Cake and Taxes: A Yellow Rose Cozy Mystery (Yellow Rose Mystery Series Book 2) (5 page)

Ojudh slammed the truck's metal door into place and secured it with a padlock. A round one. The type that bolt cutters had difficulty slicing through. The heavy motor vehicle was sixteen feet in length and held eight hundred cubic feet of space, enough to house up to three rooms of furniture. Which it had done regularly for years until it became old and was subsequently sold and replaced by the moving company that had owned it.

The new title holder had modified it shortly after purchase and now used it to transport cargo from point A to point B for private citizens who disliked forms and paper trails. People who liked their privacy and didn't feel the need to answer questions about why something needed to be moved with haste. People who tended to pay in cash.             

People like Ojudh.

When he'd finished prepping the truck, Ojudh slipped the driver an unmarked envelope filled with money.

The driver tucked his payment away inside a pocket, and avoided eye contact. The less he saw, the less he'd remember in a court of law later if it ever came to that. He discreetly handed Ojudh a set of keys to a generic looking van marked "Refrigerator Repair" parked on the lot, then got in his truck and drove off.

The agreement was to wait fifteen minutes after he'd departed before leaving. Ojudh passed the time by working a Sudoku puzzle. When a quarter hour had passed, he drove the van out of New Braunfels heading north into an abandoned industrial area just outside of Yellow Rose.

He munched a sandwich he'd brought along and counted road kill as he drove. The youth at The Shop referred to the flattened carcasses as "street pizza." He did his best to avoid adding to the carnage while humming Loudon Wainwright III's
Flat Skunk in the Middle of the Road
. He made it to the back of the boarded up building where Martin was waiting for him.

"How'd it go?" Martin asked, pouring hot coffee from his thermos.

"Not bad. Managed to get everything we need.”

“I'm still not certain that we should even be thinking about this. Maybe we need to let the police do their job.”

“They are. And they may find the person who killed Marge Nelson before we do. If so, great. But if what Boone said about the person who ordered his kidnapping is true, you and Betty are in danger. And there may not be a lot of time left till he strikes again.”

Martin thought it over, then nodded in agreement.

“Here are the plans I drew up," Ojudh said, handing him the paperwork.

"This looks doable. I'll start on it right away after Betty closes the store tonight."

"Sounds good. We still need a few odds and ends from Radio Shack and Home Depot."

"I like Lowe's better."

"Whatever. The point is, it shouldn't take you too long to round everything up."

"On it," Martin said. Ojudh handed him the keys to the van.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

"Yes?" Martin said.

"If the bad guys stop by while you're working, don't get caught."             

Martin smiled. “Wouldn't think of it.”

A few days later, Betty entered her shop shortly before daybreak. She remained surprised at how Ojudh had talked her into letting Martin set up the ornate and detailed decorations inside the storefront. She was more surprised to see a man saunter in from the cooking area in back.

“Before hurting me you could at least – ”

Herb laughed. “Keep quiet. Nobody is hurting anyone here.” He motioned for Betty to sit. She did, not knowing what to expect next. All she could think was,
What now?
And more importantly, what did he want with her?

Soon, a second man walked in. Betty recognized him from some local car commercials on TV. His hands were dirty with a shiny substance she couldn’t recognize. He picked up a nearby cloth and started cleaning himself up.

“Dirty times need dirty measures,” he said, smiling at Betty. She had never met the man personally, but she knew his face. She guessed he wanted to scare her by letting her understand that he was in control.

If so, his plan was working.

Betty neither smiled nor said anything. The man signaled Herb to stand behind her.

“I'm Bacchus Jaden. Don’t believe we met before, but I’m sure you know me. Everybody knows me. Everyone knows what I’m all about.” He said it in a sarcastic tone like he was trying to impress Betty with his charm.

“So, Betty, how have you been lately?” Bacchus said.

“Great. I have my health and here I am making new friends. What more could a woman ask for?” As she finished the last word, she got a punch from Herb. She could barely breathe from the pain. “Show some respect,” the man said.

Bacchus sat in a chair opposite the shop owner. “Let's talk like two mature people. Okay, Betty?”

“Yes, of course,” she replied as if she had any other options.

“Well, Betty, it's like this. I'm a business man. A successful one at that. And I hate it when people stick their noses into things situations where they don’t belong. This pisses me off, you see.”

“I don’t understand what I've done to upset you. I’m only a baker who runs a small shop in town.”

“Then perhaps you should be baking instead of asking questions about appraisal district employees and worrying about why certain people end up in the hospital.” He looked over at Herb who laughed, though Betty failed to see any humor in the remark.

“Point taken,” Betty said. She had questions she wanted to ask, but she'd taken enough bruises already.

“Good to hear, Betty. You see, the important thing is that you are careful and don’t do any ‘unintentional’ things. Bad things tend to happen to people who do, and we don’t want that. Right, guy?”

“Of course, boss, of course,” Herb said.

“From now on, things will be different,” Betty said. “I'll take care to avoid anything that might, uh, upset you.”

“I knew you was a smart gal, Betty. That's why I chose not to kill you, because I knew you would turn out to be a woman of integrity. I like your type.”

Betty nodded and smiled, hoping it looked sincere.

“You see Betty, in the near future there will be great opportunities for businesses, especially for me, because soon enough there's going to be a vote in the Texas senate related to oil drilling and this is a golden opportunity for me to become a millionaire. Hundreds of millions, quite possibly. And I don’t want anyone sniffing around, drawing attention and messing things up while I'm getting everything set up. There will be a new law on oil drilling and I want to take full advantage of it. We've arranged for help with certain senators, and I don’t need a scandal now that would make people look into this new law and mess it up. Understood?” He said the last words looking right at Betty with a superior gaze. She knew that he was trying to tell her that he could have her killed right now and she should be grateful for his generous mood.

“Understood,” Betty said. “Now then, I would appreciate it if you didn’t send your gorillas around any more. If you need to speak with me again, a simple phone call will suffice.”

“Oh, pardon my boys' behavior. They get so passionate regarding their work sometimes that they occasionally cross the line. I'm a polite person. Really,” he said with a tight smile.

“I’d say that you're the one giving the orders. I don’t see them capable of doing things on their own,” Betty said.

“Don’t insult my men,” he replied with more than a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Don’t make me change my mind concerning your fate. Be a good girl and remember to mind your own business before it’s too late.”

Betty had given her word, but she'd crossed her fingers. Maybe the pair didn't know that counted as an exclusion. Not her problem. If you don't know the rules, you shouldn't be in the game.

The men were about to leave.
This better work
, she thought.

Betty casually reached into a pocket and simultaneously pressed a pair of buttons.

Click. Buzz. Whir.
A miniature train began moving on a set of tracks mounted near the room's ceiling.

Bacchus and Herb stared at the train as it moved. “What the...” Herb mouthed.

A stuffed version of Betty's cat, Zorro, sat on top as conductor. It didn't look exactly like him, but it was close.

The train rounded a corner, traveled against another wall, and went through a tunnel.

The top of mechanical Zorro's head triggered a spring that sent a plastic ball flying.             

The ball hit a spring that dropped a bag filled with silver balls down a golden ramp.

At this point, Bacchus and Herb were mesmerized, though Bacchus still had Betty in his peripheral vision.

Next, the rolling balls triggered the catapult.

The catapult launched a ninja star, which sliced through a strand of twine, causing a glass figurine shaped like a bone to drop.

The figurine struck a lever which lowered a drawbridge.

The drawbridge knocked over a miniature plastic Banzai tree. The fall disturbed the fragile ecosystem, which caused another tree to fall.

The fall caused a group of marbles, stacked into a pyramid, to collide with a Star Wars Princess Leia who was lounging in a portable plastic pool.

Betty quickly stood and backed up two paces as the Princess Leia character popped up and tripped a switch that dropped the giant net from overhead. Bacchus and Herb realized too late what had happened. They were bagged, tagged, and ready for dragging away. Mission accomplished.

“Eat your heart out, Rube Goldberg,” Betty said.

After capturing Bacchus Jaden and one of his men, Betty had contacted the police. When Fred arrived for work a short while later, he helped Betty clean up the mess and the two managed to get the shop open on time that morning. That evening, after a very full day, Martin joined her at her house for a late supper. Ojudh had been invited as well, but declined his invitation choosing instead to spend time with his friend, Sarah.

Betty was preparing tomato bruschetta, a favorite of Bobbi's. She mixed the basil, tomatoes, garlic, and other ingredients in a large bowl. As she waited for everything to settle, she sliced a baguette into 3/4-inch pieces and placed them on a baking sheet. When everything was done and in the broiler, she put another pot on the stove and began heating up the last of the vegetable soup. There would be enough of the bruschetta leftover for Bobbi and Brianna when they returned. Brianna had finally shaken off whatever illness had been ailing her the past few days, and her sister had taken her out to see a movie.

“Smells good,” Martin said, taking a pull from the Dos Equis that Betty had given him. She took a sip from a glass of Chardonnay before returning to her cooking.

“Thanks. I'm ready for a good sit down meal. Everything will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Take your time,” Martin said, taking another pull. “While you're finishing up, I have a couple of questions.”

“Shoot,” Betty said.

“Bacchus Jaden ordered the hit on Marge Nelson. But who was it that shot her?”

Betty killed the heat underneath the soup and pulled out two bowls. “The investigation is still ongoing. But it looks like it was Jeff Lewis. The one who grabbed Boone.”

Martin sighed. “Okay. And regarding Ned, why did his business personal property value double in three years?”

“Found out from Ned himself that he'd made improvements in the way of buying new equipment. Well, new to him anyway. He purchased inventory and a computer system for pennies on the dollar from a company in Dallas that was going out of business. But the appraisal district listed it at market value.”

Martin nodded. “Shifting gears, so to speak, a few days ago you mentioned that
Bobbi and Gary were thinking about buying a house, but that you were concerned about their financial situation. What was your resolution on that?”

Betty gave a short laugh. “My resolution is that I decided on no resolution. I want to help out, but realized that no assistance was asked for. Everything will turn out okay. If not, maybe they'll be the stronger for it. Time will tell.”

There was  a
meow
at the back door. Betty walked over and let Zorro outside. “You've been a good cat this past week. Let's keep the streak going. Don't bring in anything that's still breathing, okay?” Zorro glanced at her for a brief moment, then sprinted off into the inky darkness.

“You've had a long week,” Martin said. “You should do something to unwind.”

“I am,” Betty replied. “In three weeks, I'm taking a working vacation.”

“Really? Where?”

“Regional chef Johnny Dunbar is giving a seminar on baking techniques. I think it's to promote his new cable show. Anyway, I like learning new methods of baking creations, he could use the support, and I can get out of Yellow Rose for awhile and relax for a bit.”

“What region are you referring to?” Martin asked.

“Tampa, Florida,” Betty said. “Bright sunny days. Warm sandy beaches. Poolside nights filled with laughter and colorful drinks. A relaxing slice of paradise, right?”

Martin gave the question careful thought before answering. He had his own opinions regarding the sunshine state, but he didn't want to dampen Betty's enthusiasm. “Yes, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.”

The two friends ate, drank, and talked well into the night. Betty's tension level was so low that she failed to freak out several hours later when Zorro sneaked a live bird past Bobbi and Brianna as they returned from their movie. Almost, that is.