Chapter 12 A Moment of Reflection
The ocean was the only thing Mia Rossi could think of.
She had spent the entire morning inside The Honeycomb Bakery, surrounded by flour, sugar, butter, and the comforting smells that had once been enough to make every problem seem smaller.
But nothing felt small anymore.
Not Harrison Finch's murder.
Not the threatening note.
Not the stolen evidence.
And certainly not Beatrice.
Mia stood behind the counter, staring at the handwritten note they'd found in Chloe's car.
Please keep the nutmeg oil for me until after the festival.
— Beatrice
She had read it at least twenty times.
The words hadn't changed.
The handwriting hadn't changed.
The truth hadn't changed.
Only Mia had.
She had spent days trying to understand what had happened.
She had suspected Greg.
Then Julian.
Then Chloe.
Now Beatrice.
The woman who had taught her how to bake with better ingredients.
The woman who had encouraged her when she was starting out.
The woman who had stood beside Mia after Harrison's body was discovered and offered comforting words.
Mia closed her eyes.
"I trusted her."
Chloe stood behind her.
"I know."
Mia opened her eyes.
"I trusted you less."
Chloe didn't answer.
That hurt more than Mia expected.
She lowered her gaze.
"I'm sorry."
"I know."
"No."
Mia shook her head.
"I don't think you understand."
Chloe waited.
"I accused you without accusing you."
"What does that mean?"
"I looked at you differently."
Chloe's expression softened.
"You were scared."
"I was."
"But you still hurt me."
Mia nodded.
"I know."
The bakery became quiet.
Finally, Chloe reached across the counter.
"You were trying to protect yourself."
Mia looked at her.
"And Gingersnap."
A small smile appeared on Chloe's face.
"Mostly Gingersnap."
Mia laughed softly.
"Probably."
The moment passed.
Then Chloe squeezed her hand.
"Come on."
"Where?"
"Outside."
"I have work."
"The bakery will survive an hour."
Mia looked around.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
The Crystal Cove boardwalk stretched along the coast, overlooking the Pacific.
By late afternoon, the crowds had thinned.
Mia walked slowly beside Chloe.
Gingersnap followed in his harness, occasionally stopping to sniff a flower or inspect something invisible to human eyes.
The ocean stretched endlessly beside them.
Waves rolled toward the shore.
Gulls circled overhead.
The breeze carried the salty smell of the sea.
For the first time in days, Mia wasn't thinking about the bakery.
She wasn't thinking about evidence.
She wasn't thinking about suspects.
She was simply walking.
Chloe broke the silence.
"Do you really think it's Beatrice?"
Mia looked toward the ocean.
"I don't know."
"But you believe it."
"I believe the evidence points toward her."
Chloe nodded.
"That's different."
"Yes."
Mia stopped walking.
She looked at the water.
"I keep replaying everything."
"What?"
"That morning."
Chloe waited.
"The festival. Harrison. The cake."
Mia's voice grew quieter.
"I remember Beatrice being there."
"She was the organizer."
"I know."
"I remember her talking to people."
"I know."
"She looked completely normal."
Mia nodded.
"That's what scares me."
She wrapped her arms around herself.
"If it's her, then she was standing there pretending everything was fine while knowing what she'd done."
Chloe didn't respond.
Mia continued.
"And I never noticed."
"You weren't supposed to."
"That's not true."
She shook her head.
"I should have."
"Why?"
"Because I thought I knew her."
Mia sat on a nearby bench.
Gingersnap climbed onto the bench beside her.
"I thought she was one of the good ones."
Chloe sat beside her.
"Maybe she was."
Mia looked at her.
"What?"
"Maybe she was good once."
The words settled heavily between them.
Mia looked at the ocean again.
People changed.
Circumstances changed.
Anger changed people.
Loss changed people.
And sometimes, pain stayed buried so long that it became something else.
Something dangerous.
"Harrison hurt her," Mia said.
"According to what we know."
"He took something that belonged to her family."
"Yes."
"And she never got over it."
"Maybe."
Mia sighed.
"That doesn't excuse murder."
"No."
"But I understand the anger."
Chloe looked at her.
"Understanding isn't forgiving."
"I know."
Mia lowered her head.
"That's what makes this so difficult."
They walked again.
Gingersnap trotted between them.
After a while, Mia spoke.
"I'm sorry I doubted you."
Chloe looked at her.
"I know."
"I should have believed you."
"You should have."
Mia smiled sadly.
"You're not going to make this easy, are you?"
"No."
"Fair."
Chloe laughed.
Then her expression became serious.
"But I understand."
Mia nodded.
"I was scared."
"I know."
"I thought someone was trying to hurt us."
"They are."
Mia looked at her.
"Exactly."
The realization made her stomach twist.
Whoever had left the rat on the bakery doorstep knew about her investigation.
Whoever had planted the nutmeg oil knew how to make Chloe look guilty.
Whoever had stolen the evidence knew what the police had.
This wasn't random.
It was deliberate.
Calculated.
Mia took a deep breath.
"I don't think Beatrice is finished."
Chloe looked at her.
"Neither do I."
They eventually returned to the bench overlooking the water.
Mia sat down.
Gingersnap immediately climbed into her lap.
He curled himself into a warm orange ball against her stomach.
Mia smiled.
"Hello."
He purred.
Loudly.
Chloe laughed.
"He's been waiting for this."
"For what?"
"Attention."
Mia scratched behind his ears.
Gingersnap pressed his head against her palm.
His purring grew louder.
Mia closed her eyes.
For several minutes, she said nothing.
She simply listened.
The ocean.
The breeze.
The cat's steady purr.
It was the first peaceful sound she'd heard in days.
Gingersnap nudged her hand.
Mia continued petting him.
"You're the only one who hasn't changed."
Gingersnap purred.
Chloe smiled.
"He hasn't exactly been predictable."
"No."
Mia looked down at him.
"But he's been there."
She stroked his back.
"When I was scared."
Gingersnap nudged her again.
"When I didn't know who to trust."
Another nudge.
"When I was wrong about Chloe."
Chloe laughed.
"Thank you for bringing me into this."
Mia smiled.
Gingersnap closed his eyes.
Mia looked toward the horizon.
The sun was beginning to sink.
Orange light stretched across the water.
She thought about everything that had happened.
The murder.
The threats.
The lies.
The secrets.
The friendships that had nearly broken.
And the truth that was beginning to emerge.
She felt foolish.
She had trusted the wrong person.
She had doubted the right one.
She had nearly allowed fear to control her.
But she was still standing.
And Chloe was still beside her.
Gingersnap was still in her lap.
That mattered.
Mia took a slow breath.
"I'm going to fix this."
Chloe looked at her.
"How?"
Mia looked down at Gingersnap.
Then toward the ocean.
"I don't know yet."
She smiled faintly.
"But I will."
Chloe nodded.
"Then I'll help."
Mia reached for her friend's hand.
"Thank you."
They sat together in silence.
Gingersnap continued to purr.
For one brief moment, the murder felt far away.
But Mia knew better.
Somewhere in Crystal Cove, Beatrice was waiting.
Watching.
Perhaps wondering how much Mia knew.
Perhaps already planning her next move.
Mia didn't know what would happen next.
But she knew she couldn't turn back.
She took one more deep breath.
Then looked at Chloe.
"I will fix this."
The ocean stretched endlessly before them.
And for the first time since Harrison Finch's death, Mia believed she could.