by Rosie Sams
Watching from the wings, Melody quickly became aware that Eleanor Kincaid was a terrible actress and was doing an awful job in the leading role. Unable to bear it any longer, she made her way backstage to Jamison. He stood, leaning against the wall for support with his head in his hands.
“She’s horrible, isn’t she?” he muttered as Melody approached.
“Well, she definitely isn’t the best leading lady that you could have chosen,” Melody agreed, not trying to hide her true feelings. “How are you going to be able to recover from such a disastrous show, Jamison? The media will have a field day with this one. It’s certainly not your best performance.”
Sighing, Jamison shook his head. “I have no idea. I guess I will have to return to the big city and start over from scratch. I don’t see any other choice now. My reputation will be ruined. I have to admit, though,” he looked up at Melody, “I really did have hopes that I could stay here with Leslie. We could run our own little production business. Start a family. It would have been wonderful.”
Melody wasn't sure if the wistful look in Jamison's eye was legitimate or not, and she wasn't given the opportunity to ponder on it. Listening to the production going on onstage, she knew that Smudge's big debut was just moments away and not wanting to miss the pup’s appearance, she excused herself and ran out to the theater to watch.
Eleanor began to read the letter that was to be thrown for Smudge to catch. As she got a few sentences in, she stopped acting and realized that it wasn’t the prop letter that she was accustomed to practicing with. She looked around the audience and seeing no other option, continued reading.
"It is our great pleasure to announce that you, Jamison Shepherd, have been chosen as the lead director in our next big Broadway production in Manhattan. I'm sure that you will agree that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and it is yours for the taking, as long as you don't bring with you any of the "complications" that we spoke of before." Eleanor stopped reading and looked up, bewildered.
Jamison, who had followed Melody up to the front of the house had frozen in his tracks and watched, with eyes wide, as Leslie took the stage.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," she spoke with the flair of an actress. "I am here to inform you that Nicola Wilder was murdered backstage, in this very theater and the murderer stands in this very room with us now. Jamison Shepherd, the director of this play, is the one to blame for her ruthless killing. He knew that Nicola would never relinquish the hold that she had on him and therefore he would never be able to release her grasp. He had no hopes of advancing his career any further while she was still alive. She would never have allowed it. No big-time Manhattan playwright would be interested in a director who came with so much baggage. Jamison was intentionally cruel to me and dropped me as the leading role of this production so that he could get me riled up and angry with Nicola for taking over the lead. He proceeded to murder Nicola backstage but hoped that my anger and jealousy towards her would put all of the suspicions on me, leaving him free to finish up here before moving back to New York to direct the play of his dreams." Leslie took a bow.
"Liar!" Jamison cried out from the audience." I would never do such a thing, Nicola was my friend. "
"Actually,” Eleanor had stepped up from the background. “Just the other day, Jamison was telling me a similar story about being presented with a great opportunity and wishing that he could find a way to "tie up some loose ends." It was all very suspicious." She seemed pleased at being privy to this information.
Just at this moment Smudge trotted onto the stage with a shirt in her mouth. She trotted all the way across the stage, down the steps, and over to Melody. Melody took it from her.
“Look, it has blood on it,” she said holding it out to Alvin. “Good girl.” She stroked Smudge.
“That’s not mine,” Jamison said. “You can’t prove it’s mine, and that dog didn’t have a search warrant.”
At that there was a roar of laughter from the people in the audience.
Alvin stood up. "Face it, Shepherd, you've been caught." Then turning to address the rest of the audience, Alvin continued. "You see, folks, Jamison here was hedging his bets. He was hoping that by belittling Leslie in front of the rest of the cast, and by giving Nicola Wilder the new role of the leading lady, he would upset Leslie enough, and all suspicion would be directed towards her, instead of on him. We also found more evidence in Nicola's personal diary. It appears that she had feared for her safety and had wondered for some time when Jamison might try to harm her. At one point she even wrote, and I quote, 'I wonder when he is going to man up and murder me? ' "
Jamison, looked panicked and cried out his confession. "All right, all right! You've caught me!"
Alvin made his way over to the man who had dramatically flung himself to the floor. “Jamison, this time, you are officially under arrest." He continued to read him his rights as he snapped the handcuffs over his wrists and pulled him to his feet. The rest of the deputies who were waiting offstage came out to take over for the sheriff.
Melody had joined Leslie on stage and gave her a big hug. Without her putting all of the pieces together, they may never have caught Jamison. After hearing about Jamison’s past and putting together all of the loose ends, she knew that he was to blame and came up with this elaborate way to force him to confess in front of the entire town.
Eleanor came over to join the ladies in a hug as well, and Melody thanked her for playing her part in revealing the director's plan perfectly.
The audience was blown away by all that they had seen and pleased at getting much more than what they had paid for. Everyone jumped to their feet with applause. As the thick, velvet curtains were slowly drawn to a close, Smudge looked around at the room full of people clapping and cheering. She proudly took center stage and wagging her tail, she took her bows and basked in the ovation that she was sure was being given just for her.
Chapter One Hundred Two
Spring was now in full bloom in Port Warren, and the whole town was in an uproar about the horrible murder at the theater. No one could believe that they had all been fooled by the production’s director, Jamison Shepherd. He had done a good job at keeping his true character hidden, and it would be a long while before any of them trusted a big city director again. If the town thought that he caused a stir when he came to town, it was nothing compared to the frenzy he created as he was leaving. Everyone who was anyone at all was talking about the story, long after Mr. Shepherd was arrested and charged with the violent murder of Nicola Wilder. He was sentenced to a lifetime term in a New York prison, and all of the townsfolk were pleased that he would never be able to disrupt their peaceful seaside town again. It appeared that the only stage that Jamison would appear on anytime soon would be at the state courthouse when he took the stand to plead his defense.
No one was quite as happy with this news, however, as Leslie, who felt that luck was on her side with this whole ordeal. The fact that it could have been her lying dead on a dressing room floor was one that she would never forget.
Down at Decadently Delicious, things had gotten back to normal. With Easter well on its way, the girls at the bakery were filling the shelves with pastel-colored cakes and cookies. Everything was brightly decorated for the season, and baskets of freshly dyed Easter eggs were elegantly placed throughout the store.
Melody and Leslie were in the back kitchen, trying out a new vegan recipe for carrot cake that was sure to be a best-seller when they were interrupted by the ring of the front door chimes.
“Hello?” A deep voice called out from the front of the store.
Melody wiped her hands on a tea towel and threw it over her shoulder as she walked out of the back and up to the front counter, Leslie following along behind her. “Well, hello there!” she greeted the artist, Sam Barnett and his beautiful, blonde girlfriend, Claudia Conway, who was at his side. “You must be here to pick up some desserts for Easter dinner?” Melody assumed.
“I could nev
er say no to any of your delicacies, Melody! But the real reason for our visit today is to talk to Leslie.”
Surprised, Leslie turned her full attention to Sam.
“Although the previous production down at the theater didn’t go exactly to plan, I still really enjoyed most of the time that I spent there. Developing the sets was a new and exciting way for me to express my creativity, and I spent a lot of time talking to Jamison and learning the ropes on how to put together a play. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I think I’m ready to direct my own production.”
“That’s fantastic news, Sam!” Melody was happy that Sam had found a new calling.
“And in my first production, I want Leslie to play the leading role. You proved to all of us how amazing of an actress you are, and I think you will be absolutely perfect for my play. You will fit the role of the leading lady quite well. I’m really hoping that you’ll consider it?”
“Wow, Sam,” Leslie was speechless. “I really don’t know what to say. I’m so honored that you would consider me for the part, but I think I will have to decline. After all that went on with Jamison’s production, I think it’s best if I spend some time living in the real world for now and focus more on my job here at the bakery.”
“Oh, Les! But you’re such an amazing actress!” Melody was surprised that the girl hadn’t jumped at the opportunity. Being on stage for her was like putting a fish in water, she was a natural. “I don’t think you should completely close the stage door.”
Turning back to Sam, Leslie promised that she would consider the proposition and get back to him, but that she wasn’t making any hasty promises. Thanking him for his consideration, both girls said goodbye to the couple and got back to work.
“Mel?” Leslie turned to her friend. “Thank you so much for always being there for me and for looking out for me. I know that there are times when I should have paid more attention to your advice. If I had, then I may not have ended up in such a mess with that man.”
“Aw, Les,” Melody leaned over and gave Leslie a heartfelt hug. “You know that no matter what, I am always here for you girls. We’re a family, and family looks out for each other.” Barely finishing her sentence, Kerry unexpectedly popped into the kitchen.
“What’s this I hear about family? Are you guys having a tender moment without me?!” The three girls laughed and joked, just like sisters.
“I wanted to stop by and see if you girls were free this evening to join Bradford and me for a special dinner. It’s been ages since we have all been out together, and I thought it was about time, considering all of the recent events, that we took some time off to just relax and have a little fun!”
“That sounds like a great idea to me!” Melody said, and Leslie nodded in agreement.
“Perfect! We will see you around six.”
Chapter One Hundred Three
After meeting Alvin at her place, the pair had made their way downtown to a fancy, upscale restaurant located in Port Warren’s finest hotel. Each table was elegantly set with white table cloths, and real silver cutlery and a beautiful, candle centerpiece glowed at each one. The ambiance was beautiful. The hostess led them to a secluded table in a private room, where Leslie, Kerry, and Bradford were already waiting for them. Once the waitress had served them their drinks, Bradford got to his feet.
"I just want to take a moment to propose a toast. Cheers to Sheriff Hennessy and Melody for doing such an amazing job at catching Jamison and putting a murderer behind bars. Cheers to Leslie for discovering her newfound acting talents and for playing her part in capturing a criminal. Finally, cheers to Kerry for putting up with me. I see a lot of similarities in the way that Jamison treated the women he dated and the way that I used to be. I'm not proud of that fact. But I've made a decision to change, and since I can't change the man that I was, I’m going to change the man that I'm turning into. Kerry, I promise you that I will do my very best to be the man that you have always wanted and the man that you need. I may not be perfect, but I want to be perfect for you."
Everyone's eyes were wide as they watched Bradford produce a ring box from his back pocket and get down on one knee. Even guests from the neighboring tables were beginning to listen in and stare.
"Kerry, you are the love of my life, and I want to be with you until the very end. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Complete silence had fallen all around, even the waiters had paused to find out what her answer would be.
The surprise on Kerry's face was evident. She had been expecting nothing more than a nice relaxing dinner with her friends. A marriage proposal was the last thing on her mind.
Her eyes were wide, and she was staring down at Bradford, trying to piece together exactly what was going on. All of a sudden it all seemed to sink in and her look of bewilderment changed to one of pure joy and excitement. "Yes!" she shouted and the entire restaurant erupted with whistles, shouts, and cheers of congratulations.
Bradford jumped to his feet, picked Kerry up in his arms and swung her around. The rest of the group was clapping and laughing. The unexpected proposal was just the thing to lighten the mood and lift everyone's spirits after all of the recent occurrences.
"Wait, everyone, please." Bradford raised his hand to silence the table. "I have one more surprise. Kerry, to celebrate our engagement, I've booked a tropical, all-inclusive beach vacation. I think it's time that we get away from some of this chaos and spend some one-on-one time. What do you say?"
"Oh, Bradford!" Kerry exclaimed. "I don't know what to say. It's all just so much to take in at one time! Of course, I'll go. I'd absolutely love to! That is, if I can get the time off work?" Kerry turned to Melody questioningly.
Laughing, Melody nodded. "Of course, you can go! You deserve it. Go and have a wonderful time, but don't forget to take lots of pictures!"
Kerry gave Melody a big hug, thanking her profusely as she did, then she and Bradford got to work talking over their vacation plans and discussing wedding ideas, each one talking a mile a minute. The happiness that they each felt was evident in their voices and was written all over their faces.
Melody leaned over to Leslie, placing a hand on her arm. "They seem really great together, don't they?" Melody asked, and Leslie nodded. "Listen, Les, don't be downhearted. Your turn will come too, you've just got to give it some time to find the absolutely perfect guy. He's out there, I promise."
“I know, Mel. I haven’t given up just yet. One day I know I’m going to be just as happy as you and this guy,” she said, gesturing towards Alvin, who was standing with his hand outstretched to Melody.
“Dance with me?” he asked Melody, who smiled up at him.
“Go!” Leslie urged.
Arm in arm, the couple waltzed around the dancefloor. The evening had turned out even more perfect than Melody could have imagined. Things had finally settled down again in Port Warren and love was definitely in the air this spring.
As the sun began to set over the harbor, the group of friends talked and laughed and danced the night away, content in each other's company and happy that their lives were drama-free, once again, until their next adventure.
The Bashing in the Bakery
Bakers and Bulldog Mysteries
by
Rosie Sams
Chapter One Hundred Four
The glorious first days of summer had finally arrived in Port Warren, and not a moment too soon. The first few months of the year had found themselves filled with drama and unwelcomed excitement. The people of the town were ready to put all of that behind them, bask in the warm summer sun and take some time out from their busy days to relax. Melody Marshall, the famous town baker, and owner of the Decadently Delicious Bake Shop, was no different from the others. After finding herself in the middle of murder and mystery time and time again, she wanted nothing more than to focus on herself, her budding relationship with the town sheriff and work on growing her pride and joy, the bakery.
There was a bounce in her st
ep on the way to the shop this early morning in June. Her faithful French Bulldog, Smudge, was trotting along with her as they made their way to work. She couldn’t help but be thankful that the events of the past had been resolved and that both herself and her friends were moving forward from them. Turning the last corner onto Main Street, Melody spotted her friend, Jake, sitting outside the shop waiting for her. His clothes were worn and tattered and his long hair hung in strings down his back, but despite his disheveled appearance, he wore a smile that would brighten anyone’s day.
“Good morning, Jake!” she said as she approached the homeless man. Running up ahead, Smudge leaped into his open arms for her daily dose of snuggles.
“Well, good morning to you, as well!” Jake laughed like a little boy at Smudge’s antics as she wriggled in his arms and smothered his face with wet, sloppy kisses.
“I see you’re right on time for breakfast,” Melody said approvingly. “Let me open up, and I’ll be right back out with your coffee and some treats! Black with two sugars, am I right?”
“Yes, ma’am, that sounds absolutely wonderful. I can’t thank you enough. You're much too kind to me.” Jake hung his head bashfully, his voice was filled with gratitude for Melody’s thoughtful deeds.
Bending down, Melody put her hand on the man’s shoulder. “Jake, I have told you this before, and I will tell you again, it’s me that should be thanking you. You risked life and limb for this country and for my freedom. For that, I will be forever grateful to you. A coffee and some baked goods are the least that I can do for you, it doesn’t even compare to the service that you have done for me.” With that, she stood up and went inside, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll be back out in a jiffy, Jake! Keep an eye on Smudge for me!”
It didn’t take Melody long to turn on the lights and get the ovens heating up. Once everything was in order for the day’s work, she set out making two steaming cups of coffee and filled a take-out box with treats and goodies leftover from the day before.