One Last Bite_A Darling Bakery Cozy Mystery Page 5

  Matt and Dani loaded the boxes of day-old cupcakes into The Darling Bakery van. Driving the van around would be good advertising, Dani thought. Grandfather Harold had converted an old 1967 Volkswagen bus into a delivery van years before Dani was even born. The van had more than 300 thousand miles on it and the exterior paint was peeling a little in some places, but Dani had an art student at the college touch up the hand-painted Darling Bakery logo and it looked as good as new. Other than that all the van had needed was a tune-up and an oil change and it was ready to roll.

  Dani piled the cupcakes into the racks in the back of the van and secured them so they wouldn’t slide around. She was ready to hit the streets of Riley and find some new customers. She might have to depend on the police investigation to prove her cupcakes weren’t poisonous, but in the meantime, Dani was going to do everything she could to save her business. There was no way she was going to let her bakery go down the drain without a fight.

  Chapter 6

  Dani looked both ways as she pulled the Darling Bakery van out of the alley behind the store. She didn’t really have a plan for this spontaneous promotional adventure, but she had seven dozen cupcakes to hand out so she was just going to have to let fate lead the way. She fished a quarter out of the cupholder between the front seats and flipped it in the air.

  “Heads we go left. Tails we go right,” she whispered like a prayer. The coin fell into her hands and the American eagle smiled up at her. “Right it is!” Dani said as she shifted the van into gear.

  As she chugged down the street, Dani considered stopping at the Riley Star News office to see if Gretchen had any more information about Guy’s death, but she knew if something had come up her friend would have called by now. Besides, the staff at the Riley Star News were already big fans of Dani’s cupcakes. If she stopped there she’d be wasting her promotional gifts on people who were already loyal customers in spite of Eunice Bradshaw’s blog. No, what Dani needed were new clients to lure into the shop.

  Dani drove around for a while trying to find somewhere where people who might want a snack were gathered. It had been a long time since she’d spent any real time in Riley and the small town had actually grown pretty significantly since her childhood. She could still remember when there were only two traffic lights downtown and most of the storefront businesses were owned by local residents. Now there were a number of national franchises in town and Gretchen told her quite a few of them were owned by people who didn’t even live in Riley. They just hired managers to run them and all the profits went to fat cats in Atlanta or other larger cities. That was one of the reasons why Dani just had to make the Darling Bakery work. She wanted to keep the money circulating in the community where her family had roots.

  Dani drove a few blocks and then saw the perfect place to begin her giveaways — a construction site! It was just past noon and she could already see the men in yellow hardhats collecting in the parking lot with their brown bags and lunch pails. Dani pulled the van into a space on the perimeter of the worksite and quickly jumped out of the van. She suspected that the men probably didn’t have very long to eat, so she didn’t want to waste any time giving out the cupcakes.

  “Hey, there lady! You can’t park there!” a burly worker yelled in Dani’s direction.

  Normally Dani might have shied away from such a gruff greeting, but today she was on a mission, so she poured on the charm.

  “I’ve got something sweet that you fellas are gonna love,” she said with a well-placed smile. “Free cupcakes for anyone who wants one!”

  The construction worker who’d yelled at her took a step closer and peered into the open box.

  “Wow. Those look great, Lady. And you say there free?”

  Dani nodded her head and the man waved his arm signaling his co-workers to come over. Half a second later Dani was circled by a group of men who had clearly been working in the sun since it first rose that morning. Even the sweet smell of so many cupcakes couldn’t mask the pungent aroma.

  “There’s no need to push,” Dani said as the circle began closing in around her. “I’ve got two dozen. Maybe there’s somewhere I could set the boxes down and you all can take as many as you like?”

  “Why don’t you put them over here,” a deep, husky voice spoke into the crowd.

  Dani couldn’t see who was talking until a few of the workers stepped back opening a space in the circle. Dani blinked as a tall, gorgeously muscular man with dark hair and smokey-grey eyes stepped toward her sipping on a cup of coffee. He was wearing a yellow hat like the other men, but from the clean pressed look of his clothes, it was obvious that his physique wasn’t the result of any heavy labor.

  “My name is Grant Taylor. I’m the project manager here,” the man said as he took the boxes from Dani and walked them over to a folding table sitting outside a small trailer. A vinyl sign on the side of the trailer read Oswald and Morgan Construction. “Go ahead fellas, eat up!” he said once he put the boxes down. As the men walked over and began snatching up the free snacks, Grant strolled back over to Dani.

  “So, is this what you do all day. Drive around and tempt hungry men with your sweets?”

  There was a seductive tone in Grant’s voice that made Dani’s toes curl involuntarily.

  “Uh, no. My name is Dani Darling,” she said as her face went flush and a little bead of sweat trickled its way down her back. “I own the bakery. Uh, the Darling Bakery that is. We just opened on Saturday and…” Dani took a breath before she continued. “I just wanted to get out and meet the other business owners in the area and say hello.”

  “Well, hello, Ms. Darling.” A smile that could melt ice spread across Grant’s face. “You’ve certainly made some fans around here today.” Grant nodded back to the table where two empty boxes now sat. “Maybe I can repay your kindness by buying you lunch?”

  Dani felt a few butterflies flutter in her empty stomach and she knew if she took Grant up on his offer the construction workers could eat all the cupcakes she had with no problem, but she had to keep her priorities straight and stay focused on her business.

  “I’d love to, Grant. But I’ve got a lot more cupcakes to pass out before the day is over.”

  “Understood,” Grant said sticking his lip out in a slight pout. “But, please, take my card. Anytime you’re free for lunch just give me a call.”

  Grant held his business card out, but when Dani reached for it he pulled it back in a flirtatious tug-of-war.

  “Promise me you’ll call, Dani,” he said with a seductive smile. “I hate to be disappointed.”

  For a moment it seemed like Grant’s grey eyes went steel-cold and his statement almost sounded like a threat, but Dani just brushed it off. Grant was probably the kind of Guy who wasn’t used to hearing no and this was his way of saving face.

  Grant finally released the business card. Dani smiled, stuck it in her back pocket and hurried back to her van. She made her way across the street to the strip mall and drove slowly past the row of stores.

  Ferguson’s Drugstore — no use in taking her cupcakes there they had a whole bakery section inside. The On Time Tax Service. That’s a possibility, Dani thought as she slowed the van to a stop to let a woman crossing the parking lot pass. The woman had on bright yellow flip-flops and was waddling on her heels like a duck.

  Bingo!

  Dani knew immediately the woman must have been coming from the perfect place for her to take some of her cupcakes — a nail salon! No doubt there’d be plenty of customers in there who’d like a snack.

  She parked the van, pulled out a box of cupcakes and headed toward The Nail Bar. When she walked inside she was a little startled by what she saw. The store was set up less like a traditional nail salon and more like an actual bar. Patrons were sitting on top of tall bar stools while manicurists either hovered below them doing pedicures or leaned over the top of actual bars like you’d find in a club, doing the women’s fingernails.

  “Good morning!” A cheery voice call
ed out. “Can I offer you a shot?”

  A short woman, dressed in a snugly fitting t-shirt with The Nail Bar bedazzled across the front in sparkly letters walked up to Dani. She was holding a serving tray covered with little shot glasses. Dani peered down at the tray. Jello shots? In the middle of the afternoon?

  “Uh, it’s a little early for me,” Dani said shaking her head.

  The woman snorted with laughter.

  “Oh no, honey. This isn’t alcohol,” the woman said shaking her head from side to side. The motion caused a flurry of color to feather around her face as the rainbow-colored under layers of her jet black hair were revealed. “These are vitamin shots,” she explained. “My name is Yolanda Tisdale and I’m the owner and head mixologist here at The Nail Bar,” Yolanda put her tray down on a nearby bar and extended her hand.

  Dani reached out to shake Yolanda’s hand, but instead of a handshake, Yolanda pulled Dani’s hand close to her face.

  “Let’s see, what are you in need of?” she said as she rubbed her thumb over the nail beds on Dani’s right hand.

  “You know, you can tell a lot about a person’s health from their fingernails,” Yolanda explained while pushing at Dani’s cuticles.

  Dani felt a little self-conscious and tried to gently pull her hand away.

  “No need to be shy, Sweetie.” Yolanda laughed without lessening her grip. “Most people these days could use some type of supplements in their diet. Looks like you haven’t been getting enough sleep lately,” Yolanda mysteriously, but accurately concluded. “Let’s try a Pick Me Up Potion shot for you.”

  Yolanda reached over and selected a shot glass from the tray she’d been carrying and handed it to Dani. She waved her hand indicating that Dani was supposed to down the shot all at once.

  “Wow! That’s good,” Dani said as the taste of ginger and some other less familiar flavors flooded her mouth.

  “Thanks,” Yolanda replied with a smile. “We’ve got a whole menu of things people can try. I’ve got a shot for everything from dry skin to hot flashes!”

  Yolanda let out another boisterous laugh.

  “What a great idea,” Dani said. She couldn’t help wondering if Yolanda had anything to help a person who’d been wrongly accused of a crime. “My name is Dani Darling,” she said realizing she hadn’t introduced herself. “I own the Darling Bakery over on Main Street. We specialize in gluten-free cupcakes.”

  “Oh, that’s great,” Yolanda said enthusiastically. “I have a serious sweet tooth!”

  “Well, I brought some samples if you and your customers would like to try some,” Dani said lifting the cupcake box in the air.

  Yolanda’s eyes lit up. “Oh, isn’t that nice of you. Why don’t you have a seat at the bar while I go to the back and get a tray to put these on.”

  Yolanda disappeared into the back room with the box of cupcakes as Dani slipped onto a barstool. She slowly looked around the room from her revolving elevated perch. The place was pretty busy for the middle of the day Dani thought, but it was almost the end of the week and these women were probably getting ready for their weekend plans.

  As she sat there waiting for Yolanda to return she couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between the manicurist and the woman at the bar closest to her.

  “It’s just so sad,” the woman said solemnly. “Guy was such a nice man, and cute too — for his age.”

  Dani’s ears perked and she swiveled her stool to the right so she could eavesdrop on the conversation a little better.

  “Yeah. His wife comes in here to get her nails done once a week,” the manicurist wearing a name tag that read Brenda said. “For the life of me, I can’t understand why someone as nice as Guy would marry someone as unfriendly as Ingrid Mason. I hate it when she comes in here and sits at my bar. Helen, do you know she actually brings in her own manicure tools?” Brenda waved the cuticle spoon she was holding in the air for emphasis. “It’s like she’s afraid we don’t sterilize our equipment properly or something. Yolanda is very particular about our between client cleaning protocol.”

  Dani felt a little sorry for the woman as she watched Brenda jab the instrument into her finger. It was clear that she wasn’t fond of Ingrid Mason and Helen’s cuticles might suffer the consequences of her irritation.

  “And on top of that,” Brenda said with a jab. “She’s a lousy tipper!”

  Helen just shook her head in disapproval.

  “Well, I heard she only married Guy because she thought he was rich.” The woman lowered her voice to a whisper. “You know she’s almost two decades younger than he is — was,” Helen corrected.

  The two women each made their disapproval clear with guttural tsk-tsk noises. Dani was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn’t even notice Yolanda return from the back room.

  “Here we are!” she said as she approached with Dani’s cupcakes now displayed on a beautiful silver platter. “We’ll just put these right up front with your business cards.”

  Dani had to give it to Yolanda. She certainly had a flair for marketing. Dani might have to ask her over to the bakery next week to see if she could give her a few ideas. That is if the bakery was still open by then.

  “While you’re here can I interest you in a manicure?” Yolanda asked interrupting Dani’s gloomy thoughts about the state of her business.

  “Thanks, Yolanda. I’ll take a raincheck on the manicure. I’ll be heading back to the shop soon and I’ll be elbow deep in cupcake batter all day. Maybe I can come back another time?”

  “The Bar is open whenever your ready,” Yolanda said with a flourish of her rainbow-streaked hair. “And I’ll be sure to push these as clients come in,” she said gesturing toward the cupcakes on the tray.

  “Thanks, Yolanda,” Dani said cheerfully. “I really appreciate it!”

  Chapter 7

  Dani left The Nail Bar feeling better than she had all day. Meeting a successful female business owner gave her just the boost of inspiration that she needed to stay focused on her task. But, as Dani walked back to her car she couldn’t help thinking about the conversation she’d heard between Brenda and Helen.

  Dani had never met Guy’s wife and she couldn’t remember him ever talking about her, but it was clear that Ingrid didn’t leave a very good impression with some people. Dani felt a pang of sadness at the thought of Ingrid only marrying Guy for his money. If she’d found out later that he wasn’t as wealthy as she’d thought he was she might have been upset about that.

  Suddenly a thought flashed through Dani’s mind. Could Ingrid have had anything to do with Guy’s death? Dani wondered if Clint had considered that before coming into the bakery with his wild accusations. After all, on most detective shows on television the first suspect was usually the spouse of the victim. If something happened to Guy, Ingrid would get everything he owned. Even if he wasn’t rich Guy probably at least owned a house and had a little savings.

  Dani made a mental note to ask Gretchen if she knew anything about Ingrid Mason, but she couldn’t let that distract her from the task at hand.

  Dani still had four dozen cupcakes to give away. She scanned the storefronts around the parking lot trying to figure out which business would give her the best bang for her buck. There was a Post Office a few doors down from The Nail Bar. Dani considered going in there, but trying to give things away in a government facility might be problematic. She could try the music store she saw on the other side of the parking lot, but in today’s streaming world that place was probably more of a ghost town than The Darling Bakery.

  Before Dani could decide on the next business to visit her phone rang. She sucked in her breath as the caller’s name flashed on her phone. Dani focused and tried to make her voice sound extra cheerful.

  “Hi, Mom! How are you?”

  “Oh, I’m fine, sweetie. I was just sitting here watching The Great Southern Baking Show and I thought of you. In this episode, the bakers had to make a cake using gluten-free flour. The results were h
ilarious! I still think you ought to try out for that show. You’re such a natural at baking and I know you’d look great on camera!”