“Maybe the Antique ticket?” I suggested.
“No, I don’t think they’d chance getting caught for that,” he said. “It’s best for you to leave for tonight though, they may be back.”
“Okay,” I said, “let me put my hats in the refrigerator,” I told him. I rushed over to the refrigerator and pushed the hats inside grabbing one to give to him.
“Here, you need to try this and tell me what you think,” I said.
We walked out to the car while he put the treat in his mouth.
“I wasn’t expecting marshmallow,” he said. “It’s delicious.”
“Yes, great. I’m going to make a ton to give away on opening day.”
“Where do you want to go. I don’t think you should be alone tonight,” he said.
“Take me to Rose’s please,” I told him.
When we arrived he walked me to the front door with his arm around me.
“Thank you, Logan, for everything,” I told him. He looked at me with a crooked smile. I hadn’t realized how adorable he could be until then.
I was about to say something embarrassing when the door flew open. Rose stood in the doorway with a frying pan.
“Oh, it’s you guys. Wait, why are you here?” She stepped out and looked around.
“Coco had a bit of a scare,” Logan told her. “Take care of her tonight, please.”
“I will, thank you for making her leave the bakery,” Rose said.
I walked into Rose’s house feeling completely lost.
“When you go to the bakery, Coco, make sure your friends are with you, especially at night.”
I nodded and waited until he was gone to move away from the door.
“He’s cute,” she said. “I do love a man in uniform.”
“Yeah,” I said kind of absent-mindedly.
“And he cares a great deal about you,” she said.
“He’s just doing his job Rose,” I told her.
“Okay,” she said not really acting like she believed me.
I told her what happened and she agreed it was a good thing he brought me here.
“Because he loves you,” she sung as we walked to her spare room.
Rose lived in a cute little cottage that belonged to her grandparents. It was just her and her cat Sir Pawkins. I found it funny she owned a dog grooming business and continued to only own a cat. She said it was because she saw dogs all day every day.
Rose walked me into the spare room and put me into bed like I was her child.
“Just wait to go to the bakery until tomorrow afternoon when I get off work and I’ll go with you,” she said.
The last thing I thought before I went to sleep was, I’m not going to let this killer ruin my dream.
Chapter Ten
The next afternoon I broke out the little hats and passed them to Masie, Rose, and Scooter. They all shared their appreciation for it.
“There’s safety in numbers, right?” I asked my friends.
“Sure, and I’m thinking about getting a gun,” Masie said. “Let that guy come in here and I’ll show him Dirty Harry.”
“What's a Dirty Harry?” Scooter asked.
Masie looked at him disgusted.
“Are you sure it wasn’t just the wind. Maybe you were hearing things because you were alone.”
“No, it wasn’t the wind. I could feel someone else in the place with me. I could feel it.”
“But we’re all here to protect you, so it’s fine,” Masie said reaching for my hand.
“Yes, the more the merrier,” Stella said from the front door. “We know who the killer is.”
“Oliver Thompson,” Rose yelled.
“No, it’s Red,” Vivian said.
“Red,” everyone said at the same moment.
“What a welcome,” Red said from the doorway. He moved forward followed by Henry.
“It’s the killer,” Stella screamed grabbing a spatula from the counter. Since everyone else was on edge they also grabbed whatever they could.
Scooter grabbed a butter knife, Vivian grabbed the mixer, Masie had the stool which was probably the most effective and Rose grabbed two bags of heavy flour throwing one at Henry as he moved forward.
“Whoa, what is going on,” he said holding his hands up. “Rosie darling, you almost killed me.”
“You murdered the mover because he pushed you!” Vivian yelled at him.
“I wasn’t talking about killing anyone you old bitties,” Red said. “I was talking about a game of Badminton. That’s why you two shouldn’t eavesdrop,” he said.
“Is that why you were carrying that lamp the other night,” Henry asked Stella who looked sheepish.
“I didn’t like the way he treated our Coco over here,” Red said, “but I don’t have the energy to kill someone.”
I looked over at the two old ladies who had the decency to look a little guilty. Scooter went into the back to get some of the things he needed for cake baking but he came back quickly.
“There’s some weird old guy behind the bakery,” he said.
Anger overtook me and I started off to see who was at the back door.
“Wait,” Stella said, “take this.”
She handed me the spatula and for some insane reason, I took it.
"Make a crow's noise if you need help," Rose said as I moved towards the back of the bakery.
Being fairly certain I didn’t know how to make a crow’s noise I nodded. I held the spatula out in front of me as I walked. What would one even call getting hit with a spatula, I thought? A pancake slap? If the man turned out to be the one who'd been breaking in I'd give him a pancake slap he'd never forget.
I jumped out the back door with a yell and pointed the spatula at him. "What are you doing out here, sir?"
Immediately I wished I hadn't said sir. Was I serving him a slap in the noggin? The old man jerked and backed away from me. When he realized all I was holding was a plastic spatula he breathed a sigh of relief. He brought both his hands up in front of him.
"I'm just here to pick up my moving boxes," he said. "I didn't want to bother you. I just wanted to grab these and get them on the truck over there."
"I'm coming out the door," I heard Masie yell. "If you're doing something nefarious you better stop or suffer the consequences!" She leapt out and took a fighting stance.
"So," I said ignoring my friend who was wielding an eggbeater. "You were Tom's employee?"
"No, we're partners in the business. I talked to you on the phone to tell you he was coming," he said a little skeptical of Masie whose eyes were currently as crazy as her hair.
"Oh, you're the nice one," I said realizing I still pointed the spatula at him and lowering it.
"I get that a lot," he said. "I guess I won't get that anymore, now that Tom..." he trailed off with his voice cracking a bit.
"I'm so sorry about your partner and that we came out here and accosted you," I told him.
"Oh, no it's okay. I should have told you why I was around the back of your bakery. Have a good day."
We walked back in together and I smiled at Masie. "Well, he isn't the guy who was breaking in."
"I don't know," Masie said, "I'm not sure I trust him."
"That guy is like the friendly neighbor and Tom was the devil next door," I told her.
"He just, I don't know seemed off," Masie said. "I can't put my finger on it."
"No, he was just really upset that his partner is dead. He was murdered here...he probably didn't like returning to the scene of the crime."
“Okay, if you say so,” Masie said but she didn’t sound convinced.
I walked into the back to see Scooter putting the finishing touches on what I thought was the cake for the opening. It was covered in black and had several people on it. Most notably a guy face down covered in blood.
“Scooter,” I screeched, “please tell me this isn’t serious. You’re making a cake of the murder scene.”
Now I’d gotten everyone’s attention
and they were all gathered around looking at his cake as well. For a minute the kid looked stunned. Then realization struck him.
“Oh, no, Coco Bean, no, no. I have a private order for a murder mystery cake. Oh man, this is just poor timing. I didn’t even think about what you went through. I’m so sorry.”
Once my heart was back in my chest, I started to laugh. The uncontrollable urge just kept going until I bent over and gasped for breath. Tears ran down my cheeks. Instead of laughing with me, everyone just looked at each other. Clearly, they thought I was cracking under all the pressure. I might have been...I tend to laugh when I'm nervous and at the most inappropriate time.
Once I got myself under control I knocked into a rack beside Vivian and pushed a box over. Some pink flamingo decorations from a beach themed summer special I’d had fell out. I started laughing all over again and I went out to the tables and sat down.
“Coco, are you still with us,” Stella yelled at me. My sides hurt so bad.
“Yes, I’m sorry. Let’s get on with it. There’s still so much to do,” I said.
“Okay, you tell me what you need done,” Rose said, “I’m ready.”
“Calm down there Thorny,” Masie said. “You’ll have the whole place organized where we can’t find anything.”
“Oh, you mean clean,” Rose said putting her hands on her hips.
“Okay you two, let’s not fight,” I said standing up. “We just need everything to be sparkly and to not look like someone was murdered.” I held on to the optimism people wouldn’t care that a man had been stabbed here and would just come for the delicious baked goods. Nothing says apple strudel like a dead body. Ugh!
“On it,” Rose said and headed to the back with a rag.
“I’ll help her,” Scooter said wiggling his brows. He had a not too subtle crush on Rose despite their age difference. Good grief! If Rose knew she'd wipe the floor with him.
Stella said, “of course he will. Vivian you and I will wipe down the tables.”
“We’ll make some coffee,” Henry said.
After about an hour the place felt nice and clean. Masie and I sat down to start stuffing the menus with the print outs she’d gotten. They looked great and the little touch of bright green she’d included to match my new décor was a delicious inside joke.
The little emblem beside the elaborate Mad Batter hat was a green bird. By the time we finished stuffing, and everyone finished cleaning it was past ten o’clock.
“Let’s call it a night, we can get everything ready tomorrow for the grand opening and be done with it.”
“I have to stay late to finish the cakes for tomorrow,” Scooter said. “I’ll keep an eye on the place.”
I didn’t like the idea of him alone at night after everything that had been going on. If I would have said something, he’d have accused me of calling him a baby. I did put in a call to Logan as I sat in Daisy in the parking lot.
He picked up on the second ring, “hello Cee-cee.”
“No,” I said firmly and loudly, “if you want me not to burn a permanent C in your forehead, you will never call me that again.”
“I’m sorry, I was trying something,” he said taken aback by my snappy reaction.
“Daniel used to call me that. I just hate it now, it’s tainted.” I shuddered as I remembered my ex-husband putting me down using the nickname. What started as a pet name became a sound of shame. Shaking my head to get rid of the bad thoughts I thought of cakes and reality television. Talk me down you stiletto wearing hot heads.
“Sorry again, Coco,” he said, “what is it?”
“Scooter is insisting on staying late to work on his side hustle. A cake for a murder mystery party.”
“Wow,” Logan said, “that’s poor timing.”
“Tell me about it,” I said remembering my momentary melt-down.
“You want me to drive by a couple times and make sure he’s good?”
“Yes, please. It would help me sleep tonight.”
“It’s going to cost you,” Logan said with a laugh.
“Oh yeah,” I cranked up Daisy and pulled out of the parking lot. “Cost me what?”
“A blueberry scone,” he said, “and coffee.”
“I think I can arrange that.”
With that taken care of, I went to my house and fell face first into bed.
Chapter Ten
After a considerable argument about where to eat lunch based on Vivian’s indigestion, the picky eaters got into Stella's car. Stella and Vivian had just finished playing tennis at the senior center and were famished. They’d ruled out the two restaurants in town, so we were going on a bit of a drive.
They decided on a deli they both really liked in Tilletsville, which made sandwiches to order. Once they reached the edge of town, it was just a ten-minute drive to the deli.
“Stella,” Vivian said, “maybe we should go somewhere else. I always get bad heartburn from the egg salad.”
“Well, don’t get the egg salad, Viv,” Stella said.
“I like the egg salad,” Vivian mumbled.
When they finally reached their destination, they walked in the front doors. The deli had a counter where you could order and two or three small tables. There were also seats at the counter for customers.
“Good morning,” Vivian said, “can you tell me where the pigs you get your ham come from?”
“Oh, for goodness sake,” Stella said.
“I need to know,” Vivian said smiling at the butcher politely.
“They come here dead,” he said. “I have a couple sources.”
“So, what you’re saying is you don’t know,” Vivian said. “Well, I don’t know that I can eat ham and not know the source. What if it was raised in a house and they fell on hard times?”
“Why would that matter Vivian,” Stella said through clenched teeth.
“Because then it would taste like sadness,” Vivian told her.
Stella blinked at her for a few seconds and then pushed her out of the way. She ordered an Italian sub and went to sit at one of the little tables. She could hear Vivian ordering.
“I’ll have the egg salad on wheat,” she said. Stella's closed her eyes. Visions of Viv and her tummy complaining floated through her head.
Vivian walked over and sat across from her as Stella took a bite of her sandwich. Vivian held hers in front of her and inspected it.
“I’m going to have heartburn...and possibly gas,” she said and took a big bite.
Stella started to respond with some snark but a young man on his phone in line caught her eye. He said, “Yes he’s dead. That will teach him to mess up your piano. You know I have your back, baby. I gotta go, I’m at the deli.”
“Vivian,” she whispered, “look at the young man talking to the butcher.”
Vivian looked over while taking another tentative bite of her sandwich. “Yeah, so?”
“He was just talking about the mover getting what he deserved,” she said.
“So, a lot of people probably thought he got what he deserved,” Vivian said.
“No, he said he messed up his piano moving it. He said he’d do anything for the girl on the phone. Hurry up we need to follow him.”
“Why?”
“To get evidence. He’s clearly the killer. We can follow him, find evidence and then turn it into Detective Logan,” Stella said.
“I can’t eat it fast, because I’ll...” Vivian started.
“You’ll get heartburn...and gas, I know.” Stella knew she'd be on the receiving end of the gas explosion on the way home. “Then bring it to go, I’m going to bring the car around.”
“I’ll just grab some chips,” Vivian said as Stella rushed out the front door. She grabbed the Buick and pulled around to the front of the deli. It took Vivian forever to come out and Stella watched the young man get into a Jeep Wrangler with a lot of meat and pull out.
They were going to lose him if Vivian didn’t hurry. When she finally walked out, she had two bag
s of chips. Stella rolled the window down, “get your ass in the car Viv.”
Vivian sped up and jumped in the passenger seat. “I couldn’t decide between BBQ and plain, so I just grabbed one of each.”
Stella gripped the steering wheel tight. “I love you, but you’re the most annoying person on the planet.” She gunned it out of the parking lot and Vivian put her seat belt on quickly clutching her chips for dear life.
The car Stella drove was a five-year-old Buick. While it was fine most days because she only drove it to the senior center and home. It hadn’t seen this much action in a long time and it jerked and heaved in rebellion. The car finally settled into a rhythm and Stella managed to catch up with the jeep and slowed her pace a bit. The man probably not expecting to be followed was doing the speed limit.
“Follow three lengths behind him, Stella,” Vivian said. “I read that for tailing someone.”
“Are you sure that’s not just to avoid following too close, Vivian?” Stella saw the jeep turn onto Lily Pad Street and slowed down even more so as not to turn right behind him.
She followed now far enough back to see him but not get on his tailpipe.
“Now you’re like thirty car lengths behind,” Vivian observed.
“Thanks,” Stella said. The jeep turned down Roundabout Lane and Stella slowly followed again. “I hope that doesn’t mean there are roundabouts.”
“I doubt they’d name the road that if there weren’t,” Vivian said.
“I’m not good at roundabouts,” Stella said.
“You just wait your turn and then go around it,” Vivian said.
“No, I get confused with who goes when,” Stella said. Unfortunately for the both of them the roundabout was coming up. The jeep went through with no problem and despite them being on a back road, there was traffic coming from every side of them.
“Okay,” Vivian said, “now you just wait your turn. Stella what are you doing!”
Stella not listening pressed the gas down and went for it. She didn’t pay attention to anyone’s right of way. She screamed loudly and skidded around the roundabout before curbing the car and causing Vivian to burst one of her chip bags. They missed a huge truck and Vivian swore he gave them the one finger salute. By some miracle they made it right back behind the jeep.
A Drizzle of Murder Page 4
