Cupcake Explosion

by Bethany Lopez

  Carmen had watched the phones for me before, while we were in Hawaii, but, luckily, nothing had come up.

  When I pulled up to the house, Carmen hopped out of her car and waited for me on the sidewalk, obviously excited. She looked refreshed and sweet, not at all like we’d been up all hours of the night being held on an MC compound.

  Meanwhile, I look like I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in twelve weeks. Ugh.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” I said dryly, but my tone didn’t affect Carmen in the slightest.

  She beamed at me and chimed, “Morning. How was your night? Did you hold out?”

  She wiggled her eyebrows at me, but I just shook my head, not confirming or denying.

  “Oh, come on, don’t be a spoilsport,” Carmen called as she trailed behind me up the sidewalk. “I’ll dish if you do.”

  “I can already tell you got it good last night. No one is this chipper after the night we had, unless she got good and laid,” I told her, then turned my head and nodded toward the door. “Ready?”

  Carmen nodded enthusiastically.

  I knocked and waited.

  A few beats later, a woman in scrubs opened the door.

  “Hello, can I help you?”

  “Yes, we’re here to meet with Sarah Larsen. I’m Delilah Horton, and this is my colleague, Carmen Santos.”

  “Of course, please come in. Sarah is expecting you.”

  We followed the woman inside, through the living room, and down the hallway. She stopped outside of an open door and gestured for us to go inside the room.

  I looked around the bedroom as we walked in. It was obviously some sort of hospice care, with a bed like you see in hospitals, with machines beeping, and a frail-looking woman watching.

  “Sarah?” I asked as I stepped closer to the bed.

  When she nodded, I said, “Hello, we spoke on the phone. I’m Lila, and this is my associate, Carmen.”

  “Hello,” Sarah said softly, a welcoming smile on her lips. “Thanks for coming on such short notice. I’m afraid I don’t have much time.”

  I nodded, moved to sit in the chair next to her, and pulled out my notebook.

  “Why don’t we get started then, what would you like to hire us for?”

  “I would like you to follow my husband and take pictures of him and his new family and bring them to me so I can see them,” she said.

  I looked up from my notepad and asked, “His new family? You think he’s cheating on you, or that he was already married before you met?”

  “No actually, he and I were married ten years ago, but I’ve been sick for the last five. We’ve always known it was terminal and weren’t sure how long I had to live. Three years ago, I urged him to move on. I told him it was my dying wish to see him happy and settled before I left him. He was reluctant at first, but eventually found someone and a year ago they welcomed their first child.”

  She paused, but I couldn’t respond; she’d shocked me into silence.

  “Initially I told him that I didn’t want to meet her or know anything about her or the baby. I thought just knowing he was happy would be enough, but it’s not. I need to see for myself . . . Can you do that for me?”

  “So, he’s not remarried, but he does have a separate household and everything? Does he live with you?” Carmen asked.

  Sarah turned her attention to Carmen and nodded.

  “He’s with me every evening during the week and on Sundays. He spends the night there and stays with them all day Saturday. We can’t sleep together, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had any sort of libido, so it works best for him to mostly live with them.”

  “Have you asked him to introduce you, or show you photos?” I asked, still having a hard time wrapping my head around the situation and trying really hard not to judge.

  Sarah smiled sadly.

  “He’s afraid it’ll hurt me, and he doesn’t want to do that . . . says I already have too much to deal with.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure that’s what you want, we’ll get the photos for you. Can I get his full name, and any information about her if you have it? I’m sure we can find his other residence in no time and get those for you.”

  “I can do you one better,” Sarah said, “I have their address.”

  “Great,” I said, standing. “We’ll get them today.”

  “Thank you so much,” she replied, her eyes misting.

  I nodded, unsure what else to say. Carmen and I got the address from her nurse, then we were on our way.

  “OH MY GOSH, that was so sad,” Carmen said.

  We’d dropped her car off at my place and were both in the van heading out to Sarah’s husband’s house.

  “Yeah,” I muttered, still uneasy about the whole thing.

  “I wonder what’s wrong with her . . .”

  “I don’t know. If she wanted to tell us, she would have. The only thing we need to worry about is what she hired us to do,” I replied, not angrily or anything, but Carmen was learning, and she needed to understand that we didn’t always get all of the info. All we could do was work with the information we were given.

  Carmen nodded, her demeanor much more subdued after our meeting with Sarah.

  “What kind of a guy does that?” she asked after a few beats of silence. “I mean, to leave your dying wife and start a new life with someone else while she’s still alive . . .”

  “She told him to.”

  “Still, I couldn’t do it,” Carmen said softly.

  I couldn’t either, but I didn’t say that.

  “It’s not our place to judge the clients. Believe me, you’ll see a lot of stuff crazier than this. You just have to do the job and not think about it.”

  “You’ve never had anything like this, though, have you?”

  I shook my head.

  “No, I have not.”

  We pulled up to the house and I looked at the clock on the dash. It was lunchtime, and there were two cars in the driveway. Hopefully, we’d be lucky enough to find everyone home so we could get the pictures right away and close this case immediately.

  I knew the neighborhood pretty well, so I knew there was an alleyway behind this row of houses, which would face the backyard.

  “Come on, let’s go for a walk,” I told Carmen, grabbing my camera and getting out of the van.

  We walked down the street to the corner, then turned and started coming back up the alley. When I saw a large tree in the middle, I told Carmen to give me a boost, and after I looked around to make sure no one was watching us, I got up in it.

  “What should I do?” Carmen asked.

  “Keep walking, and if you see anything, try to snap a shot with your phone, but don’t be obvious about it. Pretend you’re taking a selfie.”

  I counted houses until I figured out which one was theirs, then shimmied across a large branch and laid on my stomach. I pointed the camera into the kitchen window and adjusted until it was like I was standing in the room.

  When I didn’t see anyone in the kitchen, I moved the lens, stopping to peer in each window until I found them.

  They were in the dining room.

  Mr. Larsen was seated at the head of the table. He was average height, with red hair and a grinning face. Next to him was a pretty brunette, who was holding a baby on her lap. The baby was eating what looked like peas off of the plate in front of him and had a shock of red hair like his father.

  I snapped a few photos of all of them together at the table, then zoomed in to get close-ups of their faces. They looked like a normal, happy family, but there was a lead weight in my stomach as I watched them.

  I stayed in the tree as they came out into the backyard and let the baby play on a blanket for a few minutes, before Larsen kissed the baby, then the woman, and left to go back to work. At least, that was my assumption.

  Carmen was walking back toward me, so when I saw the woman and child go back into the house, I lowered myself down from the tree and waited for Carmen to reach me.<
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  “Get anything?” I asked Carmen as I fell into step beside her and we headed back down the alley and to my van.

  “Yeah, some cute stuff of them on the blanket,” Carmen answered, her tone sad.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it just . . . sucks, you know? I mean, Sarah’s stuck in that bed in her house, while her husband’s off living this double life, apparently getting the best of both worlds.”

  “Well, his wife is dying, and has been for years, so he doesn’t have it that great,” I replied, playing devil’s advocate.

  Carmen nodded but didn’t say anything else.

  We headed back toward my house so we could make prints of the photos we’d taken, then decided to swing by Amy May’s on our way back to Sarah’s. We definitely needed a round of cupcakes after the day we’d had.

  When we walked into Amy May’s Bakery, she was standing behind the counter, looking much better than she had in weeks.

  “Hey, you look like you’re feeling better,” I said as I stepped up to the delicious display.

  Amy May rubbed her belly absently and smiled.

  “Yes, thank goodness, I think the morning sickness has finally passed. How are you two doing? Did anything good come from the towing place?” she asked.

  “Holy crap, it’s been such a crazy twenty-four hours, that I didn’t even tell you,” I said, slapping myself on the forehead. “Cade’s back.”

  “What? That’s great,” she replied, clapping her hands together. “Tell me everything.”

  “Let’s grab some cupcakes and head to your office,” I suggested, and Carmen seconded.

  Before we could do just that, the door jingled as it opened and we all turned.

  Bea stood at the entrance, tapping her foot and glaring at me.

  Shit, I’m in trouble.

  “HEY, BEA,” I said brightly, thinking she looked like a cute, angry little pixie in her police uniform.

  Probably not the right time to say that, though . . .

  “I like your haircut,” I said instead, but she still glared.

  “One thing,” Bea chided. “I asked you for one thing, and you couldn’t do it.”

  “Now, Bea,” I started, trying to back up as she stalked toward me, but my back hit the display. “How about we grab some cupcakes and go talk . . .”

  “You can shove your cupcake up your . . .”

  “Hey,” Amy May interrupted, trying to stop us before things got ugly. “Let’s not say something we’ll regret.”

  Bea turned her glare on Amy May and asked, “Really, Amy May, you really have something to say right now?”

  Amy May snapped her mouth shut, probably thinking about how she’d blown up at Bea and Carmen a few weeks ago.

  Carmen remained uncharacteristically silent.

  She was probably afraid of Bea, who now resembled a supremely pissed off pixie.

  “Let’s go in the back and I’ll explain everything, okay?” I asked, looking meaningfully around the bakery and hoping Bea would get what I was saying.

  Bea nodded sharply, and we all headed into the back.

  Amy May, queen that she was, grabbed some cupcakes and followed.

  Once we were in Amy May’s office, Amy May, Carmen, and I took a seat, while Bea remained standing.

  “How about you start about the time you told me you’d trust me to handle things and go from there.”

  Yikes.

  I cleared my throat, dug deep for my courage, and told her everything.

  She already knew about the accident and what Junior had shown me, but I recapped that, and went on to tell her about going back in search of Scam. Then about us missing the pickup, about Bubba being taken. About Amy May getting the address of the tow truck.

  Amy May received a Bea glare for that.

  Then about me, Carmen, and Bran going out to Copper Creek County. Hitting up the bar and meeting Cueball, then following the Diablos to the compound. I told her everything that happened when they discovered us, how we found out Cade had planned the whole thing, and how we grabbed Bubba and got out of there.

  “So, you’re saying Cade initiated the whole thing and was never really in any danger.”

  “Yup.”

  “And what was he there for? What did he find out about the Diablos?” she asked.

  “You know he’s not going to tell me that, Bea. That’s club business,” I replied, then stood up and walked over to her slowly.

  “You understand why I did it, right? If it was Shannon . . .”

  Bea held up her hand and I halted my progress.

  “Yes, I get it, Lila. And, I’m sure some part of me expected you to do exactly what you did. Still, it stings that you don’t trust me to do my job, or at the very least, didn’t come clean with me about pulling our friends into your own investigation.”

  “I do trust you, I swear it, but I knew you wouldn’t want us jumping head first into a dangerous situation. Forgive me?”

  I batted my eyelashes at her.

  “Did you really get your face slammed into a piece of cake?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “Okay, I guess that makes up for it a little bit.”

  “Wow,” I said, feigning hurt.

  “Just kidding, the next time I see that Cueball, I’ll arrest him for you,” Bea joked.

  “Thanks,” I replied, then stepped closer. “Hug it out?”

  She sighed but gave in and let me hug her.

  “Hey, we heard from Cade’s mom and are going over tomorrow to help with food prep,” Bea said as she pulled back.

  “Me, too,” Amy May said.

  “What?” Carmen cried and I looked over to see her pouting.

  Shit, I forgot to give her number to Cade’s mom.

  “I’m sure she’ll be calling you soon,” I lied, and made another mental note to talk to Mom about Carmen.

  With the air cleared, I grabbed a mint chocolate cupcake and looked at Carmen.

  “We’d better go to Sarah’s. I’ve gotta be home for dinner by six, or Cade’s mom’s gonna have my ass.”

  We thanked Amy May, I apologized to Bea again, and Carmen and I headed out.

  Sarah’s nurse led us back, just like before, except this time when we got to her room, she wasn’t alone.

  A familiar red-haired man sat on the bed next to Sarah. They were holding hands and smiling at each other. The love on their faces was almost too much to bear.

  “Hello,” I called softly, not wanting to intrude on the moment, but also not wanting to stand there and watch like a stalker.

  Mr. Larsen looked up and took Carmen and me in with a welcoming grin.

  “Hey, you must be the friends Sarah told me about,” he said. “It’s so nice of you to come by and spend time with her, I know how much she loves company. Let me go put on some coffee and leave you three alone.”

  I waited until he’d left us and asked, “Is now a good time?”

  Sarah nodded and sat up, her face expectant.

  I pulled out the envelope and handed it to her.

  Carmen and I watched in silence and she took the photos out and began flipping through them.

  Her eyes filled, and a small smile played on her lips.

  I noticed she stopped on the photo of the three of them together, then again on the close-up of the baby.

  When Sarah was done, she placed them back in the envelope and shoved it under her pillow.

  “Thank you,” Sarah said softly.

  “Is that what you wanted?” I asked, hoping it was. I didn’t know if I’d be able to take more pictures and come back here again.

  “Yes, they’re perfect,” she replied, then closed her eyes and whispered, “He’s happy, and his son is beautiful.”

  I heard Carmen choke beside me and knew she was as close to losing it as I was, so I placed my hand gently on Sarah’s arm, unsure of whether I was trying to comfort her, or myself, and told her we’d be going.

  “I’ll have the money sent to yo
ur account,” she said, then added, “Thanks again. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”

  We said our goodbyes and got out of there as fast as possible, not wanting to run into Mr. Larsen again on our way out.

  When we got in the van, we both needed a moment to collect ourselves, then left the Larsens with our hearts heavy.

  I MADE IT to the cabin in time for dinner and gave Cade’s mom Carmen’s phone number and asked her to please invite her over to help with the food.

  Dinner was a boisterous affair, with not only all of our family, but Cade’s buddies from Hawaii. Chris, Jun, and Ripper had made it in safely, and they’d all had a good day at the compound.

  After dinner, we built a fire in Cade’s pit out back and all sat around having drinks and talking, while Elin and Lena roasted marshmallows and the dogs chilled in the grass.

  “Still can’t believe you’re getting married, dude,” Ripper said, taking a pull from his beer as he lounged back in his chair.

  “Sounds like it’s gonna be pretty sick though . . . outdoor wedding with a pig roast reception,” Jun added.

  “It’ll be great,” Chris said. “And, you get to spend the rest of your days looking at this beauty.”

  Chris put his hand on mine and patted it briefly.

  I shot him a grin and Cade said, “Hands off,” causing all the men to chuckle.

  “Well, I’m excited to have all of Lila’s friends over tomorrow to help with the food. If we have time, I brought flowers to make leis as well.”

  “From where?” Alani asked.

  “Home, of course,” she answered, giving her daughter a look like, duh.

  “Mom, you brought those flowers on the plane? How? I don’t think you’re supposed to do that,” Alani protested, but her mom just shrugged.

  “What they don’t know doesn’t hurt, and I wanted Cade and Lila to have beautiful leis for their special day. Cade needs a piece of home with him on his special day.”

  Alani rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything else.

  “I’m sure they’ll love to make leis with you,” I assured Cade’s mom.

  “We could always save it for the night before the wedding, too,” she said.