by Rose Pressey
Still there was suspicion in his voice.
I laughed again. “Yes, I guess you should do that. I’ll be there soon, okay?”
“No need to come over. It could be dangerous again. I’ve got a detective out front just in case the gunman shows up.”
“Something bad could happen here? I thought the person was just after you.”
“You sound a little too happy about that,” Tom said.
“Oh, heavens, no. I didn’t say that. It’s just that… well, I thought they were after you.”
“We just don’t know what’s going on right now. I’m sure everything is fine but just to be on the safe side,” he said.
“Yeah, the safe side.”
After a brief pause, Tom turned and walked toward the door.
“Be careful,” I called out behind him.
He held his hand up in a wave but didn’t look over his shoulder. As soon as he walked out the door, Mary Jane and Laura rushed out from the kitchen. I knew they’d been listening from the other side of the door.
“What did he say?” Laura asked.
“Did he believe you?” Mary Jane asked.
“I don’t think he believed me at all. But he can’t prove otherwise. With any luck, I’ll get this whole thing straightened out before he finds out. I don’t want him to ever find out.”
“Mum’s the word from me,” Mary Jane said, pretending to zip her lips.
“Me too,” Laura said.
“So now I have to get back to that spellbook.” I headed for the kitchen door once again. “How did he sneak in here like that anyway? He’s always so quiet and sneaky.”
“I guess that’s what makes him so mysterious and sexy,” Laura said.
She really had a thing for Tom. I couldn’t say that I blamed her.
I spent an hour searching through that spellbook and came up with nothing. Plus, I had to make a cherry pie. Maybe I would add a spell to that so that he wouldn’t be so upset when I told him what happened with the gingerbread man cookies.
I rolled out the dough for the crust and put it in the pie dish. I loved baking—for me, this was relaxing. I could leave all my stress behind and put all my attention and emotions into the food.
I dusted the crust with flour and then added the cherry filling. With my magic touch, the pie would be delicious. After slipping the pie into the oven, I wiped my hands on my apron and stood there trying to figure out what to do next. I supposed I could make separate cookies—one batch to make people happy and another to make people not so happy—except there wasn’t a spell for not so happy. No one ever wanted to be not so happy. No one came into the café and asked for the “not-so-happy special of the day.” I was back to having no plan at all.
“How’s it going?” Laura asked as she stepped in from the dining room.
“About the same,” I said. “I just don’t understand how the cookies could’ve gotten mixed up.”
“Did you see anyone else in the kitchen?”
“No, I saw no one at all. I don’t know how it could’ve happened. I didn’t touch the cookies,” she said.
“Oh, no, I wasn’t blaming you at all. I’m sorry if you got that impression.”
“I just wanted to make sure you knew I would never touch them.”
“I trust you,” I said.
Just then the timer went off and I grabbed a mitt to take the pie out of the oven. The sweet, delicious smell cherry pie filled the kitchen as soon as I took it out of the oven. My mouth watered just thinking about it. Tom wouldn’t be able to resist this.
Chapter 18
Unfortunately, even though the pie was warm from the oven, I couldn’t get it over to Tom just yet. I had to finish up the work at the café. We still had customers and I couldn’t let Mary Jane and Laura handle all of this. They had worked so hard since the disappearance of Mildred. I had to set aside the investigation long enough to finish up the work here tonight.
I tried Rory again. He actually responded to my text this time. He just said he would call later, nothing more. I supposed that was a step in the right direction. Every time someone came to the door of the café I was a bit jumpy. I was hoping to see Mildred walk through the door. Unfortunately, it hadn’t happened.
When my phone rang Grandma Imelda’s picture popped up on the screen. With her white hair piled high in her signature style it looked just like an ice cream cone. That was what I always told her. Seeing her bright blue eyes and sparkling smile on the phone made me miss her even more. I’d taken the picture the last time she’d popped in for a visit at the café. I was sure she missed the café, but she was having fun in the sun in Florida.
“Hi, grandma,” I said when I answered.
“Elly, dear, how’s it going?” she asked in a cheery voice.
She knew. Somehow, I could tell by the tone of her voice that she knew something was amiss at Mystic Café.
“It’s okay,” I said weakly.
The lack of confidence in my voice didn’t help hide things either.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Okay,” I said. “You know that I know you know.”
“Know what, dear?” she asked again.
She was just toying with me.
“That something went wrong and that Tom has been here,” I said.
“Yes, I know,” she said in her usual sweet tone.
“Tom told you?” I asked. “Why would he do that? I don’t want him to worry you. It’s not that I don’t want you to know, Grandma.”
“Of course not,” she said. “But Tom didn’t call me.”
“Then how did you know?” I asked.
“I have my ways,” she said.
I knew not to even ask because she would never give me a straight answer. And I knew she had her ways of finding out information, but what those ways were, I had no idea. I supposed it with magic. Maybe someday she would let me in on her tricks. I looked around the kitchen. What if she had this place bugged? Did she have a hidden camera somewhere? Wouldn’t that be something? Though if she had a hidden camera in the café then she probably would have been here by now. Grandma wasn’t into the high-tech gadgets, so I doubted she had any surveillance.
“Well, I want you to know that everything is completely under control and I am fine. Mary Jane’s fine too. And Laura. You remember her, right?”
“Yes, I remember you telling me about her, even though I never met her,” she said.
I wondered if Grandma Imelda really had a problem with me hiring an employee that she hadn’t met.
My grandmother was the sweetest person I’d ever known, but she was also suspicious. She liked to keep people at arm’s length until she knew for sure their intentions. But I told her that Laura was a nice person and that things had been working out just fine.
“So I suppose you know that Mildred is missing and that Tom is here to help find her,” I said.
“Yes, I’m aware of the situation. And I have been kept informed of what’s going on.”
I supposed the higher-ups at the organization had contacted her.
“So how’s everything going in Florida?” I asked.
“Perfectly fine. I’m enjoying the beach and we’re going for a picnic later.”
“That sounds lovely, Grandma. I’m glad you’re having the time of your life.”
“I do miss the café,” she said around a sigh.
“Well, you should come back for a visit,” I said.
“Maybe I’ll do that,” she said.
“I assume someone called you and told you what’s going on here. Did they give you any clue where Mildred is? We’ve been trying to find out clues here, but Tom isn’t very open about anything.”
“I probably know just as much as you do, Elly. Unfortunately,” she said.
I wasn’t sure I believed that. After all, she said she had her ways of finding out things. Though obviously if she knew where Mildred was then there would be no missing case. Regardless, I wasn’t sure how much I should tell he
r. I didn’t want her to worry any more than she already was. And for me to tell her about the magic spell would make her fret even more. I wondered if she knew that much.
“Grandma, I sense that maybe you’re unhappy with the new hire,” I said.
“Oh, Elly, dear, it’s not that. It’s just that I worry because I know I had to deal with finding someone to help with the magic over the years and I got some strange characters sometimes. They never really wanted to learn the magic the right way. It just takes a special person and I want to make sure you find the right one.”
“I really think she is. I get a good vibe,” I said.
“Well, as long as you’re confident, then I’m sure everything is fine.” She chuckled. “A few years ago, I had this woman who wanted to work there and when I didn’t hire her she basically stalked me. She called me all the time and would hang around outside the café.”
“You didn’t tell me about that,” I said.
“I didn’t want to scare you off from running the café.”
“Great. Now you tell me. Whatever happened to the woman who was stalking you? Was it scary? Did she do something bad?”
“She eventually just gave up. Nothing bad happened,” Grandma Imelda said. “I need to go now, Elly. You’ll call me if anything bad happens there with Mildred, right?” she asked.
“Of course, you know I will,” I said.
“I don’t know you will. That’s why I’m calling now. I know you want to protect me, but I want to do the same for you. That’s why you need to tell me everything.”
“Yes, Grandma, I understand.”
“Now that we’ve got that settled I suppose I’ll hit the waves. I’ll call back soon,” she said.
“Have fun,” I said.
“You know I will.”
With that the call ended. There was no way I could call and tell her if things got worse. She’d be mad at me for that, but I was only doing what I thought was best.
After putting my phone back on the counter, I carried a plate of mashed potatoes and gravy over to the table in the corner. Just as I turned around to go back to the kitchen, the bell jingled and I jumped. Thank goodness I’d already gotten rid of the plate.
“Don’t be on edge, Elly,” Tom said as he walked across the floor toward me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “I was coming to bring your pie.”
“Just taking a break,” he said. “I thought I’d come by and get a piece myself. I got tired of waiting.”
“I’ll go get a piece for you now,” I said.
Little did he know what I had done. I felt so bad tricking him like that, but I also felt as if I didn’t have a choice. I hurried back and retrieved the pie. Tom was sitting on the stool at his usual spot when I came back out the door.
“That looks delicious as usual,” Tom said, picking up his fork.
He was practically drooling. I hoped he didn’t eat too much of it. Maybe I shouldn’t have added so much magic. Now I was having second thoughts.
I took my time slicing the pie. I guessed I’d been putting off the inevitable. It wasn’t as if he would go away without the pie. He had to eat it. I had to get this spell to work so that if he found out he wouldn’t be upset with me. I’d put it off long enough, so I added a slice to the plate and set it in front of him.
“I thought you were torturing me with taking so long,” he said.
“Just making sure I got it right,” I said as I placed the rest of the pie in a to-go container.
“Plus, you’re already trying to get rid of me,” he said.
I pulled out the whipped topping. “Do you want some this time?”
“If you promise not to spray it on me. Maybe I should just go stand by the door while you do it.”
“Nonsense. Everything is fine,” I said.
Just in case, I sprayed it away from him, turning my back to him. He laughed as I placed the pie down in front of him again.
“Bon appétit,” I said.
Tom eyed me suspiciously. I watched as he sank his fork into the pie and then took a bite. He noticed that I was staring. I couldn’t help myself.
He finished the bite and then said, “I have a feeling that something’s going on with you. Did you add something to this pie?” He pointed with the fork.
I chuckled nervously. “Of course not. What makes you think that?”
I was such a terrible liar. Tom looked around the room door. Laura had been cleaning off the table, but she was definitely paying attention to our conversation.
“Maybe someone else will confess and tell me what you’ve done,” Tom said.
My eyes widened. “I’ve done nothing.”
Would Laura blab? All Tom would have to do to get her to talk was bat those eyelashes and she would cave.
I held my hands up. “I’m telling you, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
That wasn’t a lie. As far as I was concerned I had done nothing wrong. Tom took another bite of pie and watched me as he ate.
“Perhaps I should go back to the kitchen and clean up a little while you’re doing that,” I said.
He nodded but didn’t say anything. As I was headed toward the door, Laura followed me. When Tom smiled she waved at him like a lovestruck schoolgirl. He had his eye on her. I knew he wanted to get her alone so that he could ask questions. I had to keep those two away from each other.
Once I closed the door in the kitchen, I said, “You can’t talk to Tom.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
“I think he’s going to ask you about the pie. I just don’t want him to know that I gave him a spell.”
“You always said we couldn’t do that.”
“I know, that’s why I can’t tell him.”
“But why did you give him the spell if you’re not supposed to do that? That’s not for you to decide,” she said.
She was making this difficult.
“Just promise me that you won’t talk to him.”
“I can’t ignore him.”
“No, just don’t tell him about the spell.”
“Okay, got it. Don’t tell him about the spell.”
Tom burst through the door. “Ah-ha.”
I backed up against the island and sucked in a breath. Had he overheard what I’d just said?
“What’s going on back here?” he asked suspiciously.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Were you talking about me right now?”
Maybe he hadn’t heard what we said after all. Now I would have to continue denying it.
“We were just talking about cleaning up. Why are you so suspicious?” I turned the tables on him.
Tom raised an eyebrow. “Because you’re acting suspiciously.”
“I’m nervous about finding Mildred, that’s all. I thought you were eating your pie,” I said.
“It’s all gone.”
“If you eat it too fast it’ll hurt your stomach,” I said.
“When are you able to get away from the café tonight?” Tom asked.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“I just thought maybe we could go over some things,” he said.
Now I raised her eyebrow. Laura pursed her lips together. I couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad that Tom wanted to meet with me. Rory wouldn’t be happy if he knew I was going off with Tom.
“About an hour,” I said.
“Okay, I’ll come back for you then,” Tom said.
“Be safe out there,” I said.
“I’ll be just fine,” he said.
He tossed his hand up and headed out the door. I couldn’t help but be worried about him. After all, there was a gunman out there. Was the shooter Kris Kringle? I had no idea. Things just kept getting worse by the minute and I didn’t want Tom to be the next victim. I didn’t want to be a victim either.
“What do you think he wants to talk about?” Laura asked.
“I’m not sure. I hope it’s nothing bad.”
“Well, if yo
u need us we’re here for you. If you’d like for me to come along with you to the meeting, I can.”
Maybe she just wanted to come along to be around Tom. I didn’t think he would appreciate me bringing anyone along if he had some kind of top-secret magic information to tell me. Who was I kidding? He wasn’t going to share anything top-secret with me. He wouldn’t even tell me the whole story of Mildred.
“I’ll definitely call if I need you all,” I said. “Right now, I need to get some more of the cookies made so that I can get reverse spells in them.”
“I don’t think you can do all that in an hour. And how are you going to get them to everyone?”
“I have to make them and then take them after having my meeting with Tom.” I hurried around the kitchen. “I just hope nothing bad happens in the meantime until I can get those reverse spells done. And heaven forbid they don’t work.”
Mary Jane and Laura followed me around the kitchen.
“What can we do to help?” Laura asked.
Thank goodness they were so helpful with everything. I didn’t know what I would’ve done without them. I had to buy them presents after this as a special thank you.
“I suppose we can start with making the gingerbread cookies.”
Laura ran over and grabbed a bowl so that we could mix together the ingredients. I got the spices that I would need for the magic spells. I grabbed my wooden spoon and started stirring.
“I’ve made some many gingerbread cookies lately that I’ve lost count,” I said.
“I’ve eaten so many gingerbread cookies that I’ve lost count,” Mary Jane said as she stirred in the ingredients.
After I added the magic spells, Laura popped the cookies into the oven. That was just the first batch. We had an assembly line going.
“We make a really good team,” Mary Jane said.
I laughed. “Yeah, if it wasn’t for the bad stuff going on, I would be happy.”
“Don’t worry. Everything will work out for us,” Laura said, patting me on the back.
“I don’t know what I would do without you two,” I said.
“Probably be in a big mess,” Mary Jane said.
“Don’t remind me,” I said.
We baked more cookies and decorated them as quickly as possible. I was running out of time before Tom would be back. We had put the last of the cookies into the boxes when I heard the bell chime.