One Last Bite_A Darling Bakery Cozy Mystery Page 7

  Guy disappeared from the frame and the next customers stepped forward. Dani was about to stop the video, but something in the corner of the screen caught her eye.

  She hadn’t realized until now, but the position of the camera allowed it to record a small portion of the room where Dani set up a coffee dispenser in the mornings from 7am to 10am as a little treat for her early-bird customers. It was just a little something to lure them away from there normal coffee shops where they might settle for less interesting baked goods in order to get a morning cup of coffee.

  Dani focused on Guy’s image in the corner of the screen and watched as he filled not one, but two coffee cups. They must have been stacked one inside the other she thought to her self. Once Guy put lids on the cups he stacked them along with the single cupcake box on top of the dozen-sized box and walked out of the frame. Dani hit the stop button.

  “Who was the second cup of coffee for?” she asked out loud.

  Guy must have been going to meet with someone otherwise why would he get two cups of coffee. Even when she’d been working long hours trying to get the bakery up and running, she didn’t drink two large cups of coffee in the morning. If she had she’d be bouncing off the walls all day.

  She also knew that coffee drinkers liked their coffee hot, so whoever that second cup was for must have been nearby. Had someone been waiting for Guy in his car or was he on his way to meet someone when he left the bakery?

  Dani was just sitting there staring at the computer screen trying to figure it all out when she heard the doorbell at the front door of the store ring. She paused the playback and got up from her desk. It was after hours, but Dani wasn’t in a position to turn any customers away if they were determined enough to ring the bell even when the closed sign was up. After all, there were probably a few cupcakes left in the display case from earlier in the day that would be perfectly good. Maybe she’d sell them two for one, she thought as she approached the door.

  An older woman with greying hair was peering through the store window like she was trying to see if anyone was inside.

  “Hi. Welcome to The Darling Bakery,” Dani said with forced cheer as she opened the door to the store. “Come on in. We’ve only been closed for a little while, so I still have a few cupcake selections you can choose from.”

  Dani didn’t see the need to mention that there were only a few because they’d only made a few today and not much had sold.

  “Thank you,” the woman said with a tight smile. “But I’m not really here to buy anything.”

  Dani’s shoulders slumped noticeably.

  “I’m looking for Dani Darling,” the woman continued.

  “You’ve found her,” Dani said ignoring the lump in her throat. The last surprise visitor to the shop hadn’t come bearing good news and by this woman’s expression, Dani didn’t think she had glad tidings either.

  “My name is Marla Nettles,” the woman explained. “I’m a friend…,” she paused and took a deep breath. “I was a friend, of Guy Mason’s.” The woman blinked back tears just as Dani had been doing a moment earlier.

  Dani didn’t know how to respond. Why would a friend of Guy’s come to the bakery? She struggled for the appropriate words to say.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss, Miss Nettles. Guy was a very nice man and he was very supportive of my dream to reopen my grandparent’s bakery.”

  “I know, he spoke of you often,” Marla said. “He was really excited when the shop opened on Saturday and when I spoke with him on Monday he was already raving about how well business was going and how proud he knew your grandparents would have been.”

  At the mention of her grandparents, more tears welled up in Dani’s eyes. This conversation was getting stranger by the minute and Dani still couldn’t figure out why this woman had come to the bakery. Was she there to accuse Dani of killing her friend like the police had? Or worse, was she there to seek revenge for his death?

  “I’m sorry Miss Nettles,” Dani began, summoning the courage to ask Marla the reason for her visit.

  “Please, call me Marla,” she interrupted.

  “Of course, Marla. I’m not sure what you may have heard, but I can assure you that nothing in my cupcakes was responsible for harming Guy.”

  “Oh yes, I know that,” Marla said confidently. “I don’t live here in Riley, but my father used to buy bread and pies from your grandmother when I was growing up. I trust that you baked your cupcakes with the same love and care that she did. On top of that, Guy had been eating your cupcakes for days with absolutely no problems. That’s what I tried to explain to the police over the phone.”

  “You talked to the police?” Dani asked in surprise.

  “Yes, they called me because I was one of the emergency contacts listed in Guy’s cell phone.”

  Dani felt herself relax ever so slightly now that she knew this woman wasn’t here to accuse her of harming Guy.

  “Why don’t we have a seat Marla and you can tell me why you’re here.”

  Dani guided Marla over to one of the tables near the window. She wanted to offer her a free cupcake, but given the circumstances, she thought she’d better refrain from her normal hospitality for a moment.

  “When I talked to the police,” Marla continued with an exasperated tone. “I told them the same thing I’m about to tell you, but they just dismissed what I had to say.”

  Marla leaned closer to Dani, whispering as if there were other people in the store who might be listening. “I think Guy’s death may have been the result of foul play.”

  Dani’s eyes grew big and she suddenly felt a little light headed. Marla’s statement shocked her so much that she changed her mind about offering Marla a cupcake. Dani suddenly had the need for some comfort food.

  “Marla, would you like a cupcake while you finish your story? I only have one flavor to offer you,” Dani said apologetically. “But it’s the most popular flavor in the store.”

  Marla nodded her head. “That would be very nice, Dani. In spite of everything that’s happened, I’ve actually been looking forward to trying your cupcakes because Guy raved about them so much.” Marla let out a wistful sigh.

  Dani smiled at the compliment and walked behind the display case get them both a snack. Once Dani had settled back at the table with two German Chocolate cupcakes she let Marla continue.

  “Okay, Marla, why don’t we start from the beginning. You say you’re a friend of Guy’s?”

  “Well, I guess it’s more accurate to say I’m his employee, but after working together for so long we’ve become friends.” Marla dabbed her handkerchief at her eyes before continuing. “I’m a retired administrative assistant and about six years ago I realized playing bingo at the senior center just wasn’t stimulating enough for me. I wanted to use my work skills again, but I wasn’t interested in a full-time job. That’s when I came up with the idea of being a virtual assistant. You know there are a lot of small business owners who can’t afford full-time administrative help and that’s where I come in.”

  Dani knew that plight all too well. She thought about the stacks of un-filed papers strewn around her office.

  “At first I had three clients I was helping, but Guy had so much paperwork to manage with his appraisal business that I let the other’s go and just worked for him. Besides, he was the client who I was most fond of. He was awful at keeping his papers in order, but we came up with a great system that really worked for us. Guy scanned every piece of paper he had to handle and I kept things organized electronically. Between that and email our little business ran like clockwork — that is until about three months ago.”

  Dani’s eyebrows raised. “What happened three months ago?” she asked curiously.

  “Well, for starters.” Marla looked over both shoulders before she spoke. “Guy and his wife separated.”

  Dani’s mind flashed back to the comments she’d heard at The Nail Bar and her earlier thoughts about Ingrid. Could Ingrid have been so upset about the separation th
at she’d hurt Guy?

  “Do you know why they separated?” Dani asked.

  “Well, Guy was pretty close-lipped about it all,” Marla said and then took a small bite of her cupcake. A big smile crossed her face. “Oh, Dani these are wonderful,” she said.

  Dani was happy that Marla liked the cupcakes, but at the moment she was more interested in hearing more about Ingrid and Guy.

  “Thanks. So what happened between Guy and his wife that caused them to separate?”

  “All I know is something upset Guy to the point that he moved into a motel,” Marla said with a hand over her mouth as she continued to chew. “After that, he started to get careless about business stuff. He’d forget to send me things and show up late for appointments. It was getting a little frustrating because I could tell it was impacting the business. Then about a month ago things got so bad that we lost a client because of it.”

  Dani wasn’t exactly sure what to do with this information, but it certainly didn’t sound like the Guy Mason she knew. When Guy helped her with her loan application he was the epitome of professionalism.

  “So, Marla why are you here today?”

  “Well, the police called me and asked me to come in to identify the body. They said they needed a positive identification before they transport it to Atlanta for the official autopsy.”

  “You mean they called you instead of Guy’s wife?” Dani thought that was a little strange. Even if they were separated she thought the wife would have been the one the police contacted.

  Marla’s expression contorted into a frown. “I was the one he had listed under emergency contacts on his phone. When I got the call I immediately called Ingrid to let her know, but she said she was out of town training for a new job at the bank and in addition to that, she didn’t care if she ever saw Guy alive or dead.”

  “Wow. I know people respond differently when they’re having marital troubles, but that seems a little harsh, don’t you think?”

  “To be honest Dani, I don’t think she ever really loved Guy. At least it didn’t sound like it to me. Guy was always hopeful that they’d reconcile but I don’t think Ingrid had any desire to get back together with him.”

  For an employee, Marla seemed to know an awful lot about Guy’s personal life. They must have been really close.

  “But Marla, why do you think Guy’s death was the result of foul play?”

  Marla stared intently at Dani. “Because about two weeks ago Guy told me that he thought someone was following him as he went from house to house doing his appraisals. When I asked him about it again a few days later he just dismissed it and said he’d been mistaken, but there was something in his voice that didn’t sound right to me.”

  Dani had to admit that it sounded a little suspicious to her too. “So you think Guy knew something was going to happen to him?”

  “I sure do,” Marla said sadly. “I just wish I had known enough about whatever was going on to stop Guy from getting hurt. Now my friend is gone.”

  Dani and Marla sat there quietly for a few minutes until finally, Marla broke the silence.

  “Dani, I know you really didn’t know Guy that well…” Marla paused and twisted her napkin in her hands. “But would you be willing to come to the police station with me. I have to pick up his things…” Marla paused as she looked helplessly into Dani’s eyes. “And identify his body.”

  Inside Dani shuttered at the thought, but she kept a brave face on for Marla.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask,” Marla said as she dabbed her eyes with a napkin. “But I just don’t think I can face it alone and I don’t know anyone else here in Riley to ask for help.”

  Dani’s heart clenched as tears began to stream from Marla’s eyes.

  “Oh, Marla. Of course, I’ll come with you,” Dani said as she reached across the table and took Marla’s hand. “You won’t have to go through this alone. I promise.”

  Chapter 9

  Marla settled into the passenger seat of Dani’s car and the two women headed to the Riley Police Station.

  “Do you drive,” Dani asked making small talk as they road. Marla told her earlier that she had taken the bus from her home in Wheaton about 65 miles away from Riley.

  “Yes,” Marla said. “But I don’t have a car of my own. Of course, I don’t really need one to get around in Wheaton. My little town is even smaller than Riley. But it’s a five-hour bus ride to get to my grandchildren in Atlanta.”

  Marla beamed when she mentioned her grandchildren.

  “How many grandchildren do you have?” Dani asked, happy to find a subject to lighten the mood.

  “Three,” Marla answered with a big smile. “Timmy, Annette, and Frankie. They’re 12, 7, and 4. Would you like to see their pictures?”

  Before Dani could respond, Marla was already digging in her bag. She pulled out her wallet and held it up for Dani to see.

  “Oh, they’re adorable,” Dani said politely as she glanced over at the professionally staged picture of three children sitting on top of bushels of hay in front of a backdrop of a barn. The children wore color coordinated cowboy and cowgirl outfits and smiles that conveyed the promise of treats for good behavior.

  Marla flipped to a second picture and then a third. Dani stole quick glances, not wanting to take her eyes off the road for too long. There wasn’t a lot of traffic in Riley, but Dani still didn’t want to get into an accident on the way to the police station. She was already nervous enough about the possibility of seeing Clint when they got there.

  His 6’ 3” frame had seeped into Dani’s dream last night. A dream that included a steamy shower and a dropped bath towel. Dani wasn’t sure that her anger over him thinking her cupcakes were tainted was intense enough to override the attraction she felt to the detective.

  “Here we are,” Dani said as they pulled into the police station parking lot.

  Marla looked a little pale and Dani reached over and tapped her hand.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be right there with you the whole time,” Dani said as she tried to ignore the queasiness in her own stomach.

  In spite of what a lot of people assumed about life in a big city, Dani had never seen a dead body before and she was hoping she wouldn’t have to view the body with Marla. Her feigned confidence seemed to give Marla enough courage for the task at hand and the two women got out of the car and walked toward the police station.

  The small brick building was less intimidating than Dani imagined a police department would be, but the knowledge that there were jail cells for criminals somewhere behind those walls made her a little uneasy. After all, she was still suspected of having something to do with Guy’s passing. She trembled at the thought of ever having to walk into the building, not of her own free will.

  “How may I help you,” a surprisingly friendly female officer asked from behind a large glass window. The whole scene reminded Dani more of a doctor’s office than any police station she’d ever seen on television.

  “We’re here to identify a body,” Dani spouted nervously.

  The officer looked at her and Marla. “And may I please have the name of the deceased?”

  “Guy Mason,” Marla said squaring her shoulders and blinking back tears.

  “Okay. Please have a seat and someone will be right with you.”

  The officer motioned toward a row of plastic chairs along the wall. Dani couldn’t help but wonder if these were the same seats where criminals sat when they were brought in for questioning. She certainly hoped she’d never have to find out the answer to that question.