Baked to Death (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 2)

by Catherine Bruns

  "Who is this guy? Do you think he killed Colin?" Krista asked.

  "His name is Ramon Ravole. The Florida police should have been notified about him by now." I'd have to call Brian and check, but boy, how I was dreading that call. "And yes, I suppose it's possible, but for some reason, I don't believe Ramon killed Colin. Maybe it was someone at the bar that night. Or someone who knew Colin would be at the bar."

  Silence greeted me from the other end of the line. "I know what you're thinking, Sally. You overheard the conversation at the funeral parlor that night."

  "Krista," I began.

  She started weeping. "Kyle owns a gun. And he visited Colin at his hotel room that night. Luke said he saw him there."

  The double revelation stopped me cold. Kyle had immediately risen to the top of my suspect list. Good grief, was I the only person around here who didn't own a gun? "Is there any way you can get ahold of it?"

  "What do you want me to do?" Krista shrieked. "Break into my own brother's house? Hand the gun over to the police so that they can check it against the one that was used that night?"

  That was exactly what I was thinking, but I wisely kept the comment to myself. "I'm sorry, but Mike didn't do this. And he isn't going to prison for someone else's crime." I bit into my lower lip, hating myself for what I was about to say. "If you won't help me, Krista, I'll go ahead and give the police this information tomorrow."

  She disconnected before I could say another word.

  I unlocked the back door to my shop and walked into the kitchen. Josie's voice floated in from the storefront where she was animatedly chatting with someone. The inviting smell of her raspberry cheesecake cookies greeted me. I grabbed a mitt and opened the oven door, the aroma engulfing me in a moment of sheer bliss. That was the amazing thing about food. When the rest of the world seemed grim, I could retreat to my little shop and bury myself away in the happy land of cookies and icing. This was my safe haven.

  I glanced at my watch—almost eleven. I thought about what I'd been doing one week ago at this exact same minute. Mike and I had both taken the morning off and spent most of it in bed. Then I'd awakened from a crazy dream of cheesecake, Bradley Cooper, and the Bahamas. Mike had asked me to marry him while I, in turn, had begged him to be patient. Now my ex-husband was dead and Mike the prime suspect in his murder. Within days, the grand jury would meet and see if there was enough evidence to send him to jail.

  No. I wasn't about to let that happen.

  I rubbed my eyes wearily. At least I had the power to make someone else's day better than my own. I grabbed my cell between my hands and scrolled through the contacts section. I pushed a button and waited.

  "Hello?" a woman's soft voice asked.

  "Hi, Sarah. Sally Muccio from Sally's Samples."

  There was a long pause. "Hi, Sally. How are you?"

  "Just great," I lied. "Listen, Sarah. I want to apologize. When you were in last week, I think I made a mistake in not hiring you. I was hoping you might still be interested in the job."

  She gasped. "Are you serious?"

  "Absolutely. Could you start on Monday?"

  Sarah gave a little squeal. "I'd love to. By the way, one of my neighbors is willing to take Julie after school, so I can be a little more flexible now."

  "That's wonderful. I'm so glad everything's working out. We're looking forward to having you here. I'll see you Monday at eight o'clock."

  She sniffled on the other end, and a lump formed in my throat as I listened to her.

  "Thank you so much, Sally." With that, Sarah disconnected.

  I put the phone back in my pocket and smiled. It felt wonderful to do a good deed for someone else. I needed more of that in my life.

  "Sal," Josie yelled. "Is that you?"

  I tied on an apron. "Yeah, I'll be right out."

  "I made more fortune cookies this morning. They're on the cooling trays back there. Can you bring some out with you? The case is almost empty."

  "No problem." Life goes on, Sal. Not everything is about you. I grabbed a piece of waxed paper and transferred the cookies onto a plate. I reached for the last one and noticed it had broken. I couldn't serve it like that. I lifted it off the tray to throw in the garbage and caught the sight of the message that was staring me right in the face.

  You will learn from your mistakes. You will learn a lot today.

  Ugh. Mental head slap. Disgusted, I threw the strip into the garbage can. Too bad I hadn't opened this a few hours earlier, before my boyfriend had become convinced that I was sleeping with another man. Or maybe the fortune was referring to things yet to come?

  Okay, stop this. It's a silly piece of paper. They don't mean anything.

  I brought the platter of cookies out front and started arranging them on the bottom row of the case. I didn't even glance up to see whom Josie had been talking to.

  "Hi, Sally," a deep male voice said.

  I raised my head and discovered Luke peering through the glass at me.

  "Hey. How are you?"

  He grinned. "Better than you, it seems."

  "Yeah, tell me about it."

  Josie handed change to a young woman she was waiting on then turned to me. "This morning we received an order for a baby shower being held tomorrow. I'm going in the back room to work on it for a while." She whispered in my ear. "You should see if he knows anything that could help. Tell him about the pictures you found in Colin's apartment."

  I nodded and then gestured toward one of the tables. The sun streamed cheerily in through my large front window. Without the blanket of whiteness outside, one might assume it was a glorious spring day. "Sit down, Luke. Would you like some coffee? Or maybe an espresso?"

  "Coffee would be great. Dark roast if you have it."

  I brought two paper cups over to the Keurig. Once they were filled, Luke leaped out of his seat to help me. I brought a pitcher of cream and sugar to the table.

  "Thanks." Luke took a sip and then leaned his elbows on the table. "How was your trip? Did you find out anything useful?"

  "Not as much as I'd hoped for." I narrowed my eyes. "And you forgot to tell me a few little things."

  His expression was puzzled. "Such as?"

  "Well, for starters, Colin owed money."

  "I did tell you that."

  "Well, it must be a pretty significant sum," I said, "because the loan shark threatened me unless I paid off the debt in its entirety."

  "What? But you're not even married to him anymore," Luke objected.

  I folded my arms across my chest. "Yeah, well, like everyone else, he caught the obituary in the paper and feels differently."

  "Damn," Luke said. "I'm sorry about that. I had no idea Colin was in that deep."

  The bells chimed over the door, and a middle-aged woman walked over to the counter. Before I could rise to my feet, Josie appeared and waved me off.

  "I also met his ex-girlfriend, Amber Mills. She caught him cheating on her with another woman. A little blonde is how she put it. Said she thought she'd seen her a couple of times at the Hooper Inn over on First Street."

  Luke's eyes widened. "Did she know who the blonde was?"

  I shook my head. "I asked at the hotel. The man on duty remembered seeing her and Colin together one night because he had been drunk and almost caused a scene. I asked them to check their records, but since I didn't have exact dates, there wasn't much they could do."

  Luke wrapped his hands around the cup. "So you have no idea who she was?"

  "None at all. I was hoping you might."

  He sighed. "Like I told you, he was bringing home a different girl every week. It was hard to keep up with him. I'm sure she was some tramp who didn't mean anything to him."

  "Well, I found a picture of her at Colin's apartment."

  "How'd you get the landlord to let you in? Colin owed him rent."

  I sipped my coffee. "Krista arranged it for me. Like I said, I found some photos in there. The blonde pictured was the same girl he was with at the H
ooper Inn. So I don't think it was a one-time thing. And I believe I might have something that belongs to her."

  Luke leaned forward eagerly. "Like what?"

  The bells over the door chimed again, and I glanced up. Three customers were now standing in front of the case, attempting to make their selections. Josie was behind the counter and glanced over in my direction, her expression pleading. I knew she didn't want to interrupt us, but she was on a deadline to finish the order.

  I rose. "I'm sorry, but Josie needs me. Maybe we can talk again before you head back to Florida."

  He stood as well. "No problem. Hey, what time does the shop close up tonight?"

  "Seven." I grabbed the empty coffee cups and threw them into the trash.

  Luke pulled on his jacket. "I'll do anything I can to help you, Sally. I don't want to see Mike go to jail for this."

  "Thanks, I appreciate that."

  He thought for a minute. "There's some other things about Colin you should know. Could we get together tonight after you close up the shop? Unless you have plans already."

  "Sure," I said. "Why don't you meet me here about seven thirty."

  Luke smiled. "How about I bring dinner? Nothing fancy. We could talk in your apartment while we eat. I'm heading back tomorrow, and after everything you've been through this week, I figure you could use a few hours off from cooking—or baking—for one evening."

  I laughed, but something in his expression made me uncomfortable. I hoped Josie was wrong about him having feelings for me. I didn't want to have to deal with that on top of everything else right now. "That sounds—nice, but I'm due at my parents' house at nine for a birthday celebration."

  He nodded. "No problem. We'll be finished before then. Whose birthday is it?"

  "Gianna's." Okay, it was a little white lie, but I didn't want him to plan on getting too comfortable like Brian had last night. Plus, what if Mike returned while he was there? I thought about the fortune cookie message. Was I about to make another mistake?

  "I'll see you then." Luke grinned. "Looking forward to it."

  I ran into the back room to remove a tray of cookies from the oven. I was in the process of transferring them to cooling racks when Josie came back in.

  "What was that all about?" she asked.

  "He wants to meet me later and talk about Colin," I said. "He has some more information that might help. He's going to bring dinner, too."

  Josie's eyes shone with merriment. "Wow, a different guy every night. You're going to get a reputation."

  I groaned. "Oh, please. You know it's not like that."

  "Maybe not, but I do suspect that Luke has it bad for you. What will you do if he tries to make a move?"

  "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  A few minutes later, my phone buzzed. Hopeful, I glanced at the screen, but it was my parents' landline. Since they were still in Florida, I knew it was probably my grandmother. "Hello?"

  "Sally, my love." Grandma Rosa's voice was gentle. "Your young man was here."

  "What? Oh my God! I'll be right there."

  "You do not listen," she said. "I said he was here. He has already left."

  My heart sank into my stomach. I leaned forward on the block table where I had been icing sugar cookies. "What are you talking about? And where did he go? Why didn't you call me earlier so that I could come over?" My voice shook, and I thought I might collapse in tears.

  "Cara mia, you need to relax," Grandma muttered. "Mike did not want you to know he was here. He was very upset at first, but I managed to calm him down. I made him some breakfast, and we had a very nice chat."

  "Grandma, nothing happened. I swear. I know it looked bad, but—"

  She clucked her tongue in disapproval. "You do not have to explain to me. I know that you did not do anything with the police officer. But it looked very bad to Mike's eyes. I told him appearances are not always as—what do they say?"

  "They're not always as they seem," I said. "And Mike should know me better than that. I would never—"

  Grandma Rosa interrupted. "Ah. Listen to yourself. I remember when you thought the worst of him too, ten years ago. And you never gave him a chance to explain."

  I clutched the phone tightly to my ear. "Grandma, do you think he's willing to talk to me?"

  "Mike loves you," she said gently. "You are the reason he came home. I told him to go to you, talk, and work everything out. He gave me his word that he would. He would never lie to me."

  I slumped forward on the table. "I hope you're right."

  Josie came in the room and looked at me curiously.

  "He has a job today," Grandma Rosa announced. "He was going to his house to grab some tools, and then he was leaving for work. I told him he could leave Spike with me. Such a good puppy dog."

  My mind raced. So he'd definitely be coming back—at least for Spike. "That was nice of you to take him, but watch out. He tore a hole in my couch last night. I'll need to have it repaired before it gets worse."

  "I will come look at it on Monday," she said. "Place a piece of duct tape over it for now. That will protect the material."

  I cleared my throat. "When is Mike coming back to see me, Grandma?"

  "I think he is planning on tonight when his job is finished."

  "Maybe he's just telling you that. He might never want to see me again. Maybe I'll go over to his place and wait until he comes home."

  "No, cara mia," she replied gently. "Go about your business today. Learn to have faith. Mike will be there, but he thinks he might be late, so do not panic if you do not see him for a while. I told him he needs to stay here and fight. Then I mentioned how you went to Florida and were looking into Colin's death. He was not happy about that, but he knows you did it because you love him."

  Tears rolled down my cheeks. "Thank you, Grandma."

  Josie came over and put an arm around my shoulders. "Is he okay?"

  I nodded and held a finger to my lips. "Grandma, what would I ever do without you?"

  She chuckled on the other end. "You would be lost." And with that truthful statement, she disconnected.

  I turned and buried my face into Josie's shoulder. "He went to see Grandma. He promised her he wouldn't leave town again. He's going to stop by and see me tonight."

  "Oh, Sal." She hugged me tightly. When we separated, I noticed her eyes had filled as well. "I'm so glad."

  I reached for a paper towel to dry my eyes and handed Josie one. "I won't screw this up again."

  Josie's expression was thoughtful. "What about Luke? He's coming by tonight."

  I drew my eyebrows together. "Grandma said Mike would be late. That might mean close to midnight. I told Luke I had another event at nine, so he should be gone way ahead of schedule. Mike won't even know he was there."

  She blew out a breath. "Sal, you can't have a repeat of what happened this morning. Mike would go crazy."

  "There won't be a repeat. And I won't be dressed in a towel, either. Luke's only coming over to talk about Colin, and he's bringing fast food with him." Gee whiz. If Mike thought I was entertaining a new guy every night, there really would be no hope for our relationship.

  She gave me an encouraging smile. "You know you're never going to live that down. All of the customers will be talking about you."

  "They're already talking about me, so what's the difference?"

  Josie's mouth turned up at the corners. "By the way, you missed Mrs. Gavelli this morning."

  "I can hardly wait to hear this. Did she call me a tramp again?"

  She grinned. "No. She said you were trying to hit on Mr. Feathers and to knock it off."

  I stared at my best friend for a moment and then did something I hadn't done in quite a while— laughed out loud. It felt good.

  * * *

  After Josie finished the baby shower order, she relieved me at the counter, and I went in the back room to make some more doughs. Afterward, I glanced over the shop's figures for the week. Des
pite everything, we'd actually made a profit. I had Grandma Rosa to thank for that.

  At six, Josie came into the kitchen to help clean up. "I can't wait to get out of here. I'm beat."

  "You can go early if you want," I said. "You've earned it—and more."

  She yawned. "I think I may take you up on that. Rob and I are heading to the Sanders Mansion for a late dinner, and we're staying over since tomorrow's Sunday. His mom is babysitting. We need a little alone time. Plus, it's a late birthday celebration. He just surprised me with it this morning."

  I smiled. "You guys deserve some fun. Enjoy it. I'm sorry our get-together got ruined last week."

  "No worries." She glanced at me anxiously. "Sal, what if you can't help clear Mike? Then what?"

  Before I could reply, we heard the bells jingle over the front door. "Hello? Sally?"

  I knew that voice and winced inwardly. Brian.

  Josie peered around the corner at him, waved, and then held up two fingers at me. "Boyfriend Contender Number Two. And Number Three is due shortly. All we need is for Mike to show up now."

  "Would you quit?" I glanced out the doorway at Brian.

  He held up a hand and waved. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

  I clutched Josie's arm. "Come with me."

  "Man," she breathed. "Three guys after you. It's times like this when I really miss the single life."

  Brian nodded to Josie, but when his gaze met mine, I noticed a tint of red to his cheeks. I was confident mine were burning as well.

  "Sally," he said, "I have some news."

  I braced myself. "Did you find the person who killed Colin?"

  He hesitated. "We don't know for sure yet. But the Florida police arrested Ramon Ravole for an unrelated incident this morning."

  I put a hand over my chest in an attempt to steady my uneven breathing. "Oh, thank God."

  "And justice is served," Josie mumbled.

  "What was he arrested for?" I asked.

  "They have enough evidence to tie him to a murder that happened in Tampa last week," Brian said. "We think it was another situation similar to Colin's. You know, couldn't pay his bill on time."