Tragic Toppings (3 page)

“That’s not like him, and you know it. He would have called me,” Grace said. I knew the two of them had a special relationship, though I could never get more specific details for the reasons behind it out of Grace. All I was certain of was that whenever Grace called him, no matter what the circumstances, Tim came running.

“I know it sounds out of character for him not to show up,” I said, “but it doesn’t seem likely that
two
people from April Springs could disappear at the same time.” A sudden thought struck me. “They couldn’t be together, could they?”

Even as I said it, I doubted that there was any set of circumstances that could explain Emily and Tim vanishing at the same time.

“Sure, maybe they eloped,” Grace said with a laugh. “And to think they’ll miss my coronation as Queen of Bogatavia later today.”

She had a point. On the face of it, the two of them had nothing in common. “I know, it doesn’t make much sense, but how do you explain it otherwise?”

“I can’t,” Grace said, “unless it’s just a coincidence, and I don’t believe in them any more than you do. That’s why I think we should investigate.”

“Funny, that’s exactly why I was calling you. So, who should we look for first?”

“I don’t think we have the luxury of putting either one on the back burner now that we know that both of them are missing,” Grace replied. “This could be serious.”

“Or they could just be in Union Square having lunch together,” I said.

“What if they’re not, though?” she asked. “I can look for Tim, and you can hunt down Emily.”

“You know I don’t like splitting up,” I said hesitantly. There was real safety in numbers, at least for the two of us. George could and did go off on his own at times, but he was a trained investigator, while Grace and I were just amateur sleuths.

“If we’re going to work together, then we’d better get busy.”

There was a tapping at the door of the donut shop, and I looked up, startled. I’d been so engrossed in my conversation with Grace that I hadn’t even noticed someone approach.

George was standing outside, grinning and looking certain that even with his cane, he’d still managed to sneak up on me.

“George is here,” I said to Grace as I opened the door and told him to shush. “He’s going to help us look into this.”

He did as I commanded, but nothing would wipe the smile off his face.

Grace said, “I’ll meet you there. Don’t go anywhere without me.”

“I’m not making any promises,” I said.

“Suzanne Hart,” she said, and before she could get wound up, I butted in.

“Grace, I’m kidding, but don’t take too long. There are two dozen donuts here, and I don’t want to eat every one of them by myself.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll be glad to help,” George said.

“Save some for me,” Grace said, and then hung up.

I flipped open a box and said, “Go ahead. Help yourself.”

“I was just kidding. I told you I was having lunch when I left here. I’m stuffed.”

“So, my donuts aren’t good enough for you as dessert?”

He started hedging his bets instantly. “I give up. I’ll take one. Have any lemon filled, by any chance?”

I peered into the boxes. “Sorry, there’s no lemon left. I’ve got a German chocolate I can offer you instead.” That was just plain mean. I knew George hated that particular flavor of donut from a test I’d done years ago.

His smile faded as he answered, “Sure, I guess that will be okay.”

He started to reach for one, but I couldn’t take it any longer. I snapped the box top shut and said, “You aren’t getting any, so stop pretending that you like them, or that you even have enough room to eat one.”

The look of relief on his face was comical. “Honest, I’m too full to eat another bite, but I’ll take some coffee, if there’s any left.”

The pot was empty, but that was an easy thing to fix. “I’ll make more. It should be ready by the time Grace gets here.”

“Don’t go to any trouble on my account,” he said.

“I won’t,” I said with a grin. “I want some, too.”

George nodded, and then asked, “Do you mind me asking if it’s your blend, or one of Emma’s?”

“You don’t care for our more exotic offerings?”

It was clear that George wasn’t sure if I was teasing him or not, but he said, “You know me; I’m usually up for something different, but Emma’s taste in coffee and mine aren’t even close to being the same.”

“Trust me, I’m not always a fan of what she brews myself. It was all I could do to get her to agree to one exotic flavor one day a week.”

As I started to prepare the coffee, I asked, “What do you think happened to them, George? Are they somewhere together, or did they just vanish? Are we worrying over nothing?”

“They?” he asked, clearly perplexed by my question. “Suzanne, what are you talking about?”

“That’s right. You haven’t heard.” As I filled him in on our discovery that Tim was missing as well, I could see George take it all in.

When I was finished, he said, “They aren’t together. I’m sure of that.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

He frowned as he pondered it all, and then said somberly, “Call it a hunch, or a cop’s intuition, but I’ve got the feeling that one of them is in trouble, and the other’s just fine.”

His statement sent a chill through me, and for some reason, I believed what he said with all my heart, though he didn’t have a single fact to back up his statement. “Why would you say that?”

“Suzanne, I honestly don’t know. It’s just a feeling.” But let’s keep our minds open and hope for the best until we learn differently.”

That effectively killed our conversation, and we were both left to our own dark thoughts.

The coffee was ready just as Grace tapped at the front door. I’d made it a point to watch for her so that I wasn’t startled twice in fifteen minutes.

I opened the door for her, and Grace took a deep breath as she stepped inside the shop. “My idea of civilization is anywhere there’s coffee to be found,” she said.

I smiled gently at my friend, always happy to be in her presence again. “I’d disagree with you, but I know it would be a lost cause.”

After I locked the door behind her, I poured us all cups, and we sat at the bar side by side. I hadn’t meant to snack on one of the leftover donuts, but it was so natural to have one with the coffee that I instinctively grabbed one and passed the boxes down to the other two. It was no wonder I never managed to lose weight. I should be thankful I rarely put much on, either. Somehow I’d found an equilibrium I could live with, even though it was quite a few pounds over what I considered my ideal weight should be.

I was about to tell Grace George’s theory about the fates of our subjects, but I couldn’t make my lips form the words. There was just something too depressing about it for me to voice the thought aloud.

It was Grace who finally broke the silence. “That was great, but we’re burning daylight here. Where should we get started?”

I was about to answer when George said, “You two should look for one of them together, and I’ll tackle the other.”

“How should we decide how to split our subjects up?” I asked. I knew George would never let us take the one he believed was in serious trouble, and I was curious about his answer.

Grace kept me from ever finding out. “I think we’ll have more luck with Emily’s mom than George will.” She swiveled in her chair and faced George. “You two don’t exactly get along, do you?”

George put his mug down and pivoted so he could make eye contact with Grace. “How did you know that?”

“My dad used to tell me how you two would tease Christine in school, and she always held it against both of you.”

George smiled. “Hey, we were a couple of rambunctious boys. In our defense, we teased everyone pretty mercilessly, including each other.” He took another sip of coffee, and then added, “I really miss your father.”

“I do, too,” Grace said softly.

“I’m sorry, Grace,” George stammered.

“Relax. I know you two were best friends growing up.” She patted his hand, and then added, “I’m sure you miss him nearly as much as I do.”

George nodded. “Yes, that sounds just about right.” He drained his mug, and then asked, “Are you two ready to get started?”

“It sounds as though we have a good game plan,” I said.

“Then we divide and conquer,” Grace replied as she took a last sip of her coffee, finished the bite of donut in front of her, and added, “We need to meet again this evening to compare notes on what we’ve found.”

George stood as he said, “I’ll see you both later, then. If anything major comes up before that, call me.”

“You do the same,” I made him promise. I might not be able to dog his steps, but I still wanted to know what he was up to.

After I let George out of the shop, I turned to Grace. “As soon as I rinse out these mugs, I’ll be ready to go.”

“That sounds great,” she said as she threw the napkins we’d been using into the trash while I walked in back with the three mugs.

When I rejoined her at the front, I found Grace looking into the boxes of donuts I’d left behind.

“You’re welcome to take some of those home with you if you’re interested,” I said.

Grace shook her head. “The offer’s tempting, but I don’t think so. Thanks for the gesture, though. I hate it, but you’re just going to have to throw them away.”

I smiled. “Don’t worry; it won’t be anything that drastic. I have an idea.” I combined the boxes into one, and though it was crowded, it looked quite festive with my little offerings wedged in close together. In particular, the iced éclairs and the sprinkled donuts were really very pretty side by side.

“Don’t hold out on me,” Grace said. “What are we going to do with them?”

“We’re going to use these to get in Christine Hargraves’s front door.”

*   *   *

“Suzanne, is there any news?” Christine asked as we came to her door fifteen minutes later. She was a heavyset woman with carefully styled hair and nice clothes. I knew that Christine was barely in her fifties, but at the moment, it was difficult to tell how old she was, given the harried look on her face. That wasn’t the worst of it, though. It was as if someone had turned the light off behind her eyes, and it was just about all I could take looking at her. She was known around town for her heightened sense of melodrama, but I wasn’t entirely sure that I blamed her this time.

“You shouldn’t let your imagination run away with you. It might be nothing.”

“I keep telling myself that exact same thing,” she said. “But I’m having trouble believing it. Regardless of what some people around town might think, my daughter has a good head on her shoulders. I know she can seem flighty at times, but this just isn’t like her.”

I shrugged, not knowing what to say. “We brought you these,” I said as I offered her the donuts. “We thought they might help a little.”

“That’s so sweet of you,” she said, almost automatically, as she took the box of donuts from me. “Where could that girl of mine be? I’ve tried calling her dozens of times, but her phone is turned off.”

“We wish we knew,” Grace said. “Do you have a second to chat, Christine?”

“Of course I do.” She shook her head gently, as though clearing the fog from her mind. “Where are my manners? Would you two like to come in?”

“We’d love to,” I said, “if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Honestly, it’s no problem at all,” she said. “I’d be delighted.”

“We’re not disturbing your husband, are we?” Grace asked as we all walked into the living room. The furniture was more than a little dated, and the carpet over the hardwood floors had seen better days, with frays and a few spots testifying that there wasn’t a great deal of money in the Hargraves household, at least not available for home improvements.

“No, he’s gone,” Christine said simply.

“Is he out looking for your daughter?” Grace asked.

She shook her head. “Actually, he left for Tampa this morning, and I haven’t been able to get in touch with him. As soon as he lands, they say they’ll have him call me here. Honestly, I’m losing my mind,” she admitted as she pushed the donut box around on the table, though it was still unopened. I doubted that she even realized she was doing it. “We weren’t sure we’d be able to have children, and Emily has been a blessing from the beginning.”

“Maybe it would help to talk with us about where she might be,” I said. “Do you have
any
ideas? Does Emily have a new boyfriend, by any chance?”

Christine nodded slightly. “It’s complicated. I hate to admit it, but she hasn’t confided in me much lately. We were really close before Emily left for college, but since she’s moved back in here with us, it’s like she’s a stranger sometimes.”

We were on familiar ground now. “I know it can be tough getting used to having her live with you again. It’s got to be hard on all of you. It surely was for Momma and me after I moved back in after my divorce.”

Christine looked surprised by the news. “You two had trouble getting along? I find that hard to believe. I thought you always seemed more like sisters than mother and daughter.”

Grace and I both laughed, and Christine asked, “Did I say something funny?”

“No, ma’am,” I answered quickly. “It’s just that it’s felt a lot different from the inside of the relationship. Trust me; we’ve had our share of rough patches along the way.”

“More than their share, if you ask me,” Grace added.

Oddly enough, the news made Christine smile.

“Now I’m the one who’s wondering what’s so amusing,” I said.

She laughed gently as she said, “I just thought you two were the perfect example for the rest of us to try to live up to. It’s a little reassuring hearing that you’ve had some problems along the way as well. It gives me hope for Emily, if you want to know the truth.”

“It’s not easy coming back home. I know sometimes I feel smothered,” I said, trying to soften the blow of what I was about to say. “Is there any chance she just had to get away?”

“And leave the shop unlocked and unmanned? I can’t imagine it, especially with the three amigos there. She might leave everything behind in the world that she holds dear, but she would never leave Cow, Spots, and Moose unprotected and unguarded. Especially Spots.”