Frosted Cookies 'n Murder

by Emily Greene

  Of course. She had heard about my little visit from Joe Dibello’s thug.

  “I am fine, Edna. It will take a lot more than a man showing up at my bakery to scare me. There is nothing to worry about.”

  “I am so relieved to hear that. Do you think that horrible person will come back?”

  I gently touched Edna’s arm because I could see a hint of fear in her eyes. It fueled a fire in me I had never felt before. Edna was one of the kindest, sweetest, most gentle people I had ever met and to see the fear in her eyes made me livid. I could not wait to see Joe Dibello and give him a piece of my mind.

  “No, Edna, I don’t think he’ll come back. Please don’t worry; everything will be fine. Just enjoy your cinnamon crunch muffin and don’t give this whole situation a second thought. Detective Sloane and the rest of the police department are on the case.”

  She gave me a small smile but there was still a bit of worry in her eyes.

  “Okay, dear. I sure will be happy when things get back to normal around here.”

  I winked at her and smiled. “You and me both, Edna.”

  I went to the back to make more vanilla nut cookies and motioned for Carrie to follow me.

  I stepped into the office, pulling her in with me and closed the door behind us.

  “I talked with Janice this morning.”

  Carrie’s eyes grew big. “You did? Why?”

  “Something was nagging me about that guy who paid me a visit and I thought she might know something about it.”

  “Really, Harper? Janice? She is completely harmless.”

  “I know but I was able to learn something and so was Janice. She made a comment to her former boss and did not even realize that it would affect me.”

  “She did?” Carrie sounded surprised. “What did she say?”

  “Apparently Gina, the hostess we met, is friends with Joe Dibello and she mentioned to him that two women from Prairie Cove were looking for Janice.”

  “How on earth did he deduce that it was you looking for Janice?”

  “Janice mentioned to Gina that I said wondered if Joe had anything to do with Sarah’s murder. She feels horrible about that, by the way.”

  “Of course she does! She would never do anything purposely to hurt you, or anyone for that matter.”

  “You’re right,” I nodded and then looked down at the ground. “Well, I did something that I know no one is going to like.”

  “Harper Madison, what did you do?” she scolded.

  I took a deep breath before I told her to prepare myself for her reaction.

  “I asked Janice to have Joe Dibello get in touch with me.”

  “You what?!” Her shriek had to have been heard all over the bakery.

  “Carrie, calm down. I did it because I don’t like living in fear.”

  There, I had said what I didn’t really want to admit out loud. I was scared and being scared made me angry. Being angry made we want to have everything back to normal. If I had to confront Joe Dibello to do that, then that was what I would do.

  Carrie slowly let out a deep breath and turned sympathetic eyes to me.

  “I know. Okay, well you have to tell Detective Sloane about this so that he can arrange for you to have some kind of protection.”

  “Carrie, I can’t do that because he will put a stop to it and it is something I have to do for me. I will be fine, I just want to get it over with.”

  “Well, when are you supposed to hear from him?”

  “I have no idea. I guess I will know when I know.”

  She let out a deep breath. “Oh Harper, what am I going to do with you?”

  I winked at her and smiled as I walked out to the front of the bakery. “Just be there for me, like you always are.”

  I decided to call Matthew later that morning to see if he was free for dinner that night. I had not seen him in a while and I thought it would be nice to catch up with him and bring a bit of normalcy back to my life.

  “Harper, it is so good to hear from you. I actually was going to call you to see if you were free for dinner this Saturday.” He had such a pleasant voice and it always instantly put me at ease.

  I had completely forgotten to invite him to the dinner my mother was having that Saturday but I did not want to ask him just yet. I worried that he may see that type of invitation as something more than dinner with a friend, so I was not going to invite him as my guest. But a casual mid-week dinner didn’t really send any kind of message more than being a friendly gesture. At least that was what I believed.

  “Oh, well I am calling you to see if you are free for a late dinner this evening.”

  “Let me check my schedule to see what time my last patient is arriving. Just a minute.”

  He was back in mere seconds and I could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Harper Madison, today is your lucky day. How does 7:30 sound?”

  I smiled right back into the phone.

  “Can we make it 8:00? I have to swing by my place and pick up some clothes.”

  Silence filled the air for a few seconds and then Matthew cracked a joke. It was a bit delayed but I appreciated his attempt at humor.

  “Oh right, you’re staying with me for a few days!”

  “In your dreams, buddy!” I laughed. “No, I am staying with Carrie and Jeff for a while.”

  “Oh? Are you having work done on your house?” He sounded confused.

  “It is a long story and I will tell you all about it over dinner.”

  “Okay, since you are going home first do you want me to pick you up at your place?”

  “No, but thank you, Matthew. I will need my car at Carrie and Jeff’s so it is just easier if I meet you at the restaurant. How does Carina’s sound?”

  “Sounds great. I have been wanting to go there for a while,” he said.

  “Okay then, it’s a date! I will see you at 8:00, Matthew.”

  “Great, see you then, Harper!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  As I pulled up to my house that evening I saw that my lights were not on and at first I was nervous, but then I figured that in the rush of packing a bag the night before I forgot to set the timer. It was pitch black as I walked to my door, and as my fingers wrapped around my keys in my purse, I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye. A second later I could see a man sitting there and he turned on the flashlight on his phone and pointed it toward the ceiling of my porch, giving off just enough light for me to see who he was. There on my front porch was Joe Dibello, slowly slicing thin layers of an apple, eating them off of a very big knife. My heart was hammering against my chest, trying desperately to get out, and I thought I was going to faint.

  “So, bakery lady, I heard you wanted to see me.” His rich, deep voice reverberated in the night.

  I did? My brain was complete mush. Oh, wait! Yes, I did! I forced myself to swallow and take a deep breath before speaking. I was shaking like a leaf but I was determined to say what I had to say.

  “Yes.” It was barely a whisper so I cleared my throat and tried again. “Yes, I did.” That was better.

  “I don’t like having people I don’t know askin’ around about me, little lady. That is why my friend paid you a visit yesterday. Clearly you didn’t get the message, so I am going to have to teach you a lesson.”

  He stood up, took a step toward me, and I somehow summoned the strength of all of the women in my family because I held my hands up and yelled, “Stop!”

  I could see it caught him off guard because he actually stopped in his tracks and before he had a chance to think I jumped right in, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

  “Prairie Cove is my home, my safe place, my cozy place, and it is a good place. We look out for each other here and we don’t want any trouble. I am not trying to mess with your business in any way. Something bad happened here and since then the town has been on edge and it has to stop. The Prairie Cove I know does not have residents who are crippled by fear and I am going to do everythi
ng in my power to make sure we get back to the wonderful place that we are. I know that you knew Sarah Cooper, I saw you talking with her in my bakery one day. The police think you had something to do with her murder and I am going to ask you one question. Did you murder Sarah Cooper?”

  He stared at me in disbelief. I don’t know that anyone had ever stood up to him before, and the only way I could explain how I was able to was because I came from a long line of very strong women. We did not let anyone push us around.

  “Lady, you have a lot of guts to ask me that question, and you know what?” His words were coming slowly and I could see him trying to process what I had just said. “I respect you for that.”

  I was speechless. He what? As I stood there dumbfounded and still nervous, he continued.

  “No one has ever stood up to me before, and here you are, the bakery lady from this little Podunk town, standing up to me! I respect your courage and I had you pegged all wrong.”

  He grabbed his phone, turned off the light and walked away into the darkness without saying a word. What just happened? Once again, I stood there, speechless, and then I was snapped back to reality when about 20 feet away from me he flipped on that small light again. My palms were sweating as I felt my heart beating in my throat. I could barely see him but his body was turned toward me and I could tell that he was looking at me.

  “And no, Harper Madison, I had nothing to do with Sarah Cooper’s murder. Enjoy your cozy little town; you won’t be hearing from me again.”

  He sauntered off into the night and I opened my door and collapsed to the floor once safely inside my house. My heart was beating a mile a minute and I took a minute and replayed everything that had just happened. I stood up to Joe Dibello! I was in a bit of shock as the reality of what had just happened began to sink in.

  Did he really say I would not be hearing from him again? Did he threaten me only because he thought I was trying to ruin his business? Whatever the reason, I was hoping that he meant what he said and that he wouldn’t bother me again. Relief washed over me as I pulled myself up from the floor and walked to my bedroom to pack. I put my suitcase on the bed, unzipped it and reached for a shirt in my closet when I stopped, my hand in mid-air. What a minute. If Joe Dibello claimed he wouldn’t be bothering me again, why did I have to leave my house? I was extremely grateful to Carrie and Jeff for their hospitality but if the threat was gone I should have been safe in my home, right? I didn’t know what to do so I called Janice to get her opinion.

  “Hi Janice, it’s Harper.”

  “Hi Harper! Is everything okay?”

  She sounded concerned so she must have known that Gina gave Joe Dibello the message.

  “Actually, everything is great, I think. I wanted to run something by you. I know you don’t know him personally, but you might have some insight since you worked with Gina.”

  “Okay, sure.”

  “Joe Dibello came by to see me tonight, just a few minutes ago actually.”

  “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” She asked, panic filling her voice.

  “I am fine. We had a pretty good conversation and he told me that I wouldn’t be seeing him around anymore. From what you know about him, is that true? Does he leave someone alone when he says he’s going to do that?”

  “Well, as you know, I don’t know him personally, but Gina has mentioned that the only thing Joe is concerned about is money. So, if you are not trying to hinder his business then he has no need to come after you. If he told you he won’t bother you anymore, that is probably true according to the stories Gina told me. I am so relieved to hear that, Harper. You have no idea! You can probably tell that Joe is not the nicest person in the world, so I’m happy you worked everything out. I don’t want to know the details and the less I know the better, but I’m happy you’re okay.”

  “Thanks Janice, you really put my mind at ease.”

  “Anytime. Harper, if you ever need anything I am here for you.”

  There she was, the sweet Janice Blaine I had known in high school.

  “Thank you, Janice, I appreciate that and the same goes for me, if you ever need anything you know where to find me. You take care.”

  “Thanks, Harper, you too.”

  As I hung up the phone I breathed a huge sigh of relief. In my gut, I didn’t think I needed to leave my house. I felt that I would be perfectly safe there so I zipped up my suitcase, put it back in the closet, and called Carrie.

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “I am better than okay. Joe Dibello was just here and- “

  She didn’t give me a chance to finish.

  “At your house?!” she shrieked.

  “Yes, well, outside on the porch.”

  “Did he hurt you, Harper? Do I need to call the police?” To say she sounded frightened is an understatement.

  “No, Carrie, calm down, calm down. I am fine, I promise.”

  “Well, what happened?”

  “I told him that Prairie Cove is a wonderful place and we refuse to live in fear, and then I asked him if he killed Sarah.”

  “You what?! I can’t believe you worked up the nerve to ask him that! Boy, you have got real guts, Harper. How did he react to your question?”

  “He definitely was shocked and he said he respected me for standing up to him. Can you believe that? It was so surreal! Anyway, he also said he didn’t kill Sarah and he was going to leave me alone.”

  “Wow. Do you believe him?”

  “Well, I called Janice and she said Gina has mentioned in the past that as long as you don’t mess with Joe Dibello’s money, he won’t mess with you.”

  “Harper, this is great news! He probably is gone for good!”

  “I really think he is because I had no interest in any part of his business. I just wanted to find out who murdered Sarah. So, I am probably going to stay in my house. I don’t think I need to hide anymore.”

  “Harper, are you sure? You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you like.”

  “Thanks Carrie, I really appreciate that but I think I will be fine in my home. I will come get my things and Gracie after dinner tonight.”

  “Don’t be silly, you can eat dinner with us tonight.”

  “Thanks, but I guess I forgot to tell you that I am having dinner with Matthew tonight.”

  “Oh? Giving him a chance?”

  I giggled into the phone. “You are silly. Have you been talking to my mother?”

  She laughed at that. “Goodness, no! Not about guys! You know that I am on your side with whoever you decide to date, even though I am partial to a certain very handsome detective.”

  “Yes, well he is otherwise occupied. And Matthew and I are just friends, you know that, Carrie.”

  “I know, but I say never say never!”

  “You’re a nut!”

  “I know, I’m just teasing. Have a nice time at dinner and I will see you later.”

  “Okay, see you later!”

  I glanced at the clock and saw that I had 15 minutes to make it to the restaurant on time. I don’t know that I had ever changed so fast in my life. I put on a simple, but pretty, blue dress, checked my lipstick in the mirror, fluffed my hair and headed out.

  Matthew was waiting for me in the front of the restaurant and I was taken aback by how handsome he looked. In all of my time wasted being googly eyed over Andrew, I had forgotten how pleasant Matthew was to look at. I had also forgotten how comfortable I felt with him.

  He smiled at me and gave me a hug.

  “Hey there, it is so good to see you, Harper. You look beautiful.” He could not stop smiling at me.

  “Thank you, Matthew, you look nice as well.”

  We were seated a couple of minutes later and I decided to tell him about Joe Dibello. He was not happy with me for requesting to see him.

  “Harper, from what I have heard, he is a very dangerous man who always seems to find a way to elude the police. You really should not have stirred that hornet’s nest.” />
  “I know, but it all worked out in the end.”

  “Did it? How do you know for sure that he won’t come back around? He is a criminal, Harper. You can’t trust them.”

  “I know, but he is a criminal who is only concerned with people who cause him to lose him money; and that is not me. He knows that and he knows why I was looking for him.”

  “Okay, I can see that I guess. But how do you know he is telling the truth about Sarah?”