Bake Off

by S. Y. Robins

  Callum jogged the short distance to Milly’s door and walked in. “What’s the problem, duck?”

  “Nothing. Everything? Oh, I don’t know! I’m just feeling out of sorts and need some company while I shut the shop. Would you mind staying with me while I clean up?” Milly knew she sounded like a ninny but couldn’t help it; the encounter with the Carpenters had really shaken her up.

  “Of course I’ll stay with you, Milly! Silly girl, you can always ask me to stick around with you.” He chucked her under the chin and went behind the counter to make himself a cup of tea after gathering up a few last dishes from a table.

  Milly smiled gratefully and went back to doing the paperwork she’d been doing when the Carpenter’s came in. It was comforting having Callum there, not simply because he was a man but because he was also her friend. Just his presence let her know she was not alone and she was able to concentrate far better than she thought she’d be able to. She quickly finished the paperwork, put it in her own safe, and walked to the back to finish up the dishes. She found that Callum had already done them and had set the mugs up to dry.

  Seeing what he’d done Milly was almost overcome with tears, the kindness not escaping her. They may never be anything more than friends but that was good enough for Milly. Unable to control herself, Milly hugged Callum, throwing her arms around him gratefully. He held her tightly to him, seeming to enjoy the contact. Then he kissed the top of her head and set her away from him.

  “Do you want me to stick around tonight? I can sleep on one of the booths or something if you’d like?” He asked.

  “Oh! No, no I should be fine now. Just a case of nerves. And Thomas is just next door if I need him. I should be fine but thank you, Callum. Really.” She said, almost embarrassed at her emotional outburst and trying now to hide it.

  “Anytime, Milly. You’re a wonderful person, Milly, and any time you need me, you let me know. I mean it!” He said with a smile as he walked out the door. He stood there until she’d locked the door and walked up the stairs then walked away leaving Milly feeling like she hadn’t made such a fool of herself, after all.

  * * *

  Late in the night, after Milly had fallen asleep reliving that hug over and over again in her mind, something woke her. She knew it was the sound of breaking glass but she didn’t hear anything now and she tried to quiet the dogs who were bouncing on her bladder. Rather than rushing down the stairs she called the police then put some shoes on and left the dogs and Edgar bouncing at the door. The dogs hadn’t reacted to the sound of the glass breaking by barking and she was happy about that. That might have alerted the intruder. Picking up a cricket bat she left at her bedside, she crept down the stairs quietly.

  Looking out into the shop she didn’t see anything except broken glass from her front window. That was going to be a costly repair she thought as she shivered from the frigid air coming in from the hole. It would have to be done though. Sneaking into the kitchen, Milly still didn’t spot an intruder and turned to flick a light on. Just as she turned, she felt a blow against the back of her head and everything went black, not even the street light penetrating the darkness of her unconsciousness.

  She awoke in the boot of a car, the car stopping and going up what she assumed was a carpark. It was a short drive, then the car stopped again and she could hear what sounded like a garage door closing. She tried to move, to kick back into the seats, hoping she could escape her kidnappers. At least they hadn’t tied her up, she thought. Milly knew there were two because she’d heard two doors opening and closing from the front of the car. The boot opened too quickly and she stared up, her mouth gaping open as she looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter.

  “Come on, get out, Milly. You’ve brought this on yourself, I hope you realize that.” Mrs. Carpenter said sourly to Milly.

  “I have no idea what you’re on about, Mrs. Carpenter. What have I done to you?” Milly asked, hoping to buy some time for someone to come and save her. She scrabbled around the boot of the car, hoping for a tool to surprise them with.

  “Andrea, this really isn’t necessary, please stop this. Isn’t it enough that Davina’s in the back of your car? We can’t drive around town with dead women in both of our trunks!” Mr. Carpenter pleaded with his wife.

  Mrs. Carpenter turned to her husband, like a snake turning on a victim, pointing what looked like a nail gun at him. “You just keep your gob shut Peter. This is your fault, if you’d managed to keep some kind of control over your floozy this wouldn’t have happened. But no, she wanted me to know, wanted me to let you go. Well, that wasn’t about to happen was it? We need each other; I need a happy home and a happy husband to care for my children. If other people have to pay the price for that then so be it. Now, tie her up.”

  “Andrea, please, I’m begging you, don’t do this!” He asked one last time. Apparently that was one time too many because Mrs. Carpenter pulled the trigger and a nail appeared just above Mr. Carpenter’s knee. He screamed and fell to the floor as Milly watched, shocked and frozen in place.

  “You, over there, in that chair.” Mrs. Carpenter said to Milly, pointing at the chair with the nail gun.

  Milly moved over to it slowly, knowing from Mrs. Carpenter’s slight size that she could probably take her down if she had the opportunity. Milly tripped over Mr. Carpenter writhing on the floor, and stumbled over to Mrs. Carpenter, the unexpected move knocking the nail gun free as Milly landed on top of the tiny woman. Milly wasn’t all that big herself but Mrs. Carpenter was barely five feet tall and weighed less than a bag of air, or so it seemed to Milly. She quickly pinned the woman down, the self-defence training she’d taken a decade ago suddenly coming back to her automatically and soon she had the woman pinned down on the ground beneath her.

  Milly looked around her and saw the string Mrs. Carpenter had been planning to tie her up with and used that to tie the woman’s hands. Then she moved the nail gun out of the way, dragged Mrs. Carpenter over to the car and tied her to a hole she’d seen in the boot earlier. She wasn’t going to go far. Looking around once more Milly saw a mobile on the floor and picked it up, dialling emergency services for the second time that year.

  “I’ve been kidnapped, I need help. Come quickly please, I have the woman tied up and she’s shot her philandering husband in the knee with a nail gun.” She left the line open after giving the address, following the instructions she was given but she kept her eyes glued to the pair in front of her. She knew from his responses that Mr. Carpenter likely hadn’t had a lot to do with this but she wanted to make sure they both got whatever justice they deserved.

  The police and an ambulance quickly arrived, with the police ushering Mrs. Carpenter off and a paramedic rolling Mr. Carpenter out on a stretcher. Somehow Callum and Thomas found out what was happening and they showed up to comfort Milly.

  “So Mrs. Carpenter was the killer all along.” Callum stated. “I should have known by the tiny footprints when I cleaned the shop up.”

  “That’s what I’d forgotten!” Milly exclaimed. “Something’s been bugging me for ages now; I just couldn’t remember what it was. I should have known when she kidnapped me tonight; I kept thinking how tiny she was.”

  “If only I’d passed that picture along to the police, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” Thomas said miserably.

  “It’s not your fault, Thomas. I waffled on it. I’d planned on handing it over this evening but Detective Barnes didn’t show up. It’s my own fault; I acted so weird when the Carpenters came in earlier tonight.” Milly replied, trying to reassure the younger man.

  “Neither of you are at fault, in my opinion,” Callum interrupted their pity-fest. “The ones at fault were Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter. And though it may be harsh, even Davina. She chose to have an affair with the man after all.”

  “Surely you aren’t saying her death was justified!” Milly cried, outraged.

  “No, not that at all. But she did have an affair with a married man. She is not to blame for her
death, apparently Mrs. Carpenter is to blame for that, but she did have an affair. She’s not totally innocent in this.”

  Milly squinted at Callum, still not sure she agreed with him but letting it go for now. She just wanted to go home, stop answering questions, and play with her dogs and cat. Because Davina had finally been found and no she wasn’t coming home. The authorities were waiting until Milly and Thomas left to remove Davina from Mrs. Carpenter’s trunk, but Milly still knew, at last, where she was. The dogs needed a new home and Milly was the best candidate.

  “Let’s get you home, Milly, you look like you’re about to fall down.” Callum urged, signalling to Thomas that they were heading back to Milly’s place. The young man stared at Mrs. Carpenter’s car once more and then joined them. Milly had no idea what he felt or how this was going to impact him but she’d be there for him. She took his arm as they walked back to her place, letting him know she’d give him strength if he needed it. Smiling up at him, she told him she’d be there if he needed her.

  He patted her arm and said “Thank you, Milly. I believe I’m going to need all the support I can get to deal with this. I still have to call my mother later.”

  Callum reached over as they approached Milly’s shop, taking Thomas’s other hand and shook it. “Would you like me to come in with you while you make the call?”

  “No, I think it may be best done on my own. But I wouldn’t mind a drink up at the pub later, if you wouldn’t mind going with me. The locals still haven’t sussed me out and they stare when I walk in. I’m sure news of this will be spreading and I may be mobbed.”

  But he wasn’t, people were respectful and offered him drinks but nobody asked a single rude question. Milly knew because for once she went up for a drink as well. She, perhaps, more than anyone drew the attention of the crowd in the pub. None of them had ever seen Milly take a drink before and there she was drinking rum and coke. This, more than anything, told the villagers that their Milly was shaken to the core and they left her in peace as well.

  Over the next few days the villagers showed their support for both Thomas and Milly in little ways, bringing food by, coming in to help out, and by patronizing their businesses. This was the community Milly knew and loved and even though there might be quite a bit of gossip and very little out of the ordinary ever happened, she wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else.

  Milly smiled a few days later, looking over her full shop and started to listen to conversations as all of the tables were full and orders had been filled. Mrs. Andrews was missing some of the towels she’d received as a wedding present. She was certain her husband was using them in his machine shop. Mr and Mrs. Stevens were missing some tableware and spices and had no idea what had happened to them. Mrs. Edwards was missing a toilet brush, of all things, and had no idea what had happened to the thing.

  Callum had walked in while Milly was listening and looked at her sternly as he sat behind the counter with her, his new place when he came to the shop. Clearing his throat he looked around then looked back at Milly.

  “Just leave it, Milly. It’s police business if anything. You don’t need to get involved. Just leave it. Your business is tea, cakes, and the delightful way you dance in your kitchen in the mornings as you decorate.” Callum said smugly.

  Milly’s eyes widened, her mouth forming an O. “How do you know about my dancing then?” She asked when her throat would work again.

  “I may have seen you through the windows a few times, belting out a tune or two. I find it delightful. You take such joy in it and I love watching you.”

  Glaring over at him, Milly decided that perhaps it was best to shut the blinds when she went on a dancing spree in the morning. Smoothing the lines out of her face, however, she smiled and spoke to Callum. “Hey, if that’s what makes you smile, watch away.” She was interrupted by Edgar pouncing up into her lap. The cat purred, slouching over to Callum as she scratched Edgar’s ears. The cat purred louder, rubbing and nudging at Callum’s hand until his hand was over Milly’s. She looked over at Callum, gasping but he spoke before she could.

  “Seems Edgar’s trying to tell us something, Milly.” Milly just smiled back at him, then got up to refill a customer’s tea pot. That wasn’t a place she necessarily wanted to go to at the moment. It might lead to heartache and she’d had enough to deal with over the last few weeks. For now, though, she’d hold the feeling of his warm hand encompassing hers, close. Smiling back at him, Milly looked out over her customers and hoped the tragedies were over and that life could go back to some semblance of normalcy now.

  The End

  Murder by Cheesecake

  Cozy Mystery

  About the Book

  At just twenty-nine years old, Allison seemed to have it all, as a successful investigative reporter. However, a mysterious event leaves her broke - and broken - and she is forced to leave the city and return to the town where she grew up - the seaside village of Curtain Bay. It's been twelve years since she was last there, and nothing has changed - least of all the annual Cheesecake Competition. The town's residents take it as seriously as ever, and this year Allison is the star judge.

  When Allison crowns an unpopular winner, Cassandra, who then turns up dead the next day, anyone could be to blame. Did one of the runners up kill Cassandra so that they could take her crown? Could Allison be partly to blame? She decides to investigate, as she still has the reporter spirit inside her. Her search for the guilty party brings her closer to her old high school boyfriend Robert, who seems to be hiding something, and Allison is forced to face up to more than one secret from her past.

  1

  "Home, sweet home," I thought, as the train dragged its way into the old familiar sight of Curtain Bay train station. "Yeah right," I added. Home? Sure. Once upon a time. Sweet? Well, only if you counted the annual Curtain Bay Cheesecake Competition that the town went crazy for every July. But 'home sweet home'? More like a last resort. More like my only option.

  I sighed as I pulled my luggage off the train and thanked the ticket collector. At least my parents would be pleased to see me. My old friends, maybe not so much. That's if they even recognise me that is. Twelve years is a long time to be away from your old town. That said; people in Curtain Bay don't forget anything.

  "Allison!" I heard a bright cheery voice and turned around in surprise. I hadn't been expecting a welcoming committee. I brought my sunglasses up from my nose and squinted. Mom. Of course. I should have known she wouldn't let me walk all the way back to our old cottage down on the harbour.

  I changed my face with a bright smile to mirror hers and walked over to embrace her. "Hey Mum," I said, as she patted my back.

  She pulled back and looked up, taking my hands to her face. "So, our little journalist returns! At long last." She pulled a face to pretend she was having trouble remembering something. "How long's it been since you were here?"

  "You know it's been twelve years Mom." I pulled my suitcase behind me. "So, where'd you park the car?"

  "Car?" She asked.

  I stopped. "You did bring the car, right? We're not going to have to walk all the way back to the house."

  "I brought transportation all right. But it's not exactly a car."

  As we got outside the station, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw what she meant. "That's a - that's a bus," I said, my jaw dropping. "Mom, why do you have a bus?"

  She shrugged. "Times are tough, Allison. You know, we lost the business, so this is my new little earner."

  "You're a bus driver?"

  "Look, I know it's not exactly the glamorous life you're used to now in the city…"

  "It's fine Mom." I reached a hand out and patted her on the arm." I didn't want to talk about my so-called glamorous life in the city. For one thing, Mom didn't know the real reason I'd come back here, to escape from it all. As far as she knew, I was in town to write a story on the upcoming festival. Not that anything interesting EVER took place at Curtain Bay festival.

  We climbed
up into the bus. "Where am I supposed to sit?" I asked.

  "Wherever you like, love."

  I took the seat directly behind her. The drive home was bumpy, and I kept a tight grip as we rounded the corners that led to our little harbour cottage.

  Mom nodded out at a signpost as we rounded the last corner. "There's a sign up for the festival there! You'll be attending of course, won't you love?"

  "I'll have to," I sighed. "For work." Not that I had anything such as a job, or work anymore. But that was my guise for being back in town, so I'd have to feign at least some kind of interest in the festival. Just as long as no one - and I mean no one - dragged me into the Cheesecake Competition. I could take so much of Curtain Bay life, but the Cheesecake Competition was a bridge too far.

  The brakes slammed on and I almost went flying through the front window. "You know, buses should really have seat belts in this day and age," I stated as I climbed down the stairs.

  There it was. The tiny little two-bedroom cottage I'd grown up in. Strange that even after all these years, it felt like I'd never been away. I almost had the dreaded feeling that I'd have to attend high school the next day. That was silly of course - my last day of high school had been my last day at Curtain Bay.

  The last time I'd seen Robert.

  A sudden pang in my stomach almost made me double over. Geez - I hadn't thought about that name in years. Shaking my head, I tried to get the memory out of my head.

  "Here dear," Mom said, taking the case out of my hands. "I'll get you set up in your old bedroom!" She walked merrily up the driveway, before turning back with a cheeky wink. "After all - you're going to need PLENTY of sleep tonight!"

  "Why's that then?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

  "I've told everyone that I've organised a special guest judge for the Cheesecake Competition tomorrow! My daughter - the big celebrity!"