Boo Buried Cupcakes (Black Cat Cafe Cozy Mystery Series Book 11) Read online

  “Bingo. You hit the nail on the head. I’m not sure I’d use the word convince though, it was like a threat. Cody said Brian had already hurt her enough and why did he ever even come back to town.”

  “Did Brian give Cody an answer to that question?”

  “He sure did. He told Cody he’d better start packing unless he had enough money to buy out Brian’s half of the farm.”

  Annie felt her jaw drop and her forehead crinkle. “Did you tell Christy?”

  “Not yet. I’m giving Cody a chance to give her his side of the conversation. Third hand never means as much.”

  Leona shrugged. “Maybe it was just an idle threat from Brian. He was obviously angry about Cody telling him to stay away from Greta so maybe he just lashed out with what he knew would hurt his brother the most. I don’t think Brian was used to anyone telling him what to do.”

  “Maybe.” Annie wondered if Leona was right because if it was true that Brian had plans to get his money out of the farm, that would be one enormous motive for Cody to kill him and get Brian’s share lock, stock, and barrel for himself. Assuming, of course, that Brian left his share to Cody. Another interesting detail that Kitty or Rachel might be able to shed light on.

  The rest of the morning went by surprisingly smoothly; and quickly. Before Annie’s stomach even sent her a demand for nourishment, it was time to head home.

  “I’m leaving a little early today, Leona. Jason gave me a gift certificate to Escape Reality Spa,” Annie explained as she hung up her apron.

  Leona’s eyebrow rose questioningly. “And what did Mr. Jason Hunter do to require a make-up gift like that?”

  Camilla snickered.

  Annie’s face heated up. “Nothing. What’s wrong with the two of you? Can’t he just give me a gift because?”

  “There’s always a reason, Annie. You’d better keep your eyes on your man.” Leona winked.

  Leona and Camilla laughed at Annie’s embarrassment.

  She picked up the box of cupcakes for Thelma and headed toward the door. “See you at one-forty-five, Camilla. Don’t be late.”

  Leona shot Annie a confused look. “You’re bringing Camilla to the spa and not me?”

  “That’s right, Leona. I’m bringing Camilla, Kitty, and Rachel. You need to help Danny at your new bed & breakfast. Remember?” Annie couldn’t resist throwing that jab at Leona after her comment about Jason. She opened the door and saw Camilla’s flabbergasted look before she walked out.

  “That will teach Leona to give me a hard time. Now she’ll have to tell Camilla about her new plans,” Annie mumbled to herself.

  She still didn’t know what to make of that bed & breakfast bombshell. Part of her was happy for Leona and Danny. The Harper House was a fantastic building and with Leona’s expertise, they would most certainly be able to turn it into a profitable business.

  But she’d miss working with Leona on a daily basis. Leona brought fun and excitement to the Black Cat Café, along with her incredible baking talent. Yes, she also brought a lot of drama, but they always managed to work through that. Annie would keep her eyes open for someone new to hire. In addition to her mother, Martha, and Camilla, of course.

  Annie knocked on Thelma’s kitchen door, then turned the knob and let herself in. She was surprised to hear voices. And more surprised when she figured out who Thelma’s visitor was.

  “That is the most beautiful quilt I’ve ever seen, Greta. You should have a quilt show with all your works of art.”

  Annie walked into the living room just in time to see Greta’s quilt of a black cat climbing a tree with a stone wall and hayfield in the background. It was like a painting; a painting with fabric. “Stunning,” she said.

  “Oh, hello Annie. I see you have a box with you,” Thelma said with a smile spreading from ear to ear. “I hope it’s something delicious from the Black Cat Café. Greta and I are just about to have tea, and a treat would go well.”

  “I’ll fix the tea and bring out a tray for you two. I only have about a half hour to visit since I’m heading to Escape Reality Spa this afternoon. Jason surprised me with a gift certificate.”

  “Aren’t you lucky,” Thelma said.

  Annie busied herself getting tea, sugar, and the surprise chocolate cupcakes on a tray for Thelma and Greta while she listened to their conversation about quilting and favorite books. Just as Annie carried the tray into the living room, Thelma mentioned Brian and Cody Springer.

  “It’s all anyone seems interested in at the moment,” Greta replied. Her voice was tinged with frustration. “Everyone wants to know what I know about those two brothers.” She helped herself to a cup of tea.

  Thelma oohed and awed over the cupcakes. “What did you bring, Annie?”

  “Leona calls them her surprise chocolate cupcakes.”

  “I hope the surprise is that they taste delicious,” Greta said under her breath so only Annie heard her comment. “Do I dare try one?”

  “I think you should,” Annie said. “There’s a delicious surprise inside.”

  Thelma bit into the cupcake and licked frosting off the corner of her lip. “Oh my. These are heavenly. How does Leona do it? Everything she makes is perfectly delicious.”

  Greta rolled her eyes but she did try a small bite of her cupcake. Her eyes popped open wide. “Oh, yes, Thelma. These are fantastic. What’s in the middle? Is that a mocha cream?”

  Annie smiled. “You guessed it, Greta. I told you it was a nice surprise.” Annie sat in the wooden rocker. “I had a visit from Detective Christy Crank today.”

  Greta tensed and she looked at Annie from the corner of her eye.

  “Did Cody ever say anything to you about Brian wanting him to buy Brian’s share of the farm?”

  “He was worried that might happen someday,” Greta replied without really answering the question.

  “So, it would be a problem for Cody.”

  Greta sipped her tea. “I suppose so. Listen, Annie, I wasn’t a close friend of Cody’s. He was always kind to me and he always visited on my birthday. Other than that, it’s not like he confided in me about all his woes.”

  “Let me put it this way then, Greta. If Cody would inherit Brian’s share of the farm, wouldn’t that be a motive for him to kill his brother?” Annie held up her hand to stop Greta from interrupting. “I’m not saying he did kill Brian, I’m only asking a hypothetical question.”

  “I don’t think Cody would do that,” Greta said.

  “I don’t think you killed Brian either but unless there is evidence pointing in another direction, Detective Crank has you at the top of her suspect list.” Annie was frustrated. Didn’t Greta see how dangerous her situation was?

  Greta gasped. “So you’re saying I need to rat out Cody to protect myself?”

  Annie stood up. “I’m only saying you need to be honest with what you saw, heard, or know about those two brothers. It could even lead to a different person. Don’t protect someone and sacrifice yourself.”

  “That’s good advice, Greta dear. Annie sees these things very clearly. You should think about what you know. Does anyone come to mind that might have wanted to hurt Brian?”

  Greta dropped her head into her hands. “I keep to myself. Who do I know? I see Kitty next door giving me dirty looks when she’s outside with her cats. I see Cody a few times a year. Everyone else just passes me by like I don’t exist.”

  Annie had one more question for Greta. “Did Cody know Brian’s girlfriend, Rachel?”

  Greta nodded. “He mentioned her to me and he did know that she was in town. He even wondered if she might show up at Kitty’s party, but he never told me whether she did or not.”

  17

  Annie saw Camilla pacing back and forth in her driveway when she pulled in.

  “I thought I heard the time wrong when no one was here,” Camilla said after Annie parked off to one side.

  “You’re a little early so come on in while I grab something to eat and get changed. Rachel and Kitty
should be here in fifteen minutes.” Annie opened the kitchen door, greeted Roxy, and found some yogurt to snack on.

  Camilla dropped her bag on the floor. It landed with a thud. She crouched down to rub Roxy’s ears.

  “What’s in that bag of yours, Camilla? I could fit all my belongings inside,” Annie exaggerated.

  “My bag? A little bit of this, a little bit of that. You never know what might come in handy.” She laughed. “Is there a plan for our afternoon event or do we just wing it and see where this info gathering espionage leads us?”

  “You make it sound much more dramatic than I expect this to be, but what I am hoping to find out is if Brian was planning to pull out of his ownership in the family farm.”

  “And leave Cody high and dry?”

  “Exactly. I suspect that Cody doesn’t have the money to buy out Brian’s share of the farm. He’s a carpenter. How much could he make? And that farm has to be worth a fortune.”

  “Okay, so you’re thinking that Rachel might know something about Brian’s plans? And maybe she’s staying in town to get her hands on a piece of the action?”

  Annie paused with her spoon halfway to her mouth. “Huh. That’s an interesting comment— Rachel staying with the hopes of getting something. That could be an angle.”

  “And what would Kitty know?” Camilla asked.

  “That’s what we need to find out. And it’s possible that they each got different information from Brian. After all, Kitty and Brian have kept in touch for the last twenty years but they haven’t seen each other until he showed up at her party. She told me he came back to ‘find his roots.’”

  Camilla rubbed her hands together. “Maybe it’s a love triangle—Rachel got jealous and pierced him with that walking stick.” She made a stabbing motion.

  “Maybe.”

  “Mystery and intrigue. This is going to be so much fun,” Camilla said.

  “But we can’t let either of them know that we are trying to dig for information.” Annie headed toward the stairs. “I’m going upstairs to change. Just let them in when they get here.”

  As Annie took the stairs two at a time, Camilla’s voice followed her. “My specialty, Annie. Don’t worry about a thing.”

  Annie slipped into a clean pair of jeans and a soft, eggplant purple, cashmere sweater. She dabbed herself with a soft floral perfume. “There, now I don’t smell like a chocolate cupcake anymore.” As she approached the top of the stairs, she heard voices.

  “Wow, this place is fantastic,” Kitty gushed. “I should have stayed closer to Jason before Annie came into the picture.”

  Annie paused.

  “Why is that?” Annie heard Rachel’s voice.

  “This was Jason’s house way before he and Annie got together. Jason, Brian, and I hung out together all the time back in high school. Jason was the serious one and everything fell apart a bit after the senior prom.”

  Thanks to you, Annie thought as she peeked around the corner and down the stairs, catching Camilla’s eye. Kitty and Rachel faced Camilla with their backs to Annie. Camilla made a quick, I-can’t-believe-what-I’m-hearing downward turn of her mouth.

  “You and Brian stayed in touch all those years?” Annie noticed a slight disgruntled tone in Rachel’s question. Jealousy?

  “Yup. He told me a lot about you, Rachel. It’s great to finally meet you.”

  Yeah, right, Annie thought. Kitty certainly didn’t leap at this invitation when she found out Rachel was part of the package. This whole info gathering might be easier than she anticipated with the way Kitty was already running her mouth. Add some wine, or was it champagne . . . whatever, either one would loosen Kitty up even more.

  Rachel lowered her voice but Annie could still hear her. “What about Annie? You weren’t friends with her in high school?”

  “She’s younger. I don’t know how she and Jason finally hooked up but I’m kicking myself for missing out on that opportunity. I always figured I’d have Brian to fall back on but, well, things don’t turn out how you expect when you’re a teenager.”

  Annie’s skin crawled but she managed to push her disgust aside and start down the stairs as if she hadn’t overheard one word of that conversation. “Great. Everyone’s here. We can head over to the Escape Reality Spa. Just let me grab my gift certificate.” She laughed. “I don’t want to forget that. Such a thoughtful gift from Jason. I’m just so lucky.” She couldn’t help throwing that out there after what she heard Kitty say.

  Camilla managed to roll her eyes at Annie without Rachel or Kitty seeing as she picked up her bag. “I’ll drive so you three can have an extra glass of bubbly if you want.”

  “Perfect,” Kitty giggled. “I wouldn’t mind a whole bottle!”

  Kitty followed Rachel out the door and Camilla leaned close to Annie’s ear. “I thought I talk too much. Is she for real?”

  “Let’s just use it to our advantage, Camilla. People that talk too much tend to say things they shouldn’t. We need to guide her in the right direction. Plus, if we keep the focus on Brian, it might annoy Rachel enough to get her talking, too.” Annie pulled the kitchen door closed.

  Annie’s Volvo wagon was parked closest to the house with Camilla’s orange Subaru Crosstrek and Kitty’s sedan behind. “Did you walk over Rachel?” Annie asked.

  “Yeah. It seemed easiest since I’m staying so close.”

  Annie climbed into the passenger seat of Camilla’s car. Kitty and Rachel sat in the back.

  “Seat belts on, everyone?” Camilla looked in the rearview mirror. Three yups responded. “Great. Hang on, I don’t drive the speed limit.”

  Annie raised her eyebrows and looked at Camilla but before a word could pass her lips, Camilla screeched from the driveway and headed up the road. The car squealed around the twisty, turny curves and the two women in the back shrieked in delight.

  “Everyone okay?” Camilla asked.

  “As long as we don’t meet any other cars,” Annie answered, gripping the edge of her seat and jamming both feet on the floor, ready to brace herself if Camilla slammed on the brakes.

  Rachel pointed out the window. “There’s my friend’s house where I’ve been staying. If you don’t blink, you’ll catch a glimpse as Camilla flies by.”

  Camilla laughed, downshifted, and slowed at a yield sign. “So, what’s first on the agenda at the spa?”

  Annie read the gift certificate, “Our massages are scheduled for three, then we soak in the hot tub, and finish with a view of the lake while enjoying our champagne. How does that sound?”

  “I’m already starting to feel relaxed,” Kitty said. “Any chance of champagne before and after?”

  “If we’re early, that could be a possibility.”

  Camilla stepped on the gas. “We’ll be early, girls. Don’t worry.”

  She was right. Camilla slammed on her brakes in the parking lot of the Escape Reality Spa at two-forty. The stone building was surrounded by a lawn that grew right to the water’s edge.

  They each slung their bags over their shoulders and filed inside. A soft new-age rhythm drifted from unseen speakers as a tall woman floated toward them.

  “Welcome. You must be Annie Hunter?”

  Annie nodded.

  “I’m Giselle. You’re a bit early. Would you like to sit in the sunroom and enjoy a drink while you wait?”

  “You read our mind, honey,” Kitty replied. “Lead the way.”

  Giselle’s eyebrow twitched slightly at Kitty’s comment but she said nothing as she led them toward an indoor glass sunroom overlooking Heron Lake. “Get comfortable and I’ll be right back with . . . what would you like?”

  “Champagne?” Annie asked.

  “Certainly.” Giselle disappeared while the four women sank into overly stuffed chairs that were surrounded by tropical leaves and blooming orchids. A hint of jasmine filled the room.

  She returned before they had time to take in the whole scene, carrying a tray and four champagne glasses. “Enjoy. I’ll be ba
ck for you when the massage room is free.”

  “I could get used to this kind of treatment,” Kitty said as she helped herself to one of the glasses. She leaned back, sighed, and crossed her legs.

  “Don’t take a sip yet,” Camilla said. “I want to make a toast.” She handed a glass to Annie and Rachel and held the last glass in the air. “To Annie, a loyal friend, a smart woman, and one who always searches for the truth. Thanks for including us today.” She winked at Annie and clinked her glass with the others.

  Annie took a sip of the champagne to avoid commenting on Camilla’s words. Always searches for the truth? Was she sending a warning to Rachel and Kitty? The bubbles went straight to her nose, causing her eyes to water.

  Annie caught Rachel’s gaze. Her eyes seemed to pierce into her thoughts or, more likely, she was trying to decipher a meaning behind Camilla’s toast.

  “What truth are you searching for, Annie?” Rachel asked, her voice calm and quiet.

  Before Annie could respond, Kitty snorted. “Annie always finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Is it that you always end up in the wrong place at the wrong time or are you involved somehow?”

  “I’m not sure what you’re suggesting, Kitty. But I am involved in this to the degree that I practically tripped over Brian’s body.” She stared at Kitty and Rachel. “And I don’t believe that Greta Grayley is the murderer.” She decided to throw that out there to see what it would stir up.

  She wasn’t disappointed.

  “Greta Grayley?” Rachel sat forward in her chair so fast she almost spilled her champagne. “Brian mentioned her as a, quote, unquote, friend from his past. He wanted to visit her to try to right a wrong but he also told me she most likely hated his guts. And she was at the scene of the crime?”

  “That’s right, Rachel. Greta never forgave Brian for a silly high school joke. I’d think the detective would certainly take a close look at her motive and opportunity.” Kitty tipped her head back and finished her champagne. She looked at Camilla. “Are you going to drink yours?”

  Camilla looked at the glass she was holding as if she’d forgotten it was in her hand. “Ah, no, you want it?”