The Cakes of Wrath (A Piece of Cake Mystery)

by Brady, Jacklyn

  “That’s Scotty Justus,” I said. “His daughter died yesterday.”

  Pearl Lee blinked at me. “Seriously? What happened? Was she in an accident?”

  “Actually, they think she died of an overdose.”

  Pearl Lee gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. “No!”

  “Yeah. He’s taking it all pretty hard.” At least yesterday I thought he was. Standing there on the curb with a cigar in one hand and a red plastic to-go cup in the other, he didn’t give off the vibe I might have expected from a man who’d just lost his daughter.

  “He’s quite a looker, isn’t he?” Pearl Lee whispered.

  “I . . . suppose so,” I said. “But I think he’s taken. I’m pretty sure he’s been seeing the woman who owns the yoga studio we just passed.”

  A calculating gleam danced in Pearl Lee’s eyes. “Are they married?”

  “No, but I think they’re in a committed relationship.” I might have been exaggerating that part. I really had no idea how committed Scotty and Zora were. I just knew that she’d seemed mighty comfortable at the house last night.

  “Well, if they’re not married, that means he’s still on the market, doesn’t it?”

  “No,” I said, scowling. “It means exactly the opposite.”

  Pearl Lee tried to make a pouty face. I think. “Oh, don’t be such a stick in the mud, Rita. Life’s too short. It won’t hurt to say hello, will it?”

  “It might. The man just lost his daughter,” I reminded her. “I don’t think he’s interested in making new friends right now.”

  “But his loss is all the more reason to offer a hand of friendship. Come on. Introduce me.” She grabbed my arm and started walking toward Scotty.

  I sighed in frustration, but I went along. I knew I couldn’t stop her, but maybe I could minimize the damage—or slip into the hardware store for some duct tape to put over her mouth. “Keep her busy,” Miss Frankie had said. “Keep her away from men.” So far, I’d failed on both counts.

  • • •

  When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. That’s what Aunt Yolanda used to tell me. Pearl Lee’s interest in Scotty was definitely a lemon, but after my initial reluctance passed, I saw an opportunity to chat with Edgar again. I wondered if he had any new thoughts about what happened to Destiny, or if he’d picked up on any talk going around. Considering my suspicions about the nature of his relationship with Destiny, I thought it strange that Moose hadn’t mentioned Edgar as someone with an axe to grind. Destiny had told me that she was with Edgar when the van sped away, but what if she’d been covering for him?

  Still holding my arm, Pearl Lee sashayed toward Scotty to strike up a conversation. Since I had reasons of my own to approach the group, I didn’t try very hard to stop her.

  I can’t say Scotty looked pleased to see me, but he didn’t look displeased so I took that as a good sign. Maybe Detective Winslow hadn’t turned him against me after I left yesterday, though I’m sure it wasn’t for lack of trying.

  Pearl Lee fluttered her eyelashes at Scotty while I performed the introductions then she released my arm as a signal that I was free to go. I hesitated for an instant, but it was broad daylight and there were people around. And besides, Scotty was an adult fully capable of telling Pearl Lee “no.” She might even listen to him.

  Edgar had already moved away from the others and I wanted to catch him before he went back to work. I didn’t have time to think of an excuse for chasing him down, so I had to just jump in with both feet. I set off after him, catching up a few feet from EZ Shipping. “Edgar?” I called before he could slip inside. “Do you have a minute?”

  His pale blue eyes narrowed slightly. I figured he was surprised to see me standing there. “I guess so,” he said. “What’s up?”

  “I’ve been wondering how you’re holding up. Are you doing okay?”

  He nodded uncertainly. “Sure. I mean . . . you know.”

  “Yeah. Um, I know this is probably a bad time, but the police don’t seem to be making any progress finding the driver of the van that almost hit Moose and me the other night. Destiny told me that you were standing near the dollar store and you saw the van. Would you mind telling me what you saw?”

  Edgar shrugged and brushed a lock of platinum blond hair from his forehead. “I didn’t see much. There wasn’t much to see.”

  “Destiny said you recognized the van. Is that true? Any detail at all would help. I’m still trying to figure out why anyone would want to hurt me and I guess that I’m a little jumpy after what happened to Destiny.”

  Edgar cut a sharp look at me. “Well, you can relax. I don’t think the van’s driver was trying to hit you at all,” he said. “I think he was after Destiny.”

  The air left my lungs in a whoosh! It was a full minute before I could speak again. “But she wasn’t even there! She left the meeting earlier. She was with you, right?”

  “That’s not what I meant. I meant that you were standing there talking to Moose. In the dark it would be easy to mistake you for Destiny.”

  That shut me up for another long moment. I mean . . . really? I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or insulted. “I don’t think she and I look that much alike.”

  “Sure you do.” He grimaced and said more softly, “Or you did. You’re about the same height and size. Especially from behind, you look just like her.”

  Except for the part where I wore actual clothes. He probably meant it as a compliment, but the comparison left a sting anyway. Could he possibly be right? Had this all been about Destiny from the beginning? For the first time since that van had almost hit me, the accident made a sick kind of sense and her supposed overdose suddenly looked even more suspicious. But I wasn’t ready to toss my other theories away just yet.

  “Can I ask you a personal question? You and Destiny were friends. Was it more than that?”

  “We were friends,” he said. “Nothing more.”

  I held up both hands to show I meant no harm. “I’m not asking just to be nosy. I’m just wondering how close you were and if you know who might have wanted to hurt her.”

  Edgar arched a pale brown eyebrow. “Conducting your own investigation?”

  “Mostly trying to get Detective Winslow off my back. He’s convinced that I had something against Destiny. He even thinks I supplied her with pills. Which, for the record, I didn’t. I barely even knew her! But if the two of you were close, maybe you know if she had enemies.” I paused, debating about how much to say. Finally, I blurted out, “What if the van incident and her death are related? What if you’re right and she didn’t take that overdose on her own?”

  Edgar looked at me for a long time before he spoke again. “I don’t know about enemies, but she ran with a tough crowd. Some of those people would kill their own mother for a hit.”

  “So she was using again?”

  He slid a look toward Scotty, who was deep in conversation with Pearl Lee. I didn’t think either of them was paying attention to us, but Edgar lowered his voice just in case. “I overreacted before when I said it wasn’t possible. The truth is, she struggled with her addiction all the time. She was as determined to stay clean this time as I’d ever seen her, but I guess it’s possible that she slipped up.”

  I’d seen the proof firsthand. “And Moose had no idea?”

  “I don’t think so. She wanted her family to think she’d finally kicked it for good. Scotty had already warned her that this was the last time he’d pay for rehab. That’s why he moved in with them. He wanted to help keep an eye on her. And Moose told her that he’d file for divorce if she didn’t get straight.”

  That surprised me. Neither Moose nor Scotty had given any indication that they’d reached the end of the line with Destiny. Neither had said anything about an ultimatum.

  “Do you think Moose was serious? Do you think he would have filed for divorce if he’d known Destiny was on drugs again?”

  Edgar nodded. “She was convinced of it. She’d run through a
lot of their money, wasting it on anything she could shoot up or snort. They almost lost the shop six months ago, and they’ve been hanging on by a thread ever since. Maybe he wanted to stop her before he lost everything.”

  Interesting that Moose had neglected to mention that as well. I wondered if he’d bothered to tell the police. I’d seen his temper flare last night and I couldn’t help but wonder what he might have done if he found out that Destiny was putting their livelihood in jeopardy again. Had he made up the story about watching the fight with friends? And what about that cookie dough she’d supposedly bought from a neighborhood kid? There had been two cups on the desk at the Chopper Shop. Maybe Destiny hadn’t opened the shop alone. Maybe Moose had been with her.

  I wasn’t sure what to believe, but I didn’t have time to think about it. From the corner of my eye, I saw Pearl Lee and Scotty wander off down the street arm in arm. I had more questions for Edgar, but they were going to have to wait. Pearl Lee was much more skilled in the art of seduction than I’d given her credit for, and apparently Scotty was more vulnerable than I’d thought.

  I thanked Edgar and hurried after them, still trying to wrap my mind around what he had told me. Had the van driver mistaken me for Destiny? If so, had that same person killed her at the Chopper Shop? And if so, then who? Someone who felt threatened by her for some reason? That could have been her actual drug dealer afraid of exposure, her lover afraid of rejection, her husband afraid of losing everything, or even Aquanettia, afraid of losing the election. If Edgar was telling the truth, both Moose and Scotty had left out some crucial information. Not that they had to be forthcoming with me, but still . . .

  And speaking of Scotty, just what was I trying to do as I chased him and Pearl Lee down the street? Which one of them was I trying to protect?

  Fourteen

  Luckily, Pearl Lee and Scotty only traveled a couple of blocks and I managed to keep them in sight the whole way. They ducked inside the Dizzy Duke, the Zydeco staff’s favorite after-work hangout, which disturbed me since it was only eleven, which I thought was too early in the day to start drinking. I followed a few minutes later. By the time I got inside, they were sitting at a table near the front window. Except for a couple of good old boys talking guns at the far end of the bar, they were the only customers in the place.

  I thought about hauling Pearl Lee out of there, but two things stopped me. On the one hand, I’d been raised to respect my elders. But on the other, she was acting like a hormonal teenager, and I figured the same rules probably applied; i.e., Pearl Lee was obviously drawn to the allure of forbidden love. Declaring Scotty off-limits would only make him more appealing.

  As I hitched myself onto a barstool where I could keep an eye on the lovebirds, I noticed Gabriel doing some paperwork at a table tucked into a corner. Paperwork. Go figure. And here I’d thought he was just a pretty face. Seeing him was one positive in an otherwise not-so-good morning. At least I’d have someone to talk to while I decided what to do.

  He grinned when he saw me and abandoned his work. My heart did a little flip-floppy thing, which isn’t unusual when he’s around. His smile faded, though, when he got a good look at my face. “Tell me the police have caught the sonofabitch who tried to run you down.”

  I shrugged. “Not that I know of. Nobody was seriously hurt, so I doubt they’re putting in overtime or anything.”

  “I shouldn’t have left the meeting before you,” he said. “If I’d been there—”

  His anger touched me, but really, what could he have done? I flashed a grin. “Unless you have some Spandex and a cape under your clothes, you’d probably just have ended up looking like this—or worse. I doubt Moose would have done the full body slam on you.”

  Gabriel snorted and fell silent for a moment, then sent me a slow sexy Cajun smile. “Well, no matter how banged up you are, it’s good to see you. But you’re drinking early. What’s the matter? Having a rough day?”

  “Having a rough week,” I said, and cut my eyes toward Pearl Lee and Scotty. They sat knee to knee at the small round table and Pearl Lee was holding Scotty’s hands in hers, patting gently as he talked. “I’m supposed to be keeping Miss Frankie’s cousin busy at Zydeco and away from men. So far I’m batting oh for two.”

  With a laugh, Gabriel slid a coaster onto the bar in front of me. “I wouldn’t worry too much. It all looks pretty innocent to me. You want a Coke or something stronger?”

  “Coke. Diet. Technically, I’m at work. Plus, I should probably give chase if those two take off again. It’s what Miss Frankie would want.”

  Gabriel put my ice-cold soda on the coaster before delivering a beer and a glass of white wine to Pearl Lee’s table. He stayed there a minute making small talk. I sucked down half the soda and chased it with a handful of dry-roasted peanuts from a bowl on the bar.

  After a while, Gabriel stopped chitchatting and came back to the bar. He stood opposite me and said, “So that’s Miss Frankie’s cousin, is it? How did you end up with her?”

  I answered with a rueful grin. “Long story. Let’s just say I’ve learned my lesson about passing off jobs I’d rather not do. I do believe I got the short end of this particular stick.”

  “You went up against Miss Frankie,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “What did you expect?”

  “You’d think I’d learn, wouldn’t you?” I sighed and filled him in on the deal I’d made and Miss Frankie’s plan to mend the rift between Edie and her mother. “Not only am I stuck trying to keep Pearl Lee under control, but now I have to keep an eye on Miss Frankie so she doesn’t make Edie unhappy. Maybe I should have let that van hit me. It might have been easier to just get laid up in the hospital for a while.”

  At the mention of the van, Gabriel turned serious again. “Don’t even joke about that. It’s not funny. How are you feeling anyway?”

  I shrugged. “I’m all right. A little sore, but getting better every day.”

  “That’s good. So who’s in charge of the case? Can whatshisname do anything?”

  I reached for more peanuts. “I assume you’re talking about Sullivan? He works homicide, which, thankfully, this is not. And anyway, he’s out of town.”

  “Then what about the other guy? The one who was working with Destiny?”

  I almost choked. “How do you know about him?”

  “Bartender, remember? I hear things. Also, it helps to be a superhero with supersonic hearing.”

  I laughed. “Good to know. Unfortunately, Detective Winslow is not a member of the Rita Lucero Fan Club. I’m almost convinced that he was the one driving the van.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. Get this—he thinks I was Destiny’s dealer. He probably even thinks I arranged a fatal overdose to keep her from turning me in. And he thinks I’m having a torrid affair with Moose.”

  Gabriel burst out laughing, which had every eye in the building looking at us. “Sorry,” he said as one by one they turned back to their conversations. “The van almost running you down and Destiny dying like that aren’t funny. But the idea of you and Moose . . . It just . . .” He leaned close and whispered, “Should I be jealous?”

  “Oh. Yeah. For sure. The man’s built like a Mack truck and covered in colorful artwork. Plus, he’s married. What’s not to love?” I ate a few more peanuts and asked, “How well do you know him?”

  “Moose?” Gabriel shook his head slowly. “We’ve both worked in the neighborhood for several years. We’ve talked in passing. He comes in for a drink now and then, but we’re not exactly buddies. Why?”

  “Do you know what their marriage was like?”

  Gabriel glanced at Scotty and then back at me. “Why do you ask?”

  I propped up my chin with one hand. “Edgar just told me that Moose threatened to divorce Destiny if he caught her using again, but Moose never said a word about that to me.”

  Gabriel held up one hand to stop me. “Hold up. When did you talk to Moose?”

  “Last night. I thought I should
offer my condolences, especially after the way he saved me.”

  “Yeah. And? The real reason you went?”

  I tried to look outraged, but probably only succeeded in looking guilty. “I wanted to warn him to be careful in case the van driver was trying to hit him. I mean, think about it for a minute. That van comes at us one night and not even two days later his wife dies? I think he’d be smart to watch his back. And that’s not the point anyway. The point is that Moose never said a word about threatening to divorce Destiny.”

  Gabriel didn’t seem impressed by my deductive reasoning. “Do you know for a fact that she was using? Or is that idle gossip?”

  I pretended to be shocked. “My aunt Yolanda would wash out your mouth with soap for asking that. Gossip is the devil’s workshop.”

  “I thought that was idle hands.”

  I waved an idle hand in dismissal. “Whatever. All I know is that Destiny showed up at Zydeco the day before she died and I know she was high. What if Moose saw her like that?”

  “Divorce is a little different from cold-blooded murder,” Gabriel pointed out. “So Moose was fed up, huh? I can’t say I’m surprised. But how did Edgar explain knowing about it?”

  “He and Destiny were friends. She told him.”

  “Or so he says.”

  That was an interesting response. I shifted on my seat so I could see Gabriel better. Which meant I had to take my eyes off Pearl Lee, but I preferred the view in this direction anyway. “Meaning what? You don’t believe it?”

  “I don’t know,” Gabriel said with a shrug. “I’m just thinking out loud.”

  “Okay. What do you know?”

  “Nothing, really. I’m just not sure I’d take what Edgar Zappa says at face value.”

  He definitely had my attention now. “Why not?”

  “I don’t think he’s a fan of Moose’s, that’s all. They’ve butted heads in here a few times. Always when they’ve had too much to drink.”