A Fateful Plateful Read online

  A FATEFUL PLATEFUL

  AUNTIE CLEM’S BAKERY #16

  P.D. WORKMAN

  ABOUT FATEFUL PLATEFUL

  Wow, another adventure with Erin and Vic as they travel out of town and deal with Vic's family. What great characters and such an exciting story line. Love this series.

  KANDY, GOODREADS

  Another brilliant standalone story in an excellent series from a master storyteller

  ANN, GOODREADS

  Was Pa poisoned?

  * * *

  Everything is just fine in Bald Eagle Falls. Auntie Clem’s Bakery is stable and making good money.

  * * *

  It seems like ages since anyone was murdered or kidnapped. And it seems like just yesterday.

  * * *

  But things are not so rosy in Moose River. When Vic gets the call that her father is on his deathbed, she isn’t sure what to do. Erin takes the trip with her and it soon becomes clear to both of them that all is not right with the Jackson family.

  * * *

  Something dark and dangerous is going on in Moose River, and Erin Price is about to get her fill.

  * * *

  Like baking mysteries? Cats, dogs, and other pets? Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman brings readers back to small town Bald Eagle Falls for another culinary cozy mystery to be solved by gluten-free baker Erin Price and her friends.

  * * *

  Have your gluten-free cake and eat it too. Sink your teeth into this sweet treat now!

  Copyright © 2022 by P.D. Workman

  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 written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 9781774682173 (KDP Paperback)

  ISBN: 9781774682210 (KDP Hardcover)

  ISBN: 9781774682227 (KDP Large Print)

  ISBN: 9781774682203 (Lulu Paperback)

  ISBN: 9781774682180 (Kindle)

  ISBN: 9781774682197 (ePub)

  Sign up for my mailing list at pdworkman.com and get Gluten-Free Murder for free!

  * * *

  For those with a lot on their plate

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Preview of Cut Out Cookie

  About Cut Out Cookie

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Also by P.D. Workman

  About the Author

  CHAPTER 1

  Erin brushed her forehead with the back of her wrist to wipe away a bead of sweat as she walked from the kitchen of Auntie Clem’s Bakery to the front store space where her customers were gathering. She smiled in greeting.

  “How are ya’ll this morning?”

  “You’re sounding like a regular Tennessean,” Mary Lou Cox observed, giving Erin a brief smile. She smoothed the fabric over the hips of her pantsuit.

  “I’ve been giving her lessons,” Vic offered cheekily. “Trying to train her on the proper grammar and etiquette that a business owner in Tennessee should know.”

  Mary Lou nodded and looked into the display case to see what the bakery had on offer that morning. “Hmm. Half a dozen of the cheesy rolls. Half a dozen brownies. Pizza shell… and a loaf of multigrain bread.”

  Erin started to pull the order together while Vic rang it up on the till. She knew that the multigrain bread was for Mary Lou. Everything else would probably be consumed by Joshua, her younger son. They were the only two left at home and Mary Lou watched her figure carefully, rarely allowing herself a baked treat. But Joshua was a growing teen and was still getting back in shape after being kidnapped and starved.

  “How is Joshua?”

  Mary Lou rubbed the back of her neck, considering her answer. There were other people around, so her response would probably not be as open as it would be if she and Erin had been alone.

  “Everyone says that kids are resilient and he will be back to his old self in no time.” Her eyes were distant. “But it’s been a long time since Joshua was ‘his old self.’ All of the trials that he and Campbell had to go through when Roger…” She trailed off, not putting it into words. They all knew how Roger had lost all of the family’s money and had tried to commit suicide. And about the brain damage the attempt had left him with. The boys had been forced to grow up and become men way too quickly, and it had taken its toll on both of them.

  Erin hadn’t lived in Bald Eagle Falls then, so she had only known the boys after the spate of family disasters. She liked them both. They had been responsible and hardworking until, eventually, they just couldn’t keep it up anymore. Cam was now in the city, living with friends in a lifestyle that Mary Lou definitely did not approve of. And since his kidnapping, Joshua had also dropped out of school and was having trouble getting over everything that had happened.

  “What about counseling?” Erin suggested. “Is he seeing someone?”

  “No. He won’t have anyone in town knowing his personal thoughts and feelings and says that he doesn’t want to go all the way into the city. It’s too far. I told him I would take him, of course, that we would make it work, but… I know it’s just an excuse. And at this age, I can’t really force him. I can’t exactly throw him over my shoulder and drag him off anymore.”

  Erin smiled at the image this brought to mind. Joshua was taller than Mary Lou, lanky and still regaining his weight, but certainly too big for Mary Lou to physically force into anything.

  Though Erin had known families in the past who would have used other methods to force their will on a recalcitrant teen. Having grown up in the foster system, she had seen her share of domestic violence and other coercion.

  “Well… tell him hello for me.” Erin put a couple of extra brownies into the bag for him. Chocolate and carbs might not heal every ill, but they wouldn’t do him any harm. “Tell him I’m thinking of him. And if he ever wants to talk…”

  Mary Lou nodded once. But she probably wouldn’t tell Joshua that part. She would prefer that Erin and Joshua did not get too close, convinced that Erin would do more sleuthing around Bald Eagle Falls and would drag Joshua into something he shouldn’t be involved in. She would prefer that he would just work things through and go back to school in the fall.

  Vic smiled warmly at Mary Lou and gave her the total. Mary Lou counted out her cash carefully and gave her exact change. Erin couldn’t help but wonder how much Mary Lou struggled financially. Joshua’s medical bills on top
of the bankruptcy Roger had caused… Mary Lou worked at the General Store, which probably didn’t bring in much money. She had only herself and Joshua to take care of, but even that must have been difficult.

  “Y’all come back now,” Erin told her, and winked at Vic.

  Erin tucked a stray lock of dark hair back under the baker’s hat, rolling her eyes at how her hair was always pulling out of whatever clips she tried to tame it with. On the other hand, Vic always looked sleek and professional, her fine blond hair done up in a bun or a French braid, makeup perfect, each line of her clothing lying just the right way. Erin always felt like an ugly duckling when compared to her transgender employee and best friend.

  Vic gave her a smile of sympathy, and they turned their attention to the small mob of Fosters waiting to be served.

  The Fosters were Erin’s favorite customers, if she allowed herself to pick favorites, which she knew she shouldn’t. But she couldn’t help herself. Most of the reason was young Peter Foster, the oldest of the children, who had severe celiac disease. Erin opening up the gluten-free bakery in Bald Eagle Falls had changed his life for the better. He now had the choice of anything in the store, instead of being limited to the single brand of dry gluten-free bread that the grocery store carried and boxes of commercial gluten-free cookies, which only came in a couple of varieties.

  He tried to herd his younger sisters and to direct them as to what they should do, helping Mrs. Foster out the best he could. Still, sometimes his attempts backfired and he ended up causing a fight with the girls instead of keeping them in line.

  “Choc’late!” Traci insisted, getting her fingerprints all over the display case as she pointed insistently at the chocolate chunk cookies at her eye level. “Want choc’late. Choc’late!” Her voice rose insistently. The baby of the family until just recently, she was used to getting her way. It must be hard for her to understand why the new baby in Mrs. Foster’s sling had changed everything so much for her. Somebody else was the center of attention now. Everyone fussed over him, and he stole Traci’s mother’s time from her.

  “Okay!” Peter told her, trying to shush her. “I hear you, Traci. You want the chocolate cookie.” He rolled his eyes dramatically at Erin. “Can Traci please have a chocolate chunk cookie for her kid’s club cookie?” He looked down at Traci and tapped her on the top of the head. “Say ‘please!’”

  “Pwease?” Traci demanded, looking at Erin and jabbing her finger in the direction of the chocolate chunk cookies several more times for emphasis. “Pwease? Choc’late? Dat one?”

  Erin followed Traci’s pointing finger through the glass and touched one of the cookies with her gloved hand. “This one?”

  “No! Dat one!”

  Erin moved over one cookie. “This one?”

  Traci nodded. Erin pulled it out and put it into a napkin for Traci. “Okay. And how about the rest of you cookie monsters?”

  Karen and Jodi laughed at this, and each picked out which cookies they wanted, ignoring Peter’s attempts to try to get samples of as many different kinds of cookies as he could. Not that he hadn’t already tasted everything Erin had on offer. It was about time to mix things up and add a couple of new varieties of cookies to get people’s attention. And some Easter cut-outs.

  “How is everything?” Erin asked once the children were munching on their kid’s club cookies more quietly. “You’re getting back into the swing of things?”

  “Trying to,” Mrs. Foster agreed. “It seems a little bit harder this time. Maybe I’m getting too old to keep doing this. Maybe we should stop at five.”

  Erin shook her head. “You are amazing with them. I can’t imagine being able to wrangle that many. Even just thinking about how I would fit one baby into my life… I don’t think I could do it.”

  “It gets easier after the first two or three.” Mrs. Foster jiggled and looked down at the baby cradled in the sling. “Until you end up with one with colic or who has a more… demanding personality. After Peter and the girls, I thought I had it all figured out. It was easy. But this one…” She bounced Allan up and down. “He has his own ideas of how things should be done. Like what time he eats and sleeps. I think he has allergies.”

  “Oh, no. What about celiac disease? You don’t think he’s celiac like Peter, do you?”

  “We’ll have to get him tested, I guess, once he starts eating solid foods. He shouldn’t be getting gluten through my milk. But he definitely reacts negatively to some of the stuff I eat. Like peppers. This little man does not do well with peppers.”

  “Poor guy. Well, if you need anything special for your diet, you be sure to let me know. You don’t need to worry about peppers in anything here but the pizza bread, but if you identify anything else… I’ll make sure you still have other options.”

  Mrs. Foster smiled and nodded. “You are so accommodating to everyone. I have no idea how you do it. Everything tastes so good and has a good texture, even though it is gluten-free and sometimes vegan or something-else-free. You’re a lifesaver.”

  Erin couldn’t help beaming at that. That was precisely the reason that she had wanted to start the gluten-free bakery. So that people like Peter and Mrs. Foster had delicious choices and didn’t have to feel left out. She wanted there to be something for everyone at Auntie Clem’s Bakery.

  Mrs. Foster placed her order, and Erin was busy for a few minutes getting everything packaged up.

  “Mom? Blueberry bagels?” Peter pointed out. “Can we get some? Please? I’ll eat them for breakfasts.”

  “I don’t want you harassing me to buy out half the store,” his mother warned.

  “I won’t. That’s the only thing. I won’t ask for anything else.”

  Of course, he knew everything else that his mother had already ordered. There was no need for him to beg for the regular bread, rolls, granola bars, or other things she had already ordered.

  “Fine,” Mrs. Foster conceded. Erin knew that she always left a little flexibility in her order, knowing she would need to deal with Peter’s negotiations. “We’ll take a bag of the blueberry bagels as well.”

  Erin added it to the order. After Vic rang up the order, she helped to pack everything into a box for Mrs. Foster. “Let me carry that out to the car for you. Then you don’t need to juggle it and the baby at the same time.”

  Of course, she would have to once she got home, and Peter and the older girls would be at school so they couldn’t help her. Mrs. Foster nodded. “Well, all right.”

  Peter led the family out of the bakery like so many little ducks walking in a line.

  CHAPTER 2

  Erin took advantage of a momentary lull in customers to go to the kitchen and get a couple more batters mixed up. It was always nice to have something fresh out of the oven at the end of the day when the after-school and before-dinner rush came around.

  There was a knock on the back door. Erin checked through the peephole, then opened the door.

  “Adele! Come in!”

  The tall, dark-haired woman slipped into the kitchen. She glanced around briefly.

  “I want to take advantage of your day-old bread program,” Adele told Erin.

  Erin raised her brows in surprise. In trying to help the rural homeless in and around Bald Eagle Falls, a community very difficult to identify or get close to, she had set up a program where anyone could ask for day-old baked goods, which Erin normally saved up to take into one of the homeless shelters in the city, and they would be provided free of charge.

  A lot of the church women had rolled their eyes at this and insisted that there were no homeless in Bald Eagle Falls or the surrounding wilds and farmlands. And if there were, they were clearly homeless by choice and should get paying jobs to support their families and pay for their own food. But Erin had seen some of the homeless families with her own eyes. Women, often on their own, taking care of thin children with old eyes. Women who were doing the best they could to eke out a living in a society where even the most basic of homes or lands cos
t more than a person on minimum wage could afford. Especially if they weren’t able to work two or three jobs because of childcare.

  Adele had become acquainted with one of the families who had been camping out in Erin’s woods, the treed lands behind Clementine’s house that she had inherited along with the house and the storefront for Clementine’s old tea shop, the first iteration of Auntie Clem’s Bakery. So Adele was not one of the parties who rolled her eyes and suggested that anyone willing to work should be able to earn a living wage.

  Erin employed Adele as the groundskeeper for the woods, tasked with keeping away trespassers who might light fires, dump trash, or hold Erin liable for some ill that befell them while camping out or taking a hike through her property. In exchange for this service, Adele lived in the summer cottage rent-free and was able to spend her time wandering in the woods, picking herbs, and doing whatever it was that Wiccan women did at night under the full moon. Adele had already been run out of other towns in the Bible Belt when people had come to suspect or know that she was a witch.