Counterfeit Confections

by Jessica Beck

  “Why did she leave?”

  “It wasn’t just that the grass was greener on the other side. She’s really good at what she does, and she’s got ambition to burn. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s running the place within a few years.”

  As I handed Grace her coffee and treat, she slid her money across the counter. I usually let her slide on paying me, but she always insisted, so lately I’d stopped fighting her. “Did you apply for the same position?”

  “Me?” she asked with a hearty laugh. “Suzanne, I’m perfectly happy right where I am. I know what I’m doing, I’m good at it, and as long as my team keeps turning in good numbers, my bosses pretty much leave me alone. Why on earth would I want to advance up the corporate food chain? I’ve always believed that the higher you climb up the ladder, the more chance you have of people taking shots at you. Thank you very much, but I’m perfectly content right where I am.”

  “Well, I for one am happy you’re hanging around,” I said. “It’s a long drive to the coast, isn’t it?”

  She groaned a little. “It’s going to be even longer since I have to drive to Charlotte to pick my boss up at the airport. She’s riding with me, so the seven-hour drive is going to feel like seven years. At least she’s riding back with Mindi.”

  “I take it you’re not a fan,” I said.

  “Of my boss, or of Mindi?” she asked. “Not so much, and the answer is the same on both counts. The things I do for a paycheck.”

  I thought about the endless hours I spent at Donut Hearts, the sleep I’d lost over the years since I’d bought the place, and the razor-thin margins I made from my labors. “Yeah, you’ve got it rough. I’d trade you dead even, but I’m not sure I could handle the strain of being you.” I grinned at her as I said it, and she quickly returned it with a broad smile of her own.

  “I know, it’s definitely a first-world problem I’ve got.” She shook the treat bag. “Thanks. I’ll call you when I get back into town. We can have lunch at Napoli’s.”

  “I’m holding you to that. I’ll be here,” I said. “Safe travels.”

  “Thanks,” she said as she walked out.

  “Where is Grace heading off to in such a hurry?” Mayor George Morris asked me as my best friend nearly ran him over.

  “She’s going to the Outer Banks,” I said.

  “For business or pleasure?” he asked me.

  “Business, strictly business,” I said. “What can I get you, Mr. Mayor?”

  “I’ll take a fritter and some coffee,” George said. “Unlike your friend, I’m not in any hurry at all. The Council is breathing down my neck again about our budget, and I’m going to hide out here for a while, if it’s all the same to you.” He glanced at his watch as he added, “In about seven minutes, they’re going to realize that I’m standing them up, and I want to sit here quietly, enjoy my goodies, and savor the experience.”

  I laughed as I filled his order. George sat at the counter by the register, and I was happy to catch up with my old friend. “You don’t have to keep running for reelection if you’re tired of being the mayor, you know. Let someone else take on your headaches.”

  He looked at me wistfully for a moment before he spoke. “I could just walk away from it all, couldn’t I?”

  “Just think, you could go fishing anytime you wanted and just laze around the rest of the time,” I said, smiling.

  “I’ve given it due consideration, trust me, but I’m worried retirement won’t sit well with me. Remember, when I left the police force, I got so desperate for something to do that I even helped you investigate a murder or two.”

  “I thought you had fun, right up until the time you got hit by a suspect’s car,” I said. After all these years, it was finally something we’d both learned to joke about, though it had nearly cost him dearly at the time.

  “Occupational hazard, it goes with the territory,” he said with a shrug. “Do you need a full-time assistant these days?”

  “Hey, that job’s already been taken,” Emma said from behind me. I hadn’t even heard her come in from the kitchen, but she did that occasionally to collect the dirty dishes, cups, and glasses so we could serve the next group of customers that came into Donut Hearts.

  “I don’t want your job. Trust me,” George told Emma.

  She seemed mollified by his answer. “Good, because I’m not in any hurry to give it up.”

  “I was offering Suzanne my detecting skills,” he explained.

  “I thought that the counterfeiting case was already solved,” Emma said, puzzled by his statement.

  “I’m speaking in general terms,” the mayor said, and as my assistant disappeared into the kitchen again, George asked, “Did they really already arrest the counterfeiter?”

  “That’s what they’re claiming,” I said guardedly.

  “But you don’t believe it,” George pressed.

  “Let’s just say that I’m keeping an open mind,” I answered.

  He was about to follow up with another question when a well-dressed stranger approached the counter. “Excuse me. I’m looking for Suzanne Hart.”

  “Then this is your lucky day, because you just found her,” I said, giving the man a smile. “What can I do for you?”

  “It’s what I can do for you, as a matter of fact. I’d like to buy your house.”

  Chapter 8

  “PARDON ME?” I ASKED. “I’m not sure where you got your information, but my cottage is not for sale, not now, not ever.”

  He frowned as he idly played with a large round tarnished brass token in one hand. I noticed that it had the imprint of a lighthouse on one side, and I wondered what amusement park vending machine it had once belonged to. “Surely you can’t be that attached to a place you bought only days ago,” he said. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

  His true intent suddenly became clear. “Oh, you’re talking about the flip. I don’t own that. Well, at least not all of it. I have a fourth of it, to be exact.” For some reason I felt the need to overexplain everything to this man. It wasn’t just that he was handsome, though he was that, but he had a commanding presence that made me feel as though I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint him for some odd reason.

  “I understand that, but I went by the house early this morning, and no one was there. Then I tried to track the other owners of record down, but they were all nowhere to be found.”

  “Jake and Phillip were probably having breakfast or off buying supplies, and my mother is a hard woman to find on her best days,” I explained. “The house we’re all remodeling is not for sale, either, at least not yet.”

  “I assure you, I’ll make certain you realize a healthy profit from the transaction. I can make it quick and fruitful for you all.”

  “I’m curious about something. If you want the place so badly, why didn’t you just offer more for it than we paid? We just bought it a few days ago.”

  His expression clouded over. “Unfortunately, I was called away out of town unexpectedly. I had been under the impression that I had a deal with the owner when I left, so imagine my chagrin when I came back and found that the title had already been transferred to someone else.”

  “Or in our case, someones else.” I knew it wasn’t proper grammar, but it made me smile, so I said it anyway. There were more important things in life than following the stylebooks of proper English syntax. “I’m sorry you feel as though you were treated badly in the deal, but we bought it fair and square. We’re taking it down to the studs and remodeling it from top to bottom before we put it back on the market, so if you can just be a little patient, it will be on the market again if you’re still interested later.”

  “That’s not going to be good enough,” he said as he pulled out a checkbook. “I’m afraid I must insist. I’ll pay you more than you’ll make from flipping it, but it has to be right now. Call your partners and get them over here. I want this over and done by lunchtime today.”

  I grinned at him. “You know, there may
be some people that quiver and faint at the sight of your stern expression, but none of us are in that group. We don’t take kindly to bullying, no matter what form it might take.”

  “I’m not bullying you,” he said, the frustration clear in both his voice and his expression. “You’re not acting rationally. Call them and at least give me the opportunity to talk sense to the rest of the people in your party.”

  George spoke up at that point. Evidently he’d had enough. “You heard the lady. The place is not for sale.”

  The stranger turned to look at my friend harshly. “And who exactly are you, and what business is any of this of yours?”

  George stood and got within six inches of the man’s face. I saw him blanch a bit, but to his credit, he held his ground.

  “I’m the mayor, and she’s my friend. Now don’t make me say it again. It’s time you took off.”

  The stranger shook his head, and then I saw the most remarkable transition in expressions blossom on his face. Going from perturbed to pleasant in an instant, he instead offered his hand to George with a bright smile. “I’m afraid we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Lionel Henderson III.”

  “George Morris,” the mayor said as he took the man’s hand warily. “Like she said, though, the place is not for sale.”

  “Of course. I understand. This isn’t the time or the place to discuss my proposition. Sorry to bother you, Ms. Hart,” he told me before leaving.

  “That was a bit harsh, even for you,” I told George after Henderson was gone.

  “The man was too pushy, and way too slick for my tastes,” the mayor said. “I don’t trust him.”

  “Wow, that was a bad first impression he made on you, wasn’t it? I admit that I didn’t care for his demeanor either, but I didn’t want to throw him out into the street the moment he walked in.”

  “I was just looking out for you,” George said softly.

  I walked over to him and put my hands on his shoulders, then I looked him squarely in the eye. “George, you are one of my dearest friends in the world, but you of all people should know that I can take care of myself. Now, don’t you have a meeting with the council that you need to get to?”

  He grumbled a little until I kissed his cheek gently. That made him blush, which was my intention in the first place. “I just didn’t want to see you get steamrolled,” the mayor said. It was the best apology I could have expected.

  “Did you honestly think that was ever going to happen?” I asked him.

  He laughed at that, and all was well between us again. “Not likely.”

  “You bet it won’t.”

  George nodded. “I guess I can’t put it off anymore. If I don’t at least go make an appearance, I’ll never hear the end of it. If you need me, I’ll be in my office.”

  “Keeping April Springs safe and prosperous, I trust,” I told him.

  “Sure, why not? If thinking that helps you sleep at night, then more power to you.”

  After George was gone, I thought about Henderson’s offer. I had to agree with the mayor. There was something not quite right about it, and I couldn’t wait to discuss it with my other partners in our house-flipping venture.

  It would have to wait, though.

  For now I had donuts to sell and coffee to pour.

  My customers needed me, and I was going to do everything in my power to make their visit to Donut Hearts a good one.

  To my surprise, Jake walked in an hour later. He looked grim, and I had to wonder what had happened to change his early buoyant mood. “Suzanne, you need to come to the house with me right now.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you along the way. Can Emma cover for you?”

  “Of course, but Jake, I need to know what’s going on.”

  “We had a break-in,” he said.

  After I got Emma set up, I followed Jake out to his truck. “Should I follow you there?”

  “No, I’ll bring you right back, but I wanted you to see this before I called Chief Grant.”

  I was really getting worried now, but I didn’t quite understand. “Jake, there wasn’t anything to steal, was there? You took your tools with you yesterday, and the appliances were already in the dumpster. They didn’t take the wiring, did they?”

  “No, but then again, it’s not copper; it’s aluminum. That’s why we’re going to rewire it.”

  I knew that there had been a rash of thefts from new homes where thieves would move into a house under construction and steal the wiring just to take it to a salvage yard.

  “What exactly of value was there for them to take?” I asked.

  “It’s not what they took,” he explained. “It’s what they left.”

  “Okay, I’m really not following you now. Are you saying that someone broke into the house we’re flipping and left something? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It was blood, Suzanne. Evidently whoever broke in got injured before they managed to get back out.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, more confused than ever.

  “Neither do we, but Phillip and I agreed that you and Dot had a right to see the scene before we called the police. It’s not like getting Chief Grant there any sooner is going to change anything. Whatever happened is long over,” he said.

  I kept peppering him with questions for the rest of the short drive, but he had no more answers for me, so I finally decided to just wait and see it for myself. As we drove up to the house, I saw the curtains of Curtis’s house suddenly close. Evidently he was keeping tabs on the comings and goings of our house-remodeling project, but we didn’t have time to deal with him at the moment.

  When I walked to the front door, Jake put a restraining hand on my shoulder. “I don’t want to contaminate what very well could be an active crime scene,” he explained. “I’ve been through the house, so I know that there are no bodies here. I suppose that’s something, anyway. If you don’t mind, stay right where you are.”

  I did as he asked and looked inside from my vantage point near the door. I was surprised not only by the obvious blood present near a neat stack of two-by-fours but also by how clean the place was otherwise. The dumpster outside was gone, and I had to wonder if Agent Blaze had confiscated it, along with everything else in the house that hadn’t been nailed down. It looked as though they’d even vacuumed the floor in their search for clues. It was all in stark contrast with the bloody drops leading out the back door.

  Clearly something had happened here.

  “Did whoever break in cut themselves on some glass?” I asked as I looked around for a point of entry.

  “No. The back door was kicked in, but there was never any glass in it to begin with. In fact, everything is intact as far as that goes. None of the windows were even cracked.”

  “Then what happened?” I asked him.

  “If you look closely, you can spot an occasional spattering of blood besides what’s on the wall over there, so whoever was injured managed to get out under their own power.”

  “Or they were dragged out,” I said with a shudder.

  “I don’t think so. If they’d been dragged, there would be a completely different set of bloodstains we’d be dealing with right now,” he said matter-of-factly. It was clear that my husband had seen that before in his previous incarnation as a state police investigator.

  Phillip showed up just then with Momma in tow. She took one glance inside and then stepped away without prodding. “This house is turning out to be cursed, isn’t it?” she asked in a throaty whisper.

  “Dot, you can’t blame the house,” Phillip said, and then he turned to me. “What do you think about this, Suzanne?”

  “I’m still taking it in, but I agree with you. I don’t think it’s cursed. This has to be related to the counterfeiting somehow.”

  Jake frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  “I doubt this was random,” I told him. “My guess is that two partners had a f
alling out when they discovered that the money was gone, and one thing led to another.”

  “I suppose that it’s possible,” Jake answered.

  “It’s also feasible that this was just a pair of hobos looking for a place to stay when they got into a fight,” my stepfather said.

  “You don’t actually believe that, do you?” I asked him.

  “The truth is that we just don’t know,” Phillip replied.

  “Well, regardless of what really happened, we need to call Chief Grant,” I said as I reached for my cell phone. “Unless any of you have any objections to that.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” Agent Blaze said as she stepped out into the light.

  Chapter 9

  “HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN standing there?” I asked her.

  “Long enough,” she said. “We had this place under surveillance all night, but there was no sign of anyone. I left one of my agents around the corner to keep an eye on things, but he fell asleep while whatever happened here occurred.”

  I looked around and saw that there was only one agent standing behind her now, and I didn’t have to guess the fate of the one who’d literally fallen asleep on the job. No doubt he was heading back to the home office to clean out his desk and start polishing up his resumé for his next position as a dog walker.

  “So, you knew about this how long, exactly?” Jake asked.

  “We found it just before you and Phillip arrived the first time,” she said.

  “Why didn’t you tell us about it then?”

  “Frankly, I wanted to see if whoever did this would come back. I was about to come forward when you two left again, so I decided to bide my time in case the suspects came back.”

  Something clicked in my mind just then. “So, you suspect there’s more than meets the eye here too, don’t you? I was right after all.”

  Blaze shrugged me off. “I’m not at liberty to comment on an active investigation.”

  “Ah ha!” I said with a gleam in my eye.