Gayle Trent - Murder Takes the Cake

Murder Take the Cake

By

Gayle Trent

Bell Bridge Books

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead,) events or locations is entirely coincidental.

Bell Bridge Books

PO BOX 30921

Memphis, TN 38130

Bell Bridge Books is an Imprint of BelleBooks, Inc.

Copyright 2008 by Gayle Trent

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-935661-05-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

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Cover design: Debra Dixon

Cover Art Credits:

Cherry/icing - terex - Fotolia.com

Texture - Angela Cable - Fotolia.com

Knife - Gary Woodard - Fotolia.com

Ebook layout and conversion: jimandzetta.com

:F-01:

Instead of a homicidal maniac, Janey Dobbs got out of the car. She shaded her eyes with her hand. Daphne? Daphne Martin, is that you?

I let out the breath I wasnt aware Id been holding. Yes! Yes, Mrs. Dobbs; its me and my sister Violet.

Thank goodness I recognized you, Mrs. Dobbs said. You cant change that tire here on the side of this busy interstate highway. Youll get hit by a caror one of those tractor-trailers.

That thought had crossed my mind.

You two grab your things and lock the car, and Ill drive you to a service station.

Fortunately, we were able to find a garage that was still open and willing to tow my car and repair the tire. Unfortunately, I couldve probably bought a small, third-world country for the same cost... plus maybe a quart of tequila. Does tequila come in quarts? Im not surenot much of a drinkerbut you get my point.

Violet and I sat down in the dusty waiting room. To my surprise, Janey Dobbs joined us.

Thank you for bringing us here, I said. But, please, dont feel obligated to wait. Im sure you

Of course, I feel obligated to wait! What if theyre unable to fix your car? How will you get home?

Well... thank you, I said, if youre sure...

Were lucky you came along, Violet told Mrs. Dobbs. Whatre the odds someone we know would be driving along that stretch of interstate at the very moment Daphnes car broke down?

Mrs. Dobbs laughed as she pushed her curly brown hair back off her forehead. It isnt such a long shot. I prefer to think of it as serendipity.

So do I. I smiled. What fortunate coincidence brought you in this direction today?

Oh, I wanted to get out and enjoy some of the sites before winter sets in. That giant guitar thing, for one.

You know, Ive never been there. Ive always thought it would be interesting to go.

Me, too, Violet said. Maybe you and I could take the kids there one day.

How old are your children? Mrs. Dobbs asked.

Theyre eleven. Theyre twinsa boy and a girl.

Thats marvelous. Kellen and I never had children. Ive always regretted that. She gave a quick, sad shake of her head as if that would dislodge her melancholy. Do take the children to the guitar museum. I think theyd thoroughly enjoy it.

Thank you. I will. Violet gave Mrs. Dobbs a warm smile. Of course, thoughts of her children and their enjoyment of something always brought out Vis biggest, brightest smile. Mine, too, come to think of it.

Mr. Burlysorry, Mr. Addison, though he looked like a Mr. Burly to mecame into the waiting room wiping his hands on a blue paper towel. Weve got you ready to roll again, Ms. Martin.

What happened to the tire? I asked. Did I run through some broken glass or something?

I dont know. You had a small puncture, but the object wasnt embedded. We patched it, and the patch should last for the life of the tire.

So I wont need to buy a new tire when I get home?

Not unless you run over some more sharp objects on your way. Mr. Burly laughed at his own joke, and the rest of us smiled out of politeness.

While he wrote up his invoice, Mrs. Dobbs stood. Girls, Im glad I was able to help.

So are we, I said. Thank you so much. If I can ever return the favor, let me know.

Ill hold you to that, she said, waving an index finger through the air.

Please do.

Violet, Mrs. Dobbs said, it was a pleasure meeting you, dear.

Trust me, Violet said with a laugh, the pleasure was mine.

Mrs. Dobbs left, and Mr. Burly handed me his bill. I handed him my credit card; and when he gave it back along with his receipt, Violet and I got in the car to resume our strange journey home.

I can give you some money on the tire repairs... and to help with gas, Violet began.

Nonsense. Christmas is coming up. Buy me a vacation house on Lake Tahoe, and well call it even.

Ha, ha. It was lucky for us Mrs. Dobbs came along, huh?

Yeah. Talk about your uncomfortably weird coincidences.

What do you mean?

The cake Im delivering tomorrow is for Candy. She works at Dobbs Pet Store.

Huh. That is a coincidence. I wouldnt call it uncomfortably weird though.

I would, because the real coincidence is that Ben thinks the cake is for Mr. Dobbs. I cut a glance her way. I think it is, too.

And? Lots of people buy cakes for their boss.

But everybody in town thinks Candy and Mr. Dobbs are having an affair.

Just because

Yodel Watson said she caught them. It was in her journal.

Violet emitted an angry growl. I wish that stupid journal had gone up in flames the night that old battleaxe died. It was filled with nothing but hatred, gossip and bitterness, and bitterness is what that book has left in Mrs. Watsons wake.

I know. Im sorry I brought it up. Its just... if Candy is having an affair with Mrs. Dobbs husband... I sighed. I dont know.

Thats right. You dont know. Youre making a cake for a client. You have nothing to feel guilty about.

But it seems like Im condoning their affair.

You arent condoning anythingexcept maybe your business. A client called and asked for a cake and you made it, right?

Right.

Did your client say, This cake is for my married boss, and Im buying him a cake because were having a torrid extra-marital affair?

I giggled. No.

Okay. End of guilt.

Youve got a lot of wisdom for a baby sister, you know that?

Yes. Yes, I do. With that, she turned on the CD player and cranked the volume.

*

I went to bed early last night and thus awoke early this morning. By now I had all my chess pieces completed, and they were in the refrigerator awaiting placement on the cake. I opened the freezer and took out the baking sheets containing the white and dark chocolate I had melted before going to bed last night. Using a heavy cardboard pattern and a small sharp knife, I cut the chocolate into one-by-one-inch squares. I placed the baking sheets back in the refrigerator until I was ready to place the squares on the cake.

I then made the chocolate butter cream frosting and divided it into two bowls. I thinned one bowl to medium consistency for piping the cakes borders. I carefully added enough water to the first bowl to render the icing of thin consistency for frosting the cake.

I put a cake icing tip into a sixteen-inch featherweight decorator bag and added a generous amount of thin consistency icing. I turned the bag to where the tip would leave a combed effect to the sides of the square Mocha Madeira cake.