Sugar Coated Sins (16 page)

Chapter
18

“Hey, Momma.
 
Hello, Phillip.
 
What brings you two by?”

I stepped aside and let them
in.
 
Momma turned to her husband, who was
holding something in his hands.
 
“May I
have that, please?”

“That” was a dessert
container.
 
“It’s not pie, is it?” I
asked, my heart sinking at the thought of getting one of my mother’s delicious
treats and not being able to enjoy it.

“No, you already have one of
those.
 
I made you a cake instead.”

“Cake I can handle,” I said.
 
“Is it chocolate, by any chance?”

“What other kind would I bring
you?” she asked as she pulled the top off the carrier.
 
It was indeed a chocolate cake.
 
That was something I knew that I could enjoy
without any repercussions other than to my waistline.

“Would you both like some?
 
I’m having a big old slab, myself.”

“Just a sliver for me,” Momma
said.
 
“Phillip?”

“I’ll take a piece somewhere in
between,” he said with a smile.

“Let’s go into the kitchen,” I
suggested.
 
Momma carried the cake in
while I got out plates, forks, and a knife.
 
After I placed them at the table, I suggested, “How about a pot of
coffee?”

“Do you have any milk?
 
One percent would be fine.”

“Try as he might, he can’t get used
to skim, but it’s better than the whole milk he used to drink.”

“Dorothea, I switched to two
percent before we even started dating.”

“Of course.
 
Sorry.
 
I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

What was this?
 
My mother seemed a bit subdued, not her
general go-to emotion.
 
“Is something
wrong?”

“I’m afraid that it is,” Momma
said.
 
“I’ve done Phillip a grave
injustice, and I’ve come to atone for it.”

What could that mean?
 
I knew my mother well enough to know that she
would never cheat on him.
 
She wasn’t that
kind of woman.
 
If she found someone
else, which I greatly doubted that she would, I knew in my heart that she’d end
it with her husband first.
 
I’d been
cheated on myself, so I knew just how devastating it could be.
 

“Don’t keep me in suspense.
 
Tell me what’s going on.”
 
My slice of cake was forgotten for the
moment, a miracle in and of itself.
 
That’s how shaken I was by my mother’s news.

“I presumed to preclude Phillip
from any active form of investigation without consultation,” she said rather
formally, a sure sign that she was indeed remorseful.
 
“He is a grown man, as he so colorfully
reminded me as this cake was in the oven, and if he chooses to help you or the
police department, it’s his right.
 
I’ve
given him my blessing to do whatever he sees fit.”
 
She looked at him, and all he had to do was
raise one eyebrow to get her to add, “Not that he needs my permission in the
first place.”

“Okaaaay.”
 
What else could I say?
 
I was frankly stunned by her statement.
 
My mother had the biggest heart of any one
person I knew, but getting her to say that must have taken more than an act of
Congress.

“Thank you, Dorothea,” Phillip
said.

“You’re most welcome,” Momma
answered, adding a smile.
 
Less formally,
she added to me, “Suzanne, there is a fine art to being a spouse that I’m
afraid I need to be reminded of occasionally.
 
I know that Phillip isn’t going to take any unnecessary risks, but I
also realize that I can’t keep him safely locked away in a bubble, either.
 
After all, I don’t chide you for your choice
to investigate murder.
 
What gives me the
right to question his decisions?”

“You just want to keep me alive,”
Phillip said good naturedly.
 
“Ordinarily
I’d applaud that sentiment, but I’ve got to live my life, or I might as well be
dead now.”

“I understand that,” Momma said a
little sternly.
 
“Didn’t I just say
something to that very effect?”

“Who wants that cake now?” I
asked, hoping to defuse a little of the tension in the air.
 
I had a feeling that the two of them must
have had some grief battling this out.
 
The former sheriff continued to surprise me.
 
He’d done everything in his power to court my
mother, no matter how reluctant she’d been at times, and once they’d married, I’d
been a little fearful that her strong personality would overwhelm him completely.
 
To my surprise, though, he’d grown stronger
in their relationship and more than held his own these days.

“That sounds perfect,” Phillip
said with a smile.
 
“I had to smell it
the entire time that it was in the oven, and it just about killed me to see her
pack it up once it was cool enough.
 
I
told her that she should have made two.”

“That’s exactly what you need,” my
mother said with a laugh of her own.
 
“You get enough of my baked treats as it is.”

“That’s impossible,” he said as he
kissed her.
 
I hadn’t wanted to see them
fighting, but I couldn’t say that seeing them make up was that much better.

At least the coffee was ready,
which gave me a worthy distraction.
 
After I poured two cups and delivered them, along with Phillip’s milk,
we all took our seats and enjoyed the cake.

“Who was it that plied you with
treats earlier, Suzanne?” Momma asked me as she finished her sliver of
cake.
 
That serving size would have only
made me angry that I didn’t have more, but it seemed to satisfy her just fine.

“It’s not important,” I said
quickly, and then I asked, “Is this a new recipe?
 
It’s got quite a punch of chocolate, doesn’t
it?”

“Don’t change the subject, young
lady,” Momma said sternly.
 
“It’s the
same recipe I’ve always used.
 
Who
brought you pie?”

“I wish I knew,” I said.
 
I fully realized that she’d hear the story
soon enough, so perhaps it would be better if I told her myself.
 
“It was anonymous.”

“I don’t know that you should eat
something without knowing where it came from,” Momma said with a frown.

“That’s the thing.
 
We thought it was from you.
 
That’s why I called.”

“So, someone left you a pie
without any reason or explanation?” Phillip asked with a smile.
 
“That’s a delivery list I’d love to get on.”

“Not this one, I’m afraid.”
 
I took a deep breath, and then I explained,
“We believe that the pie came from whoever it was who killed Benjamin Port
fifteen years ago.”

Phillip and Mother both frowned at
the news, not sure if I were joking or not.
 
To their credit, I had been known to push the outer boundaries in the
past.
 
Momma finally accepted it at face
value.
 
“Is that really true?
 
Did you eat any of it?”

“No, once I figured out that it
wasn’t from you, I just managed to stop Jake from taking a bite.”

“How could you know that it came from
the killer and not just some random pie maker?”

“It was delivered with a note,” I
said, “though it had flown off into the bushes by the time I found it.”

“What did it say?” Momma asked
gravely.

“
ENJOY
.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”
Phillip asked.
 
“Is Jake having the pie
analyzed?
 
Of course he is.
 
Has he gotten a report back yet?”

“No, but we’ve been promised
something first thing tomorrow morning.
 
I’m taking it as good news myself.”

“How is that possibly good news?”
Momma asked.
 
“A killer tried to poison
you, and you’re looking at it as a victory of some sort?”

“Dot, it means that one or the
both of them has somehow managed to rattle the killer.
 
They’ve found their murderer.
 
All they have to do now is narrow down the
list of folks that they’ve already spoken with.”

“Easier said than done, I’m
afraid,” I said.

“Well, I don’t see any reason for
you to keep it to yourself,” Momma said.
 
“Who exactly has made it into your group of suspects?”

I debated hedging my answer, but
actually, I had two sharp minds I could tap.
 
Why not share the information with them?
 
“In no particular order, we’ve got Ben’s sister, Lisa; girlfriends Hilda
Fremont, Gabby Williams, and Hillary Mast; and Judge Hurley.
 
Oh, we just added Jan Kerber’s name to the
list as well.”

“Wow, you’ve both been busy,”
Phillip said.
 
“I understand the sister
and the girlfriends, especially if they didn’t know about each other, but what
motive could you possibly have for a judge and our Register of Deeds?”

“Evidently Ben took advantage of the
judge after buying a valuable book from him that he didn’t know was
significant.”

“Yes, I can see the judge being
upset about that,” Momma said.
 
“He’s
renowned for his temper, so what others might take in stride he might easily
escalate to a capital crime.
 
What about
Jan?”

“That’s what we’re still trying to
figure out,” I said.
 
“We found her
initials and an early-morning appointment erased from Ben’s datebook the day
before the murder.”

“Have you asked her directly about
it yet?” Phillip asked me.

“No.
 
It’s new information, so we’re still trying
to figure out how to handle it.”
 
I just
realized that I hadn’t told Jake about the discovery, given that I’d had more
important information about the possibly poisoned pie.
 
I’d have to correct that as soon as possible.

“Would you like me to ask around
for you?” Phillip offered.

I hated to turn him down after my
mother’s recent declaration, but I wasn’t ready to ask him for help just
yet.
 
“Can I think about it first?”

“Suzanne, if you’re worried about
how I’ll feel, you don’t have to be concerned.
 
I’ve accepted the fact that, as you said so eloquently before, I’ve
married a lawman, whether he holds any particular badge at the moment or not.”

“It’s not that,” I said.
 
“We just need more time to come up with a plan.
 
If we run into any roadblocks, can we have a
raincheck on your offer, Phillip?”

“Certainly,” he said
succinctly.
 
“I just wanted you to know
that I was available.”

“I do, and it’s greatly
appreciated.”
 
I yawned slightly, despite
the fact that I’d just had coffee and cake.

I’d hoped that no one had caught
it, but of course my mother saw.
 
She
stood and motioned to her husband.
 
“Phillip, Suzanne has an early day at work tomorrow.
 
Let’s go so she can get some rest.”

He nodded and joined her.
 
“I just have one question.”

“What is it?” I asked.

He grinned before he said, “It’s
not for you.
 
It’s for my wife.”

“All right.
 
I’m listening.”
 
Momma was clearly bracing herself for another
confrontation.

Instead, Phillip asked, “When do I
get a cake all to myself?”

She laughed with relief, and we
both joined in.
 
“How about your
birthday?”

“That’s in two months,” he
protested.
 
“I don’t think I can wait
that long.”

“I’m sure you’ll find some way to
manage.”
 
After I walked out onto the
porch with them, Momma stopped and embraced me.
 
“I love you.”

“I love you, too.
 
Thanks for the cake, even if it was just an
excuse to make your emancipation proclamation for your husband.”

“Nonsense.
 
The cake was the main course.
 
The declaration was the real dessert.”
 
She smiled as she said it, and I knew that my
mother’s marriage was going to be just fine.
 
In a very real way, we were both still newlyweds, and I could testify
that no matter how much you loved someone, living with them was something
altogether different.

I fully expected to fall right to
sleep, but whether it was the caffeine from the coffee or the richness of the
glorious chocolate cake, I was wide awake long after my regular bedtime.
 
As I lay there staring at the clock, I kept
calculating how much sleep I would get if I nodded off at that very moment, but
soon enough, another minute ticked past.
 
It was getting ridiculous, so I got up and looked for something to
occupy my mind for a few minutes.

I found the box I’d gotten from
Gabby and started digging through it, hoping to find something that might help
in our investigation.
 
A few things
nagged at the back of my mind by the time I finished going through it all, but
there was nothing I could put my finger on directly to say “aha.”