by Amber Crewes
Meghan shook her head. “Don’t you worry about it,” she said gently. “It’s all okay. Now, try a bite of this! This is one of our newest treats! These donuts were made by your niece, Lori! She’s quite a good baker, and I’ve loved having her here.”
Becky bit into the donut and shrieked. “This is wonderful! Oh my goodness!”
Meghan laughed. “I think that’s just what you needed!”
Becky nodded in agreement. “I think it was too. It’s been a hard time, Meghan. The last few years….well, life with Felix was never easy. We were so young when we got married, and looking back, we really never knew each other at all. He only really cared about his business, not me, and there were so many things that I never got to do. We just traveled around the country starting and failing businesses.”
Meghan frowned. “That must have been so hard,” she said softly. “What a difficult way to live.”
Becky shook her head. “It was worth it when we were young,” she said. “Felix was a hard man to love, but we had something huge in common.”
“What was that?”
“Flowers,” Becky dreamily replied. “He and I just loved flowers. We lived on a little plot of land outside of Montana for a year when we first married, and we grew the most beautiful garden together! We had gardenias, and sunflowers, and petunias that were the color of a Mediterranean sunset! Our garden was the most magical place I had ever seen.”
Meghan smiled. “That does sound wonderful.”
Becky looked down at her cup of tea. “It was wonderful, but it was over too quickly,” she said. “Felix had a business idea, and even though I begged him to stay in Montana, with our beautiful garden, he refused. We moved to the middle of Sacramento, to a terrible little apartment in the middle of the city, and our garden was only a memory.”
Meghan shook her head, studying Becky’s face. “That’s awful, Becky.”
Becky sighed. “It was my fault for following him around. I had just hoped so badly that I could have a normal life here, with a normal job, like a teacher or something! With Felix gone, I just don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Meghan thought for a moment, but then, her face lit up as she rose from her seat. “Becky!” she exclaimed. “Becky, I have an idea! Lori is leaving Truly Sweet to go back to school, and with all of my orders, I’ll need some help around here. Why don’t you stay in Sandy Bay and work for me? I’ve liked getting to know you, and the puppies already adore you! You could help in the kitchen, or with the customers. What do you think?”
Becky’s eyes sparkled as she stood and hugged Meghan. “That is too sweet,” she whispered into Meghan’s ear. “Are you sure?”
Meghan gently pulled back and nodded. “Yes! I know how it feels to need a friend in this small town, and I feel like you could be a real asset here! You’ve done so many jobs, and I just know we’ll find something here for you!”
Becky grinned. “Felix always did say that my strudel was the best he ever tasted! Do you like German desserts? Those are my specialty!”
Meghan clapped her hands. “That’s perfect! I’m always looking to diversify the menu, and you will be an excellent addition!”
Becky wiped a tear from her eye. “This is the best news! Oh, Meghan! I’ve been so upset over Felix’s death; our marriage wasn’t the happiest, but he was my husband. I didn’t have a plan or direction, and now, I can really settle down here!”
Meghan beamed, thrilled to be helping Becky. Meghan was struck by Becky’s troubled life with Felix, and she was eager to give her a chance; it wasn’t easy to start over in Sandy Bay, but Meghan was confident that she could assist Becky, just as she had guided Lori. Suddenly, she heard music coming from outside of the bakery, and around the corner, the local ice cream truck appeared.
“Come on!” Meghan said to Becky as she took her by the hand and led her outside. “Let’s get some ice cream. I know it’s been a rough time for you, but this kind of news deserves a celebration!”
Meghan and Becky walked to the back of the line outside of the ice cream truck. Meghan smiled at the families gathered in front of her, but her kind look was not returned. Even Milroy, the ice cream man, had a serious look on his face as he handed Meghan and Becky their ice cream cones.
“They seemed a little cold,” Becky whispered to Meghan as they walked back inside of the bakery. “I think these people don’t like me. I know my husband’s brother, Norman, wasn’t the nicest, and that terrible handyman killed my husband….maybe this isn’t the best place for me to stay, Meghan.”
Meghan shook her head with vigor. “No! No, Becky. Don’t take it personally. Trust me, it is hard for people in Sandy Bay to warm up to newcomers, but you’ll fit in in no time. They’ll love you here, I just know it!”
11
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU HIRED HER, Meghan! She was married to my terrible uncle! She made a scene in here with him! What are you thinking?” Lori shouted as Meghan shrugged her shoulders.
“Lori, look,” Meghan said. “Have you ever spent time with her? Becky is sweet. The dogs really warmed to her, and then we talked. Her life has been hard, and with what she’s been through, especially with her husband being murdered, I think it is the right thing to do to offer her a job! I need the help, you know….”
Lori scowled at Meghan. “You’re just mad that I quit,” she said accusingly. “You’re mad that I quit, and you’re sticking it to me by hiring that woman!”
Meghan frowned. “Do you really think I would do that, Lori?”
Lori stuck her chin in the air and stomped out of the bakery. “I don’t care what you do, Meghan! I’m not here, so it doesn’t matter!”
Meghan sighed as the door slammed behind Lori, but within seconds, the little silver bells chimed, and Jack walked into the bakery. “Meghan,” he said, his eyes bright. “They needed someone to pick up the latest donut order, and I volunteered.”
Meghan’s annoyance at Lori instantly disappeared; she was happy to see Jack, and she thought he looked especially dashing in his new detective uniform.
“I’m glad you did,” Meghan said, reaching under the counter to retrieve the box of fresh donuts. “This is a batch I made this morning. Lori showed me her tricks, and I think it’s a good batch!”
Jack grinned as he opened the box and reached for a donut, licking his lips as he ushered it to his lips. “Mmmhmmm,” he groaned as he took a bite. “This is even better than the ones I’ve had before! You’ve outdone yourself, Truman!”
Meghan grinned. “Glad to hear it, Detective Irvin. So, how are you? How is the investigation?”
Jack sighed loudly. “It’s not great,” he said. “More tests have come back, and it’s clear that Felix died from multiple stab wounds.”
Meghan gasped. “That’s terrible!”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty horrible. Anyway, Jamie passed a polygraph test, so we are scheduled to let him go later tonight. It’s pretty obvious that the tools and overalls were planted at the scene, so we don’t have enough evidence to hold him, even if we wanted to. Our real suspect, Kayley Kane, is back in town, but we’ve had a hard time tracking her down to do an interview.”
Meghan scowled. “Of course you have,” she said. “I bet she’s back to make sure Lori closes the deal, and then she’ll take her money and run again.”
Jack bit the inside of his cheek, and Meghan could see that he was weighing her words. “We’re trying, Meghan. It’s just a sticky situation through and through.
Meghan nodded. “I’m sure. I just hope you can get to Kayley and get a confession out of her. She’s a difficult woman!”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Oh, don’t I know it,” he said. “I grew up here, remember? Kayley Kane has always been a fighter, so I can’t say any of this really surprises me.”
Meghan and Jack chatted for a few more minutes. Meghan watched Jack as he told her more about the investigation, studying his handsome face. She also noticed his thick blonde hair; Jack’s locks were the colo
r of evening sunshine, and Meghan wanted nothing more than to run her hands through his mane. “Maybe someday,” she thought to herself as Jack smiled down at her.
“Oh wait, excuse me, Meghan, but my cell is ringing,” he said, holding up a finger to quiet Meghan. She listened as he whispered into his cell phone, seeing his expression change only seconds after answering the call.
“Okay, Officer Nunan,” Jack said. “I’ll be there in five.”
Jack hung up the call and grinned at Meghan. “Well,” he began. “I think we have her. Officer Nunan just called. She said that Kayley Kane was spotted in town and I need to join my colleagues to track her down. I need to go!”
Meghan gave Jack two thumbs-up as he waved goodbye, and she wished him luck in finding Kayley. “Two-thumbs up?” Meghan muttered to herself as she watched Jack climb into his police car. “Why am I such a dork?”
Meghan sighed. She heard a whistle coming from the kitchen, and she raised an eyebrow in confusion. It was nearly nine in the evening, and the bakery had been closed for an hour.
“Hello?” Meghan called out, walking slowly into the kitchen.
“Meghan!” Becky cried out. “Hey! I thought I would get a headstart on some of my strudel. I know I am supposed to start tomorrow, but I just wanted to get a jump on things! The recipe is complicated.”
Meghan smiled warmly, happy to see Becky in good spirits. “That’s so thoughtful of you, Becky,” Meghan said. “Is there anything you need from me? I’m going to go upstairs soon and head to bed, but I can help for a bit now.”
Becky nodded. “Sure! I would love some company. It was so nice chatting with you the other day. It’s just nice to have some girl time, you know?”
Meghan grinned. “Absolutely! You’ll have to have lunch with Karen Denton and me sometime. You’ll just love her. Now, what can I do to help you with your strudel, Becky?”
Becky jerked her chin at the countertop beside Meghan. “Can you hand me that knife next to you, Meghan?”
Meghan reached for the knife and carefully placed it in Becky’s outstretched hand. Becky smiled, and turned back to the dough she had been kneading. She shifted her weight onto her left hip, and moved the knife from her right hand to her left hand and began slicing the dough.
“She’s left-handed,” Meghan thought to herself as her body grew cold with fear. Becky cut the dough in long, calculated slices, and Meghan gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Becky asked, placing her right hand on her hip and holding the knife in front of her. “Meghan? What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
12
MEGHAN SHOOK HER HEAD as Becky held the knife in front of her. “It’s nothing,” Meghan said. “I’m fine!”
Becky smiled and turned back to the dough. Meghan’s hands shook as Becky sliced the dough with precision, and she struggled to maintain her composure.
“Just breathe,” Meghan thought to herself as Becky contentedly cut the dough with the long, sharp knife. “Stay calm.”
“Becky?” Meghan said quietly, slowly backing away from Becky and the knife. “Becky, I know it’s been so hard, and that your marriage wasn’t the best, but you miss Felix, right?”
Becky kept cutting, her pace quickening as she nodded. “Sure,” she said. “He could be a real jerk sometimes, but he was my husband. It’s such a shame that he had to die like that. I still cannot believe that the terrible handyman stabbed him so many times!”
Meghan’s stomach lurched, and she stifled the urge to vomit on the kitchen floor. “Becky,” Meghan said softly, still inching away from her. “How do you know that Felix was stabbed? That isn’t common knowledge….”
Becky gripped the knife tightly in her left hand, turning to look Meghan in the eyes.
“What are you talking about, Meghan?” Becky said, her voice cracking as she said Meghan’s name. “I think everyone knows that Felix was stabbed!”
Meghan shook her head. “No one knows that,” Meghan whispered. “That information hasn’t been released to the public yet. Only one other person would know that Felix had been stabbed to death….”
Becky’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
Meghan stared at Becky. “Only the killer would know that Felix had been stabbed to death, Becky….”
“What are you saying, Meghan?” Becky said flatly, her eyes dark.
Meghan inhaled sharply. “Becky….what did you do? What did you do to Felix?”
Becky raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? I don’t know what you mean!”
Meghan took a long breath. “You know what I am asking you, Becky,” Meghan said.
Becky rubbed the handle of the knife with her thumb, and Meghan felt a rush of nausea as the blade of the knife caught the light of the soft, pale lamp in the corner.
“Becky? What did you do to Felix?” Meghan asked again, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Becky rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean to kill him,” she said. “But I can’t say I’m too torn up about it. He was awful, Meghan! He bossed me around for years, and he made us look like fools everywhere we went.”
“What happened, Becky?”
“The night he died, he begged me to come with him to the center of town. I was making something for dinner and he literally dragged me away from the kitchen. He wanted us to uproot the flowers that the handyman had planted; Felix said it would be revenge for that handyman talking down to us when he made us leave your bakery. I told him it was a bad idea, and we argued. He tried to hit me, and I waved my knife at him. It was self-defense, Meghan! I didn’t realize I had stabbed him so many times. You have to understand.”
Meghan shrugged. “So how did Jamie get caught up in this? You were trying to help him by stopping Felix from uprooting the flowers. Why did you make sure he got blamed?”
Becky frowned. “I didn’t know what to do, Meghan! I was in shock. Felix was dead, and it was an accident, and I lost control. I came back in the morning to cover my tracks and saw that handyman passed out drunk nearby, and I just grabbed his things and left them by the body. I didn’t know what else to do. You believe me, right? It was an accident.”
Meghan nodded. “Of course,” she said, reaching into her pocket for her cell phone. “It was an accident. You didn’t know what to do.”
Becky saw Meghan’s hand in her pocket and grimaced. “Meghan,” she said. “What are you doing?”
Meghan waved her hand. “Oh, nothing!”
Becky walked toward Meghan, pointing the knife at Meghan’s chest. “You aren’t going to tell anyone about this, Meghan. This is our little secret.”
Meghan nodded, but turned on her heel to run. She dashed into the dining area, but tripped on her own feet as she rounded the corner.
“Come back here!” Becky screamed, lunging after Meghan, her face red. “Meghan! Come back here!”
Meghan stumbled to her feet and scrambled for the front door. She knew it was locked, but it would only take seconds to undo the latch, and if she could get herself out of the bakery, she could scream loud enough to attract the attention of passersby.
“Meghan!” Becky screeched as she dove across the dining area. “Meghan, just come back here! We’ll talk about this!”
Meghan felt herself stumble, and she landed hard on the wooden floor. The fall knocked the air out of her, and she struggled to breathe. As she panted, Becky jumped on top of her. Becky straddled Meghan’s middle, and she held the knife directly above Meghan’s chest.
“Now,” Becky said, grinning at Meghan. “Let’s chat.”
Meghan wheezed, trying with all of her might to regain normal breathing. Becky was crushing her, which didn’t help, and Meghan was trying not to panic as her head began to spin.
“You’ve figured out my little secret, Meghan, and from the way you ran out, I don’t think you’re planning to keep my little secret, are you?”
Meghan choked as Becky shifted her weight. Becky slowly lowered the knife to Meghan’s throat and gently trac
ed the length of Meghan’s neck with the knife’s edge.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Meghan,” she whispered. “You were so sweet to me. I just can’t let you go spoil my little secret. My life without Felix is just beginning, and I can’t have you ending my new beginning. I’m sure you understand.”
Meghan felt the tears well in her eyes as Becky smiled menacingly at her. As Meghan lay helpless on the hard, wooden floor, she thought of Fiesta and Siesta, her beloved dogs. She recounted her last encounter with Jack, and the harsh words Lori had spoken to her. She hoped that Lori could forgive herself for being so rude during their very last exchange. Meghan imagined Karen, who was probably out running or at the gym. Her heart swelled as she thought of her loved ones, but then, as she heard Becky’s wicked laugh above her, her chest grew tight with fear.
