by Pat Amsden
She made up a batch of cheese scones ready to just pop in the oven tomorrow and then turned her attention to the cake.
One layer of the cake featured an ocean with seals and other species of fish and crustacean along the sides to represent the natural museum part. A second part featured Olde Towne while another featured a native mask.
Given more time she could have come up with something even more spectacular but she was pretty sure they'd be happy with this. After all it would be hard not to. Particularly as she was getting paid just enough to cover the cost of ingredients. Still - not every job was about money.
As she piped icing along the edges to make finished walls and storefronts, smoothed frosting over cake cut like a mask to give the look of carved cedar and rolled out marzipan into seal and salmon, crab and sea urchins to put along the side of the natural sciences part she lost herself in the work.
She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the luckiest woman alive. She might not get rich doing what she did. But she loved it. In fact she'd loved baking since she started with her grandma all those years ago. Rolling sugar cookies out, decorating birthday cakes for family dinners and making cupcakes for a school project. Cooking had always brought her joy. And just as important in her mind, the finished product brought joy to the recipient as well. It was the perfect win, win business.
She stepped back, surveying her masterpiece. It was everything she'd hoped for and more. She grabbed her camera and took a few pictures. Tracey had helped her put some of her other pictures from catering jobs into a scrapbook for the store.
Now she took pictures of every job knowing that sometimes they could come in handy for the scrapbook or other promotional opportunities.
She wheeled the trolley into the cooler making sure everything was put carefully away except for the container of tomato soup she planned to drop off at Heath's place along with some cough medicine she'd already picked up. She was hoping he'd be back on his feet tomorrow or she'd be in big trouble.
She ran down the stairs quickly stopping to lock the door and take the sheet of paper that had been put up on her door with gum. Strange she thought, opening it.
"Stop Sticking Your Nose Where It doesn't belong or you'll be sorry."
She jumped back dropping the paper as if it were on fire. When had this been put up? She looked around apprehensively. Tourists strolled slowly along the street in the early evening, sunlight bathing them in a soft warm glow. The odd car made its' way up and down.
Wharf Street seemed the safest place in the world but she couldn't stop herself from shivering slightly, feeling vulnerable in a way she'd never experienced before.
Who would do such a thing she thought, tears coming to her eyes. And were they gone? Her little car was parked down an alley one shop over and normally she was fearless, but tonight…
She stood with her feet rooted to the spot in front of her store. She knew she could call Patrick. Or her grandmother. Or anyone of a dozen people she knew.
Fear made her hesitate, made her second guess herself. She hated the feeling of fear. She refused to be ruled by it.
Nine o'clock. It wasn't that late. Victoria was a safe place. Maybe what she'd do was program 911 into her phone. If she heard a rock move she'd hit call.
She breathed in and out several times, slowing her breathing. Her hands trembled slightly. She was not a coward. NOT. She took a deep breath and walked quickly to her car, opening it with hands that shook.
As she backed up she noticed a shadow of something or someone at the end of the alley, hidden behind a tree. Waiting for her? Her heart hammered in her chest as she stepped on the gas, accelerating backwards at top speed and away. Maybe it was just a bush but why take a chance?
At Heath's place he yelled to her that he was busy and to just leave it by the door so she did. Was she making too much of this whole thing? But she wanted someone to talk to. She ended up calling Patrick.
"You shouldn't have left the scene," he said now in Second Cup as he stirred cream into his coffee.
She shivered slightly. "I wasn't going to wait around and see who the creep was."
"But walking down that alleyway with no one else around? You put yourself in danger" he said. "I'd have been happy to come out. All you had to do was call."
"I didn't want to bother you."
"It's my job," he said, his voice deepening in frustration. "If you didn't want to bother me you could have called the police. They'd have sent a car."
"Maybe next time," she said. "You really think this is something to worry about?"
He let out a deep breath. "Someone's already been killed Maxine. Whoever's behind it hasn't been caught yet and they probably want to keep it that way." His eyes caught hers, held them and she could sense his concern for her. "You need to be careful. Leave the investigating to me."
"Do you think you know who it is yet?"
He grimaced slightly. "We're working on it."
"What about the woman at the funeral?"
"You ask way too many questions," he said frowning. "We're getting closer. That's all you need to know."
She flushed slightly even as she controlled her anger, taking a sip of her tea, and looked up at him. "I promise it won't go any further. But really – who was she? A girlfriend? She was way too upset to be a friendly co-worker."
"Not necessarily," he said grinning and she caught her breath.
"An office romance?" she said, leaning forward.
"Enough," he said. "I've already said too much.
Chapter Six
Heath showed up the next morning still not his usual, cheery self. His eyes were red-rimmed and watery while his skin was a whiter shade of pale.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Maxine said looking at him, concern in her eyes. She reached out, touching his shoulders. "If you're too sick, you're too sick. Marcus and Ally can help me with the heavy stuff."
"I'll be fine," he growled giving her a small smile. "After I've got the heavy stuff up and the prep work done I can rest in the little side room if I need to. I mean with all the extra staff..," he'd said looking around at Marcus and Ally grinning.
"Hey, we're here for you bud," Marcus said stepping forward.
"Absolutely," Ally said joining Marcus. "All for one and one for all!"
Maybe if she'd sent him home then, things would have been different. The truth was she felt a huge sense of relief at his arrival. There was no doubt she'd have made it through the day somehow.
But there was also no doubt in her mind that things would go much smoother and there would be much less stress for her with Heath on board. Which really, pretty well explained, why he was such a perfect assistant for her.
Now he concentrated on loading up the van with the help of Marcus and Ally while she checked things off and made sure they had everything they needed to make the event a success.
Two large stockpots full of soup and the warming element to set them in.
Check. The assorted salad fixings and dressings needed to make simple, but elegant salads, to please the most discerning taste buds. The cheese scones ready to be popped in the oven and cooked. Check.
And lastly, but not leastly, the cake. The huge, multi-layered cake meant to wow everyone. Unlike Food Networks' Ace of Cakes, Maxine rarely, if ever, transported her cakes in one piece. She preferred to transport the layers separately, with any design elements such as small flowers, or in this case, animals and people, in separate containers, ready to be assembled on the spot with last minute fixes to any imperfections. She'd found that worked best for her.
But she still never felt comfortable until the cake was up in the venue where it was supposed to be, and safely assembled. Today was no exception. Normally she'd have let Heath babysit the cake in the backseat while she drove.
Today he was still fighting the remnants of a cold so she had Marcus and Ally stay in the back with the cake.
"I'll do my best to avoid any sudden stops or 90 degree turns she said. "I
'm sure you'll be just fine."
Marcus and Ally still looked nervous though, which actually made her feel marginally better. At least they were taking the assignment seriously.
"It should be me sitting back there," Heath grumbled as he sat beside her in the passenger seat.
"You need to rest as much as possible," she said. "The cake will be fine with Marcus and Ally babysitting it. After all it's not even assembled yet and we have a complete cake repair kit to fix any damage that is done."
"It's still my job."
"I need you in one piece to help get everything set and make sure everything goes as planned," she said firmly.
"I'll be fine," he said, brooding. "I've just double dosed on cold medicine so I'll be good to go for the day. I'll collapse later." He saw the look she gave him and said firmly. "You are not my mother."
She sighed. "I know. I just don't want you—"
"It's going to take more than a cold to stop me," he said. "And don't even try to tell me you'd be at home in bed if you were the one who was sick."
Considering she'd once worked through double pneumonia she couldn't really argue with him on that.
She managed to park close to the door they'd be going into although she narrowly avoided hitting the museum director's Beamer in the process. Arnie waited for her up-stairs ready to show her the kitchen along with the dining room the board luncheon would be held at along with the large room the volunteer tea and awards recognition ceremony would be held at later.
While Heath and Marcus did the majority of the heavy lifting necessary to get everything up to the venue she got Ally started on setting the table and started assembling the cake.
When the supplies had been brought up Heath concentrated on tearing up salad greens along with shredding carrots and sliced apples along with some chopped walnuts for the makings of a simple salad. Then he whisked together a couple of salad dressings to go with the salad, heated up the oven ready for the scones and made sure the stock pots of soup were kept warm in their state of the art warming unit. Everything was going as planned as the guests began to arrive.
The cake was Devils' Food cake and had been covered in fondant. One layer had what looked like old store fronts with Victoria men and women dressed in the type of clothing one would expect from that time.
"Spectacular," Carly Halvert decreed, pausing on her way in to the luncheon. Rae-Ann Hunter, who'd come in with her agreed.
Another layer opened out and was covered in blue fondant made to look as much like the ocean as possible. The sides had all manner of sea life native to the area from killer whales to friendly looking otters and seals, salmon and shell fish, along with fishermen on fishing boats, native Indians and pioneers. A third layer depicted an Indian log house with various masks and totems along the sides.
Wendy Carr stopped too. "Fabulous," she drawled. "I don't know how you do it. I simply wouldn't have the patience."
They were followed closely by Tracey Vandemeer, Nikki Benshaw, Devon Matthews and Sanje Gupte. In some ways Victoria was a very small town, she reflected.
Lunch brought oohs and aahs from everyone. Maxine left Ally in charge of making sure everyone was kept happy and concentrated on fixing small cracks and other decorating disasters which had emerged during transit to make the cake perfect. She'd also brought two cupcake holders shaped like trees which she'd have to fill with cupcakes before the tea started.
"Leave that to me" Heath said. "I can do that while you work on the cake."
But one look at him had been enough. He looked like death warmed over. "You need to rest," she said. "No argument." She pushed him in the direction of the small supply room next to the kitchen. "That was the plan, remember?"
"For such a little thing, you sure are bossy," he grumbled.
But not that much, she noted. Truth be told she felt he was relieved she'd pushed him to have a rest. She fixed up a couple of fake storefronts that looked the worse for wear after transport, added in a few Victorian ladies and gentlemen where they looked best, then moved onto the oceans part of the cake adding killer whales and dolphins to the top of the cake along with fishermen and a BC Ferry. She'd done the BC Ferry once before when she was still doing baking as a stress reliever from her job in banking. It had been for a family friend whose husband was retiring from his job as BC Ferry Captain and it had been a huge hit.
She stepped back, happy with her work. One mask looked as if it had developed a crack. She stepped forward, taking a knife she dipped in hot water and quickly smoothing it out so that none, but the most discerning eye, would ever see a hint of anything less than perfection.
As the luncheon came to an end visitors started to show up for the volunteer tea. Kevin and his seeing eye dog, Murray were first on the scene. Along with several older ladies.
"They always do such a nice job for the volunteer tea," one said.
"It makes it all worthwhile," another said as they took a closer look at the cake. "Not that I wouldn't volunteer just for the joy of volunteering. But it is nice to be appreciated."
She started filling the cupcake displays with an assortment of cupcakes. Double chocolate but also Raspberry lemon and Peanut Butter and Jelly along with Heavenly Coconut for those who wanted something more than chocolate. Though for herself chocolate covered every need. A scream interrupted her, mid-cupcake. She dropped it in surprise and turned towards the sound.
The washrooms were in that direction she realized even as she heard the sound of someone in heels walking quickly away, and then…silence.
Marcus came out of the kitchen where he'd been working while Arnie came rushing out from the dining room followed closely by Nikki Benshaw.
"What on earth was that noise?" Arnie asked
"I was just wondering that myself," she said, stooping to pick up the offending cupcake. "I'll go check and make sure everyone's all right."
Taking off her apron quickly she headed in the direction of the washrooms with Arnie and Marcus following closely behind.
"You check the man's washroom," she told Marcus, "I'll check the ladies."
But she didn't have to say what they were all thinking. The scream sounded female.
She entered cautiously. "Is everything all right here? Does anyone need help?"
But everything was not all right. And no one needed any help. Because the only person in the bathroom was dead. Rae-Ann Hunter lay in a pool of blood, a knife sticking out of her neck "Help," Maxine yelled, "help," and Arnie came running in followed closely by Marcus.
"Is she… is she dead," Marcus said.
Maxine was shaking so badly she couldn't even take a proper pulse. Arnie gently stepped in.
"Call 911," he said putting his hands on her shoulders and gently pulling her back towards him, away from the grisly scene. "Come on. We'll get you a cup of tea," he said taking her over to a quiet corner of the room and getting her seated.
Marcus pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "We need an ambulance. Someone's been stabbed."
"Just over here," Arnie said, gently directing her over to a quiet corner of the room and getting her seated. He waved down a volunteer and before she knew it a cup of tea had materialized before her.
She couldn't help thinking wildly, as she took the pro-offered tea that she needed something a good deal stronger right now. But she still politely thanked Arnie and the volunteer before she lapsed into a stunned silence.
"There, there, dear you'll be all right." It was one of the older ladies she'd seen earlier.
She waved her away. "I'll be all right. I just need to, I need to…."
"You've had a shock. A little tea, a few minutes to rest."
"But Rae-Ann. She's…"
"Dead?" Detective Patrick Shannon asked, standing in front of her.
She couldn't help it. She started to cry.
He bent down offering her a napkin for her tears and looking more than a little helpless. "I'm sorry. I know it's difficult for you but I'm going to have to ask some quest
ions."
"Surely you don't think I'm to blame," she said bursting into tears.
"Of course not," Detective Pat Shannon looking more than a little flustered, himself at her tears. "But a woman's been killed."
"Rae-Ann Hunter," she moaned.
"I need to find out everything I can. Was she at the board luncheon?"
She nodded mutely.
"Did she appear nervous, afraid?" His eyes questioned her even as he held a napkin to her face, wiping tears from her eyes.
"No. Everything seemed fine." She started to shake again.
He sighed. "Did you happen to notice the knife?"
She gave a shudder. "Briefly."
"It appears to be one of yours."
"One of mine?" The world went black. She awoke minutes later to find Ally beside her.
"Can you believe this?" Ally was saying. "Murdered. Right here. It probably happened while I was carrying dishes out from the party. And it's someone we know. OK, so I don't know her that well. But she was a nice lady. And with a knife!"
Maxine looked at her in horror. "That's not a good thing."
"Of course not. But it's interesting, don't you think?"
She shuddered. "No," she declared with conviction. "It's horrible. Where did Detective Shannon go?"
"He had to go talk to some of the other guests. But he said he'd be back." She was talking a mile a minute as if she'd been drinking too many energy drinks.
"I'm sure he will be," Maxine said. "What's happening with the tea?"
"It's been cancelled," Ally said brightly.
She groaned. "Not again. I'll never get another catering job in this town." She looked around the room. Her beautiful cake and cupcakes sat off to the side, virtually ignored. "Where's Heath and Marcus?"
"They're taking things down to the van. Heath figured it might a good idea."
She nodded gloomily. It couldn't hurt. Before they confiscated all her chocolate making supplies. Although she suspected no one would be calling her with a catering job in the near future. Tears came to her eyes. Who would do this? To Rae-Ann of all people. As far as she knew Rae-Ann Hunter had never done anything to hurt anyone.