1 Nothing Bundt Murder (12 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

I leaned forward and looked at Babette with a pleading expression on my face. “You can’t do this,” I begged. “Please. You can’t just say someone’s a murderer and have people believe you. You can’t just CALL CASEY a killer and have people believed you!” I screamed.

I really emphasized the words ‘call Casey’, hoping my technologically screwy phone would do what it had been doing to me the last several weeks—and ‘Call Casey.”

The only problem was, I had no clue if it worked or not. The phone was still in my pocket so I couldn’t see if it had dialed. And even if it did dial, I had no idea whether Casey would pick up.

My fervent prayer was that he’d answered and was now saying, “Hello
, hello,” into the receiver right at that moment. But I had to admit it seemed unlikely after the way I’d treated him earlier.

Still…It was my only hope. So I decided to keep Babette talking—to give him time to get to me.

Which, surprisingly, didn’t seem to be a problem.
Now that she was detailing her various murder plots, Babette seemed to have become quite the chatterbox. Completely unlike the quiet, soft-spoken Bundt baker that I thought I knew.

Maybe she found it to be a relief to reveal her true self to someone else. Even if it was just to me.

“Oh, I can set Casey up, all right. No problem. After all look around. You have this nice dinner here that he had catered by Madrilenos. And if the police find a little bit of bitter almond Oil in one of the glasses of champagne, who will they blame? Not me.”

“But Casey knew you were coming over! That’s why he left. I told him I had to interview you. He’ll tell the police it was you!”

“True,” Babette said, growing thoughtful. “But once I plant the almond oil bottle in his office safe, he’ll be the one that’s arrested. I, on the other hand, have already been cleared, thanks to that surveillance tape. Thanks to you.”

“It won’t work,” I told her, pushing my chair bac
k. “I’m not going to drink any cyanide almond oil! You can’t make me!You’ll have to shoot me. And then your plan to frame Casey won’t work.”

“Please, she said, rolling her eyes. “I can easily plant the gun right next to the oil bottle in his safe. It’s not rocket science. Now drink up.”

She held the gun at me as I picked up the mug of hot tea.

“Go on,” she motioned with the gun.

I stared at her, horrified. Then without thinking I raised the mug towards my lips and… threw my hot tea right into her face.

“Ah! Ow!” She screamed and stood up.

I dove at her, trying to get the gun. We fell against the wall, then into the chair. Next thing I knew, we were on the floor, rolling around and struggling---but I couldn’t get the gun out of her hands.

Chairs were knocked over on top of us and Cupcake was cowering, scared, in the corner. For someone so thin, Babette. was surprisingly strong. She punched my face and then knocked my head onto the floor and next thing I knew she was on top of me. The gun was pointed at my face.

“Bye bye,” she said with a snarky smile.

T
hen there was a loud BANG.

Everything went black.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

When I opened my eyes, I saw Casey’s gorgeous face staring down at me, an angelic expression in his eyes.

“Am I in heaven?” I asked as he lifted me up and into his strong arms.

“No,” he said as he hugged me to his warm, hard chest. I could smell the cologne on his neck and I laid my head against it, feeling safe and secure.

Then I heard Babette moaning in pain. I looked down to see she was still alive. Detective Sanders, who’d arrived with Casey, had a smoking gun in his hand.

He went to Babette and checked her pulse. “We got ya this time,” he said. Then he called in for an ambulance.

“You got my call!” I whispered to Casey as he led me away from the carnage. “You came to save me!”

“I did,” he said, a worried expression in his eyes. “And thank goodness.”

Just then, Nana rushed into the room and put her arms around me. “Are you okay, sweetie?” she asked, hugging me so tightly that I could barely breathe.

We were joined by Birdie, who came over and patted my back. “Rosie! We were so worried about you. Thank goodness Mr. Baron got here in time!”

I looked at them confused. “But how did you even know I was in trouble?”

“We were at dinner,” Nana said. “And Birdie’s date, Barney…” Nana looked around the room and waved to an older gentleman who stood in the doorway. “ Barney!” she called out, “Come here.”

Barney, a sweet-looking older man with glasses and a beard, shuffled over, and with a gentle smile he shook my hand. “Nice to me you,” he said.

“You too, Barney. But I still don’t understand,” I said, looking from Birdie to Nana to Barney. “How did you all know I was in trouble?”

“Well,” Nana said. “At dinner, Barney mentioned to us that his son Victor was the one sold Doug the surveillance camera. Victor owns that electronics store near the new Whole Foods”

Barney nodded emphatically. “But Vic also told me, that a few weeks ago, Babette came in expressing an interest in the cameras. And though he didn’t tell her about the surveillance camera he sold Doug, he had a sense she knew about it.”

I looked at them, still slightly confused.

“Honey,” Nana put her arm around me. “If Babette knew about the ‘secret’ camera that was filming her--then her whole alibi was a performance for the camera. Or at least it could be.”

“That’s right,” Birdie said. “We tried calling you from the restaurant but you never answered. So your Nana called the police.”

“Well thank goodness you did. Thank goodness for all of you!” I hugged them all again.

I’d never felt so un-alone.

“Well, we’re going back to my place for dinner,” Nana said. “I’m going to whip up something good. Come in when you’re done here,” she smiled. Then she hugged me again, tightly. “I love you, hon,” she whispered.

“I love you too, Nana,” I said. And just then I saw a handsome older man with a thick head of silver hair, standing by the door.

“Who is that dashing combination of Clark Gable and Tyrone Power that is standing in my doorway,” I whispered to Nana. “Is that your date?”

“Yeah, not bad, huh?” she said, softly. “Birdie nailed it this time.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY NINE

When all the excitement died down and everyone else had left the casita, Casey and I were alone in the living room.

“
I’m so sorry about earlier,” I said. “I wasn’t really thinking straight.”

“
Obviously,” he shrugged. “But you really thought I was the killer?”.

I nodded. “I did. I’m sorry. But I promise. That’s the last time I’ll you accuse of a crime.
Really.”

He looked at my face closely and his eyes showed a combination of worry, affection, irritation and…something else. Something good.

“Fine,” he said, taking a deep breath and standing up. “Now, can we finally go on our dinner date? Even if it’s only next door to have Nana’s famous Chicken Paprikash.”

He put his hand out and I put my hand in his and stood up.“You still want to?” I asked, teary eyed. “Why?”

He studied my face as if considering it, then he sighed. “I think you’re like this delicious dessert I once had…” He frowned as if deep in though. “You—much like this dessert—are a concoction made of all the things I dislike—murder accusations, a dreadful English accent, danger at every turn. But somehow, when you put it all together…it’s magic.

And with that his lips covered mine and we kissed. And kissed and kissed.

THE END

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NOTHING BUNDT MURDER
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