Burned At The Bake

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Burned At The Bake Page 6

by Ashley Cain


  “Interesting” Hope mused. “You know, it was their parents wedding anniversary this weekend. Their golden wedding anniversary. They were having a party, I heard them talking about it when I worked with them earlier in the week. I’m sure a Toffee Crunch cake would have been a welcome addition to the buffet”.

  “I can’t believe it of them Hope though. They have worked for me for over three years and I have never had a moment’s doubt about their integrity. I can’t imagine them wanting to steal from me”.

  “You are too trusting April Hart. Your grandmother always said that of you. Many a time she would tell me that you had a good head on your shoulders but you give your heart away too easily. That is why she wanted me to carry on working here, to look out for you and ensure nobody would take advantage of you”.

  “I don’t think I do try and see the best in everyone. If someone lets me down then I tend not to give them a second chance”. April was put out. “But if I do see the best in people, I would much rather do that than assume the worst like some people”. It had been on the tip of her tongue to say like you to the old woman, but there was no point in starting an argument before the day had even begun, and April knew that Hope was not one to shy away from an argument if she had the chance.

  “Huff” scoffed Hope. “Not only do you give second chances, but third, fourth, fifth chances and the rest. How many times did you forgive that mother of yours when she didn’t remember your birthday, or had to cancel trips out at the last minute? I cannot believe someone as kind or as giving as Ruby could have given birth to someone as selfish, and self-absorbed as Denise Rossiter, or whatever her name is now. I lose track of all the husbands.”

  April had loved her grandmother dearly, but even she would not have necessarily associated the words kind and giving with her. Like Hope she had revelled in an argument, and the only reason that her café had provided her with an income was because of the loyalty of the local fishermen who had worked with and knew her husband. She had not been averse to being insulting towards Hope when she was alive and April could remember many a time when the two had not been speaking for a few days. April was saved from responding by the ringing of her mobile phone. Picking it up she noticed that it was now 7.25 and they would be opening in five minutes. Where was James?

  “Hello is that April Hart?” The voice at the other end of the line sounded very official “This is Sergeant Tozier of the St Agnes police”. Jersey was divided in to parishes and Saint Agnes was the parish that the little village of Gull Bay was in. April couldn’t imagine why the police were phoning her. Jersey was relatively safe with very little crime, but surely the police had better things to do than investigate why one of her cakes had ended up in the bin.

  “I’ve been asked to call you by James Underwood” Sergeant Tozier continued. “I believe he was due in the kitchen today. Unfortunately, he has had a motorbike accident on the way to work this morning and has been rushed to hospital with a suspected broken leg and collarbone”.

  “Oh no” April said her hand rushing to her mouth. “How badly injured is he, is he going to be alright?” The words raced out of her mouth in shock. She liked James; he was such a gentle giant of a man. She hated the thought of him being knocked off his motorbike and hurt.

  “He will be OK. He was lucky, he ended up in the bushes which cushioned his landing a bit, but I’m afraid he is not going to be cooking for you anytime soon. Shame really as he does great fish and chips. I occasionally pop in on a Friday when I am down in Gull Bay”.

  “Miguel who also works here does great food as well so you won’t miss out on your fish and chips”. April winced as the words came out of her mouth. She was so anxious not to lose a customer as they headed towards winter that she had sounded heartless. “I will pop in to the hospital and see him tonight, check if he needs anything” she finished lamely trying to recover “Thanks for letting me know”.

  “Trouble?” Hope asked as soon as she put the phone down.

  “James has had an accident on his bike and so won’t be in for a while. Better open up Hope, and I’ll get my apron on, it looks like I’m going to be cooking today”. There were already three eager looking regulars at the door peering in and wondering why the door was locked.

  “I can’t serve on my own all morning” Hope grumbled, as she walked to the door.

  “I’ll think of something” April shouted back as she headed for the kitchen. Damn, the old adage was that trouble came in threes. If the cake was the first problem and now James falling off his bike was the second, she hated to think what the third problem might be.

  Chapter 10

  Jerome and Sylvain were not supposed to start until just before the lunchtime rush, but April knew that she couldn’t leave Hope serving out front on her own all morning. Hope wasn’t the quickest waitress in the world at the best of times, and with so much drama unfolding all around her, today was certainly not the best of times. Despite her slight misgivings over the missing cake, and whether Jerome and Sylvain had anything to do with it, she called them anyway to see if they could come in earlier than planned. They were only too happy to earn an additional couple of hours money and agreed to come in once they had finished their own breakfast. As luck, or bad luck would have it, the café was busy, and in between cooking what seemed to be endless breakfasts April did what she could to help Hope out with the clearing of tables. She was relieved to see Jerome and Sylvain when they arrived just before ten.

  “Thanks for coming in a couple of hours earlier” April said as they headed straight over to the coffee machine to get themselves a drink. “Hopefully the morning rush has died down a bit now, but there are still plenty of tables to clear”. That was an understatement she thought looking around her at the plates and mugs abandoned on virtually every table. Any first-time visitor to the café would probably wonder what sort of establishment they had walked in to and walk straight back out again once they saw the mess.

  “No worries” Jerome answered taking a big slurp of his coffee. “Sorry we couldn’t have come in at nine, but we had a bit of a late-night last night, it was our parents wedding anniversary”.

  Hope gave a knowing look and a wink to April which fortunately the guys didn’t see. She had walked across to the coffee machine as well and helped herself to a frothy cappuccino. April couldn’t blame her for the break, she had worked non-stop for the last two and half hours.

  “Did you go anywhere nice?” Hope asked nonchalantly looking at the pair of them over the rim of the oversized mug she was drinking out of.

  “No, we had it at home. Too expensive to go out to one of the restaurants” Neither Jerome nor Sylvain were married despite the fact that they were in their forties, and April knew that they both lived with their parents, and their sister and her husband and two nephews in a large house in the centre of St Helier.

  “You should have asked Rachel to bake you a cake” Hope spoke innocently enough but her eyes darted quickly to April as she said the words. “I’m sure she would have made you one. Her Toffee Crunch cake is very popular”.

  Did April imagine it or had a shadow crossed one of their faces? It was so slight it was almost imperceptible, and if Miguel and Hope hadn’t raised their suspicions about them, she would probably not have noticed it at all. It was difficult to tell and she wished that Hope had never found the cake in the bin in the first place.

  “Too expensive for us, even with mates’ rates” Sylvain said nudging Jerome. “We made do with some sandwiches and plenty of booze. Anyway, mum doesn’t really like cake and dad has diabetes and can’t really eat it”.

  “I can’t believe anyone doesn’t like cake” Hope was watching them carefully and April wished she wouldn’t look at them like that. It was making her feel a little unnerved and it was clear that Jerome and Sylvain were starting to get edgy. Sylvain was fiddling with his shirt collar and Jerome hadn’t taken the coffee cup away from his face for about a minute. “Although I found a cake in the bin by the carpark
yesterday so obviously someone else doesn’t like cake either”

  “What sort of cake?” Sylvain asked. Jerome coughed and they all looked at him “Sorry” he apologised going red. “Coffee went down the wrong way”.

  “One of Rachel’s Toffee Crunch cakes. Still in the box. Crammed in the bin it was, I saw it as I was heading out for my walk yesterday morning. Just before I saw you outside the cafe”.

  Jerome put down his cup slowly on the counter. April suddenly felt a chill as though the wind had just blown in through an open window. It was amazing how a change in atmosphere could do that, and the atmosphere had certainly changed.

  “Are you trying to say something?” Jerome challenged, looking directly at Hope.

  “Like what?” Hope fired back “I was just saying that I found a cake in the bin yesterday”

  “Really?” It was Sylvain’s turn to speak “Right after asking us if we had a cake for our parents wedding anniversary, and making wisecracks about asking Rachel to make us a Toffee Crunch cake. Are you accusing us of taking the cake and hiding it in the bin?”

  “No” said April at the same time as Hope asked “Did you?” April managed to speak louder drowning out Hope’s question. She needed help in the café today, not hindrance. The last thing she needed was the four of them to be at each other’s throats, or even worse for Jerome and Sylvain to walk out. That would leave her completely in the lurch.

  “Nobody is accusing you of anything” she said smiling at them, although they didn’t return her smile. “It’s a mystery that is all, we were talking about it earlier”.

  The bell above the door tinkled and they all turned as a group of four walked in. They had the happy smiles of tourists, although their smiles faltered a bit on seeing the mess on all the tables. April caught their eye and pointed them towards the far corner of the room where a large circular table was clear of clutter. “I’ll be with you in a moment” she shouted “we have just been rushed off our feet all morning”

  “Well, it is nothing to do with us” Sylvain grumbled glaring at Hope “We don’t know anything about it”

  “No reason to get upset about it then is there” Hope answered dismissively. She turned and headed over to the corner to take the group’s order.

  “Honestly guys” April smiled at the two men. “Nobody was suggesting you knew anything about it. You know what Hope is like, she doesn’t mean anything by what she says”.

  “Well, she better not throw accusations around” Jerome headed for the kitchen taking his jacket off “We don’t have to put up with this” Sylvain followed him.

  April raised her eyes to the ceiling. Picking up the plates off the nearest table she followed them in to the kitchen. She had the feeling it was going to be one of those days.

  Chapter 11

  They got through the day somehow. Hope agreed to stay on and work the afternoon, and with April limiting the hot food options at lunchtime to soup and a vegetable lasagne, which James had prepared the day before, she had the opportunity to make salads and sandwiches and clean the kitchen as she went along. She was pleased though when it got to five o clock and the customers started to thin out.

  “Miguel and Rachel have just arrived”. Hope popped her head around the kitchen door and deposited some mugs and dirty plates on the shelf next to her. “They are beaming ear to ear so they have obviously got something to be happy about”.

  “I think they may have some good news” April turned around from the sink where she had just been rinsing a load of plates before popping them in to the dishwasher. “Have they come in for a chat or for something to eat?”

  “Just for a chat”. Miguel and Rachel appeared behind Hope in the doorway. “We had lunch at the White Knight over in St Clarence”. The White Knight was a cosy pub on the clifftop on the other side of the island and renowned for providing excellent food. “We thought it was safer than eating James cooking”

  “Talking of James, where is he?” Rachel asked. “Shouldn’t he be working today?”

  “He’s had an accident” April answered “came of his bike this morning. A bad one, broken his leg and his collarbone”.

  “That must have been the accident we heard about on the radio this morning” Miguel said, having the grace to look embarrassed at his earlier comment about James cooking. “It was a hit and run I believe; the police are looking for the driver of a four by four which didn’t stop. I hope he’s alright. Who’s been cooking today?”

  “I have, if you can call it cooking”. April pulled a face. “I did the breakfasts, but then just offered cold options at lunchtime other than the soup and lasagne that James had prepped and was easy to serve. It was OK today as it has been a hot day and nobody seemed too worried about not having a hot meal, but I can’t go on like this. I’m no cook so I am going to have to try and get relief cover in”.

  “You may not need to get cover” Miguel said thoughtfully. “We were coming to tell you that I have rented that apartment from Mr Fletcher, the one at the Rockspur down the road. I don’t mind working extra days now I am going to live so close to work”.

  “And I’m going to be moving in to the second bedroom, it’s a big room with its own shower room so very self- contained” Rachel’s face looked a bit pink. “I’m going to be close as well so I can cover the food on the days that Miguel is not working. I can cook as well as bake”.

  “That sounds like a plan, thank you”. April was so grateful to them she could have cried. “Although I’m still going to need to cover your shifts in the café Rachel. Even though we thought I was going to have to reduce your hours, I would have still needed you for around fifteen hours a week”.

  “Well don’t look at me” Hope was rubbing her arms. “I can’t do any more hours than my mornings. Being on my feet all day today has damn near killed me”.

  April was used to Hope moaning, but had to admit the poor old woman did look tired today. “I know Hope, I am really grateful for you staying today to help out, but I wouldn’t ask you to increase your hours normally. I am just so glad for what you do as it is”

  “I wouldn’t go asking those two either” Hope said thumbing over her shoulder at where Jerome and Sylvain were whispering to each other in a corner. A customer was stood at the cash desk waiting to pay and another one was trying to get their attention. “Wouldn’t trust them to do the hours they do, never mind giving them more”.

  April sighed. She had always found Jerome and Sylvain helpful when she had worked with them, but had to admit that they had taken their short conversation this morning completely out of context. There had been a noticeable atmosphere in the café today and she had been glad to spend most of the time in the kitchen out of the way. She found it hard to believe that either of them would have tried to steal a cake from her, but if what Hope said was true about some of the things that happened when April wasn’t there, then maybe she wasn’t as good a judge of character as she thought. Or maybe her grandmother had been right and she just liked to try and see the good in everybody. She shouted across to them to attend to the customers and turned to Miguel and Rachel.

  “Hope asked them about the missing cake this morning and they were not too happy about it. They got very defensive” Miguel whistled low to himself.

  “You know I was thinking last night, and I remembered a few little things that didn’t seem significant at the time but in light of the missing cake”. He hesitated as though he was trying to work out whether he should say something or not. “Go on” Rachel prompted.

  He took a deep breath “A few weeks ago I’d made three large goats’ cheese and pepper tarts on my last day here, and texted James to say I had left him some tarts in the fridge. James text back at the end of his shift to thank me for the two tarts, said he had served them with some buttered new potatoes and a green salad. I was joking with him that he could have tried something more adventurous than a green salad and it was only later that I realised he had thanked me for two tarts rather than three. I didn’t pa
y much attention to it at the time, but Jerome and Sylvain had been on early that morning”.

  “Told you” Hope said her eyes gleaming. “Don’t give them any more hours than they have got already, you’ll have no food left by the time James comes back”.

  “And the lobster” Rachel nudged Miguel.

  Miguel sighed. “A couple of weeks ago we had a delivery of seafood. It was that day that you took off. Anyway, Jerome had signed for it but when I was counting the lobsters later that morning there was only eleven not twelve. Jerome swore that he must have mis-counted and the fishmonger ended up giving us an extra lobster the following day but he wasn’t happy about it, said we should be more careful in future”.

  April nodded. Now he had mentioned it she remembered. Alfred Holt who she got a lot of her seafood from hadn’t been very happy the next morning when he had given her the additional lobster. She looked over at Jerome and Sylvain, who again were huddled together talking.

 

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