The Cupcake Conspiracy Read online

  The Cupcake Conspiracy

  by

  Sara Bourgeois

  Chapter One

  I awoke to the sensation of Gracie sticking her cold wet nose to my face. I didn’t even need an alarm clock anymore, because she woke me every morning at four like clockwork.

  Most people got to sleep in on Saturday morning, but not me. Even if I didn’t have to go into work, Gracie had no concept of sleeping in. Of course, once she’d been outside to do her business and had her breakfast, she’d go down for a nap. I, on the other hand, would be up for the day.

  “Okay, all right,” I said with a laugh as she smeared her nose across my cheek again. “I’m up. I swear.”

  I got out of bed and threw on sweats that I kept handy just for walking Gracie. First thing in the morning when I got out of bed, I took Gracie outside for a short walk.

  It was still dark outside, and there was a bit of a chill in the air. I was used to that, though, and I didn’t rush Gracie as she sniffed her way around the block.

  It was Saturday, and one of my biggest sales days of the week, but we could take our time. Camille and I had hired the second employee that we’d discussed previously. Ginny Graham would be in before the store opened to run the front end of the shop.

  After about fifteen minutes, Gracie was done with her business, and we headed inside. The first thing I did when we got through the door was give her a treat. It was one of the reasons Gracie didn’t fight me when I said it was time to go in. She knew there would be a tasty morsel as soon as we walked through the door.

  She settled in on the sofa, and I headed back to my bedroom to take a shower and get dressed for work. I’d purchased Cathy’s Cupcakes with the money from my divorce, and I was so grateful every day that I’d made that decision.

  I loved the shop and the fact that I got to work every day with my best friend. Even better was that I’d turned what could have been a tragedy into something that made me happy.

  After my shower, I dried my hair and tied it up into a bun to keep it neat and out of the food. I slipped into my favorite black work top and a sturdy pair of jeans. My black work boots were the finishing touch on the outfit. I probably looked like I was getting ready to go out and ride a motorcycle instead of bake cupcakes, but it was important to protect your feet when you worked in a kitchen. There were all manners of danger from sharp knives to hot soup you could drop and destroy your feet.

  Once I was dressed, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. My neighbor would check on Gracie in a couple of hours and see if she wanted to go out again. That way, I didn’t have to disturb her from the nap she’d already started.

  I walked downstairs and out the door into the crisp air. The garage I’d recently begun renting from the apartment complex was right across from the entry door I used. I hadn’t rented a garage before, but I’d just bought a new car. My old one had been on its last legs, and I wanted something reliable for the colder weather. That, and I was making enough money at the bakery to treat myself just a little.

  I’d purchased the Jeep Cherokee used, but I loved it nonetheless. It was probably a bit extravagant for my needs, but I’d saved a ton of money since it was three years old. It still felt new to me, though. The person who owned it before me barely drove it, and they’d taken wonderful care of my new baby. So, I’d really gotten an extraordinary deal.

  After I opened my garage door, I hopped behind the wheel of the Jeep. I was off to work. When I got to my shop, I parked at the back of the small lot for Cathy’s Cupcakes to make sure my customers got all of the good spots.

  Once I was inside, I raided the refrigerator for everything I needed to make clam chowder. It was a hearty, filling soup for a chilly day and a customer favorite. I decided to make a double batch because I knew if I didn’t, I’d sell out way too early.

  While I was putting the cream into the pot, because I always used real cream in my clam chowder, I was surprised to get a call from my older sister, Karrie. She lived about a hundred miles away in another little town, and while talking on the phone wasn’t strange for us, it was weird that she was calling me so early in the morning.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked as soon as I picked up. It seemed like only the worst news came from early morning phone calls.

  “Sorry to scare you by calling so early,” Karrie said. “There’s no emergency. I just know you get up early, so I wanted to catch you before you opened the bakery for the day.”

  I let out a relieved sigh. “That’s good. I’m just not used to you calling early, so I thought maybe something was wrong with Mom or Hannah.”

  “Hannah’s fine, but Mom did sprain her ankle. She didn’t call you?”

  “That’s terrible. No, she didn’t call me,” I said. “I hope she’s not in too much pain.”

  “No, she’s comfortable, but she’s got to stay off of it,” Karrie said.

  “Oh, no, your cruise. Mom was going to watch Hannah while you went on your anniversary cruise,” I said.

  “That’s why I’m calling. Mom doesn’t think she can keep up with a teenager full-time. I told her that Hannah would be more than happy to take care of her, but she won’t hear it. She said her granddaughter would not be waiting on her.”

  “That’s Mom for you,” I said with a smile.

  “So, anyway… I was hoping you could keep Hannah for the week,” Karrie said hopefully.

  “Of course. Yeah, she can come stay with me. Gracie will love it,” I said.

  “Now, she’ll be out of school for the week, but she’s going to have tons of schoolwork. She knows what she needs to do to stay caught up,” Karrie said.

  “Don’t worry, Karrie. I’ll make sure she gets it all done.”

  “Thank you so much for this, Cathy. It means the world to me.”

  “That’s what sisters are for,” I said. “I’m so happy you’ll still get to go on your cruise.”

  A little while later, I was off the phone and had everything food related ready to go for opening. Camille and Ginny arrived a short time before opening, and they got the dining area set up.

  Camille and Ginny managed the front of the bakery taking and filling orders while I headed to the back to work on special orders and other assorted baked goods that had to be made ahead of time.

  First up was dough for some black and orange pinwheel cookies. Halloween was on Thursday, and I wanted to get a head start on the festive pinwheels.

  When I was done with the dough, I put it in the walk-in cooler. As I was coming out, Camille came into the kitchen.

  “Sheila Reynolds is here to see you,” she said with a smile.

  “Oh, she must have a new special order for me.”

  Sheila was the minister’s wife, and she was a very good customer. She made frequent special orders to serve on Sundays and at church functions.

  “Hello, Sheila,” I said and came out from behind the counter to give her a hug. “What brings you in today?”

  “Well, the youth group’s Halloween party is on Wednesday night, and I was hoping you could whip us up something special for the kids,” she said with a huge smile.

  “Oh, I’d love to,” I said. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I was thinking three spider cakes. Black ones. Cute. Not scary. And then can you do some popcorn balls?”

  “I sure can,” I answered. “How many do you want?”

  “How about three dozen? That’s way more than we need, but the kids can take some home to their families.”

  “Sure thing, Sheila. I’ll have that all ready for you on Wednesday.”

  “You’re an absolute gem,” Sheila said and hugged me again. She turned to Camille. “Camille, dear, will you and Carl still be helping out
at the party?”

  “We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Camille said with a smile. “We’re looking forward to it.”

  “Thank you so much. All of you,” Sheila said.

  When she was gone, I went over to Ginny. “Hey, Ginny, do you mind staying a little later on Wednesday to help us finish all of the orders that are coming in? Who knew Halloween would be a such big bakery holiday.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” Ginny said. “I’ll take whatever hours I can get.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Crystal Jones was at one of the tables trying to get Ginny’s attention. It seemed like wherever Ginny was, Crystal was never far away.

  Knowing that Ginny wouldn’t shirk her duties, I left it alone and went back to the kitchen. I got a large sheet cake out of the refrigerator that I’d finished the day before and boxed it up.

  The cake was for Mary Myer. She was the daughter of Bob Myer, the bank president. She worked for her dad as a teller.

  “Hey, Ginny,” I called out into the shop.

  “Yes, Cathy?”

  “Can you take this cake to the bank and give it to Mary Myer?” I asked.

  “Sure thing. Would it be okay if Crystal walks with me?”

  “That’s fine. Just please don’t take too long, okay?”

  “I won’t,” Ginny said as she took the cake from me.

  Crystal finished up her pumpkin bread and coffee. She stood up and threw her trash away before walking over to get the door for Ginny.

  A few minutes later, Roy Young, my television producer, came into the shop. He produced the two segments a week I did for the local TV station. I knew he had a big crush on me, but I pretended I didn’t see him blush when he ordered.

  “Can I get a clam chowder and a large soda?” he asked with a tinge of nervousness in his voice.

  “Yes, Roy. Coming right up. Did you want crackers or bread with the soup?”

  “Bread, of course. I wouldn’t pass up your bread for any reason,” he said and looked down when his cheeks turned even redder.

  “Well, I’m glad you enjoy it,” I said.

  I got his soup, bread, and soda. Roy took his tray and went to go find a seat in the busy shop. It looked like Roy didn’t want to take up a whole table himself, and he ended up sharing with someone else who worked at the station.

  Camille had things under control at that point, so I went to the back to rearrange the cooler. I put the dough for the pinwheels where Mary’s cake had been and straightened up a bit.

  As I was coming out of the walk-in, I heard a commotion in the shop. I went out front to investigate and found Ginny and Crystal yelling for me as they came in the front door.

  They both started talking at me at once, and there was no way I could understand what they were saying. As soon as I’d start to pick up on one of them, the other would distract me.

  Crystal finally bent over and put her hands on her knees. She was trying to catch her breath, and I realized that they’d both run back to the shop. It was only then that I saw their faces were bright red and hair damp with sweat.

  “We found a body in the park,” Ginny said while Crystal continued taking deep breaths. “We were taking a shortcut back to the bakery after dropping off the cake, and we saw boots sticking out from behind the big boulders near the edge of the duck pond.”

  “At first we thought it was a prank or just someone forgot their boots for some reason,” Crystal added as she stood up.

  “But when we walked around to check it out, we saw that it was a real body,” Ginny said.

  “We ran the rest of the way back here,” Crystal said.

  “Did you call the police?”

  “No,” the girls said in unison.

  “We were so freaked out. We just panicked and ran.”

  “Well, it might have just been someone sleeping or hurt. Show me. Camille, cover for a bit. I’ll be back soon,” I called out and Camille gave me a wave.

  With that, we were out the door and running back to the pond. I probably should have called the police first, but I was a little panicked as well. Plus, I couldn’t believe someone else was dead in the park. I figured it had to be a mistake.

  I was wrong. There was indeed a body behind the boulders at the duck pond. I took out my phone and called the police.

  Chapter Two

  Lieutenant Mack McKenzie and Sergeant Tom Palmer arrived at the boulders quickly. Tom and I had been dating for a while, and things were beginning to get serious between us. Tom gave me a look like he was concerned for my well-being, but I knew he had to do his job first. I was okay, so I offered him a reassuring smile. He tipped his hat to me. We’d have plenty of time to discuss whatever was going on later.

  Right after the police cruiser with Mack and Tom arrived, the paramedics pulled in behind them. It must have been a slow morning for everyone considering how fast they responded. I watched them get the gurney out of the back of the ambulance and wheel it over to the body.

  The paramedics attended to the deceased, not that there was anything they could do. I was no doctor, but the man was as dead as a doornail. It looked like they at least tried to find a pulse and listened for breathing.

  While they did their thing, Mack and Tom pulled me, Ginny, and Crystal off to the side to talk. Mack wanted to get our statements one at a time, and Tom stood watch to keep any lookie-loos from getting too close to the scene.

  Mack took Ginny’s statement first. I didn’t really hear what they said because he pulled Ginny away from us. When she was done talking to Mack, she told me she was going to head back to the shop and help Camille. I thought that was a good idea considering we’d left her alone.

  Crystal asked me to come over with her while she talked to Mack. I told her sure, and Mack didn’t tell me to go away. I don’t know why he would have, we weren’t suspects, but he could be curt at times.

  “I knew him,” Crystal said somberly. “That’s Doug Ramon. He and his wife live in the other half of my duplex.”

  “Isn’t he the son of Ted Ramon, the founder of Ramon Groceries?” Mack asked.

  “Yes, he is,” Crystal confirmed.

  Ramon Groceries happened to be a large group of chain stores in the Western and Midwestern states. As Crystal headed back to the shop, Mack told Tom that they were dealing with what would be a high-profile case.

  “The victim’s father all but guarantees that we’ll be under a microscope. I know we always do our best, but we really need to be on our toes with this one,” Mack said.

  After that, I gave him my statement. I didn’t know much, but I told him about the girls running back to the shop after finding Doug, and about how I’d run back to the park with them.

  Tom came over to talk to me once I was done with my statement. “Are we still on for the big football game tonight?” I asked him.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. How about if I bring pizza and you take a night off from cooking?”

  “Now that is an offer I can’t refuse,” I said with a smile.

  “What kind, my dear?”

  “Hmmm. I think I’m in the mood for cheeseburger pizza tonight. Does that sound good to you?”

  “Sounds amazing. Do you want an order of the cheese sticks and garlic dipping sauce?”

  “Oh, would you?” I asked and dramatically batted my eyelashes at him.

  Tom laughed and kissed me quickly on the forehead while Mack wasn’t looking. “Yes. Anything for you. Should I bring anything else?”

  “No, I think I’ve got chips, soda, and beer covered. Oh, and of course, dessert.”

  We had to stop our plans so Tom could get back to doing his police work. Mack left Tom with two other officers so he could go to Susan, Doug’s wife, and notify her of the murder. He also decided that he was going to personally visit Doug’s father as well.

  “I don’t want him finding out through the media,” he said to Tom before leaving.

  Tom and the two
other officers set to work interviewing other people in the park. He said he was hoping that someone had seen what happened to Doug. I watched him for a few minutes as he made a list of each person the parkgoers had seen in the park that morning.

  I didn’t linger much longer because I needed to get back to the bakery. When I got back, I found the entire shop buzzing with gossip about the murder.

  People who were there when the three of us left for the park were still there talking and speculating about what could have happened.

  I was glad I hadn't been the one to find the body. I shuddered as I remembered finding Jenna out at the lake. While it was true that I'd seen Doug's body, at least I'd been prepared. It's never fun, but it was worse when it was a shock. I felt for my friends. It would be a trial to recover from what they'd seen that day.

  The best thing seemed to be to throw myself back into my work. I had orders to make, and I didn't want to dwell on the unpleasantness of the day. I threw myself into baking and was surprised when Camille came into the back to tell me it was time to go for the day.

  "Wow, I hadn't realized how much time had gone by. At least I got a ton of work done,” I said and wiped my hands on my apron.

  "You really did fly through those orders,” Camille commented. "I'm impressed."

  "Thanks,” I said. "Hey, do you and Carl want to come over tonight and watch the game with me and Tom?"

  "That sounds great. Let me text Carl and check with him,” she said. Camille typed into her phone as she wandered into the front of the store. A minute later she returned. "He said it sounds great. So we're on."

  "Awesome. So, what should we do for dinner? I assume you guys will just eat with us. Are we going to do traditional game food? We could do appetizers. Something like chicken fingers and potato skins," I offered.

  "That sounds good, but... and I know this is a weird request for watching a game... I'm really in the mood for spaghetti. That homemade sauce you make. Oh, gosh, Cathy, it's just to die for."

  "Sure, we can do that. We'd better get to the store, though. The sauce has to simmer for a couple of hours,” I said.