One Cup Of Flour Two Cups Of Murder (Winnona Peaks Mysteries Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter 12

Day two was over and Christy was beat.  She was sure if she didn’t see another chocolate chip in her entire life she would be just fine.  All she wanted was to eat something small, shower, and go to bed. She fed her dogs and decided to just make herself a sandwich and sit on the overstuffed sofa in her suite to relax for the rest of the evening.

With a huge sigh, Christy sat back deeply into the sofa and proceeded to nibble quietly on her roasted turkey and tomato sandwich while her puppies crunched on their dinner.  Wandering into dreamland.

After she ate, Christy began to drift off to sleep. She found herself wandering into dreamland only it turned out to be a nightmare.  She was back at the fairground and Alexander was at the table spitting pieces of gingerbread cookie all over her spouting, “What are you doing here?”  Christy echoed in her dream.  “My cookies are better than everyone’s!!” His large nose morphed into a blue furry puppet like on television and cookie crumbs kept spewing all over Christy’s hair.  She tried to run away, but at the last second she saw him pick up a cookie that looked like Lily.  “
No!”
she screamed at him.

Vanessa’s phone call popped the bubble of her nightmare and Christy woke up gasping for air like a drowning person.  She flailed around to get up from the sofa and reached for her cell phone on the coffee table. “Hmmm yellow?”  Christy moaned into the phone, putting her hand to her forehead and scratching the back of her head furiously to wake up.

“You okay?”

“Nightmare,” Christy mumbled.

“Well do you want the good news or bad news first?”

“I need the good news first.”

“Well, we made it to the championship round!  Anna made it, too, but that’s not the surprise.  Guess whose lemon cookies dazzled the judges.”

“Who’s what dazzled the buzzards?”

“Are you
sure
you’re okay?  You didn’t get into any funny brownies there did you?  The Bickleton twins try to sneak those into the contest every year.”

“I’m fine.”  Christy said, finally pulling out of her slumber by shaking her head.  “What’s the bad news?”

“Well, the police are finally on board with trying to find Lily, but so far they don’t have any clues.  It seems the last person to see her was her mother, but that was a day or so ago.  Lily keeps long hours at the bakery and her parents said there are times when the only reason they know she lives there is that they’ll see a mystery cereal bowl in the sink.”

“What about her friends?” Christy asked.

“All Lily does is bake.  I remember calling her the night before to remind her. I told that to the police.  From what it looks like right now, she just vanished off the face of the earth in the fairgrounds parking lot.”

“Well, she definitely is mixed up in something besides just baking,” Christy yawned.

“What do you mean?” Vanessa asked.

“I broke into her car, like you said, and I found a boat load of receipts from the casino.”

“You mean that casino in the next town over?”

“That’s the one.  The thing is the bets on these receipts don’t make any sense.  How does an intern come into the kind of money she was placing bets on and why does she use a sleazy guy to place her bets?  I mean this EZ Eddie was hitting her up with horrible fees.”

“Well, what was the cash for?”

“As far as I can tell, she’s making a feeble attempt to pay back her student loans.  I can’t imagine why she would end up at the casino across town betting with EZ Eddie if she’s trying to get out of debt.  That’s like trying to whiten your teeth with road tar.”

“Maybe that’s why she was so stressed lately.  You going to follow up with EZ Eddie?”

“Well, first I need to check a few more details.  I may need to slip out after the prep work is done to catch up with EZ Eddie. What time do you need me at the bake-off tomorrow?”
 

“6 am sharp if you can.  Anna and Alexander are really going to pull out the big guns and I want to have plenty of time to prep.  I don’t want to rush the mille-feuilles or the éclairs.”

Christy smiled, “Going head-to-head with the French snob are you?  Most of us just call them Napoleons and Maple Bars.”

“Wash your mouth out with soap.  How dare you compare my French confections to those American monstrosities of sugar, glaze, and cream filling?  But you’re right, I’m going to beat that overstuffed bear claw at his own game.”  Vanessa scolded.

“Well, I’m going to call Anna and congratulate her and see if she knows anything about what happened to Lily,” Christy said.

“Congratulate all you want.  Just don’t breathe a word of what I’m planning for tomorrow. He won’t see it coming.  Talk to you later,” Vanessa warned.

“Bye.”  Christy hung up and then looked through her phone to find Anna’s home contact number.  They had both been so busy lately they hadn’t had time to chat.  This was as good a time as any and she wanted to support her buddy.  “Hello?  Is Anna there?”

“What do you want?” Alexander barked on the other line.  Christy’s nightmare flashed through her mind.

“I just wanted to congratulate her on getting to the next round,” Christy replied, innocently.

“Good luck with that.  She’s not here. I don’t know what you and your sister said to her yesterday, but apparently I’m not good enough for Anna Cobbler.  She said she was going to stay with her sister or something.  I had to find my own way home after my shift and the contest.  All you women are so sensitive!  All I did was try to improve her cookies.”

“But you both got into the championship round with her recipe.”

“It’s none of your business about what we do with our business. 
My
recipe will be appearing in the championship round.  Quality takes no prisoners and does not quibble over little details like a woman’s feelings.  As far as I’m concerned, there are too many women in professional kitchens as it is. Anna needs to face the fact that
my
training is superior.  I don’t care how much she sniffles and cries boohoo.  If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll butt out.” Alexander growled before she heard a click and a dial tone on the other line.

She tried to redial, but he didn’t answer.  She tried the other number she had in her phone for Anna’s cell, but there was no answer there, either.  She finally looked up Anna’s sister’s number in the phone book and dialed.

“Hello?”

“Hi.  This is Christy Roberts, Anna’s friend.  I’m sorry to bother you at home like this, but I was wondering if I could talk to Anna?”  Christy asked.

“I’m sorry, but Anna’s not here right now.”

“Will she be there soon?” Christy asked.

“I don’t know.  My place is the hide-out when she and Alex have a fight.  She said she was coming back here tonight, but I figured she got caught up in the bake-off.”

“Well, the bake-off is over.”

“I don’t know.  Maybe she made up with Alex.  It’s happened before.”

“Alex said she was with you,” Christy said, slightly concerned.

“Well, like I said, Anna and Alex are a bit strange.  I’m sure there’s a logical explanation or at least with those two there’s some kind of explanation.  Nothing about Anna hanging out with that creep seems logical.”

“He does seem a bit overbearing.”

“I’ve said too much.  I promised Anna I would keep my opinions to myself.
Billy!
”  The sister yelled over the phone. “I’m sorry.  I have to go. My three-year old was supposed to be taking a bath, but now he’s chasing the cat and running around naked and dripping wet all over my new rug.” 

A sudden click sounded on Christy’s side.  She worried even more now.  Stretching her arms into the air as far as they would go, arching her back, she pulled herself off of the sofa, stood up, and considered her next move. 

Suddenly, she was moved into action and informed her dogs she had to go out for a little bit.  “Now you be good, you hear me now?” She explained to her puppies that were contentedly lying on their beds.  “I have to go into town for a few minutes.” 

Her gut was in knots and with the nightmare fresh in her mind, she grabbed her keys and headed out the door.  She just knew there was something about Anna that wasn’t quite right.
Lily was still missing and now she knew that the nightmare was just a sign that she needed to do something.  Hopefully, Gregory was still down at his coffee shop.

Chapter 13

The bake-off was a welcomed break from the grind of keeping Drinks at Binks up and running.  Sure the hours were long, but what else did he have to do?  The couple of times he tried to take a night off he just dozed on and off in front of the T.V. with a frozen dinner trying not to remember all the gruesome details of the Pecarella case that almost got him fired from the Dallas Police Department as a homicide detective. 

Binks decided it was better if he just kept moving and so if his shop needed some extra polishing, so be it.  It certainly beat the applesauce and frozen peas he kept popping in the microwave each night.  Besides, there was a carnival at the fairgrounds at night and he had a hard time getting the baristas to want to work the later shift. The streets closed up around 9:00 pm on Main Street in Winnona Peaks, but there were still a few people wanting a vanilla latte so he stayed open.

Just then, a car drove up and screeched its tires to a halt right in front of the coffee shop. 
What in the world?
  Slamming the door to the car, she stomped around the front bumper and headed straight into the coffee shop.  Christy Roberts just about blew the door off of his place as he handed back the customer the change.  He was lucky she didn’t hop the counter.  She strode right behind the counter and started yanking him by the elbow, pulling him toward the back.

“You’ve got to come!  He’s got them.”

“Whoa!” he said, yanking his elbow back.  “First, do you know what time of day it is and now you walking in as if you own the place?”  Gregory said.

“Oh, be quiet.  I didn’t know whom else to call.  He’s got them and we have to get them.”

“Slow
down.
Before I go chasing around the county with a crazy woman, who has who?” 

Christy frowned at him and crossed her arms in front of her chest, tapping her foot.  “Alexander Mackey! Now let’s go.”

“Who?”

“The jerk at the fairgrounds today who said Vanessa needed a baking lesson.  He’s an unbelievable butthead and I need you to―.”

“To what?  Go beat him up?  You can barely say two words to me after J.W. died in your place and now I’m the hired muscle?  Remember, I just sell coffee now.”  Gregory spouted, waving at his name in the window.  He tried to take it down a notch. 

“I think he's got them.” Christy barked, urgently.

Gregory was confused, “Who has who?”

“Alex.” She says. “I have a really bad feeling. He was her teacher and he didn't care that she was missing and now Anna is missing, too.” Christy continued.

Gregory asks, “What?” causing Christy to get in a fit.

“Anna! Anna's missing. First, Lilly, now Anna. Alex is the only thing that links them together!” She exclaimed.

Gregory tried to tell her to calm down. “Alex seems like a really unhappy person, but a kidnapper? And why would he kidnap someone he was living with?”

“No! He’s the kidnapper!” Christy snapped.

“And you know this how?” He asked.

“Because I had a nightmare and he turned into this puppet and my friend is gone and he was spitting cookies all over me and―,” she ranted.

Apparently, Vanessa wasn’t the only wild sister. Gregory never saw her this worked up before. He waved in surrender as she started to pick up a coffee cup to throw at his head.  He ushered her into the break room where he had a white board that normally told his barista’s the schedule and the goals for the day.  He erased a good portion of the motivational speech and gestured for Christy to have a seat.   At first he thought the white board was cheesy, but they used them at the precinct all the time to solve crimes so he fell into old habits when he opened his business.  It seemed to make sense with Christy ranting.  It’s what he knew how to do.

“Maybe we should share some ideas first, and you know, think”. Gregory said. “Think about what you know. What are the facts?”

Christy looked down. She let out a deep sigh.  “They were both supposed to be in a baking competition,” she began.

“Yes―” Gregory turned and wrote “Competition” on a white board.

“Well, Alexander said Anna drove off without him―but Lilly's car was still there.”

Gregory answered, “Okay, so we know they were both last seen at the parking lot of the competition.” Gregory wrote down “parking lot” on the board.

“No.” Christy said, “Anna would have driven up onto the actual fairgrounds. She did the first night. The bakers and judges have passes that allow them to get in at any time.”

A woman's voice calls from the front of the store, “Can I get some service please?”

Gregory said he would be right back. Turning to Christy, he told her to stay put. He helped the customer and came back, all the while Christy remembered Fiona's words—
I didn't think you'd do so well without Lily
and
I'd do anything to win.
She quickly told Gregory to write it down.

“Now, let’s go see about Anna.” Christy suggested.

Gregory answered, “That’s crazy.”

She said, “I'm going with or without you.”

“Nick, can you cover for me for a few minutes?”  Gregory asked the barista on duty.

“Sure, boss.  Hope everything is okay.”

“Me too.” Hanging up his apron, Gregory grabbed his jacket and keys and headed out to the street.  Christy was waiting there tapping her foot at his passenger side door.  Gregory tried to take is a bit slower to see if she would calm down on her own.  Even if Alexander did do it, it was crazy to take him on with Christy in this state.  Letting her in and going around to his side, he slid behind the wheel and started the engine, checking his mirror before he pulled onto Main Street.

“So where are we headed?” He asked.

“To Anna’s place. 8750 Maple Drive.  Take a left at the light.”  She said, stewing in silence for a few minutes.

“Yeah, I remember Maple Drive.  I had a girl―.” Christy shot him a look. “I had a friend up there back in junior high.  Look, Christy, I know you are upset and scared for your friend, but even though Alex seems like a royal pain in the butt, I don’t really peg him for a kidnapper.”  Gregory tried another angle.  “So, let’s go over the list again. What do Lily and Anna have in common. What do we have?”

“They were both supposed to be in the bake-off.”

“OK.  So, bake-off.  What else?”  Gregory turned left onto Maple.

“The last time I saw Anna was in the parking lot last night.  Lily’s car was still in the parking lot. He knew.”

“Well, that’s a pretty big stretch, but okay.  First, the bake-off, second the parking lot.” 

“He left―Oh my goodness! We have to go back.”

“What?”

“I left my purse on the counter.  I need to go back and get my purse.”

“No worries.”  He turned into a driveway and looped around so he could return to the coffee shop.

“What doesn’t add up is that the first night of the competition, Anna could have driven her car much closer,” Christy said. “Alexander was way out in the parking garage next to Lily’s car.”

“So you don’t think Anna is gone?” asked Gregory.

“No, I still think Anna is gone.  I’m just not sure why Alexander would kidnap Lily.  He keeps spouting about how great of a chef he is.  Well, maybe Lily is just as good or better.  He could be jealous and wants to win, not lose to a student,” said Christy.

“Well then, why eliminate Anna?” Gregory yelled.  They rode together for a couple of minutes in silence as Gregory found his way back to the coffee shop.  Someone had taken his parking space on the street so he circled around the back of the building.  From the kitchen prep area in back they heard, “Can I get some service around here?”

Gregory groaned. “Nick must be on a smoke break again. Stay here. Coming!” he snatched the apron off the hook and went up to the front counter.  Christy heard him say, “Well, hello, Fiona.” 

Christy stood hidden, but she recognized a chipper flirting woman when she heard one.  The words “bake-off” and “parking lot” kept floating through her head and it was making less and less sense.  That was until she distinctly heard, “Oh, I’ll definitely win. When I do, you can come over for free pie!”  That’s when Christy remembered how desperate Fiona was to win.  Echoes of what Fiona said continued to play through her mind. 

Gregory returned to the backroom after tracking down Nick and Christy changed her tactic.

“We have to check out Fiona.”

“Why?”

“She’s desperate to win the $5,000 to keep her business afloat.  She even told us she would stop at nothing to win.”

“That little lady? That’s nuts.  Maybe there’s just a simple explanation like they couldn’t take the pressure and blew off the contest.”

“Both of them?” Christy inquired.

“We don’t know if Anna is anywhere else or at her sister’s place.”

“Never mind.  I knew you wouldn’t care.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Look, I care.  I’m just confused.  You wouldn’t talk to me for weeks after the murder and now you want me to rush off and chase down some mystery kidnapper.”

“OKAY.  I’m
sorry. 
Are you coming or not?  I have to follow Fiona before she gets too far.” 

Gregory rolled his eyes.  “I’ll get my coat.  We don’t have to worry too much.  She just told me that she spends morning, noon, and night at Clyde’s Confections.  She was just getting a coffee before we closed so she could pull another all-nighter trying to remodel the bakery.”

As they got in Gregory’s car, they discovered he was right.  It took her quite a bit of time to get her old truck started after she ordered the coffee and even then it kept backfiring every couple of blocks.  A blind man with a hearing problem could have followed her.  Gregory was right.  She parked behind Cornelia’s building.  They parked across the street and waited.  They saw lights come on from the back as Fiona soon scurried up front to sweep up some dust from people dry walling earlier that day.  She looked like she was going to either start sanding or painting once she was finished.  Gregory remembered doing the same thing when he was about to open his coffee shop.

“What are we looking for?” Christy asked.

“I don’t know.  So far, I’m just the chauffeur on this little adventure.” Gregory said.

“Well, what would a cop do in this situation?”

“A cop wouldn’t be in this situation.  We’d have a little thing like evidence that we would confront her with and then see what she would do next.”

“Fine,” Christy said, getting out of the car and storming up to the front of the store.  Gregory had to hurry to catch up. 
This was getting exhausting.
 

When she heard knocking on the front door, Fiona was pleasantly startled that someone noticed her store so she ran to look at whom it might be.  Seeing Gregory tag along behind Christy she frowned with confusion.  Cautiously opening her front door, she asked, “Didn’t I just come from your coffee shop?  I’m not open right now.”

Gregory smiled wide and stepped in front of Christy to cover.  “You did!  I just remembered that I forgot to congratulate you on getting into the championship round!”  Fiona smiled wide at him and opened the door all the way to let them in.

“Oh, sorry about the mess.  This is the only time I can work on the bakery because Cornelia
is working here in the daytime. From 9:00 pm-midnight she says that’s the only time I can do construction.”

“Well that’s harsh.  Why isn’t your business name in that window?”  Gregory asked.