Fatally Frosted (21 page)

Just then the front door chimed, and I looked up quickly, hoping again it was Jake. I was going to have to stop that, or it was going to drive me crazy.

It was Bob the pie man, ready to pick up his four fried apple pies. “I’ve had warmer greetings at the doctor’s office,” Bob said as he saw my face.

“I’m sorry. I was thinking of something else.”

“Or was it someone?” Bob asked.

“Why do you say that?”

“I’ve seen that look of disappointment on a woman’s face before when she realized it was me,” Bob said, adding a smile to diffuse the bite of his own insult.

George swiveled on his stool and smiled at Bob. “I’ve been there a time or two myself.”

Bob slid the money across the counter toward me and looked expectantly at the pies.

I handed him the box. “Enjoy them.”

“You know I will,” he said as he took his change. As he held the money aloft in one hand and the box of pies in the other, he said, “You’re the best, Suzanne.”

“That’s nice to hear,” I said, smiling.

“Even if it’s just from me?”

I laughed. “Good-bye, Bob.”

“Bye, Suzanne, and thanks.”

After he was gone, I said, “Now, where were we?”

George said, “You were about to tell us how Peg managed to support herself after her husband died and she was out of money.”

“I think she was stealing,” I said.

“Honestly?” George asked. “From whom?”

“From the charities she chaired. I’ve found out some pretty interesting details about how she organized the committees she ran.” I brought him up to speed on all of the checks written to P.E.G., and explained my theory of assigning only pliable treasurers and vice chairs.

George mulled it over, and then said, “I kind of find that hard to believe. Are you sure?”

“No, but I can’t account for the way those checks had been written any other way. I convinced Janice to tell the chief about it, so we’ll see what happens.”

“Isn’t he going to suspect you?” George asked.

“I’m hoping he doesn’t connect me with it,” I said, “but if he does, there’s not much I can do about it, is there? So, what did you find out about Burt?”

George said, “It’s not as good as what you uncovered. I had a few drinks with him, and I finally got him to talk.”

“What did he say?”

“Burt’s always been full of brash boasting when it comes to his conquests, and his stories about Peg were no different. He kept bragging about how he dumped her, which is what he told you, Suzanne, so I steered the conversation to Marge. That’s when he shut up, and when I pressed him on it, the man walked out of the bar in a huff, even though I was still buying drinks.”

I said, “That sounds reasonable enough. He was
finished with Peg, so why shouldn’t he discuss her? Marge is a different story, though. From the look of things, they’re right in the middle of their relationship.”

George frowned. “That’s the thing. Burt normally brags the most about the girlfriend he’s got at the moment. I’m telling you, it’s out of character for him. Something’s going on there.”

I said, “It’s been my experience in the past that whenever someone changes their behavior pattern, there’s a reason for it. We just need to find out what Burt’s reason is.”

George pushed a half-eaten glazed donut around his plate, then said, “Like I said, it’s not much, but I’m not through digging yet.” He looked at it, then added, “I can’t believe Peg isn’t loaded.”

“She sure managed to look like she had more money than she did. Her wardrobe wasn’t as expensive as it looked, though. Grace said she found Gabby’s mark on nearly everything in her closet.”

I knew from my own purchases that Gabby placed one single black line of stitching inside the clothes she resold. It was her way of tracking inventory as it came in and out of the store, and if you didn’t know what you were looking for, it was easy enough to miss. “Now we know that she had every reason in the world to act frugal,” I said.

Grace came into the shop, waving something in her hands. It looked like a 3X5 index card.

“You’re not going to believe what I just found.”

“I’m having a hard time believing you’re even up yet,” I said as I looked at the clock. It was barely seven, and for Grace, that was more like three
A.M.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to go by Peg’s to see if I could talk Heather into having breakfast with me so I could ask her for another chance to help her with her aunt’s house.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d think,” Grace admitted.

George asked, “What did you find?”

Grace held the card out to me, and I took it from her and read,

I’ll be back at nine tomorrow morning. Heather Masterson.

I fanned the card in the air. “What’s the significance of this? She’s allowed to sleep in, isn’t she?”

Grace shook her head. “That’s not what’s significant about it.”

George had been looking at the note over her shoulder. “That’s the same handwriting as the note you two found in Peg’s coat.”

Grace smiled. “I can see why you were a police detective. I have to admit, it took me longer than that to spot the similarities, and I was looking for it.”

I looked at the card again and studied it. “I don’t know. I’m not sure it’s the same writing at all.”

“That’s because she jotted this one down in a hurry,” George said. “Do you still have the other note?”

I reached into my pocket. “It’s right here.”

As I laid them side by side on the countertop, George said, “Look, there are some things that are unmistakable. Look at the way she makes her g’s.” He pointed to the
g
in
morning
and then the one in
change
. “That’s not all. See the way she links the double ll’s in ‘I’ll’ and ‘allow’? The same person wrote both notes, there’s no doubt about it.”

I was beginning to see his point. “Okay, let’s say that Heather did write both notes. What did she mean in the first one? What was Peg trying to change her mind about? And what consequences could she have meant?”

I reread the first note. It said,

Peg
,

There’s no use trying to change my mind.

I won’t allow it, and you should be prepared for the consequences.

Grace paused a moment, then said, “Could Heather have discovered her aunt’s fraud, and was she preparing to turn her in to the police?”

“It’s possible,” I said. “In fact, it seems pretty likely.”

George said, “Let’s not rule out other possibilities so quickly.”

Grace asked, “Like what?”

“It could be just about anything. Do we even know what kind of relationship the two women had? Could there have been something more sinister hidden in this note than we’re seeing?”

I frowned. “I don’t see how. The two of them were extremely close.”

George tapped the two notes in unison, and I wasn’t even sure if he meant to.

He said, “Think about it a second. Who do we
have to verify that at all?” He frowned, then added, “I keep wondering what terms they were on.”

“She’s been a part of Peg’s life forever,” I said.

“That still doesn’t mean she didn’t have something to do with what happened to her aunt,” George said.

“Maybe we should all keep digging,” Grace said.

“It might not be a bad idea if we all did,” I added.

George finished his coffee. “I’m heading out. I’ve got to work a case this morning at the courthouse, but after that, I’ll start back in on this.”

“And I’ve got to go to Asheville,” Grace said. “I’ll walk you out, George.”

After they were gone, business started picking up, and I was so busy filling orders that I didn’t have time to digest all I’d learned that morning. We were getting a better handle on Peg and her life, but I wasn’t so sure we were getting any closer to finding the murderer.

I hoped Chief Martin was having more luck, but from the sparse reports coming from the police station through George, I had a feeling he was hitting as many dead ends as we were.

By nine, it was starting to rain again, and I wondered what it was going to do to my business. Donuts weren’t exactly a necessity in most people’s lives, and sometimes all it took was a little bad weather to keep them away.

Three men braved the downpour, though, tumbling in through the front door as a particular bad patch of rain hit.

They were each dressed in hiking boots, canvas pants, jackets of various hues, and all of them wore baseball hats. Each man had a pair of high powered binoculars around his neck. For the life of me, it looked like the same man in three stages of his life; frozen in his thirties, his fifties, and his seventies.

The oldest took off his hat and hit it against his thigh, knocking some water off it as he settled in. “That’s some bad weather you’ve got going on out there.” He held out a hand and said, “Good morning. I’m Frank Stewart.”

It was odd for a new customer to introduce himself like that, but I could tell from the twinkle in his eye that here was a man who truly liked women.

“Hi, Frank. I’m Suzanne. It’s a bit wet for birding, isn’t it?”

He chuckled and turned to the men he’d come in with. “I told you this was a great spot.” Frank looked back at me and said, “Suzanne, I’d like to introduce my son Martin, and his son William. We were out spotting, and the downpour hit. Now most days I’m as willing to trudge through the underbrush as the next man, but I swear I could smell your coffee from the woods.”

“Then you should have some,” I said as I poured him a cup.

Frank took a sip, then said, “You are an angel of mercy.” He looked back at his family and said, “Gentlemen, I’m not sure what you’re waiting for, but I’m going to buy a donut and take a seat at the window.”

Frank’s son Martin said, “Dad, this isn’t exactly what we had planned for today.”

He put an arm around his son. “Thomas, sometimes the world laughs at our plans. Suit yourself, but I’m going to enjoy this rain from that couch over there.”

William said, “You don’t have to twist my arm, Grandpa. I’d kill for a cup of coffee myself.”

Frank patted him on the back. “There’s proof he’s my kin. Suzanne, William is a doctor. He’s single, too.”

“Granddad, enough. Stop trying to fix me up with every woman we meet.”

He looked at William, then said, “Maybe we should check to see if you really are my grandson. Suzanne, if I were forty years younger, you’d have an ardent suitor on your hands.”

“Frank, if I were forty years older, you’d never make it out the door without the promise of a date,” I said with a smile.

He laughed again, this one spreading through the room like a welcoming hug. “Forget the introductions to my offspring. You’re too valuable a jewel to waste on such as these.”

“Dad,” Martin said with open disapproval.

Frank winked at me. “He doesn’t approve of the genuine affection I have for women.”

“Mostly just pretty women,” Martin grumbled.

Frank smiled. “So, at least you noticed that she’s pretty. I suppose that’s a good beginning for you.”

Martin looked at his dad, then at me. “I apologize, ma’am. My father’s a bit of a rogue.”

I said, “There’s no apology necessary. Just coming in here, he made my day.”

Frank nodded, then said, “And you made mine as well.”

As I slid a yeast donut across to him, he added, “I hadn’t ordered yet.”

“This one’s on the house,” I said. “I needed a smile, and you brought one in with you.” Then I turned to his son and grandson and added, “You two get to pay, though.”

The senior member of the family laughed again, then clapped them both on the back and said, “I like it here, men.”

Frank moved to the best couch by the window that overlooked the train tracks, taking his coffee and donut with him.

Martin said, “He’s been this way his whole life.”

“Is that an explanation, or an apology?”

“A little of both, I guess,” he said.

“That’s all right. I don’t need either. What can I get you?”

After the two men ordered and took seats with Frank, I waited on new customers, but every now and then I saw the three of them pull out their binoculars and peer into the gloom. I wasn’t sure how successful they were at birdwatching, but by the time they left, it was clear that all three of them had a wonderful time.

Frank actually tipped his hat toward me as he left, and I was shocked to hear myself giggling in response.

I was still smiling about it when Heather Masterson came in, and from the scowl on her face, it was pretty clear that I wasn’t going to be very happy for long.

You can use large cubes of pound cake for this, but my family likes to use Twinkies
^™
like they make at the county fair! Some folks like to fry theirs on Popsicle sticks, but cutting the Twinkies
^™
into thirds and frying them that way works best for us. But go ahead and experiment, that’s what it’s all about!

• 1 cup milk

• 1½ tablespoons plain vinegar

• 1½ tablespoons canola oil

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1¼ teaspoons baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• Flour to dust Twinkies
^™
before battering them

• 4 Twinkies
^™

Freeze your Twinkies
^™
for a few hours for best results. When they’re chilled, mix the milk, vinegar, and canola oil together in one bowl. Using another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the dry ingredients slowly into the wet, mixing it in well as you work. Refrigerate this batter as your oil is heating. When the oil’s ready (about 360–370 degrees F), dip each piece of cake into the batter, then quickly add it to the oil. Be very careful not to splash. The oil’s extremely hot. Don’t overcrowd the pot, and when the squares are brown on one side, flip them over so the other side can cook. Take them out when they’re done, and let them rest for a few minutes before eating. You can dust the top with powdered sugar or eat them as they are. The filling becomes a marvelous white fluff that will leave you wanting more.