Gluten-Free Murder (Auntie Clem's Bakery Book 1) Read online

  “Why don’t you go home?” Erin asked gently. “Why did you run away?”

  If anyone could understand running away, it was Erin. How many times had she run away from her foster families? How many times, as an adult, had she just left when a situation became fraught? Just packed up her bags and left town?

  “I didn’t run away. They kicked me out. I’m eighteen, they don’t have to look after me anymore. And they don’t want me around. I’m… a black mark against their name.”

  Erin gazed at the young blond. She had obviously been living rough, but she had a pretty face. She couldn’t understand how anyone could turn another person out on the streets, but especially someone so obviously young and vulnerable. Didn’t they know the kind of life she would be forced to live on the streets with no lifeline?

  “How would you like to earn some money?”

  Vic’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “Help me out today. Help me get the baking done and set up and then you can assist behind the counter. I can’t pay you much, but I have some start-up capital. Tonight you can come home with me. Have a shower and sleep in a bed for once.”

  Vic shook her head. “Why on earth would you do that?”

  “Call me crazy,” Erin said with a shrug. “I’ve been left with nothing too many times. I’m not going to be the cause of someone else getting turned out in the street.”

  “Thank you. But you don’t have to do that. I can… I don’t know, I can work something else out.”

  “You don’t want the job?”

  Vic stared at her, her eyes still round and disbelieving. “You really want me to work for you?”

  “Let’s start with a day. See how it goes.”

  “Okay,” Vic finally agreed, her voice low and hoarse. “Yeah. I’ll help you.”

  “Good. We’d better get to work, because I’m already behind. We can talk while we work.”

  She got Vic to wash up and don an apron and cap and they worked side-by-side, Erin showing Vic what she needed to do so that she could get everything into the oven on schedule.

  “What are you going to tell people?” Vic asked anxiously. “Please don’t tell them I’m Angela’s niece.”

  “People won’t know you? You haven’t visited her before?”

  “No… it’s been a while, I’ve changed a lot. I don’t think anyone will recognize me. If you tell them I’m Angela’s niece, they’re going to think that I killed her!”

  “No one is going to think that,” Erin soothed. Though she knew it was probably true. People would jump all over the disaffected relative. They’d say it was because Angela had refused to help Vic, or because Vic thought she would get Angela’s money. The girl wouldn’t have a chance. “If you don’t want me to, I won’t tell. We can just let people think that you’re a friend of mine from out of town.”

  “Yeah.” Vic blew out a breath of relief. “That would be really good. Thanks.”

  Gema stared at Vic and shook her gray head. “Where did she come from? I haven’t seen you around here before.”

  “This is Vic, she’s helping me today,” Erin said, smiling steadily.

  “North,” Vic offered, again providing no further detail. Erin knew what it was like not to be from anywhere particular. People didn’t like it. That was one of the reasons she always added ‘Maine’ when people asked. People liked to have something more. They liked something identifiable, classifiable. ‘North’ was just too amorphous.

  “She’s new in town,” Erin said.

  Vic was looking put-together in a crisp white apron and server’s hat, her hair combed and pulled back into a sleek ponytail. She had borrowed Erin’s makeup to do her face before opening, Erin keeping a close eye out while she was in the commode to make sure she didn’t bolt. Vic was much more polished and relaxed, looking like she was actually enjoying herself.

  A breakfast of muffins and milk hadn’t hurt, either.

  Vic made Erin think of the cat; homeless, in need of love and nurturing, but skittish and not sure that she was safe there.

  Erin walked her through the various products on offer. “If someone wants to know about ingredients, just ask me. I haven’t printed up information lists yet.” Erin made a mental note that she would need to do that.

  It was much easier to work the counter with two people. She really should have hired an assistant before opening in the first place. She and Vic fell into a routine. Vic smiled brightly and was enthusiastic about the food. Erin felt like she had been there right from the start. And she had been, in a way.

  They grabbed an early lunch when the morning rush calmed. There was plenty of bread and fixings for sandwiches.

  “This is really nice,” Vic said, as they both rested their feet and munched on sandwiches, the ‘back at 11:30’ sign up in the door. “And the food doesn’t even taste like it’s gluten-free. It’s real good.”

  “Gluten-free doesn’t mean it has to suck,” Erin said.

  “No. I guess not. All the stuff I’ve had before, it’s always gritty and falls apart. Or it tastes like cardboard. Your baking is real nice.”

  “That’s the rice flour. If you’re going to use rice flour, it should be superfine. You should let your batters soak. And you should combine it with other, softer flours.”

  “Huh.” Vic took another bite of her sandwich. “You can’t just substitute rice flour for wheat flour?”

  “No. It would be pretty horrible.”

  Vic was quiet, staring out the window. She had smiled a lot while serving the customers, but now her face was solemn and contemplative.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “About you?”

  Vic nodded.

  “I don’t know.” Erin sighed. “I don’t want to get you in any trouble. I’d like to help you out. You seem like a really nice kid. But there is a police investigation going on. They’re going to need to know that you were around. They’ll need your statement.”

  “She really died right here in the building?”

  “She really did. You must have known that, you would have seen the police tape up when you came back here that night. I don’t know where you were when it happened, but the police will need your alibi.”

  “What if I don’t have one?”

  “That doesn’t mean you did it. It just means you can’t prove where you were. It’s not like you had a motive.” Erin bit off the words.

  Vic shook her head. Erin knew it looked bad. If Piper thought Erin was suspect, he was going to be doubly suspicious about Vic.

  “We have to come clean. If it comes to light that you withheld information, they won’t believe anything you say.”

  “What are you going to do with me?”

  “I think you should come to the police station with me. After closing today.”

  “Or else?”

  “I think you should come, Vic. Don’t you?”

  Vic chewed slowly. Erin knew how she felt. Or she thought she did. She wasn’t any too excited about going to see Officer Piper herself. Vic was just a kid, without a friend or relative to help her through. Erin knew what it was like to be all alone.

  “Yeah,” Vic said finally. “I guess I better. Can’t run away from it.”

  Erin nodded. She was relieved that Vic had agreed to go on her own. She did not want to have to turn Vic in to the authorities. It was better if it was voluntary.

  Piper wouldn’t throw her in jail, would he? He’d see that she couldn’t be responsible for Angela’s death.

  Erin and Vic were both slow about closing up and cleaning up, preparing the bakery for the next day. Neither one wanted to be done and on their way to the police station.

  Erin told Vic about the cat and his antics of the night before, laughing at how loud he was and how worried she had been of waking the neighbors.

  “He couldn’t be that loud,” Vic protested.

  “He was! I swear, he was like a fire alarm!”

  “Are you sure it wasn’t a mountain lion?
”

  “Just an itty bitty kitten,” Erin held her hands out to demonstrate the size. “Barely old enough to be on his own.”

  “Let me see your hands,” Vic said, looking at them. Erin held her hands out tentatively, showing Vic the palms, then the backs, not sure what Vic wanted. Vic shook her head. “He sure clawed you up.”

  Erin looked at the scratches, nodding ruefully. “I know. Stings like heck. But he’s so cute, I can’t blame him for it.”

  They looked around the kitchen, but there was nothing left to do. It was time to go see Officer Piper.

  Chapter Nine

  THE POLICE STATION WAS no more than a couple of offices at the Town Hall, which was a store front just a couple of blocks down from the bakery. A receptionist for the entire Town Hall had them sit down in a couple of straight-backed chairs to wait. It was only a few minutes before Officer Piper was there to usher Erin into the office. He looked at Erin and then looked at Vic, frowning.

  “What’s all this?”

  “This is Vic. She needs to talk to you as well.”

  “Vic.” He studied her with his brows drawn down. “I don’t know you.”

  “No, sir.” Vic looked at the floor.

  “She’s been… she’s…” Erin stumbled over her words. “Can we talk to you in private? I’d rather the whole town didn’t know everything.”

  Piper looked around. The only other person there was the receptionist. But after dealing with Melissa’s gossip over what was in official police reports, Erin wasn’t trusting that any of the administrative staff would be any better. Piper nodded and motioned for them both to go with him. He took them into a jumbled office, shut the door, and sat down. K9 lay down at his side, grumbling just as he had when they had come to Clementine’s house. Vic snickered.

  “Okay,” Piper said. “Explain to me who you are.”

  Vic looked at Erin. She licked her lips, but couldn’t seem to get started. Erin felt sorry for the girl. “She’s apparently been sleeping at the bakery,” she said. “She had a key and let herself in and out.”

  “You told me that no one else had a key.”

  “I didn’t know that anyone did. I guess Clementine had given out at least one copy.”

  “You’d better get the locks changed if you don’t know how many copies are floating around. That should have been your first order of business when you took possession. Always change the locks on a house or a business when you take possession. Helps to prevent… unexpected guests.”

  “I guess I should have. I never thought of it. And I never suspected that anyone was sleeping there.”

  “You knew someone had been there, though. I take it Vic is your ghost.”

  Vic nodded. “I broke the mug,” she said hoarsely.

  “Well, that’s one mystery solved. But not the one I would really like to be solved.”

  Erin nodded. “You wanted me here to talk to me about… Angela’s death.”

  “Yes. And I expected you to be alone. I don’t conduct interviews in pairs. You find more out if you interview… witnesses… separately.”

  “I know you just asked for me. But you didn’t know about Vic. No one did.”

  “Exactly how long have you been in town?” Piper asked Vic.

  “A few weeks.”

  “You were here before Miss Price.”

  “Yes.”

  “Squatting at the shop before she was even in town.”

  “Yes.”

  Piper chewed the inside of his lip, studying her. Eventually, he looked at Erin.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask, but could I get you to wait while I interview Vic? You probably just want to go home and to bed, but I’m going to need to get her story without you in the room. And vice versa.”

  “Sure, yeah. Understood.”

  “You’re okay to wait for a while? Have you had supper?”

  “I can wait. But no, I haven’t had supper.”

  “The Chinese place across the street is good. Then you’re not just sitting around waiting and won’t have low blood sugar when I’m ready to talk to you.”

  Erin thought about it. He was probably right, and she hadn’t had a really good dinner for a week, always just grabbing something quick on the way to bed.

  “Okay,” she agreed. “You know where to find me if I’m not back when you’re ready for me.”

  Piper looked across the desk at Vic. “We’re going to be a while.”

  Erin felt a lot calmer after dinner at the Chinese restaurant. Piper was right about her being in better shape for a police interview once her blood sugar was stable. She had been letting herself get run down with the launch of the bakery. If she didn’t eat right and take care of herself, she wouldn’t be able to keep it up.

  She again took her seat outside of the police department offices. Vic and Piper were still behind closed doors. Another three quarters of an hour passed before the door opened and Piper escorted Vic out. Erin smiled at Vic, who was looking tired and red-eyed.

  “Okay?” she asked, putting a hand on Vic’s arm.

  “Yeah.” Vic sniffled. “I’m fine.”

  Erin looked at Piper, looking for some sign of how much trouble Vic was in. Did Piper suspect her now? And if he did, that would be good for Erin. If Vic had taken Erin’s place as the prime suspect, she should be happy. But she wasn’t. Her strongest instinct was to protect Vic. Just like the kitten.

  “You go get something to eat now,” Erin suggested, pulling her wallet out of her purse to give Vic some cash. “I’ll look for you over there, or back here. Okay?” She tried to meet Vic’s eyes. “You’re not going to run off on me, right? You need a bed for the night; I’ll help you out. Introduce you to the kitten.”

  Vic brightened a little at this. “Yeah, I want to see him,” she agreed.

  “Good. Then I’ll see you back here, or across the street at the Chinese place.”

  Vic nodded and took the money Erin offered. Piper and Erin both watched her walk out of the building and head across the street.

  “You think she’ll be back?” Piper asked. “You don’t think she’ll run?”

  “I don’t know. You?”

  They headed back to Piper’s office and sat down.

  “Hard to say. I’ve called Tom to keep an eye on her. He’ll pick her up over there. But our resources are pretty thin. Tom’s not an experienced tail.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t arrest her.”

  “All I have right now are suspicions. I haven’t caught her breaking any laws or even caught her in a lie. You’re not charging her with trespass. There’s no evidence that she had anything to do with Mrs. Plaint’s death. Yet.”

  “You don’t really think she did it, do you? It wasn’t like she had a motive to murder her own aunt.”

  “Did she talk to you about Mrs. Plaint?”

  “No, not much…” Erin shook her head. “What did she say?”

  “See if she’ll talk to you about it. I only have the bare bones… she wouldn’t say anything more to me than she had to. But it doesn’t look good.”

  “She couldn’t have intentionally killed Angela. Not that little girl.”

  “She’s not a little girl. She’s an adult. You don’t know anything about her. And what you do know should be a warning to you.”

  Erin knew he was right logically. But her heart was overriding her head. Yes, Vic had effectively broken into her shop and squatted there without her permission. She knew the victim and they were apparently not on the best of terms. But the girl didn’t seem to harbor any grudge against her aunt. She seemed open and friendly and she had a knack for customer service.

  “There’s more to that girl than meets the eye,” Piper warned. “You’re offering to take her into your home when you know next to nothing about her… not the smartest idea.”

  “She needs a place to stay. You don’t have any shelters in Bald Eagle Falls, do you?”

  “No. But we could figure something out. Have someone take her into the c
ity. Book a room at the motel. There’s no need to put yourself in a vulnerable situation. She could steal from you and disappear in the night in your car. She could slit your throat in your sleep. There are a hundred other ways she could damage or endanger you.”

  “Well, she’s not going to, knowing that the police are already onto her, is she?”

  “There’s no guarantee of that.”

  Erin sighed. “I trust her. I know, I’m naive to do it, but I have to. I’ve been Vic too many times before. I know what it’s like not to have anyone or to have anywhere to go. I know what it’s like to be discriminated against for being homeless, alone, or destitute. To have to rely on little kindnesses from people who don’t know anything about you. People have helped me to get where I am. I have to help Vic. I have to.”

  Piper stared across the desk at her, his eyes narrow, dissecting her like a scalpel, trying to uncover all the secrets she kept hidden under the surface.

  “You have an interesting past, Miss Price.”

  She wondered how much he’d been able to find out about her. She had dropped below the radar for long periods of time. Had he been able to fill in those gaps? Or was he still looking for answers and trying to figure out what kind of a person she really was?

  “There are lots of people with interesting histories.”

  “Did you come here because you were in trouble?”

  “I came here because my aunt left me a house and a store. I’ve never had an opportunity like that before. I decided to take advantage of it.”

  “This detective who tracked you down in Maine. What did you say his name was?”

  They both knew very well that she had never told him any details about the detective. “His name was Alton Summers.”

  “Did he get a finder’s fee for tracking you down?”

  “I don’t know what arrangements he had with the Estate. Of course he was paid to find me. Detectives don’t work for free.”

  “But you don’t know what kind of financial arrangements were made.”

  “No. Why would I?”