Two Wicked Desserts

by Lynn Cahoon

  “So were you going to date?” Mia could see Trent and Christina’s gazes on her, wanting to know what was behind all the questions, but she shook her head slightly. She needed to let this play out, just to make sure Cindy was going to tell her the truth. The woman was an actor, after all.

  “Yes, but I said he had to clean up his act. I didn’t want to know what he’d done before we met, but from that point on, he was going to stop doing bad things. No matter what. No excuses. No secrets. Just be a law-abiding citizen.” Cindy laughed as she remembered the discussion. “You should have seen his face. You would have thought I was telling him to give up water or air. But he swallowed and agreed to my terms. He said the next night he’d have a surprise for me. I never saw him again.”

  Mia nodded. “He was going to ask you to marry him. I heard that from Sheila at the law office. Did you know that?”

  “I suspected. Denny was a go-big-or-go-home type of guy. That, and he took one of my rings that night. He said he’d give it back, but I asked the officer if they found my ring on him. No one has.”

  “What type of ring was it?” Mia asked.

  “A blue sapphire my father gave me when I moved away to LA.” Cindy rubbed her left hand. “I wore it on my left ring finger, which kept the creeps from hitting on me.”

  Chapter 22

  “Now we have a dead guy and a missing ring,” Trent said as he dried the last plate as he helped Mia clean up the kitchen. They were the only two left in the main part of the apartment. All the others had retired to their rooms. Christina was working with her study group. Grans was reading a mystery with Mr. Darcy cuddled beside her. And Cindy was studying her lines for her new role. A role she needed to get back to Hollywood to get to work on, which was why she had to leave Magic Springs soon. “I feel like we’re going around in circles here. Maybe Baldwin is having better luck solving this puzzle. We just keep adding more layers.”

  “I don’t think so. I think Cindy gave us a clue tonight. If Denny took her ring to size an engagement ring, maybe hers is at the jeweler’s. I’m going to run by there tomorrow to see if there are any packages waiting to be picked up. I know his pending proposal doesn’t mean Cindy couldn’t have killed him, but I don’t see any motivation saying she did.”

  “In an odd way I think it’s sweet she was willing to let all the past go if he promised to go clean from that moment forward. That shows real love.” He dried the last cup and put it away. He glanced around the kitchen. “My work here is done.”

  “Thanks for helping Christina out with that sauce. Grans would have gone off on her if she’d served what she was planning.” Mia took the cup from him. “You want some tea?”

  “I take it you don’t have a beer?”

  When she shook her head, he nodded. “Then tea would be great. I’m going to have to stock your kitchen with some more manly drinks and snacks if I’m going to be visiting here a lot.”

  Mia smiled as she filled the tea pot and set up the tea bags in the cups. “I like the sound of that.”

  He came up behind her and put his arms around her. “I need to be here to keep you out of trouble.”

  He kissed her neck, which made her retort disappear. She leaned against him. “I don’t try to get into trouble. It’s just my curious nature, I guess.”

  “Curiosity killed the cat.” He kissed the top of her head and stepped away to go sit at the table. He glanced under the table. “Good thing Mr. Darcy is with your grandmother. I think he might have swatted at me for that cliché.”

  “More likely that Dorian would take offense.” She sat at the table with him. “I feel bad for Denny and Cindy. It’s kind of a love-lost story.”

  “It’s a love that never could have been. He was a hit man. Someday a job that was just too big to pass up would have come along and he would have broken his promise and her heart. It’s an addiction. Those guys like the thrill of getting away with it.” He glanced at his watch. “Levi’s on duty now. He’s working nights this week.”

  “You keep close tabs on your brother.”

  Trent shrugged. “There was an incident a couple of months ago in Sun Valley. Some dopehead looking to score drugs called in a fake emergency to an out-of-the-way cabin. One of the responders, a kid who’d just joined the crew, was killed, and the other guy was shot and left for dead at the cabin. They got a bottle of high-powered Aleve and a few EpiPens. The good drugs were locked in a safe behind a fake wall in the rig.” He rubbed his face. “One life lost because of drugs. Two more, if you count the kids who shot the EMTs. They were almost seventeen. And now they’ll go to prison for life.”

  “So you keep an eye out for Levi.” Mia put her hand over his. “I’ll do protection spells for him with the Goddess as well.”

  “It can’t hurt.” He squeezed her hand. “He’s a good kid. He’ll be a good man someday.”

  Mia watched Trent’s gaze go toward the hallway, where Christina had gone when she left the kitchen. “I think they’re good together.”

  He nodded. “So do I.”

  “When is he off nights?” Mia glanced at her calendar.

  “Saturday is his first day off. Why?” Trent smiled at her. “You have a plan.”

  “I think we need a game night. Saturday at seven? You bring the margaritas?” She smiled and glanced around the kitchen. “And I’ll make a nacho bar for us.”

  “You’re amazing.” He leaned over and kissed her again.

  * * *

  The next morning Mia headed to town again. First stop, Magic Springs Jewelry. The bell above the door rang, announcing her arrival to an older man in a white dress shirt and black dress pants. He wore black dress shoes that matched his belt. There was a pair of glasses hanging on a chain around his neck.

  “Good morning; you’re my first customer of the day. What special thing can I find for you? Or maybe you’d like a custom-made item? I’m very talented with Idaho opals. You’d have something original, made only for you.” He stepped out from behind the desk to greet Mia. “I’m Charlie Parker.”

  “Nice to meet you, Charlie. Unfortunately, I’m not a customer. I’m Mia Malone. I just bought the old school and I’m turning it into a catering spot.”

  “From what I hear from my wife, you’re doing more than that. She signed up for one of your classes next month and we had your chicken pot pie for dinner the other night. It was very good, young lady. You have quite the talent.” He took her arm and moved her over to the rings. “Now, why are you here this fine day?”

  “Actually, I was wondering if you happened to have a package that hadn’t been picked up yet. An engagement ring, and a sapphire that was given to you to size the engagement ring by.”

  Charlie stopped and took a step back. “Don’t tell me you’re a mind reader as well.”

  “I’m not. I can assure you of that.” She felt the excitement. “So, you do have the package?”

  “Yes. It’s all paid for and waiting for that man to come back.” He focused on something in Mia’s eyes. “But he’s not coming back, now, is he? What a shame. I’ve never seen a man so deeply in love. When Bethanie brought him into the store, he was just about to pop out of his skin, he was so excited to be choosing a ring.”

  “Wait, Bethanie brought him here?” A tingle scooted up Mia’s spine. Maybe this was the clue she’d been waiting for.

  “Yes. She likes bringing me business. Bethanie Miller was my best customer for a long time. Now she’s selling those pieces back to me to pay for her college costs. Such a shame what her father did to her life. Anyway, she brought her friend in so he could pick out a ring for his girlfriend. As I said, I’ve never seen a man so in love.” Charlie brought out a small bag and set it on the counter. “The ring is paid for. If you know who the owner of the sapphire is, have them come in and claim it. I’ll have her put it on for me. I’ll know. Then I’ll give her the other ring. Unless you think it will make her sad.”

  “I think it would be perfect.” Mia nodded to the bag. “Can
you show me the ring?”

  “Of course. All the pretty ladies enjoy seeing rings. Mr. Blake did a good job choosing this design. He was very much in love. And the band is inscribed with his name and his love.”

  Mia held her breath as he opened the box. He held up the ring, then pointed to the engraving.

  “You know this Cindy?” He handed her the ring.

  After seeing it Mia gave it back and thanked Charlie for his time. “The ring is beautiful. You did an amazing job.”

  Outside the shop, she punched in Baldwin’s number. When he answered, she told him about the almost-engagement. “Cindy couldn’t have killed Denny.”

  “Love story gone wrong. It’s playing all the right notes, Mia,” Baldwin replied. “What am I missing here?”

  “She wanted a future with the guy. A future she told him they wouldn’t have if he continued his current ways. Maybe he was here not just to meet Cindy. Maybe he was here to do a job for our local convict Realtor.” Mia started walking toward the real estate office.

  “Look, you’re treading on thin ice here. I’ll go talk to Charlie to get his take on it. And I’ll talk to John again, but we don’t know for sure that he even knew Denny.” Baldwin sounded tired.

  “Actually, there is. Sheila saw Denny talking to John. She thought he was looking to buy a house due to the upcoming nuptials.” Mia paused and decided to tell Baldwin everything. “And Charlie said Bethanie was the one who brought Denny into the store. Why would Bethanie know Denny unless she was doing a favor for one of John’s clients?”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to her too, but don’t get your hopes up.” He paused, and Mia could hear the clicking of his keyboard. His sharp intake of breath told her he’d found something. “Well, I’ll be. I may have found a connection between Denny and John.”

  “Besides Bethanie?” Mia could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

  “Yep. I just got a full report on Denny. He and John were cellmates for the short time John was in prison. I guess the state pen rented out space to other jurisdictions when their numbers were low.” He quickly added, “Of course, that doesn’t mean John killed Denny. But it does mean he lied. I need to go talk to him about that little discrepancy.”

  “That’s awesome.” Mia could hear Baldwin moving around his office. “You might want to head to John’s office first. I’m right outside and I’m going in to talk to Bethanie. I’m hoping John’s not in this afternoon.”

  “Are you crazy? He’s going to file a restraining order against . . .”

  Mia didn’t hear the rest of the rant because she’d ended the call and tucked her phone into her tote. Baldwin knew where she was. John wouldn’t have time to kidnap her or kill her and hide the body before he got here. She just hoped she would be alone with Bethanie. She said a prayer of protection for herself as she pulled open the office door.

  Bethanie was sitting at the reception desk and looked up with a smile when she heard the door open. Then the smile dropped from her face. “Ms. Malone, what are you doing here? John’s expected back from a showing any time.”

  “Good, then we have a few minutes to talk.” Mia leaned on the desk and pulled out the picture of Denny. “Do you know him?”

  Bethanie glanced at the photo, then swallowed. “I don’t know what happened to him, I swear.”

  “I just want to confirm that he was one of John’s clients.” Mia put the picture away. “And you did him a favor.”

  Now Bethanie smiled softly. “You know about me taking him to the jewelry store. He wanted to buy an engagement ring for his girl. That’s what he called her, his girl. So I took him to see Charlie. Full disclosure, I got a referral fee from Charlie for the sale. It was super nice of him. I don’t make much here and the referral—well, it paid my rent for a couple of months. I guess the ring he bought was pretty big.”

  “Okay, you need to tell Baldwin all this when he shows up. So, Denny was looking at property with John?” This was the part Mia held her breath for. The answer would at least give Baldwin a starting point to question John.

  “No, Denny wasn’t a client. I asked if he was looking at property and he said they’d need to live in California, where his girl worked. He said he had been here to do a favor for John, but he’d had to cancel the contract. I heard them talking in John’s office. Man, John was mad. I’ve never heard him yell like that.” Bethanie looked behind Mia to the door. “Uh-oh.”

  Mia steeled herself. Apparently, John had just walked back into the office. She smiled at Bethanie, trying to calm the girl. Mia pulled out a flyer with next month’s cooking classes on it and handed it to her. “I’m so glad you were able to take a class. I wanted to let you know I’ll give a ten-percent discount on a second class as long as you schedule this month. Call me if you have questions.”

  “What are you doing in my office?” John’s voice was calm, but cold as ice. “Did you come to tell me you’re selling?”

  Mia turned and let shock fill her face. “Oh, John, I didn’t think you’d be in the office this late. I was just trying to round up some repeat business. I guess you wouldn’t want a flyer for your wife to support the cooking school considering you want me to close down.”

  “I don’t care about your stupid school. But if you wanted to look successful in the business, I’m sure we could make an arrangement and get you into something new. Maybe even closer to Sun Valley, so you could get clients with a little money rather than these hicks from Magic Springs.” John walked past her and paused at his office door.

  “I’m not interested in selling.”

  He sneered at her. “For now. Please refrain from marketing your business in my office. I’d hate to have to sue you.”

  He slammed the door behind him and Mia took a deep breath. She looked at Bethanie. “I hope I didn’t get you in trouble.”

  She shrugged. “So what if he’s mad. He can’t fire me for talking to you. I know that, and he knows I know a lot of people around here. He doesn’t want to get on my bad side. I’ll remind him of that later today.”

  “Thanks.” Mia hurried out the door and almost ran into Mark Baldwin, who had just parked his cruiser on the street in front of the building.

  “At least you’re alive.” He put his hands on her arms to stop her from crashing into him. “But you’re shaking. I take it John is inside?”

  “He is now. And Bethanie has some interesting news.” She filled him in on what Bethanie had said. She swallowed. “I think John killed Denny.”

  “I know that, but like we’ve said, there has to be proof.” Baldwin looked at her. “Are you all right?”

  Mia wiped a lone tear from her cheek. “I’m fine. I guess I didn’t really believe John would do something like that, but after talking to him just now, I know he killed him.”

  Baldwin pulled her to the edge of the sidewalk and nodded at an older woman, who was walking her toy poodle. “Good afternoon, Mabel.”

  The woman nodded a greeting, staring at Mia. “Officer Baldwin.”

  He waited for her to get out of earshot. “Great, now Sarah’s going to get a call about how I was flirting with some woman on the street.”

  “You call this flirting?” Mia laughed, and with the release of emotion, she suddenly felt stronger. “Just tell Sarah I was on one of my conspiracy rants about John Louis. I’m sure you’ve complained enough about me for it to sound believable.”

  Mia saw his face pinken and knew she’d hit a nerve.

  “I’m going to go talk to him. Why don’t you just go home and stay out of trouble? Can you do that? Just for a day or two? If John killed Denny, there has to be some sort of evidence linking him to the crime. Something I must have missed.”

  Mia thought about the St. Christopher’s medal she’d found. What if Trent hadn’t lost it when they’d been working on the garden? Maybe John had planted it there to implicate Trent. If so, he might just bring it up when he talked to Baldwin. “Hey, let me know if he mentions a religious medallion that would put someone e
lse at the scene. I’m not sure how he’d bring it up, but call me if he does, okay?”

  “That’s weirdly random and specific at the same time.” Baldwin studied her. “Want to tell me why?”

  “It might not be anything.” Mia turned to head home. “Just call me and I’ll explain then.”

  “Mia, you are the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met,” he called after her.

  She turned and smiled at him. “Now, Mark, you sound like you’re flirting.”

  When she got back to the school, she decided to work in the office for a while rather than go upstairs to the apartment. She had plans to make and lists to do for the next three months. It worried her that they didn’t have a catering job this weekend, but then again, she appreciated the break. Which meant she needed to figure out how many weekends she really wanted to cater and block off the others for her time off. She wasn’t going to work twenty-four seven for this business the way she had when she worked for Isaac.

  This time, she was going to have a life.

  Chapter 23

  Mia didn’t have to wait long for Baldwin’s call. Her cell rang less than two hours after she’d left the real estate office. “Long time no talk. I was kidding about the flirting thing. I’m kind of in a relationship.”

  “Funny girl,” Baldwin said. “Where are you? Did you go home like I asked?”

  “Yes, Dad. I’m in my office on the first floor. Why?” She already knew why he was asking. She’d seen his car pull into the parking lot on the video feed. Mia headed to the door to meet him.

  “Let me in.” Baldwin hung up on her.

  He looked surprised when she opened the door a few seconds later. He glanced up at the security camera. “You upgraded the system.”

  “Last week, after finding the dead guy on my lawn. Of course, after Ronnie started trying to break in, I realized I still have some blind spots on the campus. Between the heating and cooling bill and the security systems I’m putting in, I’m going to have to sell a lot of mac and cheese.” Mia locked the door after him.