Pound Cake Predator Read online

  My mind flashed back to the stack of bottles Masie and I found in Franklin’s cottage, but I couldn’t mention it or Logan would know I was the one that broke in. “Have you considered the possibility that Vivian isn’t the only resident that disagrees with the new prohibition? Franklin was perfectly capable of buying alcohol himself.”

  “If it wasn’t Vivian, who was it then? There are several signs pointing straight to her. The break in, the alcohol, the generally suspicious attitude and the corpse at her front door.”

  I racked my brain for evidence I could share that would take the blame off of Vivian and myself at the same time. The best course of action was to point him in another direction completely. “Okay, so according to you she’s done some disreputable things. But none of those actions are as noteworthy as some other things I’ve seen.”

  He narrowed his eyes at that, pressing me for further information. “I thought you said you hadn't seen anything notable?”

  “Our conversation sparked my memory.” I lied. Jiminy crickets! He seemed to catch on, but then quickly waved it off. “Have you looked into Clive the reporter? Or how about the new resident, Polly Smith? I spoke with both of them recently and some things they said strike me as odd now that I think about it.”

  He pulled out a notepad from his back pocket and asked me for permission before beginning to write. “Please, continue.”

  I cleared my throat, thinking back to my previous conversations. “I spoke to Clive first. You should have seen how upset he got when he was telling me about the story he was supposed to write about Franklin. Apparently Franklin changed his mind and wanted to pull the plug, that could be a great motive, right?”

  Logan scribbled in his notebook, muttering something under his breath about how he was never fond of Clive in the first place. The slight jealousy in his voice did more for me than I’d want to admit. “Go on.”

  It was working, and the attention was slowly shifting from Vivian towards real suspects. “Polly is another strange character. Not only did she dislike Franklin, but she also came into town all the way from Las Vegas just before Franklin died.”

  “Did she say why she made the trip?” He asked, not looking up from his notes. He looked extremely studious as he recorded my observations, and it gave me comfort that someone so focused was on the case.

  “She said something about moving to Haverfield to be closer to her niece, but she wasn’t too keen on answering any questions regarding Franklin.” I bit my lip and fiddled with my fingers while I waited for him to finish his notes.

  Finally, he looked up from his pad. “Alright, I think I have enough to get started. To be honest I think Polly seems pretty unlikely, but I promise to investigate further. Clive seems like a good lead on the other hand, so I’ll start with that.”

  “Thank you.” I wanted to pull him into a hug for taking me seriously, but I held back. “One more thing though, I think I should come along when you speak to Polly. I don’t think she has a niece. And I want to be there so she can’t back out of that statement.”

  After no time at all, Logan agreed. “What are you waiting for, let’s go.” He smiled, leading the way.

  As we left the bakery, I called back to the others as they wrestled with the centerpiece. “Sorry guys, going on a quick mission.” A chorus of groans echoed throughout the shop, but I knew that the investigation was more important.

  We didn’t have to travel far to locate Polly. As we drove down the street, I spotted her in the window of Shirley’s Diner, talking to Shirley herself. “Stop, there she is.” I pointed the woman out to Logan, and he pulled the car into the diner parking lot.

  “Good evening, ladies.” Logan and I wasted no time in confronting the woman, and I could tell she was shocked to see me so soon.

  “You again...did Vivian forget to pay for my pastry or something?” Polly huffed, her hand squeezing Shirley’s. “This is my niece, the one I was telling you about earlier.” She looked smug, as if she knew I thought she was lying before.

  Shirley sneered in my direction. “My dear auntie came all the way to Haverfield to be closer to me and you two are already giving her trouble? With you around she’ll want to leave me in no time.”

  “We don’t want any trouble.” Logan promised. “We just want to know more about your relationship with Franklin.”

  “Nothing to tell. Now I suggest you leave unless there’s some food or coffee I can get you.” Shirley reasoned, and her aunt nodded.

  “Thank you for your time.” Logan sighed, and after giving me a look that told me I was wrong about Polly, we went back to the car in defeat. “Let me get you back to the bakery. I’ll follow up on that Clive lead in the morning.”

  With a sigh, I agreed. I didn’t speak another word for the remainder of the ride out of sheer embarrassment. I was sure that Polly was lying, but now I wasn’t sure about anything. Hopefully, my notions about Clive would lead to something more than another dead end.

  Chapter 13

  Back at the bakery, I was greeted by a chorus of bickering voices. I sighed heavily, rubbing the recent feelings of defeat from my temples as I prepared to jump back into my job. The dead end at Shirley's diner took a lot out of me, but I had to stay hopeful that the mystery of Franklin's death would soon be solved.

  "The fondant flowers are still hideous," Scooter snapped.

  "Oh yeah? Well they look a lot better than that sad excuse for a custard puff you stuck at the top. Did you even try?" Masie waved her hands angrily around the Valentine's display, which was quickly proving to be more of a hassle than it was worth.

  Scooter's head popped up as he saw me entering the store, and his mouth warped into a sly smile. "Thank goodness Coco is here to save the day. Please tell Masie she's wrong."

  "About what?" The other cried bitterly.

  "Everything."

  I stepped between the two, instantly putting a stop to their comedic row. "Alright you two that's enough. We're a team, it's time we started acting like one."

  Scooter narrowed his eyes. "Fine, but the only way I'm finishing this display with Masie is if she agrees to temper the chocolates again. The first batch was completely ruined."

  "Come on JJ," Masie spat sharply, using the nickname Scooter disliked. "Coco and I went to college together, at least she knows I'm smart and can finish a task the right way. Isn't that right Coco?"

  "That may be the case but these chocolates have to be perfect, there's no room for error." With a frown, I inspected the entire display while paying special attention to the chocolates. "They're not completely ruined, but they could use a little heating to make them smoother and shinier. At least the centerpiece finally looks complete, so let's just finish this up together."

  The other two reluctantly agreed, and we began to carefully reheat and smooth the chocolates one by one. As we worked, our discussion shifted to the case. "Did you and Logan find any leads last night?" Masie asked with a glint in her eye. "Were you two really working on the case or just having a romantic dinner?"

  My face went red at her assumption. "We were working on the case thank you very much, and unfortunately the information I had about Polly was pointless. Did you know that the niece she was visiting turned out to be Shirley? Keep that in mind the next time you order a coffee at the diner."

  Masie laughed. "I'll double check my drinks for loogies. But seriously, when is your next date with Logan?"

  Her question made me turn even redder, but I wasn't sure of the answer. "It's been so hectic with the investigation, I'm not sure there's much time for dating."

  "Speaking of dates, isn't that your husband coming in now?" Scooter pointed out, and Masie dropped a tray of chocolates we had freshly tempered.

  I put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Don't worry about the chocolates, we'll make more."

  She nodded, standing tall and wiping her hands on her apron as Scooter and I disappeared into the kitchen. However, we couldn't resist peering around the wall to see what was goin
g on. I recognized the man as the mayor's secretary, and wondered why Masie wouldn't tell me she had eloped with him when I tried to guess before.

  "The divorce papers are in the mail," she stated coldly.

  I watched his face fall, and he looked as if he was about to cry. "Masie, please. Give me another chance. I didn't know you preferred the toilet roll to be under instead of over, I didn't know that would lead to a divorce."

  Scooter began to snicker, and I elbowed him in the ribs before he could reveal our stealthy position. He made a grimace type noise and I poked him again.

  Masie sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Mark it's not that simple. I'm just not ready for commitment."

  "But you married me, that's as committed as you can get. Shouldn't you have thought about that before the wedding?" He clasped his hands together, desperately searching her eyes for any chance of saving the relationship.

  She rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you have thought about taking your shoes off before walking all over our carpeted suite in Vegas?" When he replied with an open mouth and an extended silence, she continued. "I haven't truly been single in such a long time, and truth be told I'm really enjoying being by myself."

  I understood what she meant, but I also felt bad that my good friend would now see Valentine's Day as a holiday associated with divorce, just like I did.

  "Do you really mean that?" Mark implored. "You said it yourself, I'm the best kisser you've ever met."

  "And I'm sure I'll meet more in the future, but right now the only kisses I want in my life are these chocolate treats I just scattered all over the floor." She bent down to pick up a few as he finally gave up. "We can still be friends, though."

  "Fine." Mark reached out to shake her hand. "But can you introduce me to some of your single friends? That other girl you work with looked pretty cute."

  At that comment, Masie began furiously throwing chocolates at Mark's head, and I decided it was time to shoo them away before my bakery became trashed once again. "Alright you two. Take it outside."

  Both Masie and Mark scurried outside while Scooter and I returned to our stations in front of the display. "What a wild ride, but at least now I can finish the display the right way without any interruptions from Masie."

  "Just be careful, we can't afford anymore mistakes." I advised, sweeping up the remaining chocolates and starting a third batch.

  After working in silence for a while, Scooter piped up. "I know Masie's turbulent love life may have put us both off of marriage for the next hundred years, but have you ever thought of settling down yourself?"

  The question caught me off guard, but his intentions seemed innocent enough to reward with an honest answer. "Well I wouldn't be lying if I said there was something growing between Logan and I. But we're both too independent and headstrong to settle for anything."

  Scooter nodded as he put the finishing touches on the display. "I think I'm that way too."

  We admired our handiwork and gave each other a well deserved high five before retreating to the break room. His question lingered on my mind, but I knew I had answered correctly. With the investigation, the bakery, and my overall stubbornness, there was no way I was ready to settle down, but that was just fine with me.

  Chapter 14

  Masie stormed back inside with a vengeance. "I can't believe the audacity of that stupid man, but at least the marriage is definitely over for good." She hurried over to the display next, her anger growing as she realized what Scooter had done. "Did you finish this without me?

  "I had to, how else would I have gotten it to look like actual bakers worked here instead of amateurs?"

  "Amateur? You think that just because you went on some stupid D-list cooking show you're suddenly better than me? I was already baking perfect cakes before you were born."

  "Okay, old lady." Scooter shrugged Masie's comment off, instead opting to point out the intricate details of his display. "Look at how this icing falls perfectly across the cake's surface, it could have only been executed by a supreme master."

  In his fit of arrogance and excitement, Scooter's hand flew forcefully across the display, knocking the entire project to the ground. Cake, chocolate, and icing splashed up onto our faces as the beautiful creation crashed onto the floor.

  Both Scooter and Masie shared a horrified expression before looking apologetically in my direction. They both knew how serious I was about not wasting any supplies, and this was the last straw. "I told you that you suck," Masie whispered to Scooter.

  "This would have never happened if you didn't ruin it the first ten times." The teenager accused.

  "I would have never messed up the chocolates in the first place if you hadn't handed me the wrong supplies." Masie shot back.

  While they bickered back and forth, I stared helplessly at the mess on the floor. I couldn't tear my eyes away as I saw dollar signs disappearing into thin air. Their voices rose, and so did my resentment. "Enough is enough, I've had it with you two."

  Masie and Scooter stopped fighting instantly, shocked by my outburst. They both stood still and listened as I ranted. "Everything has to be done all over again, and this time, you two are going to work together even if it means I have to physically tie your hands together."

  "But we can't do it again, Masie wasted all the supplies." Scooter groaned.

  "Scooter you're one to talk, you knocked the whole thing over." I reprimanded. "Stop trying to convince Masie you should be in charge, nobody earned that right and you're both at fault. We're all going to redesign and complete it together, no exceptions."

  I caught Masie softly shove Scooter as I spoke, and Scooter stuck his tongue out at her in reply. "Are you finished, children? Can we stop and apologize to one another already? We are a family, whether you like it or not, so start acting like it."

  My comment gave them pause, and Masie was the first to relent. "She's right. And although I can't stand you most of the time, you are a pretty good baker."

  Scooter cracked a smile. "Thank you for finally coming to your senses. When you're not ruining pounds upon pounds of fresh chocolate, you do a pretty great job making pastries."

  "I appreciate that. I only wish they would film a reality show about teenagers who apologize as well as they criticize, you'd definitely be the star." After Scooter laughed, Masie extended her hand. "Friends again?"

  "Friends again,” Scooter accepted.

  "Great, now let's focus on restocking all of those lost supplies." I took a deep breath, hoping in vain that this would be the last of their fights.

  WHILE BROWSING THE aisles of Reggie's Discount Store, I suddenly realized how quiet it was without the constant bickering of my colleagues. It was so quiet in fact, that as we perused the aisles, we were able to pick up snippets of other shoppers' conversations.

  "Maeve, did you hear that Shirley apparently had a bone to pick with poor old Franklin before he died? Don't you think that's suspicious?"

  We all stopped what we were doing to listen to the conversation of two elderly women in the aisle next to us.

  "Darla, I don't like talking about death. It's coming for us soon enough already, why spoil a good evening talking about Franklin again?" The other woman laughed.

  "But this gossip I've heard is too interesting to let slide. I heard that Shirley was mad at Franklin for hurting her husband in that awful fist fight. How horrid would you feel if your young and spry husband was beaten down by an old codger, and then you had to hire a new chef while he was recovering?"

  "It was the joke of the town when it happened, I'll agree with you there. But that's not reason enough for Shirley to have killed Franklin, if that's what you're implying."

  Darla paused and we held our breath. "Eh, you're right. I also heard Shirley was out at that fancy seafood restaurant having a nice dinner with her dear aunt at the time Franklin died so she couldn't have killed him. Just some silly old gossip I suppose."

  As soon as the ladies rolled their shopping carts away, Scooter put both o
f his hands on our shoulders and brought us into a group huddle. He was bursting at the seams with information. "Shirley's alibi is fake, and I know it for a fact."

  My eyes grew wide. Could my lead about Polly have been correct after all? "What makes you say that? What did you hear?" I whisper.

  "Polly couldn’t have been visiting Sam’s Seafood on the night Franklin was murdered. I remember this because I’m friends with Sam and we talked on Skype because he shut his restaurant down two days ago since he’s remodeling stuff and I was going to help him.” Scooter's voice was hushed but the passion was evident.

  Masie shook her head. "Are you sure you're not confusing your facts? That would be extremely suspicious if their stories were so different. Didn't you and Logan look into that lead anyways, Coco?"

  I bit my lip. "We tried, but they shut us down when we questioned them. Perhaps it's worth following up with Polly while she's alone, just to be sure. Thanks for the information Scooter."

  We dispersed our huddle and rushed to purchase the supplies before packing them tightly into Daisy's trunk. Masie and Scooter agreed to unpack everything together at the store while I drove to the retirement village, and I was thankful that they were finally working together.

  However, as soon as I pulled into the community, I saw Agnes' personal assistant standing at the entrance with a scowl on her wrinkled face. "Sorry, no guests tonight." She held her hand out and signaled for me to turn around.

  "But I just need a few moments with one of the residents. I have a few questions for someone and it's very important that I come in." I pleaded.

  The assistant remained firm. "Sorry. Not tonight, no way, no how."

  With a huge sigh, I pulled the car away until it was just out of her sight. I wouldn't leave so easily, but I knew I needed a plan B if I was going to speak to Polly.

  Chapter 15

  I drove my car away from the entrance of the retirement village and parked it nearby. I turned the car off and unbuckled my seat belt. If my next plan worked, I was going to need to be able to move quickly.