Scornful Scones

by Mildred Abbott

  “I did that, you stupid girl.” At Harold’s outburst, both Barry and Watson moved away from him. “I moved it before I left. The stupid woman has the same routine every time she comes in. Apple scone with apple butter, to go with her stupid Apple name. Piles all her crap on the counter as she orders then spreads it over the table she and that other teacher use. I moved it as she ordered her first hot tea.”

  I was prepared to ask about Mr. Beaker, but he didn’t give me the chance.

  “And Eustace. What a waste that was. I had to be so careful to only get the cyanide on his scone, and then he goes and chokes to death on his own.” Harold’s face was bone-white in his rage. “If only I could have trusted Sally to have been as accommodating.”

  “Why?” Barry’s whisper was so quiet that it was barely audible. He wasn’t acting, wasn’t going by the script, the horror and shock on his face was genuine.

  “You wouldn’t understand.” Some of Harold’s fury dissipated, just a touch, as he looked at Barry.

  “Murdering people you’ve known our entire lives? No, I don’t understand.” Barry stood and took another step back.

  “I wouldn’t expect you to. Maybe you weren’t one of the ones that benefited from Dolana’s loss, but you went on to live a life of ease. There’s no way you could understand.”

  Barry looked over at me, part in wonder, part in heartbreak at the confirmation of what I’d told him I suspected Harold’s motive was. Then he refocused on Harold. “Are you actually saying this is all because of that property? After all these years, that’s what this is about?”

  “Exactly. All these years. That’s exactly it, Barry.” Harold attempted to stand, his legs shook so badly that he fell back into his chair. Even so, his voice wasn’t suffering from any of the weakness. “You and Dolana were equal partners with the rest, but did they think of either of you? Did they think of her when they sold it for millions? Each of them got to live in luxury. She and I had to scrape by for her entire life.”

  “Dolana and I made our choices.” Barry sank back onto the bed, his shoulders slumping. “The others held on to it for decades. You can’t tell me that Dolana had an ounce of resentment toward any of them.”

  “Of course she didn’t. She wouldn’t dream of it. Too kind, too good. And more deserving than any of them, I promise you that.” Spittle flew from the corner of Harold’s lips. “It just makes it all the worse.”

  “You’re right about Dolana. She was one of the best people I’ve ever known. And she would be so ashamed of you, Harold.” For the first time anger lit Barry’s eyes. “How dare you do this in her name.”

  Harold flinched, opened his mouth as if he was getting ready to yell, then sank back in his chair.

  Part of me wanted to let it go, we had enough. Barry had been through enough. But I couldn’t. “You tried to kill Percival with the car, didn’t you?”

  Harold looked up at me. All his anger was gone, he just seemed shrunken and spent. He nodded.

  “No.” Again Barry’s voice was a whisper, but this time the horror in his tone outweighed anything that had come before. “Percival was her friend. I don’t understand killing anyone, but he was your friend, Harold. Eustace and Sally weren’t. They were awful to you; they were awful to everyone. But Percival…”

  Harold just nodded.

  I hesitated for a second, wondering if I should keep pushing, if it would hurt Barry too much, then decided we needed all of it, every ounce. “You were having a seizure. A real one. We saw you.”

  Harold continued to nod, and I thought he wasn’t going to speak. But then he did. His voice as withered as his expression. “I talked myself out of killing Percival several times. But then I saw him. I’d just taken Carla’s car to get some space, try to figure out what to do after Eustace’s death. The things everyone was saying about Carla… And then I saw Percival there. I just…” His parched tongue darted out over his lips, and his gaze fell to the floor. “I just cranked the wheel and hit the gas. I guess that triggered a seizure. I don’t know. I don’t remember anything else until I woke up in the hospital.”

  “Harold… how could you?” Barry sound utterly defeated.

  At his feet, Watson let out a whine, and Barry slid off the bed and wrapped Watson in his arms.

  It was enough. More than enough.

  “Branson?” I angled over toward the door. Branson stepped in from where he’d been waiting in the hallway. “Did you get all that?”

  There was admiration in his eyes as he nodded at me, and then compassion as he stepped in farther and saw Barry on the floor with Watson. “Yeah, Fred. I got all that.”

  The following morning brought the largest crowd to the bakery portion of the Cozy Corgi that Katie and I had ever seen. Within an hour, every single pastry and loaf of bread was gone. We even ran out of coffee and tea. I hadn’t realized that was even a possibility.

  Even so, people stayed, filling up the bakery to the point I was certain we were violating a whole host of fire codes. But seeing as Shelley Patel, the fire chief, was gossiping with Susan Green over by the stairway, I figured we were in good shape. I also figured the world was about to end as Susan Green was darkening the door of the Cozy Corgi with some other purpose than giving me a hard time. If anything, she was the most popular one there. It was her day off, and people were using her as the official source of news. To my surprise, she seemed to be enjoying the attention.

  Katie had started to launch into a renewed baking frenzy, but I talked her out of it. Instead, she sat at one of the tables by the windows with Athena, Paulie, Leo, and me.

  “You know, I’m a little offended.” Paulie, like the rest of us, watched the scene unfolding below our table. Athena had placed her purse on the floor, allowing Watson and teacup-sized Pearl to get better acquainted. Watching my grumpy little man cautiously sniff the bouncing white fluffball might’ve been the cutest thing of all time. “Watson always acts like he hates Flotsam and Jetsam. I just thought he wasn’t a dog kind of dog.”

  As if to rub it in, Watson licked Pearl’s muzzle in affection.

  “Paulie, you know I love you, but get real, honey.” Even though Athena addressed Paulie, she kept her attention focused on Watson and Pearl. I was certain she was worried Watson might change his mind. Pearl was smaller than some of the dog treats Watson devoured. “You know I love those two fury demons of yours, but they’re crazy.”

  Paulie grimaced. “Yeah, I know. But still, I wish they could have some friends.”

  From what I’d seen from Flotsam and Jetsam, they weren’t sulking at their lot in life. I imagined Paulie was projecting his own desires onto his two corgis.

  “They’ve got each other. They’re good to go.” Proving that Leo was as astute on humans as he was the wildlife in the national park, he pounded Paulie’s back in that ancient form of male camaraderie. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you. I’ve got some kid camp activities coming up this summer. Wondered if you’d like to help me lead some bird watching expeditions.”

  Paulie turned to him in slow motion, looking like he’d just won the lotto. “Me?”

  Leo nodded. “Only if it’s not an inconvenience. I know with tourist season—”

  “I’d love to!” Paulie positively beamed.

  Athena smiled softly at the pair of them and then winked at Katie and me before glancing down at Pearl, who appeared fascinated by Watson’s knob of a tail. And for once, Watson didn’t seem to mind at all. Satisfied, Athena refocused on me. “You had a good plan, Fred. And selfishly, I have to thank you. Writing that blog was one of the most therapeutic things I’ve done in years. Pity I had to set the status to private and only give the link to you. I’d love to actually hit Publish on that thing.”

  “I’m sure you would, but then you really could get sued.” I didn’t even try to suppress a chuckle. “Though, it would be fun.”

  “It was a brilliantly written post.” Katie’s tone bordered on reverent and was much more subdued than her usual
. She’d nearly lost her mind when I told her the true identity of Maxine Maxwell. And though she tried to keep it covert, she continuously cast worship-filled glances at Athena.

  “No, it wasn’t.” Athena let out a dark chuckle. “I allowed myself a little too much liberty, knowing it wouldn’t actually be for public consumption. If it got out, I’d be more ashamed of the writing quality than worried over the risk of litigation.” She gave a self-satisfied shrug. “But it did the job.”

  “It sure did.” I reached over and patted Katie’s hand. “So much so, that I’m afraid I now owe Katie a new tablet.”

  She turned to me, hero worship forgotten. “Glad you brought that up. I was looking at different possibilities online last night. It was about time for my old one to retire anyway. I’m considering some upgrades.”

  “Oh really?” I gestured around the bakery. “I’m thinking you can pay for those upgrades yourself, just based on today’s sales alone.”

  “You really do need to get a helper in here, Katie. And quick.” Leo leaned over the table. “From what I hear, Carla’s is closed indefinitely.”

  Athena twisted toward him, resembling an owl as she craned her neck. Somehow, she even made that look graceful. “Are you serious? How have I missed that gossip?”

  I had heard that gossip. I felt awful for her. “I hope Carla changes her mind. She’s been through enough. All the drama at her coffee shop, finding out the things her grandfather did. That wasn’t her fault.”

  The table was silent for a few moments. I could tell from Athena’s expression that she didn’t agree. Finally, Paulie looked my way. “That’s one of the things I admire about you, Fred. Your sense of fairness and kindness. Carla’s never been nice to you, yet, here you are, worried about her.”

  Carla hadn’t ever been my favorite person in the world either, but my view of her had changed after learning how the town had viewed her family—how she’d struggled and fought to open her coffee shop only to receive constant criticism and verbal abuse from her father-in-law. Not to mention a certain owner of the Cozy Corgi having her best friend open a bakery less than a block away. “I think Carla has her reasons for being the way she is. Fairly decent ones, actually. I hope she doesn’t give up on her dreams.”

  “Me neither.” Katie scrunched up her nose and proved to be on a similar wavelength. “Somehow I wasn’t seeing the bakery as competition for her. None of what she serves was baked fresh anyway, and I have much more limited coffee options.”

  “Goodness! You bleeding hearts are enough to drive a woman to drink!” Athena shook her finger at us. “Now, none of that. Carla is not innocent in all of this, never has been. Though I agree, she isn’t guilty of murder, but it won’t hurt her to do a little soul-searching. Now, I did come across some gossip…” She lowered her finger and an evil gleam entered her eyes as she focused on me. “Rumor is that a dashing police sergeant has reservations at Pasta Thyme this evening—a place that has quite the glowing review on the Sybarite blog, by the way, despite their small portions and exorbitant prices. Are we to assume that our heroine sleuth will be enjoying some housemade tagliatelle?”

  I felt my cheeks burn, and I cast a quick glance toward Leo, who was fixated on something on the tabletop. I looked back at Athena before she could notice. At least that was the lie I was going to tell myself. “How in the world do you know that?”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” She smiled smugly. “And I have my sources. I like to stay informed about both my favorite restaurants and my favorite people.”

  Despite myself, I was pleased with the compliment. There was something about Athena Rose that made a person desire her approval.

  Katie swatted at me. “You didn’t tell me that!”

  “We just settled on a time yesterday.”

  “When?” Her eyes narrowed. “As Branson was reading Harold his Miranda rights?”

  I could feel my blush deepening. “Shortly after that…”

  Before Katie could respond, Athena glanced under the table and sucked in a breath, then sat up straighter and looked around. “They’re gone. They’re gone.”

  “Who?” Realizing the answer before the word even left my lips, I glanced under the table as well. Watson and Pearl were nowhere to be seen.

  Athena stood, scanning the bakery in a panic. “There’re too many people here. She could be stepped on, and no one would notice until it was too late.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine, Athena. We’ll find her.” Leo stood, followed by Paulie.

  The five of us spread out, making short work of the bakery, then met at the top of the steps. “I’m so sorry, Athena. Watson doesn’t normally wander off.” Even as I said it, I realized that wasn’t true. He just normally didn’t have another dog with him.

  Athena didn’t respond but started down the steps, her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed in stress. It was the first time I’d seen the unflappable woman flustered. I couldn’t blame her. She clearly felt as strongly about Pearl as I did for Watson.

  The moment we entered the bookstore, Athena headed toward the front door, clearly fearing the dogs had somehow gotten outside.

  That didn’t concern me. Watson might wander, but he would never run away. I glanced toward his typical napping spot in the sun by the front windows, but he wasn’t there. More out of habit than anything, I looked at my favorite spot in the bookstore, in the mystery room, and then called out to the others over my shoulder, “They’re fine. They’re in here.”

  The other four joined me in the doorway of the mystery room, and Athena started to rush toward Pearl, then paused at the sight. Her hand rose to her chest as she sighed. “Well, that’s just the sweetest thing.”

  Pearl was asleep under the antique divan in front of the fire. She was perfectly safe and content with Watson curled protectively around her.

  He woke at our attention and blinked up at me, though we didn’t move. And I could swear I saw the battle rage behind his eyes. He had a reputation as the grumpy mascot of the Cozy Corgi, after all. One that he took very seriously.

  Pearl snuffled in her sleep and nuzzled deeper into Watson’s fur.

  With a huff, Watson cast a final glare, tucked his muzzle around her, and gave up any pretense.

  Katie and I had just locked up and were finishing a couple end-of-day chores when there was a knock at the door. This time, I instantly recognized the silhouettes on the other side of the door. It helped that there were two.

  I raised my voice to be heard upstairs as I walked toward the door. “Katie! We have visitors.”

  By the time Nick and Ben Pacheco were inside the bookshop, Katie had joined us.

  “You’re Nick, scar on the eyebrow.” I thought back to what Ben told me and then pointed at each brother individually. “And you’re Ben, with the scar on your lip, right?” I didn’t have to wait for confirmation as Watson zoomed over and shoved against Ben’s legs.

  Ben knelt instantly and began to stroke Watson’s sides. “You got it.”

  Actually, with the two of them side by side, I didn’t think I required scars or Watson. I couldn’t quite tell what it was, but there was a tangible difference between the twins. Or intangible, rather. Though timid, Ben had a strong, quiet core to him, whereas Nick felt breakable somehow.

  “Nick, sweetie, how are you?” Katie wrapped the lanky boy into a hug.

  The poor kid stiffened, then relaxed into it. “Okay. I guess.” His words were little more than a mumble.

  Still petting Watson, Ben looked up at me. “I owe you an apology. You’re the reason Nick isn’t in jail anymore.”

  “No, I’m not.” I shook my head and felt more self-conscious than I had all day. “He’s not in jail because he didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Nick met my gaze, and I saw a little bit of his brother’s strength in his eyes. “Sergeant Wexler told me what you did after he dropped the charges. Said that even before you figured out who killed Mr. Beaker and Ms. Apple, you were convinced it wasn’t me.”
The smile he gave, however, was nervous. “I don’t know why you felt that way, but thank you.”

  The gratitude in the twins’ gazes was nearly more than I could take.

  Katie sniffed beside me, apparently feeling the same way.

  “We won’t take your time. We just… are grateful.” Ben stood, much to Watson’s dismay, and began to turn back toward the door.

  “We never settled on a start date for you to begin working here.” If I hadn’t already made up my mind, which I was fairly certain I had, this interaction was the nail in the coffin.

  Ben looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Are you serious? You’d still offer me the job? After how I spoke to you?”

  I laughed. “How you spoke to me? Ben, you’re talking to a woman who has a temper.” I pointed out my auburn hair, always my excuse when I gave in to that weakness. “Your defense of your brother was nothing. The job is completely yours, if you still want it.”

  “Really?” A smile broke over his lips. “I do. Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me.”

  “And what about you, Nick?” Katie piped up, and I instantly knew where she was headed. Though I wasn’t certain if she’d already been considering or if the thought just popped into her head. Either way, it instantly felt right to me.

  Nick looked at Katie with what seemed like fear. “What about me?”

  “Well…” Katie sounded a little nervous herself. “Black Bear Roaster is closed, we don’t know for how long, so you’re out of a job. And if I recall, you like to bake. You never got to do that with Carla. You could do it here. I’m a good teacher.”

  He turned those wide, haunted eyes on his twin, then back at Katie. “You’d let me work here? Even after I was arrested?”

  All nervousness left her as Katie moved closer and once more gripped Nick’s arm in a motherly way. “No, I want you to work here. I want someone by my side who is passionate about baking. And you were arrested for something you didn’t do. That doesn’t impact anything.” She released him but didn’t move away. “You can take your time to think about it, of course. There’s no pressure. We can even—”