Sweet Masterpiece - The First Sweet’s Sweets Bakery Mystery

by Connie Shelton

Nine messages waited on Sam’s machine when she got home, with another five on her cell phone, which she’d left in the van all afternoon. Among them were Rupert (twice), Zoe, Ivan Petrenko, and a couple other friends. Even Kelly and Iris had heard the story on the news before Beau got the chance to call home and reassure his mother. Some zealous reporter had caught the police call on the scanner and was waiting with cameras rolling when Beau led Bart Killington into the county jail for booking.

  Exterior shots of the hospital at which “an unknown woman with a gunshot wound” was admitted were what prompted all the calls to Sam. Apparently Rupert, the only one who knew enough of the story to put it together, had gone a little off the deep end with worry and had begun calling around to see if Sam were with friends. When she wasn’t, they all assumed the worst. Zoe and Darryl had actually driven to the hospital, only to learn that the injured woman was someone else.

  Sam spent two hours returning calls and explaining before she finally decided enough was enough. She wanted a hot shower and a cup of tea.

  Beau showed up an hour later, bringing Kelly and Iris, and they sat down for pizza and beer. He told them that Carolyn’s injury was only serious enough to warrant one night’s hospital stay at county expense. She would be taken to jail the next day and booked for first degree murder, grand theft and a bunch more things.

  Bart had apparently jabbered away all afternoon, telling how Carolyn had begun gathering this plant that she told Bart was an herbal remedy for insomnia, which the older man had suffered for years. One of them would make him a cup of tea with it each evening. Bart claimed that he never made the connection between the plant and his uncle’s increasing illness.

  Sam remembered seeing books on botany on the shelves in Carolyn’s gallery, during her first visit in Mrs. Knightly mode. The woman knew exactly what she was doing.

  “We’ll see what the jury believes,” Beau said. “I have a feeling Carolyn is going to put a whole different spin on the story.”