Sinister Sprinkles

by Jessica Beck

  “Why should you?”

  “What?” she asked, obviously startled by the question.

  I looked hard at her. “You said it yourself, you’re not a big Max supporter. So why do you believe him?”

  She took my hands in hers. “Because you do, my dear. I trust your instincts.”

  I was so flabbergasted, I didn’t know what to say. At least I was saved from an awkward response when the house phone rang.

  “I’ll get that,” I said.

  Momma beat me to it. “Nonsense. I’ve been expecting a call all afternoon.”

  She spoke to the caller, then handed the phone to me. “It’s for you.”

  “Is it Grace?” I was dying to hear from her, and I’d have to charge my telephone as soon as I could so she wouldn’t have to call the landline.

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

  I took the phone and said, “Hello?”

  “Suzanne, this is Cara, from the radio station. I tried calling your cell phone, but it put me straight through to voice mail. Is it on?”

  “The battery’s dead.”

  “That makes sense. I looked up your home number, because this couldn’t wait. I’ve got something I need to tell you.”

  “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

  She hesitated, and I could see that Momma was watching me curiously. I shrugged, and she shook her head as she walked into the kitchen, giving me some privacy for my conversation.

  “I’m not sure if I should do it over the phone,” she said.

  “Nobody’s bugging my place,” I said. “So, unless your phone’s tapped, we should be fine. You’re not calling from the radio station, are you?”

  “No, I’m on my cell phone in my car. Listen, I know I’m being paranoid, but Lester’s been acting strange ever since you left, and I’m getting a little worried.”

  “Then perhaps you’d better tell me right now,” I said. I didn’t want anything to happen to Cara—I’d liked her from the start—but if she knew something, I wanted to hear it before anything could.

  “You’re right. Here goes. I lied to you.”

  “You wouldn’t be the first person to do that, even today,” I said. “What was it about in particular?”

  “I told the police that Lester was broadcasting from the Winter Carnival, but that’s only partially true. He started his broadcast from there, but something happened to the live feed, and we had to go to the Best of Lest, his reruns we keep cued up just in case.”

  “When did he go off the air?” I asked. “And where was the booth?”

  “We set it up across the street from the newspaper. You know how he likes to goad Ray Blake.”

  That would have put him within two hundred yards of the crime scene, which meant he had the opportunity to slip away and commit the murder.

  “When did the broadcast break down?” This was a crucial bit of information. The timing was everything.

  “I’ve got it right here,” she said. I could hear her flipping through pages, then she came back on the line and said, “I checked with a friend at the police department, so I was able to match his absence up with the time of the murder. The feed stopped nine minutes before the murder, and picked back up six minutes after the body was discovered.”

  “So he could have easily done it,” I said, more to myself than to Cara.

  She said, “That’s not all.”

  “There’s more?”

  Cara said, “I sent one of my techs out to check the equipment, and there was nothing wrong with any of it. The only way we could lose the feed like that is if Lester did it deliberately himself.”

  CHAPTER 13

  “Who was that?” Momma asked the second Cara and I hung up.

  “It was just a friend of mine,” I said, not wanting to get into it all with my mother.

  “I know all your friends, and that voice didn’t sound familiar,” she said. “Does she have a name?”

  “She sure does,” I said, trying my best to ignore the direct question. “I’m starving. Is there anything to eat?”

  My mother frowned at me. “That’s why I first started calling you this afternoon. I wanted to tell you that I was having dinner with Betty Mathis tonight, and that you’d be on your own. I suppose I can cancel, if you’d like me to.”

  “Don’t be silly, Momma. Go eat with Betty. I know how much fun you two have when you’re together.”

  “But what are you going to do for dinner?”

  I laughed. “Momma, I’ve cooked for myself before. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

  She patted my shoulder lightly. “I wish I could believe it.”

  “You can,” I said, trying my best to reassure her that I was all right, though we both probably knew otherwise. I couldn’t stop thinking about Max, and what he’d said, and not just about the case, but about our relationship. It was clear Momma could sense that I was troubled, but I prayed she’d drop it.

  I could tell she wanted to say something, but at that moment, we both heard a car horn out front. “That has to be Betty.”

  She started for the door, then turned back to me. “You’re welcome to join us, you know.”

  I would have rather taken a beating from two ugly men than go with them, but it would have been impolite to say so. “Thanks anyway, but it’s been a long day. I’m going to grab a quick bite, then go to sleep. I’ve been missing out on it lately.”

  Momma paused at the door and said, “It’s been fun having Grace here with us though, hasn’t it?”

  I nodded as the car horn sounded again.

  Momma said, “She’s rather impatient tonight, isn’t she? I’m going to have to teach Betty a lesson one day about blowing her horn.”

  “I just bet you will,” I said. “Good night, Momma. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She kissed my cheek softly. “Good night, Suzanne. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  * * *

  After a quick sandwich and a glass of milk, I headed off to bed. It was barely seven, but I was exhausted, and I knew I needed my sleep if I was going to cope with things tomorrow.

  I don’t know how long I’d slept when my cell phone rang. It startled me, since I’d docked it in its charger before I’d eaten and then promptly forgotten all about it. I almost always turn the ringer off when I go to bed, since my schedule is not like anyone else’s I knew except Emma.

  “Hello,” I said, barely able to keep the yawn out of my voice as I spoke. I looked blearily at the clock and saw that it was nearly one AM.

  “Suzanne, I woke you up.”

  It was Grace, and I was suddenly wide awake.

  “That’s okay, I have to get up in a few minutes anyway. I’ve been hoping you’d call.”

  “I said I would, didn’t I?” She sounded happy, something I doubted she’d be able to do if her boss had just fired her.

  “Don’t keep me in suspense. What happened today?”

  “It turns out I was all wrong. It looks like I’ve got a good shot at a promotion,” she said, almost squealing into the phone. “They’ve had their eyes on me for a while, so when a supervisor’s position came open, my name was mentioned. I had a dinner interview this evening, and my final interview’s tomorrow morning.”

  “They don’t waste any time, do they? Congratulations.”

  “I haven’t got the job yet,” she said, and I could hear a hitch in her voice. “There’s something else, though.”

  “Isn’t there always?” Suddenly, something struck me. “You’re not moving to Charlotte, are you?” Charlotte was almost two hours away from April Springs, and if Grace moved there, she might as well be moving across the country.

  “No, it’s not in Charlotte.”

  “That’s a relief,” I said. “I’d hate it if you were so far away.”

  “The position that’s open is in San Francisco,” she said, and I felt my hands go numb. “That’s where I am right now.”

  “You�
��re all the way across the country?”

  “The woman who’ll be my new boss is going on vacation in two days, and they want to fill the position before she’s gone.”

  When I didn’t say anything in response, Grace said, “Suzanne, are you still there?”

  “I’m here,” I said. “It sounds wonderful. I’m really happy for you.”

  Grace said almost apologetically, “I’m not sure I’m going to get the final offer, and even if I do, I might not take it.”

  “Nonsense,” I said, trying to pump my voice up with false bravado. “They’ll offer you the job, and you can’t turn it down, can you? You’ve been complaining for years about not moving up. This is your chance.”

  “I know it is, and don’t think I’m not tempted,” she said. “I’m just not sure I can leave April Springs.”

  “You have to at least try, don’t you think? You’ll never be able to forgive yourself if you turn this down. Grace, you have to take it if they offer you the job.” It broke my heart to give her that particular advice, but she was my friend, and I wanted what was best for her, not for me.

  There was a pause, and then she said in a meek voice, “Funny, I was kind of hoping you’d talk me out of it.”

  “I’d love to, believe me, but I can’t. This is what you’ve been waiting for. I’ll miss you more than anything in the world, but you shouldn’t let that stop you. Besides, planes fly all the time, don’t they? And we can talk on the phone every day.”

  “You really think I should do this?” she asked.

  “I do, if it’s what you really want. The only thing in the world I want is what’s best for you.”

  There was a long pause, then Grace said, “But how do I know what that is?”

  “Trust me, you’ll know. Now get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow, and you need to be at your best.”

  “Yes, you’re right. Good night, Suzanne. And thanks for understanding.”

  “What are friends for? Call me tomorrow, no matter what time it is.”

  She laughed. “As if our chatting schedule wasn’t mixed up enough as it is, I’m throwing time zones into the mix.” Grace paused, then said, “Oh no. It’s one in the morning there, isn’t it?”

  “Almost time to wake up,” I said, trying to sound as cheerful as I could.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t even think of that. Do you forgive me?”

  “You’re a lot of trouble, but you’re worth it.”

  “So are you,” she said, then hung up.

  I had such little time before my alarm clock was due to go off that there was no reason to try to go back to sleep, even if I could; Grace’s news had jolted me awake. Everything I’d told her had been true. She deserved a chance to spread her wings, and I was behind her all the way. My friend was about to start a new chapter in her life, one without me in it. The selfish part of me wanted her to blow that interview, but fortunately, it was a tiny part.

  She was moving on, and I realized that, in a very real way, so was I. Earlier that day, Max had been genuinely shocked when I told him we were through, and I wasn’t really certain until that moment that it was true myself, but as I lay there in bed, I realized that it was as honest as I’d ever been with him. I wasn’t sure what my own future held, but wherever it led me, I knew it wouldn’t be with Max.

  I knew where I’d thought I’d wanted it to go, but that wasn’t an option anymore. I could see myself falling in love with Jake Bishop, but unfortunately, it appeared that there wasn’t enough room in his heart for me and his late wife. It stung when I realized that he didn’t want me.

  I wasn’t about to let that keep me from living, though. If I grew old and died running a donut shop and living at home with my mother, it would be my choice, and not someone else’s.

  And honestly, what more could I ask of life?

  * * *

  At three the next morning, Emma said, “Let’s turn on the radio. I want to hear the weather forecast.”

  “I can save you the trouble,” I said as I mixed the dough for the yeast donuts in the big floor-stand mixer. “Cold today, cold tonight, and cold tomorrow.”

  “I heard we might be getting more snow,” she said.

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so. It’s three days from Christmas, and I’m guessing we’ve already had our big snowstorm for the season. It will probably be February before we even see another flurry.” That seemed to be the pattern for our part of North Carolina. We either had one big snow in December, or a spattering of smaller snowfalls spread out after Valentine’s Day. The exception was one year when I’d been growing up, where it had snowed every Tuesday for a month, and we missed school for that long, too. The downside to all that white was that we had to go to school on Saturdays until we made up the days we’d missed, which was pure misery.

  “I’m still going to check. Hang on a second,” Emma said as she walked out of the kitchen to the front.

  I didn’t need her for that stage of the donut making, but I did like the company.

  She came back thirty seconds later. “You should see this.”

  “What is it?” I said as I measured out the flour. I’d made a mistake once at this stage and had been forced to start over, so I was always particularly careful so it didn’t happen again. I prided myself on rarely making the same mistake twice, but I’d still found new, creative ways to mess up over the last few years.

  “I’m not saying a word, so take your time,” she said. “You have to see this for yourself.”

  I finished adding the flour, turned the mixer on and set the timer, tucked the portable alarm into my apron pocket, then said, “What’s so important?”

  “Follow me.”

  As I walked out into the front section of the shop, I could see heavy snow coming down outside, visible in the light from our place where it underwent a mysterious transformation from gray to bright white as the light hit it.

  Emma grinned at me. “Now, what were you saying about the weather forecast?”

  I laughed. “I said I thought it was going to snow a bunch, and soon, too.”

  “It looks like you were right, then,” she said.

  “Don’t get too excited,” I said. “It will probably all be over by the time we open in a few hours.”

  “And you’re so good at predicting the weather, I should believe you, right?”

  “I don’t see why not,” I said with a smile. “You could at least pretend to think I’m right.”

  “What fun would that be? We’re still taking our break outside, aren’t we? It’s really beautiful.”

  I looked through the window at the swirling mass of white. “You can go outside if you’d like to, but the way the wind’s blowing and the snow’s coming down, I think I’ll have my coffee on the couch and watch where it’s warm.”

  She shook her head. “You can stay inside if you’d like, but I’m going out.”

  “Have fun,” I said, as the timer in my pocket went off. “But we have work to do before you get your break.”

  “Spoilsport,” she said with a smile.

  “That’s me, one big killjoy,” I said.

  After the yeast dough was finished mixing, I turned the machine off, pulled out the dough hook, and covered the big bowl with a towel, and it was the official beginning of our early-morning break.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come outside with me?” Emma asked as she started to bundle up in her heavy coat and mittens.

  “I’m positive. You have fun, though.”

  She unlocked the door and walked outside, while I poured myself a nice mug of coffee and settled in on our best sofa where I could watch the snow falling in steady waves of white. The town had added a streetlight across the way a month ago—part of the mayor’s new downtown revitalization plan—and I’d had mixed emotions about it. It did make me feel safer having nearby illumination, particularly given my odd nocturnal hours, but it also killed one of the things I liked about working so early in the donut shop every mor
ning. Before, it had felt like we were up before the rest of the world, toiling to make other people’s days a little better. The light killed part of that feeling, but I had to admit that as I watched the snow swirling down into the cone of light under the lamp and jumping to life, it was a pretty spectacular sight.

  Emma came in three minutes later, covered in snow.

  “That didn’t last very long, did it?” I said, then sipped more coffee.

  “It’s coming down hard,” she said as she shook her jacket off before hanging it up.

  I stood and got some newspapers we’d been saving, just in case we got more snow. “Put your boots on these,” I said as I handed the stack to her.

  “Wow, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it snow this hard. Do you think anybody will be able to get to us this morning?”

  “It shouldn’t be a problem today,” I said. “The snow’s not that hard to drive on. It’s ice that will kill us.”

  “Then let’s hope it keeps snowing,” Emma said.

  I watched it cover the parking area in front of the shop. “I don’t know if I’m going to wish for that, either.”

  Emma grabbed a mug of coffee, and took a seat beside me. After taking a healthy swallow, she said, “This is so good.”

  “It’s nice,” I agreed.

  She looked at me carefully, then asked, “Suzanne, is there something on your mind? You seem kind of distant today.”

  I hadn’t said a word about Grace or Max, but it was foolish thinking Emma wouldn’t notice. We worked too closely together for there to be many secrets.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind this morning.”

  “If you want to talk about it, I’m a good listener.”

  I stood, then patted her shoulder. “I know you are. I just have to digest it all before I’m ready to talk about it. Thanks for offering, though.”

  “I’m here if you need me,” she said.

  That’s when the timer went off, ending our break.

  “Time to make the donuts,” I said, grinning at her, emulating the old donut commercial I’d loved as a kid.