Chapter Seventeen

As we climbed into Alyssa’s car, I couldn’t help thinking about Leo. Not his abrupt departure from my apartment, or even why he came by—I’d been trying not to think about both of those things since there were bigger issues on my mind—but what he might have observed that prompted him to ask Noah for those background scenes.

More than anything, I wanted to ask Rebecca about Penny’s pushy conversations. Could Leo set that up?

“Can you drop me off at The Blackberry Inn?” I asked.

“Sure. Do you want to ask Vanessa and Tammy about something? Oh!” Alyssa darted a look at me. “You want to talk to Leo!”

“I do.”

“Can I come?”

“I think Leo might clam up if I bring a reporter with me,” I decided. I hated to blow Alyssa off since she’d been so helpful, but I did have an inkling he might be more open if it were just me.

“I’d love to interview him, not just about the murders but everything. He’s had such an interesting career.”

“I didn’t think you even watched All Star Bakers.”

“I don’t, but I’ve seen him on a few other shows and I have two of his books. They’re nice to cook from. Easy to follow, not fussy, just good, wholesome food. I like that. Plus, like I said, he’s had an interesting history.”

“How so?”

“You probably already know his dad immigrated here from Ireland and opened a restaurant. His mom was a food writer for magazines and wrote a couple of food history books. Leo grew up working in the kitchen with his dad, and researching with his mom. Anyway, Leo majored in history at university, but realized what he loved most was cooking and that led him to some great restaurants. You probably know all this already.”

“Not really,” I said, thinking about how Gerry and Rose Finley hadn’t mentioned much about their past lives in all the times I’d served them at the café. “I guess all I know about Leo is from his cookbooks and All Star Bakers, which isn’t much. Little things about where he’s cooked and where he’s lived.”

“You mean you’ve never searched for him online?”

“No!” I paused. “Should I?”

“I search everyone! There’s a rumor he’s getting his own show.”

“I heard that.”

“Bet that irritated Rebecca. It’s hard to go from being the big star to last week’s news but that’s what their business is. Showbiz, I mean, not cooking. They build you up and, especially as a woman, then, when your first wrinkle shows, goodbye! Next! I wonder if Jack Harper will get a show too? Especially with the success of his book.”

“Do you think he’s interested?” Jack had only lived in town a few months, since he’d arrived to take up a position at the Belle Rose. I hated to think he might leave if temptation dropped into his lap.

“I don’t know. Maybe they could do one together? Leo and Jack. I’d watch that.”

“For the cooking?” I wondered, thinking about how the two handsome men would appear on camera.

Alyssa laughed. “Don’t be silly. No one will watch for the cooking.”

She had a point and I couldn’t help it; I laughed too.

The car pulled up outside The Blackberry Inn and Alyssa peered towards the pretty building fronted by a sweep of lawn and a shiny new sign announcing they didn’t have any vacancies. “Can you please put in a good word for an interview?” she asked. “If I have to wait for the press presentation, all I’ll get is the same old snippets as every other reporter in the state.”

“Of course,” I agreed.

“I can’t wait to see the show being filmed tomorrow. I’m bringing Kim Kormandy to do photography so prepare your best smile. If it weren’t for the murders, the show would be front page news anyway, but I still need to file a double-page article inside. And the food fair too. My fingers are going to fall off from all the typing.”

“Isn’t Connor writing anything?” I asked, wondering about the other man who seemed to make up the bulk of The Calendar Times’ workforce.

“I’m sure he’ll do something,” said Alyssa with a roll of her eyes. “I’m going to do some more research and check into those alibis. I’ll let you know if I find anything, if you let me know if Leo has anything to tell you.”

“Deal,” I agreed. I told Alyssa I’d see her tomorrow and climbed out of the car, smoothing imaginary creases from my outfit as I walked towards the inn.

I knew Vanessa and Tammy kept the door unlocked during reasonable hours, so I opened it, calling, “Hello!”

“Hey!” Vanessa said as she stepped into the lobby. “Oh, hey, Candice. Did I leave something at your apartment? Or did you find something out at the hotel?”

I shook my head, looking disappointed. “No, unfortunately not. It looks like the other contestants have alibis. Alyssa’s going to check.”

“I’d say that’s a good thing. Come into the kitchen and we can get something to drink. We’re not quite up to Aunt Edie’s famous margarita parties yet but Tammy insists they’re starting again very soon. You should come.”

“I will,” I said, pleased with the invitation. Vanessa and Tammy’s recently deceased Aunt Edie had held some raucous parties in her time and I recalled how I’d attended a few years back, when I barely knew the twins, enjoying perfectly icy cocktails in the beautiful yard on hot summer evenings while Edie’s friends regaled the guests with wild tales. The yard was still being returned to its former beauty but the veranda was already a lovely spot for relaxing.

“Iced tea? Tammy made a batch this morning for our guests and I’m sure there’s some left,” she said, opening the refrigerator door when I nodded. She extracted a large pitcher and found two tall glasses on a shelf. After pouring the tea, she handed me a glass. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon and I feel bad that I wasn’t much help at your murder meeting. So what I can do for you?”

“Actually, I wanted to speak to Leo. Is he here?”

“I think he’s in his room. I saw him briefly when I got back but I try not to disturb the guests and Tammy handles any requests. I heard noises in his room only a few minutes ago.”

“Noises?” I asked, suddenly worried. What if we’d missed something and Leo was now in the murderer’s sights? What if he were fighting for his life? I looked at the ceiling, straining to hear any little noise, ready to run and defend him with all my might, but the inn was silent.

“I think he was watching TV,” clarified Vanessa.

“Oh. Do you think it’ll make him mad if I knock on his door?”

“I have no clue. You could wait down here for him, if you like? I don’t know if he’s had dinner so he might leave his room at some point. Hey, are you even supposed to be fraternizing with the judges? Wouldn’t it be against the rules?”

“I have no idea but he came to my apartment earlier so really, I’m only returning the call,” I decided. “I just have to work out whether to knock on his door or camp out in your kitchen.”

“Or you could just turn around,” said Leo from behind me.

I screamed and dropped my glass. It bounced twice across the floor, rolling to land at Vanessa’s feet, a trail of liquid in its wake. Vanessa stooped to collect the tumbler, biting her cheeks to stop from laughing as I winced.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” said Leo. He stepped around me as Vanessa grabbed a wad of paper towels.

“I’m so sorry,” I groaned, my heart thumping.

“Don’t be,” said Vanessa. “Accidents happen and you’ve had a terrible week. I’m sure I’d be on my last nerve by now.”

“Where did you come from?” I asked. “I didn’t hear you at all!”

“I really didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” Leo held an empty glass in his hand. “I knocked this off the table and chipped it. Can you bill me for the damage? And Candice’s too.”

“I think we can forgive you a couple of dollar-apiece glasses,” said Vanessa, accepting it from him as she got to her feet. “There’re plenty more on the shelf so help yourself.” She examined the glass and shrugged, apparently not particularly concerned before she tucked it away in the trash cupboard. When her cellphone rang, she pulled it from her pocket. “Excuse me,” she said, checking the screen, “it’s my mom. If I don’t see you before you go, Candice, I can’t wait to watch you filming tomorrow. And if I can help with anything else, you’ve got my number.” She waved a hand as she stepped through the French doors but despite her cool demeanor I noticed she dared to peek back at us.

“What can I help you with?” asked Leo. He reached for a fresh glass from the shelf and toyed with it in his hands as he waited. I wasn’t certain, but his attitude felt frosty. Yet, the last time I’d seen him he’d been friendly and helpful. What could have changed?

“First of all, you came by my apartment earlier. Why didn’t you wait? I was home. I would have come to the door if I hadn’t been bandaging my finger.” I held up my finger, waggling it and Leo frowned.

“I figured you were settled in for the evening with your boyfriend and I shouldn’t disturb you.”

“Boyfriend?” I paused, looking confused, then my eyes widened and I had to hold back a laugh. “Jay? Jay’s not my boyfriend!”

Leo frowned. “He seemed to live there.”

“It’s his apartment! We’re roommates.”

“Roommates.”

“As in roommates,” I repeated, unsure how I could make it any clearer. “We share the apartment. Jay’s girlfriend is a girl called Bridget.”

“Ah.” Leo’s shoulders dropped, the tension leaving him, and he closed his eyes briefly. “I’m an idiot,” he said hurriedly. “I’m sorry. I got the wrong end of the stick and assumed…”

“That Jay and I lived together. I realize that now. Jay’s great but he’s not my type and we’ve known each other long enough to realize that. So now you know… how come you came by?”

“I wanted to check in on you. You seemed really calm after everything that happened today but I barely got a chance to speak to you and by the time Detective Logan was done questioning me, you were gone… and I guess I was worried you might not want to come back if we continued shooting. Who could blame you if you didn’t?”

“Noah told me the show is going ahead.”

“I just got the message too. I thought that would be the case if the local police department didn’t shut it down. The network would have a huge problem on their hands if they did that since all the shows are scheduled for airtime. So, you’re going ahead with it?” he asked.

I nodded. “I’m under contract. Even if I didn’t want to, I’d have to. Plus, I’ve come this far. I can’t not see it through.”

“I feel the same way. I spoke to Jack and he wants to get it over with too. We both figured one day and it’s over. I’m not sure about Rebecca yet but I can’t see her backing out,” he said. “With all the extra security, we should all remain safe.”

“They must be feeling as tense as we do.”

“We?” Leo glanced at me over his shoulder as he headed to the refrigerator. He pulled out the same pitcher that Vanessa had poured from only moments ago. He signaled to me to grab another glass and I did, holding it out for him to pour.

“Declan and I, the last two competitors,” I explained before taking a sip of the iced tea. “He was pretty green by the time we left. Plus, I don’t know if Detective Logan is any closer to catching the killer. What if he doesn’t by the end of filming and the show moves on?”

“He’s told us all to stick around for a few days. You think it’s someone on set?” Leo watched me closely.

“The show is the only thing that seems to tie us all together. It doesn’t look like Robin and Penny knew each other before this week and they have nothing in common except baking and the show. That’s the other reason I came. I asked Noah about the previous show tapes and he said you had them.”

Leo nodded and took a sip. “I wanted to take a look at some old footage,” he said.

I swallowed, preparing myself for the big question. “Do you suspect something too?” I asked.

Leo scratched his forehead, frowning hard. “I just have a strange feeling about it all and I thought watching some of the shows might help. Not just what aired but some of the edited footage.”

I instantly felt on alert. “Do you suspect someone?”

“No,” he was quick to say. “But I wanted to know what it was about Penny and Robin that made someone want to kill them. So far as I know, it’s like you think, neither of them met before this show. I don’t know how Robin would have fared in the competition if she’d lived, but Penny definitely wasn’t going to win with her entries. So that left me with the idea maybe someone thought they’d taken his or her place. I wanted to see if one of them did something to get ahead to support that theory.”

“The cheating,” I said.

Leo nodded slowly. “So you figured that out too?”

“There have been rumors on set,” I admitted. “It looks like both of them were trying to gain advantages. I suspect Beth was too, but no one killed her.”

“No, but she was eliminated before Penny. Perhaps that made her safe somehow.”

“We keep coming back to the idea someone was desperate to win the show, but since Declan and I are the finalists, and I know it’s not me, that leaves him. I just can’t see Declan as a killer!”

“Me neither. He wasn’t even supposed to be on the show until Robin was killed and he was nowhere near town when that happened.”

“Actually, he was,” I said, feeling bad about saying so but I couldn’t lie for him. “I saw him, and I asked him about it later and it turns out he’s dating someone in town and didn’t want to tell the producers he was already here.”

“It still doesn’t make him a killer. If he were behind Robin’s death and thought you were suspicious, why not kill you because you asked?”

“Wouldn’t it look suspicious to have two bodies in two days?”

“Says the woman who found two bodies in almost that time frame. Perhaps Declan got on the show by killing Robin, then Penny irked him somehow and he did away with her too,” said Leo.

“For what reason? She was already eliminated.” I sighed. I seemed to be going around in circles with nothing making sense.

Leo shook his head. “You’re right. I can’t think of one. Plus, speaking as one of the judges, he didn’t have reason to fear Penny’s baking. Declan’s was far superior.”

“Then that leaves me as the only other person who could be desperate enough to kill her way to the finals.” I pulled out a chair and slumped into it, leaning my elbow on the kitchen table, my chin in my hand, despondent at the idea that someone else might come to the same conclusion. Surely Sam Logan wouldn’t? He knew me better than that!

“That doesn’t explain why Robin is dead,” said Leo. He squeezed my shoulder before pulling out the adjacent chair and turning it so he could sit and face me.

“You said you were watching the footage from the previous shows. Did you find anything?”

“There’s plenty to search and I’m not far in. I’m focusing on Robin since she was the first victim, but I don’t see any unusual interactions with any of the crew.”

“Would there be?”

“Sometimes a contestant gets flirty or friendly with a crew member. It’s not forbidden, of course, because the format is fairly foolproof to anyone trying to take advantage.”

“How do you mean?”

“The crew don’t have any judging authority so it’s nothing to do with them who gets through. A contestant can cozy up to the camera operator or the runners or even the caterers and it’s not going to help them.”

“But they can cozy up to a judge for an advantage,” I said.

There was some noise from the yard and Leo motioned that I should follow him. With our iced teas in hand, we walked through to the sitting room at the front of the inn. It was a lovely room with a big bay window and large, comfortable furniture befitting a grand house. We sat on the couch and Leo folded one leg across the other as he settled against the cushions.

“That would be a better target but that’s why the show is set up with a three-judge format. Two are long running judges, that’s me and Rebecca, and she’s been there from the beginning. The third, like Jack, is always a guest judge announced at the last minute so it’s never the same set of three judges on each series. With an odd number, there’s always going to be a clear winner. A contestant would have to successfully court all three judges to get a vote in their favor and that’s impossible.”

“And Rebecca always has the deciding vote?” I wondered.

“Yes, if the two other judges vote in opposite directions, she casts the deciding vote.”

“That does sound foolproof.”

“Which is why I wasn’t worried when Beth started yelling about you and me creating an unfair advantage. It just isn’t possible. I could vote for you until the end of days, and if Rebecca and Jack vote for Declan in the final, he’d win. It’s as simple as that. Although…” He trailed off, glancing away, looking deep in thought.

“Yes?” I prompted.

“It did occur to me the director or the producers might be able to exert some influence over the judging. They might like the particular optics of a winner but they never asked me once and I’m not finding any evidence of that in the filming. It’s possible I’m looking for something that’s not there,” said Leo.

“I keep thinking it’s something to do with the show but what if it really isn’t and it’s just a horrible coincidence?” I said, “What if there are two murderers? Or one was an accident, and the other a calculated murder? Or both had people in their past looking for revenge?” I shot out the questions as they came to me.

“Too many coincidences seem unlikely.”

“It does seem that way. I had a group of my friends over to my apartment earlier this evening and I think we all came to the same conclusion. We even tried researching Robin and Penny online but didn’t come up with much. Robin made great wedding cakes and Penny used to live in the same town Rebecca spent her summers in. Not exactly the ‘gotchas’ we were hoping for.”

“I like that all your friends got together to solve a murder,” said Leo, smiling now.

“Just so long as the next murder they get together to solve isn’t mine!” I couldn’t help grimacing.

“I hope you’re not intending to throw the competition? I know you’re nervous about being on set but there’s going to be extra security.”

“And let Declan win? No. I’m going to give my best effort tomorrow!”

Leo frowned and for a moment, I felt guilty. He was, after all, a judge and he’d just explained how cozying up to him wouldn’t work in anyone’s favor. Not that I was trying!

“Did you see much of what Penny was doing during filming?” he asked.

“I was concentrating on my own baking mostly.”

“I was wondering… that vegan test. Did you see her with honey?”

“I…” I hesitated. What did it matter now if she’d cheated? She was dead. “Declan said he saw it at her station, but I didn’t see her using it,” I replied, which was honest.

“Jack tasted honey right away,” said Leo. “He was adamant but Rebecca insisted it was a particular type of vegan syrup that gave that impression. She convinced him to change his vote in Penny’s favor.”

“Does she do that often?”

“She has strong opinions,” said Leo, diplomatically, “but normally, she isn’t so assertive. She was adamant Jack was wrong and he capitulated. She was very forceful about it. He told me later he wished he hadn’t given in but felt he should defer to her. When it came to the pastry round, I agreed with Jack, Penny’s pastry was underdone and the filling wasn’t right. I was astounded that Rebecca raved about a dessert as poor as that. She wanted you eliminated instead.”

“Me?” I said in surprise.

Leo nodded. “Neither Jack nor I would agree with that. Your pies were obviously superior. So were Declan’s. There was no competition in it at all.”

“Could it just be a taste preference?”

“I’ve heard Rebecca rip into contestants on previous shows for underbaking their creations. It doesn’t make sense that she would think Penny’s was delicious.”

I thought back to the argument I’d overheard in Rebecca’s trailer, and the conversation that grabbed George’s attention. “What was Rebecca like during Penny’s winning heat?” I asked.

“Well, all I can say is I didn’t vote for Penny in the finals but Rebecca and the guest judge did, so the decision was final.”

“Are you still in touch with that judge?” I asked.

“Sporadically. Why? Oh! You think I should ask about their decision in case Rebecca put pressure on her like she did on Jack,” he said as I nodded. “I can ask. Yeah, I think I will do that. I’ll send an email.”

“I think we should watch those tapes again,” I said. “Maybe your hunch was right. There might be something to find on the footage that didn’t make the final show.”

“We could watch them together. I can grab my laptop from upstairs. Two heads could be better than one.”

“I’d like that.”

Leo fetched his laptop and within minutes, it was set up on the coffee table in front of us and queued to the next recording. He said, “There’s always a lot more footage than makes it into the show. We can fast forward through some of it to save time and just focus on the bits with Penny.”

Despite doing that, it still took close to forty-five minutes to find the kind of suspicious moment we were looking for. As we watched, Rebecca made a cutting comment at Penny and Penny replied, “I think you’ll find it is a winning piece, Rebecca. The flavor stands for itself.” The two women stared at each other, then Rebecca turned to the camera. “Let’s cut that,” she said. “I’ve had second thoughts.” The screen went blank and then the two women reappeared. “These flavors really stand out,” said Rebecca, forcing a smile on her face that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “It’s ideas like this that really set the competitors apart.”

“Thanks, Rebecca,” said Penny, beaming now.

I leaned forwards and hit the pause button. “That didn’t look or sound normal,” I said. “Does Rebecca often change her opinions when challenged by a contestant?”

Leo shook his head. “No, never! Rebecca’s forthright and decisive. When she makes a decision, she sticks by it. I can’t imagine why she changed her mind here. I remember it though. Later on, she claimed she was getting a headache and not thinking clearly.”

“Let’s see if there’s more,” I said, and pressed play.

It took another hour of fast forwarding and playing scenes, before we were almost at the end of the footage. We almost missed it but then I saw Rebecca and Penny in the corner of the screen while the camera rolled like someone had forgotten to turn it off.

“Can you zoom in?” I wondered. “And turn up the volume. Penny says something but I can’t make out what it is.”

“I can try.” He tapped the keys and the screen enlarged.

“I want to win,” said Penny, clearly through the speakers. She prodded a finger at Rebecca’s chest. “If you don’t make that happen, I’ll tell everyone.”

“Tell anyone anything and you’ll never get a shot at winning,” snarled Rebecca. “You’ll just be a sad contestant that no one ever remembers.”

“And your career will be over,” hissed Penny. “Do you want to take that risk?”

Then the screen shifted, blackened and the footage ended.

“What was that about?” asked Leo, frowning.

“We need to find out and I think the only person who can do that is you.”

“Why me?” he asked before shaking his head. “That was rhetorical. I know. I know Rebecca better out of both of us. Maybe better than anyone on set.”

“You need to get her to open up to you.”

“It sounds like Penny was blackmailing her, but about what?”

“And was it enough to kill for?” I asked as our eyes met.