Chapter 2
2
THIRTEEN MONTHS AGO
“Hey, look! It’s open!”
Deputy Aaron Bergstrom’s attention jerked from the road in front of him to the direction his partner was pointing. Just off the main road that bisected the Eastern Shore’s bayside from the seaside was a long, older building housing small businesses on the bottom floor and renovated apartments on the second floor.
He and Deputy Lisa Perdue were responding to a possible burglary at the pawn store two doors down from where she was pointing. A new bakery had just opened, and it already appeared to be filled with eager patrons itching for a cup of coffee and a pastry.
His stomach growled just looking at the decorative storefront. “As soon as we take this report on the robbery, I’m hitting the bakery before we head back on patrol.”
“You’ll get no argument from me,” Lisa said. “Looks like there’s a line, but if you don’t mind standing in it, I’ll be more than happy to pay for your coffee and treat.”
He readily agreed, and they parked outside the pawn shop. For the next thirty minutes, he pushed aside all thoughts of the bakery as he focused on the task at hand. Aaron had been a North Heron Sheriff's Department deputy for almost three years. He followed in his brother's footsteps in joining the military right out of high school, but his discipline was initially different. He went straight into MP school, serving as a Navy police officer for several tours. During that time, he worked to obtain his associate's degree, and when he left the military, he attended the police academy.
Having grown up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, he eschewed all offers from other localities, including large cities with higher salaries. He wanted to return to the Eastern Shore, where his brother was now serving with the Virginia Marine Police, and his father still lived in the family home where Aaron had grown up.
Walking inside, they talked to the owner, Gil Stanhope. The front windows and door of the pawn store were undamaged, but Gil showed them the door leading to the alley in the back of the building. It had been jimmied with what looked like a crowbar.
“Your alarm didn’t go off?”
Gil shook his head. “My daughter closed up last night. I’ve talked to her, and she swears that she set the alarm as always. I can’t imagine she didn’t since she’s worked here for years. But no, Deputy, it didn’t. I haven’t had a chance to look at the security.” Gil’s face scrunched, and he shook his head. “But what is strange is that you would think the thieves could’ve taken everything of value, but they didn’t.”
“What did they take?” Lisa asked.
“They went to the case where we have estate jewelry and took four rings, three pairs of earrings, and two brooches.” He waved his arms around and said, “With all the electronics we have here, you’d think they would have gone for that.”
Aaron had a lot of questions he wanted to ask but knew that the detectives would arrive soon. It was his and Lisa’s job to secure the area and ensure no evidence was disturbed. It only took a few minutes before he heard the arrival of the others. He offered a chin lift to Hunter Simmons and Brad Stowe, two of the detectives for the sheriff’s department. Lisa had begun to tape off the back door, and as soon as the fingerprint officer arrived, she assisted them.
He walked around the store with Hunter while Brad interviewed the owner. “They had to know what they were looking for,” Hunter said, his sharp gaze moving around the room.
Hunter had once served as an undercover narcotics detective for the Virginia State Police. He switched to the local sheriff’s department and fell in love with a woman caught in the middle of his operation. He and Belle now had a house with a bay view to raise their baby in.
Hunter directed him to which areas needed to be taped off for the fingerprinting officer once he finished with the door.
“Deputy Perdue, secure the office, please,” Brad said.
Aaron knew the detectives would want to ensure the security feed was not disturbed or erased while they were there.
“Got time to listen to the interview?” Hunter asked, looking at him.
Aaron sucked in a quick breath. “Oh hell yeah.”
Aaron had just started studying for his detective examination, and Hunter’s offer was an invaluable experience. Listening to the questions Hunter posed for the owner and his daughter when she arrived, Aaron was determined to commit them to memory. He watched the owners' faces, noted their expressions, and listened carefully to what they said.
Stepping outside where the burglar entered, he gladly took the camera from Hunter and began taking pictures. Hunter knelt and inspected the area, voicing his analysis of the visual clues aloud so that Aaron could listen as he photographed where indicated. He returned the camera, saying, “I appreciate the insight, Hunter.”
The stoic detective flashed a small smile and nodded. “You’ll make a damn good detective, Aaron.”
“Yeah, when all the studying is finished, and I pass the exam.”
“Got a timeline?”
“I’m shooting to take the exam in the spring. Get the holidays over, and then buckle down to prepare for it.”
“You staying here or looking to move on?”
Aaron chuckled. “With Andy and Dad here? I’m perfectly happy on the shore. As long as there’s a position and Colt will take me.”
Colt Hudson was the sheriff of North Heron County. He was also a native of the area and would probably remain sheriff until he retired, which was a long way off. Aaron found Colt to be a good man, an excellent sheriff, and a friend, so he would consider it an honor to be a detective under Colt.
His stride was swift as he met Lisa at their parked vehicle. Glancing down the sidewalk, he noticed the bakery’s crowd had thinned, offering the perfect chance to check it out. He turned to his partner. “You want something? I’m going to check it out.”
“Yeah. Coffee and any kind of pastry. I’m going to take a few minutes and return a call from my mom.”
With a nod, he jogged down the sidewalk and pushed open the door, hearing the sound of a bell tinkling above him. He stepped inside, and his gaze roamed the welcoming interior. There were white tables with red and white chairs dotting the small area for those having their coffee and treats. A counter was on one side with bakery items filling the shelves. The scent of coffee, along with vanilla, chocolate, and cinnamon wafted past, and he inhaled deeply. A pretty redheaded woman with a sweet face was behind the counter, her bright red apron proclaiming the name of the establishment was hers in cheerful letters. Bess’s Bakery and I’m Bess!
He chuckled, admiring her looks and confidence. She bustled through the door into the kitchen. Another woman moved down the counter, and his attention was snagged and then held captive. This woman had the same auburn hair and blue eyes as Bess, but something about her took her from pretty to beautiful in Aaron’s book. Her apron, which did nothing to hide her delicious curves, simply proclaimed the bakery's name, so he was anxious to learn her name.
Her wide and genuine smile ignited warmth in his chest. A light blush graced her cheeks. “Hi, what can I get for you this fine morning, Deputy?”
He turned on his charm and replied, “How about your name?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not on the menu.”
“Too bad,” he quipped, aiming his smile straight toward her. “But I guess I’ll settle for two coffees and two of your favorite pastries.” He inclined his head toward the outside and added, “My partner sent me in and said she wasn’t picky.”
The woman looked down at the case and nibbled on the corner of her bottom lip as though giving great thought to his request. “It’s very hard to choose which pastry I like the best. I was her official taste tester when my sister was developing all the recipes. But I would have to say her éclairs are beyond compare.”
He grinned wider. “Then I’ll take two of those and see if I can find out more information about you. You just confessed that your sister is Bess, the owner.”
“Perhaps…” Her gaze dropped to his name on his uniform, then lifted back to his face, her eyes widening slightly. “Perhaps, Deputy Bergstrom, I simply left you a clue. After all, you are trained in ferreting out information from clues, aren’t you?”
He laughed as she turned her back to him and filled to-go cups with coffee. Looking over her shoulder, she found his gaze. “I’m sorry. I forgot to ask if you wanted room for cream and sugar.”
“Room for both in both.”
As she set the cups on the counter, she moved to the display case and placed two of the éclairs into a bag. She turned toward the back and called out, “Hey, Bess, the éclairs have sold really well today. Got any more?”
“Thanks, Belinda! I’ll get some more out there,” Bess called through the open door leading into the kitchen.
As the woman turned back to him, her eyes were sparkling, her smile still wide. “Okay, so much for looking for clues. I suppose if you were listening, you heard what my sister said.”
He pulled out his wallet and grinned. “The beautiful woman has a beautiful name… Belinda.”
She waved her hand in a shooing motion. “County first responders in uniform don’t pay for coffee,” she stated, pointing at a sign announcing the policy.
Aaron was aware that several businesses along the Eastern Shore offered first responders in uniform a discount or maybe even a free coffee. Still, it felt like taking advantage of a new business to take them up on the offer. He especially wanted to leave a tip for Belinda.
As though she could read his mind, she shook her head. “No, seriously. My sister is very strict about not making the sheriff’s department and rescue workers on duty pay for their coffee.”
“Okay, what about the éclairs?”
She leaned forward and grinned. “Those are my gifts to you,” she said, pulling out some bills from her pants pocket and putting them in the cash register.
“You can’t do that!” he protested, not believing she was paying for his éclairs.
“Don’t worry,” she said, tossing out a wink along with her smile as she leaned her elbows on the counter. Now that she was closer, he could tell her blue eyes were darker, giving them an almost violet hue. “Just tell all your friends about Bess’s Bakery, and that will more than make up for the cost of a couple of éclairs.”
When he walked in and saw her light blush, he wondered if she would be shy or intimidated by his overt flirting, but as she turned her twinkling eyes to him, he realized she was in the moment with him.
Encouraged, he leaned on his elbows and nodded, putting his face closer to hers. “Then I’ll make sure to stop by here when I’m not in uniform, and I can give you what you’re owed.”
The bell over the door rang, and she straightened, her gaze moving from the newcomers to him. “I’m only here in the early morning hours to help out my sister. After that, I have my own job.” She scrunched her nose and added, “Although my job doesn’t have steady hours, so who knows? I might be here after all.”
He started to ask her what her other job was, then decided he would wait until the next time he was at the bakery. His radio squawked, and he shoved a couple of dollars in the tip jar before turning and calling out his goodbye as he jogged outside, knowing he’d be back. He’d see the beautiful Belinda again if things went as he hoped. Very soon.
Belinda looked over as Bess came bustling from the back, carrying a tray loaded with filled croissants, éclairs, and apple fritters. Hurrying to help her sister place the items in the case, she said, “You’ve had a good day so far. It seems your advertising has paid off.”
Bess beamed as she nodded. “I can’t thank you enough for helping out.”
“It’s no problem. I can be here most mornings, and it gives me a chance to spend time with my favorite sister.”
Bess popped her with a dish rag. “You’re my only sister.”
“So that also gives you the title of being my favorite!”
Bess shook her head. “Who was the cute deputy you were flirting with?”
Unable to keep the blush from crossing her face, a curse from being a redhead, Belinda sighed. “That was Aaron Bergstrom. He would’ve been a senior when you were a freshman at Baytown High School. He was one grade ahead of me.”
Bess startled slightly, still smiling. “So you two know each other?”
“You must be nuts!” Belinda rolled her eyes. “Lest you have forgotten, my dear sister,” she replied in an imperial voice, “I was one of the nerds. A guy like Aaron Bergstrom—Mr. Athlete, Mr. Personality, and Mr. Popular—would hardly have given me a second look.”
Bess scrunched her nose and nodded. “I hear you. You were the nerd in the photography class, and I was two years behind you as the nerd in the chemistry class and vocational culinary arts class. No one could understand how I loved the idea of the chemistry of cooking and baking.”
Belinda walked over and wrapped her arms around Bess. “Well, I think you’re brilliant!”
“Somehow, we got to talking about me. What I want to know about are those looks I saw Deputy Bergstrom giving you.”
“It was a little harmless flirting on his part with a woman he didn’t know. And a little flirting on my part, knowing that I still might be a photography nerd, but I’m no longer a shy teenager afraid of bantering with the hottie.”
Bess hugged her back and grinned. “We’re two kick-ass sisters who are no longer held back by the constraints of adolescence!”
“Hear, hear!”
The bell rang over the door, and another group of women walked in. The sisters separated to greet their old friends. “Belle! Carrie! Welcome!” Belinda called out.
Belle Simmons’s and Carrie Hudson’s smiles were wide as they made their way to the counter.
“Oh my God, just the smell of this place will put pounds on my hips!” Carrie exclaimed.
Belle worked as the administrative nurse at the local nursing home, and her gaze drifted over the pastries. “You know, I will make my staff so happy if I order a platter of pastries for our next meeting. Hey, Bess,” she called out. “Do you take large orders?”
Bess popped her head through the kitchen door and grinned. “Absolutely!”
The bell over the door rang again, and Hannah Freeman-Hunt walked in, wearing the police chief uniform for the small town of Easton. Belinda smiled and pointed at the sign that proclaimed first responders got free coffee.
“Damn,” Hannah said, her smile wide. “Then I’ll take a coffee and one of those apple turnovers!”
Belinda stayed several more hours despite Bess's protestations. “It’s your first week, and you need the help. Anyway, I didn’t have a photography job today. Plus, once the news got out that you were open, it was crazy busy.”
The two sisters grinned and turned in unison as the bell rang over the door once more.