Bodies & Bundt Cake

by Nancy McGovern

From behind Scott, still hiding in the foyer and too afraid to look in, Tricia called out. “It must have been her. Mrs. Bingham did this. Oh, I’m going to throw up. I can’t believe it.”

  Scott’s eyes were alert, even though his body stayed relaxed. He strode up to Tricia immediately. With a few brief instructions to his deputy to cordon off the area, he took Tricia aside in the foyer and whisked out a notebook.

  “Any reason you suspect Mrs. Bingham?” Scott asked.

  Tricia was shaking all over and looked a little green. “This is like finding Stan Stickman all over again. I need a drink. Or two.”

  “It has to be hard on you,” Scott agreed. “I’m very sorry. Were you and Gina Graham close?”

  “Me?” Tricia snorted. “Hardly. I didn’t talk to her if I could help it. I never even went to her boutique after what she did to my friend Mia.”

  “Mia?” Scott asked.

  “Mia Harris. She used to own the boutique next to Gina’s, but Gina started copying her wares and eventually Mia ran out of business. They had quite the argument about it. Remember?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Scott nodded, “This was a while ago, right? Three years or so? I remember getting a call that two women were in a catfight on Main Street.”

  “That’s right.” Tricia chuckled. “Mia tried to scratch Gina’s eyes out, and of course she—” Tricia paused suddenly. “But never mind that. Mrs. Bingham’s the one you should be after! Gina’s clearly been poisoned and her cake’s what’s done it.”

  “Let’s take it one step at a time,” Scott said. “Like I asked before, do you have any reason to suspect Mrs. Bingham would want to kill Gina Graham?”

  “I mean, I didn’t have any reason to suspect Mrs. Bingham would even kill a fly!” Tricia exclaimed. “She’s always been so friendly and nice to me. Every week she comes into the shop and buys a new book just to support my business. She’s the kind of person we need more of in Swaddle...” Tricia looked almost tearful. “I’m all over the place, aren’t I? One moment I’m accusing Mrs. Bingham, then I’m praising her.”

  Rachel put a hand on Tricia’s shoulder and squeezed. “Take your time, Tricia. It’s okay to be upset.”

  “Well, you aren’t,” Tricia pointed out. “You’re all calm, and I’m having hysterics like a little baby.”

  Ha. If only Tricia knew how Rachel felt on the inside. She was a quivering bag of nerves. But she had to appear calm. “You found the body, and you’re in shock. It’s natural,” Rachel said. “Especially when it brings up some horrible memories for you.”

  “It sure does.” Tricia sighed. “But Mrs. Bingham… I can’t believe it. It has to be her, right Rachel? You remember how she looked when we met her? And how she nearly drove over me to get away?”

  “You met her today?” Scott’s eyes shot up.

  “Oh yes. She was sitting in her car just outside when we pulled up,” Tricia said. “She looked pale. Spooked.”

  “I see.” Scott scribbled something down. “Tricia, do you have any memory of what she was wearing?”

  “Wearing?” Tricia frowned. “Um… slacks and a white shirt, I suppose.” She looked over at Rachel, who nodded.

  “And on her feet?” Scott asked. Rachel smiled. So, in his three-second scan of the kitchen, Scott had noticed the red stiletto heel too. This investigation was clearly in good hands.

  “Uh… she had sneakers? I think?” Tricia shrugged. “I honestly don’t remember.”

  “We couldn’t see her feet,” Rachel said. “She was in the car all along, Tricia.”

  “Right...” Tricia nodded. “Mrs. Bingham just always wears sneakers, so I assumed that’s what she wore. You’ve seen her around town, Scott. You know how she dresses.”

  “We’ve got fingerprints, boss.” A voice called out from the other room. Scott straightened up. Looking at Rachel he said, “You two have had a tough time of it. I suggest you head to the café to clear your heads. I’ll be in contact for more questioning soon enough.”

  “Doesn’t look like you’ll need us if you have fingerprints.” Tricia shrugged. “Thanks, Scott.”

  “Huh?” Scott looked surprised.

  “It’s just good to know someone capable is handling it,” Tricia said. “The investigation, I mean. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I knew the killer was going to get away with it.”

  “That makes two of us.” Scott smiled.

  “Three.” Rachel agreed.

  *****

  Chapter 3

  Cake Is Cancelled

  They never ended up going to the café as Scott had suggested. When they finally left Gina’s house, Tricia and Rachel both realized that they had a dozen missed calls between them from Annie Pegg.

  “She doesn’t know yet...” Tricia said, dismayed. “She’s still living in a world where Gina Graham is alive, and the cakes are going to be brought over to the park, and all we have to worry about is who will complain about not winning first prize.”

  “She’ll have to cancel the event, won’t she?” Rachel asked.

  “And explain to a whole bunch of people that their cakes are now in police custody,” Tricia said. “You noticed that, right? There were cakes on every inch of Gina’s kitchen counter?”

  Rachel nodded. “I counted twenty in all. A lot of this doesn’t make sense to me, Tricia.”

  “Why? It makes perfect sense to me,” Tricia said. “For some reason, Mrs. Bingham secretly hated Gina Graham, and she poisoned her bundt cake. Gina ate it and died. Mrs. Bingham saw us at the scene and then ran away in fright. Case closed.” Tricia gave a sudden long shiver. “I’m probably lucky you came with me to Gina’s, Rachel. If it had been me alone, who knows… maybe Mrs. Bingham would have tried to kill me too. A killer doesn’t hesitate to strike twice, after all.”

  Rachel shook her head. “Well, it just doesn’t make sense, Tricia. For one, do you actually know any reason Mrs. Bingham would want Gina dead?”

  “Well, no. But this is a small town. Resentments build, you know. Plus Gina wasn’t Ms. Popularity. She must have insulted Mrs. Bingham or done something to her.”

  “Okay. Say that was the case. Wasn’t the cake meant for the competition? Mrs. Bingham would have no idea that Gina would eat it. Seems a very inefficient way to murder someone.”

  “Well… I...” Tricia opened her mouth and then shut it.

  “Let’s say that she somehow knew Gina would eat the cake,” Rachel continued. “Well, if the cake was poisoned already, then why go to the scene of the crime? Why would Mrs. Bingham do that when she could create an airtight alibi for herself, instead?”

  “Maybe she wanted to take the cake with her so the police wouldn’t have any proof?” Tricia asked.

  “Well, she didn’t do that. She was leaving when we arrived, right? And the cake wasn’t with her.”

  “True...” Tricia frowned and tapped a finger against her chin. “Oh, I know! The house was in a total mess. Mrs. Bingham wanted something from Gina Graham, and she tore the house down looking for it.”

  “Doing that would have worked up a sweat on a nice day like this,” Rachel said. “Mrs. Bingham looked pale and scared when we saw her, but she didn’t look sweaty. Her makeup was fresh, and her hair was in place.”

  Tricia sighed. “I give up. It’s like you don’t want Mrs. Bingham to be the killer. I mean, I don’t, but what other explanation can there be? Besides, the police have fingerprints now, and if they’re hers, she’s very likely be going to jail. Let’s not think about this anymore, Rachel.”

  They’d reached Shoreline Park by now, and as soon as they got out of the car, Annie Pegg came barrelling down toward them. Her eyes were wide with annoyance and her forehead slick with sweat. “Tricia? Rachel? I’ve been calling you all afternoon! There’s an entire crowd here completely furious, and I’ve been placating them for the last hour! Where were you two? Where’s Gina? You’d better have a good explanation!”

  “Is Mrs. Bingham here?” Tricia asked.

  “Mrs.
Bingham?” Annie looked confused. “Come to think of it, no. But more importantly, where are the cakes? I really didn’t expect you, of all people, to be so careless. I’ve been—”

  “Annie...” Rachel’s voice was soft, but grave. “We’ve got some terrible news.”

  Half an hour later, the competition had been cancelled, and the entire town knew of Gina’s death. Instead of dispersing, the crowd seemed to grow larger around the now-deserted platform, as though they expected someone to come announce that it had all been a prank, and the cakes would be for sale soon. Whispers skittered like electric shocks through the crowd, as new information came in. Watching them, Rachel sensed, as well as saw, the comfort they took from each other. At a time like this, nobody wanted to be alone.

  Annie was sitting on an overturned barrel behind the platform, her hands massaging her temples. “I just can’t believe it, you know?” she muttered, half to herself. “Gina Graham. I just saw her this morning! How could she be dead? It’s… inconceivable.”

  Tricia had a hand around her shoulders and a tissue ready. “I know. I’m still in shock too.”

  “What time did you last see her? Any idea?” Rachel asked.

  “9am. I went over to make sure all the cakes had come in and to check them off the list. We had breakfast together in her kitchen. I left at nine thirty to set up things here at the park. Gina was perfectly okay then.” Annie’s eyes widened and she looked a little sick. “Oh man. That could have been me on the kitchen floor with her. Oh man.”

  “Don’t say that.” Tricia looked like she’d be sick all over again. “We still don’t know what happened. Maybe it wasn’t poisoning… maybe she just dropped dead. People do sometimes, you know.”

  “Not Gina. She was the healthiest person I knew. She was training for a marathon!”

  “What did you have for breakfast?” Rachel asked.

  “Croissants and coffee,” Annie said. “I brought them over from Bull’s Café. I knew Gina would be busy receiving cakes all morning, so I thought I’d help her out with breakfast. That way, she wouldn’t get tempted to eat cake either.”

  “Eat cake? Would she really have eaten the cakes before the competition?” Rachel asked.

  “Well...” Annie shrugged. “Last year, I caught Gina scraping off a little bit of Mrs. Bingham’s bundt cake and eating it before the competition. I scolded her for it, but she told me she’d just gotten hungry, and it didn’t do any harm since the cake wasn’t visibly affected. Plus we’d be taking off slices for the judges anyway.”

  “Who else knew this?” Rachel asked, feeling a charge of excitement. “The participants didn’t find out, did they?”

  “Oh, of course not! The organizing committee for the cake-off knew, though. We nearly didn’t invite Gina back this year as a result,” Annie said. “It was a pretty big scandal between us.”

  “Who’s in the organizing committee?” Rachel asked. “Apart from you and Gina?”

  “Well, let’s see… there’s Mia Harris, there’s Tilly Wood, and there’s her husband, Ethan Wood.” Annie counted the names off her fingers. “Why?”

  “Mia Harris!” Rachel exclaimed. “As in, the same Mia Harris who lost her business because of Gina and got into a catfight with her?”

  “Yeah. Same Mia Harris.” Annie sighed. “It’s been a challenge getting them to work together, I can tell you that.”

  “But why would Mia want to be in the same committee as Gina?” Rachel asked.

  “She didn’t. Mia was very adamant that we kick Gina off, but in the end, the rest of us agreed to give her one more chance.”

  “No, I meant, why would Mia be on the committee in the first place?”

  “Well, you really don’t know much about Mia, do you?” Annie laughed. “Mia’s been hounding Gina ever since she lost her boutique to her. It’s like she’s made it her life’s mission to make life tough for Gina. I think she’s on three different committees with Gina, trying to wrest power.”

  Next to Annie, Tricia stiffened. “That’s not true. Mia’s not like that.”

  “Oh, come on, Tricia. You’re friends with her, so you have a soft spot, but Mia is honestly very weirdly obsessed with Gina. You know it,” Annie said. “Trust me, working with those two, I saw it firsthand. It’s like Mia’s main goal in life is to pull Gina down.”

  “Annie, shut up,” Tricia hissed. “You’ll make people think Mia did it.”

  Annie’s eyes widened. “Well I didn’t mean to imply that but—”

  “Hang on. Did you meet Mia today?” Rachel asked.

  “Oh, yeah. She showed up here around ten to help set up,” Annie said. “She left around noon to go home and feed her dog, and she came back by 1pm.”

  “Is she here now?” Rachel asked.

  “Actually, she’s on her way to Gina’s house.” Annie stood up, suddenly remembering. “When you guys wouldn’t pick up my phone, I sent her over to see what was going on.”

  “Poor Mia’s going to get quite the shock when she sees all the police cars.” Tricia sighed.

  As if on cue, Annie’s phone began buzzing, and Mia’s name lit up the display.

  “I've got to take this.” Annie sighed. “Rachel, I guess you can go home now. The cake-off is most definitely cancelled. There’s nothing more for you to do here.”

  Rachel didn’t quite agree. After what Annie had just told her about Mia Harris, there was no way Rachel was going to go home without asking a few more questions.

  *****

  Chapter 4

  Pink Nail Polish

  Even in the heat, Tilly Wood had a light cardigan on over a white shirt and blue jeans. Her curly hair was cut in a short pixie that looked impossibly cute on her angular face. Rachel wondered how women ever managed to pull that style off. Personally, Rachel thought she’d look like a ball of dough with chocolate stuck on top if her hair was any shorter than shoulder length.

  Tilly clearly wasn’t thinking of that, however. Her head was bowed and her shoulders stooped as she anxiously texted someone. Looking up, she gave Rachel a polite but distant smile.

  “Have we met?” she asked as Rachel approached.

  “Er... I think so. You came in last month for a birthday cake, right? Chocolate orange?” Rachel held her hand out. “I’m the baker over at Comfort Cakes. I was supposed to be a judge today before things got rained out, so to speak.”

  “Oh. Right. Rachel Rowan.” Tilly stuck her phone in her back pocket, and shook hands. “You were there with Tricia when they found the body, right?”

  “News flies fast around here.” Rachel attempted a grin.

  “Yes, well, my husband’s with Mia Harris right now. They’re at Gina’s. It’s just horrifying, isn’t it? Nothing makes sense. They’re saying she was poisoned?”

  “Well, the police are looking into it,” Rachel said cautiously.

  “It's Mia, isn’t it?” Tilly’s eyes were wide. “Mia did it somehow. It had to be her.”

  “You know, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Rachel said. “Annie mentioned Gina and Mia had a rivalry of some sort.”

  “Ha! Blood feud's more like it,” Tilly said. “Mia went crazy when she lost her business to Gina. It was kind of underhanded of Gina to sell the same stuff as Mia, but really, it wasn’t Gina’s fault. Mia isn’t half the businesswoman Gina is—was.” Tilly squeezed her eyes shut. “What a nightmare. I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  “So... did Mia ever threaten Gina?” Rachel asked. “She ever say anything to you?”

  Tilly shook her head. “I’m the wrong person to ask. I was never too fond of Mia. She’s a little too vain for my tastes. We never really spoke outside the committee.”

  “But still… you think she did it.”

  “I mean, she and Gina had a physical fight three years ago,” Tilly said. “That’s all you need to know, right? Mia hated her.”

  “She tried to get Gina kicked off after Annie caught her tasting Mrs. Bingham’s bundt cake last year, right?�
� Rachel asked.

  “You know about that?” Tilly raised an eyebrow. “We all swore to keep it quiet, though I suspect Mia told half the town. It was nothing. Gina just scraped a little cake off the bottom and tasted it. No big deal. She got greedy, but come on; that cake is literally made of angel tears and nectar.”

  “That good, hmm?” Rachel raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh yes. Mrs. Bingham never gives out the recipe, either.” Tilly smiled. “Said it's a family secret and will stay that way. I was actually looking forward to eating some today.”

  Rachel nodded. Tilly would probably change her mind about eating it ever again once she finds out what had poisoned Gina.

  “There you are!” A voice exclaimed. Rachel turned to see a heavyset man with paint on his knuckles and ripped jeans rushing toward them. He pulled Tilly aside and whispered something in her ear. Tilly’s eyes grew wide and panicked.

  “You can’t be serious,” Tilly hissed. “Ethan! Tell me it’s not true.”

  Ethan turned to glare at Rachel, who was trying to look innocent, then caught Tilly by the elbow and led her away. The couple headed toward the lake, far away from the crowd, and Rachel wished she could hear what they were speaking about.

  Whatever it was that Ethan was saying, Tilly didn’t look pleased about it. Still, she was trying her hardest to keep a fake smile plastered on her face so that the crowd wouldn’t notice. Rachel saw her fists were tightly clenched.

  Ethan, on his part, looked agitated and wasn’t trying to hide it. His hands flew around as he spoke to Tilly, and his eyes were wild.

  “Hey. You. You’re Rachel Rowan right?” Two fingers tapped Rachel’s shoulders, and she swung around. The woman facing her was tall, slim, and dark haired, with pale skin and jade-green eyes. Dressed in hot-pink short shorts and a loose chiffon top, she was drawing more than a few backward glances from men. She seemed to absorb the glances without any self-consciousness or pride, simply accepting them the way a goddess would accept donations at her shrine.

  “I’m Rachel.” Rachel nodded. “And you must be Mia Harris, right?”