Chapter 9
Grease the Pan
Recipe Tip: A thin coat now saves you later.
By Friday night, Second Rise Bakery smelled like butter, cinnamon, and exhaustion.
Tessa stood behind the counter with a pastry brush in one hand and a pan in the other.
She brushed a thin layer of butter across the metal.
Not too much.
Just enough.
Her grandmother had always been particular about greasing pans.
A thin coat now saves you later.
Tessa had heard the phrase so many times that she'd stopped thinking about it.
Tonight, though, it seemed strangely appropriate.
She had spent the entire day collecting pieces.
Renata's hotel receipt.
Bertie's glove.
Lorna's three names.
The blue object in her coat pocket.
And now the growing suspicion that Garrick's death had been planned long before Wednesday morning.
None of the pieces fit.
Not yet.
She set the pan aside.
Pretzel sat on the counter.
He watched her.
"You know something."
Pretzel blinked.
"You always look innocent when you're hiding something."
Pretzel yawned.
Tessa pointed at him.
"Don't."
A knock came at the back door.
Tessa froze.
Three quick taps.
Pause.
Two more.
She looked at the clock.
8:47 p.m.
The bakery had been closed for nearly three hours.
She wiped her hands.
Another knock.
"Who is it?"
Silence.
Tessa reached for the light switch.
Then a voice whispered:
"Tessa?"
She recognized it.
"Theo?"
The back door opened a crack.
Theo Baptiste slipped inside.
He looked about twenty-three.
Maybe twenty-four.
Young enough to still have flour permanently embedded in his fingernails and old enough to know when he was in serious trouble.
He wore a black restaurant shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap pulled low.
His face was pale.
"Tessa."
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you."
"You could have called."
"I couldn't."
"Why?"
Theo looked toward the front of the bakery.
Then back at her.
"Because I don't want anyone knowing I came."
That wasn't encouraging.
Tessa folded her arms.
"Why?"
Theo swallowed.
"It's about Garrick."
Of course it was.
Everything was about Garrick.
"Sit."
Theo did.
Pretzel jumped onto the chair beside him.
Theo flinched.
"Is he going to bite me?"
"No."
Pretzel sniffed his sleeve.
"Probably."
Theo looked nervous.
"He's huge."
"He knows."
Tessa sat across from him.
"Start talking."
Theo rubbed his palms together.
"Garrick wasn't what people thought."
Tessa stared at him.
"That's becoming a theme."
Theo glanced at Pretzel.
"Did he tell you about the bread?"
"What bread?"
"The day-old loaves."
Tessa frowned.
"What about them?"
Theo lowered his voice.
"He used to get them."
"From where?"
"You."
Tessa stared.
"Me?"
Theo nodded.
"Every Tuesday."
"For how long?"
"Almost a year."
Tessa felt something shift inside her.
"I don't remember."
"Of course you don't."
"Excuse me?"
Theo smiled faintly.
"You sell a lot of bread."
Tessa didn't like how reasonable that sounded.
"What did he do with it?"
"Fed the kitchen staff."
"At the Copper Kettle?"
"Sometimes."
Theo hesitated.
"Mostly he took it home."
Tessa blinked.
"Garrick?"
"Yes."
"The same Garrick who said my pastries were overrated?"
Theo smiled.
"He didn't say that."
"He told me my croissants lacked discipline."
Theo laughed.
"That sounds like him."
Tessa leaned closer.
"Why would he buy my bread?"
Theo looked embarrassed.
"Because he liked it."
The words landed harder than they should have.
Tessa stared at him.
"He never said that."
"He wouldn't."
"Why?"
Theo shrugged.
"Garrick didn't compliment people."
"He complimented Renata."
"Renata was famous."
"So?"
Theo gave her a look.
"Exactly."
Tessa looked down.
She remembered last year's festival.
Come back when you've earned one.
She remembered the laughter.
The humiliation.
The way she'd gone back to the bakery convinced she wasn't good enough.
"What else?"
Theo shifted in his chair.
"He'd ask me what you'd baked."
Tessa looked up.
"What?"
"Every Tuesday."
"You're serious."
"He'd ask if you had blueberry scones."
Tessa's mouth opened.
"He liked those."
"I know."
"How?"
"Because I delivered them."
She stared.
Theo smiled.
"Garrick always asked for the ugly ones."
"The ugly ones?"
"The ones that didn't look perfect."
Tessa laughed despite herself.
"That sounds like him."
Theo nodded.
"He said the perfect ones were for customers."
"And the ugly ones?"
"He said those were for people who knew what food was supposed to taste like."
Tessa went quiet.
That hurt.
In a good way.
She looked toward the ovens.
"Why didn't he tell me?"
Theo shrugged.
"Maybe he thought you already knew."
"I didn't."
"I don't think he wanted you to."
"Why?"
Theo looked at her.
"Because then he'd have to admit you were good."
Tessa smiled.
Then the smile disappeared.
"What does this have to do with his death?"
Theo's expression changed.
"I don't know."
"You're here for a reason."
He looked toward the back door.
"I saw something."
Tessa's heartbeat quickened.
"What?"
"Wednesday."
"At the forge?"
Theo nodded.
"What time?"
"About six-thirty."
Tessa sat straighter.
"You were there?"
"I went to drop something off."
"What?"
Theo hesitated.
"A box."
"For Garrick?"
"Yes."
"What was in it?"
"Knife handles."
Tessa remembered Bertie.
"From Bertie?"
Theo looked surprised.
"How do you know Bertie?"
"I've been asking questions."
Theo rubbed his forehead.
"Garrick had me running errands."
"Did he know about the knives Bertie was making?"
Theo looked down.
"I don't know."
"Did you see Garrick?"
"Yes."
"Alive?"
"Yes."
"Did you speak to him?"
"For a minute."
"What did he say?"
Theo smiled faintly.
"He asked about you."
Tessa's chest tightened.
"What did he say?"
"He asked if you'd made the cardamom bread yet."
Tessa stared.
"What?"
"The banana bread."
Her skin prickled.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Did he say anything else?"
Theo hesitated.
"He said you were better than you thought."
Tessa looked away.
For a moment, the bakery disappeared.
There was only the memory of Garrick at the festival.
His cold expression.
His cutting words.
His refusal.
Come back when you've earned one.
A lie.
He had been buying her bread for nearly a year.
He had been quietly watching.
Quietly approving.
Quietly becoming a fan.
Tessa swallowed.
"Did he tell you why he never said anything?"
Theo shook his head.
"He just said..."
"What?"
"He said you had something to prove."
Tessa looked at him.
"To him?"
"No."
Theo smiled sadly.
"To yourself."
Silence.
The back door opened.
Both of them jumped.
Detective Wes Halloran stood there.
His hand was raised halfway to knock.
He looked at Theo.
Then Tessa.
Then Pretzel.
"I can come back."
Theo immediately stood.
"I should go."
Wes looked at him.
"That might not be necessary."
Theo froze.
Tessa stepped between them.
"Theo came to talk to me."
"I can see that."
Wes's tone wasn't threatening.
Just tired.
Theo looked at Tessa.
"Are you going to tell him?"
She hesitated.
"Yes."
Theo nodded.
"Good."
He looked at Wes.
"I didn't kill Garrick."
Wes studied him.
"Did you see him Wednesday evening?"
Theo nodded.
"Yes."
"Then we'll talk."
Theo swallowed.
"Okay."
Wes stepped aside.
Theo left.
The door closed.
Wes looked at Tessa.
"You attract interesting people."
"I don't know whether that's a compliment."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Tessa folded her arms.
"Why are you here?"
"I was nearby."
"At nine at night?"
"Yes."
"Convenient."
He gave her a tired look.
"I wanted to check on you."
Tessa blinked.
"You did?"
"You're a witness in a murder investigation."
"Witness."
"Yes."
She studied him.
"You don't think I did it?"
"I didn't say that."
Tessa sighed.
"You detectives love that sentence."
Wes smiled.
"Occupational hazard."
He glanced around.
"How are you?"
"Fine."
"That's not true."
Tessa looked away.
"No."
Wes leaned against the counter.
"You're sleeping?"
"Not much."
"Eating?"
"Some."
"Investigating?"
She looked at him.
"Maybe."
He sighed.
"Tessa."
"I found things."
"What things?"
She hesitated.
"Things that don't make sense."
"Like?"
She almost told him.
The ledger.
The forged knives.
The blue cap.
The allergy.
Instead, she said:
"Too many coincidences."
Wes watched her.
"Then bring them to me."
"I will."
"Good."
He looked toward the back door.
"Theo seems scared."
"He is."
"Of what?"
"I don't know."
Wes nodded.
Then his eyes fell on the tray beside Tessa.
"What are those?"
"Banana muffins."
He picked one up.
"Can I?"
Tessa stared.
"You're eating evidence?"
He laughed.
"No."
She handed him a napkin.
He took a bite.
His expression changed.
"These are good."
Tessa smiled.
"Thank you."
"I understand Garrick now."
"Don't."
"I'm serious."
"You're making him sound right."
Wes smiled.
"Maybe he was."
Tessa looked at him.
The detective's voice softened.
"Whatever happened between you and Garrick..."
He paused.
"...I don't think he hated you."
Tessa looked down.
"I know that now."
Wes nodded.
"Good."
He finished the muffin.
Then headed toward the door.
"Lock up."
"I will."
"And Tessa?"
"Yes?"
"Don't investigate this alone."
She smiled faintly.
"I have Pretzel."
Wes looked at the cat.
Pretzel stared back.
"That's not reassuring."
Then Wes left.
Tessa stood quietly.
She looked at the cooling rack.
Then at the back door.
Then at Pretzel.
"Garrick liked my bread."
Pretzel blinked.
"He bought it every Tuesday."
Another blink.
"He knew I was good."
Pretzel climbed onto the counter.
Tessa smiled sadly.
"And he still made me think I wasn't."
She looked toward the dark window.
For the first time, she understood something.
The knife snub had never been about her baking.
Garrick had known exactly how good she was.
Maybe he had even admired her.
He had simply been too proud to say it.
Tessa picked up the last banana muffin.
Her grandmother's voice seemed to echo in her memory.
A thin coat now saves you later.
She looked at the empty bakery.
The truth was beginning to surface.
Slowly.
Like something hidden beneath a thin layer of batter.
And Tessa had a feeling she was finally getting close enough to see it.