The Cupcake Conspiracy

by Sara Bourgeois

  We sat down once the rolls were warm and dug in. I found out right away why Hannah had been allowed to have coffee since she was ten. She put a splash of coffee in the bottom of the cup, and the rest was all milk.

  I took a quick shower while Hannah cleaned up after breakfast. She was so helpful, and I needed to remember to compliment my sister.

  While Hannah got ready, I took Gracie out one more time. When all of that was done, we locked up the apartment and headed out to my car.

  "I brought homework with me, but I'm really far ahead," Hannah said.

  "That's okay, hon. I'm sure I can find some work for you to do,” I said.

  And I did. I gave Hannah a list of tasks to do to get the front of the shop ready for opening. While she worked out there, I was in the back making French onion soup. I'd given Hannah the option to chop the onions, but she'd elected to take the front of house tasks.

  When Hannah was done out front, I had the soup going on the stove. She wanted to help me with something in the kitchen, so I showed her how to make the dough for cinnamon rolls. Together, we had the cinnamon rolls ready to go into the oven in half of the time it normally took me to do it alone. I started to wonder if I needed to get an assistant to come in with me every morning.

  Right about that time, Ginny showed up for work. "Good morning,” she said as she strolled into the back. "Who do we have here?"

  "Ginny, this is my niece, Hannah. She's spending the week with me. You have her to thank for the fact that most of your opening duties are done already,” I said.

  "It's nice to meet you,” Ginny said and offered Hannah her hand. "If you've already done my work for me, then I think we're going to be best friends."

  Hannah laughed.

  The two of them wandered into the front of the shop while chatting about Hannah's school. I was glad to see that the two of them had hit it off.

  A short while later, Tom called.

  "Hey, gorgeous,” he said when I answered the phone.

  "Oh, flattery will get you everywhere." I laughed.

  "Will it get you and Hannah to the Burger Barn to meet me for lunch?" he asked.

  "I think that can be arranged,” I said.

  "Great, I'll meet you there at the usual time?" Tom asked.

  "Sure. Hey, can we bring Gracie?"

  "Yeah. We'll just do the outside seating. I'll get you the usual?"

  "Yep, and we can let Hannah order while we watch the dog,” I said.

  "Sounds good to me."

  After we got off the phone, I went out to the front and found Hannah.

  "Hannah is doing an excellent job filling orders,” Ginny said.

  "That's great,” I said. "Hey, Hannah, we're going to meet Tom at the Burger Barn for lunch."

  "Cool."

  "We'll stop by the apartment and get Gracie on the way."

  "Even better," Hannah said and she gave me a thumbs-up.

  A half hour before we were supposed to meet Tom, Hannah and I left the shop to go pick up Gracie. I could tell Hannah was looking for Mark, but we didn't see him.

  I drove us over to the Burger Barn, and Tom was waiting at one of the outside tables with his and my food. He handed Hannah some cash and told her to get whatever she wanted. It was early enough that there wasn't much of a line, so it wouldn't take her long to get her food.

  "Thanks,” she said appreciatively when she took the cash.

  "That's really sweet of you,” I said when she was gone. "I could have paid for hers."

  "Nonsense,” Tom said. "It was my invitation, so it was my treat."

  "Well, thank you. I really appreciate it."

  "You are most welcome,” Tom said with a smile.

  "So, how is the investigation going?" I asked.

  Tom chuckled. "You didn't waste any time there."

  "Sorry, I'm just super curious."

  "It's okay,” Tom said. "So, I have an interview with Susan, Doug's wife, this afternoon. She was too upset to give much information when Mack notified her of Doug's death. Mack wanted to interview her while it was still fresh, but she was crying uncontrollably. He ended up having to leave. I think she had to go to the doctor and get some kind of pills to help her calm down. Anyway, I'll be interviewing her this afternoon at the station."

  The conversation had to end there. Hannah appeared with her tray. She'd gone for the double bacon burger with waffle fries and a large chocolate shake. It was a meal fit for a king.

  "Sorry, I don't have any change," Hannah said.

  "It's okay,” Tom responded. "I wanted you to spend it."

  "I did get a small, plain hamburger patty for Gracie." Hannah handed me a cardboard tray with the patty in it. "I hope that's okay. I told them not to season it."

  "That was sweet of you,” I said. "Gracie will love it."

  Gracie did love it too. She gulped the patty down in two bites and then stretched out under the table to snooze while the humans ate their lunch.

  When we were all done eating, Tom and Hannah cleared the table and threw all of the trash away.

  Hannah and I took Gracie back to my apartment, and Mark was coming out right as we were leaving again.

  "Did I miss Gracie?" he asked as the two of us came out.

  "You did,” I said. "But I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you visited this afternoon."

  "Yeah, that would be great. I'm about to run an errand, but when I get back, I'll take her for a nice long walk," Mark said.

  "Thank you so much," was my reply

  "Yes, thank you," Hannah added, and I saw her blush furiously.

  "You ladies have a wonderful afternoon."

  It was obvious when we got back to the car that Hannah was smitten with Mark all over again. I completely understood. He was gorgeous and kind, but I had Tom. Mark flirted with me sometimes, but I had the sneaking feeling it was just the way he was. There were times when Tom and I weren't as serious that I'd considered taking Mark up on one of his many offers for dinner. But at this point, I just wanted to be with Tom and Mark was a good friend. I did appreciate how much he helped out with Gracie. His erratic work schedule didn't allow him to have a dog of his own, but he was always more than happy to spend time with Gracie while I was working at the bakery.

  "He is so handsome," Hannah said when we got in my car.

  "You've said that." I tried not to laugh at her. To me it was silly, but I remembered being that age. I didn't want to embarrass Hannah because I knew her feelings were very real to her.

  "He just is,” she said dreamily.

  When we got back to the bakery, Crystal was there waiting for Ginny to take her lunch break.

  "Is it all right if I go?" Ginny asked as soon as Hannah and I walked in.

  "Yep. I'll see you in a bit."

  "Have fun, you guys,” Ginny said before she departed with Crystal.

  "I miss my best friend," Hannah said, but she didn't sound too sad.

  "Can't you talk to her on the phone and your computer?" I asked.

  "Well, yeah. I guess it's just not the same, but I'll see her in a few days. I'm happy to be here,” Hannah said and brightened up.

  "I don't know if you're going to be now,” I said ominously.

  "Why?" Hannah cocked her head to one side when she asked.

  "Because I think it's time for you to get started on some of your schoolwork. You said you were ahead, and I think it's a good idea if you stay that way."

  "Fine," Hannah said with a huge eye roll, but she was laughing. I knew she was teasing.

  I helped her get set up at one of the tables in the corner of the shop. It was out of the way, and since the lunch rush was winding down, I knew she'd have quiet.

  When Crystal and Ginny came back, Ginny got Crystal a coffee and pastry to go. They'd just eaten, but apparently Crystal had a full afternoon of classes at the Cole County Community College. Ginny wanted to make sure her friend had enough energy to make it until dinner.

  With Ginny back, I headed into the kitchen. I had a l
ot of orders that needed to be done that day for pick-up the next morning. So, I got started working on my special order cakes, cookies, and other various treats. Once again, I lost myself in my work. When I finally came out of the kitchen, Ginny went over to Hannah's table with some coffee, milk and cookies. Hannah looked appreciative of the snack and the opportunity to take a break.

  A little while later, I could hear them whispering, and I distinctly heard Hannah say, "You better tell Aunt Cathy."

  That made my ears prick up, so I made my way over to the table. "What's going on, you guys?"

  "I think Ginny has some information on a murder," Hannah said seriously.

  "What is it?" I asked Ginny.

  "Do you remember how Crystal lives in the other half of Doug Ramon's duplex?" she asked me.

  "I do,” I said.

  "Okay, well, Crystal said that she thinks Susan has a boyfriend,” Ginny blurted out.

  "Oh, really?"

  "Yeah. Crystal said that when Doug was gone at work during the day, there was another man who would come visit."

  "That is interesting,” I said and tried to keep my voice neutral.

  "What do you think we should do?" Ginny asked.

  "Don't worry about it. You guys just enjoy your cookies. I'll make sure that information gets to the right people,” I said. "Thank you for telling me."

  The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Having Hannah there meant that we got the store closed up in record time. Hannah was exhausted, though, since it was her first time ever getting up at four in the morning. So, we stopped on the way home and grabbed a pizza and cheese sticks for dinner. We ate dinner and then Hannah headed off to her room. Gracie and I went out for a nice, long walk. She got to do lots of sniffing and we played a little fetch. I knew what she really wanted was to play with Hannah, but I promised the pup she could see her again tomorrow. I had an idea that Hannah was probably already fast asleep.

  When I got back inside with Gracie, Tom called. I was excited for his call because I knew he'd interviewed Susan.

  "Hey, Tom. How is it going?"

  "Hello, gorgeous. What are you up to?"

  "I just got back in from a walk with Gracie. I've got some leftover pizza to put away, and then I think I'm going to watch a little television."

  "Sounds like an exciting night,” Tom said.

  "It's always an adventure at my place,” I said with a chuckle. "How was the rest of your day?"

  "I had my interview with Susan this afternoon. I figured you'd want the scoop on that,” Tom said.

  "I do. How was it?"

  "I really think that Susan must have been a wonderful wife,” Tom began.

  "What?" I felt my stomach drop.

  "Yeah, she was so broken up about her loss, and she seemed like such a loving and devoted spouse. Susan really sacrificed for their marriage."

  Either my instincts were completely off, or Susan was very good at pretending to be someone she wasn't. I thought she might have even fooled Tom, and he was a cop.

  "I don't know,” I said cautiously.

  "What do you mean?" Tom asked.

  "You know that Doug's next-door neighbor is Crystal, Ginny's best friend, right?"

  "Yeah," Tom replied.

  "Well, apparently, Crystal has seen a man visiting Susan while Doug was at work. It happened so often that Crystal thinks Susan had a boyfriend."

  "Cathy, thanks for telling me, but it could still be nothing. He might be a relative or someone who did work for Susan or Doug. It could have been entirely innocent,” Tom said. "Did you hear this directly from Crystal?"

  "No, Ginny told me about it this afternoon,” I said.

  "There you go. It's also possible that the message got scrambled by the time it got to you. Like that game of telephone."

  "Please don't just brush this off, Tom." I wanted to tell him I had a bad feeling, but my feelings didn't really matter when it came to a police investigation.

  "I won't, sweetie. I promise you that I'll talk to Crystal,” Tom said. "I just don't want to rush to judgment about Susan based on a rumor. Especially after I've interviewed her, and what you're telling me doesn't line up with what I saw with my own eyes."

  "I can understand that,” I said.

  We chatted a little more, and then I had to let Tom go. I had planned on watching some television, but I was too tired. We said our good nights, and I tried to push my concerns over Susan out of my head so that I could get some sleep.

  Chapter Five

  On Tuesday morning, I actually beat Hannah and Gracie by getting up a few minutes before four. I wanted to say that it was because I was so excited to start my day, but it was probably more that I was so unsettled about Doug's death.

  Gracie woke up moments after I did, and while I was throwing on my sweats to take her out, she bounded into the room to wake up Hannah. Hannah had left her door open the night before, so Gracie didn't even have to wait for someone to let her in. I expected to hear Hannah groan after Gracie jumped up on her bed, but she just said, "Good morning, sunshine." Maybe my niece was an early bird after all.

  "Come on, Gracie,” I said. "Hey, Hannah."

  "Yeah, Aunt Cathy?"

  "I'm going to take Gracie out. We'll be back in a bit,” I said. "And good morning."

  "Good morning to you too."

  I took Gracie out and we walked around the block quickly. Gracie stopped to sniff things a few times, but I could tell she wanted to get back to the apartment and see Hannah.

  Even though we were only gone about half our usual time, Hannah still had scrambled eggs and coffee ready when we returned. "I made breakfast,” she announced happily.

  "Oh, wow. Thank you so much,” I said.

  "You think my mom would like it if I got up early and made breakfast at home?" Hannah asked as she put the eggs on plates for us.

  "Honey, I think she'd love that,” I said.

  "I'll start doing it then," Hannah said. "I should cook more often. I enjoy it."

  "I think you'll have fun today, then,” I said.

  "Why? What's today."

  "It's Tuesday. I film my cooking segment at the television station today. You're coming with me,” I said.

  "I get to go with you?" Hannah asked excitedly.

  "Of course. You'll get to see how it's all done."

  "I have to get ready," Hannah said.

  She took off to her room. When I saw her again, Hannah was all dolled up in full makeup and hair. She was wearing a lovely blouse and slacks as well.

  "You're going to need to make sure you wear an apron at the shop. Don't forget that we have to go open before we go to the TV station,” I said.

  "I could just work on my history paper this morning until it's time to go," Hannah said.

  "That's a good idea. I can do the opening stuff myself and you won't get your lovely outfit messed up."

  "Oh, thank you so much, Aunt Cathy."

  "Not a problem, sweetie. I usually do it all myself anyway."

  When we got to the shop, I decided that Welsh rarebit over toast would be a good idea for the show. We could serve it in the shop too instead of the daily soup. I got the ingredients ready for the studio, and then set to work making the sauce for the customers. After I'd completed the rarebit, I set to work making fresh bread for the toast and a few batches of yeast rolls as well. My yeast rolls were usually pretty popular and people would take them home by the dozen to serve with dinner. I also made pumpkin bread to serve with the maple coffee I was going to offer as the daily flavored coffee special.

  I also had to bake a sheet cake. The cake was for Mark, my neighbor. It was his birthday, and I wanted to surprise him. I figured Hannah would enjoy helping me decorate it later, and then when Tom came over that night, we could all take it over to Mark's place.

  Making all of that took up all the time I had until opening. I put Mark's cake on a rack to cool just as the first customers began to file in. Things were steady all morning, and eventually, it was time
for Hannah and me to head to the TV studio.

  Hannah was beside herself with excitement. She was beaming a huge smile and practically buzzing with enthusiasm as I took her around and introduced her to everyone. I knew Hannah would have a fun story to tell her friends, and I was happy that I could include her. My producer even let Hannah stand on stage while I did my segment. She got to hand me a couple of things while I cooked, and I knew she was glad she'd spent the extra time on her appearance that morning.

  After we were done, Hannah and I went back to my apartment to walk Gracie and have some lunch. We took Gracie for her customary post-filming walk around the lake. When we got back to my apartment, Hannah and I decided to go back to the shop and have lunch instead of eating at home. She wanted to try the Welsh rarebit after helping me make it on the show, and I agreed.

  We ate a quick lunch and both had a cup of coffee. Once again, Hannah's coffee was more milk than coffee, but mine was full strength. I had a cup of the maple coffee with steamed milk and it was divine.

  It was a busy afternoon. Lots of people came in to try the Welsh rarebit, and we sold it all. I did manage to get everything done that I wanted. Hannah was more than happy to help me with Mark's cake. It came out really cute, and she was proud.

  "You've got a knack for decorating,” I said as we boxed it up.

  "Maybe someday I'll have to come work for you,” she said.

  "Or you could go to culinary school and then open your own restaurant."

  "You really think I could?" she asked.

  "I do, and I'd be happy to help you make it work,” I said.

  Hannah wanted to make chicken casserole for dinner, so we had to stop at the store on the way home. "The recipe says to use cream soup from a can, but I think I'd rather make it from scratch. Can you help me with that?" she asked.

  "I sure can."

  We picked up everything we needed, including fresh chicken from the meat counter and heavy cream from the dairy case. I was so proud of Hannah for wanting to make it all from scratch. The casserole was going to be awesome. Little things like that took a dish from ordinary to extraordinary.

  Hannah made dinner almost entirely on her own. She ended up looking up a recipe online for cream soup, and all I had to provide was a bit of guidance. I did help out by making the salad. That was my main contribution to the meal.