Death by Strawberry Cupcake Read online

  “I noticed that,” he said.

  “The candy containers had been messed with.”

  “How do you know?” he asked.

  “I saw them pulled out from the shelves. Rhonda would never leave them like that.”

  “So you think the killer was looking for candy?” he asked with a laugh.

  Now he was just teasing me.

  I looked at my time on my phone. “I’m going to be late for the set. Is it all right if I leave?”

  “I know where to find you,” he said.

  That sounded bad. Apparently, he wasn’t finished asking me questions.

  Chapter 3

  I waved goodbye to the detective and headed out the door. Of course, all the area was taped off. A couple of officers moved the tape and allowed me to leave the parking lot. That was a close one. I couldn’t believe I was actually being allowed to leave. Just a few minutes ago I’d been handcuffed. I’d seen visions of my life in prison flash before my eyes. What would do in prison? Would they allow me to bake cupcakes?

  Once again, my thoughts turned to that poor woman. Maybe she would be okay. I hadn’t heard anything else about her condition. Though it hadn’t looked as if she was alive. When I stopped at the red light, I dialed the new producer’s number to let her know that I would be just a smidgen late. I hoped she was understanding when I told her exactly what had happened. Fortunately, she didn’t pick up, so I had to leave a voicemail. I’d just ended the call when my phone rang again. It wasn’t her calling back. This time it was Finn.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  “Am I in trouble?” I asked.

  “No, but they want me to call and find out where you are.”

  “I had a bit of a situation when I stopped to get the candy,” I said.

  “Oh? You didn’t get the candy?” Her voice rose.

  I knew she was thinking of all the worst scenarios. Like we wouldn’t be able to tape the show because we didn’t have the right ingredients. I was a professional though. I would think of something to get us out of the cupcake catastrophe.

  “Worse than that,” I said.

  “What is going on?” he asked.

  Actually, I’d forgotten I had no chocolate for the show. What would we do for the cupcakes?

  “What kind of stuff?” he asked.

  I released a deep breath and then said, “I found the woman.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Okay, I’m a bitter flustered still. What I meant to say was I found the candy shop owner and she was covered in blood. There was a bloody knife next to the body.”

  “Oh my God, Scarlet. Was she dead?”

  “Well, I don’t know for sure. She wasn’t looking good.” I said as I drove through another green light.

  “Wow, it’s like you attract this stuff.”

  “Apparently I do,” I said. “Listen, I’ll be there soon. You’d better find some chocolate.”

  The new producer wasn’t going to like this. Not only was I late, but I came without the chocolate.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Finn said.

  After a couple more minutes, I whipped into the parking lot and pulled into my space. At least they had finally given me one a little bit closer to the building. I complained that it wasn’t fair that Finn had a place up close to the door and I had to walk all the way across. In his defense, he had been working at some capacity at the studio for a lot longer than me, so I somewhat understood why he had the parking space.

  I practically ran to the door and then raced into the dimly lit hallway that led to the dressing rooms. After all this time they still hadn’t added extra lightbulbs in this place. It was just downright spooky here. Nevertheless, I ran down the hall. If I didn’t move quickly, I wouldn’t have time to change and have my makeup done.

  Halfway down the hallway, the door opened, and Ruby grabbed my arm. “Get in here.”

  She pulled me into the room and plucked me down into the chair in front of the mirror with the lights. I squinted from the bright bulb lights.

  “Where should I begin?” I released a deep breath.

  I recounted the entire story to Ruby. Her eyes grew wider with each sentence.

  “Wow, that’s something else. You just have really bad luck, don’t you?”

  “Most of the time, yes,” I said. “Things could be worse though.”

  She touched up my mascara and then said, “Okay, you’re all ready. Now get out there and make those cupcakes.”

  “Thank you,” I said with a smile.

  After slipping into my clothing, I raced down the hallway. I had one shoe on and I was trying to put the other one on before reaching the set. The studio’s door opened and the new producer was now standing in front of me.

  Her eyes narrowed. “You’re late. Someone had better be dead.”

  “Funny you say that because someone is bad.”

  She frowned. “Who died?”

  “The candy maker.”

  “What candy maker?” she asked, looking at me as if I was completely crazy.

  “I stopped to get the chocolate candy this morning and the woman who owns the place was dead. Well, I think she’s dead. I don’t know for sure, but it was bad.”

  She studied my face. “Are you joking with me?”

  “I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

  “Well, get inside,” she said. “We have to get started.”

  At least I wasn’t fired. Yet. I raced into the room and over to the kitchen area. It was a huge set with a gorgeous kitchen area. And I loved making the cupcakes here. The white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and marble countertops. It truly was gorgeous. Finn was gorgeous too. His name accurately described him. Finn was fine. Gorgeous green eyes that left me woozy. A smile that made me giddy. A body that made me almost faint. It was seriously getting hot in here. Could someone turn on the air? The hot lights from the set didn’t help. I fanned myself hoping that would cool me down.

  Speaking of gorgeous, where was my cohost Finn Fine? I always tried to ignore his good looks, but it was hard at times. No sooner had the thought left my mind when I spotted Finn walking toward me. Immediately a smile appeared on my face too.

  Finn took the spot next to me on set. “Well, I’m glad to see that you survived.”

  “Clearly,” I whispered.

  The lights were bright on us and the cameras were ready to go.

  “I’ll tell you more about it later,” I said.

  “I can’t wait to hear this,” he said.

  Immediately the producer gestured that we were on air.

  “Today will be making key lime pie cupcakes,” I said with a smile.

  “Sounds delicious,” Finn added.

  Finn and I took turns adding ingredients to the bowl. Surprisingly, the show had been going well. It was still early, but so far so good. I’d even received letters and emails from viewers saying they liked the show. Every time I pulled the baked cupcakes out of the oven, I felt a rush of delight.

  Finn and I started decorating the top of the cupcakes. He had his usual spin on things—this time adding multiple colors. I spread green sprinkles over the top of my cupcake and then added a lime-shaped candy.

  Candy. The flash of the dead body rushed through my mind and momentarily I was speechless. The producer was waving her hands as if trying to remind me to speak. Thank goodness a couple seconds past and I snapped out of it and finished my sentence.

  “Thanks for joining Scarlet and I today for the show and we hope you’ll tune in for the next episode,” Finn said, flashing a smile.

  I was almost certain I heard a few women on set swoon.

  “Goodbye, everyone and happy cupcake baking,” I said with the wave.

  As soon as the camera had stopped rolling Finn turned to me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “When I saw that candy, I had a flashback.”

  “How about we go out for coffee and you can te
ll me all about it.”

  Were Finn and I actually becoming friends? I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I wanted to keep things professional. People were already speculating that we were dating. If they saw us out together it would only add fuel the fire.

  I suppose coffee would be okay,” I said reluctantly.

  Just as Finn and I started to walk away the producer came over to us. Michelle towered over me. I guessed her height as six foot like Finn. Though with the four-inch heels on her feet that made her taller than both of us. She seemed a bit intimidating too. Her blue eyes focused on me and I immediately felt as if I was in trouble with the teacher. I stood a little taller as if that would actually help. Oh well. Maybe I was small, but I wouldn’t let that stop me.

  “Where are you two off to?” she asked.

  “We’re just going for some coffee and talk about what happened to Scarlet today.” Finn gestured.

  “Oh, you mean the stuff at the candy shop? I thought you were joking.”

  She laughed and it kind of sounded like a donkey. I’d just say that her laughter had personality. That was what my grandma would have said.

  “Would a joke about something like that?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I really don’t know you that well. I thought you just had an odd sense of humor. You know people will make any excuse if they’re running late. Well that was a legitimate excuse. I really found someone dead.”

  “Wow, I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, handing me a piece of paper. “That’s too bad… Oh, by the way, a man left a note for you while you were on set. He left it with the receptionist outside. Apparently, he seemed adamant that you get it right away.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “I’ll see you all on Thursday,” she said as she turned and walked in the other direction.

  “Oh, you have a secret admirer. Are you going to read the note?” Finn asked as he leaned closer.

  I thought he was more curious about what it said than I was.

  “I suppose,” I said.

  I had no idea who would leave me a note. What if it was the detective and he wanted to talk to me more. I hoped not. Then again, he had my number. That was pretty bad when a homicide detective had my number because of a murder investigation. I unfolded the white piece of paper. The message was sloppily scribbled in big letters like someone had written it with their left hand.

  You forgot your candy.

  Fear raced through me immediately.

  “What’s wrong?” Finn asked.

  I didn’t even answer him, instead I just handed him the piece of paper. Fear had such a tight grip on me that I didn’t even want to look at it right now. Finn took the paper and read it. He was speechless for a moment and then our eyes met.

  “We have to find out who left this note,” he said.

  At least he knew what it meant, and I didn’t have to explain the message to him. I was too sick to even talk about it right now. Yet I knew I needed to find out who had left it.

  “Let’s go talk to the receptionist,” Finn said, taking my hand.

  We hurried from the studio and toward the lobby. Finn and I walked in silence as we marched down the hallway together. When we reached the front, the receptionist wasn’t there.

  “I released a deep breath. “Where is she?”

  “Maybe she just stepped away for a moment,” Finn said. “Do you want to wait here? I’ll go see if I can find her.”

  Alone? Not really, but I would anyway.

  “Yeah, okay, I’ll stay here.”

  The thought of staying here alone right now wasn’t the best thing for me.

  Chapter 4

  I watched Finn walk down the hall toward the break area. I hoped he found her soon. The lobby area was a bit too dim for my liking as well. Were they trying to save on electricity out here too? I paced in front of the desk waiting for any sign of the receptionist. I was beginning to have a panic attack. My chest would feel tight. I’d feel like I couldn’t breath and my limbs would tingle. Then the dizziness would set in. Before I knew it, I’d be in the emergency room. I wanted to get out of here.

  Who could have left that note for me? Had the killer been in the candy shop when I was there? That had to be the only exclamation. With the police there though, wouldn’t they have found the killer? I was sure they’d searched the entire building. Maybe the killer was watching the building and saw me go in there. He could have followed me when I left. Yes, that had to be the case. Detective Bailey had to check things surrounding the shop, like the surveillance for the other businesses. Of course, he would do that. It was his job. This was what he did every day.

  “Found her,” Finn said from some distance behind me.

  I spun around and clutched my chest. Thank goodness it was just Finn and the receptionist walking down the hall toward me. It seemed as if it had been forever since he went to find her.

  “Sorry I was just in the break room getting coffee,” she said.

  Bridget was my height and size. She had her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail that swayed when she walked. Her pristine white button-down shirt was tucked into the waistband of her black pencil skirt.

  “That’s all right,” I said. “We just wanted to ask about that note that someone left for me. Can you tell me who did that?”

  “Actually, it was strange. A man walked in off the street and said that someone else had given him the note and told him what to say.”

  “That is really weird,” I said. “Are you sure that’s what he said? Maybe he really was the one who wanted to give it and just didn’t tell you instead.”

  “All I know is that’s what he told me,” she said.

  “What did he look like?” I asked.

  “He was probably fifty or sixty years old with gray hair.”

  Well, that didn’t really give me much to go on.

  “Thank you for the information,” I said.

  Finn and I walked outside to his car. Yes, his car was closer since he had that special parking spot. But I wasn’t bitter. He opened the car door for me, and I slid in. The smell of leather surrounded me. That wasn’t all though. The inside of the car smelled like Finn. That spicy yet clean scent. I inhaled deeply before he got in the car and caught me. For heaven’s sake, my toes even tingled. The inside of his car was spotless too. I’d expect something. Spare change? A chewing gum wrapper. Cupcake wrapper?

  I supposed I was looking around for the author of the note, but no one was around.

  “Now what will I do?’ I asked.

  “Other than tell the police about this, I don’t think there’s anything you can do.”

  “With everything that goes on around here they need to set up some surveillance cameras outside.”

  “I agree with that,” he said. “Or maybe you should just wear a personal camera on you.”

  “That would probably be a good idea.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t see anything else in the candy shop while you in there with the body?” Finn asked.

  "It was so quiet it was eerie. Just the thought that the killer could have been watching me sends a shiver down my spine.”

  “Well, you should be extra careful,” he said.

  “Do you really think the killer might come after me?” I asked. “Better safe than sorry,” Finn said.

  The fact that Finn was warning me made things even more surreal. This was really happening.

  When he got behind the wheel, I said, “I think the killer had to have been watching.”

  “What makes you think that?” Finn asked.

  “How else would he know that I’d been the one to find the body?”

  “But why can’t give you a note?”

  “To scare me in case I actually saw him. Of course, I didn’t see him.”

  “I hope it never happens again,” he said.

  Finn and I rode in silence as we headed toward the coffee shop. I knew we were both thinking about the note. At least I assumed he was think
ing about the note too. The place was close by and I frequented there quite often now. They had the best blueberry scones. Plus, the coffee was great.

  “I suppose you’ll be calling Detective Bailey,” Finn said as we stopped at a red light.”

  “Well, he was the officer on the scene. I get the impression that you don’t like him,” I said.

  “Okay…” Finn said as he pushed the gas.

  “Well, at least you’re honest,” I said.

  Finn chuckled. “It’s not that I don’t like him.”

  “But what?” I asked.

  “It’s just that… oh, I don’t know. Sure, I like him.” Finn attempted a smile.

  We pulled into the coffee shop parking lot. Finn hopped out right away. The place was a small building. The parking lot was probably bigger than it needed to be for such a small shop. Other shops were nearby though, and I figured they used the parking lot as well. A mattress store, a workout supplement shop, and not far away was a car lot. I took the spot next to the oak tree for shade.

  He really didn’t want to answer my question. I supposed I would let it go for now, but I wanted to find out exactly why he didn’t like the detective.

  After I got out of the car Finn and I walked into the coffee shop.

  “Like I said, it’s on me,” I said.

  “Oh, no, I’m buying today,” Finn said. “I feel like treating. You’ve been stressed.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”

  He didn’t even disagree with me on any of the stuff on the show today. What was he up to? Why was he being so nice?

  “I’d like an iced coffee and a…”

  “Blueberry scone,” he said.

  Was I that predictable?

  “I’ll find us a seat. I said as I looked around the empty the coffee shop. “Well, I’ll pick out one.”

  While I waited for Finn to get the coffee I sat down and pulled out my phone. I had to tell the detective about this right away. Thank goodness he picked up right away.

  “I was just getting ready to call you, Scarlet,” he said.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked. “Don’t tell me you’re coming to arrest me.”