money is what got this producer’s attention in the first place. He has all kinds of ideas for where to take the series.”

  “That’s exactly what you should be careful about,” I said.

  I wasn’t just being paranoid. I had dealt with Hollywood before. Fifteen years ago, a producer bought up my life rights and turned them into a detective TV show. At first, it seemed like a dream come true. Then the producer made changes to the show to sensationalize the plot, adding car chases and standoffs at gunpoint.

  If the show wasn’t based directly on my life, I wouldn’t have cared. But the series was supposed to be telling my life story, and I didn’t appreciate having the events of my life rewritten like that. Not that the producer cared. He even changed the name of the main character of the show to Victoria Sassy.

  That last change actually ended up doing me a favor in a way. With the sleuth’s name changed, I was able to retain relative anonymity, at least to the larger world. Sure a select number of people in Treasure Cove knew that the series was about me, but I never became a household name. In addition, since the TV series went off the air eight years ago, the show rarely got mentioned in every day conversation. This was one of the rare exceptions.

  “Sabrina, I know you didn’t have the best experience with Hollywood,” Gavin said.

  “That’s putting it lightly,” I said.

  “But my situation is different,” Gavin said.

  “Why? Because you don’t think this producer is going to mess with your life story?”

  “No. He probably will.”

  My eyes widened. “And you’re okay with that?”

  “Honestly, I just care about the money.”

  “Are you serious?”

  Gavin nodded. “This producer can do whatever he wants with my story. The only story I care about is me not having to live paycheck to paycheck anymore.”

  “I wish I could say I was that laidback,” I replied.

  “Sabrina, do you know what it was like, having to go into a restaurant every day to work some lousy job, knowing you flushed eighteen-million-dollars down the drain? Or how it feels to counsel professional athletes about how to manage their multi-million dollar paychecks?” Gavin asked.

  “I have no clue,” I said.

  “Let me tell you something. Humble pie tastes awful. I never want to eat it again. And now I won’t have to,” Gavin said.

  “You certainly won’t. Congratulations. I hope the TV series becomes a big success,” I said.

  “Thanks,” Gavin said. “Anyway, it’s time for me to go and celebrate. Woohoo.”

  Gavin then jumped into his car and drove away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When I walked through the front doors of Treasures of the Cove Café, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Home Away From Home Cooking, the restaurant that used to occupy this space. I missed the old restaurant so much, but they ended up closing their doors a few years ago. Not without a fight, though.

  They had tried their best to stay afloat, but they just didn’t have enough customers to keep the place open. The problem was that the location of the restaurant was on the outskirts of town. A lot of people didn’t want to drive that far for a meal. That was a real shame. No restaurant in town did comfort food quite like Home Away From Home Cooking.

  Treasures of the Cove Café, meanwhile, was a fusion restaurant. The chef believed in putting new twists on things. The results of his culinary experiments were mixed, at best. But he benefitted from being the new restaurant in town. How long the novelty would last, I wasn’t sure.

  Unlike most of the customers at the restaurant that night, we weren’t there because of the novelty factor. We chose the restaurant because it was the only eatery for miles. So while I knew the food would be better at Shannon’s Sandwich Shop, that was clear across town. My stomach couldn’t wait that long for dinner.

  David and I headed straight to the bar area, as we knew that we could get faster service there than sitting down at a table.

  While there was a lot to discuss, we ended up sitting silently after placing our orders. We were running on fumes and needed some protein before we could tackle any meaty conversational topics.

  Thankfully, our food came pretty quickly.

  I had a curried chicken burrito while David had a bacon, egg, and avocado burger. Much to my surprise, my burrito was amazing. I wasn’t sure how much of that was because of the specific meal itself, and how much of it was the fact that I was hungry like a wolf.

  Desperation had a way of toying with expectations. By the time I took a bite of my food, I was so hungry that a granola bar probably would have tasted like a culinary delight. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise then that the burrito tasted marvelous in comparison.

  That was actually an apt metaphor for the situation David and I were in. After all, so much of life was about expectations.

  When this case began, we both had high expectations about being able to identify the killer, sooner rather than later. Yet now here we were, as stumped as could be. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot we could do to improve our situation. We were stuck playing the waiting game, hoping for a new piece of evidence to turn up. Or for one of the suspects to make a misstep.

  A few minutes later, the protein from our meals gave us a jolt of energy, and we began to discuss the events of the day.

  “What a crazy day,” David said.

  “Are you talking about Gavin’s TV deal, or this case?” I asked.

  “Both,” he said. “But let’s focus on the investigation right now.”

  “It’s definitely one of the weirdest investigations I’ve ever been a part of,” I said.

  “And that’s saying a lot.”

  “True,” I said. “Treasure Cove does seem to specialize in oddball behavior.”

  David chuckled. “What a thing to be known for.”

  “Hey, that’s not the only thing our town is known for. We do have an amazing beach. Don’t you forget that.”

  He scoffed. “Are you kidding? It’s been so long since I went to the beach that I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to swim in the ocean.”

 
“It’s settled then. When this case is over, I’m taking you to the beach.”

  “If this case ever ends, you mean.”

  “Hey, don’t get negative on me,” I said.

  “Sorry. It has just been a long day. A long week, really.”

  “Keep your chin up.”

  “I’m just being honest. If I can’t do that with you, who can I do it with?”

  “You don’t have to sugarcoat anything for me. I know what we’re up against,” I said.

  “Then you shouldn’t be surprised that my chin isn’t up right now,” he said.

  “It’s more that you’re usually the level-headed one. I’m not used to being the one who has to rally our optimism.”

  “I hear you. But nothing is going as planned today. So why should this be any different?”

  I exhaled. “I guess you’re right.”

  He could see that my spirit was sagging.

  “I didn’t mean to bring you down. Today has just been so frustrating,” he said.

  “It kind of makes you wonder what tomorrow will bring.”

  “Don’t you mean, it makes you afraid of tomorrow?”

  “You never know. By this time tomorrow, we just might have cracked this.”

  He shrugged. “Anything is possible. Today has certainly proven that.”

  I looked at him. “Do you know what you need?”

  “A winning lottery ticket,” David said.

  “Other than that?” I asked.

  “A Hawaiian vacation.”

  “I was going to say dessert.”

  “That isn’t quite in the same ballpark as a Hawaiian vacation.”

  “No. But unlike your aloha dreams, which require both money and planning, cake is just a short drive away,” I said. “So what do you say, are you up for some dessert?”

  “How can I say no to that?” he said.

  ***

  After dinner, David and I headed over to Mitchell’s, which was a bakery on Maple Street. We ended up splitting a piece of layer cake. Now there was something that was timelessly delicious.

  David and I made quick work of the cake. Before I knew it, our plate was empty. I never thought I’d say this, but the cake was almost too scrumptious for its own good. I could have easily ordered a second piece, but I resisted.

  After all, just because I was investigating a case didn’t mean that I had a license to make a complete mockery of my diet. As it was, my waistline would have something to say about the cake I just ate. Besides, this wasn’t like my younger days when I could cheat on my diet a little and not have it affect me on the scale the next morning.

  Weight issues aside, the sugar rush from the cake buoyed my spirit enough for me to be able to focus on the case again. David, meanwhile, wanted to do more than just talk about the investigation.

  He got up from the table. “You ready to go?”

  “I guess that means you’re itching to head back out there,” I said.

  His nose wrinkled. “I was actually going to ask if you want to head on home.”

  My eyes widened. “Oh. Are you ready to call it a night?”

  David grimaced. “It’s not that I want to. It’s more that we’re fresh out of leads.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I can’t disagree with that.”

  He stared at me. “Unless you have a better idea of what to do next.”

  I winced. “Unfortunately, no.”

  “All right. Home it is,” David said. “We can get some sleep and stare this case down with fresh eyes in the morning.”

  “Sounds good.”

  David held his pointer finger up. “Actually, before we head out, I have to do one more thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Go to the restroom.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  While David headed off to the men’s room, I remained at the table. I let my mind wander. But maybe I let my thoughts drift a little too much.

  Normally, I had a keen awareness of my surroundings. But right then, my head was so deep in the clouds that I didn’t see Wally Tuttle approaching. Thankfully, Wally was one of my friends and not a suspect in this case, or I could have been in real trouble.

  “You look like you could use a vacation,” Wally said.

  I turned to the brown-haired, clean shaven, tall, forty-seven-year-old. He was wearing his work uniform from the Treasure Cove Beach Resort Hotel.

  “Are you offering?” I said.

  “I’m afraid not. The hotel isn’t paying me enough to take my own wife on a vacation, much less you two.”

  Wally was a front desk clerk at the beach Resort. The hundred and seventy-eight room hotel was a fairly recent addition in town. About ten years ago, local business tycoon, Jake Williamson, brainstormed the idea. In addition to throwing some of his own money into the project, he recruited half a dozen out-of-town investors to help finance the property.

  The resort opened its doors a few years later and quickly became a hit with the wealthy tourists that flocked to town during the peak season. Wally started working there about three years ago.

  “It might be time to ask for a raise,” I said.

  “I’m actually working on a promotion as we speak,” Wally said.

  “I hope you get it.”

  “I’m certainly doing everything I can.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”

  “Thanks. It could really make a big difference in my finances if I get this promotion.”

  “This might actually be one of those rare times that you look forward to peak season.”

  “Let’s not get crazy,” he said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love money, but I’d prefer to have the cash in my bank account and be able to skip over the summer crush and head straight into fall.”

  “For a man who works in customer service, you sure don’t like crowds.”

  “That’s exactly why I don’t like crowds. Because they are incredibly demanding,” Wally said. “You know what I’m talking about.”

  I sure did. I had spent most of my adult life working at Daley Buzz, my family’s coffee shop. Because of that, I knew more about customer service than I ever wanted to. Even though I spent less time behind the counter slinging coffees these days, I had not forgotten what a grind it was to be a barista.

  “You think your guests are grumpy? Try dealing with a whole line of Monday commuters who haven’t had their morning coffee yet,” I said.

  “That sure sounds like a grump-a-thon.”

  “It’s no day at the beach.”

  “Speaking of beach days, it’s amazing how rarely I dip my toes into the ocean considering that I live in a coastal town.”

  “Don’t remind me. I don’t think I’ve been to the beach all month.”

  “It turns out you’ve been pretty busy.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  “I seriously don’t know how you do it, solving all those murder cases.”

  “On days like this, I wonder that myself.”

  “Is this latest case a real grind?”

  “It makes slinging coffees seem like a day at the beach.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Sometimes, that’s just how a case shakes out.”

  “What a shame about Mark Wilcox. Things were just starting to quiet down around here too,” Wally said.

  “Hopefully, they’ll settle down soon.”

  He crossed his fingers. “One can hope.”

  “On a day like this, I need more than hope.”

  “Are you saying it would be a good day to win the lottery then?” he joked.

  “When isn’t it a good day to win the lottery?” I said.

  “Fair point. Although, sometimes I think that Gavin Zeller used up all the luck this town had,” Wally said.

  All these years later, it was amazing how often Gavin’s lottery win came up in conversation. By everyone other than Gavin, of course. He seemed to actively avoid discussing it. If I had blown through eighteen million dolla
rs, I’d probably never want to talk about it either. Then again, if this new TV series about Gavin’s life went into production, perhaps people would associate him with TV fame rather than lottery infamy.

  “I hope that there’s still some luck left in this town,” I said. “Otherwise, there’s no use in me still buying lottery tickets.”

  “I still can’t believe he burned through all that money.” Wally shook his head. “If I ever win the lottery, I’ll make sure to save enough that I never have to work again. He must just wake up and kick himself every morning.”

  “I’m not so sure about that anymore.”

  Wally’s nose scrunched. “Why?”

  “Gavin just told me that a Hollywood producer is interested in making a TV series about his life,” I said.

  His eyes were as wide as saucers. “No way.”

  “It’s true.”

  Wally scratched his chin. “I wonder if they’re going to stay faithful to what really happened or sensationalize things like they did with your TV show.”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “Knowing Hollywood, they’ll find a way to toss in a car chase or two somewhere.”

  “I don’t doubt it. Although, I have to say, that would be a pretty tall task, considering Gavin’s life story.”

  “Don’t ever put anything past Hollywood.”

  “That’s so true. Hollywood does whatever it wants.”

  Wally put his hands on his hips. “Wow. Gavin has really led a roller coaster of a life. I’ve never seen someone go from having the best luck in the world, to the worst, and then to the best again.”

  “I don’t envy him. That’s far more twists and turns than I am comfortable with,” I said. “I prefer stability.”

  He chuckled. “Says the woman who has spent her entire day chasing after criminals.”

  “Just because I prefer stability doesn’t mean that it will happen. Life doesn’t ask me what I want.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “Things can calm down any time now.”

  “I hope they do,” he said.

  “And I hope you get that promotion,” I said.