Death by Chocolate Cupcake

by Rose Pressey

  “I’m sure they don’t think that.” The confidence was lacking from my voice.

  Ruby released a deep sigh. “I suppose.”

  After a few seconds of an awkward pause, I said, “Well, I’ll just slip into these.”

  “I’ll be here waiting to help with adjustments,” she said as she focused on her phone.

  Ruby was texting someone as I slid into the clothing. As I adjusted the skirt Ruby stopped texting and looked at me.

  “It must have been shocking to find the body yesterday.” Ruby leaned against the makeup counter.

  She really got right to the point. I’d assumed she wanted to avoid the topic.

  “Yes, it was scary,” I said as I pulled the blouse over my head.

  “Who do you think killed her?” she asked.

  Again, she got right to the point.

  “I’ve only been here for twenty-four hours now. Everyone seems nice.”

  “What about Kristen? I don’t like her much,” she said while studying her fingernails.

  “Oh? Why’s that?” I asked as I fastened the last button on my blouse.

  “I don’t know. I guess it’s just something about her personality.”

  The hesitation in Ruby’s voice made it seem like there was something else that she just didn’t want to tell me. Considering that Ruby had been upfront to this point I was surprised she didn’t just come out with it. She stepped over to me and started adjusting my clothing.

  “Well, everything looks great. I suppose I’m done here.” Ruby studied my reflection. “Now on to your makeup.”

  And with that she stepped over to the makeup counter. I sat down in the chair. Flashbacks of yesterday’s argument between Ruby and her boyfriend came to mind. Before we started, a knock came at the door. Kristen popped in.

  “I have to finish her makeup,” Ruby said in frustration.

  “Have you seen Adam?” Kristen snapped.

  “No, of course not,” Ruby said.

  Kristen stared for a moment longer. The look in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine. After a couple seconds, Kristen left, closing the door behind her.

  Ruby shook her head. “She thinks I’m talking to Adam. Why would I talk to him? I don’t even like him.”

  I wanted to ask why she didn’t like Adam, but she changed the subject to ask me about a cupcake recipe. Ruby’s behavior was giving me mixed signals. For the rest of the time in the room with her, Ruby was awfully quiet as she applied my makeup. At least she hadn’t added extra blush this time. And no pop-up from the boyfriend either. I wanted to ask her about yesterday and how she felt about what had happened. But again, I didn’t know quite what to say.

  “I’m all finished,” Ruby said as she collected her makeup.

  “Thank you,” I said, staring at my reflection.

  “I’ll see you later,” Ruby said as she hurried out the door.

  That had certainly been a weird experience. After one last check of my outfit, I was ready to get on set. I stepped out of the dressing room and headed down the dimly lit hallway. Apparently, they saved all the lights for the set. The bright lights there would take some getting used to, but I’d managed yesterday, so I hoped that I had no problems again today.

  When I stepped into the room, I realized Finn was already there. He looked as handsome as ever of course, wearing tailored black pants and a fitted white shirt. Even Finn’s swagger was sexy. Confidence oozed from him, but not in a bad way. I hadn’t been able to get a good look at his outfit earlier because it had been dark in the hallway, but he wore it well.

  We hadn’t discussed what would happen on the show today. I felt unprepared. Whatever we were supposed to make today and already been prepared so that we could whip it out of the oven. I’d just go through the motions of showing the way to make the recipe. That seemed less fun. Apparently, Kristen had total control over what recipes were made.

  “You should have brought the cherries bowl?” Finn said.

  I narrowed my eyes. “You’re making fun of me now, aren’t you?”

  “Of course not,” he said.

  “It’s my lucky bowl,”

  “If you think so,” he said.

  “Yes, I think so,” I said, not hiding the irritation in my voice.

  “Kristen decided to go with the lemon cupcakes today,” I said, avoiding looking at his sexy face.

  “I just thought maybe we should do something a little more complex,” Finn said.

  “What? Like fried catfish?” I asked.

  “No,” he said with a bit of a snap to his voice. “I think we should keep it unique and interesting.”

  “It’s Kristen’s decision. Apparently she doesn’t want to keep it unique and interesting,” I said. “But lemon cupcakes are great. We want to have recipes that are easy. Not ones that take hours to prepare.”

  “My ideas don’t take any longer than lemon cupcakes,” he said.

  “What’s going on around here?” Kristen asked as she stepped up to the counter.

  “Just having a discussion on today’s recipe,” Finn said.

  “That’s been decided for you already. Just stand there and look good,” Kristen said.

  Chapter 10

  “By the way, we went with Adam’s idea,” Kristen said with a wave of her hand.

  She didn’t even look at me when she said that. Adam’s idea for lemon cupcakes? I was confused. Kristen turned away and now I was left standing here feeling utterly perplexed. Nevertheless, I had to go along with it.

  “Adam must like lemon cupcake,” I said.

  I stood there with a smile plastered on my face as the camera started rolling. It almost felt like an out-of-body experience as I read the words off the prompter. When it was Finn’s turn to speak, I smiled at him. When it was his turn, he winked at me. We took turns adding the ingredients as we worked together on the recipe.

  “Oh, you have a little bit of batter there on your nose,” Finn said as he touched my nose.

  As soon as he touched me my stomach danced with butterflies. I laughed and wiped it off. Soon we had finished the dessert and it was time to wrap up the show. I couldn’t believe we had successfully made it through one episode.

  “Okay, that’s a wrap. Thanks, everyone.” Kristen waved her clipboard.

  As soon as the words were spoken everyone scattered. Except for Finn sadly. Why did I feel self-conscious around him?

  “You did great. Not too bad for a novice.” The side of his mouth tipped upward exposing the dimple on his cheek.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

  “It means someone who has never been on television before,” Finn said.

  “As if you have.” I scoffed.

  “I have a few things under my belt,” Finn said with pride.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

  He casually leaned against the counter. “I’ve done a few commercials.”

  I chuckled. “That’s hardly a television show.”

  “Yes, but I’m used to being in front of the camera because of it, and you’re not.”

  “Okay, so you got me there. You have experience. They still hired me to do the job.” I smirked.

  “You’re right about that.” He ended the sentence with a point of his index finger.

  Silence settled between us for a few seconds. Maybe I should take this chance to get out of there.

  Before I had a chance to speak, Finn said, “What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”

  “Well, first of all, I want to get out of these uncomfortable shoes that they picked out for me.” I wobbled a little in the too-high heels. “I much prefer my sneakers.”

  “They look good though. Sneakers are a good look for you too,” Finn said with a smile.

  My face felt a bit flushed. “I’ll see you later.”

  As I wobbled away, I tossed my hand up in a wave, but I didn’t dare look back at his handsome face. No doubt my cheeks were still red. I ste
pped into that dark hallway again. Seriously? Could they not get some lights out here? I mean, there had already been a murder in the place, but it was spooky even without the threat of a lurking killer. It was no wonder a killer thought they could hang out in this hallway.

  As I headed toward my dressing room, the sound of footsteps came from somewhere behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. A tall man was walking at the other end of the hallway. It was so dark that I really couldn’t make out the man’s identity. It was just like a silhouette. What made it even crazier was that the man was walking slowly. I almost got the impression that he was following me.

  I quickened my step, still glancing over my shoulder so that I could get a good look at this man. He continued his pursuit down the hallway. Now he was walking faster. I amped up my pace and was practically running at this point. Thank goodness I reached the dressing room. I hurried inside the room and slammed the door shut. I fumbled with the lock trying to secure it, but it looked as if it wasn’t working.

  What would I do? They hadn’t given me a key. I supposed the door wouldn’t lock no matter how hard I tried. My heart beat faster as I listened for any sound from the hallway.

  What if this was the killer? What if this lunatic came into my dressing room and attacked me like he had the other woman? A serial killer. That would be just my luck. I’d finally got this great job and now I’d be whacked. I tried to steady my breathing because all I heard was the sound of my heavy wheezing.

  There was no sound of footsteps. Maybe the man had left. I just wanted to get my clothes on and get out of there. Abandoning my spot by the door, I hurried over and grabbed my things. I placed the clothing I’d worn on set back on the hangers and then hung them back on the rack. With my heart still racing, I slipped into my shorts and pulled on my T-shirt. I shoved my feet into the sneakers and grabbed my bag.

  I had envisioned hanging out in my dressing room. Maybe flipping through magazines and eating a chocolate cupcake. This was far from that. I was panicking because a killer was on the loose. The last thing I wanted now was to hang around here. It gave me the creeps and that made me sad. Nonetheless, this was a situation and I had to deal with it.

  Just as I was headed toward the door, the handle rattled. I froze in my tracks. Momentarily, I forgot to breathe. Was someone trying to get in? It had to be the man from the hallway. The door wasn’t locked though. At least I thought it hadn’t locked. The rattling on the door stopped. No one opened it, thank goodness. I eased over to the door and wrapped my hand around the knob. Slowly I opened the door just a bit. No one was in front of the door. I peeked out into the dark hallway. There was no sign of the man or anyone else for that matter. Thank goodness.

  Now was my chance to get out of here before something else happened. I picked up my bag from where I’d dropped it on the floor and hurried out into the hallway. As I rushed down toward the door I happened to remember the car that had followed me. This wasn’t turning out to be as great a day as I had hoped. First the car following me and now a strange man in the hallway. Not to mention someone possibly trying to get into my dressing room.

  I’d almost made it to the door when the footsteps sounded behind me again. When I turned around, I ran smack dab into someone’s chest. Why was I always bumping in to people? Was I really that clumsy or was everyone just following too close? I looked up into Detective Bailey’s green eyes. Since the scare had knocked the wind out of me, I remained speechless.

  “I’m sorry if I scared you. Are you all right?” he asked.

  I nodded, still unable to say a word. After a couple seconds, I muttered, “I’m okay.”

  “I wondered if I could speak to you for a moment?”

  Oh, no. Why was I staring at his full, sensual lips while he spoke? What did he want? Just because I’d found the body didn’t mean I had to talk to him more than once. Unfortunately, I knew that was exactly what it meant.

  “I was just about to leave,” I said, motioning toward the door.

  “Would you like to get some coffee?” he asked.

  I hadn’t expected that. Was that a code for arresting me? Get me out of the building and then slap the cuffs on me? Ugh. That would be a dirty trick.

  “I suppose coffee would be okay,” I said.

  “My car is right outside.” He pointed.

  Oh, no. Now I’d be in the police car. Definitely the handcuffs would make an appearance soon.

  He held the door open. “After you.”

  Nervously I stepped outside with him. I must have looked a mess. I still had on all the makeup and show hair done with a ton of hairspray, but shorts and a wrinkled T-shirt. That was what I liked to call slob glam. I stepped out into the warm summer air and over to his black car. He opened the passenger side door for me. At least I wasn’t shoved into the backseat. And no handcuffs so far.

  “Thank you,” I said as I slid onto the leather seat.

  When I glanced over toward the studio door, I noticed Finn watching us. He had a frown on his face. Was he upset about something? Did he think I was being arrested? Detective Bailey got behind the wheel and started the car. Finn continued watching as we pulled out of the parking lot.

  I stared out the window as we drove along. Silence thickened the air between us. How awkward was this?

  “I’m surprised that you want to get coffee,” I said.

  I had no idea what to say to him. Clearly that was the case based on my question.

  “Well, I guess it’s no surprise that I actually want to speak to you about what happened yesterday.”

  “Yes, I was afraid of that,” I said. “I think I told you everything I remember yesterday.”

  “Sometimes things come back after you’ve thought about them for a bit. Unfortunately, I’m sure you thought about what happened yesterday quite a bit.”

  “I’ve been trying to push it to the back of my mind a bit. Just so that it doesn’t get so overwhelming. Plus, I had to get ready for the show today.”

  He turned into the coffee shop. “How did that go today? I heard it was your first day.”

  “I guess it was all right. They didn’t tell me not to come back.”

  He laughed. “I guess that would be called a success.”

  I laughed too.

  He parked in a spot close to the door and turned off the car. “I hope this place is okay.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it will be fine. I’ve never been here though.”

  The detective got out of the car and headed over to open the door for me. I let him open the door since I still wasn’t sure if the handcuffs might come out. The detective and I headed toward the coffee shop. What was his name again? I should remember with such a handsome face. But I guess I was so nervous I couldn’t concentrate on names at this point. Oh, that was right. Bailey. His name was Detective Bailey. He held the coffee shop door open for me.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  The detective and I headed up to the counter.

  “Coffee’s on me. Order whatever you’d like,” he said with a slight grin.

  “Well, in that case, I’ll have an iced coffee and one of those blueberry scones.” I pointed.

  The pastries looked delicious and I’d barely eaten anything all day. Even though I’d been surrounded by cupcakes.

  He smiled. “Coming right up.”

  “I’ll just find us a table, if that’s okay?” Unless he thought I was a flight risk and didn’t want to let me out of his sight.

  “That would be great, thanks,” he said.

  As I sat at the table I watched the detective. He was handsome in that rugged kind of way, with his dark hair and mysterious green eyes. When he glanced over I diverted my attention out the window. I didn’t want him to think I was staring at him or checking out his athletic physique. As I studied out the window, I noticed the black car again. It was that same one.

  I jumped up from the table and headed over to the door. I wanted to see if I could get a look at the license plate number, but it was too far a
way. My eyesight was good, but it wasn’t that good. My movements didn’t go unnoticed by the detective.

  “Where are you headed?” he asked as he walked toward me. He held the coffee and scone in his hands.

  I walked back over and took a seat. He placed the items down on the table and stared at me.

  “I guess it was nothing,” I said as I grabbed a napkin.

  “It doesn’t seem like it’s nothing,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

  I took a drink of the coffee. “It’s just that there was a strange car at my house today and I’ve seen it twice since then.”

  “Really?” he asked. “And you don’t know the person?”

  “I’ve never seen the car before. And my neighbor said she saw a man walking around the house. I live out in Peachtree Point. It’s pretty isolated out there.” I broke off a piece of the scone.

  “Yes, I know the area well. My parents live out there. Do you have any idea why someone would follow you?”

  “Not at all. It’s a bit concerning after, well, after what happened yesterday.” I took a bite of the scone.

  “Can you give me a description of the car?” he asked, taking out his notebook and pen.

  After finishing my bite, I gave him a description of the car. Although I wasn’t sure what good that would do. It was pretty much like thousands of other cars I saw every day. I leaned over so that maybe I could take a peek at his notes. He closed the cover of the notebook before I got a look.

  I pinched off another piece of the scone and popped it into my mouth. “I can’t imagine why anyone would want to follow me. Maybe… I inherited my grandmother’s house and maybe some people are upset about that. The thought briefly crossed my mind that maybe it was a relative.”

  “But you didn’t recognize anything about the person behind the wheel?”

  “Nope. Nothing. Anyway, I’m sure it’s nothing. Let’s move on to the reason we’re here. What kind of questions did you want to talk to me about?”

  Had I really just switched the topic back to murder? What if he was suspicious of me? That was a dumb move.

  “I just wanted to know if there was anything said before the encounter yesterday. Did you have any interaction with Corina?”