Pies & Peril (5 page)

Alex grinned as he arranged boxes of red berry sangria, blackberry merlot
, and strawberry moscato on the table. "The clerk in the wine area said they were really good, so I got one of each flavor."

"
You're a good man, Alex Ridley," Amy said as she leaned over and kissed him. "You know me so well."

He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
"I'm worried about you. Finding Mandy Jo was bad enough. I can't believe someone is threatening you now. For the life of me I can't think of what you and Mandy Jo have in common."

She had toasted an army of brain cells in the wee hours of the day trying to figure out the same thing. She and Mandy Jo were as far from being friends as cheap chocolate Easter bunnies were from fine truffles.
"Other than competing in the Summer Festival cooking contests, I can't think of anything we have in common."

"
You used to work together, and you both dated me."

"
Two dates don't count as dating her. That wasn't even enough time to get a taste of her crazy cookie, was it?"

"
Taste her crazy cookie? That sounds dirty. You know I didn't sleep with her." He nibbled on her ear lobe. "But I would be happy to sample your cookie tonight."

"
I mean, taking her out for dinner once or twice wasn't enough to reveal her true nature to you back then." Amy spooned a mountain of lo mein onto her plate and tried to ignore the Alex-produced tingle that was exploding like fireworks all over her body. "After you and I were married she got as mean as a hungry raccoon that's spent a night digging through trash bins filled with shredded paper, but even before then she was prickly. Thank goodness you were smart enough not to do the horizontal mambo with her."

"
Mmm, horizontal mambo…I think you need to demonstrate that for me."

His hand slipped up the back of her
T-shirt and slid over her skin as he searched for her bra clasp which was, inconveniently for him, located in the front. A ferocious growl rumbled from her stomach. His hand stilled and then exited from her shirt. He pulled away and said, "I'm sorry. I was just trying to get your mind off of everything that is happening, but obviously you need some food. When did you eat last?"

Amy frowned. Good question. Figuring out the answer transported her back to 5th grade math with Mrs.
Burrell lobbing story problems at dazed pupils like numeral-filled grenades. "I had a couple slices of banana bread and a latte late this morning. I was working on a new recipe for a magazine contest, so I nibbled on more bananas through the afternoon. That was enough calories for me to make it through until now."

"
Maybe if you were a mouse." He plopped a square of lasagne on her plate. Warm ricotta flecked with herbs oozed out from between the layers of pasta. "Since you are my gorgeous, human wife that means you need to eat. Running on fumes isn't going to do any good. You need to stay on your toes with a psycho roaming around."

He was right.
The killer had to be a lunatic to connect her with a vindictive walking temper tantrum. They weren't adjacent points in a dot to dot puzzle, so how could the person go from knocking off Mandy Jo to threatening her with the same fate? "I am being careful, watching the people around me when I'm in town, triple-checking that I turned on the alarm system. I even bought one of those little bottles of pepper spray while I was out running errands this morning. It's more portable than my industrial-sized hair spray bottle." She sniffed. "If anybody messes with me they're going to get a habanero pepper facial."

"
I'm glad you are being so vigilant." He grabbed her free hand as she shoveled a forkful of tomato sauce covered noodles into her mouth with the other. "I think we need to take more precautions, though. I'm sure your mom would love to have you visit for a while."

"
Oh, hell no!" The mellow mood from being fed and fondled evaporated. "For one thing, I can't leave because I am part of an active homicide investigation. And two, the only thing staying with my mother will do is piss me off. I can't handle her, and you know that."

Her alcoholic mother had moved to south Florida 10 years earlier, after becoming a widow courtesy of her father losing
his battle with liver cirrhosis. She lived in a trailer house in a retirement community. The paneled living room walls were covered with clocks, all set to different times. The names of cities around the world were written on masking tape stuck to the face of each one. During their last visit her mother had explained that she liked to see what time it was in other parts of the world. The following day the chronological obsession showed its true colors as her mother made a Moscow Mule cocktail, complete with the copper mug, at 8 a.m. to toast happy hour in Moscow.

"
I'm sorry. I know you don't get along with your mother, but I figured you would be safe there."

"
I'm being very careful. I'll be safe here." She leaned sideways and rested her head on his shoulder. "That nice detective said he has been in the homicide division for 10 years. I'm sure he'll figure out who the murderer is. Besides, the note didn't specifically say the person wanted to kill me. It said I would end up like Mandy Jo."

"
She ended up dead, sweetheart. How else can you possibly take that statement?"

Great. Everyone was turning into brainiacs and making her feel stupid. First Carla pulled out her medical trouble-shooting skills and figured out Pogo ate the missing pie. Now Alex was flaunting his deductive skills to squish her attempt at rationalizing she wasn
't the target of a killer. Just because her family could only afford to send her to cosmetology school instead of a university didn't mean she was dumb. She had made the honor roll almost every semester in high school. "You know, I had to learn things like anatomy and hair color chemistry in beauty school. It wasn't a cake walk. "

"
I…" He held up his index finger and took a long drink from his beer bottle. "You are an awesome hair stylist, and I know you worked very hard in school to get to that point. I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with the note?"

"
I was just trying to intelligently point out that there could be different interpretations of the note. I'm just not sure what any of those would be at the moment." She drummed her fingers on the oak tabletop. "Maybe the person who wrote the note meant I would end up mean and ornery, not dead."

One of Alex
's signature, high-wattage, heart-stopping, movie star-quality smiles spread across his face. "You are the most optimistic person I know. One of the many reasons I love you." He kissed the back of the hand he was still clutching. "One of the other reasons is that you have a wonderful sense of style. Do you think you could help me order some flowers to send to Mandy Jo's funeral? Choosing anything other than a dozen red roses for you boggles my mind."

"
I already ordered an arrangement from us. It will be delivered to the funeral home tomorrow."

"
That's great, but I also wanted to send one from my company."

"
Why?"

"
Quantum redesigned all of the logos and signage for Kevin's accounting firm a couple months ago."

"
I didn't know that. You never told me."

Kevin, Mandy Jo
's hen-pecked husband, owned Pierce Accounting. Amy remembered admiring the firm's new logo when it changed, but had no idea her husband was behind the design. Alex didn't tell her about his work often, but not letting her know he was working with the hubby of her biggest enemy must have been omitted on purpose. Nope. She wasn't married to a dummy, and he knew that information would upset her. "Mandy Jo had only been married to Kevin for a few months when I noticed the logo had changed. Let me guess, his new wife recommended your company to him."

Alex shifted in his seat.
"I think Kevin did say that. I assumed she liked the work I did for the salon."

"
Was she involved in all of the meetings? Did she help supervise the installation of the sign on the building? How about suggest that it should be a little higher on the wall and you should meet her in the supply closet?"

He held his arms up in surrender.
"It wasn't anything as explicit as that. Yes, she was at all of the planning meetings. I guess she did flirt with me a bit when Kevin wasn't around, but it wasn't a big deal. I just ignored it like I always do."

"
Like you always do? So is it common for women at your accounts to flirt with you during meetings and installations?"

He swiped his hand over his face. Then he took another long swig of beer. Amy stared at him. If all of the turmoil inside her turned to energy
, there would be lasers shooting out of her eye sockets, and he would've lost at least an ear by that point. She knew she was married to a man that looked like he belonged in the pages of a men's exercise magazine. How had it never occurred to her that women would flirt with him behind her back? Alex knocked the realization out of the ballpark when he said, "You flirted with me while I was working at Elegance Salon."

"
But you weren't married then."

"
You're right. That's why I flirted back." He plucked another bottle of beer out of the

six
-pack and twisted off the cap. "I swear, I have never flirted back since you and I got married. You have my heart and always will. Okay?"

Amy studied the thin, gold wedding band on his finger as he raised the bottle. Since she couldn
't make him wear a sandwich board proclaiming that he was married, a wider band would make his marital status a little more apparent to the drooling, love-starved women he apparently had to deal with on a regular basis. She slid closer to him and traced a line with her index finger up his thigh, stopping below his belt buckle. "I believe you, but I think it would help if you demonstrated exactly how much you love me."

He slid his hand around her hips and
pulled her onto his lap. "I would be happy to," he mumbled as he leaned forward and nibbled on the side of her neck.

Carla chose a light gray eyeliner pencil from the overflowing makeup case. She was just going to Amy's house and then coming right back home, but that wasn't a reason to not look presentable. The long night at work had erased the liner she applied before her shift. Like it or not, her crime solving ex-lover was heading a police investigation that involved her best friend. The very real threat that she could cross his path at any moment made her want to stay in bed continuously, hidden in the fabric softener-scented sheet cocoon. Amy sounded odd when she called, inviting her to come over for a mid-morning snack. Something was wrong. Considering the stress Amy was under after finding a body then receiving an ominous threat herself, the least Carla could do was put on makeup and brave the possibility of bumping into Bruce.

Half an hour later she pulled into the driveway of the tidy gray house. The sweet scent of bananas drifted past her as she approached the side door. One of the kitchen windows was open
, and the smell of Amy's baked goods was surely making half the neighborhood hungry. A series of beeps emanated from the other side of the door before she could even knock or ring the doorbell. The door swung open, and the invisible banana-perfumed cloud engulfed her.

"
Come in. I just pulled a loaf of bread out of the oven." Amy moved aside then slammed the door shut seconds after Carla crossed the threshold. She punched in the security code again while she waved her other hand to shoo Carla toward the breakfast nook. "Have a seat. I have tons of stuff to tell you."

Amy was the kind of person
who liked to talk things out. She discussed exotic ingredients she had discovered at Columbo's with the precision of a research scientist. Fellow customers in line at a coffee shop were asked their opinion on fruit combinations for muffins. Alex said she even wandered around the kitchen talking to herself when she was working on a new recipe. The table was set with plates, a crock of soft butter, gigantic coffee mugs adorned with cheerful sunflowers, and the insulated carafe of fresh coffee. In the middle of the arrangement was a steaming loaf of caramel brown banana bread. Amy was set up and ready to roll on a long conversation.

Carla slid behind the table, taking her favorite spot with her back against the window that faced the
road. From her position she could look out the other window in the nook that protruded from the side of the house. Despite the relentless summer heat, the backyard garden was in full, riotous bloom. It was a much more beautiful view than the one out her own kitchen window, which overlooked a wholesale construction equipment business. One of the not-so-nice features of living in the loft. Instead of a yard she got a tiny balcony overlooking shipping docks and a parking lot, but at least she didn't have to mow a lawn after working a long, stressful shift at the hospital.

"
Can you believe Mandy Jo hired Quantum to make over her husband's business logo just so she could flirt with Alex?"

Well, hell. Amy wasn
't taking the long route around to what was bothering her. Sometimes figuring out what was really going on, hidden under layers of culinary chit chat, required code breaking skills. Not this time. "How did you find out about that?"

"
Alex asked me to pick out a flower arrangement to send to the funeral home from his company, to show support to his former client. That would be Pierce Accounting. Then Alex admitted Mandy Jo had flirted with him when Kevin wasn't around." Amy sliced a thick slab of bread from the loaf and set it on Carla's plate. Always the hostess even when she was pissed off. "Can you believe she stooped that low? What kind of woman would try to cheat on her brand new husband with another married man?"

How could she answer those questions? There certainly wasn
't a good or even reasonable explanation for Mandy Jo's behavior. "I don't know. She was crazy, possibly psychotic. You've said her abrasive behavior could be the effects from a messed up childhood. I bet even she couldn't explain why she did some things."

"
After talking with Alex last night I wish she wasn't dead so I could find out what she was thinking."

"
My guess would be she was just being a spoiled brat. Maybe her parents never told her no, so she was trying to take what she wanted. Or she was just a sore loser."

The phone rang as Amy was slicing off more thick slabs of the delectable bread, since they had both devoured their first slices.
"Excuse me," she said as she stood. "Help yourself, but save room. I have another version in the oven, and we need to compare the two."

When Amy ducked into the other room to take the call, Carla plucked a slice of the dense, moist bread off the serving plate and spread it with butter. It wasn
't like the generic, barely edible, banana bread she often got from the hospital cafeteria because that was the only sweet treat being offered in the middle of the night. There was something special about Amy's version that made it irresistible, even though she knew she would have to do an extra half hour on the treadmill to burn off the calories consumed during the morning.

Amy returned to the kitchen as the magnetic timer stuck to the refrigerator started beeping. She pulled open the oven door and bent to peer inside.
"Let's see if you're done," she mumbled as she retrieved a strand of uncooked spaghetti from a glass container sitting on the counter. She poked it into the bread, shook her head, and shut the door. "Not quite. It'll be a few more minutes."

She perched on the end of the breakfast nook bench, rested her elbows on the table
, and leaned toward Carla. "The call was from Detective Shepler. Apparently there are so many people that have a grudge against Mandy Jo, he's having a hard time narrowing down the suspect list. Thank goodness you were with me the whole evening or I'd be on it!"

"
Poor Bruce. He's probably going to have to interview half of Kellerton."

"
I'm sure you can think of some ways to make his life a little easier."

"
What are you talking about?"

Amy grinned as she stood up to check on the banana bread again.
"Come on, when are you going to tell me what's going on between you and the hunk-tastic detective? The electricity between you two is about as subtle as a flashing neon sign."

Was it that obvious? They had both tried to be professional and nonchalant during the initial murder investigation interviews after Mandy Jo
's body was found. What the hell had they done to tip off Amy?

Amy donned oven mitts, removed the pan from the oven
, and then set it on a cooling rack. A fresh wave of sweet banana scent drifted across the room. A diversion could throw her off track. "That smells so good. What's the difference between that loaf and the one we've been eating?"

"
This one has bourbon. The one we've already tried has rum." She tugged off the mitts and tossed them on the white marble topped kitchen island. "I found a dessert recipe contest where all recipes must have some kind of booze in them."

Carla broke off a corner of her latest slice and held it up.
"I bet you'll win. I love this one, but I'll be happy to try the bourbon version."

"
It needs to cool a bit, so while we wait let's talk about Shepler."

Damn. The conversational left turn didn
't work. "What about him?"

Amy refilled both of their mugs with fresh coffee.
"Come on. There was so much chemistry between you two at the town hall I felt like I should be wearing safety glasses and a lab coat. Spill it. What's going on?"

"
You mean, what went on. He used to date one of the other ER nurses. When I was dating Tom we all went out on a couple double dates, visited that brew pub in Ann Arbor, went to a comedy club. That's about it."

"
No, it isn't." Amy slid the plate with the remaining banana bread toward herself. "I was going to wrap up the extra bread from both loaves and send it home with you. Tell me the rest of the story, or you won't get a treat."

"
Blackmailer."

"
Absolutely. I want you to be happy, and I have a hunch Shepler might do that for you. When he walked into the town hall the other night you looked at him like you had the night from hell at work and he was the double chocolate fudge brownie that would make it all better. "

How did Amy pick up on that? She had just found a body
, but still noticed her friend drooling over a police officer. The woman's attention to detail was astounding. Not to mention, she was tenacious. No wonder every charity in town wanted her to be on their fundraising committees.

"
Like I said, we were both dating other people."

Amy folded her arms over her chest.
"What does that mean? I know you and Tom were never serious. He wasn't your type. You've told me that many times. Maybe Bruce wasn't your friend's type. One woman's unbearable geek can be another woman's knight in shining armor. Things happen, worlds collide, orbits shift, etcetera, etcetera. Have you two kissed?"

"
Yes."

"
More than a goodnight peck on the cheek?"

"
Yes."

"
What kind of underwear does he prefer?"

"
Briefs."

"
Yes!" Amy clapped her hands. "I just need one slice of the bourbon bread to try myself. You can have all of the rest to take home."

"
Gee, thanks. Twist my arm and then feed me sugar so I'll have to jog an extra two miles. You are such a sadist."

"
Don't tell him that. He'll throw me on the suspect, instead of possible future victim, list."

The threat. Amy was being her normal, bubbly self. Deep down she had to be tough as steel to carry on like normal instead of running away or hiding.
"Did you come up with any new ideas on who might've left that note?"

"
No, but you can help."

"
How?"

"
Use your feminine wiles to get Shepler to tell you who he's investigating, so I can cross-reference his suspects with the people I suspect…when I figure out somebody to suspect."

Feminine wiles. Now there was an old-fashioned phrase she could put a modern spin on. Working
odd hours at the hospital often left her surfing the internet, instead of sleeping, during the day. The clothing items and accessories offered by online stores fascinated her, especially when she hadn't slept in over 24 hours and her brain was running on empty. If the delivery guy in the brown truck knew what was in some of the boxes he was dropping off, well, she might need to offer him a towel to mop up drool instead of just smiling nicely as he handed over the packages. "Bruce is a trained detective. You're smart, but you're far from a professional sleuth…"

"
Hey, I watched Scooby Doo when I was a kid." Amy's face contorted into an exaggerated pout.

"
Seriously. Why do you want to go after a murderer?"

"
Because, judging from the note, the killer is thinking about going after me. Know your enemy. Always stay a step ahead. Be proactive. Better safe than sorry…all that jazz." She sighed. Her entire body seemed to deflate, like all of her usual happy enthusiasm had been expelled with the exhaled breath.

"
I hate to encourage you, because I don't want you to get hurt while snooping around, but I think it would be a good idea to figure out who may be behind the notes. You can protect yourself better if you have at least some idea about who your enemy is."

Amy slapped the table. The spoon in the sugar bowl jingled.
"I can figure this out. I have competed in cooking contests for years, so I know a lot of the people involved. There could be clues pointing right at the murderer that only a veteran cooking contest competitor, not a police officer who has Alessandro's Pizza on speed dial, can uncover."

"
So the Baking Queen is on the trail of a murderer?"

"
I guess so, but I need your help. Your old relationship has been sending out smoke signals despite your attempts to bury it in sand. Rekindle that flame with Shepler. He hasn't told me anything, even when I point blank asked him who he suspects, but I bet he would spill the beans to his hot lover if she asked. You are like the female equivalent of shoofly pie. Men will do anything for you. He has to have at least one suspect in mind, don't you think?"

"
I don't know. I'd say half of the town had a motive to kill Mandy Jo, so he's probably trying to whittle down the suspect list at this point." Carla spread a third slice of bread with butter. "Besides, why should I help you? You just compared me to something that attracts insects."

"
Because I'm your best friend, and I'll cut off your baked goods supply chain if you don't at least try. No more chocolate muffins for you." Another threat to withhold her favorite muffins? Not fair. Amy stood and walked to the kitchen island where the bourbon laced banana bread was cooling. As she flipped the loaf out of the pan she said, "Why don't you take this whole loaf to share with Shepler? I bet he'll be more amiable to share information with you if he's full of sugar."