Evil Éclairs

by Jessica Beck

  Penny smiled. “We might be able to spare one box. Would you like to see him?”

  “May I?”

  “It’s not strictly time yet, but there’s not a nurse in this hospital who’s going to say no to you today. Come on back.”

  I followed her through the glass doors, and past three curtained areas. At the fourth one, I found George.

  He looked terrible. Both eyes were blackened, and there were tubes going in and out of him. A bandage was prominent over one brow, and his right leg was in a cast.

  He never looked better to me.

  When he saw me, his eyes brightened. “If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy.”

  I wanted to hug him, and I got close, but Penny put a hand on my shoulder. “He’s a little sore right now.”

  “Come closer,” George said, as though he wanted to whisper something in my ear. I did as he asked, but when I bent over, he didn’t say a word, just inhaled as deeply as he could manage.

  I pulled back and asked him, “What was that about?”

  “They won’t let me have any donuts, but I can still smell them on you.”

  I’d grown so accustomed to the smell that I hardly noticed it anymore. “Sorry, I didn’t have time to shower and change.”

  “I love that scent. You should try to bottle it. You’ll have your hands full of interested men.”

  “You’re feeling better,” I said, lightly touching his hand as if to be certain he was real and I wasn’t dreaming.

  “Believe it or not, I am.” After a pause, he added, “I’m sorry, Suzanne.”

  “What do you possibly have to apologize for?”

  “I can’t remember anything,” he said, the frustration showing on his face.

  I’d forgotten about Penny, but she stepped in behind me as the monitor beat increased. “George, remember our talk? If you get upset, Suzanne has to go.”

  “I’m okay,” he said, as his heart monitor soon attested.

  “Don’t worry about anything but getting better,” I said.

  “You’re in danger,” he answered. “The last thing I remember was talking to Cam Hamilton, there were some bright lights, and then I woke up here.”

  “Cam did this to you?”

  The monitor started jumping again, and Penny said, “I’m sorry, but that’s it. Suzanne has got to go.”

  “I’ll behave myself,” George promised again.

  “Sorry, I don’t believe you,” she said with a smile.

  “I’ll come back later,” I said as Penny walked me out.

  “I told him he couldn’t get too excited,” she said. “Sorry about that.”

  “I understand. Did you tell the police about Cam?”

  “I called them just before you got here. Chief Martin seemed very interested in having a talk with the mayor.”

  “I’ll bet he is,” I said. “Take care of him, Penny.”

  “I will,” she replied. “And thanks again for the treats.”

  “Just remember to share,” I said.

  I started to walk outside, preoccupied with calling Jake, and I stepped off the curb wrong, twisting my left ankle and sending a shooting pain all the way up my leg. Great. Now I was having trouble just walking without injuring myself. I probably should have hobbled back inside and let Penny wrap it for me, but in truth I was too embarrassed to confess to my mishap. Instead, I made it to my Jeep and dialed Jake’s number. My call went straight to his voice mail, so either he was still asleep, or he was on the case with Chief Martin. I couldn’t do anything about either scenario, so I decided to go back to Donut Hearts where I could at least be productive while the case unfolded without me.

  I was driving down a lonely stretch of road when the same high-beamed headlights I’d seen on my way to the hospital came up behind me again. What had George said about bright lights? Could that be Cam behind me? Had he hit George? It should be easy enough to check the mayor’s car for possible evidence of an accident.

  I had seen it earlier, though, and it had been fine.

  Then I remembered picking up Cara Lassiter as she walked along the road. She’d claimed that her car had died, but what if it had sustained some damage from hitting George instead? Cara had been the closest person to Lester, but I’d discounted her as a suspect. Why? Because she’d been quick to give me other, more plausible reasons to suspect everyone but her. I had to give her credit for that; it had been very convincing. I couldn’t think of a solid motive for her, other than her hatred of the victim, but I was sure Jake or the chief could turn that up.

  A car’s headlights coming the other way lit Cara’s face up for a split second before it passed us. I was right, for all the good it would do me. I dialed my boyfriend’s number, and it again went straight to voice mail. “It’s Suzanne. Cara killed Lester Moorefield. I’m sure of it.”

  I threw the telephone down on the passenger seat and focused on the road in front of me. I had to get out of this deserted stretch of highway. I hit the accelerator, hoping my Jeep had the power to elude her, but just as I did, my car started to die. It was all I could do to get it off the road before it quit entirely.

  Cara stopped, as well. She’d clearly done something to my car, and now I was at her mercy, in the darkness, and in the middle of nowhere.

  I searched the front of my Jeep for a weapon, but the only two things I could find were a lightweight flashlight and an unopened can of soda. When I looked behind me, I saw Cara step out in front of her headlights, a gun gleaming in her hands!

  I had to get away, and I had to do it quickly. If I stayed where I was, I was going to die, and I knew it. My ankle was killing me, and I wasn’t sure how fast I was going to be able to run, but I couldn’t let the pain slow me down.

  I grabbed my “weapons” and tore off into the nearby woods, nearly collapsing as I put weight on my ankle.

  “Suzanne, where do you think you’re going?” Cara asked as she raced to catch me. “Come back here.”

  “I don’t think so,” I yelled, using trees to lean against as I hurried away from that voice. I couldn’t make much progress, and I wasn’t getting far enough away from her quickly enough. I thought about waiting in ambush for her, but I couldn’t be sure either one of my makeshift weapons would even slow her down. I tripped on a branch and went down just as she fired the first shot. I heard the bullet thunk into a tree nearby. Grabbing the branch, I wondered if I could use it as a weapon, or maybe even a crutch.

  I had to leave the soda or the flashlight behind if I was going to carry that stick anywhere with me. I held my breath, let it out slowly, and then sat up as I threw the can at her with everything I had.

  It missed by at least a yard.

  Worse yet, now she knew exactly where I was.

  * * *

  In no time, Cara was standing over me. I hadn’t gotten that far into the woods, and one of her cockeyed headlights still illuminated us.

  “I’m glad that bullet didn’t hit you,” she said as she pointed the gun down at me. I’d managed to sit up, keeping one hand on the branch and the other on my light. “We need to talk.”

  “What is there to say? You killed Lester, and you tried to kill George when he found out.”

  “He’s awake, then? How tough is that man? He should have been dead after I ran him down. If I’d had any idea how difficult it would be to kill him, I would have backed over him and finished him off properly. I guess I’ll have to take care of that loose end after I deal with you.”

  “Leave him alone. He doesn’t remember a thing,” I said, hoping to save George’s life, even if I couldn’t save my own.

  “Even if I believed you, I can’t take the chance that it won’t come back to him later.”

  “What did he find out that made you want to kill him?” I asked.

  “George was digging around in my office at the radio station and he found a pair of hundred-dollar bills I’d left behind by accident. I must not have been too convincing when he asked me about them, becau
se he told me we weren’t finished. I spotted him walking to his car across the street, so I ran to mine and managed to run him down before he could get away.” I saw a frown cross her face. “If George didn’t tell you about our talk, how do you know I killed Lester?”

  “There were lots of things,” I said, stalling for time. Surely someone would drive by, spot our cars, and stop to help. That was one of the things I loved about living in the South. I knew for a fact that Cara’s lights were blazing, and I’d left mine on in the Jeep. If I could stall her long enough, I might be able to survive this confrontation.

  “Name them,” she said, pointing the gun at me again.

  When I was slow to answer, she nudged my bad ankle, and I cried out in pain. Cara just laughed. “I thought I saw you limping. I’m waiting, Suzanne. You’d better answer me, or it’s going to get a lot worse for you real quick.”

  “You blamed everyone else, but you had to have had a reason to want him dead yourself.” I thought about the things that could drive someone to murder, and believed that it all came down to sex, power, or money. I couldn’t see the two of them having an affair, but the other two motives could each be true. “It was about money, and power,” I said, trying to make my voice sound as confident as I could.

  “Very good,” she said.

  I took a wild guess that suddenly made perfect sense. “Did you find the money he was hoarding from his embezzlement?”

  She smiled. “As a matter of fact, I did. Wow, you’re really good at this. He managed to keep a hundred grand without his investors or the cops getting it, but Lester didn’t count on me. He was planning to run off, and he’d got it out of his safe-deposit box. I was looking for stamps in his desk drawer, if you can believe that, and found the money by accident. He caught me, and threatened to fire me if I said a word. I told him he couldn’t, that I knew too much, and that he’d just given me a raise without knowing it.”

  “And he just stood there and took it?”

  Cara’s grin broadened, and she looked wicked in the diffused light. “He had no choice. I was the one with the power then. But I didn’t trust him. It was clear Lester was scheming to figure out how to get rid of me, so I took care of him first.” I glanced down, and saw that Cara was standing on the other end of the branch that had tripped me. Could I use that fact to my advantage? I had to keep her talking.

  “How did you manage to strangle him?”

  She laughed softly. “The fool was taping his farewell to April Springs when I came up behind him. I’d slipped some tranquilizers into his coffee earlier, and he kept nodding off. He was vulnerable sitting in that chair of his, and it was surprisingly easy to take care of him.” She paused, as if remembering the crime, and then added, “I pushed him out the door in his chair and dumped the body where the police found it. Luck was with me that night. Not a soul was out. The station manager had brought a selection of your pastries that morning, so it was the perfect frame.”

  Was that a car on the road? We weren’t close enough to know for sure, but I had to keep her talking. “So that’s why you shoved an éclair down his throat.”

  “I thought it might be tough for you to explain after the fight you two had had. When you managed to convince the chief that you hadn’t done it, it was time to start giving him more people to think about.”

  “You did something to my Jeep, didn’t you?”

  “With the Internet, it’s amazing what you can pick up about disabling vehicles.”

  Another thought struck me. “What about your kids?” Cara had once confided in me that her children were the reason she kept working for Lester.

  “After we’re finished here, I’m going to get them back from my ex-husband for good and we’re starting over. Don’t you see? I’m doing this all for them.”

  “Is anybody there?” a man’s voice called out suddenly, closer than I could have imagined.

  Cara swung her gun around toward him, and I knew that it was my only chance to act. I threw the flashlight at her as I yelled at the man to run, and then I grabbed the branch on the ground that she was still standing on. As I yanked it upward, it pulled Cara off her feet and sent her down to the ground, the gun flying out of her hand.

  We both dove in the direction where it had fallen when a harsh beam of light penetrated the woods, and a man called out in a sharp voice, “Both of you, stop right there.”

  I’d never been so happy to hear Chief Martin’s voice in my life.

  HOMEMADE PASTA

  When I first considered making my own pasta, I was a little intimidated, but in all honesty, it couldn’t be easier. One warning, though; don’t try making it on days that are overly humid. It honestly throws off the process. Some folks like to dry their homemade pasta, but I start a pot of water boiling as I’m cutting the pasta. No need for sauce, in my opinion. Some butter, freshly grated parmesan, and if you’re in the mood, a little oregano, and you’ve got a meal.

  INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups regular flour

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 tablespoon + cold water

  DIRECTIONS

  Sift the flour and salt together, and then place it in a bowl to make it easier to contain. Make a hollow in the flour (like a volcano) and add the eggs directly. Using a fork, beat the eggs into the flour, continuing to stir until it’s all incorporated. Add a tablespoon of cold water, then mix it again. Don’t overwork it; stop once the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. Flour a rolling pin, and roll the dough to ¼ to ½ inch thick. I have a pasta machine that lets me thin the dough by rolling it through two rollers, but you can do it by hand, as well. Again, with a cutter or knife, separate the pasta into noodles, adding a little flour as needed.

  Add the noodles to boiling water (slightly salted), and cook for three minutes, testing each thirty seconds afterward.

  Makes enough for three to four people.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Did she shoot you?” Chief Martin asked me as I struggled to stand. He’d cuffed her and retrieved her gun, and for once, Cara wasn’t saying a word.

  “No, I tripped,” I said. I didn’t clear up the fact that it had happened in the hospital parking lot instead of while getting away from a murderer. At least it sounded a little braver and a lot less clumsy.

  “Here, let me help you,” Jake said as he joined us.

  “Have you got her?” the chief asked him as Jake took over.

  “As much as anybody could,” he said.

  Chief Martin walked Cara back to his squad car, and Jake wrapped me in his arms, kissing me soundly. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  “I’m too tough for that,” I said as I fought the very real urge to collapse.

  “Sure you are,” he said as he put an arm around me. “How did she lure you out here in the first place?”

  “She did something to my Jeep. It died on me as I was driving back to the shop from the hospital,” I said. “I think she ruined it.”

  Jake said, “Don’t sweat that. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  “Besides a little limp, I’m fine,” I said.

  As he helped me into his car, he asked, “When did you know it was Cara?”

  “Three minutes before my Jeep died. I tried calling you,” I said in my defense. “Your phone went straight to voice mail.”

  “I was helping the chief stake out Cam Hamilton’s place,” he admitted sheepishly. “We thought he was getting ready to run. Sorry about that.”

  “How could you have known?” I asked.

  “I had a gut feeling that something was wrong, so I came looking for you at the hospital.” He did a U-turn.

  I asked, “Where are we going?”

  “To the emergency room. You need to get that ankle looked at.”

  I decided I had to tell him the truth. “It didn’t happen in the chase. I stepped off the curb when I left the hospital.”

  He laughed at my confession.

  �
�It’s not that funny,” I said.

  “I’m just happy it wasn’t worse,” he answered. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be making donuts again in no time.”

  I glanced at my watch. It was nearly six, and I’d promised Emma that I would be back before we opened.

  “I need your phone,” I said.

  “You don’t need to call your mother. I took care of that as soon as I heard from the chief. She’s meeting you at the hospital.”

  “I have to call Emma,” I said.

  “Hey, I’m sorry I’m late,” I said when she answered the phone. I brought her up to date, and then remembered my promise to her dad. “Tell your father to meet me at the shop in half an hour, and I’ll give him the full story. While you’re doing that, ask your mom to come in and help. I’m afraid I won’t be much good to you today.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Cara Lassiter is the killer, but I don’t want to go into it right now. I’m going to have to tell this story enough times as it is, and you can listen while I bring your dad up to speed. Are we good?”

  “As gold,” she said.

  Jake was still smiling at me as we drove up to the emergency room.

  “Get that goofy grin off your face,” I said. “I’m okay.”

  “I’m just amazed that with all that just happened, your first priority is Donut Hearts. Suzanne, are you ever going to take a day off?”

  “I don’t know. Try to convince me.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he said as he pulled up to the curb.

  An attendant met us with a wheelchair, and I was surprised when Momma wasn’t close on his heels.

  The surprise ended abruptly when I saw her talking with Chief Martin.

  “What’s all that about?” I asked Jake.

  “I don’t even want to guess,” he said.

  While I watched, Momma hugged the chief, something I never thought I would see in my lifetime. She looked at me guiltily and hurried over to where I was.

  “Did you just hug him?” I asked.

  “He saved your life.”

  “And that was his reward?” I asked with a grin.