CHAPTER TEN
“I’m so proud of you both,” said Sara hugging the sisters, tears running down their cheeks. “Adrian is a phenomenal baker and you tied for first place! And even sweeter, you beat Maren.”
“Yeah, but that’s not something she’s going to forget,” said Janie. “That woman is mean as a snake. She’s been through dozens of bakers in her shop over the years.”
“Mean how?” frowned Luke. Janie and Celia turned to stare up at him.
“Just mean. Our original bakery was a few blocks from hers. She would do things like tear down our flyers, she spread rumors about the cleanliness of our bakery, even called the health inspector a few times. Thanks to Mama Irene and Sara, it was always handled and she was warned to mind her own business,” said Janie.
“And Adrian?” asked Gator.
“Like Sara said, he’s a great baker. Exceptional in fact.
He blends flavors together, textures, that you wouldn’t dream of putting into a cake.
I don’t find him mean or cruel in any way but my gut says he’s sneaky.
While his cakes are in the oven he’s walking around looking over the shoulders of the other bakers,” said Celia.
“Is that legal?” asked RJ.
“It’s not illegal. It’s just seen as not good sportsmanship.
There have been contests in the past where a baker saw something that they knew was going to blow them out of the water.
They scrapped their design which was probably half-way done and started over to beat that individual.
Or special ingredients disappeared or their bottles were empty when earlier they’d been full. ”
“And all this happened when this guy Adrian was around?” asked Elias.
“Him. And others,” said Dylan. “Listen, I know this looks like a bunch of nice ladies, and some men, who enjoy baking and having people eat their yummy products but it can be very cutthroat.”
“Obviously,” frowned Tango. “I’m going to ask Adrian some questions.”
No one stopped him but Taylor looked at Luke and frowned.
“If he beats the shit out of that man just know that I warned you,” she smirked. Luke cursed under his breath and followed Tango toward Adrian’s table. He wasn’t competing until the afternoon but he was carefully checking all of his supplies, laying them out on the table.
“Adrian Vale?”
“That’s me,” he nodded.
“My name is Tango. Tango Green. I’m Taylor’s husband, with Crescent City Bakery.”
“Oh, yes!” he smiled. “Taylor is so lovely and such a talented baker.”
“She is that,” he nodded. “She captured my heart with muffins, which by the way, I hate.” The man laughed and Tango instantly liked the man. Luke stood behind him smiling.
“Is she okay? Nothing happened to their table did it?” he frowned.
“No but that’s what we’d like to discuss with you. Did you know Jacques?” asked Luke. The man swallowed, nodding his head as tears filled his eyes.
“Intimately,” he said quietly. Tango and Luke both nodded.
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” said Tango. “Did you suspect anything like this might happen?”
“This? Absolutely not. At these contests, at this level, sometimes recipes are taken, stolen I should say. Ingredients disappear, that kind of thing. But someone dying? Never,” he frowned.
“Who would gain from this?” asked Luke.
“The person who believes they’re going to win. It doesn’t mean they’re the favorite. They just think they are.”
“Like Maren?” asked Tango.
“She’s all bark, no bite,” he said shrugging. “She’s never liked me. Honestly, I think she’s homophobic but I can’t prove it. She’s also arrogant and horrible to work for. I should know. I was an apprentice when I first started in the business.”
“What was she like to work with?” asked Luke.
“Horrible. You know that celebrity chef show where the guy screams at everyone non-stop?” They both nodded.
“She was worse. People were crying every single day. Sometimes she’d throw hot pans at them.
She once dumped an entire wedding cake because it was four millimeters too sort according to her specifications. ”
“She sounds brutal,” said Tango.
“She was. A complete perfectionist but it’s also what makes her so good at what she does.”
“You admire her?” frowned Tango.
“Admire is a strong word. I don’t admire her, I understand her objective. I don’t like the way she tries to get to it but that’s not my concern any longer.”
“What about him?” asked Luke nodding toward Milton.
“Milton? He’s one of the originals in this competition. He won four, maybe five or six times. I can’t remember. During lockdown he lost his bakery but the competition organizers asked him to come in as lead judge. I know he wishes he could still compete but it’s against the rules.”
“How so? I mean, if he opened another bakery, wouldn’t he be eligible?” asked Luke.
“Maybe,” frowned Adrian. “Milton also has Parkinson’s. It’s in the early stages, controlled by medications, but he nearly sliced the hand of a judge in his last competition. They asked him to rethink competing again.”
“That sounds like powerful motivation to make things go poorly for others,” said Tango.
“It could be, I suppose. But Milton doesn’t operate that way. He’s a good man. I’d believe it’s more likely to be one of the bakers. I just don’t know which one. What happened to Jacques shouldn’t happen to anyone.”
Tango gripped his shoulder and gave a light squeeze. He smiled at the man, nodding.
“I can see why Taylor fell in love with you,” he smirked. “Don’t get weird on me. You’re not my type.”
Tango laughed, shaking his head at the man.
“Let us know if you see anything suspicious, if anything looks out of place or smells out of place,” said Luke.