My heart wasn’t feeling overly positive as I grabbed my bag and left the shop. There was a small part of me that genuinely did want to give up.
I still wanted to be angry about my plan last night getting foiled. But it was a stupid plan anyway. But Maribelle needed me, and it wasn’t in my nature to simply walk away. No stone unturned and all that.
The parking lot was completely full when I arrived at the party venue. I peeked into the entryway and waited for a few people to walk by before sneaking in.
I pulled the door open a crack and peered in. A giant banner hung over the stage that read, Happy 80th Gerald! Was I honestly about to crash some old guy’s birthday party? You bet your sweet patootie I was.
The lights were low and the music was loud. It was possible some of these folks weren’t wearing their hearing aids. I hoped for the best and scurried into the room, wedging myself between a large fake potted plant and the speakers.
If I didn’t have hearing problems before, I was certain to have them by the time I left. I needed to find someone on the staff who would be willing to talk to me. I shifted around, prepared to make a run for the kitchen, when the music cut off and the microphone squealed to life.
“We thought we’d take this time to wish our dear pal, Gerald, a very happy birthday. Eighty years today, you old coot. No one thought you’d make it this far. Especially the three wives who you didn’t invite.”
That elicited loud applause from the guests. I tried to back away, but my foot got tangled in one of the cords. Before I could stop myself, I stumbled into one of the speakers and sent it toppling over.
“Red, how dare you! You horny old geezer. I did not give you permission to touch my bosom.” Vivian’s voice rang out clearly, echoing through the open space.
“Henry, get your friend under control,” Stella demanded.
“Now hold on a minute. I’m not his keeper,” Henry scoffed.
“I can control myself just fine, thank you very much. It so happens that I was in complete control when I decided to give you a little caress. Ain’t nothing wrong with showing affection to a woman,” Red insisted.
Oh, dear me! What in the name of all things holy and true were those crazy old people up to now. They’d all finally lost their minds. I was about to go break up the ordeal, when Vivian looked my way and winked.
Wait, what? She knew I was here. I can’t believe they’d cause such a scene to keep me from getting into trouble. Gosh, I loved those crazy old people!
I hurried behind the stage and out the hidden door leading to the back room.
“Hey, you can’t be back here,” a young waitress shouted. I recognized her as one of the waitresses who was at the engagement party the night of Derrick’s death.
“I’m so sorry, this will only take a minute. It’s terribly important,” I pleaded.
“You’re the lady who catered the party the other night. The one who found the dead body.”
Apparently, I was forever going to be known as that lady who finds dead bodies. I couldn’t dwell on that, now.
“Did you see Sam Porter at the party that night?”
“I was already questioned by the police. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Of course not, I’m helping with the investigation, though. We’re trying to pinpoint Mr. Porter’s whereabouts that night,” I said, trying to sound official.
“You’re not a cop,” she stated.
“No, I’m a...a civil aid.” That was a thing, right?
She looked at me like I had two heads. Then, I remembered the pimple. Thanks Masie.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble, okay,” she contended.
“I’m not trying to get you in trouble. I just need to know if you know anything about Sam,” I assured her.
“That night,” she hesitated. “That night he was trying to bribe me and another waiter to spike Derrick’s drink.”
“To kill him?” I asked.
“No. Only a little something to knock him out.”
“Do you remember what time that was?”
“How could I forget? It was when the stupid fire alarm was going off,” she declared.
Wow! Sam certainly did hate Derrick if he was trying to spike his drink. Unfortunately, that also meant he was no longer a suspect. He had an alibi for the time of death.
Chapter 16
Ugh! All that effort, and it turned out to be a dead end. I was so sure Sam had something to do with Derrick’s murder. Turned out he was acting sketchy when Masie asked him about the fire alarm because he’d been trying to drug Derrick, not kill him.
I felt like my entire morning had been a waste of time. I could literally see the dark cloud of failure looming over my head, waiting to let loose a deluge.
Sneaking back the way I came, I sent a small wave to Vivian, Stella, Red, and Henry, adding an enthusiastic thumbs up for their performance. Vivian grinned and bowed like the perfect thespian. Giggling quietly, I hurried out to the parking lot before anyone else noticed me.
As I flopped down into the driver’s seat and started the engine, I wondered if this might be the end of my career as an investigator. I was pretty bummed that none of my theories had panned out so far.
It was still early in the day. There wasn’t any traffic as I pulled out into the street and headed for the bakery. If I could come up with the final design for the wedding cake, perhaps today wouldn’t be a complete wash.
A colorful sign caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I looked over at the little shop. Buds of May, the only flower shop in town. My mind started churning. Flowers. Cake. Cake with flower designs. Perhaps, I could find some inspiration inside.
Parking along the mostly empty street, I jumped out of the car and headed inside. The air in the shop was filled with a sweet blend of roses, hyacinth and jasmine. Along with some I couldn’t place. I inhaled deeply. It was divine.
“Oh, Coco! What brings you into my little neck of the woods?”
Turning towards the front counter, I saw Rodney Wilcox. He stood behind the register with a wide smile on his face that showed pearly white teeth. This must be his customer service personality. It was nothing like the angry brother I’d seen dragging Maribelle to his car in front of the grocery.
“Hi Rodney. I forgot you owned this place.” I smiled back.
His smile faltered a fraction, but he caught himself before it fell completely. “Are you in the market for some flowers today. Perhaps a little something to brighten up the bakery?”
“I’m actually hoping to be inspired,” I replied, explaining that I was having a difficult time coming up with the design for the wedding cake.
“Maribelle wants ranunculus, chrysanthemum, and hydrangea on the cake. I’ve been trying to figure out how to fit them together in a way that’s elegant but also a little edgy. Something no one’s ever seen before.”
“I happen to have some of those in the back. If you’d like to see them, I can show you,” he offered.
“That would be wonderful! Seeing them would certainly help me get a better visual on what I’m supposed to be working with,” I exclaimed.
He led me into the back room. It was filled floor to ceiling with flowers. Crates and containers filled with every type of flora imaginable. I felt like I’d walked into an enchanted forest.
“This is amazing! There’s so many.”
“Yes, well, business has been somewhat slow lately. People have cut back on orders and inventory has piled up a bit.”
“That’s too bad. Who wouldn’t want to brighten up someone’s day with a beautiful flower arrangement?”
“I hear wonderful things about your shop, though. You’re so talented. I’ve seen some of your work. I have no doubt that you’ll pull off the cake perfectly,” he insisted.
Rodney let me play with the flowers, arranging them together in different ways. I was amazed by how many patterns were possible, even with just a few blooms or buds.
I didn’t want to waste too much of
Rodney’s time, so I purchased a large arrangement of the flowers I needed and headed back to the bakery. This was the kind of boost I needed to get back in the kitchen. Now, maybe I’d be able to focus on my own job, instead of Logan’s.
I was set up at my station in the Mad Batter working on the new design for the cake when Rose crashed through the doorway.
“Coco, oh my lord! You’ll never believe it!” she shouted. She stopped at my counter and bent over, sucking in a ragged lungful of air.
“Did you run all the way here?” I asked.
“What in the world is all the commotion back here?” Masie walked in from the front of the bakery.
“Yes, but that’s not the point. Remember the guy with the poodle?” Her eyes were huge and eager.
“The one you said was a horse’s hiney?” I wondered.
“The one you said should be sent to obedience school with his dog?” Masie supplied.
“That’s the one! He was back at the salon for a trim and anal gland expelling... for the dog, not him. Although I’m sure his anal glands need something expelled, like a giant stick...”
“Rose!” I interrupted, my lips curling up in blatant disgust.
“TMI!” Masie gagged.
“Right, sorry. Anyway, he was on the phone with someone, yelling about how Derrick had cheated his grandmother out of a giant chunk of cash for some secret girlfriend that he was seeing.”
“What?” Masie and I exchanged glances. My interest was undeniably piqued by that bit of information. Just when I was making headway on the cake design, darn it.
“Apparently, she was someone who was used to living a lavish lifestyle,” Rose added.
“And he thought stealing from old ladies was the best way to come up with the money for that? You know, I did hear something about him stealing from old people when Maribelle was having her breakdown on the sidewalk,” I mentioned.
The three of us stared at one another in contemplation.
“Why did the girlfriend have to be a secret?” Masie questioned.
“Evidently, she was involved with someone already. Someone Derrick was close to. He also mentioned something about an engagement, and a prominent family in the community,” Rose said slyly.
My eyes went wide, as a revelation burst into my brain.
Was he having an affair with Maribelle?
That would definitely explain why she was so devastated by his death.
Chapter 17
Could it honestly have been that Derrick had a secret past with Maribelle herself? That was a turn of events none of us were expecting. If it was true, it certainly explained Maribelle’s behavior. She wasn’t simply upset about losing a friend...she was devastated over the loss of a lover.
Maribelle was so insistent that she didn’t know what to do. As I contemplated her breakdown with the newly formed revelation, I wondered. Had Derrick give her an ultimatum. Had he threatened to make their affair public. That would have been scandalous for all of them, families included.
If Jordan had found out about Maribelle’s indiscretion, of course, he would have removed Derrick as best man from the wedding. Was the betrayal by his best friend and his future wife enough to push him over the edge? To turn him into a murderer?
I felt like I’d just watched my favorite reality TV show and found out it was completely scripted. Nothing made sense anymore.
Masie, Rose, and I were huddled in the back of the bakery scrutinizing what this information meant for the investigation. If Jordan and Maribelle were suspects before, this catapulted them so high on the list you’d need a telescope to see them.
“We should tell Logan.” Rose was always the voice of reason.
“We need to investigate this on our own. We don’t need Logan’s help unless it turns out Maribelle or Jordan or both of them killed Derrick. He can do the official arresting part,” Masie insisted.
Before I could decide what I wanted to do, the bells on the front door jingled. All three of our heads whipped around and peered through the kitchen door into the main shop area. Jordan and Maribelle walked through the front door, followed by Red and Henry.
“Masie, would you wait on Red and Henry, please? I’ll talk to Jordan and Maribelle,” I said
“I need to get back to my shop. The dogs aren’t going to shampoo themselves,” Rose said.
“Okay, thanks for coming by and letting me know what you found out.”
“No problem. Next time I’m here, we’re doing something about this work space How do you function like this?” She waved a hand in the direction of the papers scattered across my counter.
“Hey, that’s my genius at work here,” I asserted.
I shuffled the papers around. Grabbing the most recent design I’d been working on that morning, and headed out to the front of the shop.
“Jordan, Maribelle! It’s so wonderful to see you,” I greeted.
Jordan had an arm wrapped protectively around Maribelle’s shoulders. She stared down at the tile floor, as though it were the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.
“We’re here to look over the plans for the cake,” Jordan uttered.
“Of course. I’ve been working on something this morning that I’m sure you’ll both be pleased with. Why don’t we have a seat over here?” I led them over to a booth in the corner and spread out the designs for them to view.
Maribelle brushed her fingers over the drawings. Her eyes were red rimmed and her skin was pale and ashen.
“How are you holding up, sweetie?” I reached over to gently pat her hand. She pulled it away quickly.
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
“I like what you’ve done with the flowers on this part.” Jordan pointed to the top tier, brushing off my concern for Maribelle.
“Yes, it’s lovely,” Maribelle agreed.
“Is there a way to move this part around so it comes together with this group at the bottom?” Jordan circled his fingers around the center of the design.
I didn’t want to raise their suspicions. If they knew what Rose told me, they might leave. This was a delicate situation. Focusing on the drawing, I scribbled some of the pattern around to match Jordan’s suggestion.
Maribelle’s hands were clasped tightly together atop the table. They trembled ever so slightly.
“I wanted to tell you again, how sorry I am for your loss.”
I wanted to gauge Maribelle’s reaction. Jordan surprised me by saying, “We’ve both been through a lot recently. We’re doing what it takes to put the past behind us. This cake should symbolize our love. A love strong enough to overcome any hurdle put in our path.”
He looked deeply into Maribelle’s eyes. I felt like I was witnessing a confession, but a confession to what? Undying love...or murder?
“We’ve done a lot to stay true to one another. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. You know that, right? I love you.” Jordan’s words were insistent, filled with determination and emotion.
“I know you would. I love you, too,” Maribelle answered.
Masie met my glance from behind the counter. Her eyebrows were raised in disbelief. Even Red and Henry, whose voices usually filled the air with trivial nonsense, were disturbingly quiet. Their gazes kept darting towards the table.
Could the couple in front of me have been so in love, that they were capable of committing murder together? It started to appear that way.
We all froze, startled, when the door to the shop flew open. Rodney marched inside like he owned the place. Head held high, shoulders back.
“Am I too late for the big reveal? I was hoping to catch a peek of the cake with the happy couple,” he stated.
I wasn’t sure happy couple were the right words to describe the pair sitting across from me. They looked guilty. Jordan wore his with entitlement and obstinance, while Maribelle’s was more on the ashamed and devastated end of the scale.
Rodney plopped down on the bench next to me, blocking my way out. He turned the designs around to
get a better view. “These are truly great. You’ve done an excellent job with the design. I’m glad examining the flowers in the shop helped you figure this out.”
“Thank you.” It came out sounding more like a question. What the heck? I didn’t need his approval.
“This wedding will be a proud day for our family. Won’t it Maribelle?” Rodney glared at her sternly, like a father chastising a disobedient child.
“So how did the two of you meet, anyway?” I wondered, trying to lighten the atmosphere some.
“Oh, we’ve known each other forever. At least, it feels that way, sometimes,” Maribelle said wistfully.
“How delightful. Marrying someone you’ve been involved with for so long means there won’t be any surprises. You’re already familiar with each other’s little quirks and oddities. When did you start dating?” I asked.
“We didn’t come here to be interrogated or have our relationship validated by you. Why don’t you keep your nose out of our business?” Jordan sneered.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t...”
Jordan cut me off before I finished the sentence. “There are other bakeries that we could go to. You’d do well to keep that in mind. Just do the job you were hired to do, or we’ll cancel our order.”
The three of them stood up from the booth and left the shop. I sat dumbfounded, staring after them. What the frack!
Chapter 18
I didn’t hear back from Logan that day and the next morning I was still sat there with a half-designed wedding cake and too many murderers for one body. Scooter and Masie were working up a few batches of cupcakes and cookies for the shop and I was meant to be finishing the design for Maribelle’s showstopper cake but instead my designs were full of sketches of skulls and little men with crossed out eyes as I cycled through our list of suspects.
The door banged open, startling me into looking up. Rodney Willcox stood in front of me with an armful of flowers and an awkward smile on his face. “Hi Coco,” he said. “I’ve got a bit of bad news, I’m afraid.”
Crepes and Crimes Page 6