Doughnuts and Disaster

by C A Phipps

  Then, as luck would have it, Laura poked her head around the curtain that separated the shop from the kitchen.

  “I’m back. Everything okay here?” she asked, noting Angel’s demeanor.

  “What perfect timing. I’m just heading over to the salon to give Angel a hand with something if you’d help Luke out in the shop?”

  “Sure.”

  Laura kept glancing at Angel, while she pulled on her apron and tied it as Maddie removed her own.

  “I could help,” Luke offered.

  “No!” Angel immediately saw how crestfallen he was by her tone. “Sorry, Luke. Maddie would be better suited since it’s personal.”

  “No problem.” He smiled, readily accepting the ruse. Working with three women had given him an insight into women’s thoughts and health issues, and like most men, there were things that he’d prefer not to think about.

  “Do you need another pair of hands? Shall I come to the salon when I can get away?” Laura asked.

  “Thanks, but it’s okay. Maddie will be help enough. I won’t keep her too long.”

  “Enjoy that shortbread Mavis,” Maddie smiled as they passed Gran’s friend.

  “I will dear. It’s my treat every Monday.”

  She said that and more every time she came in to the store and today, as usual, she was intent on a long conversation. Maddie gently directed her to Luke.

  “Be sure Mrs. Anderson has a sample of the new doughnut. I must dash. See you next time,” she said as she ushered Angel ahead of her out the door.

  Her interns continued to serve customers while giving them worried glances. They weren’t stupid, but they were loyal and discrete. There would be plenty of time for explanations later.

  Once the door shut behind them, Angel took hold of Maddie’s arm and pulled her close as they marched up the walk.

  “Brad’s here,” she whispered

  Maddie’s shoes stuck to the concrete as surely as if she had glue on them, bringing them both to an abrupt halt. “Here, as in Maple Falls, or here, as in the salon?”

  Angel pulled her toward the salon door, still whispering, but with more urgency.

  “He’s upstairs in my apartment.”

  “Are you okay?” Maddie whispered back, concerned that Brad had reverted to form and hurt Angel somehow.

  “I’m fine.”

  Angel tried to hurry Maddie along, and reluctantly, she followed her friend into the salon.

  Beth gave them a look of relief that it was just them. The young salon intern was washing Irene Fitzgibbon’s hair at one of the two basins on the back wall. Mayor Fitzgibbons, who had the position owing to the deaths of the previous two mayors, turned out to be better at the job than anyone expected. She had a keen eye for things out of the ordinary, and by the curious looks she was giving to them through the mirror in front of her, she was set to start asking questions.

  Maddie waved at her, while Angel, after a brief hello, addressed Beth.

  “Maddie and I are going upstairs for a few minutes, Beth. She needs to borrow one of my pans. I know Mayor Fitzgibbons is happy to be in your hands.”

  Irene nodded. “Well, everyone has to start somewhere, don’t I know?”

  “I’m so grateful to you for giving me the opportunity, Mayor. The next appointment is in fifteen minutes,” Beth reminded Angel.

  “I’d have thought Maddie has more than enough pans of her own,” Irene pointed out, still watching them in the mirror.

  Angel continued across the room but managed a tight smile. “It’s a particularly odd one. If I’m not back, get our next customer to take a seat and give them refreshments, please, Beth.”

  Maddie didn’t miss the warning look Angel sent the girl’s way, then she allowed Angel to usher her to the staircase.

  “Clearly, Beth knows?” Maddie whispered as they climbed side by side.

  Angel nodded. “She heard him moving about upstairs this morning and wanted to call Ethan. I had to tell her, but you know she can keep a secret.”

  Beth had indeed kept plenty of secrets in the past, so Maddie didn’t disbelieve it, but the girl was obviously upset that Brad was here, and she wasn’t the only one. It was one thing to meet up, but for it to be in Angel’s apartment gave Maddie a feeling of foreboding.

  She also felt unprepared for this meeting, not knowing what she would say to him or how she might react to whatever his request of help from Angel might be.

  Halfway up, Maddie caught Angel by the arm and stopped her. “When did he arrive?”

  “It was still dark. He gave me the fright of my life when he just appeared on the balcony outside my bedroom.”

  Maddie gripped her arm. “Please tell me the door was locked?”

  “Of course! It’s winter, for goodness sake. He tapped at the door, I opened the curtain, and there he was.”

  Maddie gasped as the thought that in any other season Angel would be sleeping with windows and probably doors wide open just as she used to, but times had changed, and not in a good way.

  “And just like that, you let him in?”

  Angel shrugged. “Not quite. We had a few words, as you can imagine, but I could hardly leave him out there in the cold, and it didn’t seem prudent for him to be seen out there if he is in danger.”

  “You should have called me or someone so that you weren’t alone before you let him in.”

  “I wasn’t alone. Laura was in the next room. It was fine.”

  “Laura knows?” This was odd since Laura had acted completely normal that morning and she wasn’t especially capable of subterfuge.

  “No. She was fast asleep.”

  Maddie sighed. That made more sense. Although, it did shine a light on the obvious. “Speaking of which, were did Brad sleep?”

  Angels mouth dropped open then shut with a snap, and a very cool look followed.

  “Maddie! We are no longer man and wife. He slept on the chaise at the end of my bed.”

  Suitably chastised, Maddie nodded. “Of course.”

  “Like I said, he was fine. I figure the fewer people who know about him being here, the safer we all are. Now, he’s very nervous, so don’t attack him right away.”

  “I’ll try very hard not to, but this isn’t right.”

  “Maddie,” she warned.

  The whispers ceased as they continued up the last few steps.

  Angel rapped three times and opened the door inwards, then led the way into the open plan living/dining/kitchen area. It was a bright space. It was also empty.

  “Brad?” Angel called softly, after making sure the door was closed behind them. “It’s me. I’ve brought Maddie.”

  He came into the room from the larger bedroom. The apartment was identical in floor plan to Maddie’s although the furnishings and color scheme were utterly different. While Angel was all about florals and color, Maddie had a more minimalistic approach with neutrals and pictures of her family.

  Brad had disliked what he called Angel’s ‘fussiness,’ and he’d often treated Maddie as if she didn’t exist. He’d been a very unpleasant person, and if she hadn’t valued Angel’s friendship so much, Maddie would have been happy to steer clear of him altogether.

  Looking much older than the last time she’d seen him, he also seemed on edge—repeatedly glancing at the door and windows. The latter had sheer curtains, so even in the day no one could see more than a vague outline of a person, but he didn’t seem to trust that.

  “Hi, Maddie. It’s been a long time.”

  “It sure has,” she agreed, attempting to keep the anger out of her voice for the way he was involving Angel in something that they didn’t understand yet. His voice was even, and if it wasn’t for the flickering of his eyes, she wouldn’t have guessed he was scared for his life. She noted that he leaned against the kitchen counter which gave him the best view of the room and possible escape options.

  Even though Brad was no longer a young jock, he hadn’t developed the paunch she would have expected for a man who h
ad drunk as much as he had back in the days when she had known him. Instead, he’d lost a good deal of weight and bulk.

  “How are you?” he asked, not looking her in the eye but speaking to her pleasantly, which hadn’t usually been the case.

  “Nervous, and wondering what you could possibly need from us that isn’t going to result in someone getting hurt.”

  He gave a short laugh. “I assure you that I completely understand the nervousness thing, and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, which is why I’m here. I’m not even sure you two can help, but I’ve heard, Maddie, that you’ve solved a few crimes since you arrived back in Maple Falls last Spring.”

  Maddie wondered at his source of information and shook her head. “I, we - along with Angel and our other friends - were merely helping the Sheriff.”

  “I see. Well, thanks for coming, anyway. I know I’m not your favorite person. Or Suzy’s.”

  Was that regret she saw on his 5 o’clock-shadowed face? His dark hair had receded, and she noticed an indentation on the bridge of his nose, indicating that at some stage it had been broken. His clothes were wrinkled, and he looked in need of a wash.

  “Let’s take a seat,” Angel led the way to the overstuffed couch covered in bright flowers and pointed to the matching chair opposite for Brad.

  Maddie sat beside Angel. “What are you doing in Angel’s place?”

  His eyes widened. “That’s straight to the point. I see the shy girl I knew is gone.”

  Maddie straightened in her seat. “A long time ago. I’ve found it’s better to let people know how you feel right from the start, so there’s no confusion. And I’m no longer a pushover.”

  He placed his hands on his knees. “If you’re referring to my treatment of you, join the queue. I haven’t been a good person, and there is no excuse for it. I can only apologize and tell you that I don’t want to be here. I truly have nowhere else to turn.”

  Maddie steeled herself against feeling sorry for him. He was not her concern right now. “Surely you see that being in this apartment puts Angel in even more danger than before if, as you say, you’re being framed. Yesterday, she was simply your ex-wife. Now she’s involved by harboring a suspect.”

  He nodded. “Believe me, if I could do this any other way, I would.”

  “What, exactly, is ‘this’?” she pressed.

  Brad sighed. “Telling the truth. All of it. And still be alive by the end of it.”

  Her skin tingled and not in a good way. “That sounds like it’s all about you.”

  His head hung for a moment, then he leaned forward imploringly. “You’re upset, and I get that. I’m dragging her into my problems all over again. Angel didn’t have a good life with me. Yes, she deserves better. I want to make sure that happens by ensuring that Caleb isn’t able to make good on his threats.”

  Maddie didn’t like the sound of this. “What threats?”

  “If I don’t meet him tomorrow night, he’s going to hurt Angel and anybody who stands in his way. There are only two choices that will fix this, and both of them don’t end well for me, but that can’t be helped. I thought about running, but I barely had enough cash to get here, and he’s got eyes everywhere so I can’t exactly go to an ATM. I thought about hiding until he gave up looking for me, but Maple Falls isn’t large enough for that.”

  Maddie could feel Angel vibrating with emotion beside her, but she wasn’t done yet.

  “I’ve never seen Caleb around these parts, so how does he get a network of people here? And people who could get access to ATM’s?”

  “Mostly old acquaintances, ones who like to get cheap whiskey and make money selling it on. You’d be surprised how many people need a little extra money. And there’s plenty of people who’d rather safely side with Caleb than watch my back.”

  Maddie frowned. “I’m still unclear about the nature of the crimes Caleb is supposedly setting you up for. You need to start at the beginning.”

  Just then, a knock at the door made them jump.

  Chapter Twelve

  Brad was halfway to the bedroom when the door opened slightly, and Beth poked her head around it. Maddie and Angel had raced to the door and were endeavoring to get their heart rates back to normal.

  “Your next appointment canceled,” Beth told them, giving the back of Brad’s head a wary look. “She got a flat tire and wanted to come later, but I said we were fully booked and squeezed her in tomorrow.”

  Angel sighed. “That’s a relief. I don’t think I could concentrate just now. Thanks for sorting that out.”

  Beth smiled shyly at the praise. “I’m about to give the Mayor a blow dry, then I’ll do the washing.”

  “Where would I be without you?” Angel hugged the embarrassed teenager.

  When the door closed, Angel returned to the couch—minus her smile, and Brad resumed his seat.

  “Where were we?” Maddie asked.

  Brad took hold of his knees once again. “Magnus and I were good friends, as you know.”

  Maddie nodded as she tried to remember more about the man. He’d been friendly enough, but known for the wrong company he kept. Namely the Marsters brothers.

  “When I was an alcoholic, sorry, I mean before I became a recovering alcoholic, our friendship was almost perfect for the kind of life we led. Magnus did well in science and made the best whiskey I’d ever tasted. Although, to be honest, I’m sure that the quality never mattered that much. Since I quit drinking everything’s begun to taste a good deal better.”

  The attempt at a joke was wasted on them, and he continued, twisting his hands as he spoke. Maddie guessed that it must be difficult to confess these details. Especially to Angel.

  “We have a still on the farm over near Destiny. Caleb did all the ordering and organization, and I traveled between there and Portland making deliveries. I sampled more and more of the product, and soon I couldn’t function for even an hour or two without it. One day I woke up on the side of a large hill on the way back from a delivery. My van was at the bottom of a ravine, and I was alive because I’d thrown myself out the door as it left the road. Although I can’t be certain that’s what happened, it seems it’s the only logical answer to why I’m still alive.”

  “Surely an ambulance was called?”

  “No one came because no one knew it had happened. I called Caleb, and he sent one of his cronies to tow the van. We couldn’t call the police because I would have been well over the limit and been sent to jail. The van was old, and there was no insurance to worry about. I believe it was later crushed.”

  “You’re lucky that there wasn’t a fatality or injury to someone else. They might have thrown away the key,” Angel scolded.

  He nodded. “Very lucky. I only had a few cuts and bruises, which made me think that I wasn’t meant to die just yet. It was a wake-up call and I decided to get sober. In fact, several months back, I knew I couldn’t continue to be involved in the business because I could feel my resolve slipping. I wanted to walk away and offered to give up any claim I had in the business. I didn’t know that Magnus had made the same decision and chose the same time to tell Caleb. It wasn’t pretty. Magnus did all the mixing, but also any heavy work when I wasn’t around. This kept everything nice and neat and didn’t involve too many people. Meanwhile, Caleb sat in his apartment with the samples, new customers, and counted the money.”

  “I assume you made a lot of money too, over the time you were involved?” Maddie asked.

  His eyes had a haunted look.

  “If I had a way to add it all up, I know we must have, but an alcoholic can easily spend a good deal and have nothing much to show for it.”

  Angel gasped. “Surely you didn’t drink all the profits?”

  “Not all. Caleb had some hardcore friends who liked to party. I’d say plenty of money went down their throats, and Caleb can drink with or without people around. But he made sure his cut was safeguarded with shares and property.”

  “What about yours?”
>
  Brad gave a small smile. “I do have my own house now, because of the business. It’s not much, but it’s comfortable. Since I cleaned up my act, to my brother’s disgust, it’s the only home I’ve got. Dad’s gone now, and the farmhouse is derelict, but with Caleb looking for me, I can’t go to either place, and I can’t go to the police.”

  “You know the Sheriff, Ethan Tanner. You went to school together. I know he’d listen and help you if you told him all of this.”

  Brad rubbed his hand across his face. “If I come out in the open, Caleb will do to me what he did to Magnus and Charlie.”

  Maddie let the other name rest there a moment. “Ethan would protect you from Caleb.”

  “You don’t understand. I was supposed to be with Magnus at the cabin, and I nearly was. Caleb’s friends are also looking for me. They’ll have instructions to kill me on sight because Caleb doesn’t want me alive. He killed Magnus and wanted me there to take the rap for it. If I hadn’t seen their sneaky arrival from up on the hill behind the cabin, with the other man going down to the cabin by a different route, I wouldn’t be here. My instincts kicked in and I decided to wait and see what Caleb was up to.” He hung his head. “I’m so ashamed that I didn’t stop it somehow.”

  “How can you be so sure that it was Caleb who intended to kill either or both of you? Did you actually see him kill Magnus?” Maddie asked.

  “Magnus stupidly told Caleb that we were going to Bernie’s cabin for the weekend. It was one last trip before Magnus left town and he was trying to keep things friendly by including Caleb, even though he assumed he would decline because he rarely left his cabin near the still. Caleb said he was busy, but would come for a night. When I saw him arrive with one of his heavies and they both had rifles, I guessed it wasn’t for a nice visit. He’d been particularly nasty that last month after we told him we wanted to leave.”

  “So, why didn’t he wait until you and Magnus were together?”

  “I think Caleb assumed I was inside because he signaled to the other man to go into the cabin while he went around the front to where Magnus was chopping wood. If you stand on that ridge to the left of the track they came down, you get a view of most of the cabins nearby. I snuck down the other side and by the time they parked I was hidden by that large elm across the clearing. It’s close enough that I saw everything. I see it again every time I close my eyes. Magnus wasn’t a bad guy. He didn’t deserve to die.”