by C A Phipps
They were barely three feet from each other in an awkward triangle and Mickey’s almost black eyes narrowed.
“My nephew is doing his penance and that’s all I’m prepared to say about him. I wonder if I might have a private word with Maddie?” His voice ran the vocal range of stiffness to slippery smooth.
The last thing she wanted was to be alone with him. “You can say whatever you like in front of the Sheriff, Mr. Findlay.”
For a moment he gave her a cold, hard glare, then glanced at Ethan and his demeanor changed once more. He was like a chameleon, but she could see that Ethan wasn’t fooled.
“I’m sure our busy Sheriff isn’t interest in my proposal and it’s a shame that neither are you, since it would be to your benefit.”
He was toying with her, and suddenly Maddie lost the fight with her temper. “Do you know where Big Red is?”
It was almost a shout, and Mickey took a step back. She had surprised not only him, but made herself jump at the outburst.
“Who, or what, is Big Red?”
Even he wasn’t a good enough actor to manufacture puzzlement on that scale. She took a deep breath.
“My cat is missing along with many other animals. You must have heard about it?”
He made a rude sound. “I have no idea about any cats going missing. This was purely a business opportunity.”
Maddie threw her arms out wide. “I’ve got about all I can handle here, thank you.”
He gave her another hard stare, but she didn’t flinch.
Straightening his cuffs, he smiled. “Well, I can see you’ve made up your mind, so I won’t keep you from your business. Have good day.”
They waited until he’d gone, then they both began to talk.
“Don’t ever be alone with him.”
“What do you think he wants?”
Ethan put up his hand. “Did you hear me? Do not get into any discussions with him outside of this shop.”
“I don’t take kindly to being ordered around, Sheriff. Besides, isn’t he innocent of any crimes that we know of?” She knew she was pushing him, but seemed unable to stop.
“I’m not ordering you around.” He ignored her disbelieving look. “You know I think he’s as dangerous as you do. Proving it is not as easy. He’s a slippery devil.”
Maddie tapped her thigh as an idea hit her. “You don’t suppose it has something to do with the election?”
“How do you mean?”
“I assume, since he is friends with Laura’s parents that he would have endorsed her instead of Maude Oliver to try to get his ideas across with little opposition. When Laura refused to stand he decided to put his hand up. Right?”
“I guess that’s how it happened.”
“He had no choice, in the time frame to come up with a different option. Maude wouldn’t have been a push over. Mickey would know that.”
“What does that have to do with you and a business opportunity?”
Her mind was whirring with reasons for Mickey to involve her in any business dealings. “I hear there’s a party on Friday night at the Country Club, to start things off for the election. You know a meet and greet thing? I’m wondering if he wanted me to cater it. Or, he could be after a donation?”
“Maybe, and you wouldn’t want to do either?”
Her fingers tapped on her thigh once more. “Not for all the tea in China. Maude and her friends were particularly rude to me at the last spring festival, and after. I can’t prove it but I suspect that they were instrumental in spreading the word that my apple pie was what poisoned Denise.” Her eyes widened. “Imagine if they actually had to eat my food?”
He smiled at the idea.
“As for a donation, I’d sooner have anyone as Mayor before Mickey. Even, as much as it pains me, Maude Oliver.”
“I can understand that, what with having been stalked by Mickey’s nephew. But, getting back to steering clear of him. If he comes back to talk you, please make sure he doesn’t corner you alone.”
Maddie shuddered as she remembered how Ralph Willis had tied her up and threatened her. That blood line was decidedly tainted in her mind. “I’ll do my best. Speaking of unwanted visits—Laura’s already in panic mode with her parents about to descend. Just having them in town is enough to give her hives.”
“I know. The last time they were here she was a mess. Standing in front of a group had her stuttering, and the parents were merciless in berating her afterwards. Say, where is she?”
“She had to go to the airport and pick them up.”
“Ahhh. Poor Laura. I hope she’ll be okay.”
“She has all of us in her corner. If her parents treat her badly again, Gran will be on their case.”
Ethan laughed at the idea, and suddenly they weren’t battling anymore. Maddie felt a surge of relief. Not finding Big Red was turning her into a Jekyll and Hyde. One moment she was sad and the next furious and she couldn’t say what would set her off either way.
Ethan was leaving, when Luke arrived back from delivering a birthday cake and regarded Ethan warily.
“Everything okay?” Ethan asked.
“Yes, sir.”
Ethan’s mouth twitched. “See you around then.”
“S-s-sure.”
Maddie saw him to the shop door, where she shrugged. “I guess the law can be a little daunting for a teenager,” she said quietly.
He grinned. “Because I’m so scary?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” She grinned back.
Ethan was still laughing as he walked down Maple Lane to his car.
Chapter Eighteen
Gran stayed longer that afternoon, so Maddie could take time off to run errands, as Laura was busy with her parents all day.
Spending a few hours in Destiny, Maddie visited the newspaper office, getting proper copies of every article where an animal was reported missing. This gave her concrete dates and names to contact. She wanted to know when and why some people stopped looking for their pets.
It was closing time when she’d finished, and when she got back to Maple Falls she was too tired to think about cooking. She stopped by the diner, deciding to pick up one of Isaac Carter’s delicious chicken casseroles for dinner. She had just ordered and was waiting for her meal, sipping a glass of water, when Angel walked in.
Maddie sighed at how amazing her friend still looked at the end of the day. Several pairs of eyes swiveled towards the door, joining in her unspoken appreciation. New makeup and a haircut for herself would be a top priority, if she didn’t invest every spare minute when she wasn’t at work searching for Big Red. She bit back a laugh. Who was she kidding? There was no way she could compete with Angel, and she didn’t want to. Angel was, and deserved to be, special.
Despite the unpleasant childhood and awful marriage, or perhaps because of them, Angel had worked her butt off to open her salon and make it a success. She was always upbeat and encouraging, therefore, her shortened name of Angel had little to do with the way she looked, but was all the more appropriate.
Angel was surprised to see her sitting in the booth closest to the counter.
“Maddie? What are you doing here? I called in to see you this afternoon, but you’d gone to Destiny.”
“If you have time, I’d like to tell you all about it.” Maddie pointed to the seat next to hers and Angel didn’t hesitate. Maddie lowered her voice, since the diner had plenty of customers, and told her what she’d been up to.
“This is good information. Are you sharing it with Ethan?”
“I will after I’ve collated it. I already told him what I’d read online, but I think having these random acts in some sort of order, chronological and otherwise, might make things a whole lot clearer and therefore more important. I hope.”
“Show me when you’re done?”
“Naturally. I’ll work on it tonight.”
“Wow, you’re having a busy day.”
“Which is good, because it keeps my mind occupied, and is why I’m tr
eating myself to one of Isaac’s meals.”
Angel gave a sly grin. “I do it all the time. Saves me from my own bad cooking and washing burnt pots. Although, I’ve a had a few soup and scone nights.”
Maddie laughed, because Angel wasn’t joking on the burnt pan front. Most of the whole town knew of her problem, because she was constantly having to buy new ones.
“Good for you. What are you up to this weekend?”
“The usual. Saturday starts with an early yoga class at the park with Noah, followed by a session of Pilates. Then I’ve got a full day at the Salon.”
Maddie knew for a fact that Angel would walk to the local park for the first and then on to Noah’s fitness studio for the second. The Park was opposite the bakery, but Noah’s studio was at least a mile away. Maddie felt exhausted just thinking about that, let alone a full day on her feet.
“Sounds like a long, tiring day.”
“I sure will be glad by the time I get home to put my feet up. But I don’t think it’s any more than you do on a weekday. I see your light on in the bakery kitchen when I get up and I bet you’ve already done a couple of hours work by then?”
Maddie hadn’t thought about how long she worked each day. She’d being doing it for years, since she was an intern. The idea that this meant she was a real baker, because it had become second nature, made her oddly happy. Not that she didn’t get tired, but she was often in bed and asleep by nine so it evened out.
She smiled. “I guess you’re right, but I wouldn’t have the energy to do those classes, regardless.”
Angel grinned. “You get used to it, and it wouldn’t hurt for you to have some fun that didn’t revolve around cooking. Anyway, I could go out looking for Big Red after work, if you had a specific place that needed it?”
It was typical of Angel to offer help in any spare time she had, but she’d done so much already.
“No need. I think the town has been saturated with flyers, as long as they haven’t been defaced again. But, talking about having fun, I was thinking about going to the Country Club this weekend. They’re having some sort of meet and greet for the Mayoral race. It’s invitation only though, so I need to speak to Laura about getting tickets.”
Angel’s mouth pursed for a moment. “What on earth for? You hate that kind of thing.”
“I do, but they’re the only untapped group of people who haven’t been contacted about the missing animals. I want to know if any of them have lost pets other than Maude Oliver, and if so, have they received ransom notes?”
“Hmmm. I see your point. I’m sure Laura could help. She’s bound to have to go if her parents are here.”
“It must be awful to have had to do things that make her feel so uncomfortable. I wish her parents were kinder to her.”
“Me too, but I am so happy that you and Laura are becoming good friends.” Angel smiled.
“We already are. She’s so focused and funny in her own way. I think she’s going to be a great baker too.”
“Listening to her talk about how much she’s loving it, and bearing in mind she’s learning from the best, I don’t doubt it. Getting back to this party–if you manage to get tickets, I’m not sure what the dress code is. In fact, I’ve never stepped foot inside the Country Club. I hope they aren’t rude to us.”
Maddie raised an eyebrow. “Us?”
“Of course ‘us’. We’re a team aren’t we? You do know that Suzy’s going?”
“No way.”
“Way. She was in the salon yesterday, getting a cut, wondering if she could get out of it. This thing is so last minute and I think her invite’s due to being on the town council, but as she’s is the principal of our only school, that probably played a part in it. I wonder if Mickey thought she could get Suzy to do some work for his campaign. A person that’s loved and respected like Suzy would have some sway.”
Isaac placed her food on the counter. “Is that all, Maddie?”
She stood and put her money beside the take-out container. “Yes, thanks.”
He frowned at Angel, as if he didn’t recognize her.
“I assume you aren’t in here buying anything?” He shook his head before she could answer and turned to Maddie. “I don’t think Angel has bought a single thing from me since your bakery opened.”
Angel looked injured. “I don’t think that’s true, Isaac. I usually get something every day.”
“Tell me what the last thing was you bought here? I haven’t seen you for more than a week.”
“Oh. I . . . Actually I can’t remember,” she answered guiltily.
Isaac folded his arms, but his eyes twinkled.
Maddie saw it, and although she knew he was teasing, but a small part of her hoped it wasn’t true. It wouldn’t be fair. Isaac’s food was wonderful and in a small town everyone deserved to have customers.
“If that’s the case, then I’m sorry. I guess it’s because Angel and I are neighbors.”
“As opposed to being best friends? Or that you bake better than I ever could?”
Both women shifted awkwardly until he gave a big belly laugh.
“Maybe you could come by a little more often to make up for it, even if you don’t buy a thing, since you do attract customers. Actually that goes for both of you.”
“What do you mean?” Maddie frowned.
“Every time you come in my takings go up, and it’s not that you buy a lot. I’m thinking the other customers see you here, and decide that if you can stand my food then it can’t be the worst thing in the world for them to eat it too. And, every man in town wants to be where Angel is.”
Maddie and Angel laughed along with him, although both were embarrassed.
“I’ll have what she’s having.” Angel pointed to the container.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said.
“Actually, I do, since I came in to get my supper before I knew Maddie was here.”
The tips of his ears turned pink. “Touché, and well played.”
Maddie picked up her food, and smiled at him. “I will stop by more often, and perhaps we could look at ways to promote each other in the future.”
“I already do. When someone questions whether my apple pie is as good as yours or Grans, I tell them ‘no, it’s not’.”
Maddie gasped. “You don’t!”
“I do. No point in spinning a lie. Everybody will know it sooner or later. I figure it’s a little bit of goodwill that you’ve already paid in advance.”
Maddie snorted. “Without knowing. I’ll be more deliberate about it from now on.”
“And I’ll spread my food requirements between the two of you. Except for coffee. You can’t compete with Laura.” Angel shrugged.
He pulled a comical face. “Don’t remind me. If I’d known about her talents I would have snapped her up before Maddie had a chance.”
“Lucky for me you didn’t. I don’t think I’d be doing as well without her.”
Angel gave a knowing smile. “Things have a way of working out. Look at my new employee. If Maddie had hired her instead of Luke, I would be a wreck.”
They tried to argue the fact that she could ever look like a wreck, but Angel, used to comments like this, refused to listen.
“You know we should all have flyers up in each other’s windows promoting our stores. Have you seen the ones Maddie and I did about Big Red?”
“Yes, and I was impressed.”
“Why don’t we make up some for all of us?”
“Sounds good. Have you had any reaction to yours?” he nodded to his window where a picture of Big Red was visible to anyone entering the diner.
“Not a word. But they are everywhere, and we’re doing other things, thanks to my team.”
“You have a team?”
“Sure do. The usual ones - Angel, Suzy, Laura, and Gran.”
“Ahhh. The Girlz are back in action then?”
Maddie laughed. “Gran’s just an honorary member and Laura is new to it, but yes, that’s u
s.”
“You could do a lot worse. That team will get you into every place in town including the Country Club.” He winked.
She frowned. “You heard?”
“I have flappy ears, so I’m not gonna lie to you about that either. With Laura’s parents being friends of Mickey Findlay, it makes perfect sense she would get an invite.”
“The problem is I know she won’t want to go.”
“You’ll persuade her. I hear tell she thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread.”
Maddie was already thinking of a way to ask Laura, because she’d bet a batch of chocolate croissants that it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.
Chapter Nineteen
Thursday morning arrived, with no further clues to Big Red’s whereabouts. When Maddie finished her usual prep work she got out the ingredients for bagels. After some success, and with a little more practice she was feeling close to being ready to sell them. Laura and Luke seemed to be enjoying the challenge too.
Arriving at the same time, they had their aprons on and were checking the large whiteboard Maddie had recently put up outside her small office. It was easier to refer to than the paper schedules she had initially made. It outlined what they were to bake that day and each item was assigned to one of them.
Naturally, she had the hardest tasks and the most since she was a lot faster, but she knew that having a job designated would lead to everyone doing their very best. After they had completed their necessary work, there was time to practice other things. Which was the only way to perfect this craft.
“Bagels? Cool.” Luke tapped the board.
Laura saw it a second later. “Yay! I really enjoyed mine the other night. I think they’ll do well when we start to sell them.”
“I hope so, and we are a team now. If either of you have ideas, I’m only too happy to listen and go along with you, if and when I can.”
They looked happy to hear this and later they made two batches of bagels in between stocking the shelves with the other goods they baked and serving. Eager to try them once they had cooled, Laura and Luke pronounced them perfect. Maddie knew they weren’t, but they were darn close. These would be in the charity box that went out this afternoon.