Carly did mind, just a little. It bothered her that Tucker had any sort of feelings for Tina, though she reminded herself that since she and Tucker were just friends, he could certainly have feelings for anyone that he wanted to have feelings for. Biting back her jealousy, Carly replied, “That’s fine. You can hang out here as long as you like. I’m just going to help Shell get everything ready for closing this evening, and then I’m going home and having a long soak in the bath.” She regretted saying it as soon as it left her lips, but Tucker just smiled vaguely, and Shell just giggled at her verbal faux pas.
For an uncomfortable hour, the three of them tried to make small talk, ate too many of Shell’s latest weekly special (petit fours,) and enjoyed more coffee, courtesy of Pete. Tucker had just checked his phone for the time for what seemed like the millionth time when Carly’s phone rang, punctuating the tense air with its vibrant trill.
Answering quickly, Carly found herself nodding, emitting an occasional “uh-huh,” and ending the conversation with an “okay, thanks.” She seemed shocked when she ended the call. “That was Brandon,” she explained. “They’ve arrested somebody for Larry’s murder.”
Tucker stood up, and Shell came to attention. “Who?” they both asked simultaneously.
“Tina Nicholls. Brandon says they’ve arrested her on suspicion of murder, and she’ll be held at the police station until they can prove or disprove otherwise.”
Tucker looked shocked, but Shell just shook her head. “Well, I guess she won’t be needing that ride, now. Why don’t we just call it a day,” she suggested, pulling the shade in the window and flipping her sign to CLOSED. “I think we’ve all had just about enough drama for one day.”
Neither Tucker nor Carly could argue with that, and the three of them looked pretty worn down as they left the cheerful little bakery on Main Street to go home and process all that had happened that day.
Chapter 11
Carly couldn’t sleep well that night, but she thought it was understandable, given the circumstances. Even when she finally managed to put the gruesome image of Larry Gaston’s lifeless body out of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder if Tina was really the man’s killer. Something just nagged at her, playing at her mind so that she couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t believe that Tina had stood and talked to her, practically begging Carly to arrange for a meeting with Larry, if she’d just murdered him the night before.
Of course, she reckoned that there was always the possibility that Tina was the quiet kind of crazy, the kind that snapped and went postal, then calmly went about her business as though nothing had ever happened, but Carly just didn’t get that vibe from the lonely single mother. After all, she seemed so loving and devoted to little Tyler, and she’d been insistent that she was only after Larry for child support. Why would she kill her only hope of getting financial support for her little boy?
Carly lay in bed, thinking these things as Bo howled in the night. I really do need to get him a friend, she thought to herself, and made a mental note to call Tucker in the morning to arrange for a puppy play date. After some time, she finally fell into a fitful sleep, and thankfully had no dreams.
The next day was Sunday, so Carly and Shell completed their weekly ritual of dropping off the leftover baked goods at the local ladies meeting at Parker’s Mill Baptist Church. The girls rarely stayed for the service, mostly because the congregation’s average age was somewhere north of retirement but this side of the Pearly Gates. Sometimes they did attend the ladies meeting, where many women from the community gathered to sip coffee, eat the treats from the bakery and spread a little good-natured gossip.
Today, Carly was in no mood to stay and chat. She knew she’d be the center of attention because Larry’s death was front page news. After breezing in and out of the church with a polite hello and goodbye, the girls headed over to the bakery to whip up a few batches of cupcakes and muffins for the next day.
Carly tried to help Shell with the process, but she usually stayed at home on Sundays, working on photo editing. She’d planned on working on any photos from the walk-through today, but since the only pictures she’d taken were of the exterior of Moore House, she really didn’t have a lot to do. Here at the bakery, she thought she might just be more of a hindrance than a help.
“Hand me that sugar, please, honey.” Shell was so stereotypically southern, Carly wondered what someone who didn’t understand the southern dialect would think when they heard her talk. “Now, if you’ll hand me two eggs, I’m gonna whip this batch of muffins up lickety-split. I wanna get on out of here a little early today so I can catch up on my shows.”
Carly laughed. Shell’s “shows” were daytime soap operas that she recorded on their DVR. Shell had watched the same melodramatic, poorly acted soaps since they had been in high school. “Why do you keep watching those things? You know they’ll rot your brain.”
Shell cocked her head and gave Carly a “what do you mean” look. “Like those reality tv shows are any better. Hmmph. If you ask me, we need more fantasy and escape on television, not reality. I mean, you’re supposed to be entertained by television, not confused about what’s real and what’s not.”
“But, it’s not like the storylines ever change, Shell. I mean, you can stop watching those things for years, then pick right up where you left off, only with younger actors and better makeup.” Carly loved teasing her friend about the shows, but she was guilty of watching them every now and then when they were both home and Carly had nothing better to do.
“That’s not true. Right now there’s a very good storyline going on. There’s a man with an illegitimate child who won’t acknowledge that he’s the father, just because he doesn’t want the baby’s mama to get her hands on his money. But, the guy’s wife just found out, and she’s plotting to kill the old man and blame it on the mother of the illegitimate child. I mean, that’s a pretty creative storyline.”
Carly stopped stirring the batter that she’d been preparing to pour into a pan. “Shell, that’s it.”
Shell looked confused. “What’s it?”
“Do you realize you just described Larry Gaston’s situation perfectly? I mean, I can’t say for sure that Mona is trying to frame Tina, but don’t you think that everything else sounds like what’s happened between Larry and Tina? How did the character in the show frame the other woman?”
Shell’s eyes got big. “Oh my gosh! Hey, you’re right! But I haven’t got that far in the show yet. He’s still alive, or he was in the last episode.”
Carly realized that the soap was not exactly like Larry and Tina, but there was still something about the murder that just didn’t sit right with her, so she’d look for inspiration wherever she could find it. Maybe the silly soap opera could help her figure out what it was that was driving her so crazy and keeping her from getting a good night’s sleep.
“Well, let’s finish up here so you can go watch those shows,” quipped Carly. Who knows, she thought, maybe I’ll figure out what it is that isn’t quite right about this whole situation.
Carly struggled to wake up the next morning, due in no small part to the fact that she’d sat through an entire week’s worth of hour-long episodes of ‘Love and Life’ with Shell. They’d stayed up late, munching on junk food and obsessing over whether the characters in the show were anything like the real-life people they knew. Unfortunately, the marathon soap opera viewing did nothing to help Carly figure out if Tina really was guilty or not.
On the show, the wife had planted a pair of underwear belonging to the mistress at the scene of the crime. Funnily enough, the character that had been killed (by being shot and poisoned) had also had a twin. In fact, Carly suspected that the wife had actually killed the twin, and that the storyline would take a predictable twist sometime around sweeps season.
After a quick shower, Carly dressed and rode with Shell to the bakery, where they hardly had time to flip the open sign before people were showing up. Tiffany came over from the bank to get muf
fins and Carly’s opinion of why she thought Tina would have killed her baby daddy and potential cash cow. Melvina from the post office stopped by for a dozen cookies and a chat about how violent Parker’s Mill was becoming. She reminded Carly and Shell that in her day, no one locked their doors and no one threw electric heaters into bathtubs with people in them.
Both girls were getting a little tired of the questions, but there was no doubt that Larry’s murder and Carly’s discovery of his body was good for business. When they finally got a lull in customers, Shell sighed. “Whoo, what would we do if it was this busy every day? I’d have to hire more help.”
Carly agreed. “Yeah, maybe I should go looking for dead bodies more often.” The girls both giggled a little too loudly. They realized that it wasn’t right to laugh over anyone’s death, but the tension had been too thick in the little bakery for the past two days, and it was time to try and lighten the mood just a little.
Halfway through the day, things had settled down considerably in Sweets & Eats. Carly had brought out her laptop so she could get a little work done during the downtime at the bakery, and Shell was cleaning a few drops of dried batter off the base of her large silver mixer. Carly knew that Shell wouldn’t rest until the stainless steel appliance sparkled like a mirror. The thought that Shell might just actually have OCD had crossed her mind on more than one occasion.
“Hey, Carly,” Shell called, pausing in her cleaning long enough to look over at her friend. “We still have Mona’s cake back here.” The realization made Shell wince. “Oh, gawd...you don’t think she’ll come in here asking about it, do you? I mean, I’d just rather not have to deal with that whole sideshow.”
Carly thought for a moment, pushing her hair back behind one ear. “Well, I wouldn’t call her, if that’s what you’re asking. I’d give it a few days anyway, then you can send her a message if you need to. Did you take a big deposit?” Carly knew Shell would have taken her standard fifteen percent, non-refundable deposit, but she wouldn’t be surprised if Mona had insisted on paying more than that. She’d paid Carly half the cost of the photography package up front, even though Carly rarely asked for more than a ten percent deposit.
Carly sighed. “I’ll have to call her, too, but not today. I need to give her deposit back, but I really don’t want to have to talk to her. I may just see if I can put the money back in her bank account.” Carly had noted that Mona’s check was from the bank across the street, which happened to also be the bank where both Carly and the bakery held accounts. In a small town like Parker’s Mill, it was easy enough to find out who banked where and pay someone back by simply having the teller deposit it into the account for you.
The bell over the door tinkled and Carly looked over to see who was coming in for a sweet treat with a hefty side of gossip. She smiled when she realized it was Tucker, with both Betty Sue and Tyler in tow.
“Hey, Carly, can I just sit Tyler here while I tie Betty Sue up outside? I don’t figure Shell would be too happy with having a dog in the bakery, but I couldn’t leave her. She chewed up Tyler’s Power Ranger and ate two pairs of my socks in the last 24 hours.”
Carly nodded and smiled, then came out from behind the counter and around to where the little boy was standing. “Hey, Tyler. Remember me?” Carly ruffled the little boy’s hair and wondered why on earth he was here with Tucker instead of with his grandfather.
As if he had read her mind, Tucker slipped back into the bakery and walked over to where Carly and Tyler were standing. “I’m treating Tyler here to one of Shell’s famous chocolate chip cookies. His granddad isn’t feeling too well, but he said that Tina’s aunt is driving down from New York to help out. I just felt bad for him, and today was my day off, so I thought I’d get him out of the house for a little while.”
Carly thought that Tucker was awfully sweet for thinking of Tyler during all this chaos that had been taking place, but then she realized that Tyler was Tucker’s nephew, and his last real link to his twin brother. “Would you like a chocolate chip cookie, Tyler?” Carly stooped down to his height, and smiled brightly. Tyler was very quiet today, not like he’d been when she’d first met him at Moore House. Poor little thing, she thought, he’s probably missing his mama like crazy.
Tyler shrugged, but Shell was already heading over with a plate full of cookies and a carton of chocolate milk. “Come here, sugar. Let Aunt Shell get you a snack.” Shell seemed like a real natural with kids, and Carly was sure that she’d make a great mom someday.
“Have you heard anything else about Tina?” Carly was hoping that Tucker would have news that she didn’t, though it was very unlikely, since her cousin had promised to call if any new evidence came in.
Tucker shrugged. “Nothing yet. But, I just don’t see how she could have murdered Larry. She’s just not that sort of person. And she wouldn’t do anything that would get her taken away from Tyler.”
Carly noted that Tucker seemed to know an awful lot about Tina, but then again, he had been around when Tina had been dating his brother, so he probably knew her better than anyone else at this point.
Carly and Tucker continued to chat, discussing what little they both knew about the case against Tina, when Tyler piped up, “I need to go potty.”
Shell didn’t miss a beat, and had the little boy up in her arms and headed off to the bathroom within seconds. “She doesn’t want any accidents, I guess,” Carly ventured. She could only imagine how much cleaning Shell would do if that happened.
“Yeah, he’s a great kid. This has been hard on him, I think.” Tucker glanced around the bakery, and seemed to be suddenly aware that they were alone. He smiled nervously, and Carly tried not to laugh. It was hard, though, because she couldn’t help but think that Tucker looked an awful lot like little Tyler had when he’d first walked into the bakery, shy and a little lost.
She didn’t have long to consider the similarities between the uncle and nephew, because just then the doorbell jingled again. This time, the guest was not so happy to see Carly, and judging by the look on her heavily made-up face, Mona Durham wasn’t too happy to see Tucker, either.
“Carly, I need to talk to you about something.” Mona simply walked up to the counter and sat her purse down heavily, probably for dramatic effect, thought Carly. Excusing herself from Tucker, Carly walked over to where Mona was standing. She considered talking to her from behind the counter, but changed her mind at the last minute.
She probably wants me back there, Carly thought, so she can feel superior. Well, that’s not going to happen. “Hey, Mona. How are you holding up?” Carly was trying to be sympathetic, but Mona’s brusque attitude made it difficult.
“Well, I’m about as good as a girl whose fiance was murdered by some scheming Jezebel can get, if you must know!” Mona’s nostrils flared, and she glared at Tucker. “I mean, I’m practically a widow, and then I find out that she’s got some little brat and says it’s Larry’s. Hmmph. Shameless hussy, that’s what that girl is.” Mona tilted her head back, looking down her nose at Tucker. “She’ll get what she deserves in prison, I’m sure. And child services ought to just go on and take that kid. I mean, apparently she left it with her daddy, who I’ve seen and who is as old as the hills.”
Carly could see Tucker’s face getting red, and his hands had curled into fists. He probably hated Mona pretty hard right about now. To his credit, he managed to maintain an otherwise calm appearance, not unlike a skinny Buddha in blue jeans and an Old Navy t-shirt.
“Mona, what did you need to see me about?” Carly was determined to change the subject, because buddha boy didn’t look like he could stay calm and quiet for long.
“It’s about my money. I paid you a huge deposit for my wedding photos, and now I won’t be needing them, but I will need my money. After all, I have so many costs to cover, what with the funeral and all. And I’m going to need that deposit back on the cake, too.”
“Well, I’ll be happy to get you the deposit for the photos. I was just going to dro
p it into the bank for you, but I can just write you a check right now.” Carly was glad to at least have that errand off her to do list.
“I’d prefer cash.” Mona put her hands on her sizeable hips and explained, “I have to go out of town to take care of some of Larry’s business, god rest his soul, and I didn’t want to have to fool with cashing a check.”
Carly glanced at Tucker, whose expression clearly stated that he didn’t believe Mona’s audacity any more than Carly did. “I guess I can run over to the bank and cash a check,” Carly offered, “but it’ll be a few minutes before I can leave.”
Mona was about to say something when the sound of little feet running on the floor distracted her. Tyler came barreling into the lobby, grinning from ear to ear. “I cooked! I did mixing!” Shell followed behind, laughing.
“I let him push the button on the big old stand mixer back there. He got such a kick out of it…” Her laughter trailed off when she saw Mona, and she stopped just behind the counter.
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