One Dead Cookie (17 page)

“We’ll limit the wine, too,” Maddie said. “Lucas and I are footing the bill for drinks.
Poor Lucas is still paying off the loan he took out to pay for his parents’ care before
they died. This recession has really slowed down business, even for Heights Hardware,
the best hardware store in the entire country. Luckily, my income has been more or
less steady, thanks to The Gingerbread House.”

While the last batch of experimental lavender-lemon cookies cooled on racks, Olivia
began filling the dishwasher. “Tomorrow evening we’ll need to start baking the
cookies for Saturday,” she said. “I’ll check and make sure we have enough supplies.”

Maddie bounced up from her chair with altogether too much energy. “Livie, it’s already
tomorrow, and there aren’t many tomorrows left before the party. I’m wound up anyway,
so I intend to keep baking. You get some sleep. You are two months older than me,
after all; you could get a heart attack or something.”

“I’ll remind you about that comment two months from now, when you’ve reached my advanced
age,” Olivia said. “I was planning to stay up a while, too. I brought home several
boxes from Clarisse’s cookie cutter collection. We’re only using a few of them, so
I thought it would be fun to put together a new display for the store. I mentioned
the idea to Bertha, and she loved it. She still misses Clarisse. So do I.”

“Aren’t you worried they might be stolen?” Maddie asked. “Del hasn’t caught whoever
broke into Lady Chatterley’s and/or attacked the head teller at the bank.”

“I’ll lock the cutters in a case and put it in the safe at night,” Olivia said. “Del
keeps telling me to install an alarm system, but it’s so expensive. Knowing me, I’d
probably trip the alarm on a daily basis.”

“I see your point. Hang on a sec, let me check something.” Maddie turned toward the
computer screen. “I hate reading Binnie’s blog, but if there’s any new information
about the break-ins, she’ll hear it first.”

“Or she’ll make it up.” Olivia cleared her desk and began to lay out the cookie cutters
she’d selected from Clarisse’s collection.

“Nothing from Binnie,” Maddie reported, “except that your ongoing feud with the love
of your life, Sheriff Del Jenkins, is heating up again. Apparently, you are in desperate
denial and won’t let go. Oh my…”

“What? No wait, do I really want to know?”

“Binnie has redefined nasty. She dug up information about Del’s divorce,” Maddie said.
“According to Binnie’s blatant innuendo, Del was such a difficult husband he drove
his wife back into the arms of her ex-husband. Del will kill Binnie.”

“No, he won’t, but I will.” Olivia slapped a dishtowel on the counter. It felt good.
“Del told me his wife left him to return to her ex-husband. It hurt him deeply. Binnie
finally says something partly true, and it’s more vicious than any lie she’s ever
printed.”

Maddie stared at the screen in silence for a moment. “You know,” she said, “that’s
not the sort of insider information I usually find easily on the Internet. Not impossible,
of course, but…” Her hands bounced around the keyboard for a few minutes. “Nothing
so far. Del’s ex-wife was named Lisa, right? Okay, here’s a notice about his wife’s
remarriage, but it doesn’t mention Del, or that she is remarrying her ex-husband.
I’m sure I could find more, but only because I know what I’d be looking for. Binnie
must really hate Del to go to such lengths to trash him.” Maddie clicked away for
several more minutes. “Okay, I can find references to Del as the arresting officer
in various places other than Chatterley Heights, probably in previous jobs. A couple
quotes about more recent cases. Lisa doesn’t appear to be a tell-all sort of person.
Del never posts anything online himself.”

“Of course not,” Olivia said. “He isn’t the celebrity cop type. He’s very private.”

“I hate to break it to you, Livie, but that wouldn’t stop someone who really wants
to find out about him. Private investigators manage to dig up all sorts of information
the rest of us wouldn’t know how to find. Even an average citizen can use sites that
find personal information for a fee. I
don’t, of course. My curiosity wanes when I have to shell out money.”

“I need sustenance,” Olivia said as she selected an undecorated lavender-lemon cookie.
“Herbs are good for the brain, right?”

“I’m sure I’ve read that somewhere,” Maddie said. “While you’re at it, hand me one
of those babies. I could use a few more IQ points.”

Olivia relaxed on a kitchen chair and propped her feet up on the seat of another one.
“Binnie Sloan can be a bulldog when it comes to hunting down information, especially
when she’s miffed at someone. She doesn’t like you and me. She’s still angry with
Del for all the times he has interfered with her so-called investigative reporting.
If she could find damaging or humiliating information about any of our pasts, she’d
gladly use it, but I can’t see her hating us enough to pay anyone to find the information
for her. Can you?”

“Not a chance,” Maddie said. “
The Weekly Chatter
isn’t exactly the
Baltimore Sun
. Binnie operates on a frayed shoestring. Plus she’s been paying for her niece’s journalism
training. Ned’s been burning through lots of online classes, plus she’s taken a couple
courses at American University.”

Olivia nibbled her cookie and felt herself relax. Her mother always told her that
lavender potpourri would calm her, if only she’d give it a chance. She concluded that
cookies worked much better. “And don’t forget,” Olivia said, “Binnie has her pride.
She’d have to be desperate to pay someone else to dig up dirt for her.”

“So do you think Binnie might be really desperate to embarrass Del?”

“Can’t imagine why.” Olivia finished her cookie and
brushed the crumbs off her lap. “No, I have a feeling Binnie came by the information
about Del’s divorce without much effort. I suspect someone else fed it to her.”

“I don’t get it,” Maddie said. “Who would do that? Maybe somebody Del arrested?”

Olivia stood and stretched her arms above her head. “I don’t know. But I can’t help
thinking maybe there’s—”

Fierce barking penetrated into the kitchen from the store’s sales area. Maddie’s chair
toppled to the floor as she leaped to her feet. Olivia scrambled toward the door with
one worry in her mind: Spunky’s safety. She’d left him to snooze in the dark store
while she and Maddie baked the night away. She hadn’t wanted him to wake up alone
in the apartment. He might fear he’d been abandoned.

With Maddie close behind, Olivia threw open the kitchen door and flipped on the lights.
“Spunky? What’s wrong, boy?”

Spunky yapped as he skittered back and forth in front of the large window that faced
onto the Chatterley Heights town square. Olivia didn’t try to stop him. Instead, she
doused the sales floor lights and stood at the window. Maddie joined her.

The outside porch lights revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Olivia saw no movement
in the store’s dimly lit front yard. Clouds hid the moon, while streetlamps dropped
glowing circles along the sidewalk surrounding the park. Nothing suspicious there,
as far as Olivia could tell. The park itself was dark, except for the single lamp
by the band shell.

When Spunky quieted down, Olivia scooped him into her arms. “What did you see, my
fierce protector?” The tired little guy snuggled against her shoulder, ready to call
it a night.

“Maybe he woke up suddenly and panicked?” Maddie suggested.

“Maybe.” Olivia stroked her pup’s silky back to soothe him.

“Or it might be time to install that alarm system Del keeps urging us to go into hock
for.” Maddie yawned. “I’m reconsidering the all-night baking idea. I think I’ll go
home, grab a few hours of sleep, and get here early tomorrow morning.”

“Maybe you should sleep in my guest room,” Olivia said.

“Come on, Livie, this isn’t Baltimore. Besides, your mom has been teaching me some
basic self-defense moves. Have you any idea how strong that teensy woman is? Maybe
I should ask her to walk me home at night. Anyway, Aunt Sadie and Lucas will worry
if I’m not there in the morning, and I don’t want to call and wake them. Tell you
what, I’ll give you a ring when I’m safely home, so you won’t fuss all night.”

“Call the phone in the store kitchen,” Olivia said. “I’ll finish cleaning up and prep
for opening tomorrow.”

They returned to the kitchen, where Maddie grabbed a full garbage bag she’d left next
to the alley door. “I’ll call the instant I get in the door. You need your beauty
sleep.”

“I’d feel better if you left that trash until morning,” Olivia said. “And go out the
front door. It’s far better lit.”

“Will you stop fussing? Anyway, this stuff will start to stink if we leave it here.
What would Bertha think of us?” Maddie opened the alley door wide and made a show
of scanning the alley for movement. “Nope, no crazed murderers as far as the eye can
see. Take a look for yourself.”

Maybe she had lived in Baltimore too long, but Olivia’s first couple years back home
hadn’t convinced her that
little Chatterley Heights was immune to big-city problems. “I’ll do more than ‘take
a look’ at that alley,” she said. “I intend to watch you until you’re around the corner
of the house.”

“Have it your way.” Maddie chuckled as she headed into the alley.

Olivia found her best friend’s attitude a bit, well, insulting, but they were both
tired, so she let it pass. Everything would return to normal once the engagement party
was a delightful memory. Olivia was looking forward to that moment. She watched from
the doorway as Maddie dropped the garbage bag into the trash can and replaced the
lid. She turned and waved to Olivia before skipping down the alley to the corner of
The Gingerbread House, where she would cut through the lawn to reach the well-lit
sidewalk. Olivia was tempted to sneak a peek through the store window to watch Maddie
pass the building, but she figured Spunky would be making a racket if anything wasn’t
right. Olivia closed, locked, and latched the alley door.

While she waited for Maddie’s call, Olivia dampened a cloth and began to clean the
countertop in preparation for the next round of baking. If she set up the ingredients,
they could hit the ground running and maybe finish a batch or two before they had
to open in the morning. Knowing Maddie, she’d sleep a few hours and wake up with the
energy of three cookie bakers. Olivia intended to get up early, but she wouldn’t even
try to match Maddie’s—

The kitchen phone rang and interrupted Olivia’s rambling thoughts. She glanced up
at the clock over the sink. Maddie had left only a few minutes earlier. Olivia lunged
for the phone without checking the caller ID.

“Livie? Could you come to the door, please?” Maddie’s voice sounded more subdued than
usual, but Olivia was so relieved to hear it she felt almost giddy.

“Sure, did you forget something?” Olivia carried the phone with her and opened the
alley door as she spoke. No one was there. “Maddie? Where are you?”

“I meant the front door. Right now. Please?”

Olivia slammed the alley door, dropped the phone receiver on the kitchen counter,
and sprinted into the store. She was halfway across the sales floor before it occurred
to her she ought to have brought her cell, just in case. However, Maddie had her phone,
and Spunky didn’t seem upset. In fact, the little guy was wagging his tail as he looked
out the front window onto the porch. Olivia didn’t stop to confirm what Spunky saw,
but she assumed it was Maddie. So maybe nothing was all that wrong.

The store’s front door, which led into the foyer, was locked and bolted, as was the
door leading outside. It would take Olivia a couple minutes to open both. Spunky jumped
down from his chair and trotted over to her.

“No, Spunks, you stay in here,” Olivia said. “If we need your ferocious help, I’ll
come back and get you.”

Apparently, Spunky heard his mistress say they were going outside, because he wagged
his tail with gusto. As she opened the store door, Olivia put her foot out to stop
him. He leaped over it and pranced across the foyer to the front door. Olivia gave
up. She picked Spunky up and held him tightly against her side while she fumbled with
the deadbolt.

When Olivia flung open the front door, no one was there. Momentarily confused, she
stepped out onto the porch and listened. She heard nothing. Spunky squirmed and strained
his head around to the right, where the narrow front porch
wrapped around the corner of the house. Maybe Maddie was there, out of sight? Why
wasn’t she calling out?

Olivia felt Spunky stiffen as he sniffed the air. “What is it, Spunks?” Olivia whispered.
He responded with a low growl. At the same time, he wagged his fluffy tail. “Maddie?”

“Livie, over here.” It was Maddie’s voice.

Olivia entered the curve in the porch as it rounded the southeast corner of the house.
Her heart whacked at her ribs as if it were desperate to escape. When she saw Maddie,
her first reaction was relief. Maddie leaned against the porch railing and stared
out at the darkened park. She certainly looked unhurt. Yet she seemed oddly still,
as if she’d been stunned.

Spunky growled again, but not directly at Maddie. He was focused on something behind
her, just out of range. Olivia eased through the corner of the wraparound porch. She
saw the wicker chair she enjoyed relaxing in after closing the store on a summer evening.
She loved the full view it gave her of the town square.

It took Olivia several seconds to process the fact that someone else was seated in
her spot. The chair’s wicker back curved around enough to hide the head and torso,
but the hands and legs belonged to a man. A tall, well-dressed man. With a sinking
feeling, Olivia recognized the khaki slacks and sleek burgundy loafers Trevor Lane
had been wearing in the band shell earlier in the evening.

“Is he…?”

“Yes.” Maddie spoke in a whisper. “I couldn’t find a pulse. Trevor is very dead.”