Doughnuts and Disaster

by C A Phipps

  “That’s all true, but I just don’t think he did it. He was coming to tell me something before the murder. Something important, and I want to hear what it was.”

  “For goodness sake, you can’t decide something like that without talking to Ethan. Let him figure out what to do!” Maddie was exasperated, and her voice had risen.

  Gran came through from the kitchen with some clean plates. She stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Now what’s happened?”

  Angel blanched but was wise enough to know she couldn’t get away with not telling Gran about the note, so she swapped it for the plates.

  “Dear me. I agree with Maddie.” Gran said after reading it. “No matter what Brad says, you need to at least discuss this with Ethan. Things have changed since it was just an ex catching up with you.”

  “I know they have.” Angel frowned. “The thing is, Brad’s never been popular with the Sheriff’s department. You read the letter. I’m the only one he trusts.”

  Maddie tapped the counter. “Those are convenient words for Brad to say. He was always in trouble because he did bad things, not due to some personal vendetta.”

  Angel folded her arms. “That may be true, but he deserves to be able to tell his side of the story to someone who won’t judge him outright. Maybe that someone has to be to me.”

  “Oh Angel, you know Ethan would be fair,” Gran told her.

  She frowned. “I know he’d try to be, but would his office allow Ethan the option of not throwing Brad in jail the minute they had him in their clutches?”

  Maddie’s fingers did a tap dance on her hip. “Since he’s a suspect, they’ll want to speak to him. There’s nothing we can do about that. The issue is how can you help him any other way?”

  Angel moved her weight from foot to foot. “I haven’t worked out anything like the how and where. I just know I have to meet him.”

  Gran tutted as she re-read the scrawled writing. “It’s not just Brad I’m worried about. He thinks he’s being framed for the murder by someone. This implies that the real killer is after him. Which puts you in grave danger from whoever that is.”

  Maddie spread her arms. “But why would the killer want to kill him? If Brad is being framed, and then he too is murdered, the focus will move away from him and back onto finding the murderer, which is surely the point of the framing?”

  Angel shrugged. “I’ve gone over all of this several times, and I don’t understand it either. Somehow Brad has heard about your ability to work through tough cases and believes you can come up with the answer. I wouldn’t expect you to come to the meeting, but maybe I could tell you all about it after?”

  Maddie’s eyes narrowed. “If he wants your help, and you’re determined to do so, then you won’t be doing it alone.”

  Angel shook her head. “I don’t want you involved like that.”

  “I didn’t hear you ask, and I’m not taking no for an answer, so let that thought go right now. Besides, Brad mentioned me, so I’m already invited.”

  Angels mouth quivered. “You’re so bossy.”

  “When I need to be.” Maddie put an arm around her friend’s shoulders.

  They hadn’t seen Laura come into the shop and had no idea how long she’d been there, but her determined expression said it had been some time. She strode a few steps toward them.

  “I’d like to help too.”

  “No. This already sounds like it could be dangerous,” Angel protested.

  “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.” Gran pursed her lips.

  Shoulders straightened, Laura grimaced. “More dangerous than all the other things we’ve been involved in? Don’t answer that.” She turned back to Angel. “You looked after me when I came to Maple Falls, and I want to repay that in any way I can.”

  Angel’s eyes glistened. “Sweetie, you owe me nothing.”

  Laura shook her head. “Not as far as I’m concerned.”

  “That’s settled.” Maddie tapped her fingers on her thigh as she ticked off the list only she could see. “Right, we need to give Ethan a heads up. As soon as we get the rendezvous place and time we can pass that on. Meanwhile, we’ll prepare for the meeting. It would be better to have it during the day, but if he’s insisting on an evening meeting, then it should be somewhere public.”

  “Do you think he’ll actually turn up if we’re all there?” Angel fretted. “He doesn’t know Laura at all.”

  “I can wait back a little with Suzy. We’d be there just in case it went bad,” Laura asserted with bravado.

  Luke appeared in the doorway. “I wondered where everyone had gone. Hi, Angel.”

  “Hi, Luke.”

  Angel’s smile was forced, and Luke was astute enough to notice.

  “Everything okay?”

  She took the letter back from Gran, barely meeting his eyes. “Sure. Look I need to get back to work. We’ll talk later,” she said to the rest of them.

  “What’s up with Angel?” Luke asked in bewilderment once the door closed behind her.

  Maddie tried an air of innocence. “What do you mean?”

  “Apart from looking worried, she didn’t buy anything. And yesterday she canceled her weekend order of doughnuts,”

  Maddie stared at him. What could she say to such an accurate observation? Angel loved her sweet treats and a day never passed that she didn’t get at least one.

  “She probably forgot. She has a lot on her mind this morning. Perhaps it’s a difficult client?” Gran offered.

  He frowned. “The more I get to know her, Angel appears not to be overly bothered by anyone or anything. Besides, all of Maple Falls loves her.”

  It was evident that Maddie’s young intern had succumbed to Angel’s spell, and she could hardly complain when she felt the same way about her friend. Luke was astute, and she didn’t want to exclude him if she could help it. Respectful, a hard worker, and incredibly sweet, he’d been working here for several months and fit in well. Besides, Luke was very friendly with Beth, Angel’s intern, so he would no doubt hear all about it in due course.

  She debated with herself what to say, then decided on a watered down version of events, since it wasn’t her story to tell and the fewer people who knew, the better.

  “While it’s true that everyone loves her. Angel had a rough past, and recently it seems to have caught up with her, so she may need some TLC at the moment and a bit of space. I won’t go into any details, but she’ll tell you all about it when, or if, she wants to.”

  Luke lost his usually sunny expression. “I’m sorry to hear that, and I truly didn’t mean to pry.”

  Maddie smiled. “You care about her. I understand. Just let it go for now.”

  “I will,” he promised.

  Maddie smiled. Every day he became more of a friend than an employee or co-worker, and a person could never have too many of those. Gran and Laura were watching him fondly, and she wondered whether Angel would actually be the one to fill him in on the drama before either of them lost the will to resist.

  Chapter Ten

  “Afternoon everyone.”

  A rap at the open kitchen door heralded Sheriff Ethan Tanner’s appearance later that evening. Maddie turned quickly, the tray of freshly iced doughnuts slipping from her fingers. Ethan rescued it just before it hit the floor.

  “Afternoon yourself,” she said, very aware that his presence made her skin heat. “I didn’t hear you arrive. Big Red is slipping on his advance warnings.”

  “Sorry for startling you. I believe your fluffy doorman is heading this way from Angel’s.”

  He lay the tray carefully on the counter just as Big Red came through the doorway. He rubbed himself against Maddie’s leg and then Ethan’s.

  Ethan scratched him between the ears, while not taking his eyes from the doughnuts. “These look good.”

  She smiled at the unsubtle hint. “Help yourself. They’re a test batch, so be as critical as you can.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” He grabbed a choc
olate-frosted doughnut and bit into it with relish. “Mmmm. You can stop testing. This is perfect.”

  A sliver of chocolate sat on his top lip which somehow merely enhanced his good looks.

  Gran, grinning at them like a Cheshire cat, finished loading the dishwasher then brought him a coffee and made tea for the rest of them.

  “You’ve been out of town for longer than expected,” Maddie noted casually, not wanting it to sound like an accusation.

  Ethan nodded, washing down the doughnut with coffee. He didn’t take a seat and was avoiding her gaze, which made her suspicious. Something else was happening in or around Destiny, she was just sure of it.

  “I thought it would be a one-day thing, but nothing’s certain with some cases. I ended up talking to more people than I anticipated, but it was worth it.” Ethan looked up. “Speaking of cases, I daresay you’ve inveigled yourself further into the middle of this murder mystery while I’ve been gone?” he teased.

  Gran flapped a tea-towel at him. “Not me, Ethan. I was at home with Big Red. I swear.”

  He smiled at her flippancy. “Naturally, I didn’t mean you. Although, I’m sure you’re now as determined as the Girlz to find the murderer.”

  It was a statement rather than a question.

  Gran shrugged and came over to refill his coffee. “We’re not doing anything we shouldn’t.”

  He raised one black eyebrow. “Please allow me to be the judge of that. I’ve heard it all before. You know Detective Jones is especially worried about Angel, as am I.”

  Gran snorted and Maddie hid her smirk. Men often weren’t attuned to budding romance even when they were the ones involved, and Detective Steve Jones was no exception. Nor, it appeared, was Ethan.

  “We’re all worried about Angel,” Maddie told him.

  He nodded. “Then give me a little time to catch up on the case before you get in the way.”

  He wasn’t usually so abrupt with his feelings, and Gran put the coffee pot down firmly to set him straight.

  “Maddie and the Girlz are merely trying to help solve this quickly.”

  “I appreciate that, but it’s a murder, and we have no idea why the man was killed or why he was here in Maple Falls.” Ethan’s frowned as he went over the clues in his head.

  “Somebody wanted something from the dead man.” Maddie offered, giving him a taste of her own supposition.

  He eyed her over the rim of his mug. “Potentially. We don’t have enough information to make an assumption over the motive.”

  “You were there. You saw Magnus was shot in the back.”

  “Maddie,” he warned.

  “What? It’s hardly a secret. Everyone’s talking about it.”

  His eyes widened. “Everybody? How did that happen in a couple of days?” He put up a hand. No, don’t answer. I’m sure Gran’s community center group and the country club are keeping the Maple Falls grapevine in great shape. The problem is that we can no longer use the information we have to cull suspects.”

  Maddie had read and heard enough to know that he was referring to the way the authorities could trick someone into revealing how a person was killed when the facts had not yet been made public.

  “We know how it works, and I promise we didn’t tell anyone.” Defensiveness crept into her voice. She, at least, hadn’t mentioned the modus operandi.

  “Yet, word got out, and now it feels like we’ve taken a step back.” He rubbed his fingers through his short hair. “I just wanted to see for myself that you were okay. I better get to the station.”

  That’s when Maddie dropped the Brad update. “It’s been a few days, and there isn’t anything new happening apart from Angel hearing again from Brad about a new meeting.”

  Ethan did a double-take. “Pardon? I wonder why Detective Jones hasn’t given me that piece of information?”

  “Ahhh . . ..” Maddie tapped her thigh.

  Eyebrows joining in the middle, Ethan shook his head at her. “Does he even know about this latest development?”

  “We were waiting for you to come back. Angel only got the note this afternoon.” Maddie flinched. “Brad left it on Jesse’s bike at school.”

  “He did what? That low-life! Are they okay?”

  “They’re fine. To be honest they’re a little excited by it all. I made them go straight home, though.”

  Ethan ran his fingers through his hair once more, causing it to stick up at odd angles, and she could see he was taking pains not to show too much of his frustration or anger. Should she tell him it wasn’t working?

  “When exactly is the meeting taking place?” he growled each syllable.

  She wasn’t in the least upset by his demeanor but decided that perhaps now wasn’t the best time to try to cajole him out of his grumpy mood.

  “Angel’s waiting to hear. It could be tonight. I hope so. The not knowing is affecting us all.”

  He scraped his chair across the tiled floor as he hurriedly stood, wiping at the chocolate stuck to his lips with a napkin. “Then I’d better get some people in place. Maddie, call me as soon as Angel hears anything, anything at all. Better yet, tell her to call either Detective Jones or me.”

  “Absolutely.” She nodded enthusiastically, following him to the back door. “It would be nice in more than one way for Angel to spend more time with Steve Jones.” Maddie had joined Gran and the other Girlz in thinking there was something between the staunch detective and their sweet friend.

  Ethan shook his head, his mind clearly not wishing to join hers in its matchmaking endeavors. Grabbing his hat from the stand, he turned to her. She followed him and was pleased when he bent a little as if he would kiss her, but with a sideways glance at their audience, he thought better of it. Instead, he merely smiled down at her.

  “Ethan I’ve been meaning to ask about the murder near Destiny. Is it connected to the Marsters brothers?”

  Ethan’s smile slipped. “It could be. The deceased was known to them,” he said warily. “Charlie Spode was his name, but don’t brandish that about.”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t recall anyone with that name.”

  “I knew him a little. But there is more to the situation, and it’s certainly hard to find people who want to talk about it.”

  Her fingers slipped down to her leg. “I guess they’re afraid. Especially after Magnus’s death.”

  Ethan gently took her hand to stop the tapping. “I agree. Now I must get going. Thanks for the coffee and doughnut. They were both delicious. You’ve nailed yet another flavor with the cherry center.”

  “You’re the first to try it, and Angel will be pleased. It was her suggestion, but don’t tell anybody. They have to guess what the flavor is and if they’re correct, they get it for free.”

  “It will be our secret.” His smile dissolved. “Speaking of keeping secrets, would you please at least try to do things my way, just this once.”

  “I always try.”

  With a rueful smile at her innocent remark, he waved his hat at them and went down the path muttering to himself.

  Laura sighed loudly. “I guess he’s got good reason to be annoyed with us.”

  “He tries to be, but he appreciates that he’s not always available when we need him. Unfortunately, he can hardly answer his phone when he’s interviewing suspects. Plus, reception’s bad once you get over the hills nearer to Destiny. He’ll be happier, like the rest of us, once we hear when Brad wants to meet.”

  Maddie didn’t need to stick up for Ethan, but she had a twinge of guilt that she hadn’t tried harder to contact him. Then again, she had been preoccupied.

  With Angel worried that a police presence around the salon would make Brad too nervous about going ahead with the meeting, Maddie felt torn. Ethan was a wonderful Sheriff, but he liked to do things by the book, and Steve Jones was even more of a stickler for protocol. It wasn’t that she wanted to doubt them, she just felt that there was more than one way to get the job done.

  Grandad had give
n her a taste for asking questions no one else considered. It had become second nature now that she and Ethan were a couple, and when he wasn’t working on a specific case, he would answer as many questions as she could think of.

  For the hundredth time, she blessed his patience.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ethan had been, once more, too busy to stop by the night before, and Maddie had been disappointed. There would be many significant others in the same position. When your partner had a high profile job, time together took a backseat. It was frustrating but unavoidable.

  With a shop full of early customers, her thoughts didn’t dwell on it too much. The doughnut guessing had brought in more and more contestants and made the hours fly by as well as adding some fun to the work day.

  Jed Clayton, with his Labradoodle, Sissy tied up outside, was in the middle of his guess when Angel burst through the door of the bakery, making the bell jangle furiously and the dog bark. She ground to a halt at the sight of her surprised audience.

  Maddie, Luke and the several customers they were serving waited patiently for Angel to impart a seemingly urgent message, but she smothered her agitated look and merely smiled sweetly as she made her way to the display case where all the freshly baked goods were.

  Luke went back to serving, but Maddie could see how forced her smile was and that her cheeks still flamed. Her expectation that there wouldn’t be customers at this time of day in a bakery clearly meant that whatever she had to say was so important it had removed all common sense.

  Maddie finished serving Jed then stepped into the gap between the display case and the dresser holding Gran’s plates and tea services.

  “Did you want help with something in the salon?”

  Angel gave her a curious look. “No, I mean yes. If you have a moment.”

  Maddie frowned. Angel had taken the bait, but there were too many customers to leave Luke alone. It was Gran’s day off, and Laura was delivering a cake to the retirement community. It was the sort of delivery that could take a very long time depending on who it was for and whether they were desperate for company or just a quick chat.