by Amber Crewes
“Meghan, it sounds like you are in the middle of a tough time. The good news? Tough times don’t last, but good people do. I’m sure you have some good people in your life to help you through this.”
Meghan thought of Jack, and she smiled. “I do,” she confirmed. “But although the good people in my life love me unconditionally, I don’t think the people of Sandy Bay do. I’m losing faith in the people here, Frank.”
Frank scowled. “You can’t lose faith in an entire town,” he argued. “A few bad apples shouldn’t ruin your pie, Meghan. Keep your head up. Sally has told me the nicest things about you, and I know that you are a tough cookie. Don’t crumble over this one, dear.”
Her heart was filled with joy as she soaked in Frank’s encouragement. “You are so kind to give me a pep talk. What a nice favor.”
“Well, I have a little favor to ask you,” Frank replied shyly. “It’s about Sally…”
“Mrs. Sheridan?”
Frank nodded. “She’s a hard woman to please,” he sighed. “I feel like she’s getting a little bored with me.”
“She is a tough nut to crack,” she told him. “But to keep her interested, I would just try to keep her on her toes. Plan some adventurous dates. She has a diverse range of interests, and I think some funky dates could be a good start.”
Frank took Meghan’s hands in his. “That is a wonderful idea,” he agreed. “Thank you for the help.”
“Just call me the love doctor,” she winked.
“HEY.”
Both Meghan and Frank turned to see Mrs. Sheridan hobbling down the street. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? MEGHAN? ARE YOU TRYING TO STEAL MY MAN?”
Meghan looked down and realized she and Frank were still holding hands. She released his fingers as Mrs. Sheridan marched up to her. “We were just chatting about a date night for you,” Meghan informed Mrs. Sheridan. “Just friendly stuff.”
Mrs. Sheridan narrowed her eyes at Meghan. “It had better only be friendly stuff,” she growled. “No one steals my man.”
Meghan nodded obediently, and Mrs. Sheridan sauntered to Frank’s side, giving him a playful swat on the bottom. “How’s my darling tonight?”
The dog barked at Mrs. Sheridan, and she rolled her eyes. “That dog is a nuisance,” she complained. “Come on, Frank. Let’s get home. Hopefully you’ve tired that dog out and he won’t be barking anymore at home.”
Frank turned to Meghan and grinned. “Meghan, I hope the advice helped,” he called out as Mrs. Sheridan took his hand and dragged him away. “Don’t let a few bad apples ruin the pie!”
17
“K
ill them! Go on! KILL THEM!”
Meghan looked at Jack in horror as he cheered for the Sandy Bay basketball team at the local high school. “Babe! That’s a terrible thing to say.”
Jack shrugged. “Once a Sandy Bay Bronco, always a Sandy Bay Bronco,” he told her with a grin as she shook her head. “I used to start on the team as point guard when I was in high school. We made it to the state championship twice while I was in school.”
“Did you win?”
Jack shook his head sheepishly. “Your silly boyfriend missed a free throw during his sophomore year, and senior year, the other team destroyed us outright.”
Meghan laughed. “I didn’t realize you were still so into basketball.”
“Honey, I should have brought you to a game a long time ago. It’s so fun!”
Meghan leaned against Jack as the first half wrapped up. She saw Roberto Cazale high five a teammate as he took a break on the bench. “He did well,” she acknowledged as she gestured to Roberto. “He’s quite the athlete.”
“Mr. Cazale was a sports legend. That’s why he moved here from Italy. He was recruited to play in the minor leagues in three different sports.”
“Three?” she cried.
“He busted his knee and had to go into the funeral business,” he explained, his gaze still on the game. “It was a shame. He had so much potential. Or at least, that’s what my dad always said. They were buddies when they were two young bachelors living in town.”
Meghan saw the teams shuffle off the court and to their respective benches. The cheerleaders assembled on the court. “They’re so cute,” Meghan said. “I always wanted to be a cheerleader, but I didn’t quite have the grace for it. It nearly broke my mama’s heart; she was the head cheerleader at her boarding school in Texas, and she always wanted me to follow in her footsteps.”
Jack pointed at the group of teenage girls. “Isn’t that Pamela? I didn’t know she was a cheerleader.”
“She isn’t,” she told him as her eyes widened. Jack was right; Pamela, dressed in a navy blue and white cheerleading uniform with a matching bow, was standing with the other girls.
“I bet she only joined the team because Roberto is playing ball,” she scowled as the girls began their routine. “She’s such a talented athlete herself. I don’t know why she’s throwing her time and talent away to cheer.”
“I don’t know,” Jack disagreed. “Meghan, look at their muscles. Look at those stunts. Those girls are serious athletes, and Pamela is proving to be a great cheerleader.”
Meghan watched in amazement as Pamela climbed to the top of a pyramid of girls. Her arms and legs were straight, and despite being high in the air, she had a huge smile on her face. “She’s a natural performer,” he commended as Pamela winked at the crowd.
The cheerleaders finished their routines and dashed off the court as the basketball teams began their warmups. “She was pretty good,” Meghan admitted as Pamela followed her teammates. “I just hope she joined because she wanted to. It seems like all that girl does these days is follow Roberto Cazale around like a puppy.”
Jack reached over and took Meghan’s hand. “Young love is powerful,” he told her. “You should have seen me when I was in high school. My first girlfriend, Kate, had me wrapped around her little finger. I would have done anything for that girl.”
“What ever happened to her?” Meghan asked, displeased to hear about Jack’s former love.
“She broke up with me. She met a famous hockey player during a girls weekend in Portland. They ended up getting married when she was only seventeen.”
“Are you serious?” she asked.
Jack nodded. “They ended up moving to Finland so he could play in the league over there. It’s all good, though. I have the best girlfriend ever now.”
Meghan grinned, and Jack leaned over to kiss her on the nose. “I love you,” she told him as she batted her eyelashes at her handsome boyfriend.
“I love you, too,” he told her. “How are you doing, by the way? You haven’t mentioned the case yet tonight, and I know you are thinking about it.”
“It’s date night,” she insisted. “I knew you were excited to bring me to this basketball game, and I didn’t want to spoil it by bringing up my worries.”
“You’ve lasted half of the game without talking about it,” he winked. “If you want, we can talk about it now.”
Meghan smiled in relief. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ve been dying to ask you some questions. Are there any other suspects that have been named? I’ve talked with Lola, and I think she has the answers we have been looking for. She really hated her father.”
Jack nodded. “We’ve managed to get a statement from her,” he told Meghan quietly. “We’re also doing some tests on the substance we found in the autopsy. We’re trying to see if the nuts in his system match any of the sample of desserts we obtained from your bakery. The information you gave me about Jeanne Marie taking Lucky away from the group is compelling, and I want to see if that is a lead.”
Meghan bobbed her head in agreement. “I think that is a good idea.”
They watched the rest of the game, and Jack cheered with gusto as the Sandy Bay Broncos brought home a victory. Meghan saw Pamela run to Roberto after the win; she threw her arms around him and gave him a huge kiss on the lips.
As Meghan and Jack walked out of t
he gym, she saw someone familiar leaning against the vending machine. Lola stood alone, smoking a cigarette, and she waved as Meghan passed by. “Hey, Meghan!”
Meghan stopped. She leaned over and whispered in Jack’s ear, “well, speak of the devil…”
Lola sauntered over to them and gave Meghan a hug. “Thanks for the advice you gave me,” she thanked her as Meghan stood stiffly next to Jack. “I was in a bad place, and you helped me a lot. I really miss my dad, and I wish I had been nicer the last time I saw him.”
Meghan’s heart burst with sympathy for the teenager. She patted Lola on the back. “No problem,” she said as Lola smiled at her. “Anytime.”
Lola looked down at her black boots. “I just wish our last meeting had been happier and with better company…”
“Better company? What do you mean?”
“It wasn’t just my dad and me,” Lola began, but before she could finish her sentence, a group of teenage boys walked by and whistled at her.
“Sorry, Meghan, gotta go!” she called out as she turned and strutted away with the group.
Meghan turned to Jack. “You heard that, right?”
Jack nodded. “She last saw her dad on the day he died, right?”
“That’s what she’s said this whole time,” she said slowly. “I thought it was just the pair of them, but from that conversation, it sounds like someone else was there.”
“I wonder who it was,” Jack breathed as Meghan bit her lip.
“I don’t know,” she replied slowly. “But whoever was with them must know something about the way Lucky died....”
18
T he next morning, Pamela arrived on time to work for the first time in nearly three weeks. “It’s nice to see you here bright and early!” Meghan exclaimed as Pamela skipped through the back door. “How are you?”
Pamela’s eyes were red. “I’m okay,” she whispered. “Roberto and I broke up.”
“What?”
Pamela nodded grimly. “We ended it last night after the basketball game. He’s too into his sports, and it feels like he never has time for me. Whenever I talk, I don’t feel like he’s listening, either.”
Meghan hugged Pamela tightly. “It’s awful to be broken up with,” she murmured. “I’m so sorry.”
Pamela pulled away from Meghan. “What? I broke up with him! We got into a huge fight, and I didn’t like the way he was speaking to me. With all the crazy things going on with my uncle passing away, there is too much drama in my life already. I told him it was over.”
Meghan’s jaw dropped. “You ended it?” she asked incredulously.
“Yeah,” she confirmed. “I’m not going to let someone speak to me rudely, and I didn’t feel very important to him. I’m sad, of course; he and I were really good friends, and I will miss him. I hope that we can get back to being good friends again someday.”
Meghan smiled, impressed by Pamela’s wisdom. “I think you will be,” she assured the teenager. “Breakups are never fun, so let’s make sure you have a good day. Do you want to pick some music to play while we work?”
Pamela shook her head. “No, let’s just get to it,” she replied. “Just treat me like you normally would. I don’t want any special treatment or pity.”
Meghan chuckled. “You are such a trooper,” she complimented.
The pair got to work mixing ingredients for a batch of cupcakes. “I miss Trudy,” Pamela admitted as she broke an egg over the mixing bowl. “With everything going on, it’s been so quiet around here, and I miss having another pair of hands in the kitchen.”
“Me too,” Meghan agreed. “We’re a good team, the three of us.”
Pamela wrinkled her nose. “Trudy will be so mad when she finds out we don’t serve nuts anymore,” she told Meghan. “She loves our cashew cookies.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow. “We aren’t serving nuts anymore?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she told her. “A lot of my friends have nut and gluten allergies, and since my uncle died, it just seems safer to do away with the treats that have nuts.”
Meghan thought for a moment. “Maybe you’re right,” she said softly. “We’ll have to think of some replacement treats, though. What are some yummy things we could whip up that don’t include nuts?”
Pamela grinned. “I hoped you would ask,” she replied. “I’ve been thinking about new treats all night! Now that I am single, I am going to devote my heart and soul to this bakery. I’ve been thinking of new recipes, and I hope you’ll like some of them.”
Meghan was amused by Pamela’s enthusiasm. “Fill me in.”
“Puddings,” Pamela began. “Cheesecakes, sweet rice, buns, and more. We can draw inspiration from other cultures, other countries, and other languages.”
Meghan’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Do you have anything specific in mind?”
“When I studied abroad last summer in Taiwan, I ate my weight in mochi,” Pamela said excitedly. “It was so good. It’s a sweet rice cake, and you can stuff it with fruits and chocolate.”
“That does sound good,” she told her. “I love the way you are brainstorming.”
“I was up most of the night feeling upset, but when I started to think about new desserts, I felt a lot better,” she explained.
Meghan pointed at her phone. “Why don’t you look up a recipe for mochi? Business is slow again, and we have time to try out a batch. What would we need?”
Pamela hurriedly opened her phone and found a recipe. “We have everything we need!” she cried with joy. “Well, almost. This recipe calls for fresh strawberries. Can we go to the fruit market and get some? I bet my Aunt Mia will cut us a good deal.”
Meghan nodded. “Of course. Let’s go!”
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the market. “Come on,” Pamela led. “Her stand is this way.”
When they arrived at Mia’s stall, Pamela gasped. “It’s ruined,” she whispered as she surveyed the mangled stall. The banner that usually hung from the ceiling had been ripped, there was red paint sprayed messily on the walls, and all the fruit had been crushed and was now laying on the floor. Mia stood amidst the ruins with a look of shock on her face.
“What happened?” Pamela screamed as she ran to her aunt. “Are you okay?”
Mia looked dazed. “I showed up this morning and found it like this,” she told them. “I think it was Wendy. I just got off the phone with the police. There is some emergency going on by the beach, so they will be here in an hour.”
“Why don’t we get out of here?” Meghan lightly suggested. “We could grab a coffee while we wait for the police?”
Mia nodded. “That sounds nice,” she sighed. “There’s a little stand outside that I adore. Let’s go.”
The trio left the market and walked outside to the small coffee stand. They ordered their drinks and sat on a park bench. “I think it was Wendy,” Mia repeated as she took a sip of her latte. “I shouldn’t have been so bold when I confronted her about the insurance fraud. She’s irrational, and I think I set her off…”
Pamela squeezed her aunt’s hand. “It’s not your fault, Aunt Mia,” she assured her aunt. “She’s crazy. You didn’t deserve to have her destroy your stall.”
Meghan bit her lip. “Is there anyone else you think that could have had anything to do with it?”
Mia scowled. “Lola,” she muttered. “I wonder if it was Lola. She and I got into a huge fight last night, and she’s always up to something. My daughter is my best friend and worst enemy all in one. She’s capable of anything, that girl…”
Meghan’s eyes widened. “You really think she would do that?”
Mia looked down at her drink, clearly stifling tears. “My husband’s absence took a real toll on that girl,” she explained. “Oh, Lucky. Poor Lucky. I wish our last time together had been more amicable…”
Just then, the barista from the coffee stand approached the three women. “Ma’am?” she asked Mia. “Here’s your peanut butter scone.”<
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Mia blinked. “You already gave me my scone,” she kindly informed the barista as she held up her half-eaten blueberry lemon scone. “It’s so delicious.”
“So sorry, that must be for the next table,” the barista stumbled.
Mia laughed. “Hey, I’m almost done with this one and am still hungry, so it’s really like you were reading my mind.”
The barista smiled. “It’s been a long day; we’ve been understaffed all morning. I remembered you stopping by with your family last week and ordering that peanut scone, so I must have mistaken the orders. By the way, I heard that your husband passed away? So sorry to hear about that.”