Sweet Ginger Poison glm-1

by Robert Burton Robinson

  She walked into the kitchen and saw Cash organizing an array of ingredients on the counter. His brand new ovens were preheating.

  Up until now, the only food items Cash sold were donuts: glazed, powered, filled, twisted, puffed, rolled—every imaginable type. He dominated the donut market in Coreyville. Now he wanted to branch out. He wanted a business like Ginger Lightley’s. People came from all over, just to purchase her famous baked money-makers.

  But he would go further than Ginger had. She refused to pursue an internet business. Cash figured she was just too old to understand the opportunities—the fortune to be made through online sales. He wouldn’t be so foolish. His new cakes would one day be even more famous than Ginger’s.

  “Everybody’s gone and we’re all locked up,” said Silvy.

  “Check out these jumbo muffin pans,” said Cash. “Wait until people get a taste of my new Cash and Carry Cupcakes.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better to call them muffins? Cupcakes are usually kinda small.”

  “No. I’m calling them cupcakes because it goes better with Cash and Carry. Besides, a lot of restaurants sell muffins. I’m gonna offer people a new vision of what a cupcake can be.”

  “Big?”

  “Yeah—and amazingly delicious. But I need to come up with a cool name for each flavor—like Ginger Lightley does. She’s got the Carrot Orange Blossom, the Pineapple Doozie, the Veggie Lightley, and names like that.”

  “And don’t forget the Sweet Ginger Cake.”

  “Yeah. I should have a cupcake with myname on it. Like…the CashCake or something.”

  “What kind of flavor would that be? Would it taste like money?”

  “Very funny. I don’t know yet. I’ll think of something.”

  Silvy slithered in between Cash and the counter and looked up at him with her ultra-seductive eyes. “I’d like to taste yourflavor right now, Baby.”

  Normally, this would have been enough to make the ambitious entrepreneur forget all about work. But not tonight. He stepped to the side, picked up the black book and began to thumb through it.

  “I can’t believe you’re already using it,” said Silvy.

  “Why shouldn’t I?”

  “Because he just died this morning.”

  “That wasn’t my fault,” said Cash, flipping another page.

  “Don’t you feel bad that you didn’t even payhim for it?”

  “I wouldhave—if he had lived long enough.” He set the book down, opened, and checked the items on the counter against the recipe. “Good. I’ve got everything I need. Might as well get started.”

  Silvy wondered why Cash couldn’t have just created his ownrecipes instead of stealing them. But she knew the answer: Cash had a dull sense of taste. He did know a good donut when he tasted it. But beyond dough and icing, he was lost.

  “I’ve got some bad news,” said Silvy.

  “What’s that?”

  “A couple of cops came in just before closing.”

  “Cops love their coffee and donuts, don’t they? It’s a stereotype—but it’s true.”

  “Yeah.” She just stood there waiting for him to take her seriously.

  Cash stopped what he was doing and looked at her. “What?”

  “Navy was murdered.”

  “Murdered? I though he just tripped and busted his head open.”

  “They did an autopsy. He was poisoned.”

  “Well, I had nothing to do with it. Why is it bad news for me?”

  “Because apparently the poison was in something he ate or drank this morning. And I remember you coming out of your office to get him a cup of coffee.”

  “Well, yeah. But I sure didn’t put anything in it. They can test the cup and see for themselves.”

  “Yes, that’s right. They can test the Cash and Carry coffee cup.”

  “Oh, I get what you’re saying. The police are going to wonder what time he came by here.”

  “And Ginger Lightley’s probably already reported that her recipe book was stolen.”

  “But they have no proof of anything.” His tense face began to relax. “Navy’s dead. And the only other people who knew about the book were you and me.”

  “Right.”

  “You didn’t tell anybody, did you?”

  She stepped in close and wrapped her arms around him and looked up into his eyes, smiling. “Of course not. You know you can trust me, Baby.” She reached up and pulled his head down to her and began to give him a long, steamy kiss.

  Chapter 13

  Ginger was sitting in the living room in her robe with the Saturday edition of the Coreyville Courier in one hand and a pencil in the other. It was nearly her bedtime, but she was determined to get the crossword puzzle finished. In tomorrow’s paper there would be another one, and she hated to fall behind.

  She glanced up at the TV occasionally, when a story caught her interest. But Channel 7 News made no mention of Navy. When the sports segment came on, she clicked the remote to turn off the TV.

  She stood up and was about to turn off the lamp and go to her bedroom when she heard a faint tapping sound. Then she realized someone was at the front door.

  Ginger tiptoed over to the door and looked through the peephole. Who could it be at this hour? It was Lacey, bundled up in a furry hooded coat. Ginger opened the door.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Lightley. I hate to bother you so late.”

  “Don’t be silly, Lacey. Come on in here and get out of the cold.”

  Lacey stepped inside and Ginger closed the door.

  “Here, let me take your coat.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’m not staying long.”

  “Well, okay. Have a seat.”

  Lacey sat down on the couch.

  Ginger sat in her chair.

  “And quit calling me Mrs. Lightley,” said Ginger, in a harsher tone than she had intended. She smiled and spoke gently. “Please. My friends call me Ginger.”

  “So…we’re friends?”

  “Of course,” said Ginger. “Now what can I do for you?”

  “Well, I’m worried about what the police chief said.”

  “You shouldbe. It was obvious that you were lying.”

  “So, you knew? I was afraid of that. I guess the chief could tell too.”

  “Probably. Although I didn’t share my feelings with him.”

  Lacey looked surprise. “You didn’t?”

  “No. And he didn’t tell me what he was thinking either. I didn’t say anything because I don’t believe for one second that you’re capable of killing somebody—even Navy. I mean, I know you had strong feelings for him. Sometimes I wasn’t sure whether you loved him or hated him. But clearly, you weren’t overhim.”

  “I didn’t realize I was so transparent.”

  “Honey, it’s written all over your face. You’re so easy to read.”

  Lacey blushed and lowered her head.

  “So, what’s the deal with the panties?” said Ginger, without emotion.

  Lacey jerked as if she’d accidentally touched a hot stove. “They’re mine.”

  “I was pretty sure they belonged to you.”

  “Why?”

  “I overheard you talking to a young woman in the bakery one day. You were on a break and the two of you were looking through a catalog. You thought they were sexy, and your friend was encouraging you to buy them.”

  “I can’t believe you heard us. But anybody with that catalog could have bought those panties.”

  “I know. It was just a theory—until I saw the look on your face tonight when the chief mentioned them. That gave it away.”

  “But it’s not what you’re thinking.”

  “How do you know? I haven’t told you what I’m thinking.”

  “You’re thinking I had sex with Navy in his car.”

  “Well, let’s not worry so much about what I . The important thing is what the policethink,” said Ginger. “Let me play devil’s advocate for a minute. You could have seduced Navy into h
aving sex with you, and then left the panties under his car seat, hoping Kayla would find them. Then perhaps she would confront him, they’d fight over it, and she would leave him. Then he would come back to you.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Then why wereyour panties in his car?”

  Lacey took a deep breath. “Okay. What you said is half . I did put the panties in his car.” She quickly added, “But I didn’t have sex with him.”

  “When did you put them in the car?”

  “This morning. While Navy was in the kitchen picking up the three-day-olds, I went out for a smoke.”

  “Addie mentioned that. She was upset that you took a break when she had asked you to check out front to see if there were any more cakes that needed to go.”

  “Yeah, I felt bad about that. But I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to do it today. Navy always kept his car locked at night. And he had a car alarm. But he never locked it when he made a quickstop—for example, at a convenience store. So, I knew it would be unlocked.”

  “You put them under his car seat to make Kayla jealous.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that makes you look kinda desperate—but it doesn’t make you look like a killer. So, you need to go tell the police your story.”

  “But there’s one problem,” said Lacey.

  “What?”

  “The Epi-Pen.”

  Ginger’s heart sank. “Please tell me you didn’t take it out of his car.”

  “I didn’t. I promise. But the police are not going to believe me.”

  “Why not? They’ll check for fingerprints and they’ll find yours on the door and maybe on the seat—but not on the glove box. Right?”

  Lacey sighed. “That’s the problem. I didtouch the glove box. My fingerprints might even be on the insideof it.”

  “Oh, no, Honey. You opened it? Why did you do that?”

  “Because I had planned to put the panties in there. Then I realized that Navy might find them before Kayla did. But I knew that he never looks under the seats. When we were together, I always cleaned out the car for him. He didn’t the trust ‘the car wash bozos.’ He preferred doing it himself—at least the outside. Cleaning the interior was woman’s work, he used to say. So, I figured Kayla would be cleaning out the car one day and find them under the seat.”

  “Then she would suspect him of cheating on her—“

  “—and hopefully think the panties were mine since they had the words ‘Unlace Me’ on them.”

  “Oh, Lacey. This is not good.”

  “I know.”

  “The thing with the panties is bad enough. But you knew which coffee cake was Navy’s favorite. And you could have injected fish oil into the cake early this morning when you first got to work. When Addie went out to check to see if there were any other three-day-old cakes, she found one or two. I wonder if either of them was a Sweet Ginger Cake.”

  “But I didn’t do that.”

  “I know. But think about how it looks. You knew the cake would seem extra moist, but it wouldn’t taste funny, because purified fish oil doesn’t have a smell or taste. And if anyone else ate the cake they wouldn’t be harmed. It would only hurt Navy, because of his allergy.”

  “But, Ginger—”

  “—and the only other thing you had to do was remove the Epi-Pen from his glove box. And that glove box door has your fingerprints on it.”

  “Are you going to tell the police about all this?”

  Ginger studied Lacey’s face. She looked fragile, like a young child.

  “No,” said Ginger. “Not until I absolutely have to.”

  Lacey smiled. “Thanks, Ginger.”

  “But I hope you know that we may both end up in jail.”

  “Oh, no. I don’t want you to go to jail for me. Maybe I should go turn myself in right now.”

  “No. I’m sorry, Honey, I shouldn’t have said that. I was just kidding. I’ll protect myself. If they put me under oath, I’ll tell the truth. In the meantime I’ll try to be legally…evasive.” Ginger wondered if there was such a thing. “So, just go home and try to get some rest. And enjoy your day off tomorrow.”

  Lacey and Ginger stood up.

  “Oh,” said Lacey, “there’s one other thing. I think it may have been a mistake to put my grandmother’s house up for sale.”

  “Really? Well, maybe you should quit referring to it as your grandmother’shouse. She left it to you because she wanted you to have it. It’s yourhouse. And you can do whatever you want with it.” Lacey had told Ginger that her grandmother had left everything to Lacey when she died. But it was only the house and a few thousand dollars. The money had been just enough to pay for the funeral.

  “I know. But you were nice enough to set me up with your realtor friend. So, I hate to back out. She’s already spent a couple of weeks trying to sell it.”

  “Don’t worry about that, Lacey. Just give her a call. She’ll understand.”

  “Okay. I’ll call her. I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it—that I’d see my grandmother in every room. I’d just start crying all over again. But now I wantto see her there. I want to remember the good times we had in that house.”

  Ginger smiled. “I understand, Honey. Then do it. Call Peggy tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  Ginger followed Lacey to the front door.

  Lacey turned back around. “I’m sorry, but there’s one other thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, it’s kinda bad. But it’s not what it looks like.”

  Ginger braced for the worst.

  Lacey reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a pistol.

  Ginger jumped back. “What are you doing?”

  Lacey was holding the gun as though she was planning to shoot it. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She repositioned her grip to the tip of the handle, letting the gun dangle between her thumb and index finger. “I need to get rid of this thing.”

  “Lacey.” Ginger was afraid to ask. “You didn’t…shootanybody, did you?”

  “No, no—of course not. It’s not even my gun. It’s Danny’s.”

  “Danny’s?”

  “Yes. I don’t know where or why he got it, but I don’t want it in my apartment. What can I do with it? I can’t just throw it in the trash. And I sure don’t want to turn it in to the police.”

  “No, you surely don’t.” Ginger inched her way closer. “Let me take it.” She reached out and carefully took the gun from Lacey.

  “What are you going to do with it?”

  “I’ll figure out something. But you can’t tell anybody you gave it to me.”

  “I won’t. Don’t worry.”

  But Ginger wasworried. A few minutes earlier she had joked about going to jail with Lacey. Now it didn’t seem so funny.

  Chapter 14

  The auditorium of Corey Acres Baptist Church was packed on this cool, crisp Sunday morning. Ginger hadn’t seen some of these faces in church since last Easter. Their little town had been sobered by the murder of Navy Newcomb, making it a little harder to sleep in on the Lord’s Day.

  Ginger was sitting in her usual spot next to the other three Domino Girls. They always made a point of getting into the auditorium right after Sunday School to secure their section of pew number seven, left side—next to the center aisle. The seating order had been established years ago: Ginger on the aisle, then Jane, Ethel, and Barb.

  Sometimes it was all Ginger and Ethel could do to keep Jane’s loud mouth in check. Jane had never mastered the art of whispering. She apparently had been sick the week they taught it in elementary school.

  Elijah stepped to the podium to deliver his sermon. Ginger thought he looked very handsome in his Oyster poplin suit. She could remember when such attire would have been considered almost blasphemous. Those were the days when the deacons expected to see their pastor in a dark suit every Sunday morning.

  Times had changed. And Ginger was all for it. But maybe her feelings were more about th
e man than the suit.

  She opened her Bible to the fifth chapter of Matthew. Elijah had been preaching a series of messages based on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This morning he read a short passage, beginning at Verse 21.

  “Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.”

  Elijah looked up and paused, as his words continued to reverberate throughout the auditorium.

  Ginger sensed that everyone was thinking about Navy’s killer. Was it possible that he was sitting in this very auditorium? People seemed to be eyeing each other, considering anyone and everyone. Some had a smug look on their faces, as though they were thinking: the judgmentmeans you’re gonna burn, Buddy.

  Elijah went on.

  “But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”

  Ouch. Suddenly everyone in the congregation seemed to realize that the sermon was about them. In God’s eyes, they were no better than the killer. They could rationalize their anger—convincing themselves that it was with just cause. But was it?

  Ginger marveled at how quickly Elijah had changed the people’s focus from hate toward the vicious murderer—whoever he was—to dealing with their own demons. Nowthey were ready to hear the sermon.

  Off the top of her head, Ginger couldn’t think of anybody she was angry with. Not that she thought she was perfect. She had just learned not to hold a grudge. It wasn’t worth it. She’d found that when she did, she was only hurting herself.

  **********

  Ginger and company praised Elijah for his powerful message as they shook his hand and hurried out the door to Barb’s car. It was important to make it to Luby’s before the line got too long.

  Barb always insisted on driving since she had the biggest car. Her old Cadillac was in pristine condition. Parking was sometimes an issue. But the thing sailed down the road like a battleship. It was almost like riding in a limo.

  “Great sermon, huh?” said Jane from the back seat.

  The others agreed.

  Ginger was in the front with Barb. Was it just her imagination, or did it seem like Elijah wanted to ask her something as they were going through the handshake line? Surely he didn’t want to have lunch with her—not that she wouldn’t be interested. Or would she?