Cupcakes and Conspiracies Read online

  Holly didn’t have the experience to defy the authority in Crystal’s voice. They’d never had pets as children. What with university and then work, she hadn’t had the time to even consider it as an adult.

  “The town motto is that just because it’s cute, doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful.” Crystal wagged her finger, then tired of the instruction. “I need to sort out the orders for tomorrow before my brain goes completely to sleep. Are you okay to set yourself up in the spare room?”

  Holly nodded. “Of course.” She hesitated for a moment, then added, “Thanks for having me.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Crystal said, although Holly’s words had reignited her smile. “You’ll always have a place here.”

  The warmth behind her words was strong enough to light a glow in Holly’s chest.

  Earlier, while still driving, Holly had thought that she’d eat out at one of the town’s excellent restaurants tonight. Now that the time had come to consider it, though, she didn’t feel hungry. There had been a lot of nights like that lately. If Holly ran her fingers up her side, she could feel her ribs sticking out like piano keys. Whatever tune they’d play would be sown with failed dreams and despair.

  Don’t be so maudlin, Holly chided herself. You’ve got so much that it’s shameful to want anything more.

  The reprimand was accurate enough, but sometimes what you had didn’t stretch so far that it could fill the hole for the things that were gone.

  A knuckle tentatively tapped on the front door. If Holly hadn’t been standing so close, she doubted she would have heard the sound at all.

  “Hello?” she asked, opening the door.

  A young man stood outside, dressed in a suit and tie that looked like their primary purpose was to make him feel uncomfortable. His eyes widened with shock as he looked at Holly. He looked back over his shoulder. She couldn’t work out whether that was to check he was in the right place, or to ensure the path was clear if he needed to run.

  “Um, hi. Is Crystal here?”

  “Sure,” Holly said, stepping aside and waving him through. “Who may I say is calling?”

  “It’s Derek. Derek Masters.”

  “Well, wait there, Derek, and I’ll go tell Crystal that you’re here. I’m her sister, Holly.”

  “Nice to m-meet you, H-Holly,” Derek stuttered, his cheeks flushing red.

  “You, too.”

  Holly moved down the hall, wondering if the man was a suitor of her sister’s. If so, Crystal really was robbing the cradle. The man did seem incredibly young. She was turning the handle to her sister’s bedroom when she checked herself. Title deed or not, she was a guest and couldn’t just barge in.

  Holly knocked on the door instead. “Crystal? You have a visitor.”

  There was a long pause, stretching out until Holly wondered if she should be checking the bathroom instead. Then her sister called out in a voice thick with tears, “Who is it?”

  “Derek Masters.” Holly leaned closer to the wood, angling her shoulder to hide her face and hopefully her voice from their unexpected visitor. “Would you like me to tell him to go away?”

  “No, that’s okay. Just give me a second. Can you show Derek through to the dining room and offer him a soft drink?”

  “Sure.” Holly walked back to the man and waved him through in front of her. “She won’t be more than a minute. Crystal’s just finishing up some inventory work for the store.”

  “I can go away and come back later if that’s more convenient.” Derek fidgeted, snapping his fingers, cracking his knuckles, and tapping on the side of his leg. Every part of him seemed in constant motion. It made Holly feel restless and jumpy. His nervousness transmitting across to her like a virus.

  “Don’t be silly. Would you like a soft drink?” Holly asked Derek. “Or juice? Crystal won’t be too long.”

  “Thanks.” Derek followed her along to the fridge, touching one finger to the wall as though marking a path that he could later retrace. “Do you have lemonade?”

  “We certainly do.” Holly opened the fridge and gave a sigh of relief that she hadn’t been lying. “I think I’ll join you.”

  “Derek!” Crystal’s enthusiastic welcome told Holly that the young man meant something special to her. She waited for his soda to be poured, then grabbed his hand and took him out onto the back porch, settling him into the chair that Holly had used earlier.

  Left alone, Holly opened the cupboards one by one, nothing their contents without any real thought or hunger. As the light faded away completely, Holly flicked on the lights to keep nosing around.

  Where she’d expected to see a lot of cans and packet mixes for quick casseroles, there were raw ingredients instead. Perhaps Crystal’s love of baking had extended into a general appreciation of all forms of cooking. If so, then Holly was in for a treat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a home-cooked meal. Certainly, nothing that she prepared had ever been from scratch.

  In the cupboard closest to the fridge, Holly spied a box of snack-size peanuts. Inside were four unopened packets. It gave her pause, but then she shook her head. What did it matter now if there were peanuts in the house? Her father’s allergy had been spelled out to them repeatedly as children. Holly still gave a start if she walked into an event and saw open bowls of nuts on display.

  But her father wasn’t around to be affected, not any longer. Holly felt a bittersweet sadness engulf her as she put the box back on the shelf.

  “Found my stash, I see.”

  Crystal’s voice made Holly jump. She spun around, one hand raised palm out in surrender as though she’d been caught doing something naughty. A second later, Holly issued a ragged laugh. “Oh, you gave me a fright!”

  “Sorry,” Crystal said, a twinkle in her eye suggesting that she wasn’t sorry at all. “Usually, folks can hear me coming a mile off.”

  True enough. Holly must have been buried deep in her memories to miss the baby elephant approaching.

  “When I saw those”—Holly nodded at the nuts—“I panicked for a moment, wondering if Dad had seen them yet.”

  Crystal put her arms around her sister, resting a chin on her shoulder. “I know. I felt like such a rebel buying them at the supermarket. I didn’t even like them.”

  Holly snorted with amusement. “That’s why there’s only half left.”

  “Well, I had to practice for a while to check I didn’t care for them.” She pulled back. “Thanks for seeing to Derek. He’s not in a good way.”

  Holly opened her mouth to ask why, then closed it again, reading a note of caution in her sister’s eye.

  “Are you his sponsor?” she asked instead, random threads knitting together. Crystal nodded.

  “It’s my first time in this position.” She glanced back at onto the porch, where the light just caught the edge of Derek’s seated frame. “I’m terrified that I’ll do something wrong, but I haven’t broken him yet.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be everything he needs you to be,” Holly said firmly. “If the boy wanted someone to look out for him, I couldn’t think of anybody better.”

  Crystal blushed and ducked her head. The gesture made her look more like Derek’s age than close to Holly’s. “I hope so. I have an enormous capacity to think of ways that I might screw up.”

  “Who owns your recovery?” An old mantra that had stuck in Holly’s head.

  Crystal nodded. “I do, and Derek owns his, as well.”

  “Then unless you’re going to start drinking in front of him or drag him into a bar, I think you should give yourself the benefit of the doubt.”

  “Thanks, sis.”

  “What did you come in for?” Holly asked. “Surely, it wasn’t for my awesome pep talk.”

  “I think I’ll take Derek down to the village to get a meal. He’s having trouble at home and stormed out. If I make sure he’s got something solid in his belly, that’ll take away one trigger.”

  Holly nodded. During her sister’s recovery, she’d lear
ned a lot more than expected about the things that could trigger a relapse. A craving for food or something sweet could easily become confused for a desire for something alcoholic. Take care of your bodily needs first, and the battle might be easier to win.

  “Unless you want the rest of those, I’ll pop them in the Salvation Army bin at the supermarket on the way.” Crystal pointed at the peanuts.

  Holly stood back, hands raised. “No. You go for it. Even in rebellion, I can’t stand the taste. Don’t get me started on Satay and how it ruins chicken.”

  As Crystal leaned over to pick up the box, she laughed. “Are you going to be okay faring for yourself tonight? I could pick you up something on the way back?”

  “Nah.” Holly shook her head. “I’m not hungry, anyway, and I fancy a wander around the village. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s changed.”

  “If you want to take a dip in the pools, they’re staying open later now.”

  The hot pools were the center of the alpine village. Aside from their scent infiltrating the entire town so that it smelled different than any other place Holly had lived, they brought in a constant stream of tourists. The town’s lifeblood—a wellspring of heated water rich with minerals bubbling up from the earth.

  “I’ll see how I feel.”

  “You packed a swimsuit?”

  “Of course.” Holly raised her eyebrows. “Always prepared, remember.”

  “Cool.” Crystal’s gaze swung away, and she frowned, distracted by her responsibilities to Derek.

  “Go on.” Holly gave her sister a push. “Take care of that lost boy. I’m big enough and ugly enough to take care of myself.”

  “Well, ugly enough certainly.”

  Holly mimed a punch at her sister who walked out of the room on their laughter, then she turned back to the cupboards, looking in earnest this time.

  If she was going down to the village, she might as well stock up on snacks. Even though her hunger was hiding lately if it returned she’d like to be able to satiate it. Holly pulled her mobile phone out of her back pocket, quickly putting together a list of her favorite hits. If she felt ambitious, she might even venture into the great unknown of buying something that wasn’t heat and eat.

  Just so long as Holly also had something to fall back on. Her last attempt at cooking hadn’t gone down so well.

  As she walked back to the spare room to collect her purse, Holly heard the squeak of the gate. Thinking it was her sister leaving, she pulled aside the net curtain.

  Crystal and Derek were standing at the front of the property, side by side, backs to Holly. In front of them was a large man, well over six feet tall and broad-shouldered. His face was mottled with patches of dark red. If he’d been a cartoon, steam would be pouring from his ears.

  Concerned, Holly quickly picked up her bag and walked out the front door just in time to hear him screaming.

  “Are you trying to kill me? If that’s a threat, I’m calling the cops right now!”

  Chapter Three

  Holly ran toward her sister, scared the large man was about to hit her. His fist was raised in the air, so tightly clenched that the knuckles gleamed white.

  “Stop!” Holly cried out as she reached them. “What are you doing?”

  The man took a step back. His shock at her sudden appearance cut through the anger, and he dropped his arm.

  A second later, and he’d recovered, stepping forward to demand, “Who are you?”

  “I’m Holly, Crystal’s sister. And who are you?”

  The man frowned, glancing away for a moment as if newly aware that he was standing on the side of the road, screaming at a woman.

  When the silence stretched on too long, Crystal answered for him.

  “Holly, this is Mr. Masters, Derek’s father. It’s okay to go back inside, he’s just a bit upset.”

  “I’m not going back inside,” Holly responded. “Not until somebody tells me why he’s yelling at our front gate about calling the police.”

  Crystal raised her eyebrows at Derek—you all right—and when he nodded, she pulled Holly a few steps away. “It’s nothing,” she said.

  “It’s not nothing,” Holly replied hotly. “I could hear him yelling from inside the house.” She studied her younger sister, trying to work out from the blushes what was going on. After a moment, Crystal pulled the crumpled box of peanuts out from behind her back.

  “This is what he took offense at. He’s allergic, just like Dad was. I’m sure that he just panicked a little.”

  “Screaming at the top of his lungs isn’t ‘a little’ anything.” Holly put her hands on her hips and glared at the man. “She was just going to take them down to the Sally’s bin to donate them. It’s not like she was sticking them down your throat.”

  “Holly!”

  Mr. Masters stepped onto the path, his finger jabbing out in front of him to lead the way. “I’m sick of your sister sticking her nose into our family’s business. Perhaps I overreacted about those”—he waved at the box—“but I’m taking my son home out of harm’s way.”

  He paused for a moment, the glare he directed at Crystal softening when he turned to Holly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just concerned about my son.”

  “Please don’t take him home,” Crystal said. “He came here because he needs to talk to someone who understands. If you pack him off back home, it’ll just increase his stress.”

  “I don’t need a lecture on raising children from a woman who doesn’t have any.”

  If he’d directed that jab at Holly, she would have been the one tightening her hand into a fist. The veiled accusation just ran off Crystal’s back, lost in her concern for Derek.

  “Please, Mr. Masters. Derek’s not going to come to any harm with me. I understand what he’s going through.”

  “Wait a moment,” Holly said, stepping closer to Mr. Masters. “I thought that this stuff was meant to be anonymous.”

  Derek laughed at that. A harsh sound in the gathering gloom. “You think that anybody can keep a secret in this town? The first time I went to a meeting, everybody knew.”

  Holly’s heart melted with sympathy as she looked at him. Derek really was so young. Much younger than Crystal had been when she began dealing with the same issues.

  Well. Maybe that was a positive. If Derek could put this addiction behind him now, the future would open up.

  “Mr. Masters, I’m sure that you’ve come here out of love and concern for your son, but I don’t think you should interrupt his therapy. Would you burst into a psychiatrist’s office mid-session?” She waved her hand from Derek to Crystal. “This is just the same.”

  “It’s not ‘just the same,’” Mr. Masters said. “I’m sure that trained psychiatrists wouldn’t be telling stories about how when the drinking stopped feeling as good, they turned to heroin. My son doesn’t need his ears filled with that rubbish. He needs a positive role model in his life, not some washed up drug addict!”

  As his words poured out, Holly took a step back. She shook her head, disbelieving, and looked to Crystal for support. “My sister never—”

  “Yes, I did.” Crystal’s face flushed deep crimson, and she hung her head in shame. “Although it’s something I told Derek in confidence.”

  Derek’s fidgeting had notched up to frantic levels. “I didn’t want to tell him, honest,” he said, wringing his hands together and shuffling from foot to foot. “I’m so sorry. He wouldn’t stop talking at me, and everything just came out. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

  “It’s okay, Derek.” Crystal walked over and put her hand on his arm. “I know that you wouldn’t do something like that on purpose. Just keep it a secret from now on, okay?”

  He nodded so vigorously that his slicked back fringe fell over his face, covering his eyes.

  “Now, I’d like to continue on with my plans, if you don’t mind,” Crystal said to Mr. Masters. “Derek and I were about to go out for dinner.”

  “He’s coming hom
e with me.” Mr. Master reached his hand out and grabbed his son’s arm, digging his fingers in as the young man struggled. “I may not be able to control who attends meetings, but I warn you”—he poked his finger at Crystal’s face—“I don’t want you seeing my son outside that group. You’re a bad influence.”

  Crystal’s face tightened, her throat working as she fought back the tears. Holly reached a hand out to comfort her, but her sister turned and ran back to the familiarity of the house.

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll talk some sense into your sister.”

  Holly’s mouth opened in outrage that the man would dare to lecture her. Mr. Masters didn’t even stop to draw breath.

  “I own the mortgage on this place, you know. Not to mention your precious bakery. If I wanted to call in those debts tomorrow, I’m legally allowed. It would be a shame if you lost everything just because of a foolish mistake!”

  The threat would have turned up the heat on Holly’s fury if she didn’t already know better. Both the business and the house were worthless. If she could sell them both, then the best she and Crystal could hope for was to wipe out the debt.

  “Don’t stand on my private property and threaten me,” she said. Nodding to Derek, Holly gestured for the two men to leave.

  They walked away, their footsteps ceasing when they reached Mr. Master’s car. Holly stepped out to watch them drive away, then turned back to the house.

  The bushes to the side of the drive rustled.

  Thinking it would be the small cat again, Holly moved closer to peer into them, seeking a furry face. Instead, she caught the flick of a heel as a person jumped the short fence into the neighbor’s property.

  Somebody had been listening in to the entire conversation!

  Chapter Four

  Holly gave chase, but between the poor lighting along their street and the unfamiliar terrain, she soon fell behind in the pursuit. Three houses down, she stopped and listened out for the noise of a person running.