Frosted Cookies 'n Murder

by Emily Greene

  I ignored her silly, shallow comment and just focused on Janice. “Oh, really? It will be nice to see her again. She has really turned her life around. I imagine her place in New York is fancy and I bet her husband and daughter are very sweet.”

  Sarah gave me the strangest look and didn’t say anything.

  “I am assuming you have met her husband, right?” I waited and she was hesitating for some reason.

  “I haven’t had a chance to meet him and let’s just say that everything is not always as it seems.”

  What in the world did she mean by that?

  “Harper?” I could hear Carrie calling me so I had to cut the conversation with Sarah short. I looked at her and questioned her.

  “We need to get back out there. Are you going to be okay to work for the rest of the day?”

  “Yes. I am sorry about my friend stopping in and I’m sorry about my little break down. I’ll pull it together and be out front in two minutes.”

  Friend? With friends like that guy, who needed enemies?

  “Okay, great.” I didn’t have time to go into her issues any further and frankly, I didn’t want to know anymore. Sarah was not the sweet, kind person I thought she was and that was disappointing, but she was a great employee.

  Carrie gave me a curious look when I walked out to the front and came over to me to help set the cake in the glass case.

  “Is she okay?” she whispered.

  “She’s fine. And not who we thought she was,” I whispered back.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  I didn’t want to continue to whisper in front of customers so I told her I’d tell her later.

  The day was pretty busy as usual and around 5:30 Sarah’s boyfriend Justin stopped in to see her. I thought about what she said to me in the back and I hoped she was not going to cause a scene in my bakery. There were two people waiting in line and he stood patiently waiting to talk to her. I glanced around and thankfully, since it was near the end of the day, there were only a couple of people seated in the bakery. Sarah finished ringing up the last customer and I hovered nearby, taking inventory of what was in the case so I could hear if there was going to be a problem. I didn’t want another issue in my bakery that day.

  “Justin, what are you doing here?” Sarah did not hide the fact that she was annoyed he was there.

  “I wanted to see you. You haven’t answered any of my texts today so I wanted to make sure you are all right. I hope I didn’t freak you out when I asked you to marry me.”

  “I told you I needed time, Justin.” She glanced over at me and then looked at him and lowered her voice to a whisper. “My boss is right there so I have to get back to work. I’ll call you tonight, okay?”

  “What time do you get off? I can take you home. Caroline wants to take us out to dinner to celebrate.”

  “Justin, why would your sister think we have anything to celebrate? I haven’t given you an answer.”

  “Well, she knows how I feel about you and knows I want to marry you. I told her I was going to ask you and she just knew you would say yes so she made a reservation at Emilio’s for three.”

  “Your relationship with your sister is a bit much sometimes, Justin. It’s like she doesn’t have her own life.”

  “Hey, I don’t talk about your family and how they have basically disowned you so don’t resent me because my sister loves me and wants what is best for me.”

  He was getting a little heated and I thought I was going to have to step in, but Sarah diffused the situation.

  “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Look, I’m working late tonight so I’ll just call you when I get in. Please apologize to Caroline for me. I don’t want to get in trouble so you should go.”

  He reluctantly said goodbye to her and I could see the relief on her face when he was gone. I didn’t ask her why she lied to him about working late because I didn’t want to get involved. The less I knew about Sarah the better. I busied myself in the back once he left and starting putting things away. We were closing in less than 30 minutes and I was meeting my sister Nicole for dinner that night. Right before I locked up Sarah poked her head in the back where Carrie and I were tidying up.

  “Thanks for the talk this afternoon, Harper. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Once she was gone, Carrie and I were the only two left in the bakery.

  Carrie looked over at me, her brows furrowed.

  “What was her deal today?”

  “Her boyfriend asked her to marry him, but she’s not happy about it.”

  “What? I’m confused. A proposal is supposed to be a good thing, right?”

  “Well, you would think so, but she told me she knows he’s not her happily ever after and she is only with him until she finds someone better.”

  Shock was written all over Carrie’s face. “You’re kidding! She actually said that to you?”

  “Yes, Carrie, she is not the nice, sweet girl we thought she was. She’s actually kind of a jerk.”

  “Harper, I never would have guessed that, I can’t believe it. Her boyfriend seems to be such a nice guy.”

  “Yes, he is, and she is on this whole thing about wanting to look like Janice Blaine. Apparently, they’re friends and her goal is to lose weight and basically copy the life said Janice has.”

  “You’re joking, right? Janice looks incredible and, no offense, but Sarah is not nearly as attractive as Janice. Maybe if she lost some weight she would feel better about herself, but physically, Janice is stunning and always has been, even when she was heavier.”

  “I agree. It’s too bad that Sarah is so self-absorbed. Justin seems like a really nice guy and he deserves someone who loves him for who he is. Do you know she actually said to me that she is only with him because she doesn’t want to be alone? She has really poor self-esteem so I don’t think she is going to be happy until she changes her body and image.”

  “That’s too bad. She found someone who loves her for who she is and she can’t appreciate that. Hopefully she won’t string him along for too long. Is she going to the gala this weekend?”

  “Yes. She said Janice is coming in town and they are going to go together.”

  “Oh? Janice is going to the biggest social event of the year in Prairie Cove without her husband?”

  “I guess so. I thought it was strange but I’m sure she has a good reason for coming without him.”

  “Boy, I hope everything is okay with her and she is not really a jerk like Sarah!”

  Carrie was joking but there a smidgeon of truth in her statement.

  “Fingers crossed!” I nodded.

  Chapter Two

  I didn’t realize I was nervous until I glanced at the clock and realized Matthew would be knocking on my door at any minute. We closed the bakery early that day and delivered the cookies to the Hanson’s for the gala. I checked myself in the mirror and was pretty pleased with how I looked. My simple, but pretty, floor length cap sleeved black lace trimmed dress was flattering, and my hair decided to cooperate with me for once. I realized as I looked at myself in the mirror that I hoped Matthew would think I looked nice, and I also found myself wondering if Detective Sloane would be there that night.

  A few minutes later there was a knock on my door and I actually felt a butterfly or two as I went to open the door. Gracie walked with me and she purred when I opened the door to see Matthew’s attractive smiling face.

  “Wow, Harper, you look beautiful,” he said as he gave me a quick once over.

  I felt myself blushing as I smiled at him.

  “Why thank you, Matthew. You look very handsome as well.”

  He gave me a genuine smile and held his arm out for me.

  “Thank you. Shall we go?”

  “Absolutely,” I smiled.

  I took his arm and waved goodbye to Gracie before locking the door behind me.

  The Hanson mansion was breathtakingly beautiful and it amazed me how many people went to the gala each year. It seemed as if all of Prairie
Cove was there.

  “Harper, dear you look lovely! Matthew, you look so handsome! Please you two, come in, come in!” Mrs. Hanson looked genuinely happy to see us.

  She did not have to answer the door herself; she had plenty of staff to do that, but she liked the added personal touch and liked to make everyone feel personally welcome.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Hanson. Your home is always decorated so beautifully for this event.”

  She beamed at me and I could tell I had just made her day. “Thank you dear, please go mingle and enjoy the party.”

  “Mrs. Hanson has always been such a sweet woman. It is nice that she now invites the whole town to this party,” Matthew said.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Would you like something to drink, Harper?” Matthew asked.

  “Sure, I will have a glass of white wine.”

  “Okay, I will be right back.” I looked around the party wondering where Carrie was when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see her smiling face and she gave me a huge hug.

  “Hi, gorgeous!”

  “I was wondering where you were, Carrie! You look beautiful! Jeff, you look handsome as usual.”

  He smiled and kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks, Harper, you look very beautiful tonight.”

  “Thank you,” I smiled.

  “Where is Matthew?” Carrie asked.

  “He is getting me a glass of wine. Oh, here he is now.”

  Matthew handed me my glass of wine, shook Jeff’s hand and kissed Carrie on the cheek.

  “Good to see you both.”

  “You too, Matthew.” Carrie looked around, her eyes wide and gleaming. “I am always amazed at how beautiful this home is. It must be what? Twenty thousand square feet yet it always feels so cozy. I love coming here.”

  Hearing her say that I forgot that Jeff’s family and the Hanson’s were friends. Of course, it made sense because they were the two wealthiest families in Prairie Cove, and Carrie must have been to the Hanson mansion at least 20 times over the years. Her world was so different from mine and yet she had not changed an ounce since the day I had met her. She was a true and genuine friend.

  Carrie glanced across the room and I could see the expression on her face change. She looked at me and I knew that she wanted to tell me something.

  “Harper, let’s go take a bathroom break.”

  I gave her a curious look and then handed my glass of wine to Matthew. “Will you please hold this? We will be back in a few minutes.”

  “Sure, no problem,” he said.

  Carrie handed her drink to Jeff and practically pulled my arm out of the socket as she ushered me toward the bathroom.

  “Carrie, what is going on?” I said as she nudged me into the bathroom closing the door behind us.

  “Janice Blaine is here!”

  I was completely confused.

  “Is that a crime or something? Why are you acting so weird about it? Sarah told me they were coming together.”

  “I have been dying to tell you this since I found out this afternoon.”

  She had piqued my curiosity so I couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say.

  “Well, don’t keep me in suspense!”

  “Janice Blaine does not really have the life she says she does!” Carrie was clearly pleased with her bit of juicy gossip.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was at the grocery store earlier today and I overheard two people talking about her saying she wasn’t an attorney and she doesn’t have a husband!”

  “What?! Who said this?”

  “I couldn’t see who it was because by the time I peeked around the corner they were gone, but it sounded like Sarah and Edna.”

  “Wait, Sarah who works for us and Edna as in Edna and the nosy girls?”

  “Yes!”

  “Sarah was at work today. What time was this?”

  “It was around 4:00.”

  The bakery was definitely closed by then and I suppose Sarah could have been at the grocery store at that time. But why would she be gossiping with Edna? That was the fastest way to get a rumor spread around town.

  “Are you sure that’s what you heard, Carrie?”

  “I am positive! That is why I have been dying to tell you this!”

  “None of that makes sense. Why would Janice lie about her life?” I looked at her, puzzled.

  “Think about it, Harper. She was overweight and miserable in high school. The reunion was a chance for her to show everyone how much she had changed. I’m not surprised she lied about her life to make herself sound more successful than she actually is.”

  “Carrie, we don’t even know if it’s true, and from what I surmised from my conversation with Sarah yesterday, she is extremely envious of Janice. She might be spreading rumors to try to ruin Janice’s good name in Prairie Cove.”

  “There is one way to find out.”

  “We are not going to ask her, Carrie. If it’s true and she knows that we know, she will be mortified! I don’t want to do that to her. Even if she did lie to pump up her lifestyle, at her core, Janice is a sweet person.”

  “Okay, fine. You’re right. But I am going to get to the bottom of this somehow,” she vowed.

  “There is a way to ask without directly asking her. Let me take care of it,” I offered.

  “Okay, fine. You’re right, Harper. I just feel bad for her that she felt she had to lie to impress people. If it’s true, that is.”

  “Well, let’s not repeat this. I am sure Edna has taken care of that for us.”

  “You’re right. Let’s get back to the party.”

  As soon as we opened the bathroom door, Janice was right in front of us. I could feel my face turn red and hoped that she had not heard us talking about her. I quickly turned on the charm to disarm her.

  “Janice! Oh, my goodness, you look stunning! I wish I could fit into a gorgeous dress like that!”

  “Hi Harper, hi Carrie! You both look so beautiful tonight!”

  She gave us hugs and could not stop smiling at us. That put me at ease and I felt confident that she had not heard us talking about her. She really did look pretty and if it was true that her story was fake, I wondered what the truth was.

  “I’m surprised that you came in for this party,” Carrie said.

  “I have always wanted to go to this event and my calendar was free this weekend so I decided to fly in,” she shrugged.

  “Is your husband here? I would love to meet him.” I waited for her reaction.

  She fumbled over her words. “No, he stayed home with our daughter. Big parties are not his cup of tea, but he knows I love them so he told me to have a great time.” She smiled to cover what sounded like a lie.

  “Oh, what a shame. Well hopefully we will be able to meet him one day,” Carrie stated.

  “Oh, for sure! If you ladies will excuse me I need to go right in there.” She pointed to the restroom and we all giggled as Carrie and I moved out of her way.

  As soon as we took another step back toward the party, we practically bumped into Sarah.

  “Hi, Harper! Hi Carrie! I drank too much water, excuse me!”

  That was all she said as she made a beeline for the bathroom. Carrie and I stopped and looked at each as we had the same thought at the same time. Without a word, we slowly pushed open the bathroom door, tiptoed into a stall and just waited for what we assumed was going to be juicy gossip. Less than two minutes later we could not believe what we heard. Sarah and Janice were whispering but it was a very loud whisper.

  “Everyone is going to know about you, Janice!”

  “Sarah, why would you do that to me? I have been nothing but nice to you!”

  “Why? Because you are lying to all of these people about your fake perfect life and I am sick of having to go along with your story! Everyone looks at you and all they talk about is how good you look, and then they look at me and I can tell what they’re thinking. I can see the pity in their eyes. They’re thinking if you los
t weight and transformed yourself, then why can’t I? It’s not easy to lose this weight, Janice, and I am tired of being compared to you! It’s been happening our entire lives!”

  “Sarah, what are you talking about?”