The Cakes of Wrath (27 page)

Edgar slammed his fist on the counter with such force I jumped. “Destiny wasn't like that,” he said. “She loved her dad. So the two of them weren't close. They were working on it. But things were complicated.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning nothing.” He seemed to realize that he'd said more than he intended.

“She was your friend,” I said. “Who do
you
think killed her?”

He was silent for a long time before he finally answered. “Only one person it could have been, isn't there? It had to have been Moose.”

“But Moose was standing next to me when that van came around the corner,” I reminded him. “He saved my life.”

“I don't know how he did it but my money's on him. He didn't understand that her addiction was an illness. None of them did. Destiny needed help.”

“Moose and Scotty didn't want to help her?”

Edgar looked so miserable, I felt sorry for him. “Nobody did but me. Oh, Zora tried, but Moose was always on about the money and Scotty kept saying it wasn't that bad.” His voice caught and tears shimmered in his eyes. “We weren't lovers, Rita. I was her sponsor.”

Whoa
!
I let that trickle into my brain for a moment. “You mean like with Alcoholics Anonymous?”

“Yeah, but it's Narcotics Anonymous. I didn't tell you before because it's ‘anonymous' for a reason.”

Boy, had I been wrong about that! “So that's how you knew about the deal the district attorney offered her?”

He nodded. “She came to me for advice. She wanted to know what I thought and I told her to go for it.” He didn't say it, but I knew he was feeling guilty for encouraging Destiny to take the deal.

“Do you know who her dealer was?”

“She never would tell me. Probably because she knew I'd blow the whistle myself. Anyway, that's all I know. Now if you don't mind, I have work to do.”

Edgar refused to say anything more to me, so I left EZ Shipping and headed over to Zora's yoga studio. But the Feathered Peacock was shut up tight when I got there, the blinds drawn and the door locked. The sign in the window said “Closed.” Apparently, Zora didn't have any classes this morning but her schedule left me at loose ends.

I desperately wanted to find someone who could put Scotty in that alley at the time of the attack, but the trip across town to the drugstore, the walk around the block to EZ Shipping, and the stroll to the Feathered Peacock had worn me out. In addition to feeling as if I could curl up in a ball and sleep for hours, the pain pill I'd swallowed earlier was making me light-headed.

Reluctantly, I admitted that I'd never make it through the dinner with Miss Frankie and the Bryces unless I got some downtime. Once again leaving the Mercedes at Zydeco, I called another cab and went home, where I found a message from Miss Frankie on my land line telling me to meet them for dinner that evening at Rubio's. Her choice surprised me; I love Rubio's but it's a BBQ joint and I'd expected her to pick a more upscale restaurant. According to her message, the Bryces also wanted a tour of Zydeco after we ate. Whatever.

It was unusual for Miss Frankie to call my home number instead of my cell. I could only guess that she was no more eager to talk to me than I had been to call her.

I texted Edie the details and promised to meet her at Zydeco before dinner, then put everything and everyone else out of my mind and fell asleep. I work up at four, stiff, sore, and hungry from having missed lunch. I stood under a hot shower for a while, hoping that would ease some of my aches and pains, scrounged a power bar from the pantry, and wolfed that down while I dressed. I was in a cab and on my way back to Zydeco a little after six.

Edie was edgy and pacing nervously when I walked through the front door. She'd chosen a simple black calf-length maternity dress that didn't hide the baby bump but didn't accentuate it either. She'd obviously taken pains with her hair, and her makeup was flawless and understated. I thought her parents would approve, but what did I know?

She raked a look over my outfit and sighed with relief at what she saw. In honor of her crazy parents, I'd chosen a conservative outfit: black pants, a silk tunic with three-quarter sleeves, and a pair of low-heeled black pumps I could walk in.

“You look great,” Edie said, and then held out her arms to invite my opinion. “What do you think? Is the dress too short?”

I laughed at the sarcasm. “You look great. Relax, okay?”

“Relax? How am I supposed to do that? You've met my mother. You know how she is.”

Yes. Well. There was no tactful response to that, so I changed the subject as we set out toward the restaurant. As we walked, I told her about my conversations with Sebastian and Edgar earlier that morning. “Obviously, Scotty was hanging around here in the neighborhood that night,” I said after I'd told her what I'd learned. “All I need to do now is talk to Zora to prove it.”

“Talk to her?” Edie cried as she stepped over a raised piece of sidewalk. “Are you crazy, Rita? What if Scotty finds out you're still asking around about him? He's already determined to keep you from figuring out what he did.”

“To keep from proving it, you mean. I've already figured it out.”

Edie let out a frustrated sigh. “You're going to get yourself killed if you're not careful.”

“I'll wind up in prison if I don't find the evidence I need to prove that Scotty's behind all the violence.” Edie still looked skeptical, so I tried to reassure her. “I'm just going to talk to the woman, that's all. If she can tell me that Scotty was at the Chopper Shop around the time he attacked me, I'll try to convince her to talk to the police.”

“And then you'll leave it alone? No matter what she tells you? Promise?”

“I can't promise that,” I said with a laugh as we crossed the street toward Rubio's. “What if she won't admit to seeing Scotty that night?”

“Rita!”

“What? The two of them are friends. They had an argument, but that doesn't mean she'll throw him under the bus just because I ask her about it.”

Edie slowed her step and stopped walking in front of the restaurant. “It's a sad state of affairs when I'd rather talk to you about murder than have dinner with my own parents. Do you think they're already here?”

I checked my watch and nodded. “I'd almost bet on it. Miss Frankie doesn't believe in being late.” Edie looked so nervous I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. “Are you okay? Ready to go in and face the music?”

“I guess we might as well get it over with,” she said, but she held back, unmoving, her eyes clouded with nervous energy.

I put an arm around her shoulders. “Let's go in. I promise I won't let them beat you up.”

She laughed and we walked inside together. Unlike the other day at lunch, there was no line of customers waiting for a table, which made it easy to spot Miss Frankie and Edie's parents. They were already at a table for six near a window that looked out onto the street, which meant they'd seen us arrive.

“Come on,” I muttered to Edie under my breath. “Don't let them see you sweat.” And then I pasted a big old smile on my face and walked through the dining room toward them.

Miss Frankie greeted me with a smile and a hug that probably looked warm and friendly from the outside. I knew her well enough to feel the coolness of her welcome, which meant things between us weren't okay. Not by a long shot. But my mother-in-law would rather chew nails than appear discourteous in public, so she put on a good face and I pretended not to notice.

Taking their cue from Miss Frankie, the Bryces greeted us with smiles and Charlie even stood and gave Edie an awkward embrace. Lin couldn't make herself go that far, but she did manage to say her daughter's name without choking, which was probably quite a concession on her part.

Edie and I sat on one side of the table facing her parents. Miss Frankie held court at the table's head and presided over the meal with a watchful eye. We made polite conversation about the weather as we ate, and the history of the neighborhood. After a while we segued into a discussion of a few items in the local news—carefully avoiding any talk about the rash of violence and the ongoing murder investigation.

Finally, the meal was over and the time for avoidance was past. Our server whisked away our dirty dishes and Miss Frankie linked her hands together on the table in front of her. “I'm so glad you could all make it tonight,” she said with a pleased smile. “We have a few details to work out regarding the baby shower while we're together so I thought we could do that now.”

Everyone mumbled their agreement and Miss Frankie smiled approvingly. “Edie, your parents will be staying until Monday, so that means we need to have the shower before they leave. I think Sunday afternoon sounds like a good time, don't you?”

“Sunday?” I said, surprised. “As in two days from now?”

Miss Frankie's smile didn't waver, but I saw a flash of something in her eyes. “Is that a problem for you, Rita?”

“For me? No. It just seems so sudden. It would be nice to give the guests a little more notice.”

“Under normal circumstances, I'd agree with you, but we're just talking about a few friends and family. It won't take long to pull it all together.” Miss Frankie reached out to Edie, who was staring at her, shell-shocked. “Are you quite all right, dear? You haven't said a word.”

“Yes, I'm—I'm—” She shifted in her seat and darted a glance at her mother. “Is this it? My parents haven't spoken to me in months and now we're just going to pretend like everything's all right?”

Lin Bryce gave her daughter a sharp-eyed look. “Your father and I would like to know our grandchild. Someone needs to watch out for the baby and make sure it's raised properly.”

Edie threw her napkin onto the table. “That's
my
job. And if that's all you want, don't bother.”

Charlie scowled at her. “Now, Edie, don't speak to your mother that way.” He switched to a hearty smile and said, “And we were doing so well, too.”

Lin started in again and I winced inwardly, fully expecting the evening to disintegrate right before my eyes, but Miss Frankie cleared her throat pointedly and Edie's mother immediately fell silent. It was a thing of beauty—and maybe a little disturbing.

“Your parents and I have been talking,” Miss Frankie said to Edie. “They understand that you're an adult, fully capable of making your own decisions. They aren't happy with the situation you're in, but they are pleased that you've decided to keep the baby when there are other options you could have chosen. They love you and they don't want to lose out on having a relationship with their first grandchild.”

Edie looked first at her father, who gave an encouraging nod, and then at her mother, who sat staring straight ahead. No one spoke, so Miss Frankie went on. “Everyone here has a choice. You can either hang on to your anger or put it behind you and move on. Your parents would like to move forward. So now, let's talk about the menu for the shower. Are there any dietary restrictions I should be aware of?”

Edie shot an uncertain look at me. I sympathized with her. I'd come up against Miss Frankie's force of will more than once and I'd never come out the winner. But maybe this time Miss Frankie was right. Letting go of anger wasn't easy, but clinging to it wouldn't accomplish anything.

“I can't have sushi,” Edie said. “Or caffeine.” She took a shaky breath, then pulled herself together and rattled off a list of verboten items. Miss Frankie skillfully segued into discussing what Edie
did
want to eat, and Lin spoke up a couple of times with suggestions of old family favorites. By the time we were ready to pay the bill, the mood had lightened a bit. Dinner hadn't provided a magical fix, but at least Edie and her parents were talking again, providing a ray of hope that they might restore their relationships in time.

We moved from the restaurant to the sidewalk, where Charlie partnered with Edie, Miss Frankie and Lin walked together, and I brought up the rear. That was fine with me. As soon as we got this visit to Zydeco over with, I was more than ready to make my excuses and go home. I noticed lights on at the Feathered Peacock as we passed by, however, and thought that maybe I'd swing by and see Zora for a minute before I went home.

It didn't take long to reach Zydeco, but by that time I was so deep in thought that when Miss Frankie and Lin stopped abruptly in front of me, I plowed right into Lin's back—which earned me another death stare.
Sheesh!
I really needed to pay more attention to where I was going.

I started to offer an apology, but Miss Frankie cut me off, wagging a finger at Zydeco's broad front porch. “The
door
, Rita. Look at the door.”

I had to move out around them to see, but when I did, every nerve in my body tingled. Under the gleam of the porch light, I could see bright red paint splashed on the steps and a dripping from a word streaked across the bakery's pristine white doors.

Jezebel
.

Charlie let out a low whistle. Edie gasped and clasped her hands over her belly, and the blood drained from Miss Frankie's face.

“We might have to forget the tour tonight,” I said.

Lin pursed her lips in disapproval and delivered another death stare in my direction, saying, “This is where you have my daughter working? What kind of neighborhood is this?”

“It's usually a very fine neighborhood,” I said, and prayed that nobody would contradict me.

Miss Frankie looked at me from beneath a set of perfectly arched eyebrows. “Rita? What is this?”

“Apparently, a case of vandalism,” I said, stating the obvious.

Lin said something I couldn't understand and Charlie put a protective arm around his daughter and spoke quietly to his wife. “I'm sure it's not about Edie. Let's not jump to conclusions, all right?”

Just then, I heard a familiar laugh behind me and turned as Pearl Lee and Scotty came up the sidewalk together. My heart started racing and my fight-or-flight instinct kicked in—heavy on the flight option. Scotty was the last person I wanted to see right then, but I told myself he probably wouldn't try to kill me in front of half a dozen witnesses.

Pearl Lee was decked out in a rhinestone-encrusted dress with spaghetti straps and a pair of black pumps. Scotty had put on a pair of long khaki pants with a pale blue Hawaiian print shirt. A strap of leather held his hair at the back of his neck, and his sandals looked almost new. They must have had quite a night planned for him to dress up.

The two of them stopped walking when they saw us all standing there. Pearl Lee shifted around uncomfortably when she saw Miss Frankie. Luckily for her, Miss Frankie seemed more concerned about the paint on the door than Pearl Lee's companion or my obvious failure to keep her away from men.