by Amber Crewes
Meghan sighed. “I don’t get it.”
“Let me finish,” Trudy insisted. “She told me she wanted the low-fat cream cheese because she’s getting married in four months. I asked if she booked a vendor for a cake and desserts and you know what she said?”
“Not a clue.”
“She hadn’t! I told her we could do a cake and matching cupcakes for her, and she was so excited about it. Her budget is big, Meghan; she is getting married at the art museum in Seattle, and she needs over a thousand custom cupcakes, plus a seven-tier chocolate mousse cake.”
This got Meghan’s attention. “Wait,” her eyes widened. “You’re telling me that you had a chance encounter that is going to lead to a boatload of business? Trudy, that’s amazing! Way to go!”
Trudy smiled. “This is our shot, Meghan,” she declared. “This will be a high-profile wedding; she said the Governor of Nebraska was invited. Think of the exposure we will get from this. We can make a powerful break into the wedding market.”
Meghan gave her a hug. “Tell me everything,” she said. “You said the wedding is four months away? What’s the bride’s name?”
Trudy bit her lip. “Ummm... I don’t quite recall.”
Meghan shrugged. “No worries. What about her contact information? Did you get her email or phone number?”
Her face paled. “Neither,” she admitted softly. “I didn’t get her contact information.”
Meghan stared at her. “Well, did you give her one of our business cards?” she asked, her voice getting higher. “So she can reach out to us?”
Trudy hung her head. “I really screwed this up,” she told Meghan, staring down at her brown leather loafers. “I was so excited about getting this business and breaking into the new market, and I dropped the ball.”
Meghan took a deep breath. “So, you’re telling me we have no way to find this woman?”
“She’ll surely be back,” Trudy suggested. “We had a great chat about her diet and hairdresser; she has the bangs I’ve always wanted to try. Anyway, it was a nice conversation. I’m sure she’ll be back, Meghan.”
Meghan eyed her. “I hope so,” she muttered. “I could really use something going right at the moment…”
Meghan wandered into the dining room and stationed herself at the counter. The front door opened a few minutes later, and Mayor Rose walked in.
“Good morning,” she greeted him, forcing herself to smile. “How is it going, Mayor Rose?”
He approached her, nodding as he walked to the counter. “I want to place a big order this morning,” he informed her. “I need bagels and scones for my entire staff, as well as two-hundred mini eclairs to pass out on the street today.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That is a big order!”
He shrugged. “As I’m sure you know, my reelection campaign has officially kicked off, and I’m hoping if I can spread a little sweetness throughout town with your treats, I can get the attention of the voters.”
“Not a bad idea,” she complimented him as she rang up the order. “Is that all for you today?”
He leaned in. “There is one more thing you could do for me,” he asked quietly. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for you, Meghan. You moved to this town, opened this bakery, and have become such a respected, successful citizen of Sandy Bay.”
“That is so nice of you to say,” she commented pleasantly. “It feels good to be recognized for my hard work.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Anyway, I wanted to ask for your endorsement, Meghan. For my campaign. You and I have collaborated on several efforts over the last few years, and I think we work well together. I would like to continue that partnership in the future, and I am hoping you will openly support my campaign.”
Meghan blinked. “We have worked well together,” she agreed. “I have enjoyed our projects and efforts.”
“Then it’s settled!” he grinned. “An endorsement from you, a young, beautiful business owner, and that great husband of yours, will make for an easy campaign for me.”
Meghan bit her lip. “Mayor Rose,” she said softly. “I’m not quite sure…”
“About involving Jack? That’s perfectly fine. You will make a wonderful spokesperson for me. Everyone loves you!”
She shook her head. “About endorsing you. I’m not sure if I will endorse anyone. It feels like a conflict of interest, and I don’t know if I’m comfortable helping either of you.”
The Mayor stared at her. “Meghan,” he sighed. “You know me. You know my work ethic, and my commitment to this town. Diggs is a loose cannon; he is mouthy, arrogant, and too good-looking for his own good. Do you really think someone like that should be Mayor?”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “But I don’t think it’s your place to tell me about his faults. I’ve told you I’m not sure, and I need you to respect that, Mayor Rose.”
His face darkened. “Meghan,” he said, scowling at her. “I have supported your business for years. I have made life nice and easy in Sandy Bay for the police, and that includes your husband. You can’t seriously sit here and tell me that you won’t endorse me. Not speaking up for me is just as bad as a vote for Diggs. I hope you realize that.”
She held her head high. “I think you should leave,” she said matter-of-factly. “Please.”
He laughed. “Leave? I’m not done here. You and this town are gonna get swindled by this young fool with the big ego and little brain. I hope you realize what you’re doing, Meghan.”
She said nothing, but saw that his hands had clenched into fists. She took a step back away from him. “Please go. And I’ll be canceling your order.”
He shot her a nasty look and turned on his heel. As he pushed through the door, Anthony Diggs walked into the bakery.
“Figures,” Mayor Rose hissed, looking back at Meghan. “I should have known he had already gotten to you, Meghan. This is rich. I give my life to this town, and this is what I get for it.”
Anthony put his hands on his hips. “What’s the problem?” he asked, staring at the Mayor.
“You are the problem,” the mayor muttered as he stormed out of the bakery. “And the problems won’t stop unless someone puts a stop to you.”
“Everything okay?” Anthony asked as he strolled up to the counter. “What was that about?”
Meghan pursed her lips. “Same as you,” she replied. “He wants my endorsement.”
“What did you say?” Anthony asked.
“That is none of your business,” she said cheerily. “Can I help you today?”
He nodded. “I need to order treats,” he told her. “I’m hosting a town hall tonight, and I want to provide snacks for the audience. Two hundred scones and a ton of chocolate chip cookies, please.”
Pamela came into the dining room. “Meghan, did I just hear that correctly?” she asked, turning to Anthony. “That many scones? We’re gonna be baking scones forever.”
Anthony smiled at the teenager. “And what’s your name, young lady?”
“Pamela,” she replied. “And I know who you are. You’re the guy who’s running for mayor. My parents were talking about you this morning at breakfast.”
Anthony beamed. “Wonderful,” he told her. “And Pamela, what changes would you like to see in Sandy Bay? The opinions of young people are very important to me, and I would love to hear your input.”
Her face brightened. “Really?”
“Really.”
She thought for a moment. “Well, for starters, we need more street lights around the school and gyms,” she told him. “When I work out at night or have after-school activities, I feel scared walking home in the dark.”
His eyes widened. “That is very important. I will make a note of that. Anything else?”
“What about a leadership club for teenagers?” she asked. “Or an internship? It would be cool to learn more about the mayor’s job and local government.”
Anthony smiled. “I think that could be arranged.�
�
“Wow, thank you for asking me,” Pamela grinned. “No one has ever asked me what I want to change in our town. This is really cool.”
Anthony placed a hand on her shoulder. “It was good talking with you,” he nodded. “Make sure to tell your parents and any other person who is of voting age about our conversation, okay?”
“Okay!”
That evening, Meghan and Pamela drove together to the local high school where Anthony was holding the town hall meeting. It was crowded; there were people spilling out of the bleachers in the gymnasium, and Meghan could hardly hear herself over the noise of people chatting.
“This is crazy!” Pamela squealed as they navigated the crowds, pulling a wagon behind them filled with the treats Anthony had ordered. “Can you believe all of these people showed up for him? I don’t blame them; he is so nice and so cute.”
Meghan shrugged. She wanted to deliver the treats and leave; there was no telling what damage her mother-in-law had inflicted upon her house that day, and the last thing she wanted to do was be caught between two dueling politicians.
“There’s my mom!” Pamela told Meghan, waving grandly. “And my dad.”
Meghan looked over and met the eyes of Pamela’s parents. She waved, and they waved back. Both were wearing pins with Anthony Diggs’ face on it. “I take it you told your parents about the conversation you had with Anthony?”
“I did,” Pamela grinned. “They’ll definitely be voting for him now. They think it was awesome that he took the time to talk with me.”
They wound their way through the aisles. “Excuse me?” Meghan asked a woman in an Anthony Diggs’ shirt. She was holding a clipboard and looked very official. “Where is Anthony? I have a delivery for him.”
“You’ll have to wait,” she told Meghan impatiently. “He’s due to make his grand entrance in about a minute.”
Suddenly, a piercing scream filled the gymnasium, and the room instantly went silent. “What’s going on?” Pamela whispered as Meghan glanced left and right.
People were looking around, and from the back of the room, a man wearing an Anthony Diggs’ button raced down the aisle and over to the woman with the clipboard.
“He’s gone,” the man breathed, his eyes wild with fear.
“Anthony left?” she asked in annoyance. “Why? We’re supposed to start soon.”
The man shook his head, and Meghan saw his eyes were filled with tears. “No,” he muttered. “Anthony didn’t leave. Anthony is DEAD!”
5
M eghan looked over at Pamela. “We have to get out of here,” she told her, but amidst the chaos, she could not hear her own voice; people were screaming and darting out of their seats, and the place was in pandemonium.
Someone bumped into Meghan, and she shoved them off. The wagon carrying the treats was knocked over, and people were running over the now crushed cardboard boxes of desserts. Meghan grabbed Pamela’s shoulder and held on tight.
A voice came on over the intercom. “Sandy Bay residents,” it said in a panicked tone. “Please leave your things and exit the building promptly. Please exit in an orderly fash--”
The voice was cut off, and the fire alarms began ringing. Meghan let go of the wagon and threw her other arm around Pamela’s body, dragging the teenager backward toward the nearest exit. People were crying and running, but Meghan worked her way through the crowd and finally, she breathed a sigh of relief as they made it outside into the chilly night air.
“What just happened?” Pamela cried in a voice that was too loud. Meghan’s ears were ringing from the noise, and she imagined Pamela’s were too. “Anthony’s dead?”
Meghan pulled her away from the building. People were spilling out of the doors and windows, but the police had arrived and had set up barriers preventing the crowds from leaving the scene. She peered around, trying to find her husband, but she could not spot him.
“I have to find my parents,” Pamela told Meghan. “Do you think they made it out okay? I tried calling them, but the cell service is terrible.”
“The cell towers are probably jammed,” Meghan told her. “Just stay with me for now. We’ll find your family, Pamela. I promise.”
“GIRLS!”
Trudy darted over to them. She was sweaty and out of breath. “Thank goodness you are both okay,” she panted, leaning over and placing her hands on her knees. “That was the most I’ve run in twenty years.”
“Are you okay?” Meghan asked, concerned as Trudy began wheezing. “This is crazy.”
Trudy rose back up and gave a weak smile. “I’ll be fine,” she assured them. “I think I’m a little shaken up. I also forgot my purse in there… it has all of my credit cards and checks, inhaler and things. I hope no one grabs it.”
“I didn’t know you had asthma?”
“It hardly rears its ugly head, but sticky situations like this get me…” She held her sides and closed her eyes as she struggled to take a deep breath.
Meghan looked back at the high school. People were still exiting the building, but most had gathered in the parking lot outside. Police officers and firefighters were rushing inside.
“How about I go get your purse?” Meghan offered. “If you can look after Pamela, I will run inside and get it. What does it look like?”
Trudy frowned, her eyebrows knitting together in a deep line. “No,” she told her. “Don’t go. There’s a fire inside.”
They could all hear the shrieks of the fire alarms, but Meghan put her hand on Trudy’s shoulder and smiled. “I think someone just pulled the alarm,” she informed her. “I didn’t see or smell any fires. Don’t you worry; I’ll only be a minute. Just tell me which purse you brought.”
“It’s the pink and purple fake crocodile skin bag,” Trudy sighed. “With the gold handles.”
“That won’t be easy to miss,” Meghan grinned, turning to Pamela. “Stay with Trudy, okay? If your parents wander over here, go with them, but otherwise, I don’t want you to leave Trudy’s side.”
She turned on her heel and jogged over to the high school, doing her best to be surreptitious as she hovered by the back door of the gymnasium. Police officers were all over the place, but Meghan looked down at her shoes and charged inside.
The gymnasium was a total wreck; the fire alarms were still screaming, lights were flashing, and all of the chairs had been flipped over. The floor was littered with trash and personal objects, including handbags, wallets, keys, cell phones, and campaign flyers. Meghan bent down to pick up an Anthony Diggs button, studying his smiling face. Could he really be dead? Young, vibrant, handsome Anthony?
“Hey!” a police officer shouted at her. “Get out of here. This area is closed to the public.”
Meghan bit her lip. “Sorry,” she called out, quickly glancing around as she tried to spot Trudy’s purse. “Just getting my bag.”
“Personal items will be released to the public over the next three weeks,” she informed Meghan in a flat voice. “Please exit now, or you’ll be subject to charges.”
Meghan nodded, turning to leave. Her heart beat excitedly when she saw the handbag nestled beneath an overturned plastic chair as she approached the exit, and when she saw the officer’s back was turned, she grabbed it, tucking it beneath her coat and hustling out of the room.
She rounded the corner to the back hallway and ran right into a tall, lithe woman with a dazed look on her face. She was dressed in an ice-blue belted coat dress that reminded Meghan of something Kate Middleton would wear. Her white-blonde hair was cut into a blunt bob that hit just below her chin, and her green eyes were filled with angst. “Sorry,” she muttered as she took a step back. “I was just leaving.”
Meghan pointed at the gymnasium. “You had better go fast,” she warned her. “They threatened to press charges if I hung around any longer. I forgot my purse and had to run back in, and the police are trying to get everyone out of the building now.”
The woman nodded. “Thanks.”
Meghan sa
w she appeared startled, and she offered the woman her elbow.
“I’ll walk with you,” Meghan offered. “Come on, I know the way out.”
The woman backed away into the shadows. “That’s okay,” she told Meghan. “Go on without me.”
Meghan started to protest, but she heard footsteps approaching, and she turned to run out of the hallway and into the cold night. She saw Trudy waving at her, but before she could make it over to her, she was stopped by a pair of armed police officers.
“What were you doing in the building?” the stout male officer questioned her. “We have been clearing the building for the last twenty minutes. What were you doing in there?”
Meghan produced the purse from beneath her coat. “My friend left her purse inside,” she explained, holding up the garish bag. “She needs her bag; it has all her inhaler, credit cards and checks in it. She needs her inhaler, Officer.”
“What’s in the bag?” the male officer asked impatiently. “Are there any weapons or drugs in there?”
“No!” Meghan squealed. “I mean, I don’t know exactly what she has in there, but I know Trudy, and I know she wouldn’t carry anything she shouldn’t.”
The tall redheaded female officer took the bag from Meghan and opened it, rifling through it before placing it on the ground. “It’s clean,” she told her companion. “You’re lucky there isn’t anything incriminating in there, Ma’am.”
“Trudy is a nice woman who just wanted her purse back,” Meghan stated firmly.
“You can’t just run back into a building like that,” the officer scolded Meghan. “What were you thinking?”
“I don’t know,” Meghan blinked. “I wanted to help my friend.”
The male officer studied Meghan’s face. “I’m going to take your name and information,” he told her. “Just in case.”
Meghan gave them her name, cell phone number, and address. “Wait,” the female officer stopped her. “Aren’t you Jack Irvin’s wife?”
“I am,” Meghan confirmed. “I’m Jack Irvin’s wife, Meghan.”