CHAPTER 10
If there were any doubts about the success of Baby Cakes’ roadside bakery, they were alleviated early. When I left the house at six forty-five, there was already a line of cars. I stopped to take a picture. #TheEarlyBirdGetsTheCroissants #BestWayToStartYourDay #BabyCakes #Yum
Hannah and Leroy were already there by the time I was showered, dressed, and Baby and I had finished our breakfast. We opened the doors at seven. By seven thirty, we had sold out of pastries. By eight, we were out of croissants and thumbprint cookies, and before noon, the only thing we had left were a few slices of cake.
“We might as well close up. Maybe you can post something on your phone so folks will stop coming,” Hannah said as she swept a few crumbs off the display counter. I took a picture of the empty display cases. #SoldOut #BabyCakesBakery #ThanksForTheSupport #PostACommentAndGetADiscount
Leroy groaned. “You’re giving another discount? I’m going to be up all night baking croissants.”
“Maybe you should just stay here. I’ve got plenty of room. I’ll even be your sous-chef and help out.”
“Really? That would be great. Sometimes when Miss Octavia knew we’d have a lot of baking to do, I’d stay over at the bakery.”
“The bakery. I almost forgot. Mr. Russell called earlier, but we were so busy, I didn’t bother to respond.” I swiped through the messages on my phone until I found the one from my lawyer. It simply said, Call me.
I called and waited until he picked up. “Mr. Russell, I’m sorry I missed your call. We were rather busy today.”
He’d called to tell me that I needed to meet the claims adjuster at two. I checked my watch and realized I had only fifteen minutes if I wanted to keep that appointment.
Leroy and Hannah promised to clean up and get started on the baking for tomorrow, while Baby and I went to meet with the adjuster.
“Actually, I was hoping I could leave Baby here.” I glanced over in time to see Baby sliding a piece of cake off the counter. “Never mind. Our inventory will stand a better chance if I take him with me.”
I arrived at Baby Cakes just as the clock struck two, but, seeing that there was a white Ford truck with a sign for New Bison Casualty and Life in the parking spot next to mine, I knew the adjuster was already there. There was still a lot of broken glass from the fire, so I left Baby in the car.
When he realized he wasn’t going inside with me, he wasn’t happy.
“I’m sorry, but it’s just not safe. You could cut your paw or something. It’s best if you just wait here.”
He yowled, but without hands, there wasn’t much he could do.
I got out and headed to the back of the bakery when Jackson Abernathy came around the side of the building.
Baby barked, lunged, and made every effort to attack the breeder through the car.
“Mr. Abernathy, I wasn’t aware that my aunt Octavia had insurance with your company or that you were an insurance adjuster in addition to being a dog breeder.”
He grunted. “My dad owned the company, and Octavia had a policy with him. He died about six months ago. I was sure she’d cancel her policy, but I guess she died before she got the chance.”
Baby’s barking grew louder and more intense, and Abernathy’s face screamed condemnation.
I hurried to unlock the door to the building, and we entered.
Jackson Abernathy walked around the building, and I followed him. After a whirlwind tour that took less than five minutes, he started firing questions at the speed of light. When was the last time the plumbing had been updated? When was the wiring last inspected? Did we have receipts for the kitchen items that were destroyed? On and on the questions continued. My response was the same. I don’t know. Finally, I stopped him.
“Look, I don’t know the answer to any of these questions. My aunt Octavia owned the bakery. She took care of the plumbing, the wiring, and everything. I’ve only been here five days.” Wow! Has it only been five days? It feels like years.
He suggested that I might want to look through my aunt’s things and find receipts for the equipment.
“Will I be able to rebuild?”
“Octavia insured the bakery for five hundred thousand dollars. However, there are definite signs that the fire was deliberate.”
“Whoever killed Mayor Rivers must have set the fire to hide the murder or to destroy evidence,” I said.
“We won’t be able to pay out until the police wrap up their investigation and determine that you didn’t set the fire yourself.”
“Why would I do that? I mean, I just got here. I certainly had no reason to burn down the bakery or to kill Mayor Rivers.”
He snorted and spat on the floor, which would have been bad enough outside, but we weren’t outside. I tried to focus and not look at the spit wad he’d left inside my bakery, but my eyes were drawn to it, and I couldn’t hear anything else he said.
He waved a hand in front of my face. “Hey, are you listening? Earth to Madison.”
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
He mumbled something that sounded like space cadet. Whatever he said had the power to pull my attention from the spit.
“Will New Bison Casualty and Life honor their policy?” I said. “I can’t believe you can legally withhold money. I’ll have to ask my attorney.” I pulled my phone out of my purse.
He frowned and clenched his jaw until I saw a vein pulsing on the side of his head. He stared at me, but I didn’t flinch. After a while, I won the game of chicken, and he conceded. “As long as you didn’t set the fire, then New Bison Casualty and Life will honor the policy. It’ll take a while to get the money.”
“How much?”
“The building was insured for five hundred thousand, plus another hundred thousand for equipment and supplies.”
I hid my excitement at the idea of over half of a million dollars. I could turn Baby Cakes into a high-end bakery. I could expand the floor space of the bakery and enlarge the kitchen and the area for classes. I’d need to talk to Hannah and Leroy, of course. They would know exactly what equipment we’d need, but I could envision the space that would put Baby Cakes on the map.
“How much can you give me now? We’re continuing the bakery, and we have expenses. Plus, I’ve got to pay my staff.” I wasn’t sure what Leroy got paid or even if Hannah got paid at all. Regardless, they deserved to be paid. They were putting in a lot of time and effort, and Hannah was even using her own ingredients. I needed to be able to pay them. I’m sure there were records somewhere. I made a mental note to take a look when I got home.
From the expression on Abernathy’s face, it was clear that he wasn’t interested in paying me anything. After a few minutes, he forced a smile. “Well, I’m not sure that you fully understand all of the technical details of your aunt’s policy. There are lots of forms that need to be filled out. Plus, the police are involved, and that always makes things take twice as long.” He shook his head. “Seeing as you’re new to town, and I suspect new to running a business and filling out all of the paperwork, I can work as your agent of record and take care of completing all the forms and filling out all the paperwork. Why, you probably haven’t even been in town long enough to set up a bank account.”
My heart constricted. I didn’t have a bank account. In fact, I didn’t even know what bank Aunt Octavia used for her business. Was there money in the account? How did I pay Leroy and Hannah? How did I pay for ingredients? I didn’t even know what to do with the money we made this morning. Leroy had put it in a lockbox, but where would I even take it? For a split second, I considered letting Jackson Abernathy take care of everything. That’s what I’d done my entire life. My dad filed my taxes and completed any legal forms I needed. After all, I wasn’t good at making decisions. I wasn’t good at business or paperwork. I opened my mouth, but just as I was about to speak, I heard Baby barking, and it snapped me out of the hypnotic state that I’d lulled myself into.
“I appreciate the offer, but I will complete the papers myself. If I’m going to run a business, then I need to learn as much about the business as I can. Just email me whatever papers you need completed, and I’ll get them back to you. In the meantime, given the fact that the policy is for over a half million dollars, I think ten percent seems fair for an advance to help keep the business afloat. So, why don’t you write a check for fifty thousand, or are you able to electronically transfer the money?”
Jackson Abernathy was stunned. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit hasty. Maybe you should talk to your attorney. Something like this might just provide the out you need.”
“Out? I don’t understand.”
“This fire may be your ticket out of that crazy will Octavia created. You can take your six hundred thousand dollars and go back to California,” he said.
I hadn’t thought about the fire as a way out of the bakery. In fact, I wasn’t sure I wanted a way out. Regardless, I wasn’t about to take advice from Jackson Abernathy. “Aunt Octavia was an intelligent, hardworking, talented woman. And, I neither want nor need a way out of her will. Now, about that check?”
I ignored the steam coming from his ears and waited. After a few seconds, he mumbled that he’d have the money electronically deposited in three to five business days and then stomped out of the building.
When I was sure he was gone, I indulged in a happy dance. I did it. I made a decision, and I knew in my heart that I’d made the right decision. I didn’t like Jackson Abernathy, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a good insurance agent. However, I don’t believe Aunt Octavia trusted him, and she was a pretty good judge of character. Baby sure didn’t like him. I may not be a business mogul, but since coming to New Bison, I’d discovered that I had skills. If I couldn’t figure out what I was doing, I’d ask Tyler. If all else failed, I’d ask Chris Russell.
I went back to the car and found Baby propped up behind the wheel. Long strings of drool hung from practically every surface, and the steering wheel was soaked.
“Ugh.” I went back inside and rummaged through the cabinets until I found a bottle of cleaner and a roll of paper towels that were only slightly singed, along with a pair of rubber gloves.
It took longer than I thought to clean, and I had the feeling that Baby was insulted. He sat in the passenger seat and barely made eye contact with me the entire time.
“Look, there’s no point in getting mad at me. I’m not judging. I know you can’t help it . . . well, I’m fairly sure you can’t. But humans aren’t fond of sitting in doggy drool.”
“Who are you talking to?”
My heart skipped a beat, and I nearly jumped ten feet. I turned around so quickly that I hit my head on the door frame. I rubbed the spot and scowled at Michael Portman. “Ouch, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”
“Who’s sneaking? I merely walked up to the car. Maybe if you weren’t talking to . . . who are you talking to, by the way?”
“Baby.”
“I see.”
I rubbed my head and forced myself not to wince.
“Let me take a look.” He moved close to get a closer look at my head.
I swatted his hands away. “Ouch. That hurt.”
“I’m sorry. Will you let me take a look? I am a doctor.”
“You’re a veterinarian.”
“I’m still able to take care of a little bump. Now, suck it up, sailor.”
I glared for a few more moments, but then I lowered my hand and let him examine the bump.
He leaned closer, reached up, and probed the area with his fingers. I could smell his aftershave, which had a light aroma that I recognized as Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue for Men, one of my favorites. I inhaled the light, breezy scent. We were so close I could feel his breath on my forehead. I started to feel light-headed, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of the bump on my head or Michael Portman’s proximity.
After what felt like forever, he looked in my eyes. Our gazes locked, and for a few moments, I felt like I was drowning.
My skin burned where his hands touched me. My heart raced, and I could feel the blood rushing in my ears.
His touch lightened from a probe to a caress.
We leaned closer. When we were only a breath apart—
“Maddy, is that you?”
Michael swore and then stepped back and turned away.
Bradley Ellison ran toward us. “I thought I recognized your car. Are we still on for dinner tonight?” He was winded from the effort of trotting down the alley and bent over and panted to catch his breath.
“Dinner?” I stared.
“Yeah, don’t tell me you forgot?”
“Of course, I didn’t forget.” I checked the time. “I just had to meet the insurance adjuster. How about you pick me up at seven?”
“That’ll be great.” He glanced at Michael. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I bumped my head, and he was just looking it over to make sure I didn’t need medical attention.”
Brad chuckled. “Medical attention from a vet?”
Michael stood up straighter, and the air crackled with tension. He turned toward Brad.
Baby must have felt the tension, too, because he wound up like a spring and tried to lunge over me and through the car door.
Brad bolted backward, and Michael blocked the open door with his body and then quickly pushed the mastiff back and slammed the door.
“That dog needs to be muzzled,” Brad said. “He’s a menace.”
“Baby isn’t a menace, and he most certainly does not need to be muzzled. He’s a well-trained dog, and you’re in his space.” I wasn’t sure if any of that was true or not, but Baby was my dog now, and I wasn’t going to let anyone cast disparaging remarks at him.
A growl rumbled inside him, but I’d had enough. “Baby, down.”
Asking more than two hundred pounds of muscle to lie down on the front seat of a car was asking a lot. To my complete surprise, with his front legs across my thighs, he scooted his rear back and lay down. His focus never wavered from his target, and I could feel the tension inside him.
My stomach tightened at the thought of what would happen when that knot uncoiled. Baby was a well-trained dog, but I wasn’t willing to test him too far. I put the car in reverse and hightailed it home.
It wasn’t easy driving or turning the steering wheel with Baby on my lap. After we were well away from the bakery, he relaxed, and I had him move to the passenger seat.
“What was that all about? What do you have against Bradley Ellison?”
I could tell by the way his ears rose that he had heard me, but Baby must have decided to keep his thoughts to himself.
We drove in silence for a few blocks, and then I remembered that I wanted to check on Garrett Kelley. I did a U-turn and headed for New Bison Hospital, which was a few blocks from downtown and one of the tallest buildings in the area.
When I pulled into the parking lot, I looked at Baby. “There’s no way they’re going to let you go inside, so you’ll have to wait here.”
Again, he didn’t look like he liked being left, but he endured it without the same nervous energy he’d shown at the bakery.
“Oh, wait. I almost forgot.” I reached into my purse and pulled out a dog bone that I’d shoved in earlier and handed it to him. I sat and watched him gnaw on his bone for a few moments. “If anyone had told me just a week ago that I’d be hauling a two-hundred-fifty-pound dog around a town with no designer stores, cleaning up drool, and lugging dog bones in my Louis Vuitton purse, I would have told them they were crazy.” I shook my head and got out, leaving the windows cracked and Baby neck deep in drool with his bone.
Inside, I asked the receptionist for directions to the gift shop and for Garrett Kelley’s room.
By the time I’d picked up a nice card and an overpriced bouquet of flowers and made my way down a multitude of corridors and taken an elevator, I had worked through my approach to questioning him. I needed to understand why he was in the bakery in the first place. When I found his room and entered, I was surprised to discover that he wasn’t alone.
“April, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting anything. I just wanted to stop in and check on Mr. Kelley.”
I was relieved to see that there were no visible burns that disfigured Garrett Kelley’s face, but he did have what looked like a severe sunburn on one side of his face. His arms were bandaged, and another bandage crossed his forehead.
I placed the flowers on a dresser and sat down in one of the two chairs. The speech I’d rehearsed in the gift shop and while traversing miles of hospital halls vanished, and I sat staring at Garrett Kelley for several moments. Eventually, the silence became too much, and I blurted out, “I’m so sorry for your injuries, but what on earth were you doing in the bakery?”
Garrett Kelley stared at me for several seconds and then said, “Who are you?”
“Madison Montgomery. Octavia Baker was my great-aunt. I know we only met once, the other day when you were helping out at the bakery.”
He gave me a blank stare. “I don’t know you.”
“Well, no. I just moved here a few days ago. Aunt Octavia left me her bakery and house.”
“What do you want?”
I wasn’t expecting such a blunt response, but then I didn’t really know him. Maybe this was how he was all the time. “I just wanted to check on you to make sure that you were okay.”
He raised his bandaged arms. “I’ve got burns on my arms, and my lungs feel like they’re on fire. And I can’t remember how I got this way.”
“I don’t understand.” I stared from Garrett to April.
April leaned forward. “Garrett has what the doctors feel is short-term memory loss due to the trauma. He doesn’t remember anything related to the fire.”
“But surely you remember something. I mean, you don’t recall what brought you there in the first place?”
Garrett Kelley merely stared for several moments and then shook his head.
We sat in awkward silence for several moments. Eventually, April broke the silence. “There’s a really good chance that Garrett will regain his memory in time, so I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this mystery soon and discover what happened.”
“But . . . surely, you remember what led you and Mayor Rivers to be in the bakery after hours. I mean, it’s not like either of you would have a reason to be in Baby Cakes.”
Garrett Kelley shook his head. “April tells me that Paul is dead, but I’m afraid I don’t remember going to the bakery at all. The last thing I remember is locking up my bookstore and walking down the street.” He paused. “The next thing I remember is waking up in here. I’m sorry, but I just don’t remember anything that will be of use to you.”
I didn’t stay long. I never was great with hospitals. I’d only known Garrett Kelley for a few days, and those days were now lost. Apart from that, we didn’t have much to talk about. Besides, Baby was probably finished with his bone and may have started eating the steering wheel.
April followed me out of the room. In the hall, I turned to her. “Do you think he will regain his memory?” Behind her eyes, I saw a flash that led me to ask, “You don’t believe him?”
“I think he may have some gaps, but I think he remembers more than he’s letting on,” she whispered.
“Why? You don’t think he actually killed Mayor Rivers, do you?”
“Frankly, I don’t know what to believe. Why was he in the bakery anyway? There’s something fishy here, and I intend to get to the bottom of it.”
I thought about Garrett Kelley the entire ride home. Baby finished off his bone.
Leroy’s car was still parked in the driveway, and when I pulled into the garage, I could smell that he’d been busy.
“This smells wonderful.”
He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he removed a tray of croissants from the oven and replaced it with another one. “Thanks, how did it go with the claims adjuster.”
“Did you know that Jackson Abernathy was Aunt Octavia’s insurance agent?”
He leaned against the counter and stared. “She never mentioned it. Seems odd, though. She really didn’t like Abernathy.”
I explained what happened at the bakery. “I need to find any receipts for equipment that Octavia had. Any ideas where she would have kept things like that?”
“I’d check her computer. She was meticulous about invoices and receipts.”
“She had a computer? I didn’t see one when I toured the house.”
“Of course.” He gave the croissants in the oven one last look, wiped his hands on a dish towel, and then headed down the hall.
I followed him upstairs to the study. He opened the closet. Aunt Octavia had converted a large walk-in closet to an office. There was a built-in desk, a laptop computer, and a large monitor along with two filing cabinets fitted with shelves full of binders.
“Wow. It’s efficient, but there’s so much space in this house, why didn’t she just convert one of the bedrooms to an office?”
“Miss Octavia didn’t like clutter. She said having a small space made her work faster so she could get out of here and spend time doing what she loved to do: cook or read mysteries.”
I looked at the laptop. “I don’t suppose you know her password?”
He grinned. “Actually, I do.” He tapped something into the laptop and was rewarded when the splash screen was replaced by a picture of Baby as the background image: BabyCakes123.
I checked my watch. “I’ll tackle finding the receipts after I help with the baking.”
“I can handle it. You work on this.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’ll take a little longer, but I’ve got all night. This is important.” He went back downstairs.
Aunt Octavia used a popular bookkeeping software program, and it didn’t take long for me to see that she had been thorough about entering income and expenses. She was also detailed in the notes she provided. In a folder labeled INSURANCE, I found a detailed list of equipment with models and serial numbers of the big-ticket items along with the prices and digital copies of her receipts. I also made a note of all the banking information. Aunt Octavia used New Bison Federal Credit Union. There were notes about Leroy’s and Hannah’s salaries, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that there was plenty of money to pay them. I printed the lists for Mr. Abernathy and was about to shut down when I noticed a box labeled 11-02. That stopped me in my tracks. November 2 was my birthday. I got the box from the shelf. Inside were the letters my dad had sent her and pictures of me as a small baby. I opened some of the letters. She was right, they were reports.
March 15th. Madison age 12, 80 lbs, 5 ft 2 inches. She is smart and likes to read. She spends hours reading romance novels and mysteries. She likes clothes, especially shoes, and has a knack for solving puzzles. We are heading to the Middle East next month. Will consider sending her to visit when we return.
Jefferson
All of the letters started the same, with the date, my age, weight, and height. Each one ended the same way, too, with a date in the future when I might be sent for a visit and his name. I would have liked to have seen Aunt Octavia’s letters. I couldn’t help smiling. I can’t imagine anyone being bold enough to put Admiral Jefferson Augustus Montgomery in his place; however, from what I’d seen, it would have been Aunt Octavia. She wouldn’t have cared about his medals or how many men he commanded. She would have ordered him around like a drill sergeant, and he would have sucked it up and taken it. My dad was tough, but he was also polite and very respectful, especially to women.
I rummaged through the box, read through my dad’s letters, and relived memories as I looked at my life in pictures. Like most young girls, I went through phases. Pictures from my tomboy phase, girly-girl phase, goth phase—when I refused to wear anything other than black—and a really unfortunate phase that I can only call my abstract expressionist phase. Thankfully, my hair and one of my eyebrows grew back, and this picture was the only record of what I’d done to myself. I resisted the urge to shred the photo, but I buried it deep in the bottom of the box.
I was about to return the box when I spotted another one on the shelf. It was narrow and fit behind the one labeled with my birthday. When I picked it up, I saw it was a plastic case like the one I’d seen at Chris Russell’s office.
In the master bedroom, there was a television with a box attached to it that looked like the one Mr. Russell had checked out from the library. I took my box and the video to the bedroom. It took a few tries before I managed to get the box to stop spitting the tape back at me. Eventually, I figured it out and turned on the television to watch. Just as in Mr. Russell’s office, Aunt Octavia’s face popped on the screen. She fumbled with what I assume was the camera and eventually backed up and sat down.
“I hope this thing is recording,” she mumbled. “Madison, I hope you’re the one watching this tape.”
I gasped at her mentioning my name and leaned forward to hear more.
“I didn’t want to tell everything in front of that lawyer. I hope you’re settling into the house and the bakery. Your father said you can’t cook.” She snorted. “Well, I figure that’s because you never had to. Your grandmother was a great cook. She taught me, your aunt, and your mom to cook. I’m sure with a little help, you’ll do just fine. It’s in your DNA. Leroy will help. He’s a talented baker. Hannah’s a good cook, too. When her mind is clear, she’ll be a big help. I left you my recipes. They’re in a box labeled ‘taxes.’” She laughed. “No one likes doing taxes, and I figured if anyone came looking for my secrets, they’d avoid taxes like the plague.”
She chuckled but then got serious. “There’s something strange going on in New Bison. That real estate developer is pressuring folks to sell their property so he can build condominiums. The mayor’s in on it. I can’t prove it, but I know it. I can feel it in my bones. That crook Rivers doesn’t have the sense God gave a turnip. And that young whippersnapper, Ellison, is too wet behind the ears to have cooked up this scheme. No, there’s got to be someone else involved . . . someone who’s pulling the strings, a Moriarty. Your dad said you liked to read Sherlock Holmes, so you’ll understand what I mean by that.” She looked over her shoulder as though she were afraid someone was listening to her. I couldn’t help but wonder if Aunt Octavia was paranoid.
“Be careful who you trust. I’d trust Leroy, Hannah, Garrett, and April with my life. I think Tyler is okay, too.” She paused. “It breaks my heart to say it, but one of them may be a Judas. Someone is leaking information, and I think I know who. You be careful. Don’t tell anyone about this video. It could put you in danger.” She shook her head. “I hate to think that someone might hurt you, but there’s lots of money at stake, and like the Good Book says, ‘The love of money is the root of all evil.’ Take care of Baby. He’s a good judge of character. Baby won’t steer you wrong. If all else fails, trust him to take care of you.” She glanced around like a scared rabbit. “I better go. I’ll try to leave you some clues to help you. But keep it to yourself. Until I can find the spy in my camp, it’s not safe.”
She smiled and her eyes softened. “I wish I could be there with you. You look so much like your mother. She would be so proud of the woman you’ve grown up to be.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “Now, don’t waste too much money on Jimmy Shoes . . . oh, if you ever need some quick cash, check in the deep freezer, in a container with Baby’s name on it. That’s where I keep my mad money.” She paused again and listened. “I better go before someone finds me. Take care, honey.”
I sat for a few minutes, staring at the black screen. After a few minutes, I pressed rewind and replayed the video. I watched it twice but still couldn’t figure out if my great-aunt was serious. Did she truly believe that there was something sinister about the mayor and Bradley Ellison? Or was she merely a crazy old woman? Either way, she’d left me with a lot to think about.