Treacherous Tart (21 page)

“You're joking, right? You heard Ralph. They have a lot of evidence against you.”

“
Circumstantial evidence
,” her aunt corrected. “Let them figure it out. We'll be fine. What did Mr. Gino think about the chicken potpies and ice cream?”

Maggie had no choice but to avoid the subject of Donald's death. Her aunt refused to discuss it. They talked about potpies and ice cream instead.

Aunt Clara laughed as she started making more Amazing Apple pies. “I'm glad he liked the ideas. Mr. Gino has a good nose for what works in the restaurant business.”

Maggie got the apples out of the refrigerator and started peeling. “I hope he's right about the potpies. It could turn our lunch crowd around, at least in the winter. I'm not sure about summer when it's hot outside.”

Ryan joined them and said Ralph had to go to work. “My dad called too. He finally got in touch with his lawyer. They'll be over this afternoon.”

Aunt Clara waved the information away with her slender hand. “Don't bother with that. I don't need a
lawyer. I'm sure the chicken potpies will do me more good than a hundred lawyers.”

Ryan started to argue. Maggie shook her head.

“Okay.” He shrugged. “I'll tell my dad. But you can't hide your head on this, Aunt Clara. The police won't stop investigating until they have someone in custody.”

“That's what I'm counting on,” she replied. “Don't you have a newspaper to write or something?”

She thanked him for helping Maggie while she was gone and then began rushing around the kitchen, humming and making piecrust.

Maggie walked Ryan to the front door. “She won't budge on this.”

“You'll have to try and change her mind. I don't like the way this is going.”

“Me either. I'll talk to her again after lunch.”

Maggie's cell phone rang. It was Betty from the sub shop.

“You know I told you about that younger woman that I saw here with Donald? Betsy, my daughter, took a picture of her. We've got her now!”

M
aggie didn't want
to leave Aunt Clara alone at the pie shop. Pie in the Sky wasn't busy at that moment, but it could get crowded quickly. She and Ryan had a hard time keeping up with it. Her aunt would be swamped.

Ryan volunteered to go alone. Maggie told him to remember to let her know what he found. “Take some pictures if you need to.”

He kissed her cheek. “I won't forget.”

“Unless you get a call on another story,” she observed. “I want to know right away.”

“I will. Promise.”

Ryan left as three customers came in. They were professors from Duke who regularly came to argue politics and sports over coffee and pie. Maggie got them coffee and apple pie right out of the oven. They were in the middle of a debate on school policies, sparing her only a moment to place their orders.

“I doubt if they'll remember to leave a tip,” Maggie told her aunt in the kitchen. “They didn't even look up at me.”

“You know how they get sometimes.” Aunt Clara dumped more flour onto the pie-making board. “You know, you could've gone with Ryan. I know it can get busy sometimes, but people make excuses for older people like me if we're a little slow getting to their tables.”

“There was no reason for both of us to go anyway. Ryan can handle it. It might not be anything.”

“What might not be anything, dear?”

The door chime sounded, and Maggie made a hasty retreat. She didn't want to tell Aunt Clara about Donald having lunch at the sub shop with someone else—not yet anyway.

Despite her promise to tell her aunt everything, she found herself unwilling to share this further evidence of Donald's perfidy.

A few students came in and tossed their books and jackets on the table. They ordered one piece of
Clara's Coconut Cream pie to share between them with one cup of coffee.

Maggie took their order, not surprised. Everyone knew the pie shop had no minimum order like some other eateries close to campus. Her aunt and uncle had decided years ago that they wanted to give students a break.

After everyone in the dining room was set up, Maggie went back to the kitchen and started peeling more apples. With the rush on apple pies today, they might be needed.

“What did Captain Mitchell say to you about Donald?”

Aunt Clara shrugged her delicate shoulders. “Oh, you know. Why did I kill Donald? Wouldn't it be better if I told the truth about it?”

“Seriously? What did
you
say?”

“I told him he was a rude and obnoxious young man to ask me such ridiculous questions. I've never fired a gun in my life. You know your uncle would never have allowed a gun in the house or in the pie shop. He always said that's what baseball bats were for.”

Maggie smiled as she sliced apples. She couldn't imagine her aunt, or Uncle Fred, shooting a person or hitting someone with a bat.

“He asked me if I read about Donald in the paper that morning before we came to the pie shop.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. I didn't believe it when you told me those things about him. I didn't believe it when I read Ryan's article either—although it was very well written. He has a wonderful way of getting to the heart of the matter, don't you think?”

Maggie agreed. “You must've thought
something
was unusual about Donald.”

“I try not to judge people.” Aunt Clara got ready to put more pies in the oven.

“Let me get that for you.” Maggie lifted the tray of pies and put it in the oven.

Her aunt was staring at her, green eyes like her own, narrowed. “You aren't beginning to think I can't do this job, are you?”

“You never put in ten pies at a time in the old oven. I don't see any reason not to help you when I can. You do more than your share around here. I have to pull my weight too.”

Her answer pleased Clara. She looked outside the kitchen door for Fanny. “I don't see her out here. I hope she's not lost. What would we do with all those kittens?”

“I don't think cats get lost.” Maggie headed to the dining room as the door chimed again. “Maybe she went back to the house on her own.”

Leaving her aunt to fret about the cat, Maggie went out front as David was sitting down at a table. His smile, when he saw her, was warm and welcoming.

“You decided to stop by! I'm glad you did.” She smiled at him and put away her order book. “What can I get for you?”

“Pie in the Sky hasn't changed a bit.” He glanced around the dining room. “Actually, it looks even better than I remember.”

“We remodeled recently.” She proudly pointed out the things she'd done. “I think the photos from Duke are nice, don't you?”

“I like the tie-in, although I don't see any pictures of us.”

“And you won't either.” She laughed. “I only use pictures I want other people to see!”

He laughed with her. “Do you have a minute that you could sit down?”

“I do—for an old friend who I believe invented space exploration in our backyard. Let me get you something first.”

“Okay. I'll take some eggnog pie. That sounds good. And some sweet tea.”

“Coming right up! You're gonna love the eggnog pie. It was one of our contest winners.”

“I'm sure all of it is good.” David watched her get the pie and tea. “Remember when we used to come up here after school and your uncle gave us money to go to the dime store down the block for candy?”

Maggie set his tea and pie down on the table. “I'm not sure I was ever
that
young.”

“And he called us scamps. I know you remember.” He took her hand in his as he spoke.

Maggie smiled and disengaged her hand from his as Ryan pushed open the front door and walked inside. He frowned when he saw them but said nothing. He walked back to the kitchen.

“Excuse me,” she said to David. “I'll be right back.”

Ryan was perched on the stool by the wall phone.

“Well? Who was she?”

“Never mind that,” he growled. “What's with the next-door neighbor?”

“Nothing. He was just being friendly. Aren't you going to tell me what you found out?”

“Me too,” Aunt Clara said. “You know I don't like being excluded.”

Ryan nodded. “All right. Then I hear about the neighbor, right?”

Maggie agreed.

He took out his cell phone and showed her the image that Betty had transferred to him. “Remind you of anyone?”

“Debbie!” Maggie's eyes narrowed. “I wonder if the police have brought
her
in for questioning. She gets around.”

Ryan changed the subject abruptly. “Your turn. Does he have feelings for you after all these years?”

“Isn't it more important that we talk about Debbie? I think we should call Frank and tell him what we know about her.”

“Who is Debbie?” Aunt Clara was confused by the discussion.

Maggie broke down and explained why Ryan had gone to the sub shop.

“That's not possible,” Aunt Clara denied. “Donald spent so much time with me. How would he have been able to see all those other women?”

“What's important now is that the police know she's a viable suspect,” Maggie said.

“I know you're either lying to me about your neighbor, or you're at least keeping something from me.” Ryan gazed into Maggie's eyes. “I can take whatever it is.”

Hmmm. Maybe he is that good.
Maggie ruminated about it for a moment before David poked his head through the doorway.

“Am I interrupting anything? I can come back later if now isn't good.”

Aunt Clara laughed. “You were always the jokester, David.”

“I hear you might be staying in Durham.” Ryan put out his hand toward David. “Maggie said the two of you grew up together.”

David shook his hand. “That's right. I'm living next door right now, just like when we were kids. Thank you for helping Maggie and Aunt Clara out until I could get their furnace repaired. I'm sure you're a good
friend
.”

Ryan bristled at David's assessment of his relationship with Maggie.

“Oh, they're
way
more than friends,” Clara added. “You should hear them downstairs in the parlor on Saturday night after they think I'm upstairs sleeping.”

David looked a little angry. Ryan smiled triumphantly.

The steaming noises from the espresso machine penetrated the staring match being held by the two men in the kitchen, as a customer had ordered a mocha latte. Aunt Clara ignored both men as she got new piecrust ready and lined pie pans with it.

“She's a wonderful woman,” David said to Ryan. “I hope you know how lucky you are.”

“I do,” Ryan said. “Thanks.”

David smiled. “I guess I should get going. I'm interviewing for a job today. Durham has a much smaller pool of jobs for hydraulic engineers than Miami.”

“I suppose so. Let me know if I can help.” Ryan shook David's hand again.

Maggie boxed up David's pie and put his tea in a cup with a lid when he told her he had to leave.

“Thanks for stopping in. Sorry things got busy.”

“That's okay.” David glanced at Ryan. “There will be other times. See you later, Maggie.” He lightly kissed her cheek and was gone.

Ryan's gaze followed David to his car at the curb. “I don't think he only wants to be your friend.”

“He's just being nice,” she disagreed as she cleaned the table where David had been sitting. “Are you jealous?”

“No. Well, maybe. He's known you a lot longer.”

She laughed and kissed him. “Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

“You may not have thought of him as a childhood sweetheart,” he observed. “But I think he thought of
you
that way. I think he still does.”

“No. Not at all. I told you, I didn't have time for that stuff once I was old enough to know what it was. David and I were adventure friends, you know? We made a spaceship out of some flowerpots in the garden. That kind of thing.”

“Then he's changed his mind.” Ryan glanced at the mocha she'd made for the other customer. “Can I have one of those too?”

 • • •

R
yan had to
leave after he drank his mocha. He had to take pictures at the Angel Tree festivities at the mall. Ninety children were receiving gifts from tags that shoppers had picked up for boys and girls under twelve. Maggie felt sure there would be many teary-eyed people at the affair.

After he was gone, she ordered lunch for her and Aunt Clara from Bombay Grill. Raji delivered it
personally with an invitation for them to come in later and try their holiday treats.

“Ahalya and I are eager to have your feedback on our foods,” he told them “We've taken your suggestion, Maggie, and repurposed some of our traditional foods that were never meant for Christmas. We hope you'll enjoy them.”