Frosted Cookies 'n Murder

by Emily Greene

  “Yes, honey, I know you’ll be prepared. You always are,” she smiled at me as she gently touched my cheek.

  “Okay, mom, I have to get ready for work.”

  “Alright, but before I leave, are you really okay after what happened last night?”

  “Yes, I am, I promise.”

  “You weren’t home when they broke in were you?”

  “No, but I heard them leave when I was in the basement.”

  “Oh heavens, I am just so happy nothing happened to you. I feel much better about this knowing your detective friend is looking out for you. He seems to be a nice and responsible young man.”

  I smiled at her. “He is.” That was all she was getting from me. I was not about to go into detail about how my feelings continued to grow for Andrew Sloane.

  “Well honey, I am going to get out of your hair and let you get ready for work.” She gave me a big hug and held on a little tighter than normal. “Be careful today.”

  “I will Mother, don’t worry.” I smiled at her to try to help her calm down and she smiled back as she touched my cheek.

  “Don’t forget about the dinner I am having Saturday night. Please invite Matthew, it will be nice to see him.”

  Just when I thought she was finally warming toward Detective Sloane, she brought me back to her reality.

  “I will think about it, Mother.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Think about it? Harper, there is nothing wrong with inviting a friend to dinner. You never know where feelings will lead. Please give him a call.”

  It was way too early to argue with her. I enjoyed spending time with Matthew so it was not like the evening would be tortuous or anything.

  “Okay, Mother, I will.”

  “Thank you, darling. Have a good day and be careful.”

  “I will.”

  “I love you, honey.”

  “I love you too, Mother.”

  She left and I busied myself with getting ready for work so that I would not focus on the fact that I was alone in my house…the house that someone had broken into the night before. I made sure all the windows and doors were locked and bent down to say goodbye to Gracie. I wanted her to feel comfortable with me leaving.

  “Gracie, Mommy will be back later tonight. You’ll be safe, I promise.” I gave her a kiss and headed out to the bakery.

  When I walked in, the bakery was pretty packed which always made me happy. Edna and the girls were at their usual table and everything was as it should be. You would never know by looking at the happy faces in my bakery that there was a killer on the loose.

  “Good morning, Harper! We just love the new orange cream cookies!” Edna beamed.

  “Yes, they are simply divine!” Mavis interjected.

  “Ladies, I am so happy that you like them. Does anyone need more coffee?” I asked.

  “No, I think we’re okay, Harper.”

  “Okay, you ladies just give a holler if you need anything.”

  “We sure will!”

  Carrie was ringing up a customer, Evelyn and Mark were in the back baking pastries, and I got started on the chocolate fudge cake for the Behrman birthday party that afternoon. Mrs. Behrman was turning 70, and she had requested my chocolate fudge cake months back. Her husband had always thrown her a small party every year for as long as I had known them. It was cute how excited she still got about her birthday, and I loved making a cake for her each year.

  About an hour later we were busy as ever and I remembered that a special order needed to be packaged.

  “Hey Natalie, Mr. Finn is going to stop by around 3:00 to pick up a dozen blueberry cupcakes. Can you please start packaging those for him?”

  “Sure thing, Harper. Is he still trying to woo Marilyn Cooper?”

  “He is, but I don’t think he is having much luck.”

  “I hope he doesn’t give up. She looks like she needs a boyfriend!”

  “Natalie! Ms. Cooper has only been divorced for a year. Maybe she is not ready to date. We don’t know and it is none of our business, so please don’t say anything about it when he drops by.”

  “I won’t, but I am silently rooting for him. I love seeing older people flirting and dating. I think it is so cute.”

  “Older? Mr. Finn is only 45!”

  “Well, that’s older to me Harper.”

  I forgot that she was in her early twenties. Of course he seemed “older” to her. Oh, to be that young and carefree again!

  “Okay, okay, but remember not a word to Mr. Finn,” I said as I walked back into the front of the bakery. I must have talked too loud because Edna, Mavis, Betty and Doris were looking at me with big eyes and I could tell they were waiting for some juicy gossip.

  “Did we hear you mention Mr. Finn, Harper?” Doris grinned, trying to hide her curiosity.

  “Yes, ladies, I was just telling Natalie that I heard he may have met someone special, that’s all. It really is none of our business but I hope he is happy. He is such a nice man.”

  “Yes, he is. I have been trying to find the best time to introduce him to my niece, Debra who lives in Erie Cove next door, but if he is taken that is too bad. He is so kind and so handsome!” Edna was practically swooning and it was very cute.

  “I am sure everything will work out the way it is supposed to, ladies. Can I get you anything?”

  “I think we’re okay, and Harper? If you happen to hear that things didn’t work out with Mr. Finn, please let me know. My niece would be a perfect match for him!”

  Oh my goodness, the gleam in Edna’s eye was too funny. I had never known any of the ladies to be matchmakers but it did not surprise me, they had their noses in everything.

  “Okay, Edna, but I am sure there are other eligible bachelors in Prairie Cove. What about Mr. Thompson? Or Mr. Wilson? Have you introduced your niece to them?”

  I could see her wheels spinning. “Not yet, but those are excellent suggestions! Harper, perhaps you should start a side business of matchmaking!”

  They all giggled and I had to laugh right along with them. Me? A matchmaker? I could barely get my own love life together, so connecting strangers was not in my plan.

  “I think I will stick with what I know.”

  “Great idea, Harper,” Mavis said as she ate her last bite of cherry pie, “because you know it so well!”

  I cleared their table, humming to myself as I walked back to the sink, and for a few minutes I forgot about the break in and all of the drama surrounding Sarah’s murder. I emptied the trash can and tied the garbage bag as I headed out to the alley.

  “Carrie, I will be right back, just going to take this out!”

  I smiled to myself, thinking about Edna trying to set up her niece with Mr. Finn, and as I opened the door I stopped in my tracks, dropping the trash bag on the ground, the door swinging shut behind me. Standing against the wall, slowly and methodically flicking his lighter open and closed, a fresh, unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth, was a man dressed all in black. My heart was pounding against my chest and I was frozen in place. I was terrified and did not know what to do.

  He looked at me, his dark eyes piercing right through me, his mouth set in a scowl.

  “I hear you been snoopin’ around askin’ about Joe Dibello,” he stated in his frighteningly deep voice.

  I stared at him wide-eyed as the blood drained from my face, unable to speak.

  His size was menacing as he took a step toward me and I told myself to run, but my body was paralyzed.

  “He don’t like people askin’ about him. If you know what’s good for you, your mother, and your sisters you will stay out of his business. He don’t want to hear about no baker girl from this Podunk town askin’ around about him.” He took another step and was inches from my face. “Are we clear?”

  I was literally shaking but managed to force myself to nod my head.

  “Good, because if you don’t stop askin’ around about him, Joe will be the next person you see and t
hat won’t be good for nobody.” He stood right in front of me, his frightening gaze holding mine, and lit his cigarette. He took a drag and slowly blew the smoke in my face, giving me a nasty smirk as he walked away. “You have a nice day, Harper Madison of 3244 Cherry Hill Drive.”

  I must have been gone for a while because Carrie came out to find me, and I had crumpled to the ground.

  “Harper, what is taking you so…” She hesitated for a split second and then rushed to my side.

  “Oh, my goodness! Harper! Harper! What happened? Are you okay?”

  I nodded, holding tightly to her arm, taking deep breaths; trying to will myself to speak.

  “Did someone hurt you? Should I call the police?”

  I shook my head and then nodded my head.

  “I don’t know what that means! You’re scaring me, Harper!”

  Finally, I was able to catch my breath and turned my terrified eyes to hers.

  “Joe Dibello,” I managed to whisper.

  “What?! He was here?!”

  “No,” I managed to say. “He sent one of his goons.”

  She looked as terrified as I felt.

  “I’m calling Detective Sloane. Come on, let’s get you inside.”

  She helped me up and we went straight into the office, locking the door behind us. Seconds later she dialed police headquarters.

  Andrew was at the bakery in mere minutes and I was still in the office, trying to compose myself. I didn’t want the customers to be alarmed by the look on my face and I needed a little bit of time before I would be able to go out to the front and interact with anyone. His tone was more serious than I had ever heard and he looked at me with worry as he slid into our rather small office. There really was only room for a small table and two chairs in the space. The office was mainly used to take care of the accounting. To say we were a bit cramped is an understatement, but Detective Sloane was not the least bit bothered. He was visibly concerned.

  “Harper, I want you to think hard and describe everything you remember about this person. How tall was he? What color was his hair? What color were his eyes? What was he wearing?”

  “I was literally frozen in place, Andrew. All I remember is that he was tall, probably 6’4”, big, maybe 275 pounds, was smoking a cigarette and had dark hair. Anything else I don’t remember, I’m sorry. As much as I hate to admit it, he frightened me. Oh, and he knew my address.”

  Anger flashed across Andrew’s face.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. He said it as he walked away.”

  Andrew slowly shook his head.

  “I don’t like this one bit. I am going to have an officer posted outside of your house until this is all resolved.”

  “That is not necessary,” I protested.

  “Harper, these guys don’t play around. They follow through on threats and I think you need some extra protection right now.”

  His words were firm, and for just a second I almost took him up on his offer, but then the old me resurfaced and I got angry. I was angry because my quaint little safe life in Prairie Cove was being jeopardized, and I was not going to let a low life thug scare me into seclusion. No, I did not need an officer outside my home. It was my home, where I was supposed to feel safest. No one was going to take that away from me.

  Something in me clicked and in that moment I was determined to get to the bottom of the entire Sarah murder mystery. I wanted my old life back and I was going to get it. Joe Dibello’s goon had just encountered the wrong woman and I was not going to let him get to me. I sat up straight, squared my shoulders and gave Andrew a firm look.

  “Thank you for the offer, but I will not need to have an officer perched outside my door. This is Prairie Cove, my home, my safe place, and I will not allow it to become anything other than that. I’ll be fine.”

  Carrie winked at me and smiled. “That’s my girl, I’m glad to see you’re back.”

  Andrew looked back and forth between Carrie and me, and hesitated before he spoke. “Harper, are you sure? Joe Dibello is not someone that you want to mess with, so if you feel that you need some extra protection, I can happily provide that for you.”

  “Andrew, thank you, but no, I will be just fine. Joe Dibello picked the wrong woman to mess with.”

  “Harper,” Andrew took a deep breath and let it out slowly,” please don’t do anything that is going to cause me to worry. I can see that you are upset about what happened today but it is important that you do not try to go and do anything about this on your own. I’m serious, Harper. This guy is no joke. He will not hesitate to hurt you, and I just don’t want that to happen to you.”

  I glanced at Carrie who was practically swooning as she looked at Andrew, and I couldn’t believe that he had expressed being worried about me in front of her. It felt good to know that he was worried about me, but before I had the chance to bask in that good feeling, reality came crashing down. Andrew’s cell phone rang and I could see that the caller was Christina. I wasn’t snooping, I just happened to glance at the phone when the ring startled me and I could see her name splashed across the screen, plain as day.

  “I’ve got to take this, I’ll be right back.” Andrew quickly ducked out leaving Carrie and I looking at each other.

  “Did I imagine that Detective Sloane is more concerned about you than he would be about the average citizen?”

  I felt a little bit sad because I realized that his concern for me showed, but there was nothing I could do about it because of his girlfriend; so, I downplayed Carrie’s question.

  “What? No, Carrie, he is just a very concerned detective. He worries about everyone’s safety.”

  She looked at me with skepticism. “Yeah, right, and I have swampland in Florida to sell you.”

  I giggled at her reference. “Carrie, I’m serious. He is a very diligent detective. Besides, he has a girlfriend.”

  She cocked her head to the side and inquisitively narrowed her eyes at me. “Does he? Has that been confirmed?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean did he ever introduce her to you as his girlfriend?”

  I had to think for a few seconds and I realized that he never used that word. But everything else about his introduction, the fact that he spent time with her, put his arm around her, the fact that her mother worried about him, indicated that she was his girlfriend.

  “Well, no, but all the signs point that way.”

  Before we could say anything else, Andrew came back in.

  “Sorry about that. Christina was reminding me that we’re having dinner with mom tonight at 7:00.” I gave Carrie a knowing look, and Andrew waved off his comment that had felt like a knife to my stomach. “Anyway, Harper, I am sensing that you are going to do something you shouldn’t do, and that is try to find Joe Dibello. I can see that you are fired up about what has been happening in Prairie Cove lately, and I understand that you want it to go back to the way it used to be. And it will, I promise. But first I have to stop this guy from harassing you. I will not tolerate him doing that to you. It is going to take a little bit of time but I promise you, Prairie Cove will be your safe, quaint little town again.”

  I don’t know if I heard a word he said after the bomb he dropped about dinner. Was I getting mixed signals from Andrew? It really did seem like he was interested in me. I was pretty sure I knew what flirting was and he definitely had flirted with me on a few different occasions. At least I thought he had. Not to mention the night he slept on my couch. I wondered if he did that for all of the people who needed the police department’s help. I was going to drive myself insane if I kept thinking about him so I forced myself to tune out all the noise and focus on the task at hand: finding Joe Dibello.

  I could not let Andrew know what I was going to do, so I nodded my head and agreed with everything he was saying about promising to catch Joe and getting Prairie Cove back to what it used to be. I wanted him to leave because I had an important phone call to make, so I feigned being tired a
nd let out a huge yawn. Thankfully, he got the message.

  “I can see that you are tired and I am sure that you probably want to go home and relax. I think that is a great idea, Harper. Go home, lock your doors and don’t let what happened today bother you. I will take care of it, I promise.” Andrew looked concerned but I didn’t let myself dwell on that because I was pretty sure it was just part of his job to be like that.

  I gave him a small smile to appease him. “Okay.”

  It seemed to be enough because he gently touched my hand. “Good.” Andrew glanced at his watch and told us he had to get going. Before he left he looked at me and held my gaze for a few seconds. “Harper, if you need anything do not hesitate to call me.”