Croissants and Corruption: A Margot Durand Cozy Mystery Page 10

  It had to be Adam. That or her eyes were playing tricks on her. This was it—her chance.

  “She did kill that poor young man,” Margot said with more boldness than she felt. “Because she was being blackmailed.”

  Kim’s head snapped up. The gun lowered and Kim turned it toward Margot. The feeling of its deadly weight pressed against Margot’s chest, but she pushed her fear down. She had to focus.

  “What do you know about it?”

  “I didn’t, until I saw the tapes at Antonio’s—the ones that show you stealing the knife from Taylor’s place setting. Then it all just fell together.”

  “Oh? Why don’t you enlighten me, if you’re so smart, Margot Durand.”

  Hoping it would buy them some time, she pressed forward with what she’d put together. “It started when Eve suggested Lorenzo to you as an accountant for the senior center fundraisers. You’re too smart of a woman to just take someone’s suggestion, so I have a feeling you followed up on Lorenzo and found out what I did—he wasn’t the best in the class by a long shot. I don’t know exactly, but I have a feeling you convinced him to let you help him. He probably needed the money and you were all too eager to get your hands on the accounting sheets.”

  Kim’s expression hardened. “Go on, if you’re so smart to think you know it all.”

  “It get’s a little murky for me here, but I have a feeling Marco—being the helpful friend that he was—started looking into the discrepancies Lorenzo thought he was seeing. Marco saw an opportunity to blackmail you. I think he wanted to talk to Taylor that night at Antonio’s because he was convinced Lorenzo had given her proof of the embezzling. If he got it from Taylor, then he could use it against you.” Margot shifted, sneaking a glance at Taylor to see that she was as baffled by all of this as Bentley was. “I’m sure the phone records—and someone tech savvy—will find that the texts Marco got weren’t from Lorenzo at all, but from you.”

  Kim leveled her gaze at Margot, but didn’t interrupt. But Margot needed Kim to admit to it or else it was all just conjecture.

  “If I remember correctly, you used to work at a phone tech company before you married our illustrious mayor. Maybe you learned a few tricks there. Anyway, I think after that, it’s pretty clear. You lured Marco to the bridge—probably with another false text—and used the knife you’d stolen from Taylor’s place setting to kill him.”

  Kim laughed derisively. “Sounds a little too perfect, doesn’t it, Marg? Besides, you can’t prove I was at Antonio’s.”

  The hard look in the woman’s eyes told Margot she somehow knew they couldn’t identify her. “But you made a mistake, Kim.” The woman shifted, her eyes narrowing. “When you saw me at the senior center the other day, you said you’d seen me three times in a week. I didn’t think anything of it, but then I realized you had seen me at Antonio’s restaurant—that was the third time.”

  “You’re too smart for your own good.”

  “I'm right, aren’t I?” Margot pressed.

  “You’re right,” Kim said, nodding. “But no one will ever hear the truth—from any of you.”

  Suddenly, Kim shifted, taking a step around the desk and coming toward Margot. “We’re going to take a little walk—”

  “Stop right there, Kim Penberthy.”

  Margot gasped as Adam came into the room, his gun trained on the woman. Noise outside the window drew a quick glance and she saw more officers, guns out and trained on Kim.

  “You,” she said to Margot through clenched teeth. “It would have worked except you couldn’t keep your nose out of it.” With a huff, she dropped her hand. Adam moved forward in an instant, taking the gun from her and calling in another officer to cuff Kim and read the rights.

  Margot turned toward Taylor and Bentley, grasping her niece in a tight hug. “I'm so glad you guys are all right.”

  “Dang, Aunt Marg, you just faced down a killer.”

  Despite the scare, Bentley had a small smile on his face. “I knew you’d solve all of this. I just knew it.”

  Chapter 15

  Brilliant sunlight shone on the small round tables Margot had forced Adam to drag out from her storage shed. They now sat behind the shop, waiting to invite patrons brave enough to tackle the brisk wind.

  Bentley, Taylor, Lorenzo, Adam, and Margot all sat around one such table, sipping coffee, eating pastries, and tugging their coats a little closer.

  “You said summer was coming, didn’t you, Aunt Marg?”

  Margot shook her head, smiling at her niece with her hand wrapped around Lorenzo’s. “Eventually.”

  “She’s right, you know,” Bentley said. “The sun always comes out. Just takes a little time.”

  They sat in amiable silence for a few minutes before Taylor stood, Lorenzo following her lead. “We’re going for a walk along the byway. That okay?”

  Margot looked between the two. So much had transpired in the last few days, but she knew she couldn’t keep Taylor under lock and key every hour of every day.

  “Sure, just be back by three. We’re leaving then to pick Renee up from the airport.”

  “I remember,” Taylor said. “It’ll be nice to see Mom.”

  At the word ‘mom,’ Margot felt tears in her eyes but she held them back, pressing her lips closed.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Durand,” Lorenzo said. “I’ll watch out for her.”

  “And you’ll be on your best behavior,” Adam added with a stern look. The young man paled and nodded. Margot watched as they took off down the walkway toward Miller’s Bridge hand in hand, a smile on her lips.

  “Can you believe it?” Bentley said.

  Margot laughed and looked at him. “What?”

  “Just…all of this. And there they go, happy as two lovers can be.”

  “It was a bit of a whirlwind, but I’m glad it’s over now,” Margot agreed.

  “Speaking of over,” Bentley stood, taking his coffee cup with him. “I'm going to go harass Rosie for some more coffee.”

  He shuffled inside and Margot turned to look at Adam. “You’re quiet.”

  His hand rested around his nearly empty cup, but he didn't meet her gaze for a long time. When he did, there was an unreadable expression in his eyes.

  “Margot, you gave me the scare of a lifetime.”

  She swallowed, remembering the face-off with Kim only a few days previous.

  “She’s behind bars now. I’m safe.”

  He shrugged. “True. Once we found the text messages she’d sent to Marco, Lorenzo, and Taylor, her case fell into place. We’ve got several witnesses placing her at Antonio’s as well. I still can’t believe she was funneling money from the senior center fundraisers into her husband’s campaign. But she could have killed you.”

  Margot felt ice flood her veins. “But she didn’t.”

  “True, but still…”

  “She had many chances to do that—like when she was going to murder Lorenzo and blame Taylor that night behind the senior center, but God didn’t allow it.”

  “I know,” he said, leaning forward and dropping his hand on top of hers on the metal table. “I just worry about you. Julian would come back and haunt me if I let anything happen to you.”

  She smiled, shaking her head. “He would be thankful that I have a good friend like you to solve mysteries with.”

  Adam grinned, leaning back in his chair. “Speaking of mysteries—how did you know about the connection between Kim and Lorenzo? That the boy wasn't involved.”

  Margot swallowed and looked away.

  “You totally guessed,” Adam said, incredulous.

  “Can I blame my gut?” She laughed. “When I realized it was Kim in that tape from Antonio’s, I started to work back in my mind. She fit into every scenario. She works out a lot so she’s strong—strong enough to haul a dead body over Miller’s Bridge and strong enough to barrel into me and push me over into the river. Plus, she’s always had her hand in the mayor’s campaigns and when I saw her at Antonio’s asking hi
m to cater a big party, like one for a mayoral election win, I got suspicious.”

  “But still…that was a leap.”

  She shrugged. “I knew Taylor was innocent. So once I heard Bentley talking about how Kim was part of the fundraising committee—and her mess-up about how many times she’d seen me that week—I knew that she was the one behind it all. Her husband stood to gain a lot, but she stood to gain more as his wife. Besides, with Marco running “all those errands” and obviously having money like Antonio had said, it made me think he had more going on the side than just a busboy job.”

  “Still, you took a risk.”

  “I did.” She nodded in agreement. “But, Adam, just like you won’t sit on the sidelines when you know that there’s a bad guy out there, I couldn't sit by and do nothing when I knew Taylor was innocent.”

  He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, his frown deepening.

  “What, Detective Eastwood?”

  The corner of his mouth quirked. “I just don’t like the thought of you being in danger.”

  His words reminded her of Julian. He’d always been so protective. But there was a truth that she’d always held on to when she thought about her husband being in harm’s way and she felt the urge to share that with Adam now.

  “Adam, we can’t live our lives afraid. You don’t do that when you charge into a heated situation and I couldn’t let fear rule me from stepping in to help my niece and Bentley. I have to trust that God will protect me and give me the strength to stand up and speak when the time is right.”

  “I just wish that guns weren’t involved when the time was right.”

  She couldn’t help her smile. “I’d prefer they be left out of the situation as well.”

  He held her gaze for a moment longer, then nodded once. “I understand. Just promise me you’ll always be careful.”

  “I wouldn't be anything else.”

  “Who want’s more coffee?” Bentley said, coming back out to the patio with a carafe in one hand and an éclair in the other.

  “You’re going to eat me out of house and bakery,” Margot said, holding up her cup.

  The older man smiled and wagged his eyebrows. “Probably, but what a way to go.”

  They all shared in a laugh and Margot sat back, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her back and the warmth of the company that surrounded her. Just like Bentley had said, the sun always did come out—just like the truth. Sometimes it just took a little time and a little investigating.

  Thanks for reading Croissants and Corruption. I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, it would be awesome if you left a review for me on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

  If you would like to know about future cozy mysteries by me and the other authors at Fairfield Publishing, make sure to sign up for our Cozy Mystery Newsletter. We will send you two FREE books just for signing up. All the details are on the next page.

  As a special surprise, I have included recipes for some of the treats that were featured in the book. You will find those recipes right after the newsletter information.

  Lastly, at the very end of the book, I have included a couple previews of books by friends and fellow authors at Fairfield Publishing. First is a preview of A Pie to Die For by Stacey Alabaster - it’s part of the popular Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery series. Second is a preview of Murder in the Mountains by M. Lancaster. I really hope you like the samples. If you do, both books are available on Amazon.

  FairfieldPublishing.com/pie-to-die-for

  FairfieldPublishing.com/murder-in-mountains

  FAIRFIELD COZY MYSTERY NEWSLETTER

  Make sure you sign up for the Fairfield Cozy Mystery Newsletter so you can keep up with our latest releases. When you sign up, we will send you TWO FREE BOOKS!

  FairfieldPublishing.com/cozy-newsletter/

  Now, turn the page and check out the recipes and free previews.

  Recipes

  Perfect Coconut Macaroons

  Servings: 26 macaroons

  Prep Time: 20 Minutes

  Cook Time: 25 Minutes

  Total Time: 45 Minutes

  Ingredients

  5-1/3 cups (one 14-ounce bag) sweetened shredded coconut

  ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk; also don’t be tempted to use the whole can. Trust me! )

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 large eggs whites

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli, chopped (optional)

  Instructions

  Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put two oven racks near the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  In a medium bowl, mix together the shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.

  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Use a large rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

  Using two spoons, form heaping tablespoons of the mixture into mounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back, until the tops and edges are golden. Let cool on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely.

  If dipping the macaroons in chocolate, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at medium power, stopping and stirring at 30 second intervals, until just smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water.) Dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate, letting any excess drip back into the bowl, and return to the lined baking sheets. Place the macaroons in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. The cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.

  Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Crescent Rolls

  Servings: varies by package

  Ingredients

  1 can Pillsbury Crescent rolls (in the tube from the refrigerator section of your grocery store – not the frozen kind)

  Nutella

  Chocolate Chips

  Preheat oven to 375. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.

  Roll out each crescent roll and smooth on a layer of Nutella. Don’t get it too close to the edges – also don’t be stingy here, put on a nice layer of that hazelnut chocolatey goodness.

  Sprinkle on chocolate chips (Use as many as you like. I usually sprinkle 12- 15 on each roll)

  Roll loosely (look at picture on back of tube to see how to roll properly)

  Bake according to the directions on the back of the crescent roll packing.

  These are great for breakfast or dessert!

  Part I

  Book Previews

  Preview: A Pie to Die For

  "But you don't understand, I use only the finest, organic ingredients." My voice was high-pitched as I pleaded my case to the policeman. Oh, this was just like an episode of Criminal Point. Hey, I wondered who the killer turned out to be. I shook my head. That's not important, Rachael, I scolded myself. What's important is getting yourself off this murder charge. Still, I hoped Pippa had recorded the ending of the episode.

  I tried to steady my breathing as Jackson—Detective Whitaker—entered the room and threw a folder on the table, before studying the contents as though he was cramming for a test he had to take the next day. He rubbed his temples and frowned.

  Is he even going to make eye contact with me? Is he just going to completely ignore the interaction we had at the fair? Pretend it never even happened.

  "Jackson..." I started, before I was met with a steely glare. "Detective. Surely you can't think I had anything to do with this?"

  Jackson looked up at me slowly. "Had you ever had any contact with Mrs. Batters before today?"

  I shifted in my seat. "Yes," I had to admit. "I knew her a little from the store. She was always quite antagonistic towards me, but I'd never try to kill her!"

  "Witnes
ses near the scene said that you two had an argument." He gave me that same steely glare. Where was the charming, flirty, sweet guy I'd meet earlier? He was now buried beneath a suit and a huge attitude.

  "Well...it wasn't an argument...she was just...winding me up, like she always does."

  Jackson shot me a sharp look. "So, she was annoying you? Was she making you angry?"

  "Well... Well..." I tripped over my words. He was now making me nervous for an entirely different reason than he had earlier. Those butterflies were back, but now they felt like daggers.

  Come on, Rach. Everyone knows that the first suspect in Criminal Point is not the one that actually did it.

  But how many people had Jackson already interviewed? Maybe he was saving me for last. Gosh, maybe my cherry pie had actually killed the woman!

  "Answer the question please, Miss Robinson."

  "Not angry, no. I was just frustrated."

  "Frustrated?" A smile curled at his lips before he pounced. "Frustrated with Mrs. Batters?"

  "No! The situation. Come on—you were there!" I tried to appeal to his sympathies, but he remained a brick wall.

  "It doesn't matter whether I was there or not. That is entirely besides the point." He said the words a little too forcefully.

  I swallowed. "I couldn't get any customers to try my cakes, and Bakermatic was luring everyone away with their free samples." I stopped as my brows shot up involuntarily. "Jackson! Sorry, Detective. Mrs. Batters ate at Bakermatic as well!"