A TREACHEROUS TART

by Fiona Grace

  Just then, the sound of footsteps scudded behind Ali and Bob. They both gasped and swirled around in unison. Two figures were approaching, materializing from the between the shadows of the boats like apparitions. One was short, one tall, and if Ali hadn’t been so terrified she would have found it comical. But as it stood, she was petrified, realizing that she and Bob had walked straight into a dead end with no escape. They were now stuck between the black, churning ocean and the two silhouetted figures.

  As the men walked ever closer, Ali swallowed the lump forming in her throat. It had gone as dry as sand. Then they took the final step forward into the moonlight and revealed their faces.

  The shorter of the two, Salvador the loan shark, was unfamiliar to Ali. But the other, the taller man, was very familiar indeed. It was none other than the bald security guard from Mad Frank’s, the man who’d tried to stop her crossing the cordon to get her purse back from Django the monkey.

  Suddenly, the final puzzle piece fell into place in Ali’s mind, and the whole sad, sorry case of Gilbert Brown’s murder became clear to her.

  “You!” she cried, pointing an accusatory finger at the bald guard. “You’re the reason Salvador got backstage! You two are in cahoots!”

  “Who is this?” Salvador growled at Bob.

  “I’m the person you tried to frame for Gilbert’s murder,” she continued, boldly. Some of Eunbi’s fiery spirit had clearly rubbed off on her. “The baker you tried to frame for Gilbert’s allergic reaction.”

  Salvador started to laugh. “Ah. The oyster sauce. What a stroke of luck. We were going to poison him, but that was so much easier. Landed in our lap like fate.” He looked over at his tall, bald buddy and they guffawed like they were sharing an in-joke.

  Ali narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t stand these two men, and it took all her strength not to launch herself at them. Now she understood where Eunbi’s rage had come from last night. The fury was like a fire rippling through her.

  “So you admit it?” she said between her teeth.

  “Admit what?” Salvador sneered nastily, taking a step toward her.

  Bob started shaking like a leaf, but Ali stood her ground.

  “You admit you were the one who planted the oyster sauce,” Ali said.

  Salvador came right up to Ali, so close their noses touched. His breath wafted on her face, hot in contrast to the cool evening.

  “What are you going to do about it?” he said, menacingly. “You’re just a baker.”

  Ali smirked. “I may ‘just be a baker,’ but I’ve got some pretty interesting friends…”

  She pointed into the distance, toward the harbor road behind them. There, in two black cars with the windows all the way down, glowering at them, were Fat Tony’s cronies. In their fedoras and pinstripe suits, with their cigars hanging out of their expressionless mouths, there was no mistaking who they were.

  “What the…” Salvador murmured, stepping back from Ali.

  From where he was still standing a couple of paces behind, the bald security guard looked like he was about to pee himself with fear.

  “Salvador,” he stammered. “That’s Fat Tony!”

  “I know who it is!” Salvador snapped back. He had become extremely agitated.

  “Rumor is you’ve been working on his turf as a loan shark,” Ali continued. “Pretty sure it’s against the mafia code to do that. And to kill? With poison of all things?” She tutted and shook her head. “Or am I mistaken?”

  Salvador rubbed his chin, as if trying to work out how to get out of this situation. He looked stressed and uncertain, his gaze going from Bob to Ali. Finally, he pinned her with his glare. “What do you want? Money?”

  Ali smirked. Slowly, she held up her cell phone, the screen glowing green in the light. “Actually, you already gave me everything I wanted.” She pressed the phone to her ear. “Did you get all that, Detective Callihan?”

  “Loud and clear, Ali,” Sebastian’s voice said in her ear. “Keep him there. We’re five minutes out.”

  Ali snapped the cell phone shut triumphantly and looked at Salvador. “Told you I had some interesting friends.”

  The two men exchanged a glance.

  *

  “Good work, Ali,” Detective Callihan said as he clicked handcuffs in place around Salvador’s wrists. “We’ve been looking for Salvador for a long time. And his accomplice.”

  Up ahead, Detective Elton was grappling with the bald security guard. In comparison to Salvador, who seemed depressed and resigned to his fate, he was putting up quite a bit of resistance.

  But he was no match for Detective Elton. The female detective made some deft moves and finally overpowered him. She stuffed him into the back of the cop car, then straightened up and blew her messy hair off her face, before proceeding to march over to collect their second man, the real murderer of Gilbert the Gobbler.

  She shot Ali a daggered look over the top of her sunglasses. “Miss Sweet,” she said in her smoky voice. “Why is it that I always find you at the center of everything in Willow Bay?”

  Ali shrugged. “Just lucky I guess.”

  Beside her, Sebastian tried and failed to hide his smirk.

  “Callihan,” Detective Elton barked. “Did you read this man his rights?”

  “Of course,” Detective Callihan replied.

  His female partner glowered at him, then at Ali, then with a huff she grabbed Salvador by the cuffs and shoved him roughly away to the back of a second waiting cop car.

  Ali watched as Detective Elton manhandled Salvador into the car. “Is she really that annoyed that I solved the crime?”

  “Nah,” Sebastian Callihan said. “She’s annoyed that she didn’t.” He smiled sweetly. “You know that’s why she has it in for you, don’t you? Because you always solve her crimes before she does?”

  Ali smiled. “And there was me thinking it was because you have a sweet spot for me…”

  The tips of Sebastian’s ears turned pink. “That might have something to do with it, too.” He coughed into his fist and reset his expression. “You know, you put yourself in a really dangerous situation tonight, Ali.”

  “Is this Detective Callihan speaking, or Sebastian?” she asked.

  “Both,” he replied. “I don’t want you getting mixed up in stuff like this. Both as a law enforcer looking out for a civilian and as a… guy with a crush.”

  Ali couldn’t help herself. A smile stretched across her face before she could even stop it. Of course, she knew she’d never been in any real danger, not while she was under Fat Tony’s watchful eye the whole time. But Sebastian didn’t need to know just how cozy she was with the local mafioso…

  “I had it all under control,” she said, simply. “And I think the words you’re looking for are thank you.” She wiggled her brows at him, cheekily.

  “Huh,” Sebastian smirked. “I know you’ll ever listen to me.”

  “So, what about Porky Pete?” Ali asked.

  “He’s already been released. His story checked out during interrogation.” He glanced over at Salvador sitting in the back seat. “I’d better get him to the station. Would you like one of my team to give you a lift home?”

  Ali looked over at Bob and Scruff. “Actually, I think I’d prefer to walk.”

  Sebastian smiled. “Okay. We’ll speak soon.”

  He headed away for the car and Ali watched him go. Just as he reached it, he paused and turned back.

  “That date…” he called across the space between them. “You still on?”

  “I’m still on,” Ali replied with a nod.

  Callihan looked pleased, and he flashed her a disarming grin before getting into the car, starting the engine, and driving away.

  Ali watched the two cars leave, taking with them Gilbert the Gobbler’s murderer. Then she looked over at Bottomless Pit Bob. The poor man looked like he was in a complete state, his face stained with tears, his eyes haunted. Ali couldn’t help but feel for him. His terrible decision to get mixed u
p with a loan shark had gotten his friend killed, and his lying by omission had seen not one but two innocent men thrown in jail for no reason. But he’d clearly been through a lot and had played his part in the end. She hoped he’d one day find peace from his guilty conscience, and forgiveness from the rest of the Mad Frank family.

  Just then, a figure moved out from the shadows toward her. It was Fat Tony. He must’ve been waiting just out of sight for the cops to leave, and he approached her with his arms open wide, as if for a hug.

  “Miss Sweet,” he said in his thick Italian accent. “You did a good job tonight. Getting Salvador off our turf. We’d like to reward you. What do you want? Need? Ask Fat Tony, and I’ll see that it’s done.”

  Ali shook her head. She may have called on Fat Tony’s assistance to help get Bob out of his predicament and solve Gilbert’s murder, but she didn’t want to get too cozy with the local mobsters. They were still untrustworthy gangsters who could always turn against her on a whim, after all.

  “No need,” she said, boldly. “I had my own reasons for doing it.”

  Fat Tony shook his head. He was clearly not about to take no for an answer. “There must be something you want. Just name it.”

  Suddenly, Ali had an idea. While she didn’t want to benefit from a mob boss’s generosity, there was someone else who desperately needed help…

  *

  Ali pushed open the door of Emilio’s pizzeria. It was completely empty inside. No chairs, tables, no artwork. Even the comforting smell of pizza dough had gone. Ali felt a pang of nostalgia as she cast her eyes around the room.

  “Hello?” she called into the gloom. “Emilio? Are you there?”

  A sound came from the kitchen, and a moment later Emilio emerged into the dining area.

  “Ali?” he said, sounding despondent and defeated. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to check on you. Maria was here by herself when the cops came. I wondered where you were.”

  Emilio looked downcast. “I got scared and ran away from my problems. But she told me you were there and that you comforted her. Thank you for looking out for her when I could not.” He shook his head bitterly.

  “Don’t beat yourself up,” Ali told him. “You’ve been under a lot of stress at the moment. I’m sure the cops were just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

  “I should have been there for her,” Emilio said, not listening to a word of Ali’s reassurance. “What kind of a man am I? To drag her into all this drama? I told her everything was sorted here in California. But here I am, stuck, unable to move away.” He shook his head sadly. “No one wants to take over the lease. I’m stuck in limbo. Maria is angry. I suspect she will leave me if I don’t solve this soon.”

  Ali reached out and patted his arm. “Then perhaps you’ll be pleased to know she won’t have to wait much longer.”

  Emilio frowned, as if hearing her for the first time. “What? Why? I don’t understand.”

  “I’m taking over your store,” Ali announced.

  Emilio’s eyes widened. “You? But—but I thought—” He gave up trying to speak and swept Ali up in his arms instead, then twirled her on the spot.

  Ali laughed as he set her down on the floor. “I know. You thought if I didn’t want the equipment then I probably didn’t want the lease either. And you’d be half right. I found a buyer for the equipment.”

  “Who?” Emilio asked.

  “Let’s just say someone who owed me a favor,” Ali replied with a smile, recalling the look of bemusement on Fat Tony’s face when she told him the only favor she wanted from him was to sell him a heavy stone wood-fired pizza oven and expensive coffee machine…

  “Is this real?” Emilio asked, looking thrilled.

  “It’s real,” Ali said, nodding. “Your dream to go to Italy and my dream to expand the bakery are coming true.”

  Emilio simply couldn’t contain himself. He picked her up in his arms again and swirled her around in a circle. “Thank you, Ali. Thank you!” Then he set her down on her feet. “I have to tell Maria!” he cried.

  Ali watched her friend rush giddily away and smiled to herself. Everything had worked out perfectly in the end.

  EPILOGUE

  Ali clinked her fork against her champagne glass and held it aloft. “To Emilio and Maria! May they have a beautiful wedding and a happy, healthy life together in Italy!”

  All the friends and family gathered in her bakery raised their glasses.

  “To Emilio and Maria!” everyone cried, and a cheer went up.

  “Now let’s party!” Ali exclaimed.

  Piper hit the play button on the radio and pounding music filled the bakery. She turned to Teddy standing beside her and the two broke into the most ridiculous dance moves.

  Ali smiled at their unbridled joy. She’d still not completely forgiven Teddy for his nonchalance over her disappointing trip to Desert View but she was determined not to hold a grudge against him. He was just too focused on making his own dreams come true, and she could understand where he was coming from now that she had a new bakery expansion to think about.

  In the week since she’d taken on the lease, the place had been entirely gutted. Fat Tony had come good on his promise, relieving her of all the expensive equipment, leaving her with an empty shell of a building and a whole load of dreams.

  Just then, Eunbi sidled up to Ali, champagne glass in hand, and slung a sloppy arm around her.

  “You know this is my last night in Willow Bay,” she slurred, raising her voice to be heard over the music.

  “You mean you’re finally checking out of the inn?” Ali teased, feigning surprise. “But I thought you loved it there!”

  Eunbi giggled. “I’m heading on a road trip with Scott for a few days.” She pointed at her boyfriend lurking by the door uncomfortably. “Then we’ll go to Gilbert’s funeral.”

  Ali nodded, feeling somber for a moment. Though she’d never met him personally, Gilbert the Gobbler seemed like a great guy, beloved by his competitive eating colleagues and son. And even if she didn’t really understand the world of competitive eating, she still accepted that Gilbert had a rare talent, and that the world was a little less brighter without him in it.

  She glanced over at Mad Frank in his pirate attire, helping himself to the table of baked goodies and free wine. Bob and the “bikini babes” were chatting with the other two competitors nearby.

  “What about competitive eating?” she asked Eunbi. “Is Mad Frank going to run another contest?”

  Eunbi shrugged. “Who knows? Everything is still up in the air. Maybe I’ll head abroad and see if there are some other contests I can do. Maybe I’ll go back to my roots and see if there are any competitive kimchi eating contests in South Korea.” She laughed merrily. “Oh, Ali, you know, I’m really going to miss you.”

  “I’m going to miss you too,” Ali said, hugging her. “We’ll keep in touch though, right?”

  “Absolutely!” Eunbi exclaimed. “You can’t go through all the crazy stuff we went through over the last few days and not stay in touch! We’re BFFs for life now.”

  Ali laughed and tapped her champagne glass against Eunbi’s. “BFFs for life.”

  Eunbi danced away across the room toward Scott and draped her arms drunkenly around him. Then Ali’s gaze slid from them to the other unlikely couple—Nate and Carys. The two were still going strong, despite her prior reservations. And Carys seemed to have gotten over her jealous streak at last, so Ali couldn’t begrudge them their happiness.

  “Great party,” a voice said in her ear.

  Ali swirled to see Seth. She grinned. “Thanks. I’ve been told I’m a good host.”

  “And you’ll be an even better one when you expand into the pizzeria next door.” He smiled widely. “I can’t believe you decided to take on the lease!”

  “And I can’t believe you’re moving off the boardwalk to the swanky end of town!” she replied. She stuck out her tongue. “Traitor.”

 
“I guess we all need a bit of change sometimes,” he said. “And not to get too comfortable.”

  Ali nodded. He was right. Though things had felt difficult recently, the discomfort was a sign of change, and change always led to growth. Just look at Emilio and Maria, the happy couple. They’d already gone through so much to make their dreams come true, and were stronger and better for it.

  “I wonder if that will be me one day,” Ali quipped, nodding at the gorgeous Italian man and his equally stunning soon-to-be-bride.

  “Never say never,” Seth replied with a wink, and he went off to join the group of dancers.

  Ali sipped her champagne and watched on, as new friends and old alike came together to celebrate the love Emilio and Maria had found. Maybe, one day, she would be like them, in love, about to start a new adventure with her husband. But for now she was content with her bakery and whatever adventures that would bring her.

  *

  Ali yawned and glanced around at her now empty bakery and the detritus from the party. Sparkly confetti and streamers seemed to cover every surface, while the floor was carpeted in a layer of cake and crumbs.

  “Sign of a good night,” Ali said to Scruff, her trusty companion curled up sleepily in the window seat.

  She went over to the door and locked it, and was about to head to the kitchen to get the mop and start tidying up when she halted. There was a new key dangling from the store keys now. The one for Emilio’s pizzeria. It was hers.

  A surge of excitement overcame her. She went back to the door and looked at the keys dangling there, temptingly.

  “What do you say, Scruff? Shall we go and take a look at the new shop?”

  Scruff, though clearly sleepy from his long night of partying, barked in agreement.

  Ali unlocked the door again, removed the keys, and took them outside with her.

  It was blissfully quiet on the boardwalk, with dawn just starting to rise over the ocean, waking the gulls and swallows from their slumber. They chirruped in the background, their birdsong blending harmoniously with the gently lapping waves.