“Yes. No. I don’t know,” he shook his head.
“You said that man was your boss. What was his name?” I knew sometimes it helped to talk through things. I also felt more than a bit of curiosity at Landon's involvement with Breaking Chains. He certainly hadn’t mentioned it, not that we’d had a lot of time to chat since he turned up.
“Arthur. Arthur Cole was his name.”
“So, you worked for Breaking Chains?” Sam asked the obvious question for us both.
“Yeah, I’m not an office employee or anything, but my team reported to Arthur.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I squeezed his arm.
“That’s the thing,” Landon rubbed his jaw. “I didn’t even like the guy. Don’t get me wrong, he seemed like a good boss and I learned a lot from him. We weren’t exactly friends though. Breaking Chains is all about helping the victims but to Arthur, it was no more than a regular business. He didn’t have any real empathy or contact with the people we helped bring in off the streets. The only reason he even sat at my table was that he wanted to trade desserts with me.”
“Everybody has their strengths,” Sam said with a light tone. “Maybe Arthur only felt comfortable with his skills for the business end of things?”
“I guess,” Landon conceded.
A scream, high-pitched and terrified, had us each whipping our necks down the beach to the left. A few other people heard and jogged toward a woman who kept screaming and scuttled backward in the sand, like a crab, as fast as she could go. She tried to stand but couldn't seem to regain her footing. She kept crawling backward, her eyes never leaving something in the edge of the waves.
"You think she saw a jellyfish or a shark or something?" I asked.
That theory evaporated seconds later.
“A body!” someone near her called. “Get the police down here, there’s a body.”
“Sam, hurry and get the police,” I told her. Our group still huddled closest to the dining cabin and she could get there fastest. She sped toward the cabin and the officers taking statements.
I took off toward the frightened woman and the body. Don’t ask me why; I spent the whole minute it took to get there asking myself what in the world I thought I could do to help. I could hear Landon’s steps thudding behind me; with his longer stride, he soon he overtook me.
When we got close, we saw someone attempting CPR on a woman. The figure sprawled in front of us was too still, her ebony hair tangled with seaweed and dotted with sand. Up the shore a bit, the little round man who had led the prayer at lunch sat with the lady who sighted the body first. He talked softly and nodded, patting her arm every so often to try and comfort her. Given that the screaming stopped, I’d say he was doing a good job.
The man doing CPR rocked back on his heels, shaking his head in defeat.
I gasped at the first unimpeded sight of the woman’s face. I recognized her.
Chapter 1
Earlier in the Week
Knock, knock, knock.
Three sharp raps sounded at the door, causing us both to jump.
Griff and I were in my apartment.
He had driven me home after a dinner with Pastor Dan, the pastor’s wife, and our families at the spa. My mind still reeled from the unexpected turn our conversation had taken. I had invited him in, expecting him to make it clear after all of the rumors going around that I was a nice girl, his sister’s best friend, but nothing more to him.
Imagine my surprise when he knelt on my living room floor, telling me that he found me amazing, beautiful, kind, adorable (okay, he might have said ‘stubborn in an adorable way,’ but I’d take it) and saying he couldn’t wait another moment to tell me how he felt.
Knock, knock, knock. The knocking at the door grew a bit louder.
Griff dropped my hand. The moment shattered and vanished. I didn’t have time to process these new revelations, much less form any type of response. Saved by the door, or sabotaged, I wasn’t sure.
“That’s, uh, probably Sam,” I shot an apologetic look his way as I got up.
Griff followed me to the door, whether out of some new desire to protect me or simply to clobber his sister for interrupting, I couldn’t guess. Both thoughts made me want to giggle in a completely giddy, absolutely unacceptable way that made no sense right now.
I didn’t check the peephole before opening the door. Despite my recent trauma—being kidnapped and nearly killed by a woman who had lost her marbles and decided I was a threat to her fantasy future—I felt secure and safe with Griff there behind me. Besides, that woman was gone; she couldn’t hurt me anymore.
I never saw myself in need of a white knight, but having someone there with me felt good. Swinging the door wide, I experienced my second round of speechlessness in less than fifteen minutes.
“Piper?” the tanned, trim, muscular guy on my doorstep asked.
“Hi?” It came out as a question, my brain running on less than its optimum speed at this point in the evening. I tried to place this sandy-haired stranger and come up with a plausible reason for him to be at my door at this time of the evening, but I drew a blank.
“Piper, it’s me. It’s Landon.”
I clutched at my heart in shock as recognition dawned. Too stunned to resist, I just held on as Landon scooped me up in a huge hug and spun me around the doorstep.
“Piper, are you okay? I saw the news.”
“What? How are you here? What news?”
“I planned to surprise you. On the trip here to see you, I heard on the radio you were missing. Then the media said you had been kidnapped? The news showed no other headlines besides saying that someone was killed.”
“A trip to see me? How did you know where I lived? How did you find me?”
The words rushed like a raging waterfall as we pinged questions back and forth at each other.
“Piper.” Another voice crashed into the moment.
I turned, embarrassed at being so rude, and exclaimed, “Griff! Griff, I’m sorry, this is my friend from school. Landon, this is Griff. He’s…” I trailed off in awkwardness, dreadfully aware our important discussion had been interrupted.
“I was just leaving,” Griff finished. He turned to Landon. “Piper really needs her rest as you can imagine. Do you need me to give you a ride to a hotel?” Griff crossed his arms and spread his feet wide in front of my door. It became glaringly obvious he had no intentions of leaving me alone with another man at this time of night.
I would have been offended at this alpha male gesture if I wasn’t tickled pink on the inside and trying not to laugh on the outside. Whew, protective looks good on you, Griff, I thought to myself.
Plus, he was right. This day had been too much for me. I might feel anything but tired right now, but my entire body and mind were exhausted. Anything else could wait until tomorrow.
“Thank you but no.” Landon shook his head at Griff. “I have my car. You’re right. I just had to make sure Piper was okay…” He turned back to me. “Would you be all right with me coming to see you tomorrow, maybe taking you to lunch so we can catch up?”
“That would be wonderful.” I smiled. “Swing by the Ooey-Gooey Goodness Bakery anytime. I’m always there.”
Landon gave me another big hug then turned to leave.
Griff glanced between me and the parking lot, a slight frown tugging at his mouth. “See you, Piper.” He placed a soft kiss on my temple and trudged to his truck, his usual upbeat pace nowhere to be found.
I watched them both pull away, my heart aching for the conversation I botched with Griff and filled at the same time with the joy at the prospect of reuniting with Landon after so many years.
“Good night,” I whispered to the quiet night.
Closing and locking my apartment door, I leaned back against it and sighed.
Apparently, tomorrow was going to be another long day.
~
Sleep didn’t come without a fight; still, I did at last wrestle the pillows and my th
oughts into submission. Somehow, the next morning, my eyes sprang open well before my alarm went off. I stared up into the darkness as I thought about the events of the last few days.
So much had happened. From Sam and I winning the fundraiser, to our prize of staying at the spa (the most luxurious place I had ever seen), to being stalked and sabotaged while there. Of course, it would be a very long time before being kidnapped by a lovesick lunatic ever left my mind. I shuddered, remembering the ordeal and the tragic aftermath.
Then there was Griff. And Landon.
Sigh.
I threw back the covers and headed to the kitchen. Going back to sleep clearly wasn’t an option with so many thoughts playing tag in my head. So, I did what I always do. Set out to lose myself in my baking.
Now, I might have woken before the alarm, but that didn’t mean I had a lot of time since I always set my alarm for the last possible minute. It’s not like I have to be beauty-pageant ready to bake cookies. Alarm or no alarm, I still needed to leave for work in about half an hour. That meant I cheated a little. Yes, I snagged the can of premade crescent dough from the fridge. Don’t judge me.
I slathered butter in the little triangles, rolled them up, and added more butter on top. After they had baked six or eight of the ten minutes, I would add a little more butter to help them brown. Who doesn’t love butter?
For the really good part though, I found the bag of butterscotch chips. My mouth watered with anticipation as I melted the butterscotch chips, brown sugar, and water together in the microwave. The delicious aroma assaulted my senses, making me feel warm and cozy.
When the crescents were finished, I arranged them on a plate and poured the beautiful glaze over the tops. Crushing up a handful of walnuts, I sprinkled them over the glaze to add a little crunch.
Mmmm.
The warm glaze had me licking my lips, and the crescents, now bursting with flavor, melted in my mouth. Glancing at the clock, I put a few crescents in a to-go container to take to Sam and hurried to my bedroom to get dressed.
Chapter 2
I arrived at the bakery and saw Sam’s car already in the lot. I used my key to unlock the back door and locked it behind me, juggling the container of crescents and my phone in the other hand.
“Morning, Piper,” Sam greeted with her back still to the door. Unlike myself, Sam didn’t know the meaning of the word “casual” unless it was preceded by “business.” In a navy pinstriped jumper and long gold necklace, she looked completely out of place. Yet, she worked as hard as I did at running this place, comfortable in her own style and her own skin, never minding if her fancy clothes got dirty in the process.
“Morning,” I greeted cheerily.
She turned from the oven and gave me a long look.
“What?” I asked. “No, really, what?”
“How are you?” she asked me, voice laced with concern. “You really can take the day off, you know.”
“I’m fine!”
Sam and I co-owned and operated the Ooey-Gooey Goodness Bakery. We were also best friends, and she knew me better than anyone else. Sam raised one artfully manicured eyebrow and pursed her lips, not buying a word that came out of my mouth.
“Okay, okay. I’m exhausted and a little jumpy and confused, but I want to be here,” I hated to admit the jumpy and confused part. “I’d go out of my mind at home. Plus, look.” I held out the container in my hand. “I brought breakfast, and you’re going to be mad if you send me home because I’ll take them with me.”
Relenting, Sam shook her head and took the proffered box of goodies. Cracking the lid, she closed her eyes and inhaled.
“I smell—” she drew in another deep breath “—brown sugar?”
“And butterscotch chips.” I nodded. “Melted over fluffy crescents and sprinkled with walnuts.”
“My gosh, why didn’t you say so?” Sam opened a cabinet and pulled down two paper plates. She then made glasses of tea for each of us, and we sat down at the work island. We chewed in relative silence for several moments.
“You said you were confused,” Sam latched on to one of the things I hadn’t wanted to discuss. “About what?”
I lifted my tea to take a sip. Strong English breakfast tea complemented the pastries, providing a bitter note to offset the sweetness. “It’s complicated. Right now, we need to get ready to open. The rest can wait.”
“Hey!” Sam’s eyes widened. “I almost forgot that Griff drove you home. Dish. Is he part of why you’re confused? Did anything happen between you and my brother? He really started acting strange when you went missing, rambling and stressing out, his usual cool, collected self completely gone.”
I ignored her.
“Piper!” Sam called as I went through the kitchen’s swinging door and entered the front room, flipping on lights in the display cases as I went.
“What’s the special today?” I asked as I wiped off the chalkboard and prepared to write a new dessert on it.
“Cookie Sandwich Brownies,” Sam rattled off the name of our featured dessert. “You aren’t getting out of talking to me that easy though.”
I smiled and shrugged.
A knock on the glass door interrupted her next sentence. I checked my watch. There were still ten minutes before we opened.
“Who’s the impatient guy?” Sam asked, pointing over her shoulder.
I looked up and saw Landon’s searching face as he cupped his hands and peered through the door. Muffled sound filtered through the glass, the name still clear enough for Sam and me to understand.
“Piper,” he called.
“Who is he?” Sam arched an eyebrow at me.
“Would you believe he’s one of the confusing parts of my evening?”
“I’m definitely gonna need you to spill, and soon. Should I let him in?”
“I’ll let him in if you don’t mind stocking the cases. I’ll just go ahead and put the open sign out, too.”
“Okay.” Sam disappeared back to the kitchen to grab an assortment of goodies.
“Come in,” I motioned to Landon as I opened the door and waved him inside.
Hanging the Open for Goodness sign on the door, I turned, only to be enveloped in another giant bear hug like the one the night before.
Clank, bang. Trays of cookies rattled on the counter, and Landon let me go, turning toward the noise.
“Landon, this is my best friend and business partner, Samantha Lowe. Sam, this is my old friend Landon. We went to school together.”
“Nice to meet you,” Sam came around the counter to shake Landon’s hand.
“My pleasure,” Landon’s smile encompassed us both. “I hope it’s okay that I’m a bit early. Piper, I wanted to talk to you, but I got a call from my boss. I have to get back for an urgent business meeting, so it might be a few days before I’m back in town. I am coming back though,” he promised, squeezing my hands.
“I understand. When do you leave?” I asked, ignoring Sam who pantomimed picking her jaw up off the floor and fanning herself behind Landon’s back.
“Right now. That’s why I banged on the door when I saw the closed sign.” Landon ducked his head sheepishly. He had always been a bit shy in school, though I noticed he had a lot more confidence now. Something about the way he carried himself.
“Oh,” I blinked as my brain tried to absorb the fact that my friend, who appeared without warning back in my life, was already disappearing again.
“Here.” Sam’s voice cut through the whirlwind of thoughts. “Please, take some goodies for the road.”
“Thank you, Sam,” Landon accepted the small box of treats with a broad smile. “Nice hair, by the way, both of you.” Sam hadn’t yet picked a new color and still sported a bright red underlayer. I fingered my own silver- and pale turquoise-tipped strands absentmindedly. They had been a prank on Sam originally, but I’d been debating on keeping them.
The bell over the door jingled. I looked up and saw Griff step inside. His eyes swept the room. Heat floo
ded my cheeks as he glanced our way and smiled. I smiled back.
Recognizing Landon, Griff gave a curt nod hello and frowned. Guilt roiled through my gut, even though I knew I had no reason to feel that way.
“I’ll see you soon, Piper.” Landon gave me another squeeze and waved goodbye.
Griff steered clear of us, not stopping to speak as he might have had I been alone. At the counter, Griff muttered, “The usual,” to Sam in a low voice.
I approached the counter as Sam pulled a few cookies off a tray and boxed them up. Still, no idle chitchat, no discussion of today’s plans or requests to try new flavors made their way past Griff’s lips. I fidgeted, rocking back and forth on my toes.
Landon made his exit, the bell breaking the awkward silence.
On a whim, I hurried to the kitchen and back, tossing in the last Butterscotch-Glazed Crescent.
“You make crescents now?” Griff asked.
“Not the crescent, the glaze. It’s a new recipe. Let me know what you think.”
“Okay, thanks.”
The bell jingled as two or three of our morning regulars trickled in.
“Griff, listen,” I started.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll be out of town working for a few days.” Turning, he left without another word—not even a goodbye to Sam.
“See.” She pointed after him. “I told you he was acting odd. He didn’t even try to weasel extra cookies out of us.”
Chapter 3
We had just sent Frank, our last customer for the moment, off with his weekly Apple Fritter Muffin when Gladys entered. I noticed she still had her gorgeous manicure from the spa last week as I looked sadly down at my own nails. My struggle and the narrow escape from my captor on the beach last week meant more wear and tear than the polish could handle. Now scrubbed clean with nail polish remover, my nails were plain and ordinary once again.
“Hello, girls.” Gladys smiled and greeted us in her normal cheerful way. “Do you have any coffee left?”
“Coming right up.” Sam smiled as she reached for a mug.
Ooey Gooey Bakery Mystery Box Set Page 16
