Baked to Death (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 2)

by Catherine Bruns

  "I am, thanks. Mike rescued me in time." I squeezed his hand reassuringly.

  Brian cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. "I'm glad. I wanted to give you an update. We were able to locate the rental car Luke Zibro was driving. We caught him heading for the Canadian border. Several squad cars were pursuing him when it became apparent he wasn't stopping. I was one of the cars involved in the chase. I think Luke made up his mind that he wasn't coming back. He drove his car straight into the river."

  My breath caught in my throat. "Where is he now?"

  "I was there when they fished him out of the water. Another officer managed to get a confession out of him." He paused and locked eyes with me. "He died on the way to the hospital. I think it was from internal bleeding."

  Mike and I were silent for several seconds while he stroked my hand gently with his fingertips. "It's all over now, baby. He'll never hurt you again."

  I closed my eyes for a moment. "The ring belonged to Luke, Brian. His fiancée was sleeping with Colin. I think Colin might have stolen it from her."

  "We didn't find the ring on him," Brian said. "It's probably sitting at the bottom of the river by now. I'm glad you're okay and that you guys can finally put this mess behind you."

  He smiled at me and then extended his hand for Mike to shake. After a brief hesitation, Mike brushed his fingers against Brian's. "Thanks for coming by."

  Brian nodded. "No problem." He gave me one long, last look and left the room.

  Mike sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around me. "Ready to go home, princess?"

  "I thought they said I couldn't go back to my place tonight. The building needs to be aired out."

  "I meant my house. Our home as far as I'm concerned."

  He gazed into my eyes and gently covered my mouth with his. I ached with longing for him. After we broke apart, tears streamed down my cheeks. "I missed you so much."

  Mike sighed and brushed my tears away with his fingers. "I can't live without you, Sal."

  I couldn't stand it anymore. "Tell me what happened that night."

  He tensed against me. "I only meant to warn him. Honest. I never would have killed him, I swear it."

  "I know that. Tell me what happened when you arrived at the hotel."

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. "I never told you, but I got a license to carry a while back, after my house got broken into. Even though I'd installed an alarm system, I didn't feel it was enough. A little extra protection never hurts."

  I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "I found the gun after you got arrested. I know you brought it with you that night when you went to see Colin. I saw you place something in the bottom drawer when you returned home from visiting him."

  Mike lowered his eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it sooner. Maybe I was afraid you'd freak out if you knew. I'm not sure why I brought it with me that night. God, I was so angry at him. Not for cutting me but hurting you. He'd already done so much—I couldn't stand the thought of him inflicting any more pain on the woman I loved. So I was only going to scare him off."

  "What happened when you got there?" I asked again.

  "I went to his room," Mike said. "I was standing there, getting ready to knock, and noticed the door wasn't shut all the way. So I went inside. Big mistake, right? Colin was lying on the bed in some kind of drunken stupor. Or he might have been high. Who knows? I tried to wake him, but he was out cold. So I left." He shook his head. "I never should have gone. It only made things worse. Who would have thought someone would kill him that night? And that they'd find my fingerprints in there?"

  "Luke," I said. "He tried to make me believe Kyle was there when he arrived, but I'm betting he was watching and saw you go into the room. After the fight and the threat, it was a perfect time to kill Colin and implicate you in the murder."

  "I thought I'd gotten rid of all the anger inside me. But when I saw him hurt you—well, I guess I exploded. If he ever laid a hand on you again, who knows what I would have done to him."

  I put a finger to his lips. "You were just trying to protect me. It's all over now. You've been cleared. That's what really counts."

  He smiled. "I'm no longer a man on the run. And I have you to boot. What more could a guy ask for?"

  He kissed me again, and I forgot about everything else for a while.

  We arrived home after two in the morning. Mike was diligent about waking me up every hour, although I wasn't particularly happy about it. I didn't think he'd slept at all. At about seven o'clock, after he woke me once again, I gave up on sleep.

  "Let's do something," I winked.

  He grinned. "Are you sure you're feeling up to it?"

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Oh, most definitely."

  It was late morning before I finally rolled out of bed to take a shower. Mike made me breakfast, and for the first time in days, my appetite was back in full force.

  Mike pulled out my chair for me. There were pancakes, sausages, and a steaming mug of coffee waiting at my place.

  "You're spoiling me," I said.

  "Nothing's too good for my princess." He kissed the top of my head.

  I took a long sip from my mug. "So how about telling me where you were for the past five days?"

  Mike's face clouded over as he reached for his mug. "I went to Canada. To see my grandmother."

  My mouth opened in amazement. I'd never heard him speak of any relatives before and had assumed they were all dead. "Why didn't you tell me?"

  He shrugged. "Jenny's not my real grandmother. They're both dead. She's more of an adopted one. She was a good friend of my mother's and tried to help her kick the habit, even though we both knew deep down it was useless. After she died, Jenny helped me with the funeral arrangements and said if I ever needed anything, let her know. And I told her likewise."

  I reached out my hand to him. Mike brought it to his lips before he continued. "A few weeks ago, she sent me a letter. Said she needed some repairs done on her house and if I ever got to Canada, please stop by. When all of this went down, I figured it was as good a time as any. I stayed at her house while I completed the work. Jenny cooked my meals, and I didn't charge her anything for the work. I figured I owed it to her."

  "She sounds like a wonderful person. I hope I get to meet her sometime."

  He nodded. "You will. I told her all about you. How much I love you, what happened in the past to us, and how we'd been given a second chance. And that I still wasn't good enough for you and had screwed up everything." His beautiful eyes filled with pain. "Again."

  A lump formed in my throat. "Stop saying that. It's not true. What did she tell you?"

  Mike smiled. "She's a lot like your grandmother. She told me that I was only hurting you by staying away. That it sounded like you needed me too, and I should go back and fight this. Then when I got your text, I couldn't stay away any longer."

  "It was awful not knowing where you were."

  "Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever had to do." He narrowed his eyes. "But when I walked in on you with Jenkins—"

  Mental head slap. "I know. That must have looked awful. I swear, nothing happened. He came over the night before to ask about your whereabouts. To his credit, I think he knew you were gone, but he never told anyone. I had a glass of wine and fell asleep on the couch. I guess he did, too. When I woke up, it was the middle of the night, and the snow was coming down heavy. I didn't have the heart to ask him to leave then. So I went to my room, and he slept on the couch."

  Mike nodded. "I know the storm was bad. I drove in it all night because I couldn't wait to see you again."

  I bit into my lower lip, afraid I might cry suddenly. "I'm sorry. He was waiting for me when I came out of the shower that morning. He was saying good-bye when you showed up."

  His eyes were soft. "I believe you. Looks can be deceiving, right? I guess we're even now, huh?"

  I thought about the incident ten years ago when I'd found Mike in Backseat Brenda's
car and nodded. Never assume, my grandmother had told me at the time. If only I had listened to her.

  "I'm glad you had Jenny looking out for you and relieved you went to see my grandmother instead of leaving town again." I toyed with my spoon. "I decided something this morning. About Colin."

  He leaned forward on his elbows. "What's that?"

  "The prize money from the contest. I want to give five thousand of my share to Colin's family for the funeral expenses."

  Mike's jaw dropped. "That's your money, Sal. You don't owe them anything. All they've done is cause you pain."

  I had already filled Mike in on the lies Colin told his family about me. "I know I don't, but it would make me feel better about the entire situation."

  He reached for my hand. "It's your decision, and I'll support whatever you decide to do. But I thought you wanted to use that money to expand the shop?"

  I winked. "I happen to know an excellent builder. I think there's even a good chance he'll give me a discount."

  Mike laughed. "Hmm. Anything's possible. Speaking of which, guess what? I had several calls this morning. My jobs are all back on—starting tomorrow."

  "That's so awesome." I hesitated. "Wait—even Laura Embree?"

  "Especially Laura." He grinned, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

  He gestured at my plate and gave me a devilish smile. "So, Miss Muccio, you'd better keep your strength up. Start eating. We need to make the most of our free time today."

  * * *

  It was late Sunday afternoon, and we were back at my apartment. The place was freezing but considered safe for us to enter. We'd closed the windows, and I'd turned the heat up. Everything downstairs in the bakery had remained undisturbed, much to my relief.

  Mike had gone upstairs to see about repairing the ding in my wall while I checked on some inventory in the freezer. My cell buzzed, and I studied the screen. My parents' landline. "Hello?"

  My grandmother's voice greeted me. "How are you feeling, my dear?"

  "I'm fine, thanks."

  "That is good news. Your mama and papa are home. I told them that all was well, and they were very much relieved. But your papa—he would like you to bring some fortune cookies over tonight." She clucked her tongue. "I do not know what the matter is with that man. He is such a crack."

  I smiled. "You mean a quack?"

  "That is what I said," she said. "How are you and your young man? Did you have a nice chat? Everything is good now?"

  "Everything is great. You've been such a big help. I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

  "I am glad, cara mia," Grandma said. "You are seeing things more clearly now, no?"

  "What do you mean?"

  My grandmother chuckled. "You will figure it all out in due time. I will see you at six o'clock."

  Grandma Rosa disconnected, and I grabbed a piece of waxed paper while mulling over what she'd said. I placed some Italian butter cookies—my father's favorite—inside one of my little pink boxes and then reached down for some fortune cookies. I hoped my father wouldn't insist I open one this time. Ugh. After Luke's fortune yesterday—or lack thereof—I was seriously starting to wonder about these cookies.

  Might as well give him half a dozen. As I picked up the last one, it fell apart in my hands. Josie must have been in a hurry and hadn't folded it properly.

  I looked down at the message staring me in the face and sighed in resignation. "Okay, let's have it."

  The greatest risk is not taking one.

  That was all. There was no ominous message announcing I was going to die tonight or to stay in the house with the sheets pulled up over my head. But these words definitely left me thinking.

  There was a risk in my life I was afraid to take. Even though Colin was gone and my divorce behind me, I was afraid to try again. I yearned for a happy life with a husband who wouldn't betray me and a house full of children. I knew Mike was also anxious to settle down and start a family. We'd been discussing the topic since we were teenagers. Plus, Mike was nothing like Colin, so there was nothing to fear there. So why was I still afraid?

  After the divorce from Colin, I hadn't wanted to get involved with another man. Mike had promised to give me space, but once we had started dating again, we'd been drawn to each other like magnets. Heck, we had a lot of making up to do for ten years apart.

  A week ago, I had been convinced I was not ready to cohabitate and definitely not ready for marriage. But a great deal had happened in the past seven days. The unthinkable had almost occurred. We'd come close to losing each other. If anything, this week had taught me how precious life was and that nothing should ever be taken for granted.

  I thought about Gianna, pouring hundreds of hours into the exam she would finally take tomorrow. I knew in my heart that she'd ace it and couldn't wait to celebrate with her afterward. This was her lifelong dream, as mine had been the bakery, a husband, and children. It was a huge risk, but Gianna was diligently following through.

  Then there were my parents and their screwball antics—my father driving a hearse and my mother dressing up like a Barbie doll to show someone a house. Entering a Hotties Over Fifty pageant. We all took risks every day. It was part of life.

  I thought about Mike, growing up without anyone to love him. He'd been forced to rely on himself at an early age. He was always helping someone else, like the situation with Jenny. All he wanted was to be with me and have a family someday.

  As I held the little strip of paper between my hands, I knew the time had come. I smiled to myself as I imagined Gianna's face—how happy she'd be to get away from my parents. She'd land a terrific position as an attorney soon, and the low rent would be easy for her to maintain. It felt good to do something for my baby sister. Jeez, after the experience with Luke last night, it felt good to live. My life was everything I wanted it to be now. Yet there was still something missing.

  After one last proud look around my shop, I tucked the paper into the pocket of my jeans and slowly climbed the stairs.

  Mike was buffing out the living room wall and winked at me. "Good as new."

  I stared at him, unable to say anything, and he frowned. "Baby, what's wrong? Is your head worse?"

  Despite a slight headache, I'd never felt better. I could finally see everything clearly. In the past, I'd always been terrible at making decisions about my life. But I knew the one I'd just made in my mind and in my heart was—without a doubt—the right one.

  "I'm fine. And thanks for fixing the wall. That will make Gianna very happy."

  Mike immediately latched on to the hidden meaning in my words and strode across the room to where I was standing. He lowered me into a sitting position on the couch and put his arms around me. His eyes shone as they gazed into mine. "Does this mean what I think it does? You're ready to move in with me?"

  I looked at him, at this man whom I'd loved since I was a teenager—the one person I could no longer bear to be away from anymore. He'd saved my life and given it meaning, too.

  My voice trembled. "No. That's not what I meant."

  Mike's face registered disappointment, but he tried to make light of the situation. "Oh. Well, that's okay. I promised I wouldn't rush you and meant it. We'll just keep going back and forth to each other's places—like we have been."

  I cradled his face between my hands. "You're not listening to me. And, no, we're not going to keep doing this."

  He frowned, and a panicked look came into his eyes. "Sal, I don't understand. What are you trying to say? Just tell me what you want, sweetheart."

  I grinned. "I want you to marry me."

  RECIPES

  Spice Cookies with Pumpkin Frosting

  ¾ cup softened margarine

  1 cup sugar

  1 egg

  ¼ cup molasses

  2 cups flour

  2 teaspoons baking soda

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  ½ teaspoon ground ginger

  ½ teaspoon ground cloves

  ½ teaspo
on salt

  Frosting ingredients:

  8 ounces cream cheese, softened

  18-ounce can pumpkin puree

  2 cups confectioner's sugar

  ½ tsp ground cinnamon

  ¼ tsp ground ginger

  In a mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add molasses, and mix thoroughly. Combine flour, soda, salt, and spices in a bowl. Add to creamed mixture, and mix well. Chill overnight in airtight container. Shape into ½-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 375° Fahrenheit for 6 minutes. Cookies will be very flat. Cool for 2 minutes, and then place on a wire rack and frost. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

  For frosting: Beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Add pumpkin puree and mix well. Add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Beat until smooth. Be sure to refrigerate the cookies until ready to serve. Store leftover frosting in the refrigerator.

  Josie's Jelly Cookies

  1 ½ cups (3 sticks) of butter, softened

  1 cup of sugar

  3 egg yolks

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  4 cups of flour

  Jam—Strawberry, Raspberry, Grape, your choice. (Can be seeded or unseeded.)

  Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Cream butter, sugar, yolks, and vanilla together. Sift flour, and mix ingredients into wet mixture. Shape cookies in hand to make a ball about the size of a tablespoon, and press thumb firmly into the center. Fill imprint with favorite jam. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet for about 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Let cool—the jelly especially will be very hot! Makes about two dozen cookies.

  Brownie Biscotti

  ⅔ cup sugar

  ⅓ cup butter, softened

  2 eggs

  1¾ cups all-purpose flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  ¼ cup chopped walnuts, if desired