Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder

Leroy had the fan on full blast, and Baby had flakes on his nose that looked a lot like burnt croissants. However, I wasn’t one to judge. I washed up and made two chocolate cakes, with only a small amount of assistance.

While they baked, I snapped a picture of Baby with the croissant flakes on his nose.

#BabyCakesClosedThursday #CroissantMishap #BabyIsnt-Talking #BackOnFriday

I told Leroy we were closing tomorrow, and he breathed a sigh of relief. That would give him time to build up some inventory. He flopped down in the chair, and for the first time, I realized how exhausted he was.

“I’m sorry that I’ve not been much help. You’re used to Aunt Octavia doing the bulk of the baking.”

He shook his head. “It isn’t that. It’s just that I’m used to an industrial stand mixer and much larger bowls and racks and, well . . . it’s just harder. It’s a commercial-grade kitchen, but . . .”

“But it’s not the same as Baby Cakes?”

“Yeah. Did Abernathy give you the check? We’ll be able to go back soon, right?”

That’s the first time I thought about the papers I was supposed to take to Abernathy. In all the confusion, I’d forgotten about them. I grabbed my purse and rummaged, but the copies of the receipts weren’t there. I must have dropped them at Abernathy’s office when I fled. My heart tightened. If he found them, then he would know I was there. He might guess that I’d overheard their conversation. If he did, then I could be in danger.

“What’s wrong?” Leroy asked.

“Nothing. I just lost the receipts. They must have fallen out of my pocket . . . or my purse. Or maybe I dropped them somewhere.” I was babbling, but I couldn’t stop myself.

“You could just print another copy.” He held up the ink cartridge.

“Good idea.” I grabbed the ink and headed upstairs to the printer.

Baby followed me and when he was inside the room, I closed the door and flopped down at the desk. “I need to stop panicking.” I forced myself to take several deep breaths. “I mean, so what if he finds the receipts. It doesn’t mean I was there at the same time they were having their clandestine meeting where they may or may not have been talking about me, right?”

Baby shook his head, flinging drool around the room.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s possible.” I stood up and paced. “It’s also possible that he may never find the receipts. The way that office looked, you could lose a small child in all that chaos.”

He sat on his haunches and gave me a look that I interpreted as, You must be kidding.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now. I have my taser, and I just need to stay away from Jackson Abernathy.” I sat down and reprinted the information. This time, I found an envelope and put the documents inside. “I’ll drop this in the mail and that’s it.”

I checked the clock and decided that I had enough time to tempt Luke Carter and still get dressed for dinner with Brad Ellison.

Leroy made the frosting while I was upstairs, so there wasn’t much left for me to do except to pack up the cake.

I drove to the phone company. Inside, there were only two people, and, going by April’s description, it didn’t take me long to figure out which one was Luke Carter.

“Hello. I’m—”

“Madison Montgomery. You’re Octavia Baker’s niece and the new owner of Baby Cakes.” He sniffed the air. “And that smells like chocolate.... Oh, my word, please tell me that’s Miss Octavia’s chocolate cake.”

He bounced up and down and clapped. “I seriously have dreams about that cake. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“I was hoping you might be able to help me. I was wondering if you could get me a copy of Garrett Kelley’s cell phone records for the past few days.” During the ride over, I tried to think up a good reason why I needed it, but nothing came to mind. Instead, I lifted the lid of the box so Luke could see the cake in all its glory.

His eyes enlarged, and I thought he might pass out from excitement. “All I have to do to get that cake is give you a list of Garrett Kelley’s phone bill?”

“Done.” He tapped on the computer and reached down and tore something from the printer. He barely looked at it and then handed it over.

“Thank you.” I took the paper and slid the box across the counter.

Feeling like I’d just robbed a bank, I headed for the door. Before I left, I took one glance back. Luke Carter’s window now displayed a sign that read CLOSED, and he was nowhere to be seen.

“I can’t believe it was that easy,” I mumbled.

Baby had moved to the driver’s seat during my absence, so I ordered him to move back into his spot. Then I took a couple of minutes to dry off the drool that he’d left in his wake. Once I was in the car, I read the printout, which consisted of a list of telephone numbers along with the time and duration of each call. Sadly, that’s when it dawned on me that I didn’t recognize any of the numbers except my own. There were two numbers called around the same time that Garrett Kelley had texted me.

I entered the first one. I got a recording for Russell, Russell, and Stevenson. “Well, that makes sense. If you’re about to confess to murder, then you would probably want your attorney close by.” I hung up and dialed the second number, which looked vaguely familiar.

“Hey, Maddy,” Leroy said. “Did you forget something?”

“Umm, No. I’m . . . good . . . I just wondered if you . . . um . . . needed anything while I was out?”

“No, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.”

I hung up and sat staring from the list to my phone. I hadn’t made a mistake. The number I entered was the number on the printout. And that number belonged to Leroy Danielson. Leroy, my head baker and friend. “Why had Garrett Kelley called Leroy less than one hour before he died?”

I stared at Baby, and he stared back.

“Was he correcting an earlier mistake? Did Leroy save Garrett Kelley from dying in the fire at Baby Cakes? Or had he been thwarted in his attempt to murder both Paul Rivers and Garrett Kelley the first time?”