A Cupcake Criminal

  A Cupcake Criminal

  by

  Sara Bourgeois

  Chapter One

  The finale was a close-up shot of me plopping the perfect dollop of caramel whipped cream on the freshly baked and gooey turtle cheesecake cupcakes, and that was a wrap. We nailed the shot on the sixth take. The cast-offs would still be delicious, but that particular cupcake was frosted with the perfect amount of flair.

  When the camera stopped rolling on the final take, I let out an overly dramatic sigh of relief. The cooking segment was only ten minutes twice a week, but it felt like so much more. Ten minutes of usable show took a lot longer than ten minutes to produce. Not to mention that being in front of the camera was not a comfortable place for me. I was good at pretending like I was okay, but that came at a considerable emotional cost.

  As I walked back to the dressing room, I got lost in the daydreams that buffered me from the exhaustion of reality.

  Before I got married, I’d finished my degree in business. It had been a goal of mine since I was a girl, and I had great success with my very first lemonade stand. I was going to go to college, get a business degree, and run my own company.

  Then, right after graduation, I’d married a wealthy man. A rich man who thought that I didn’t need to work. I could have filled a stadium with the things I hadn’t known about marrying into a family with old money. Women didn’t work. Women volunteered and ran a home.

  One thing that did come from my time as a rich housewife was that I learned to bake. I learned to bake like my life depended on it.

  A few years into my marriage, it did. I walked into my husband’s office to surprise him with a homemade lunch, and I caught him on his office couch doing the horizontal hula with his secretary, Marcy.

  Since I was his first, and a respectable marriage, Bruce married Marcy before the ink was even dry on our divorce papers. It stung, but I quickly realized that they had set me free.

  Since he was cheating, and I had the video on my phone to prove it, I got a big, fat divorce settlement. It was obscene. I could have taken the money and retired right then and there.

  But that wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to sit around the house watching television and choosing china patterns. I loved my volunteer work, but I had an opportunity. I could finally start my own business.

  And that was how Cathy’s Cupcakes was born. The shop was a hit. I think in large part due to the fact that not only did I serve a revolving menu of cupcakes, but the shop offers two homemade soups daily starting at ten in the morning. I get a regular lunch crowd that comes in for their mid-day meal and leaves with a treat for later.

  Word of mouth spread like wildfire, and it landed in the ears of a producer for a local television station. A short time later, the network hired me to do the twice weekly ten-minute segment as part of their morning show. My life was barely recognizable from a year before.

  Before I got to the dressing room, I spotted Rachel, one of the morning directors, screaming at one of my assistants. Jenna was sobbing big ugly tears with snot and everything while Rachel ranted and raved with both her mouth and her hands. I couldn’t even be sure that Rachel hadn’t hit Jenna. The side of Jenna’s face was bright red like she’d been slapped, but I supposed that could have just been from her crying and rubbing her cheeks.

  Rachel walked off, and Jenna just stood there looking like she was in shock. A second later, she ducked into my dressing room.

  I went in moment later and found her breaking down into even more hysterical sobs. For a moment, I considered leaving the room, but that felt like the wrong thing to do. I wanted to ask her what that scene had been about, but that could wait until later.

  “I’ve got an electric kettle in here,” I said softly. “How about some tea and turtle cheesecake cupcakes? They always make me feel better.”

  The cupcakes I’d made earlier for the cooking segment were on a silver tray next to my electric kettle. One of the production assistants usually brought them in right after filming. How they made it to my dressing room before I did, I’d never know. They scurried around so fast that it amazed me.

  She nodded her head yes, and I handed her a box of tissues from the dressing table. While I put water in the kettle and turned it on, she blew her nose and then used some fresh tissues to wipe her face.

  I turned and gave her a hug. “We can talk about it or not,” I said and let her go.

  “Maybe later. If I start trying to explain now, I’ll just start blubbering again,” she said.

  “Well, in that case, take this,” I said and handed her a cupcake.

  After I grabbed a couple of tea bags from my stash, I went back over to the dressing room door and pushed it closed again. It reminded me that I needed to submit a ticket for the door catch to the building maintenance staff.

  A few minutes later, Jenna and I were polishing off our first cupcake and sipping tea. Her spirits lifted, and by the time we were done, she was ready to go back out and face the rest of her work day.

  Once she was gone, I took off my blouse and slacks to change into comfy sweats and my new walking shoes. It was getting closer to lunchtime, and I wanted to get a walk in to help the cupcake digest. I didn’t normally eat what I baked on the show, but it had been a special occasion. Plus, the turtle cheesecake were one of my favorites. I couldn’t pass them up.

  On my way out of the building, I dropped the remaining cupcakes off with the receptionist in the front lobby. “Your filming days are my favorite,” she said with a smile.

  “See you in a couple of days,” I said with a wave goodbye.

  The sun warmed my face, and I was a little excited to get out for my noon walk. On my way to the nearby lake, I stopped off at my apartment.

  I dropped off my bag and picked up my dog Gracie. Officially, I’d rescued her a year before, but in all reality, she’d rescued me. I’d saved her life hours before she was due to be put down, but she’d saved my life too.

  Whenever I got down about the epic crumbling of my marriage, she was there for me. I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to love again after Bruce, but she’d made sure I knew I could. I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her.

  The woman who processed my adoption at the pound cried. “I really thought she was going to get the needle. I wanted to take her myself, but my landlord said no. We tried so hard to get her adopted or get a rescue to take her, but everywhere is full. People want puppies, but she’s such a sweet girl. Her owner passed a few months ago, and no family would take Gracie. She was always so depressed. I think that’s why people passed her over. Thank you,” she said as she attached the leash I’d brought to Gracie’s collar.

  But Gracie being so sad was exactly why I’d taken her. I could relate, and together, we’d become very happy friends.

  She jumped up and down as soon as I walked through the door. “Hello, baby girl,” I cooed at her, and she settled so I could scratch behind her ears. “I missed you so much.”

  When we got to the lake, it was evident fall had arrived. While the noon day temperatures were still warm, the trees were putting on a spectacularly colorful display for Miss Gracie and me.

  Leaves crunched under our feet as we walked around the trails. The scent of slow-cooked ribs drifted over from a nearby barbecue joint, and it made my stomach grumble. I figured we’d walk for another half hour or so and then head off to find some lunch.

  Gracie and I passed several people we knew out for their walks as well. I waved to everyone, but we kept walking. We were getting in some good, solid exercise time and I wanted to maintain my pace. Pretty soon, I thought we might even be able to try some jogging. I had to think about that, though. Running seemed so much more serious than mid-day strolls, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to commit to something that could be torture when walking was so pleasant.

  When we were halfway back around the lake, Gracie started going nuts. She lunged at some bushes off the side of the path and barked like crazy. It was so unlike her, and the way she started to growl at the bushes made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

  Eventually, I gave in and she pulled me over to the cluster of bushes that had so offended her. “Gracie, calm down,” I soothed but it was no use.

  There was nothing on the other side of the bushes, but Gracie tried to pull me up a little berm a few feet away. I tried to stop her because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go that far off the trail alone. Especially if something out there was upsetting Gracie that much.

  I tried to guide her back to the trail, but she lunged hard again and pulled the leash from my hand. She’d never done that before, and I watched stunned as she took off up the berm and disappeared behind another cluster of bushes and small evergreen trees.

  “Gracie,” I called out to her seconds later when I snapped out of my shock. “Gracie, come back here, baby girl.”

  I ran up the berm after her, and almost screamed when I finally caught up. There was a body lying face down on the ground. It was half covered in leaves, but something about it made me break out in a cold sweat.

  I recognized the jacket she was wearing and the purse on the ground nearby. I began to sob as I ran to her side. I knelt down and rolled Jenna over.

  “Jenna,” I cried out.

  But it was too late. She was obviously dead. I jumped back from her body and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I dialed the first person I could think of in the moment.

  “Hey, Cathy. What’s cookin’, good looking?” Tom asked good-naturedly when he picked
up.

  “Tom, I’m at the lake with Gracie and I just found Jenna. Tom, she’s dead. Jenna’s dead.”

  “What?” Tom said and cleared his throat. “You found Jenna dead?”

  “Yes, she’s here. I’m halfway around the lake from the start of the trail up the berm and behind some bushes. Her body is here, and she’s dead.” I realized I was getting hysterical.

  “Okay, honey. Lieutenant Mack and I will be there in a few minutes. Can you come out on the trail and wait for us? It will be easier to find you that way,” he asked calmly.

  “Yes. I can do that.”

  “We’ll be there in a few minutes. Just take deep breaths and try to stay calm.”

  I hung up the phone and slipped it back in my pocket. Gracie was sitting near Jenna, but she’d calmed down. I needed to grab her leash, but I didn’t want to walk across the area where the body was again. Thanks to watching true crime shows, I knew that if it was a crime scene, I’d already contaminated it. I didn’t want to make it any worse.

  “Come here, Gracie,” I said. She obeyed and walked right over to me. “Good girl.”

  Chapter Two

  Sergeant Tom Palmer, my boyfriend for a handful of months, and Lieutenant Mack McKenzie arrived quickly. I’d only been standing on the trail with Gracie dutifully waiting at my side for a few minutes.

  I don’t know why I expected Tom to hug me, but when he said hello, tipped his hat, and turned his attention back to Mack, I was a little hurt. I quickly realized he was trying to be professional in front of his boss and scolded myself internally for being childish. He had to be distant, I told myself, he was an officer of the law, and we were at a murder scene.

  Still, a hug would have been nice.

  “Wait here, Cathy,” Tom said softly.

  I watched as he and Mack walked through the first set of bushes. They were gone for a couple of minutes, and Mack returned. He didn’t say anything to me, but instead started taping off the area with yellow crime scene tape.

  A few minutes later, I saw the paramedics coming down the trail with a gurney. Thankfully, the trail was more of a path and had been paved with asphalt. Otherwise, I couldn’t imagine having to push that thing over one of the other dirt trails that wound through the nearby woods.

  They left the gurney near me and walked up the hill. I figured once they established that Jenna was dead, they’d leave and the coroner would be called in. I was right, and I watched the paramedics come back and get the gurney. I wanted to leave with them, but I knew I had to stick around and give a statement.

  I’d hoped that Tom would be the one to interview me, but I knew he wouldn’t. We were too close, and it was most likely some sort of conflict of interest.

  Eventually, Mack approached me for the interview. He pulled out a little pad and paper and eyed Gracie. She’s become really excited when he got close. I struggled with her leash and tried to calm her down.

  “You really need to get better control of that dog if you’re going to bring her out to public trails,” he sniped at me. “We have to respond to too many injuries to people and other animals that involve a dog the owner can’t control.”

  “She’s not usually like this,” I said as humiliation stained my cheeks. “Gracie is very well trained, but I think finding a dead body is throwing her off.”

  Mack was being a jerk, and I didn’t appreciate it. Gracie was always a good dog for me. Why did he think that was a good time to lecture me about do training? I’d just seen a dead body, too, of someone I knew. I collected myself, but before I could call him out for his complete lack of empathy, Tom emerged from the bushes and joined us.

  “Have you spent much time out here?” Mack asked Tom.

  “Some. Cathy comes out here to walk Gracie a lot. She’s here more than me,” he said. “I’ve been out here a few times with them. Why?”

  “Well, I run out here almost daily. All of these walking trails including the one around the lake are surrounded by bushes and trees. If the killer had headed back to the parking area through the trees, it’s entirely possible that no one saw them.”

  I listened to what he was saying with interest. It was true. The killer never would have had to come back out the main paved trail to get back to the parking area. There was just enough wooded area to hide them but not really enough for a person to get lost.

  “I’m going to go check with the coroner’s office and see what their ETA is,” Tom said.

  When he was gone, Mack turned his attention back to me. “All right, let’s go over your statement. Tell me about finding the body, and don’t spare any details. Even something you think might not be important could be the thing that helps us find the person who did this? Okay?”

  Mack’s tone was kinder. I was willing to write off his lecture about Gracie as just pressure of the situation. My guess was that we were all on edge.

  “I picked up Gracie at my apartment after I was done shooting my television segment. We come out here to walk around the lake most days. When we got to around this spot, Gracie started going crazy. She was barking and pulling the leash toward that group of bushes.” I pointed towards the ones we could see. “I tried to get her to focus on walking, but she wouldn’t relent. Finally, I let her go over there to sniff around, but there wasn’t anything there. That’s when she got even crazier and yanked the leash out of my hand. She ran behind the bushes where we found Jenna’s body. I rolled her over thinking it might be someone who needed help, but I could see she was dead. That’s when I called Tom. He asked me to come back out to the trail to wait, so we did.”

  “Do you remember seeing anyone back near the body?” Mack asked.

  “There was no one around. I didn’t hear anyone either.”

  He silently took a few more notes. “Is there anything else you can think of?”

  I tried, but nothing came to mind. “I can’t right now.”

  “Well, you know how to reach us if you do. You can go.”

  He said I could leave, but I was too curious at that point. I decided to hang around for a little while and see what was going to happen. Tom made a list of people that bystanders had seen leaving before the police arrived. Mack wanted him to get their statements.

  Tom looked like he was ready to start interviewing bystanders, so I casually made my way over to him. I stood close enough to hear, but not so close that I was obvious.

  He started with a woman who said her name was Crystal Jones. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. I found her vaguely familiar, but I guessed that was just from spending time in the park. I didn’t know where I could know her from otherwise.

  Crystal told Tom that she was supposed to be meeting her friend Ginny Graham at the trail so they could jog together. Ginny left before Crystal got there and sent her a text saying something had come up and she’d call later.

  “I tried to text her and call her to make sure she was okay, but she hasn’t answered,” Crystal said. “I just don’t understand why she’d run off like that.”

  A woman named Hailey Reacher was next. I’d talked to Hailey several times in the past. She was a dog walker who would give Gracie a treat whenever we would chat. She said she thought she’d seen Ralph Mason heading off in the opposite direction when she’d arrived, but they never passed each other.

  “So maybe I didn’t see him,” Hailey said. “The dogs can be a huge distraction sometimes. It’s hard to pay attention to my surroundings.”

  I’d known Ralph Mason since high school, so I definitely would have remembered seeing him. I thought perhaps she was mistaken about seeing him on the trail. There was nothing particularly striking about Ralph’s appearance, so I assume she’d just seen a man who looked like him from a distance.

  Next up, Tom talked to a man named George Thomas. The only person George had seen leave was his friend Harry Hanover. He’d wanted to talk to Harry about an upcoming fishing trip they’d been planning for the weekend.

  George had to stop and tie his shoelaces because he’d almost tripped over them and fallen on his face. Once he’d secured the laces and stood up again, Harry was already leaving. He ran to catch up with him, but it was too late. By the time he reached the parking area, Harry’s car was pulling onto the street.

  “Why did my wife had to buy such long laces for me?” George lamented.