Girls' Night Out Murder (Ryli Sinclair 2) (5 page)

The curtain was yanked back quickly and out walked a
stunning blonde with big boobs and a tiny waist. My first impression was to
hate her—but I knew this had to be Susie, so I did what any girlfriend would do—I
joined in the squealing and hugging with Paige.

“You girls look wonderful!”

“Oh, my gosh, you haven’t changed at all.”

“I love your hair.”

We did all the usual exchanges of people who hadn’t seen
each other in ten years, then broke apart smiling. Okay, when I did take her
in, I have to admit it was petty of me to want to hate her because she was
beautiful. She’d always been cute when I knew her, but she definitely outgrew
cute.

Her blonde hair was perfectly coiffed in an elegant French
twist. No messy bun or ponytail for her. She had icy blue eyes encased in long
lashes, and her mouth was full and pouty. Her clothes were just as elegant…and
obviously designer. I’d never be able to pull that off while baking. I’m too
messy a baker.

“How long have you been standing here,” Susie asked as she
glanced over her shoulder at the curtain. She gnawed on her bottom lip. Even
that looked sexy as hell on her.

I looked over at Paige. “Not long,” I assured her.

“Yeah, we just walked in,” Paige added.

“Ahem…maybe an introduction my way would be nice,” Aunt
Shirley demanded.

I introduced my aunt to Susie and tried to surreptitiously
peek into the back of the bakery. Was Jolene still there listening to us?

“Let me take care of something in the back real quick,” Susie
said. “Then we can get down to your cake samples and catching up.”
       

We watched as she hurried through the curtain. More
whispers, but this time we couldn’t hear the conversation. A few seconds later
two people came out behind the curtain.

When you hear that drugs can do bad things to your body,
believe it. The woman standing before me should have only been a couple years
older than me. Instead, she looked to be nearly fifty. Her face was both
leathery and wrinkled. Her eyes were sunken in her head, her cheeks were drawn
tight, and her face had little pit marks all over it. She was trying to hide
behind her stringy, mousy, long brown hair, but was unsuccessful.

“Girls, you remember my sister, Jolene?”

Jolene looked up at the sound of her name and raised her
hand out of her extra-extra-large sweatshirt as though to say hi. Unfortunately
that little gesture put her off balance and she stumbled. I’m not sure how her
skinny, twig-like legs didn’t snap in two. I could probably fit my hands around
her upper thigh with space left over. The term “crack legs” was never more relevant.

I could only look at her with pity. As a teenager, Jolene
was always wild and the life of the party…now she was just a sad, pathetic
shell of a woman.

“Hi, Jolene, it’s nice to see you again,” Paige said.

“Yeah,” Jolene mumbled, scratching her nose and staring out
the window.

I could see Susie was about to lose it, so I decided a
diversion was necessary.

“I love your shop,” I said honestly. “I never want to leave
this smell.”

Susie laughed. “Thanks. It’s one of the things I love most,
too.”

I was going to ask more questions about the bakery when the
tinkling of the bell above the door signaled another customer.

“I swear, that cop even
thinks
of writing me a ticket for my parking job, I’ll shove it straight up his –”

“Whitney!” Susie exclaimed. “I have company.”

Whitney stopped brushing the light dusting of snow off her raspberry
cashmere scarf. It must have started snowing since we entered the bakery.
Whitney squinted her eyes and looked us over from head to toe. I did the same
to her.

Her professionally straightened, inverted bob had three
different colors of blonde, making it impossible to determine her real hair
color. She had a thin, narrow nose and even thinner lips which she’d colored
blood red. Her calf-length, double-breasted button down black wool coat reeked
of money. So did the Louis Vuitton purse she was carrying.

“Well, as I live and breathe…Ryli Sinclair and Paige Hanson.
I heard you two were in town this week. Julie came barging into my office this
morning all giddy, like a childish schoolgirl going on and on about you two and
a bachelorette party this Friday night.” She paused to examine her fake
manicure. “I’m fairly certain I’ll be busy. I am most Friday nights. But I may
be able to stop by if I can find the time.”

Don’t do us any
favors.

“Don’t go puttin’ yourself out on our account,” Aunt Shirley
said as she scowled at Whitney. “I’m sure we’ll be just fine if you can’t make
it.”

Aunt Shirley…not afraid to tell it how it is!

Whitney let out a loud huff. “I said
I’d
try
to make it. And
just who are you, again?”

“This is my Aunt Shirley,” I interjected quickly, not
trusting what would come out of Aunt Shirley’s mouth. “And we’ll be there all
night starting at seven, so if you can make it, great. If not, we
totally
understand.” I was hoping she’d
take my hint and not even bother showing up.

“I gotta split,” Jolene said, giving Whitney the evil eye.

I’d totally forgotten Jolene was still in the room. She was
that easy to overlook. I suddenly had a fit of conscience. Since she heard us
talking about the bachelorette party, did that mean we had to invite her? Or
was she so strung out she wouldn’t remember what we’d been talking about
anyway?

“Jolene, I didn’t notice you standing there,” Whitney said. “You
just blend right in, don’t you?”

Jolene narrowed her eyes at Whitney.

“You look at little peaked. Maybe you should eat a hamburger
on your way home,” Whitney continued.

There were some serious undercurrents in the room between
Jolene and Whitney. They both looked like they could break into a catfight at
any moment.

“Please remember what I said,” Susie pleaded to Jolene. “I
really could use the help.”

“Why don’t you ask that do-gooder Julie to help you,” Jolene
mumbled as she headed toward the door.

“That do-gooder took me in and helped me when I needed it.
Without her, I don’t know what I’d have done.”

Jolene snorted as she zipped up her threadbare hoodie and
shuffled out the front door. We all silently watched until she disappeared from
our sight.

“I just don’t know what to do with her,” Susie said, shaking
her head and wringing her hands.

“Nothing you can do,” Whitney said. “Obviously her stint in
the loony bin didn’t help her. Even they couldn’t fix her. That girl was lost a
long time ago…even before the fire killed your parents.”

My mouth dropped. I couldn’t believe someone could be that
crass. I suddenly wanted to ease the pain of Whitney’s words. “I was sorry to
hear about your parents dying in the fire,” I said, hoping to talk about the
elephant in the room. I didn’t want to start out on the wrong foot and have Susie
think we didn’t care about what happened to her.

“Yes,” Paige agreed, “We were so upset when we heard the
news.”

A look I couldn’t read passed over Susie’s face. “Thank you.
It was such a shock. Then to be displaced like Jolene and I were…well,
thankfully Julie’s parents took me in for the last few months of our senior
year and I could finish up here.” Sadness crept into her voice and I felt like
kicking myself.

“Well, I just came in to tell you about the bachelorette
party on Friday. But I see you already know.”

“I was getting ready to formally invite you,” I hurriedly explained
to Susie.

Whitney ran her eyes over me. “So you say.”

I curled my lip and looked at Paige. I so wanted to tear
this bitch’s hair out. Obviously my best friend knew that, because she gave me
“the look” which meant I couldn’t.

“I’m surprised that silly girl didn’t run right over here
the minute she found out about the party,” Whitney said.

“Silly girl? You mean Julie?” Paige said. “I don’t think
she’s silly at all.”

“Please, that girl is beyond ridiculous. Between her pretend
career and current love life…she’s so last minute.”

I could actually feel my head explode.
Who the hell does this woman think she is?

“She seemed like a lovely girl to me.” Aunt Shirley stared
Whitney down.

Whitney looked down her nose at my aunt. “I suppose.”

“And goodness knows her current beau, Jim, is a catch,”
Paige chimed in.

“I don’t know what he sees in her,” Whitney said. “He’s handsome,
successful, rich…he could have anyone he wants. Yet he chooses to date her.
She’s so plain and fat.”

I lifted my clenched fists in the air. Whitney and I were
about to have a come-to-Jesus meeting.

“Whitney,” Susie admonished, “you know I don’t like it when
you say those things about Julie. She took me in when no one else did, and
she’s been one of my biggest supporters since I came back to town. Her and Jim,
both. I think it’s fabulous they’ve gotten together. ”

Whitney’s face turned red. That little chastisement shut her
up fast. Clutching her Louis Vuitton purse tight to her chest, she tried to
unpinch her lips. It took her a few tries, but eventually she managed to get
her face under control.

“Although,” Susie continued, “I kinda thought he and his
secretary had something going on for a while, but I guess not.”

“Oh, she wanted to,” Whitney assured us. “Everyone knows the
only reason she applied for that job was to get close to Jim.”

I ignored the gossip and went for fact. “He has an office
here in town?” I asked, knowing he did.

“Yes,” Susie nodded. “Over off Sycamore. There’s a new
section that recently went up. It’s sandwiched between Luigi’s Pizza and Cavern
Beach Drycleaners.”

“We’ll have to take a drive out there soon,” I said.
“Usually when we come to the lake house we keep to ourselves, rarely come into
town. Paige and I were just saying how much everything how grown. It’s almost
unrecognizable from when we were all kids.”

“Indeed,” Whitney said. “And on that note, I have a house to
show in about thirty minutes.” She paused to put her scarf on and button her
coat. “It’s a lovely three bedroom, two bath over in a new subdivision that Jim
is building. It’s quite a steal at two hundred fifty thousand, I must say. My
buyers have had me running ragged trying to find the perfect home…but the
commission I make will be worth all my hard work.”

Was she trying to
convince herself or us?

I barely refrained from rolling my eyes at her obvious lack
of manners. Guess it’s true what they say…money can’t buy everything. It
obviously can’t buy you manners or social skills.

“And I better get these lovely ladies their samples,” Susie
said, easing the tension in the room. “I hope to see you at the bachelorette
party, Whitney.”

Whitney shrugged. “We’ll see.”

Jerking open the door she strolled out of the bakery toward
her silver Lexus—which she had parked illegally. She didn’t yank anything off
her windshield, so I guess the cop hadn’t given her a ticket after all.

Too bad!

Susie threw her hands up in the air. “I know, I know. She’s
a piece of work. I guess I figured since we were all friends in school, we
should still be friends now. But I guess some people change so much, it’s hard
to remember their good qualities.”

“Yep,” Aunt Shirley agreed. “Be careful who you trust…the
devil was once an angel.”

Susie smiled. “Very true,” she said.

“I’m just so happy to see you and see how well you’re doing
for yourself,” Paige said. “I still can’t believe you own this and that you’re
going to be making my wedding cake. How did you even make this possible?”

Susie motioned us over to a long counter that had ten
barstools. We pulled out the chairs and proceeded to watch her pull out samples
from a tiny refrigerator.

“After I graduated, I really didn’t know what to do. The
insurance money hadn’t come in, the police were hounding Jolene something
fierce…” she trailed off, wiping at her eyes. “I don’t know if you know this or
not, but a lot of people—the police included—thought Jolene had something to do
with the fire, but they couldn’t prove it. The constant harassment and whispers
finally drove her over the edge. About the time she was being checked in for
the mental hospital, I was finally receiving a check from the insurance
company. I’d just turned eighteen and needed a clean break. I spent some time
down in New Orleans, which is where I started taking cooking classes. I liked
it enough, but I still wasn’t happy. So I started taking pastry classes, and
found I loved baking. I earned a degree and worked for a bakery for many years,
honing my skills. Then I decided to come home to try and start over with my own
bakery.”

She’d set four different samples in front of each of us
while she talked. There were two white cakes with filling, a red velvet cake,
and a chocolate cake with filling. My mouth watered.

“Did you guys eat a light meal before you came? I suggested
it to Paige the last time we spoke.”

“Sure did,” Aunt Shirley said. “Ate a lovely meal over at
Cavern Beach Bar and Grill.”

Susie’s eyes lit up. “I do love their soup and sandwich
combos. They always have a unique blend of flavors you wouldn’t normally think
about.”

Susie gave us each a small glass of water.

“So, I’m going to suggest you start with the lightest cake
first,” Susie said, pointing to the cake on our far left, “then work your way
to the dark cake. I know most vendors will set out everything separate, but I
just went ahead and made the tiny cakes up. We can mix and match anything.”

Picking up our forks, we each grabbed the first cake.

“We’ll start with the white cake and raspberry filling. It
has a buttercream frosting,” Susie said.

I bit into the cake and about had an orgasm. I was afraid it
would be like this for the others, too. Nothing I loved more than sweets.

We all looked at Paige to see her reaction. “I want to hold
off on my opinions until the end. This way I don’t become biased toward one
cake over the others,” Paige said.

“Fair enough,” Susie said. “Next is the white cake with
champagne filling and champagne frosting.”

Same reaction for me…glorious.

“Go ahead and drink some water. It helps to cleanse the
palate.”

The tinkling of the bell above the door announced a
customer. We all turned to stare.

Three women who looked to be in their early thirties came
rushing through the door…stomping their feet and muttering about snow. They looked
like triplets with their matching coats, trendy boots, and Coach purses. Well,
except for the fact they all had different hair color.

Susie excused herself and moved toward the display case.
“Good afternoon, ladies. Welcome to my bakery. How can I help you today?”

The leader—Brunette—pushed her way to the front and
approached the display case. Her two lackeys—Blondie and Red—trailed closely
behind.

“This is your store?” Brunette said as she slowly looked
around. “Well, girls, isn’t it…quaint.”

The way she said quaint made my lips twitch. It was
attitudes like these that made locals detest the tourists.

Susie’s smiled never left her face. “Thank you. How may I
help you?” she asked again.

I had to give her props…she was definitely more professional
than I was. I’d have jumped over the counter, slapped them all, then drop
kicked their butts out the door.

Which made me sound more and more like Aunt Shirley. I so
needed a vacation from her.

“What are those?” Brunette asked, pointing to what were
obviously scones of some sort.

I listened as Susie ran through the scones and the rest of
her items in the display case. Once she was done, Brunette asked for a plain
biscotti. As did Blondie.

I barely refrained from rolling my eyes.

Red was the only exception. I liked her. She bent down and
pointed inside the display case. “I think I want the cupcake right there.”

“The gingerbread cupcake with caramel molasses cream cheese
frosting? Good choice,” Susie said.

“Do you know how many calories that has in it?” Brunette
demanded. “That’s like an hour longer on the elliptical.”

Red smiled. “I don’t care. I want it.”

I shook my head at their ridiculous discussion as Susie rang
up the Trendies’ purchases and then sent them on their merry way. Being nice to
people was definitely not something I could do every day.

“Yikes,” Aunt Shirley said. “I’d never be able to do what
you do. I wanted to drop kick them on their snotty butts the minute they opened
their mouths.”

That’s it…time to expand my friendship list! Aunt Shirley
and I were suddenly sharing a brain.

Susie smiled. “You get used to dealing with difficult people.
Comes with the territory.”

“Can I ask how you got the red and white icing to do that?”
Paige asked, pointing to a cupcake in the display case.

“You mean the swirl on the chocolate peppermint cupcakes?
It’s actually very easy. You just run a strip of red colorant down two sides of
your piping bag, then add the icing. You’ll need to pipe out a little before it
starts to swirl, but that’s it.”

Paige’s mouth dropped open. “I had no idea! It looks so
difficult. It’s very pretty.”

“Thanks. Creating things with my hands is something I love
to do. Okay, how about we get back to tasting some wedding cakes.”

“You bet,” I said.

“This one is a black forest cake,” Susie said. “It’s one of
my favorites.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

Paige smiled at her and bit into the cake.

I picked up the small cake. No need to waste utensils on
this one…you could eat it with your fingers. It had real strawberries and
blackberries on top of the ganache frosting. I bit into it and closed my eyes,
savoring the taste that exploded onto my tongue. Hands down, this was the
winner for me.

“Agreed,” I said. “I love this one.”

Paige hit me on my arm. “Don’t influence me!” she exclaimed.

I looked over at Aunt Shirley. She was nodding her head
vigorously. Guess it was a winner for her, too.

“This last one is a chocolate cake with raspberry filling.”

I bit into it. How in the world Paige was going to be able
to choose was a mystery to me. I’d just order them all and have nothing but
cake at my wedding.

“So, what do you think?” Susie asked once we’d all eaten our
fill.

“I hope I can ask this question,” Paige said. “Is there a
way for me to order the white cake with raspberry filling, but with the
champagne frosting?”

“Of course. You can order whatever you like. I just gave you
the samples to experiment with. If you like the champagne frosting, I can do
that.”

I have to say, I was kind of disappointed. I really liked both
the black forest cake and chocolate raspberry cake. A white cake? That would
never happen at my wedding.

“I think that’s what I want to go with,” Paige continued.

I refrained from rolling my eyes…barely! But it was her
wedding. I guess she could decide for herself.

“White cake,” Aunt Shirley scoffed. “Never at my wedding!”

God save me…I was never having a rhetorical thought again.
It was like Aunt Shirley could read my mind and was toying with me. No way were
we that much alike!

“White cake with raspberry filling and champagne frosting. I
can do that. I’ll start on it tonight,” Susie said. “I still have the design
ideas you sent me. Since you decided on white frosting, are you still wanting
to go with the dark pink ribbon outlining the base of the cake?”

Paige’s face lit up. “Yes, please. Pink will be in the
flowers, Ryli’s bridesmaid dress, and the ties the guys are wearing.”

“And you’re still just wanting one round cake? Because I can
do a small, two-tiered cake if you like. The base would be about eight inches
and the next tier would be only five inches. It’s pretty small, but it can
still feed about thirty people.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize you could go that small down.” Paige
looked at me. “I think that’s what I’d like. Makes it seems more traditional.”

I nodded in agreement. Paige was wanting to stick to as much
tradition as she could.

“I was also thinking,” Susie continued. “I can add a little
more sparkle to the ribbon if you like. What do you think about adding a
cluster of snowflakes made from royal icing with silver
dragées
in the center, and then attaching them to the
front portion of the ribbons? Since there are now going to be two tiers, I
think it would look stunning.”

Paige nodded her head and wiped tears from her eyes. “I
don’t know what all that is, but I think it sounds wonderful. You are a life
saver.”

“I’m glad I could help. Now,” Susie said, clasping her hands
in front of her, “what should I bring to the bachelorette party?”

“Oh, nothing!” Paige said. “We didn’t invite you so you’d
bring something.”

Susie chuckled. “I know that. But before you say no, maybe
you should know I make a mean Irish Car Bomb cupcake paired with bourbon and
Rum Chata truffles. They’d be perfect for the bachelorette party.”

Paige and I squealed in delight. “Oh, Susie, thank you so
much,” Paige said. “You’re right, they’d be perfect.”

Paige and Susie finished talking wedding cakes while Aunt
Shirley and I walked over to the display case. Susie had the traditional things
like chocolate chip cookies, plain and chocolate croissants, cherry turnovers, and
different types of scones and biscotti. However, she added a little Christmas
to the mix with her gingerbread men piped with Christmas colors, along with the
gingerbread and caramel molasses cream cheese cupcakes and chocolate peppermint
cupcakes with red and white cream cheese frosting topped with broken Andes
peppermints.

“Oh my gosh, are those powdered donuts with a custard filling?”
Aunt Shirley asked.

Susie walked over to us. “Sure are. How about a little treat
before you leave? I’d just finished baking it when you came in. It’s cooling in
the back. Give me a minute.” She strode behind the curtain and Aunt Shirley and
I practically salivated at the thought of what scrumptious treat she’d bring
out for us.

Susie returned seconds later carrying a tray of sliced
bread. “I believe I have finally perfected this banana bread. Aunt Shirley, I
especially hope you like it. I’m trying to get a market on the health conscious
customers and the older population by offering healthy alternatives. This bread
is grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free. There are no preservatives in it.”
I could tell Susie was excited as she practically shoved a piece of the banana
bread at us.

Aunt Shirley poked at it with her finger. “Forget health food,”
Aunt Shirley grumbled. “At my age, I need all the preservatives I can get!”