“To be fair, they don’t make donuts like this in the city. What’s your secret?” Connor said.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?”
“Remember, I’m a detective now. It’s my job to find out people’s secrets.”
“Good luck.”
“You’re really not going to tell me, are you?” he wondered.
“Don’t you think there are bigger things to talk about?” she replied.
The police radio clipped to Connor’s belt then went off.
A voice spoke over the radio. “Smith, do you have those donuts? We’re getting restless here.”
Meg laughed. “Sounds like duty calls.”
“Sorry. Looks like we’ll have to continue this conversation later,” Connor said.
“You wouldn’t want to keep a squad of hungry policemen waiting.”
“Very funny. I’ll see you around,” Connor said.
“You know where to find me,” Meg replied.
Chapter Three
Meg wasn’t terribly excited about going to this fitness DVD launch party, but she was going to put on a good face for Lisa’s sake. She had a loyal streak when it came to her friends. Unfortunately, she had a feeling this party would have dud written all over it. Still, Meg decided to try and keep as open of a mind as possible.
Apparently, not all of the party guests believed in the power of positive thinking. As Meg approached the gym from the parking lot, her biggest worry was that there would be nothing but healthy food to nibble on. As she spotted Jack Jensen and Walter Carter bickering at the back door of the gym, finger foods were suddenly the last thing on Meg’s mind.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It looked like a fistfight could break out at any minute. It didn’t surprise her that Jack was in the center of it all. Despite the gushing things Lisa said about her boyfriend, Meg had a different opinion of Jack.
Meg had met plenty of men like Jack before. Guys that were full of swagger. Jack was a greasy smooth-talker. The equivalent of a used car salesman in a personal trainer’s body. He put more attention into maintaining his six pack abs than taking care of Lisa’s heart.
Walter Carter was much the same. Like Jack, Walter also had a handsome face and svelte body. It was no surprise that Walter owned a gym of his own across town. They’d formed an increasingly bitter rivalry since Jack swooped into town a year ago and started chipping away at Walter’s market share.
Meg was too far away from them to hear the exact words being exchanged, but judging by the rancorous looks on their faces, they weren’t about to bury the hatchet and go out for a drink together anytime soon. Meg scooted passed them towards the front of the gym without being spotted, hoping a better time awaited her inside. Although, after that inauspicious beginning, she wasn’t going to hold her breath.
***
Once Meg was inside the gym, she found more bad news. It turned out her suspicions were correct. Health food was on the menu tonight. It was veggie platters galore, mixed with spinach wraps and kale chips.
Blech.
Meg had a hunch to pack some donuts before arriving, but she didn’t listen to her gut. She was regretting that decision now, especially since her tummy was rumbling with a hunger earthquake. While Meg fretted over the sad state of the finger foods, Lisa approached.
“You came,” Lisa said.
Meg whirled around. “You sound surprised. You know I’m always there for a friend.”
“I know. That’s why you’re the best.”
“Although, you’re going to owe me after this. Kale chips, seriously?”
“Have you ever tried them?”
“I don’t think my taste buds would ever forgive me if I did,” Meg joked.
“Not all of us are on an all-donut diet.” Lisa shook her head. “I seriously don’t know how you manage to stay so slim.”
Meg raised her eyebrow. “I have a great metabolism.”
“Right. Anyway, it’s good that you’re here.”
“Speaking of, I have to talk to you about Jack.”
Lisa furrowed her brow. “What about him?”
“Are you sure he’s as good of a guy as you think he is? I mean, he looked like he was ready to come to blows with Walter Carter in the parking lot.”
“Walter has been trying to put Jack out of business ever since Jack came to town. You can’t judge a person by their worst enemy. I know you’re looking out for me, but if you give Jack a chance, you’ll see he’s a really sweet guy underneath that tough guy exterior,” Lisa explained.
Meg wished she could believe Lisa, but her gut was telling her otherwise.
Chapter Four
As the party wore on, Meg realized why Lisa was so desperate for her to come. Meg was her only shot at having a conversation that didn’t revolve around calorie-counting, fat-burning, or interval training. All the other party attendees seemed to buy into the fitness revolution that Jack was selling without reservations. The term guru was not a misnomer in his case; Jack appeared to have himself a little fitness cult, and he was their undisputed leader.
That point was never clearer than when Jack stepped up to a microphone to introduce what he hoped would be the next fitness craze.
“Dance Bandit isn’t just a workout program. It is a game changer; a revolutionary way to lose weight while having fun. Everyone knows that dancing burns a lot of calories, but when dance moves are combined with my one-of-a-kind resistance band system, the fat-burning results increase exponentially. Dance Bandit turns your body into a calorie-melting kiln. With my system, before you know it, you’ll become the person you’ve always wanted to be. So join the dance bandit revolution and change your life forever,” Jack declared.
A rousing round of applause broke out in the crowd. The fitness faithful were eating Jack’s speech right up.
Meg, meanwhile, was trying to stop her head from spinning. It was hard to separate the fact from the rose-colored fiction in Jack’s sales pitch. To Meg, Jack’s new fitness plan just looked like dance routines mixed with resistance bands, but apparently she had a different idea of what a revolution looked like than the rest of the crowd. While Meg was skeptical that the Dance Bandit DVD could turn her body into a calorie-melting kiln, there was a much more vocal dissenter in the crowd.
When the applause quieted down, Robert Nelson spoke up. Robert was a muscular, charismatic man who looked like he’d never eaten a donut in his entire life and had zero percent body fat to show for it. His bright red bandana and full beard really made him stand out in the crowd.
Robert wasn’t shy about his opinions as she shouted at Jack. “You stole my idea; you punk. I’m not going to let you get away with this.”
Jack couldn’t believe someone was speaking up against him at his own launch party. He was completely outraged as he zeroed in on Robert in the crowd. Then something odd happened. The moment he spotted Robert, Jack’s face went white.
With all the commotion, most of the party guests probably wouldn’t have noticed the fear in Jack’s eyes, but Meg did. Jack quickly got his bluster back and went on the attack.
“How dare you come to my party and level false accusations at me,” Jack replied.
Robert turned and addressed the crowd. “Don’t listen to him. My name is Robert Nelson. I created Dance Bandit. Jack stole the concept from me.”
Gasps were heard throughout the crowd.
Jack could feel things slipping away from him. He kept attacking Robert. “You lousy scumbag. I’m not going to let you come in here and let you spread your filthy lies.” He gestured to the back of the gym. “Security, get him out of here.”
Security then moved through the crowd and dragged Robert out of the gym against his will.
Robert was determined to get the last word in. “This isn’t over, Jack. You haven’t heard the last of me.”
Like the slick salesman he was, Jack tried to get the hype machine rolling again as if Robert’s outburst hadn’t even happened.
“Sorry about that. When you get a little taste of success, the crazies always come out of the woodwork. Now, without further ado, it is time to crank up the Dance Bandit revolution,” Jack proclaimed.
***
Jack kept spouting his fitness sales pitch from his soapbox a little longer, trying to rev up the suddenly-divided crowd. When he was done, he joined Meg and Lisa, who stood beside the table of healthy finger foods.
Jack was all worked up when he approached Lisa. “Can you believe that kook? He almost ruined my entire launch.”
“I’m so sorry. I know you pictured things going much differently tonight. But look, people are still buying your DVD,” Lisa replied.
Meg had something else on her mind. “Who was that guy?”
Jack was short with her. “I told you; he was just some wack job.”
Meg knew there was more to the story than Jack was leading on. She kept digging. “But, he seemed to know you--”
Jack was desperate to shut Meg down. He wasn’t even willing to let her finish her sentence.
“Meg, you don’t understand what it’s like to be in the spotlight. Everyone wants a piece of you, and they’re willing to make up all kinds of crazy stories to get money out of you.”
Lisa didn’t like the tone her boyfriend was taking with her friend. “Jack, I know you’re under a lot of stress, but Meg was just asking a simple question. There’s no reason to be short with her.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Then, just like he’d flipped a light switch, Jack turned his charm back on and flashed Meg a smile. “Now, on to more important topics. How would you like to join the Dance Bandit revolution?”
Meg couldn’t believe how quickly Jack had switched gears. He was an even bigger huckster than she ever realized.
Meg politely declined. “I’m not really the revolutionary type.”
“You should give it a try. Once you give in to dance, fat doesn’t stand a chance.”
Meg had to muster all the willpower she had not to roll her eyes at a line that cheesy.
Before Meg had a chance to change the subject, Jack’s eyes were drawn across the room. He began to glare.
“Wait a minute. What's she doing here?” he asked.
Lisa and Meg both turned around, wondering who Jack was looking at.
“Who?” Lisa wondered.
“Nancy O’Connor,” Jack replied. “I fired her this morning. So, what’s she doing back here?”
Jack rushed across the party to confront Nancy.
Meg had a feeling things were about to get ugly in a hurry. She was right. Things absolutely blew up. Jack seemed to approach every situation with a bull in a China shop attitude. This situation was no different. Jack immediately ripped into Nancy, giving her a tongue-lashing she wouldn’t soon forget.
Since the argument was occurring across the party, Meg wasn’t able to hear the specific words being said, but they were clearly full of vitriol. Jack looked like he could bite Nancy’s head off.
Surprisingly, instead of joining her boyfriend, Lisa decided to keep her distance. She obviously wanted to stay out of the fray. Meg could see Lisa was completely shell-shocked. She was clearly seeing a new side to her boyfriend tonight and was having a hard time adjusting to Jack’s fiery temper.
Meg stayed by her friend’s side but kept a close eye on the argument Jack was having across the party. To Meg, the true shocker wasn’t Jack, but Nancy O’Connor. Despite being a bubbly, petite blonde, Nancy was showing her feisty side. She didn’t back down in the slightest, fighting right back with her own accusations.
Nancy was so worked up that she was drawing a crowd. Fearing that he was losing control of his party once again, Jack hailed Security.
Shortly after, Security rushed over and dragged Nancy out of the party.
Meg then turned to her friend, who still looked like she was in a daze. “This party is much more eventful than I thought.”
Lisa was just as wide-eyed as ever. “For all the wrong reasons.”
For her friend’s sake, Meg hoped the drama was over for the night. Unfortunately, it was just beginning.
Chapter Five
Meg never thought she’d welcome fitness-based banter. The fact was, she’d rather listen to a Dance Bandit sales schpiel all night than see another argument break out. Unfortunately, just when things seemed like they were finally quieting down, trouble began brewing again.
After the last public spat, Jack started making the rounds, trying to get people focused on his fitness DVD once again. The schmooze was on. Still, even under the pretense of trying to sell his DVD, Jack seemed to be a little too friendly with the woman he was talking to across the way.
Meg grabbed Lisa’s attention.
“Uh, Lisa,” Meg said.
“Yeah,” Lisa replied.
“I hate to be the one to break this to you, but I’m getting a really bad feeling about your boyfriend right now.”
Lisa rationalized her boyfriend’s flirtatious behavior. “Meg, I know you’re looking out for me, but Jack’s that way with everyone.”
“Really? He’s like that with men, too?”
Lisa tried to silence Meg’s doubts. “Carla is just one of his clients.”
Meg looked over at Carla Adamson again. Carla was a voluptuous woman in her late thirties who wore a lot of makeup and jangly jewelry, but not a whole lot else. Her dress was low cut, form-fitting, and matched her long, jet black hair.
Lisa continued her thought. “I trust Jack. He’s a naturally charismatic guy. Besides, he had a DVD to sell, and the target audience for his program is women.”
Meg and Lisa approached life from two different angles. Lisa wanted to believe in the good in people. Meg preferred to see the truth, no matter how hard those truths were.
Apparently, Meg wasn’t the only one who thought Jack was being a little too friendly with Carla. Steven Adamson, Carla’s bespectacled, insurance-salesman husband, rushed over. Steven was nebbish and gawky, but also had a fierce temper.
Steven gave Jack a shove, which set Jack off. That didn’t faze Steven. He had a head of steam and bone to pick with Jack.
Meg reluctantly turned to Lisa once again. “Do you still trust Jack?”
Lisa got resolve in her voice, then began walking towards the fracas. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
Chapter Six
Meg feared the worst for her friend. Unlike the other confrontations, where Meg hung back and stayed out of the fray, with this one, she joined Lisa. Meg’s nerves started acting up on her as Lisa reached Jack, Carla, and Steven.
Things were already explosive as they arrived. Would the situation blow up in their faces? For the first time that evening, Meg saw no smile on Lisa’s face. There were no more apologies or rationalizing Jack’s behavior anymore. Instead, Lisa had a dogged determination to her.
Before Lisa was able to ask any questions, she caught the tail end of Steven and Jack’s conversation. Steven looked like a man possessed. As if he was a rabid dog that had broken free from his leash.
“I’m warning you for the last time. Stay away from my wife,” Steven barked.
Jack didn’t back down. “I’d watch who you are threatening; you pipsqueak.”
“Don’t let appearances fool you. My bite is far worse than my bark,” Steven insisted.
Jack stared him down. “Bring it on.”
Steven took Jack up on his offer and took a swing at him. Instead of slugging Jack, Steven missed with his punch. Jack then delivered a jab to Steven’s gut, knocking him to the ground.
Steven got up holding his stomach. Realizing he was outmatched, he decided to make a hasty retreat. He turned to his wife.
“Come on, Carla. Let’s get out of here,” Steven said.
Carla didn’t budge. She averted her gaze.
Steven grew impatient. “Carla--”
She cut him off. “You’ve already caused too much of a scene. Just go.”
Steven became ev
en more outraged. “You’re sticking with him?” He shook his head. “You just made a big mistake.”
By this point, Lisa had heard enough. It was time she got answers. “What’s going on here?”
Steven lashed out, answering the question before Jack had a chance to put his own spin on the situation. “Your boyfriend has been having an affair with my wife.”
Steven then stormed off as Lisa’s heart sank.
Lisa started reeling as the news sunk in. After a moment, she shot a glare at Jack. “How could you?”
Jack went on the defensive. “Don’t believe him. He’s crazy.”
Lisa folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. “So you’re saying you haven’t been cheating on me then?”
Jack stammered as he tried to pick the right words to respond with.
His hesitation set Carla Adamson off. “Well, what are you waiting for, Jack? Tell her how you feel about me like you promised you would.”
Jack tried to put Carla off. He gritted his teeth. “Carla, it isn’t the time for this.”
Carla had her own plans. She forced the issue. “I’ve been waiting long enough already. Just tell her how you feel about me.”
Lisa went from bewildered to utterly enraged. “I can’t believe you. How could you do this to me, you lying, cheating scumbag?”
Jack opened his mouth to answer, but wouldn’t get a chance to.
Just when things looked like they couldn’t get worse, a curly-haired, tall woman with a freckle-filled face, approached.
“I need to talk to you,” Kayla Maxwell said.
When Jack turned around and saw Kayla, his face went white like he’d just seen a ghost.
Jack stammered his answer. “Kayla Maxwell, what are you doing here?”
Lisa groaned. “Is this another one of your mistresses?”
The Witches Of Enchanted Bay (Witches Of Enchanted Bay Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 2