Sinister Cinnamon Buns

by J Lee Mitchell

  “Would it make you feel better if you came with me?”

  He knew it was a terrible idea as soon as the words came out, but it was too late to take them back now.

  Q’Bita stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

  “Give me two seconds to shut off the coffee pot and grab my purse.”

  She turned and started jogging towards the kitchen door, but she stopped and turned towards him.

  “Thanks, Andy. This means more to me than you can imagine.” She smiled at him, and for the moment he didn’t care if he’d done the right thing or not.

  Chapter 12

  The lobby of the Castle Creek Sheriff’s Office was too small to hold Red Dixon and his assorted lawyers. It was getting warm and Red was getting impatient. Maggie Lorson hoped he had the poor judgment to start complaining. She’d personally see to it their paperwork got tied up till every cow in Castle Creek came home.

  Red Dixon approached her desk and she pretended not to notice him. He cleared his throat and leaned forward, resting both hands on her desk.

  “Damn it, Maggie, don’t pretend you don’t know I’m standing here. When is your nephew going to get here? If he can’t be bothered to do his job, I’ll march back there and have Chance Holleran do it for him.”

  Maggie looked up at Red Dixon and blinked twice.

  “I’m aware you’re there. I just don't care. You do not intimidate me, Red Dixon, so just park yourself over there and wait for the sheriff to get back.”

  Red banged his fist on the edge of Maggie’s desk.

  “You won’t be so flippant this fall when I put all my financial resources and personal network behind Chance Holleran’s run for sheriff. My taxes pay your salary and your nephew’s salary, and I carry a lot of pull in this town.”

  Maggie threw Red a bored look, motioned to the lobby with her pen, and said, “Sit!”

  Red threw up his hands in frustration and turned to one of his attorneys.

  “Why are you all just standing around looking confused? Can’t you do something?”

  A deep voice cut through Red’s complaining.

  “Mr. Dixon, sorry to keep you waiting. Why don’t you and your people follow me and see if we can’t get this all worked out.”

  Andy turned to lead the group to his office and made it about two steps before Macie Dixon started squawking.

  “Get this sorted out? Daddy, tell him we’re not here to sort things out, we’re here to have Liddy Lou Cormier arrested, and before she attacks me again.”

  Maggie’s chair shot back with an ear-piercing scrap across the floor.

  “Now you just hold on a minute. You started this whole thing by making a spectacle out of yourself and being rude.”

  Macie launched herself towards Maggie.

  “You shut your mouth and stay out of this, Maggie.”

  The sound of laughter from the hallway drew everyone’s attention. Chance Holleran and Mike Collins were leaning against opposite walls watching the circus unfolding.

  Chance stepped forward and looked at his boss.

  “Looks like you might need some help with crowd control, Andy. I can call in county SWAT if you think these folks are going to riot.”

  Andy scowled at his deputies.

  “Don’t be a smart-ass, Chance.”

  He turned to Maggie and shook his head in disgust.

  “Please let me know if Liddy Lou Cormier or her attorney contacts us or comes in.”

  Maggie and Macie both started talking at the same time, until Andy held up a hand in their direction and raised his voice.

  “Enough. I don’t want to hear another word unless I direct a question to you. Are we clear?”

  ***

  Q’Bita had been watching everything from an empty office just down the hall from the lobby, staying hidden until Andy and the Dixons were settled in the big conference room next to Andy’s office. Opening the door just a crack, she peaked out into the hallway to make sure the coast was clear. Then slipped out, closing the door behind her, and tiptoed to the lobby. She whispered Maggie’s name, and Maggie almost fell out of her chair.

  “My God, Q’Bita, where the hell did you come from? You scared the life out of me.”

  Q’Bita suppressed a small giggle.

  “I’m sorry, Maggie. I came in the back with Andy and was hiding in the office around the corner. He thought it would be best if the Dixons didn’t know he’d let me tag along.”

  Maggie shook her head, half in agreement, half in disgust. “Probably a good thing. They’re out for blood and it wouldn’t surprise me if they start questioning the impact of your relationship on Andy’s objectivity. They’re sneaky ones, I tell you. Too accustomed to everything going their way.”

  Q’Bita started biting her bottom lip again. She hadn’t considered the impact their relationship might have on Andy’s job.

  “Maggie, you said you were there, at the diner. I can’t believe Nana would just attack Macie Dixon for no reason. What really happened?”

  “Oh, she had reason alright.”

  Q’Bita cringed as Maggie shared her version of events.

  “Oh Lord, this isn’t good. Red Dixon isn’t going to let this go without making a fuss. Do you know where my nana is now?”

  “Not sure. She and Evie left the diner right after it happened. Hopefully she’s somewhere cooling off. I’ve known Liddy Lou for decades, and I’ve never seen her so angry, but I do have to say it was refreshing to see someone put Macie Dixon in her place for once.”

  Q’Bita excused herself and went outside to get some fresh air. She paced back and forth in front of the Castle Creek Sheriff’s Station contemplating what to do next, and finally decided to call Liddy Lou and give her a heads-up. The phone rang twice and went to voicemail, which wasn’t a good sign. Liddy Lou was always forgetting where she put her phone and missing calls by the time she found it, so Jamie had adjusted it to ring several times before going to voicemail. Two rings then voicemail meant Liddy Lou had seen the call and sent Q’Bita to voicemail on purpose.

  Q’Bita waited a minute, called again, and was sent to voicemail after just one ring this time.

  “Nana, I know what you’re doing, and sending me to voicemail isn’t helping. You need to call me when you hear this. I’m at the Sheriff’s Station, and the Dixons are here with enough lawyers to form a baseball team. They’re trying to force Andy to charge you with assault and God knows what else. Please call me so we can figure out how to deal with this.”

  The sound of the front door opening drew Q’Bita’s attention, and she turned to see the Dixons and their legal squad exiting the Sheriff’s Station. She hung up the phone and shoved it in her back pocket.

  Macie grabbed her father by the elbow and pointed at Q’Bita.

  “What’s she doing here?”

  Macie let go of her father’s arm and stomped up to Q’Bita, stopping inches from her face.

  “If you think being Andy Hansen’s whore is going to keep your nana from being arrested, you are sadly misinformed. Andy Hansen may be the law, but my father is the one with the real power in this town, and Liddy Lou is going to jail for what she did to me. That, I promise you.”

  Red extended his hands to his sides and titled his head upwards in a pleading gesture.

  “Please, Muffin, give it a rest. Miss Block, if you and your family know what’s good for you, I’d locate your grandmother and retain legal counsel as quickly as possible. The longer we drag this out the harder it’s going to be on everyone. Well, everyone in your family, that is.”

  Red placed his hand on Macie’s back and steered her towards the parking lot, his lawyers following close behind like a flock of baby ducks.

  Chapter 13

  With Macie occupied at the Sheriff’s Station, Hadleigh decided to use the time to do some investigating. After being present for two conversations in the same week where the subject of stolen recipes had come up, she was determined to find out what Macie was hiding. Her first st
op had been Macie’s dressing room at the production studio, but that was a bust. Her next choice was Macie’s home office at Dixon Manor.

  The Dixons didn’t call it that, but to Hadleigh, who grew up in a tiny apartment, the sprawling mansion sure felt that way.

  Sometimes being Macie’s assistant had its advantages; she could come and go on the Dixon estate and no one thought anything of it.

  Hadleigh let herself into Macie’s office and went straight for the big glass and chrome desk that occupied the center of the room. She checked each drawer but nothing interesting presented itself. Next, she stood behind the desk, slowly scanning the room for other places Macie might hide stolen recipes.

  The office, like all the other rooms in Dixon Manor, was huge. Hadleigh loved the way Cookie, the current Mrs. Dixon, had decorated the estate. It had a welcoming, rustic country style, but unlike the rest of the Dixons’ home, Macie’s office had a sparse, urban loft vibe that didn’t lend itself to many hiding places.

  Hadleigh crossed the room and opened a set of double doors built into the wall. The inside was filled with shelves containing miscellaneous office supplies, printer paper, and binders full of paperwork related to The Macie Dixon Line.

  As Hadleigh was putting the last of the binders back in place, she noticed a small button near the back of the shelf. It was painted to blend in and she had almost missed it. She pushed the button and heard a popping noise, then noticed the framed mirror next to the cabinet was now protruding about two inches outward from the wall.

  Hadleigh closed the cabinet and moved closer to examine the mirror. She placed her hands on either side of the mirror and pulled gently. The mirror came free of the wall revealing a safe. Hadleigh sat the mirror on the floor and tugged on the handle but the safe was locked.

  If there was one thing Hadleigh was certain of, it was Macie’s narcissism, so she wasn’t at all surprised when she tried Macie’s birthday as the combination and the safe opened.

  Hadleigh was shocked to find a stack of photocopied pages inside. Most of the pages were recipes, but some appeared to be stories and letters. Hadleigh leafed through the pages and found a few with note-filled margins, written in Macie’s handwriting. Hadleigh also found a note stuck to one of the pages that read, “Now you owe me. Let me know when you’re ready to settle up. T.”

  Hadleigh had been so absorbed in reading through the pages she hadn’t heard anyone approaching the room. When the door opened, it startled her, and she dropped the stack of papers. She whirled around and saw Macie glowering at her.

  Hadleigh stooped down and tried to pick up the pages that were now scattered about, but Macie was already on her. “What the hell are you doing in my office? How did you get that safe open?”

  Macie gave her a shove and Hadleigh lost her balance, falling backwards onto the floor. Macie kicked the fallen papers across the floor as she advanced on Hadleigh.

  “Answer me, Hadleigh. Did someone put you up to this? Liddy Lou Cormier and the Blocks have been trying to ruin me from the moment I began The Macie Dixon Line. Are you helping them? Did they pay you to spy on me?”

  Macie loomed over her, screaming in Hadleigh’s face, spittle flying as she over-emphasized every word of her tirade. Hadleigh did a little crab walk backwards and rose to her feet. If she was ever going to take her rightful place as a Dixon, she needed to stop letting Macie treat her like the help.

  Hadleigh pushed her glasses back on her nose and did her best to look unfazed by Macie’s hissy fit.

  “Don’t be so dramatic, Macie. No one put me up to anything, and no one is paying me to spy on you. I was just curious why everyone seems to think you stole recipes and why Liddy Lou Cormier is so angry with you. I figured this office is where I’d find the answers since you certainly wouldn’t tell me the truth even if I asked.”

  One of the Dixons’ maids opened the door and peered in.

  “Is everything all right, Miss Macie?”

  “We’re fine, Angelique, and you need to learn to knock before entering my personal space,” Macie snapped as she slammed the door closed in the maid’s face.

  Macie turned back to Hadleigh.

  “Why would I need to share anything with you? You’re my assistant, not my bestie. What’s in this office is private and absolutely none of your business.”

  “Look, Macie, I think we both know exactly what those pages are and who they belong to. With that said, I have no intention of going down with you when the truth comes out, so I very much think it is my business.”

  The same flicker of fear Hadleigh saw the day the hot guy had shown up at the studio flashed across Macie’s face, and Hadleigh knew she’d hit a nerve.

  “You’re a fraud, and I don’t intend to get caught up in all this when it implodes.”

  Macie let out a derisive snort, and the look of fear was once again replaced with anger and self-righteous indignation.

  “Hadleigh, do you know why I’m a successful entrepreneur and you’re just an assistant? I’ll tell you why. I have vision and the guts to do whatever it takes to succeed. You, on the other hand, waste time worrying about right and wrong. No one ever got anywhere worth being by playing fair. Fighting dirty is business 101, Hadleigh. That’s how you succeed. Look around you. Do you think my father, or his father, got all this by playing fair? The Dixons are winners, Hadleigh. It’s in our blood, and the Liddy Lou Cormiers of the world are not going to stop me from winning. I want the world to think of me when they hear the Dixon name, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make The Macie Dixon Line the most successful lifestyle brand in the world. I’m the last in a long line of Dixons, and I have no intention of letting our winning streak end, so if you know what’s good for you you’ll keep your trap shut and do what I tell you to do.”

  This was the Macie that Hadleigh couldn’t stand, the one who made her question how they could share a father and be so different. For Hadleigh, the next few minutes were like watching a train wreck unfold and being helpless to stop it. Anger took over, and words just came spilling out, words that once said couldn’t be unsaid.

  “Oh, spare me, Macie. You’re not as successful as you like to tell everyone you are. You’re a horrible person, and quite frankly your vision is as ridiculous and annoying as you are. You have a small handful of followers here in Castle Creek who flock to you so they can associate themselves with your family’s name. For God’s sake, your cooking show isn’t even on a national station, and the only reason you have a show is because your father pays for it to be produced. The fact that you can’t even come up with your own recipes and need to steal them from someone else is just sad and pathetic. It’s no wonder half the people in this town mock you behind your back. If that’s what it takes to be a winner and what it means to be a Dixon, then I’m glad our father didn’t raise me.”

  Hadleigh hadn’t intended for that last part to slip out but anger overrode her common sense.

  The look on Macie’s face was a mixture of hurt and confusion.

  “What do you mean, our father?”

  Hadleigh flopped down on the love seat and buried her face in her hands. This was bad, so bad, she thought to herself. How had she been so stupid? Macie was still standing by the safe, and Hadleigh could feel her watching her.

  “Oh, I get it,” Macie said. “You’re another one of those scammers. You thought you could weasel your way into my life, get in my good graces, and I’d fall all over myself with excitement to have a long-lost sister. This is all a big game to get my father’s money. Well, you’re not the first scammer to target this family so you can just turn off the water works because your plan won’t work.”

  Hadleigh wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and sniffled.

  “Macie, it’s not a scam, it’s true. I’m adopted, I’ve told you that before.”

  “Okay, so you’re adopted. Big deal. That doesn’t prove my father is your father. The only way you could prove that is with a paternity test, and my father would never agree to t
hat.”

  “Actually, Macie, that’s not the only way. By the time I hit my teens I wanted to know who my parents were and why they gave me up. My adopted parents tried going through the proper channels to find my birth parents but got nowhere. I was selfish and wouldn’t let it drop, which led me to do some seriously stupid things that caused my parents a lot of heartache.

  “My dad’s brother, Brett, is a cop, and he tried to keep me out of trouble by bending the rules and running my DNA through the system to see if he could find a familial match that might lead to one of my parents. When the results came back there was a 99.996 percent match to your father.”

  “You’re lying. My father is not a criminal, and there is no way his DNA is in some stupid database.”

  “Just because his DNA is on file doesn’t make him a criminal, Macie. I have no idea why it was there, but my uncle Brett would have nothing to gain by lying about the DNA match.”

  “I don’t care what the test says, Hadleigh. I’m only three months older than you so there’s no way my parents could have had a second baby to give away. It’s not physically possible.”

  Hadleigh rolled her eyes at Macie.

  “It’s possible if we share a father but have different mothers, Macie. I still don’t know who my mother is, and honestly, that’s the only thing I want from Red. I want to know who my mother is, and I want to hear her side of why she didn’t keep me.”

  “Really, Hadleigh? Do you expect anyone to believe that story? It sounds ridiculous and would mean my father was cheating on my mother, which I very much doubt. What I don’t doubt, though, is that you’re a loser, and I have no tolerance for losers, so you’re fired, but trust me, I plan to tell my father all about this little scam of yours. Once his lawyers are finished with you, you’ll definitely regret the day you ever put your greedy little plan in place.”