William Jarvis - Sky Valley 01 - Coffee, Cupcakes & Murder

by William Jarvis

  “No,”

  “Oh, okay,” Audrina seemed anxious.

  “What happened?” Emmy asked.

  “Nothing,” Audrina said, “I just…I just dropped my phone…”

  “I see,” Emmy said, “Phones aren’t so strong these days…”

  Audrina laughed, “Yeah…yeah…” she said as they both stood up, “I liked the name of the business, though,” she said, “Cupcakes to Your Door sounds so chic."

  “Glad you like it,” Emmy smiled, “It’s easy to market these days with the help of the internet and all that…I’d try to bake some samples tomorrow."

  “Let me help you out.”

  “That would be cool,” Emmy smiled, “I’m thinking I’d make some lemon cupcakes, then those walnut-zucchini ones…Pumpkin-chocolate sounds good, too. What do you think?”

  “Yes,” she said, “And…strawberry macarons? Or maybe not?”

  “Maybe we should try another flavor,” Emmy smiled, “cheesy macarons, and pineapple filled ones are good,”

  “That sounds cool,” she said, “I kind of envy your baking skills!"

  Emmy laughed, “Nah,” she said, “My mother was better."

  “Of course.”

  “No, I…I didn’t really mean anything…”

  “Yeah, it’s okay,” Audrina smiled, “Hey uhm…about Daniel—“

  “No, that’s fine, Audrina,”

  “No, I want to explain,” she said, “I mean, there’s really nothing to explain but…you know, I really did like him. Maybe, I still do, but like I’ve said, it’s a harmless crush, and I really hope you guys would you know, get together for good. I feel like you’re really good for each other."

  “A lot of really there,” she smiled, “but thank you…and it’s fine, Audrina, I mean, Dan is crushable…if that’s even a word."

  They both laughed, “He is,” Audrina said, “A lot of girls have had crushes on him,” she said, “but I guess, he really still has the hots for you."

  Emmy laughed, “Well…”

  “I know you know that.”

  She laughed some more, “Uhm,” she said, “So…any other recipes you want us to make? Or uhm, you know, what should we advertise?”

  “Coffee cupcakes?” She said, “They’re like, hitting two birds with one stone. You’d get to target both the coffee and cupcake lovers, plus, it’s just a great, great combination. Lethal,” The way Audrina said it sent some shivers down Emmy’s spine.

  “Lethal,” she repeated.

  “I didn’t really mean anything by that."

  “Of course,” Emmy smiled, “Well, maybe we could add some Vegan cupcakes, too."

  “Yeah, that would be cool."

  While Emmy wrote down a list of what they could serve, Audrina asked her a question, “So, Em,” she said, “Why did you and Dan break up? Was it just because of Paris?”

  “Yeah, mostly just that,” she said, “He always held a special place in my heart, though,”

  “That’s sweet,” she said, “I always wondered how that felt."

  She laughed, “Never really been in love?”

  “Not really,” Audrina said, “Although…well, there’s Jimmy but that’s complicated…”

  “Jimmy?” Emmy thought that this was a good moment to ask Audrina about him. Audrina blushed, like she was caught red-handed.

  “Oh,” Audrina said, “Forget I said anything, that’s not really important…”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah,” she said, “Really…”

  “But I thought you were in love with him?”

  “Uhm, Emmy, it’s complicated,” she said, “It’s a small town, sure, but nothing comes in black and white here…” She said it a bit stiffly.

  “I see,” Emmy said.

  “Let’s just talk about you and Daniel!” She said and giggled in a fake manner, “I really hope you get back together soon. He’s like, the kind of man who would really, really take care of you,”

  “Yeah, he is a good man, Audrina."

  “Uhm…you know, maybe I should head to bed and leave you alone for a whole,” she said, “I know you’re tired and all and, yeah…”

  “Alright,” Emmy said.

  Audrina turned her back towards her so he could get out of the room, but Emmy called her back.

  “Audrina,” she said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Are you sure there’s something you’re not telling me about?”

  “What would I hide from you?”

  “I don’t know."

  “Em,” she said, “I know it’s so hard but…you have to trust me,” she said, “at least for now…”

  “Alright,” Emmy said, “Okay…Good night."

  “Would you like me to make coffee for you? Or milk?”

  “No,” Emmy said, “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. Good night.”

  “Okay,” Audrina said and closed the door.

  CHAPTER 13

  INCONSISTENCIES

  “You know, the key is to make sure that the cookies won’t be browned,” Emmy told Daniel that morning while they were making some macarons, “then you get to add the filling.”

  “You know, Nana Tish would be happy if she hears you talk this way,” he said, “Like you’re Julia Child or something..."

  “Shut up!" she laughed.

  “Hey, didn’t she start cooking in Paris, too?”

  “Yeah,” she said, “you know, she’s also one of the reasons why I devoted a lot of time to baking,” she went on, “she kind of inspired me."

  “See?”

  “Hey, quit it!"

  Daniel then took out the macarons from the oven, “Are these okay?”

  “Yeah, they look divine!"

  “Just like you."

  “Shut up,” she said, and started to fill the macarons with the sweet filling that they have made earlier, “Where’s Audrina, by the way? Did you see her? She said she would help me out today."

  “She’s not around?”

  “Haven’t seen her since this morning,” Emmy said, “And Dan, I actually have to tell you something,”

  “What is it?”

  “Last night, I heard Audrina talking to someone on her phone…They seemed to be in a heated conversation…”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, “She said that he should tell her about what he knows, I guess it’s about Annabeth, then she went on and on about how she thinks that he knows something, and that he’s hiding something from her. She even asked him about whether he slept with Annabeth or not…”

  “Whoa.”

  “I know, right?” She said, and beat some eggs, “She called him Jimmy. Does that ring a bell?”

  “Jimmy…I’m not really sure…there are a couple of Jimmies around. There’s Jimmy Hoffer, from High School, remember him? Big, plump guy who always stole other people’s lunch?”

  “Oh my God,” She said, “No, I really don’t think it’s that Jimmy…He doesn’t seem to be Audrina’s type, I mean, that’s just my opinion but…”

  He laughed, “I know, I know,” he said, “Well, there’s also Jimmy from the hardware store, but he’s like, 70, and I never saw Audrina going there, so you can cross that off your list…” He went on. “But wait a second,” he said, “you think this Jimmy guy is Audrina’s boyfriend, right?”

  “Yes,”

  “Well, I did see her with Jimmy Outen once. Jimmy works for Tripp as one of his assistants or something. We’re not close, but I did get the chance to see his exhibit once,”

  “Exhibit?”

  “Apparently, he’s into photography,” he said, “He staged an exhibit once, with Tripp’s help,”

  “So, he and Audrina are together?”

  “I think so,” he said, “I don’t know what the rules of their relationship are, of course,” he said, “but if you’re saying that Audrina was talking to someone named Jimmy last night, he’s probably the one.”

  “And based on their conversation, i
t’s as if they’re not entirely exclusive. I always thought that Annabeth was a prude but it seems like she and Jimmy have some history, too…”

  “Well, maybe Audrina’s not really sure about that."

  “I don’t know, Dan,” she said, “I tried to ask her questions last night but she kept dodging me. She’s hiding something, I just know it.”

  “You think she has something to do with this?” he said, “Look, Em, I do understand why you’d think that way but…that’s not the Audrina that I know."

  “I don’t want to judge her, Dan, really,” she said, “but she’s hiding something from me; from us. And God, where is she? I don’t even have any idea.”

  “Maybe, she just went home or something,” he said, “We can ask her later."

  “I feel like we’re just wasting time,” she said, “you think this macaron is too fluffy?” She asked, handing him a piece of pink macaron.

  “No, it’s just right, I guess,” he said, “Em, you have to relax.”

  “I just feel like…like there’s a missing piece through all this,” she said, “There are just too many inconsistencies and I have to know the truth.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “Do you know where Jimmy lives?”

  “What?”

  “You heard me, Dan,” she said.

  “Yeah, but…” He took a deep breath, “he lives near the White Mountains…”

  “The White Mountains? That’s a bit far."

  “Yeah, that’s close to one of your restaurants, though…”

  “Right,” she said, “the restaurant in the mansion,” she said, “you think he’s there right now?”

  “Maybe,” he said, “otherwise, he’d be with Tripp.”

  “He works for Tripp but he lives too far away,” she said, “Damn. What has he got on him?”

  “I have no idea."

  “Dan, don’t we have any security cameras at the store?”

  “I don’t think so,” he said, “Your dad trusts everyone."

  “That’s really naïve of him."

  “This isn’t Paris, Emmy,” he said. “You know, it’s really different…”

  “Right, sorry,” she said, “Let’s go, Dan,” she said, “I want to talk to him. Maybe he could clear some things up for me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, please. I have a really bad feeling about this.”

  “Alright,” he said, “Come on."

  CHAPTER 14

  THE HOUSE AT THE MOUNTAIN

  “Here we go back, this is the moment~” Macklemore’s “Can’t Hold Us” was playing on the radio while Daniel and Emmy were inside his vintage Buick. They were on the way to the White Mountains to go talk to Jimmy. The window was open and her hair was being blown by the wind.

  “I love this song,” Emmy said, “And this car."

  He laughed, “You don’t really..."

  She laughed, “Hey, it’s vintage,” she said, “Remember when we were young and we’d ride those car rides at the carnival?”

  “Yeah, nana would bring us there all the time,” he said, “then when we got home, your mom would have all those pastries ready for us.”

  “Is the carnival still around?”

  “I’m not really sure,” he said, “but we can check…”

  “No, maybe some other day,” she said, “I’m determined to talk to Jimmy today, though…”

  “Em,” he said, “You know, this is essentially doing what the police told us not to do."

  “Screw them,” she said, “All they do is try to accuse us when they don’t even have enough evidence. And…and I want to know what he knows…I want to know if…if he planned on killing me, or if it was Annabeth he wanted to kill all along…I want to know if he knew about the pregnancy and all that…”

  “You know,” he said, “You’ve always been such a little rebel."

  She laughed, “Hey,” she quipped, “That’s one of the things that you loved about me."

  “Love,” he said, “Present tense."

  She smiled, “Remember that Camaro you rented during our Senior Prom?”

  “Of course,” he said, “How could I forget?”

  And it’s true. Even Emmy couldn’t forget that car because it was a testament to who they were back then.

  That car was a witness to the first time they kissed, all giggly and happy from the prom. It was also the car they rented during their graduation day; the car he used to take her to the graduation ball, and the car they used to sneak into the carnival one late evening where they were caught by the guard, but luckily, he knew who they were and let them out without pressing charges.

  Incidentally, that was also the car they were riding when they went to Emmy’s family’s resort the day before she left for Paris. She broke up with him right then and there.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” she said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Dan, I have to leave,” she said, “I just…I just can’t stay here anymore.”

  “You want to go to Paris, right? I saw the tickets. And your enrollment forms…You left the folder here once. It’s okay, Em, I’ll support you. You can do whatever you want, we don’t have to break up.”

  “Don’t you understand?” She said, “I need a clean break. I need a fresh start.”

  Daniel stopped the car, “Em, I love you,”

  “I love you, too,” there were tears in her eyes now, “but…but right now, I just have to leave. I need to clear my mind. I—“

  “You need to see the world like you always wanted to."

  She nodded her head and cried. He wrapped his arms around her and just let her cry all her tears out; he let her cry, and let her need him even if he knew that she would be leaving.

  “I don’t want to be unfair to you.”

  “How’s being in a relationship being unfair?”

  “Dan…I want you to explore all your other options, too."

  “You’ve never been just an option."

  They stayed quiet for a little while and then, “But we’re young,” she said, “and…and life could change…a lot of things can still happen,” she went on, “and being in a relationship with silly, complicated me may just make you miserable, don’t you know that, Dan?”

  “You’re really bound on letting me go, huh?”

  “I’m sorry."

  He nodded his head, “You know,” he said, “I always thought this day would come. I’m not angry with you, Em, but I am sad. We could be so much more. But yeah, I guess you’re right. You need this,” he said, “Will you even write?”

  She laughed, “Dan…”

  “You won’t, won’t you?”

  “I am not sure that that’s healthy…”

  “If you say so…” he said, “I guess I won’t be seeing you for a while, then…”

  “Yeah…”

  He nodded his head and kissed her one last time. “I love you,” he said.

  “Dan, please don’t—“

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “I’ll bring you home."

  “No, don’t bother..."

  “I won’t let you walk home alone,” he said, “Let me do this."

  He brought her home and hugged her goodbye. He never heard from her again until she went home last week. Apparently, Emmy wrote Dan a letter but she never gave it to him. She always kept the letter in a purse that her mother gave her shortly before she died, and she never threw it away. She wrote that letter shortly before arriving in Paris, and somehow, she still knew the words by heart.

  Dear Daniel,

  Do you remember the last time you told me that you loved me? I told you not to say it anymore, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want you to. It was because I knew that if I reciprocated, I would probably find reasons to stay, because to be honest, you’re enough of a reason to stay. But I can’t.

  I can’t stay because I don’t want to complicate our relationship…but somehow, I’ve already made it complicated, haven’t I? That’s
what I always do. I complicate things.

  I’m so sorry for leaving you. I’m sorry for leaving Sky Valley.

  I’m not even going to send you this letter because I probably would just flake on you again, and you don’t deserve that. Dan, you deserve someone who’s going to be there for you in every possible way; who’d make cakes for you; who’d be the girl of your dreams, and I know that right now, I’m not that girl.

  Maybe someday, it will be me, and by then, I can finally give you this letter.

  Someday, but not today.

  I love you and I always will.

  Emmy

  “What are you thinking of?” Daniel asked, taking Emmy back to the present.

  “Nothing,” she said, “Everything."

  He laughed, “I thought so,” he said, “Em…it’s okay,” he went on, “We can’t turn back the past but we still have the present…and the future, too…Okay, that sounds awful…”

  She laughed, “Thanks, Dan."

  He smiled, “Oh look,” he said as he stopped the car in front of a clearing near the white mountain. A cabin stood alone in the middle, “We're here."

  He got out of the car and opened the door of the passenger seat so Emmy could get out, too. Then, they walked towards the cabin and knocked on the door.

  CHAPTER 15

  GUILTY OR NOT?

  “Do you think he’s here?” Emmy asked, as they waited for someone to open the door.

  “I hope so." Daniel said.

  Emmy knocked once more and this time, someone opened the door. It was Jimmy. Emmy thought that he looked disconcerted—his gray shirt was crumpled, his jeans were tattered, and it seemed like he had a lot of things on his mind.

  “Hi,” Emmy said, “I’m--”

  “Emilia Byrne,” Jimmy said, “Of course I know who you are,” he said, “Oh and hello, Daniel."

  “Jimmy,” Daniel said and extended his hand for a handshake.

  “What brings you here?”

  “I was hoping we could talk to you,” Emmy said, “about your connection to Audrina…”

  “Ah, that’s really none of your business."

  “Really,” Emmy said, “Well, you know, I hate to do this but I feel like you have to tell me something, like there’s something we have to know from you,” she said, “last night, I heard Audrina talking to someone on her phone and when I asked her about it, she denied me the details. I heard that she was talking to a person named Jimmy, and turns out, that’s you—“