“I am afraid that is a family secret. If I tell it out, I will be pissing on my mother’s grave.”
“And that secret we shall respect. As long as you keep on making pastries as tasty as these, then we shall never ask. Thank you for coming to The Cookout Show, it was an honor.
“The pleasure was all mine. Thank you for having us!” the McDougals responded in unison.
Chapter 4:
-The Truth About the cooking business-
Madeline was angered by her stepbrother to the point that she didn’t want him talking to her. She felt betrayed and for that reason, she didn’t have a damn reason to trust him any longer. How dare he?
“Look. It’s just business. You need to tell people what they wanted to hear.”
“You might be right Lewis… in business you tell people what they want to hear. But in cooking, you always tell people the truth. And that is why they stick with you even if you fail to meet their expectations. And that is how our mother managed to build a loyal customer base that has been supporting our family for years. I can’t believe you went in front of everyone and told them that we were opening a chain of eateries countrywide even after I warned you against doing it. Why are you always making things complicated?”
Lewis didn’t have a comeback for that. The bottom line was that he had screwed up. And the best thing that he could get to do at that moment was to ask for forgiveness. That was the only way for them ever to work together.
“I am sorry. It was just in the heat of things, and I didn’t know what to say.”
“And that was the same damn reason I asked you never to speak. All you needed to do was leave the logistics to me. Look, I may not have a degree in numbers as you do, but I have been working with people long enough to know that they appreciate honesty. Without honesty, we are nothing to these people!”
Lewis was glad that he was being scolded privately in the car and not outside otherwise it could have been embarrassing. The truth of the matter was that Madeline was having too much on her plate at the moment, and Lewis’ greed wasn’t doing anything to help her at the moment. This pressure was just too much for her to handle at that moment and she needed some intervention.
“Ok, I am sorry Madeline. What I did was a little stupid, and I promise I will never do it again. Heck, I will never accompany you to any of your fancy interviews. I will just pack my bags, and go back to the city, look for a dirty job and stuff like that.”
“Good. Maybe you should do that. Maybe that is good for mother’s business. I can’t work when you are around.”
If anyone who didn’t know the two would see them at that moment, then they would think that she was overreacting for no apparent reason. But she wasn’t. Madeline had grown with Lewis long enough to know just what he was capable of doing. And underestimating him wasn’t a good idea.
Lewis never wanted to start anything up. But in the end, he always wanted to take the credit for everything. The only reason that Madeline wanted him in the business was because of their late mother who always wanted her to take care of Lewis since he was a little bit reckless. And Madeline did such a wonderful job raising him.
Perhaps she thought that maybe it was a stage in life and that one day, Lewis was going to grow out of it and start acting like a man and handle all of his actions. But that wasn’t going to be the case. Things always got worse with the two of them to the point that they didn’t speak for almost a year.
That was until Madeline made that huge breakthrough that was just about the time when Lewis had graduated from accounting school and was just lazing around at home. It was Madeline’s stepfather that begged her to take him in.
Lewis was nothing like his stepfather. His stepfather was hardworking and did everything by the book. And that was why he and Madeline grew very close because they believed in working hard to achieve whatever it was that they had set their minds to do.
But this incident just proved to Madeline that she was wrong. Perhaps some of these things were just meant to stick with you no matter how hard you tried to change them. It seemed as though it was genetic. And if Lewis hadn’t changed until then, then there was absolutely no hope for him to do so.
“So, does this mean that we aren’t partners anymore?”
“Yes. That is what I am trying to say. And I am so sorry about that.”
“Really? You are going to let me go just because of a simple mistake like that? A mistake that I have already apologized for?”
“It’s not just about apologizing… It’s in your nature. I know pretty well that you will never come to a point where you will do anything for anyone… you know what? This conversation is over. Drop me here I will get a cab home.”
Lewis was a little bit reluctant. But he too knew a little something about his stepsister. And that was the fact that she never changed her mind once she had decided on going forward with anything. And just like that, their partnership that was barely a fortnight old took a tumble.
Chapter 5:
-Expanding the business-
Lewis got home and packed his bags and without telling anybody, left for town. He had some money stashed in an old sock, and he thought that was all he needed to have a head start. His father didn’t try to stop him since from one look at him he was able to know just what the heck was going on.
When Madeline got back home, she too didn’t want to speak to any person. She just went straight to her room and locked herself in it. She felt she needed to brush everything aside and start thinking about the bigger picture without his stepbrother. Lewis had all of the financial stuff figured out.
And now that he was gone, Madeline knew that it was most definitely going to strike them a blow. But it was a necessary loss. Any business that started with leeches always got dried up if not sooner, later. Despite all the emotions, Madeline was sure that she had made the right call, and there was absolutely no way of turning back from that.
***
Madeline always had this saying that her mother taught her back when she was a little girl. The dictum stated that there was always a good day that resulted from a good state of mind in the morning. And needless to say, that saying always worked out for her.
The following morning after the departure of Lewis, Madeline decided that she was going to put all of her problems aside and just get to focus on what was important to her – the pastries business. So she woke up earlier than usual and went straight to the bakery and started preparing for the day.
One queer thing about her was that she always worked on the pastries alone. There were two other nieces of hers who helped serve the customers and also made the tea. Nobody was allowed to her working quarters. That was how Madeline managed to keep it a secret to the point where she made it.
She took the huge plastic containers that her mother had been using years back and poured the flour inside. The smell of the flour always reminded her of her mother. And that morning she felt her presence and thrived in it.
And as she was preparing to make the pastries for the early birds of Tarpon Bay, the whole idea of how to control the damage that Lewis has caused. Thanks to the kind of publicity that she had been getting of late, she decided that going online and announcing that they will be getting to expand by strategically and not all at once was part of the plan. That seemed like a logical explanation that people would understand.
After about an hour, she finished making the dough and started making the pastries. Madeline could hear her little nieces chattering away in the other room as they prepared to step into the other side of the kitchen and started preparing tea for the customers.
It was about five in the morning when the door finally opened, and the customers started trickling in.
But this morning, it felt as though it was something totally different from what they were used to. Instead of a trickle, there was a flood of customers. At first, Madeline wasn’t aware of this until the pastries started going twice as fast as their usual rate, and she had to leave her secre
t kitchen to come and witness whatever the heck was going on.
“Hey fellows, here comes tarpon bay’s very own celebrity, give it up for Miss Madeline McDougal!” someone whose voice was very familiar shouted from amid the crowd right before everyone cheered.
Madeline stood stock still and wondered just what the heck was going on. The usual number of customers in the wee hours of the morning was close to about ten. But that number had just multiplied to an astounding one hundred. There weren’t enough seats in the restaurant, but that didn’t deter them from enjoying the pastries and some sweet tea.
“Come on aunty. Go on and talk to your people.” Mercy said with a beautiful smile spread across her cute face.
“Come on Mercy, stop making me feel as though I am some queen.” Madeline hissed at her niece jokingly below her breath right before she started walking towards the customers who were still giving her a round of applause. This feeling was just an amazing start for her. And now as she was walking and thanking each one of the customers, some familiar while some very new, Madeline knew that one thing was for sure – it was time to expand the business.
Chapter 6:
-A visit from unusual people-
The week that followed was too hectic for Madeline McDougal. She just couldn’t remember the last time she sat down and even got to taste her cooking. And that alone triggered the feeling of exhaustion. Thankfully, Madeline had been taught by her mother the tricks of how best to overcome exhaustion and so she was going such an incredible job in getting over it.
The daily orders had quadrupled in a week’s time, and the amount of income from the restaurant was more than she had ever imagined. If it were another person, then they would have increased the prices of the pastries. But not Madeline. She took advantage of that situation and made a point of reducing the prices.
That way, she figured that even those people who didn’t afford could get to taste the “pastries made with love” as they were now being referred to as.
But in as much as the business kept on skyrocketing, so did the demand for people who wanted to know what her secret was. Despite the fact that they knew they were to do all in their power to stay relevant and keep on making the best pastries, Madeline was starting to find the pressure overwhelming for her. And at one point, he almost considered giving up.
But after looking at how happy her nieces were working in the place, she decided that maybe it wasn’t a good idea for her to bear such thoughts. Madeline remembered just how hard her mother worked to keep her family as well as her small town happy with her cooking and how she never complained even for one second. And that was how she decided that she was going to stick to whatever it was that she was into in the first place.
Everything was going on well until some three weird looking individuals came into her restaurant. In her time as a business person, Madeline had seen all sorts of people. But these three, something just didn’t sit right with them. It seemed as though they weren’t there to fill up their bowls with her magic pastries.
It felt as though it was more than just that and needless to say, she needed to find out whatever the heck was going on.
Madeline just peeked through her secret window and watched them carefully. There was something disturbing about how the queer strangers dressed.
“No baby, give me the tray. I will go and serve those three strange men.”
And with that, she went ahead and served them with a smile on her face, as she had always done for years. The men didn’t smile back at her. But they stared at her as though they had a disliking of her. That was all that Madeline needed to know. They were not good people, and they were up to something.
Madeline always knew that with the increase in fame, people will always be trying to put her down. And needless to say, it was about time she stood for whatever she believed in and continued working as hard as she possibly could. But despite that, she still wasn’t settled at all. She kept on checking out the door after every couple of minutes.
The three queer men weren’t in a hurry. They took their time throwing glances all over the restaurant as though it was some precious item they were looking to steal. Wait… that might just be the thing that they were looking to steal! The secret ingredient! And with that, Madeline made a point of going to the kitchen cupboard and opening it. She sighed with relief when she saw that the bottle was still there. She quickly put it back and locked the little door.
But when she sat back in her seat and peeked outside her little spy window, the men were gone. They didn’t even bother finishing their pastries. That was also another thing that was very strange about these men. Nobody ever came into her place and failed to finish the pastries. And even if they did, they always asked for their leftover pastries to be wrapped up so that they could carry it away.
Why were these men there? What were they looking to steal? Who sent them?
Those were the kinds of questions that Madeline always hated asking herself since she knew jolly too well that she couldn’t get the answers no matter how hard she tried to. If she wanted to get the answers, then it would have been a good idea to ask them. But then again, she might just be a little paranoid.
Nobody prepared Madeline for the kind of fame and attention that she was getting. So she decided to keep her suspicions to herself and continue with the daily activities. It was close to five in the afternoon, and she had to make some more pastries for her evening wave of customers before calling it a day.
The hours did drag very slowly. Madeline associated that feeling with the fact that maybe it was the unrest that the very strange men had caused her to have. She hated that feeling altogether and for that reason, she opted just to kick back and pretty much just let it all go. But her stepfather saw that she was bothered and came over to have a few words.
“Hello, Edward. You look concerned. What have I done this time round?” Madeline asked with a smile on her face.
“It’s you… you seem very worried. And the fact that you are faking a smile so that you can divert my attention just made my suspicion worsen. Is everything ok?”
The problem with Edward was that he knew Madeline so well. And the fact that he thought something was bothering her meant that something was making her unsettled. In short, lying to him was always going to be futile. So she gave out a long, tired breath before opening up. It was about time someone shared in the encumbrances that she was carrying.
Life had suddenly taken a turn to a totally different world and she needed some assistance. Thankfully, Edward was there always to take care of her and for that, Madeline was eternally grateful. Her stepdad was just the best!
Chapter 7:
-Picking up the pieces-
It was about three in the morning when Madeline was woken up with some noise coming from the restaurant. Ever since the weird customers, it had become a little bit difficult for her to sleep since she was all worried that those men were up to no good. And so when she heard the unusual noises emanating from the restaurant, Madeline was up.
Her heart was beating a hundred miles a minute and she broke into sweat almost immediately. Something was going wrong, and she needed to find out right before things went south and fast. Thankfully, she had relocated the secret recipe to somewhere much safer, and she was confident that nobody would ever lay hands on it.
Those were the kinds of moments that Madeline wished she had a husband just to send out to check out whatever the heck was going on. Shaking, she picked up her mobile phone that was beside her and quickly dialed it as fast as she possibly could.
She quickly dialed Edwards’s number and waited for it to dial. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Edward picked up the phone. He was sounding a little bit sleepy in as much as he was trying not to. Madeline quickly cleared her voice and started whispering in the phone.
“Hey, is everything ok up there? Speak up dear I’m afraid I can’t hear you when you talk in such low tones.”
Madeline looked around once more. It w
as as though she was sure that the three men had made their way into the house and were eavesdropping for any signs of life before breaking in.
“I can’t normally talk right now. Edward, I think there are some people out there who are looking to break in. I need someone to check the restaurant, please!” Madeline hissed once again.
“I’m sorry dear. I still can’t hear you. Can you text me?”
Madeline’s heart almost sunk. It felt as though she had been left alone in a cold world and was about to get lynched. She quickly looked around the house for any sorts or clues that she could use to defend herself when worse came to worst. But the only thing that she saw was nothing but a stupid broom that she had brought into the room earlier on in her failed attempt to squash a wasp.
She almost got stung, and she jumped the hell away, forgetting about the broom altogether. Now that broom was her only hope for survival in case these intruders got into the room. So Madeline carefully got out of bed and started tiptoeing towards the broom. And once she got it, she started walking across the cold and dark room towards the door.
Her hands tightened firmly against the wooden handle of the broom and after taking a deep breath, she wound the key and unlocked the door into the cold, empty hallway.
The house was unusually quiet for a moment; Madeline thought that it was such a bad idea to get out of her room in the first place. And it was that thought that almost made her give up her quest and just go back into the room but then she remembered that it was her restaurant and that she had every right to protect it.
With every step, Madeline took towards the main door that led directly to the back of the restaurant, the more she kept on thinking that it was such a bad idea for her to go there alone. She thought it would have been a great idea to text Edward and tell him whatever the heck was happening. But she didn’t. For a moment, she felt that it was her responsibility.
MYSTERY: COZY MYSTERY: WOMEN SLEUTHS: Madeline's Secret Recipe Series (Cozy Humor Kitchen Detective Mystery) (Suspense Sweet Cove Short Story Culinary Comedy) Page 2