One Last Bite_A Darling Bakery Cozy Mystery Page 12

  Ben just nodded. Not much of a talker this one. Maybe he saved all his words for yelling at his teenage workers.

  “The house next door to the Jones’ looked particularly nice. “It’s a shame something so sad happened there.

  Ben was pulling at some weeds in the flower bed and Dani thought she saw Ben’s jaw twitch, but he still didn’t say anything.

  “Guy Mason was such a nice man,” Dani continued. She assumed Ben felt the same way about Guy as everyone else in the town seemed to.

  “I don’t like to speak ill of the dead,” Ben said with a stern voice. It was the most he’d said since he got there and the comment surprised Dani.

  Dani didn’t know what the problem was between Ben and Guy, but there certainly wasn’t any love lost on Ben’s part.

  “If you text me your email address I’ll email you an estimate for clearing these weeds and regular maintenance of the yard.”

  With that Ben seemed to have said all he was going to say. He tipped his baseball hat, walked back to his truck and drove away.

  Dani was still standing in her yard trying to figure out if Ben Campbell was rude or just really shy when her cell phone rang.

  “Hey, have you eaten breakfast yet?” Gretchen asked on the other end of the phone.

  Dani felt her stomach tighten a little. She’d fed Queen Sheba, but all she’d had this morning was coffee. “Yeah, breakfast sounds great.”

  “Perfect. I’ll pick you up at your house in ten minutes.

  ***

  Dani’s mouth watered as she stared across the dinner table at the pancakes on Gretchen’s plate.

  “Are you sure you don’t want some?” Gretchen asked waiving a bite of syrup covered pancake on the end of her fork at Dani.

  Dani closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, it’s not worth it,” she explained. “I’d suffer for days from just one bite.” Dani dug her fork into her Spanish omelet and tried to get excited about the egg dish.

  She was seriously considering starting some gluten-free cooking classes for the local restaurant chefs after she got things at the bakery running smoothly. She needed to have more choices of things to eat when she went out.

  “So, how goes the investigation?” Gretchen asked as she licked syrup from her thumb.

  “I don’t know,” Dani confessed as she pushed her empty plate away. “I was hoping that Ben Campbell might have seen something or someone. Mr. Jones told me that Ben was at the house that morning, but when I mentioned Guy’s name Ben seemed almost angry.”

  “Well, that doesn’t surprise me at all,” Gretchen said. “There was bad blood between Ben and Guy.”

  Dani sat up in her seat. ‘Really, what kind of bad blood?”

  “Well, earlier this year Ben was trying to sell his parent’s old house. When Guy did the appraisal he valued it at a lot less than what Ben thought it was worth. As a result, Ben had to lower his asking price by almost $7,000.”

  “Sheesh! $7,000. That’s enough to make someone pretty angry.”

  “Ben was furious,” Gretchen said. “He even quit the softball team he was on with Guy as a result of it.”

  “Guy played softball?” Dani asked with surprise. Guy didn’t exactly have the physique of an athlete.

  “Yeah, he was the umpire for the Riley Rangers.”

  “Gretchen!” Dani exclaimed suddenly. “Mr. Jones said he heard Ben arguing with one of his young employees Wednesday morning. What if Ben wasn’t arguing with a kid. What if he was actually arguing with Guy? What if the argument turned dangerous and Ben had something to do with Guy falling and hitting his head on the counter?”

  Gretchen leaned back in her chair. “Wow. That’s a scary thought, Dani. But it does seem like a possibility. I know a lot of people who might get violent over way less than $7000.”

  Just then Brenda, the waitress, walked up to the table. “Can I get you ladies anything else?” she asked politely. The two women shook their heads.

  “No, Brenda. I’m stuffed. We’ll just take the check.”

  Brenda scribbled something on her notepad and then tore off the page and put it on the table between Dani and Gretchen. She started to walk away but turned back.

  “Hey Gretchen,” Brenda asked. “Have you heard anything about a funeral service for Guy Mason? I’d sure like to go and pay my respects. He was a really nice man.”

  “There’s a memorial service planned for Thursday afternoon at Sutter’s Mortuary,” Gretchen said. “But, I didn’t realize you knew Guy.”

  “Yeah, he started coming in here regularly a few months ago. He’d come in once or twice a week and order a salad before heading across the street to the gym at the community center. After a while he stopped coming, probably fell off the fitness wagon like most of us do.” Brenda patted her less than flat stomach. “But I always remembered him ‘cause he was so friendly and such a good tipper.”

  As Brenda and Gretchen continued to talk about the memorial service, Dani glanced out the window at the Riley Community Center building across the street. It was one thing to find out that Guy was the umpire on a softball team, but hearing that he worked out at the gym twice a week was almost too much. Dani started to feel a little guilty about her own avoidance of exercise.

  “That’s strange,” Gretchen said when Brenda left the table. “Why would Guy come all the way over to the community center to workout? That motel where you said he was staying has a fitness room on the premises. I know because they actually put an ad in the paper about it when they added the facility hoping it would draw some new business.”

  Dani thought back to her visit to The Friendly Stay Motel and an image of Joe leading a yoga class in the motel’s fitness room flashed through her mind. That would have been a sight to see.

  “Let’s go over to the community center and ask a few questions,” Dani said as she reached for the check.

  Gretchen waived Dani’s hand away, pulled out a twenty dollar bill and left it on top of the bill.

  “After you, Sherlock.”

  Dani and Gretchen walked into the community center and down the hall until they found the entrance to the fitness room. As soon as they walked in the door they were greeted by a bubbly community center employee wearing lycra workout gear that fit her body like a glove. The name tag resting on her chest read HEATHER.

  “Hi! Welcome to the Riley Community Center fitness facility. How can I help you, ladies?” Heather said cheerfully.

  “I’m not sure this is something we should’ve tried right after a meal,” Dani mumbled to Gretchen in a whisper.

  “My friend is interested in what you offer in your facility,” Gretchen said as she elbowed Dani in the ribs. The nudge caused Dani to release the breath she was holding in an attempt to give the appearance of a flatter stomach.

  “Great!” Heather said enthusiastically. “Today’s your lucky day. We’re running a friends and family membership special right now, so both of you can join for half the regular price!”

  “Ha!” Dani chortled and stuck her tongue out at Gretchen.

  “Come right this way and I’ll show you around,” Heather said oblivious to the fact that neither women had any real interest in a membership.

  Dani and Gretchen followed Heather into the main part of the gym. As the three women wove up and down the rows of machines Heather explained the function of each and promised Dani and Gretchen with a little work they could master them in no time.

  “I still can’t believe people pay to use these torture chambers,” Dani mumbled when Heather walked a few feet in front of them.

  “The elliptical machines are my favorite,” Heather said over her shoulder. “I could stay on them for hours — if it wasn’t for the strict 30 minute use time.” She laughed at a joke that only she seemed to find funny.

  “Once we get you started on a combination of exercise classes and strength training I guarantee you’ll drop those unwanted pounds faster than you can say tummy tuck!” Heather’s eyes rolled down to Dani’s
midsection and then jerked quickly back up her face with a smile.

  “Great,” Dani said feigning enthusiasm. Then she switched the subject to her real reason for being in the gym. “So, Heather. Do you work here full-time?”

  “I sure do. I’m here Wednesday through Sunday from 12 to 7pm. Is this time of day when you plan to workout? I also offer one-on-one training if you’d like to have a training plan to fit your specific problem areas.”

  Dani tried to ignore the fact that Heather had glanced down at her stomach again. She was starting to have flashbacks of Brad’s criticism of her body and didn’t like it.

  Gretchen must have felt the increasing tension in the air because she jumped in to intervene in the conversation.

  “Hey, Heather, a friend of mine used to work out here. Maybe you knew him. His name was Guy Mason.”

  “Hmm, Mason?” Heather said tapping her finger to her ruby red lips. “That name doesn’t ring a bell and I pride myself on remembering all of our regular clients.”

  Dani looked at Gretchen and shrugged. “Brenda seemed so sure that Guy was a regular here,” Dani whispered to Gretchen as they followed Heather back to the front desk.

  “Well, that’s about it for the exercise part of the facility,” Heather said. “We have some additional space upstairs where different groups hold meetings and stuff, but all the sweating happens right here on the first floor!” Heather waived her hand like a queen pointing to the boundaries of her domain. “So, are you ladies ready to sign up? You can even start right now if you want to. I’m getting ready to teach a warrior aerobics class in a few minutes!”

  The boot camp instructor-like gleam in Heather’s eye was a little frightening. Dani glanced over at Gretchen sending her a silent psychic message that it was time to get out of there!

  “Uh, we still need to think about it a little, Heather,” Gretchen said coming to the rescue. “But we’ll be sure to check out one of your classes if we decide to join.”

  “Okay,” Heather said with a notable tone of disappointment. “Here are some brochures that tell you all about the community center hours, the gym and the other workshops and classes offered here. The two for one special will be going on until the end of the month, so I hope to see the two of you before then.”

  Heather ended her perky sales pitch and Dani and Gretchen speed-walked out of the workout facility. That was probably the most exercise either of them was ever going to do in the building.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m more likely to use my Fred’s Diner frequent dining card than a gym membership — even if Fred doesn’t add any gluten-free pancakes to the menu.” Dani waved the brochure Heather had just given her in the air.

  She was about to dump it in a nearby trash can when she glanced over her shoulder. From a large picture window in the side of the building, Dani could see Heather standing in front of a group in workout gear. Heather waved through the window as if giving Dani and Gretchen one last chance to consider joining the class.

  “Let’s get a move on,” Dani said as she grabbed Gretchen’s arm. “Before Heather sends one of her boot camp warriors out here to get us.”

  The two women hurried back to Gretchen’s car. Once they were safely inside — and far enough away from any threats of having to sweat — Dani began flipping through the brochure in her hand.

  “Hey! Check this out,” she said enthusiastically. “The community center has cooking classes too. Maybe I should talk to the director about doing a gluten-free class?”

  “That would be great,” Gretchen agreed. “I’m sure they don’t offer anything like that now.”

  “How To Fry Perfect Chicken. Making Mouthwatering Mexican Food. Italian Food For Dummies. Nope, they don’t seem to have any baking classes at all. I’m definitely going to look into it once things get back to normal at the bakery.”

  Dani kept scanning the brochure, reading about the other things offered at the community center until her eyes fell on something she wasn’t expecting.

  “Gambler’s Anonymous meetings Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 7pm.” Dani read. But what really caught her eye was the logo printed next to the meeting announcement.

  Two thick red letters sat in the middle of a coin-shaped emblem.

  “GA,” Dani mumbled to herself. “GA. 7pm.”

  Chapter 15

  Monday morning as Dani headed to Riley National Bank to deposit the previous week’s receipts and the check from Sarah, her mind was still buzzing over the conversation she’d had with Marla when Dani called her Sunday night.

  “Gambler’s Anonymous?” Marla had repeated in a worried tone.

  “That must be what the handwritten note meant,” Dani said gently. She knew it was probably difficult for Marla to consider the possibility that Guy had a gambling problem.

  “Well, I hate to say it, Dani. But that does make sense,” Marla agreed. “When I went through the papers from the motel I found the same note written on a few other daily schedules. I would never have guessed GA stood for Gambler’s Anonymous.”

  As hard as the news was to swallow, Marla had agreed that a gambling problem might have explained some of Guy’s strange behavior. Dani didn’t want to upset Marla with her next thought, but she wondered if Guy’s financial troubles had gotten him in over his head. Was the person he thought was following him just weeks before he died trying to collect on a gambling debt? Had Guy died at the hands of someone he owed money too?

  Dani was still so preoccupied with those thoughts when she arrived at the bank that she didn’t even realize it was her turn in line until the person behind her nudged her.

  “Good Morning. Welcome to Riley National Bank,” the teller greeted.

  “Good morning,” Dani said distractedly and handed the teller the deposit slip she’d filled out. She wasn’t trying to be rude, but her mind was still filled with images of mob-like characters who might have hurt Guy.

  “Is there anything else I can help you with this morning?” the teller asked.

  “Yes,” Dani said, finally forcing herself to focus on the present moment. “Is it possible for me to withdraw part of the money from the check I just deposited?” Dani knew she’d need some of the cash from Sarah’s check to buy the supplies for the gala cupcakes.

  “According to bank policy, funds from deposited checks will be available for withdrawal no sooner than 48 hours after the deposit,” the woman said in a rather robotic tone as if she was reading straight from a regulations handbook.

  For the first time, Dani actually focused her attention on the teller in front of her. She was smiling, but the expression looked stiff and rather fake. That’s when Dani glanced down at the name badge the teller was wearing. Above the large blue embossed ribbon whose vertical letters spelled out the word TRAINEE, was a badge that read Ingrid M.

  Dani’s breath stuck in her throat as the teller stared at her with a piercing glare. She didn’t know what to say. Normally if she’d encountered someone who’d lost a loved one less than a week ago she would have extended her hand in sympathy, but this woman didn’t look like she wanted that kind of comfort — at least not from Dani.

  “Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. Darling?” Ingrid said stoically.

  Dani could tell by the woman’s tone of voice that she knew exactly who Dani was. No doubt Ingrid was one of Eunice’s readers. She may not have loved Guy Mason, Dani thought. But she might still be mad at someone who’d been accused of killing him.

  It felt like hours instead of seconds passed as Dani looked into Ingrid’s cold eyes. Dani couldn’t help but notice that those eyes looked cold enough to kill.