Coup de Glace

by P. D. Workman

  “Really?” Bella’s voice perked up. “That would be awesome! I’d love to hear what you guys talk about, even if I didn’t have any say in what the decision would be.”

  Erin felt a little bit guilty about that. There weren’t a lot of decisions to be made at the staff meeting, but she’d have to be sure to ask Bella’s opinion on a few things, just to get her involved. She probably should have been having staff meetings with both Vic and Bella for some months already, but it had never occurred to her to make it official and to invite Bella along.

  “Great!” Erin said. “I’ll see you here at about five, if that’s okay?”

  “I’ll be there!”

  Normally they were still open at five, but Erin could turn the sign over early. With Bella to help with the clean-up, Erin would be able to have the staff meeting and still not be home too late.

  Bella’s mother dropped her off just before five.

  “Uh… mom wants to know how long this is going to be,” Bella said, flushing pink. “What should I tell her? So she knows when to pick me up.”

  “It shouldn’t be too long… maybe an hour? I guess that’s kind of inconvenient, if she went home, she’d just have to turn around to get you again.”

  “It’s okay,” Bella assured her. “She can run some errands while she’s waiting. That’s not bad.”

  “Maybe we should drive you home after. Would that be better?”

  “No, really. It’s okay. Mom will pick me up. I just have to tell her when.” Bella ducked back out and leaned down to talk to her mother in the car.

  “Maybe this was a bad idea,” Erin said to Vic.

  “It’s fine. Don’t be so worried. It’s about time we had a formal staff meeting.”

  In a few minutes, they had finished cleaning up. There wasn’t a boardroom or any place suited for a business meeting, but they made do, using their stools at the kitchen counters.

  “We’ve got a few things going on,” Erin said. “I’m expecting the delivery of the new freezer sometime in the next week. Not sure what day it will actually show up here.”

  The residents of Bald Eagle Falls were used to how unreliable delivery service could be. No one wanted to make a special trip to Bald Eagle Falls, and it took too long for several deliveries to collect to make it worthwhile.

  “Why do we need a new freezer?” Bella asked, throwing a glance toward the stairs to the basement, where the storage freezers were located. “I thought the old ones were working just fine.”

  “Not like those ones,” Erin explained. “It’s a display freezer with a glass front, so we can sell frozen goods and have them on display. Cakes, popsicles, frozen lemonade, whatever we want.”

  “Oh, great idea, with summer coming,” Bella enthused. “Homemade ice cream would be amazing.”

  Erin nodded. She hadn’t grown up in Bald Eagle Falls, and found the heat oppressive, but she thought that even the born-and-bred Tennesseans would appreciate the option of frozen treats in the summer. And it would allow her to freeze day-old goods and not have to waste as much. She was looking forward to the arrival of the freezer with more excitement than was natural.

  They went on to other items on the agenda and were done in half an hour. Erin pretended to be studying her list of prioritized items.

  “Bella, you were talking about your grandma and grandpa the other day. But I forget what you said their names were.”

  Bella frowned and tilted her head, not understanding why Erin would bring it up. “Uh… give me a minute… usually, it’s just ‘grandma and grandpa,’ you know? Uh… Ezekiel and Martha, I think. I really should know their names better, they’re the only grandparents I’ll ever have. Why?”

  “Well…” Erin considered lying about it. But she couldn’t think of anything that would explain why she was looking for the names of her employee’s grandparents. “You were asking me about looking into your grandma’s death the other day, so I was curious about what exactly happened…”

  Bella’s eyes squinted slightly at Erin, frowning. “I don’t really know much. My mom doesn’t like to talk about it. I guess… nobody really knows what happened to her. People say maybe my grandpa had something to do with it, but why would he do that? They were old! They’d been married to each other forever. Men don’t just suddenly kill their wives for no reason when they’re that old.”

  Erin and Vic exchanged glances. “Well, we can’t know anyone’s motives without looking into it,” Erin said. “Just because he was old, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t capable of doing something to hurt her. People still get jealous… greedy… or they have something wrong with their brains…”

  “You think he was crazy? I don’t think my grandpa was crazy.”

  “No, I don’t know anything about it,” Erin said. “I’m just saying… we never can be sure of what motives a person might have, without knowing everything about their past. Even knowing, sometimes we would never guess…” Erin thought about the murders that she had had an intimate peek at during her short stay in Bald Eagle Falls. Fear, jealousy, greed, an instant of anger… so many senseless deaths.

  Bella pulled a lock of hair into her mouth and chewed on it. “Does that mean you changed your mind about looking into it? Will you see if you can solve what happened to her?”

  “I don’t know,” Erin was honest. “I still don’t want to be a detective. I’m just a baker. A full-time baker. But I admit I am curious…” she trailed off. “My Aunt Clementine wrote about it in her journal and I was just reading what she wrote. I don’t know whether there is any real insight in Clementine’s observations, but at least it is a first-hand account. Someone who was actually around when it happened, instead of it being a fuzzy memory from a long time ago.

  “It’s in your Auntie Clem’s journal?”

  Erin nodded. “I haven’t read it all… but she’s mentioned it once or twice so far.”

  “That’s so cool! It’s almost like we’re related!”

  “Mary Lou says everyone on the mountain is related. Everyone who’s been here for any length of time, anyway. She says we’re all kin.”

  “Will you at least let me know what it says? I’d really like to hear from someone who knew them.”

  Erin nodded in agreement. “Sure. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  Mrs. Sturm finally got poor old Ezekiel to let her in, and there is no sign of Martha anywhere. At least there is no moldering body in the living room or the bed, but that doesn’t explain what has happened to her. Ezekiel said she’s just off visiting, but Martha doesn’t drive, and no one has driven her anywhere. At least not that anyone I have talked to knows about. Someone would have seen her if she’d taken the bus. Could Ezekiel have dropped her off somewhere? He can’t explain where she has gone, other than general statements that she is off visiting, and it is no one’s business where and the rest of the details. He is entitled to his own privacy, and yet…

  Ezekiel still denies the sheriff access to his property. I asked the sheriff why he can’t just go and take a look around, see if there are any new graves or disturbed areas, but apparently even for that, he needs permission. Mrs. Sturm only looked around the house, she didn’t get a chance to look around the rest of the property.

  It remains a mystery.

  Erin handed the journal silently to Vic, who took it from her without a word. Vic looked at Erin’s face, then dropped her eyes to the paper. Erin watched her eyes go back and forth as she read the passage. Then she shook her head and handed it back.

  “So they really do think that it was her grandfather? Not a stranger from out of town? An old man?”

  “Being old doesn’t stop anyone from making mistakes.”

  “But there’s no evidence. None in there, anyway. If we are going to take the case, we’ll have to talk to the people who knew them.”

  “But they’ll just remember that they thought he was guilty, don’t you think? Besides, we are not taking on the case. I’m just… looking.”

  Vic
raised her eyebrows. “Sure. Just looking.”

  Chapter Five

  E

  rin had no premonition when she got up in the morning that anything was going to happen. It was a bright, clear spring day, no ‘dark and stormy night.’ No spooky music. Everything about her day suggested that it was just going to be a normal, routine day like any other. Even her reading of Clementine’s journal the night before didn’t keep her from getting a good night’s sleep and starting off bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the next morning.

  She and Vic went to the bakery as usual, and everything proceeded normally.

  Until the afternoon lull, when the bells jingling announced a new customer, and Erin looked up to see a tall, mysterious stranger.

  It wasn’t a strange man, it was a woman, her red hair in cornrows draped over her cheeks and shoulders, not gathered under the colorful scarf wound around her head. Her makeup was dramatic, eyelids smoky and lips red, and she had large gold hoop earrings. Her peasant dress was a shimmery blue. Her nails were red, and her hands adorned with numerous heavy, old-looking rings.

  And she wasn’t a stranger. because once Erin took a good look at her, she could see that it was the face of someone familiar.

  “Well, there she is,” Reg Rawlins said. “How’s my favorite sister?”

  “How can she be your sister?” Vic demanded. “I thought your only sister was Charley, and she’s just a half-sister. Who is this Regina person?”

  It was understandable that Vic was protective. Erin had taken care of Vic when she was in need. Vic had shot a man who had been trying to kill Erin. Erin was always ready to step in whenever Vic was being harassed. They took care of each other, lived and worked together, and were closer than sisters. Closer than Erin and Charley, anyway.

  Erin glanced toward the door that led back out to the front customer area, trying to ensure that Reg couldn’t see or hear them.

  “She was my sister,” she said. “A foster sister. But it’s been a long time since we were anything to each other. Everyone goes their own way, and foster kids don’t get the option of staying in touch.”

  “How did she know where to find you? And why? What’s she doing here?”

  “I don’t know, since she only just got here, and I excused myself to talk to you.”

  “It can’t be good.”

  “Well, it could be,” Erin suggested. “Maybe she just came to let me know… how she’s doing in life. That she’s okay. Maybe she’s getting in contact with everyone from her old life…”

  “What are the odds of that?”

  “Well… rare enough that I’ve never heard of it happening before.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  Erin didn’t tell Vic that Reg had been in contact with her before, after they were both out of the foster care system. And Reg hadn’t just been looking for old friends to reconnect with. Erin wasn’t happy to see her again.

  Vic took a deep breath in, then breathed it out slowly. “She’s here. So I guess you need to at least say hi to her. Give her a chance to say what it is that she wants.” Vic wasn’t going to be fooled into thinking that Reg just wanted to see her old family members again.

  Erin nodded and took Vic out to the front of the shop.

  “Hey, Reg, I wanted you to meet my friend, and my assistant in the bakery, Vic Webster. Vic… this is Reg Rawlins.” Erin paused. “Are you going by Rawlins?”

  “It’s as good a name as any for now. What’s in a name?”

  Erin looked away from Reg, not wanting to be hypnotized by her new look. “It’s good to see you again,” she said automatically. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Yeah. Well, it wasn’t easy to find you, sis. Surprise, surprise, you’re using your real name again. I didn’t expect to find you under Erin Price.”

  Erin could feel Vic’s eyes on her, interested and hoping for an explanation. But Vic wasn’t exactly using her birth name either. She knew there were plenty of reasons for starting fresh, where no one knew you or your past.

  Erin gave a shrug. “What’s in a name?” she echoed.

  Reg laughed. She looked at Vic. “Has she told you all about the mischief we caused in foster care?”

  Vic smiled. “No, I haven’t heard about this.”

  “It’s nothing, Vic,” Erin said quickly. “Kids do stuff. I tried hard to be good, so that foster families wouldn’t send me away. I wanted to just stay in one place, with one family.”

  “Sure,” there was a hint of a sneer in Reg’s tone. “You wanted to stay with a family, runaway Erin? You had a funny way of showing it.”

  Erin shrugged again. “Kids do stuff.”

  Reg nodded, looking over the treats in the display case. “They sure do. And you were a runner. Caused foster moms no end of trouble. What’s good here?”

  “Everything is good,” Erin said briskly. “It’s all made from scratch. All gluten-free and nut-free. There are options if you are vegan or are allergic to one of the other major allergens; I try to make sure everyone can eat something.”

  Erin thought of Bertie Braceling and experienced a pang. She had thought she’d have years to try to develop a line of treats that were good for him. But like Carolyn, he was gone. It was too late to help him now.

  “I don’t have any allergies,” Reg said. “How about… chocolate zucchini muffin?”

  “Good choice,” Vic approved, helping to take some of the weight of the conversation away from Erin. “They are always so moist and flavorful.” She used the tongs to put one into a package for Reg.

  Erin didn’t bother to ring it up. “First one is free.”

  Reg slid the muffin partway out of the wrapper and took a large bite. “Oh, yeah. That’s good stuff! This is gluten free? It tastes pretty good!”

  “That’s the idea,” Erin agreed coolly.

  Reg munched on the muffin, analyzing Erin. “No need to order fireworks and a big brass band. But you could show a little more excitement over seeing your long-lost sister.”

  “I found out recently that I actually do have a biological sister I never knew about,” Erin said. “I was really nervous about meeting her. But it has been a while since I saw you last. Are you… just passing through?”

  “Not exactly. I was hoping you could put me up for a few days and we could talk old times.”

  “Reg…” Erin glanced over at Vic, wishing that she’d leave them to have a private conversation. “I really don’t have the time for old times. I have a new life now. I don’t want to screw it up.”

  “I’m not doing anything to get you into trouble. What’s wrong with reconnecting with an old friend? You and I were friends. We used to do things together. Even after we were both out of foster care.”

  “I know… I’m not trying to be stuck up… I just… stuff from the past… things didn’t work out so well in the past and I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. You like to… stir things up.”

  Vic gave a little snicker. “I think I’ve heard the same said about someone else around here a time or two.”

  Erin glared at her. “Not helping, Vic.”

  “Sorry.” Vic held her hands up. “Ignore me. I’m not even here. In fact, I’ll go in back and wash some dishes. Just give me a shout if you need a hand with customers.”

  Vic retreated into the kitchen. Erin turned back to Reg.

  “So how about it?” Reg asked. “Can we do supper?”

  Erin was reluctant to close the bakery at the end of the day, knowing that once she was finished, she was going to be meeting Reg at the Chinese restaurant for supper. Her stomach was tied in knots and her head whirled with memories of her and Reg in foster care and later as young women out on their own, and the crazy stuff they’d been involved in. Reg was always the leader, and it seemed like Erin was always game to join in whatever nutty scheme Reg had devised. Some of them had been innocent games where no one was harmed. Others…

  “She seems nice,” Vic said.

  Erin was jarred f
rom her memories. “What?”

  “Your foster sister, Reg. She seems like she’s nice. The two of you must have had a lot of fun together.”

  “Uh… yeah. Of course. It was nice having her in the picture, back then. I needed someone who… liked me and wanted to do things with me.”

  Vic nodded as she scrubbed the cooling racks. “Her makeup and everything was very dramatic. Does she always look like that? Like a fortune teller looking for a place to happen?”

  Erin hesitated. “She’s had… a lot of different looks over the years. I don’t know what this one is about yet. I guess she’ll tell me at dinner.”

  “You’ll have a nice time,” Vic said firmly. Erin was obviously radiating her anxiety about the meal. Vic could read it in her face and body language just as clearly as if she’d been announcing it out loud.

  “I’ll try. I’m sure it will be nice… it’s just… it’s been a long time, and things have changed a lot since we saw each other last.”

  “Sure. You’ve grown up. A lot of things change between when you’re a kid and when you’re an independent adult,” Vic agreed with authority.

  Erin looked at her. Vic was barely a legal adult. Erin had been older than she was when she’d seen Reg last.

  Vic grinned and got a little pink. “Just because I’m young, that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

  “I suppose not. I’m just… I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Reg Rawlins is trouble.”

  “You can always tell her no. She can’t just roll into town and expect you to take her in. Southern hospitality only goes so far.”

  Erin put mixing bowls away in the cupboard. “I can’t even figure out what she’s doing in Tennessee. She’s never been this far south in her life. She can’t have come this far just to see me.”

  “All the way from…?”

  “Uh…” Erin thought back, trying to place the memories of Reg in a concrete time and place. “Massachusetts, I think. Yeah… pretty sure…”