1 Nothing Bundt Murder (10 page)

Then he stopped and looked at me, standing completely still. His flat unwavering gaze made me even more nervous than his earlier crazy-eyes. He was staring at me like a cobra before it strikes. “You’re not going to help me…are you?” he said in a suddenly calm, reasonable voice that made the hair on my neck stand up.

“No! I mean yes! I will!” I nodded urgently. “I’ll look at the footage. In fact…I… I’m doing a story on the murder and it would be great if I could find a surprise twist that the police don’t know about! It’d be perfect!”

I couldn’t tell if he was falling for my act or how much longer I could keep it up. If he was under house arrest, shouldn’t he have one of those ankle monitor things on, to make sure he stayed in a certain place? And shouldn’t the police be looking for him once he left?

Just when I felt my energy start to flag, I caught some kind of movement behind him.

I glanced over.

It was Casey, carefully making his way into the kitchen. He put his hand to his lips, as he slowly and quietly made his way up to Doug from behind.

I just had to keep Doug preoccupied so he wouldn’t turn around. “Listen, Doug,” I said staring him in the eyes. “I promise you, I’ll check the footage for you. But who exactly do you even think the killer is?”

Again the knife began waving frantically in his hands. “Who had a motive to want the store closed? Who wanted to buy it out from under us? It had to be…”

And just as he was about to tell me his crazy theory, Casey came up behind him and smashed him over the head with the heavy, metal stool.

“Got him!” Casey said triumphantly. He still held the stool in his strong hands as he looked down at Doug who was lying on the floor, unconscious.

I stared at him, frozen and paralyzed, my hand covering my mouth.

“Are you okay?”Casey asked gently as he put the stool aside and walked up close to me. He took my hand and helped me step over Doug’s fallen body. Then he put his arm around me, holding me close as we walked towards the door.

On the way, he dialed 911 to tell the police that Doug was passed out in the kitchen of the bakery.

As soon as we were safe and sound out of the room I looked at him to thank him and promptly burst into tears. He hugged me gently and patted my back. “It’s okay. You’re okay now,” he said soothingly.

I nodded then another bout of sobs overtook me.

CHAPTER
TWENTY ONE

The police arrived a few minutes later and took Doug away, telling him that from now on, he’d be stuck in a cell. His cushy days of house arrest were over—thank goodness.

I was finally calming down as I watched them lead him away. And the fact that Casey still had his arm comfortingly around my shoulders, didn’t hurt either
.

“C’mon, I’ll take you home,” he said. He stood up, offering me his hand.

Not that I needed the help, but I put my hand in his and we walked out of the bakery hand in hand.

Babette returned just as we were getting into Casey’s car. She was horrified to learn what had happened. “Oh dear, Rosie!” she said, hugging me. “I had no idea! I went to get some fresh cherries to try a new frosting and…” She hugged me again even tighter. “I feel so awful!”

I assured her that it wasn’t her fault and we decided we’d do the interview another day. Then  we said goodnight and as she walked into the store, Casey and I decided to take a little walk down by the water.

CHAPTER TWENTY
TWO

The night was perfect: warm and breezy, with the salty smell of the sea in the air and the soft sound of the waves in the distance. I grew more relaxed the more we walked.

“Thank goodness I just happened to come by to check out my new property,” Casey blurted out.

I nodded and looked into his eyes, touched by his concern. “You saved my life,” I said.

He squeezed my hand.

“So what was all that stuff Doug was saying to you?” he asked. We were crossing the street, walking at a slow pace down towards the pier.

“Just crazy stuff.” I answered, shaking my head at the memory as though I could shake it all away. “He told me he didn’t put the poison in the cake
. That he was being framed.”

Casey nodded
. “So, basically, the usual.”

“Actually,” I glanced over at him. “He was trying to convince me that you did it.”

“Me?” Casey stopped in his tracks. “Me? Where on earth did he get that ridiculous idea?”

“He said you had a motive—which I guess would be to destroy the store, so that they’d be more likely to sell it. Which, as it happens…”

“But they were going to sell the store anyway! Doug was planning to sell all along.”

“You don’t have to convince me. I don’t believe him. But he seemed to think that by destroying either Babette or Babette’s business, she wouldn’t be able to convince him not sell. So they’d have no choice but to do what you wanted.”

Casey kept walking, shaking his head in irritation. “I really don’t like having a nut like Doug besmirching my name all around town.”

“Well, it’s hardly ‘all around town
.’ I mean, he’s back in jail. Or he will be. After tonight.”

“Thank goodness,” Casey said taking my hand again and walking slowly in the moonlight.

It felt so natural to be there with him, as if we were used to walking hand in hand down along the pier all the time. I knew I should pull my hand away, what with my anti-cheater vow and everything. But it just felt so nice and safe and comforting to be with him.

And
the fact that he saved my life an hour before didn’t hurt either. I figured it gave me a free pass for the evening. Cheaterwise.

“You don’t believe him, do you?” Casey glanced over at me. His voice was casual but I could feel his eyes studying me intently
.

“Of course not,” I said. I stopped and looked down, pulling back the hair that was whipping around my face. “I mean, you may be a liar and a cheat but I don’t see you as a murderer.”

“Well thanks for that,” he said exhaling loudly as we started to walk again. Then he frowned and stopped again. He looked me straight in the eyes. “Rose, you don’t really think I’m a liar and cheat, do you? I mean, buying the store from Doug was a business decision. No one got harmed. They’re getting quite a bit of money for that land, despite what Babette may have told you.”

“No, it’s not that.” I shook my head and stared down at the ground, realizing that for some reason
, I had tears in my eyes. “I know ‘business is business.’ I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about you and your fiancé. Back home.”

He frowned at me. “My fiancé…”

“Yes, your fiancé. Back home in England. Everyone knows that you’ve been cheating on her left and right, with every hot woman in town.”

I started to walk on but he didn’t join me. I turned to find him standing in place, watching me. Somewhat angrily, I thought.

I walked back to him. “C’mon, you don’t have to deny it. I know all about you. I read all about it online: “Kaz Baron, international playboy. A woman in every port, so to speak,”

“Kaz?” Casey let out a short barking laugh.

“Yes, I know that’s your nickname. The nickname of the ‘playboy heir who will inherit the Baron real estate empire.’”

He laughed again.

“What is so funny?” I demanded.

“ ‘Kaz’ isn’t my nickname. ‘Casey’ is my nickname. My real name is Caspian, believe it or not. It’s a name I assure you, no young man should be saddled with.”

I frowned, unsure of what he was trying to say. But agreeing about the name.

“ ‘Kaz’ is my brother Cassius’s nickname,” he continued. “
He
is the ‘playboy heir to the Baron real estate empire.’ Not me.”

“But…but…I saw the pictures on Google.”

“Well…we do look quite a bit alike. But surely you could see my special…je ne sais quoi, even online...no?” He lifted his chin to show me both sides of his dashing profile.

“But…no…” I shook my head, frowning. “I heard some girls talking. At the party. Here, in town.”

“Ah yes. Well, my brother. He’d just been here for a visit. He pops into town every now and then, for business. He does like those California girls, it seems.”

Now it was my turn to stare. Could he actually be telling the truth? Could the photo I saw online really have been his brother? Could Casey really be a good guy?

I continued to stare, trying to figure it out.

“It’s true,” he said as if answering all of my unasked questions. “I don’t approve of the fact that he has a fiancé at home, whom he continually cheats on. But that’s their business, not mine.”

“But why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, flabbergasted. Though as soon as the words left my mouth I realized how stupid they sounded.

“Tell you that I’m not a lying cheater? I had no idea you thought I was one.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to look serious and sincere. But I couldn’t stop the big smile that was spreading across my face.

Casey noticed and met it with a smile of his own. He moved closer to me and brushed a strand of hair off my cheek. “You know I should be very angry at you. But due to your recent brush with death, I think I’ll let it go, just this once.”

He pulled me closer so that our faces were inches apart.

“I appreciate that,” I said softly.

“My pleasure,” he growled, then leaned in and covered my lips with his. I practically swooned as the thing I’d been wanting to do since I saw him, finally happened.

It was better than I had even imagined.

It was even better than s’mores.

CHAPTER
TWENTY THREE

Unfortunately Casey had a long distance conference call with England that he had to take, in the next hour, so we decided he’d take me home and would then come and pick me up for dinner later.

As he got out of the car to open the door for me, I couldn’t help but smile at him again. “So polite,” I said, putting my hand in his as he helped me out of the car.

“One of us should be,” he said, bowing chivalrously. “Since the other one is busy suspecting me of lying and cheating and the like.”

I couldn’t help but smile again.

“So you’ll be back in an hour?” I asked. “And this time we’ll go have a real dinner?”

“I think two hours, just to be safe.”

Just then the front door of Nana’s condo opened and she peered out.

“Hi kids,” she said as she squinted in our direction.

“Hello Mrs. Kale,” Casey said to her. “And how are you this fine evening?”

Nana looked at him, an enigmatic expression on her face. “Better now,” she said.

Casey nodded. “As am I,” he said. Then he turned to me. “Well I’ll see you at 9:00 then?”

“Right,” I said and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Have a good conference call.”

“Have a good cat-feeding” he replied. Then he nodded to Nana, got into his car and drove off.

I thought about going around the back entrance that went straight to the guest house, in order to punish Nana who I knew was waiting to hear the whole Casey story. But then I figured she’d suffered enough lately. Besides which, I needed a little girl talk.

“So?” she said, putting two teacups down on the counter, one for her and one for me.

“So I’m allowed back on the island?”

She waved this off and got to the point. “C’mon, spill it. You and Casey…”

I sighed and smiled again. “It turns out he wasn’t a cheater. His brother’s the one with the fiancé and the girlfriends.”

She squeezed my hand. “Ha. You see. I told you so.” She was smiling even more than I was. “I could tell he was a good
man. I have very good instincts for that sort of thing.”

“I know you do,” I said, with a nod. “Grandpa.”

“Grandpa,” she agreed with a sad smile. “So have you decided what to do? With your life I mean? New York? Here? Somewhere else? Here?”

“Well,” I took a sip of my tea.”I hadn’t thought about it yet. I mean I’ll definitely finish the article I’m working on. But then…I’m not sure.”

“But you can’t still be thinking of going back to Kevin?”

“I’m thinking less and less about that,” I said, then quickly took a sip of tea before she could see me smiling again.

Nana patted my hand. “I’m just glad things worked out for you, honey. No matter where you decide to go or what you do. You deserve the best.” And with that, she got up, patted my hair down, gave me a kiss on the top of my head and walked off.

“Are you going to bed?” I asked, looking at the clock on the wall. “It’s only 7:00.”

“That’s funny. No, honey. I’m just taking a hot bath, I have a date at 8:00.”

“Oh, that’s funny,” I said. “So do I.”

She turned and looked at me, then she looked up towards the heavens. “Finally.”

I smiled and shook my head as she walked out of the room.

I was just about to head back to the casita when Nana poked her head out of her room. “Oh, Rosie,” she said. “I meant to tell you. Birdie left me a message a little while ago saying that she heard something interesting about the Dahlia Wiggins murder case.”

“Oh? What’d she hear?”

Nana frowned, as if trying to remember. “Actually, she didn’t say what it was specifically. She just said it was something about that surveillance footage in the bakery kitchen. And that it was odd and she wanted to talk to you about it.”

“Huh,” I said with a shrug. I had no idea what it could be.

“ If you want, I could try calling her now to find out what she heard, but she’s probably still at the hairdresser’s…” Nana checked her watch. “We’re going on another of her double dates. And supposedly my guy looks like a cross between Clark Gable and Tyrone Power.” Nana rolled her eyes.

I smiled.

“Maybe this time she’ll be telling the truth,” I said. “And don’t worry about it. Don’t bother her. I mean, there’s no big rush anymore. They have the real killer—Doug—safe behind bars now.”