A Witchy Bake-off

by Danica Britton

  “Come on, let’s go,” I said to my grandmother, tugging her arm. “I think you’ve got your point across.”

  Reluctantly, Grandma Grant followed me back to the truck, but at the last moment, she turned and pointed at Adele. “If I find out you took my lucky spoon, Adele Silver, I will end you!”

  I stared at her in surprise. End you? My grandmother had clearly been watching too many action movies.

  I rubbed a hand over my forehead as Grandma Grant started the engine. This morning had given me a headache. As the truck pulled away, I glanced in the wing mirror and saw the Townsends and Adele watching us leave. Adele’s face was contorted with rage.

  I had a feeling today would come back to haunt us.

  Grandma Grant was in a bad temper, muttering to herself on the drive home.

  “I’ll show her! Adele Silver will not get the better of me.”

  “Do you need any help with the baking?” I asked. “I could be your sous-chef.”

  Grandma Grant took her eyes off the road long enough to give me a sideways glance. I gripped the edge of my seat as the truck’s wheels dipped into a pothole.

  “I don’t need a sous-chef.”

  “I could wash the dishes.”

  “I am perfectly capable of washing my own dishes.”

  My grandmother hated washing up, so if she was refusing my help, it meant I really was in the doghouse.

  “You can’t still be angry with me. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  Grandma Grant’s hands tightened on the wheel. “You were the one who told Adele about my lucky spoon.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t expect it to go missing.”

  “It hasn’t gone missing. She’s stolen it.”

  “You don’t know that for sure. You could have simply misplaced it.”

  “I hope you’re not implying I’m senile, Harper!”

  I groaned. “Of course not. But it’s easy to lose things.”

  Grandma Grant mumbled something inaudible under her breath.

  “I think you’re taking this whole thing far too seriously. It’s supposed to be a bit of lighthearted fun.”

  “Lighthearted fun?” Grandma Grant repeated as the truck screeched to a halt outside my cottage. “My reputation is at stake.”

  I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the truck. Before I shut the door, I asked, “What time are we going to the spring fair?”

  She sniffed. “The fair starts at two o’clock. I’ll be making my own way there.”

  “Oh, I thought the three of us would go together…” I said, hoping Jess would be back from Pete’s by then.

  “You’ll only distract me. I’ll meet you there.”

  Clearly, it was going to take some time for my grandmother to forgive me for mentioning her silly spoon to Adele.

  After she drove off, I trudged back into the cottage to find Jess hadn’t yet returned. Smudge greeted me as I walked into the kitchen.

  “At least you’re not mad at me,” I said, and reached down to stroke Smudge’s soft fur.

  Chapter Five

  Jess and I walked down the hill to the center of Abbott Cove. The weather had turned. Heavy, gray rain clouds hung ominously overhead. I wore my bright yellow raincoat and carried my polka-dot umbrella, just in case.

  “So what exactly did you do to upset Grandma Grant, Harper?” Jess asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Jess lifted an eyebrow.

  “All right, fine, I suppose I really shouldn’t have told Adele about Grandma Grant’s lucky wooden spoon.”

  Jess’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “That’s why she’s annoyed?”

  “Yes, well, that and the fact her spoon has gone missing and she believes Adele stole it.”

  “Why would Adele steal a wooden spoon?” Jess shook her head. “Honestly, this competition has gotten way out of hand.”

  “I’m not sure. At first, I thought she must’ve misplaced the spoon, but the more I think about it, knowing Adele Silver, I wouldn’t put it past her to take the spoon purely out of spite.”

  “That’s just crazy.”

  Big, fat raindrops began to fall as we got closer to the church hall.

  “It looks like the spring fair is going to be a washout.” Jess looked up at the sky and wrinkled her nose as a raindrop hit the center of her forehead.

  I opened my umbrella and we both sheltered under it as we walked towards the soggy banners hung in the grounds outside the church hall.

  To my left, I caught a blur of movement and turned to see Deputy Joe McGrady jogging across the parking lot. His light gray shirt had darkened from the rain. He slowed as he approached us.

  “Afternoon, shame about the weather.”

  “Yes, it’s going to put Grandma Grant in an even worse mood,” Jess muttered.

  “It’s not a complete disaster,” Joe said. “The spring fair is going ahead despite the rain. The stalls have been moved inside the hall.”

  I smiled at Joe. “That’s Abbott Cove for you. The residents don’t let a bit of bad weather get in the way of them having fun.”

  “I just hope it is fun,” Jess said. “I have a feeling war is about to break out between Adele Silver and Grandma Grant.”

  Joe opened the door to the village hall, gesturing for us to walk ahead of him. “The rivalry between them is really something else.”

  “You’re telling me,” Jess murmured as we stopped and looked around the hall.

  Most of the decorations had been moved inside too. Multicolored banners and streamers hung from the ceiling, and the stalls were lined up in neat rows.

  Chief Wickham stood nearby, surrounded by a group of residents pointing and talking in loud voices.

  When the chief spotted Joe, he called out, “Deputy McGrady, a little help, please.” He pointed at one of the stalls, which was slightly out of alignment.

  Joe went to help Chief Wickham, and I took a quick look around the hall and took a few photos with my phone to show Loretta later. There were a variety of stalls selling a range of items. I spotted one stacked with small jars of rose cleansing cream, another was selling organic candles.

  Betty from the Lobster Shack was selling raffle tickets, the proceeds going to the local community gardens. Next to Betty, was Mrs. Hopkins who was selling elderberry wine.

  I nudged Jess with my elbow. “She already looks slightly tipsy.”

  “It must be good,” Jess commented. “I might buy a bottle.”

  I thought I’d opt for the rose cleansing cream over the elderberry wine.

  “There are the cakes,” Jess said, pointing to the other end of the hall.

  Archie stood beside a large table covered with a pristine white tablecloth, inspecting the cakes. Grandma Grant was close by, with a face like thunder. Adele Silver lingered at the opposite end of the table, glaring at Grandma Grant. Stacie Sutton stood next to Adele, smiling serenely at the table full of cakes. Just like when I’d seen her the other day, she wore a fifties-style tea dress, this time in a light lemon color with a matching cardigan. She wore white gloves, and her fair hair curled around her face. Her sister, Leslie, dressed in a similar style, stood beside her, looking bored.

  Mr. and Mrs. Townsend stood proudly beside what I guessed was their entry into the competition.

  Slowly, Jess and I walked towards the table of cakes. I wanted to support Grandma Grant but wasn’t quite sure how she would react. Although she was fiery and had a quick temper, she didn’t hold grudges for long. Usually. Actually, that wasn’t strictly true. She’d been known to keep a grudge for decades, but despite her sharp tongue, she was fond of me and Jess, and she never stayed angry at us for long.

  I took a couple of pictures of the cakes as Grandma Grant greeted us frostily.

  “I see you opted for the green cake,” I said. “It looks delicious.”

  Grandma Grant graciously acknowledged my complement with a nod. “It certainly looks better than Adele Silver’s entry.”

  She pointed in th
e direction of a multilayered ginger cake, decorated with piped buttercream. The sight of it made my mouth water, but I didn’t tell Grandma Grant that. I didn’t have a death wish.

  “And whose entry is this?” Jess asked, looking at the cake next to Grandma Grant’s. It was a decadent chocolate cake iced with chocolate ganache.

  “Stacie Sutton’s.” She peered at the cake. “It looks pretty good,” she added grudgingly.

  There were various other cakes on the table, and I had to admit they all looked wonderful. I particularly liked the look of the lemon drizzle cake and what looked like a strawberry sponge.

  Archie was taking his job very seriously and was making careful notes on each cake.

  “You haven’t tasted any yet, Archie?” I asked.

  He looked up from his notebook and blinked. “Oh, hello, Harper, Jess. I’m grading the cakes on appearance first and the taste test will follow. That’ll be the ultimate decider.”

  “So this won’t be a low-carb day for you,” I joked.

  Archie patted his newly slim stomach and grinned. “No, today is a day off from the diet.”

  “Well, you won’t regret taking a day off once you taste my cake, Archie,” Adele said with a self-satisfied smile. “Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Mrs. Grant’s. I mean, whoever heard of a green cake?”

  Grandma Grant tensed, and her eyes narrowed.

  Picking up on the tension, Archie hurriedly said, “It is an unusual choice, but very eye-catching. Very impressive indeed.”

  Now it was time for Grandma Grant to smirk as Adele scowled.

  “Archie’s ever such a nice man,” Adele said in a very loud whisper to Stacie, who was standing beside her. “He is even nice about amateur efforts.”

  “Who are you calling an amateur?” Grandma Grant demanded in a dangerously low voice.

  I gulped. This could go downhill fast.

  “There’s only one cake on this table that looks like it was made by an amateur,” Adele said with a spiteful smile. “But I give you full marks for effort. It’s not your fault you can’t bake.”

  “And there’s only one cake here that was baked by a thief,” Grandma Grant retaliated.

  Her words caught the attention of most of the people in the vicinity, who all turned to watch the altercation.

  “How dare you! I am not a thief,” Adele Silver howled.

  “Then what do you call taking my lucky wooden spoon without permission?”

  “You have no evidence it was me!”

  “Not yet. But I will. I’m going to speak to Chief Wickham and press charges.”

  Adele’s jaw dropped and then her face tightened in concern. “You wouldn’t do that… It was only a spoon for goodness sake.”

  Grandma Grant folded her arms over her chest. “Oh, wouldn’t I?”

  “I can’t believe you’re taking this competition so seriously,” Adele huffed.

  I thought that was a little ironic, considering how seriously she was taking the competition.

  “Just look at your entry. It’s green,” Adele said, waving at Grandma Grant’s cake.

  “I know it’s green. I am not blind.”

  “You are such an attention seeker. You couldn’t make a normal cake. You just have to be different, don’t you?” Adele said severely and jabbed Grandma Grant’s cake stand for emphasis.

  Unfortunately, she jabbed a little too hard, and the cake lurched to one side. It didn’t fall off the stand, but it did look decidedly lopsided.

  “You did that on purpose!” Grandma Grant accused.

  “I did not, but anyway I think it looks better now. It couldn’t look much worse.”

  “You’re an awful woman. You won’t get away with this. I will make sure you pay,” Grandma Grant said through gritted teeth.

  “Pah, and what exactly are you going to do about it?”

  “You’ll see; I will pay you back when you least expect it.”

  I put a hand on Grandma Grant’s shoulder. “Just let it go. It’s not worth it.”

  She shook off my hand and glowered.

  “Why don’t we all take a break for some refreshments?” Archie proposed. “Sarah has a coffee stall, and Mrs. Hopkins is selling elderberry wine. We can reconvene here in twenty minutes for the taste test.”

  I looked gratefully at Archie, and he winked.

  Jess and I wandered around the church hall together, and I recorded a few short videos for Loretta’s benefit. I’d hoped to have a quick word with Joe, but he’d been cornered by two ladies from the church choir, asking him what he intended to do about the parking problem around the church.

  Jess opted for a tumbler of elderberry wine, and I stuck with coffee. I also purchased the rose cleansing cream, which smelled divine, and we both bought some raffle tickets from Betty.

  After twenty minutes had passed, Archie clapped his hands. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s now time for the final part of the bake-off. The most important part… The taste test!”

  Jess and I exchanged a look. This was going to be... interesting.

  Chapter Six

  “That’s Olivia Daniels, Adele’s daughter, and her son-in-law, Damien,” Jess said, nodding in the direction of a tall woman with a long thin nose. She stood beside her husband, talking animatedly.

  “It’s nice they’ve come to support Adele,” I said as we all moved closer to the table of cakes. “They don’t live in Abbott Cove, do they?”

  Jess shook her head. “Not anymore, but they’re not far away. They live in Cherrytown.”

  As we got closer to the couple, I noticed they were arguing. Damien, who was at least a foot taller than his wife, stood with his arms folded across his chest, wearing a definite pout. His expression was more suited to a sulky child than a grown man.

  Olivia’s face was sour as she berated her husband. “Just keep quiet and put up with it,” she hissed. “It won’t go on much longer.”

  “I don’t see why I had to come anyway,” Damien grumbled. “I wanted to watch the game this afternoon. Watching your awful mother take part in a baking competition is not my idea of a good time.”

  Olivia shot her husband a warning look and narrowed her eyes. “Well, you won’t have to attend things like this much longer. Just make an effort today. That’s all I ask.”

  When she noticed Jess and me watching them, she broke off and glared at us.

  I gave her a friendly smile, but it wasn’t returned.

  “They don’t seem happy to be here,” I muttered under my breath.

  Jess and I weaved our way to the front of the crowd. It wasn’t that I was eager to see every aspect of the competition exactly. More that I wanted to be close by in case disaster struck.

  Archie looked positively gleeful, beaming at everyone, as he stood beside the cakes. “It’s been an incredibly close competition and I can honestly say every one of the cakes was delicious!” He paused for effect. “That said, there must be a winner, and it’s my job to make that decision. I can tell you, it hasn’t been an easy one—”

  “Get on with it!” Mr. Townsend grumbled.

  Archie’s cheeks flushed. “Very well. If you’d stop interrupting, I’d be able to announce the winner. Now, if all the contestants will line up behind the table with their cakes in from of them, I will announce the winners in reverse order.”

  Grandma Grant looked quietly confident as she stepped into place behind her bright green cake. Stacie Sutton looked proudly down at her tiered chocolate cake, and Mr. and Mrs. Townsend shuffled behind their entry.

  As the other contestants began to line up behind their cakes, I suddenly realized Adele Silver was nowhere to be seen.

  Archie noticed her absence at the same time. His face creased with a frown and he let out an impatient huff. “Has anyone seen Adele?” he asked.

  There was a murmur in the crowd as everyone looked at each other and then shook their heads.

  “She’s probably chickened out,” Grandma Grant crowed, looking pleased with he
rself.

  I sighed. “I’ll go and look for her.”

  Mrs. Morrison, who was standing just behind me, reached out to touch my elbow. “Harper, I saw her briefly in the kitchen when I went to get some more milk for the refreshment stand.”

  “Thanks, I’ll try the kitchen first.”

  The kitchen at the back of the church hall was small, so it didn’t take me long to realize that Adele wasn’t there. I did see something unexpected, though.

  Beside one of Mrs. Morrison’s baskets of baked goods stood a short teenage girl with dark spiky hair. She was grabbing cakes and cookies from the basket and stuffing them in her coat pockets.

  I cleared my throat, and she whirled around to face me. Her face was a mask of shock. She had two piercings, one in her nose, the other through her lower lip. A dark tattoo with a swirling, intricate design crept up the side of her neck.

  “Does Mrs. Morrison know you’re helping yourself to those?” I asked, nodding at the cookie in her hand.

  I didn’t recognize the teenager. Maybe she went to the local school, but I’d never seen her at the diner.

  Her body tensed, then she backed away from me, moving slowly. Behind her was the rear exit to the parking lot.

  “Wait!”

  But I was too late. She bolted out the door and into the pouring rain.

  With a sigh, I covered the basket and glanced out the window to see her sprinting across the parking lot. I’d have to mention the incident to Mrs. Morrison. Perhaps the girl had been given permission to take some of the baked goods. But then why did she run away? Had I scared her? I didn’t like to think badly of people when I didn’t have reason, but her actions were very suspicious.

  Just before I turned away from the window, through the rain drops trickling down the glass, I caught a glimpse of a man wearing a blue baseball cap.

  I frowned. Not him again. He seemed to be everywhere at the moment.

  Shaking my head, I turned away. I was being paranoid. It was unlikely to be the same man. Blue baseball caps were pretty common, after all.