Pastry Mystery: Cheesecake Mistake

Chapter Eight

“You’re free to go,” said Sheriff Curtis opening the cell where he held Libby. “But stay out of trouble. Don’t make that- that ridiculous Chinese Japanese cheesecake anymore.”

“It’s Japanese cotton cheesecake actually,” answered Libby cynically.

“Yeah, whatever. Just don’t poison people anymore. I’ll keep my eye on you,” warned Sheriff Curtis.

“I didn’t poison anyone! You…”

“Libby, just let’s go,” interrupted Toby dragging Libby away before she attacked the Sheriff and made him change his mind. Libby followed him as they headed out to the car right away. Russell was waiting outside already with Tim Avery, the lawyer he hired to help Libby.

“Russell!” she ran to hug him as soon as she saw her new friend who got her out of the jail. “Thank you so much! I- I just can’t imagine spending one more night in that horrible place.”

Toby rolled his eyes looking at how dramatic Libby could be. He knew it wasn’t pleasant for her to spend nearly two nights in police station’s jail but she was the only one inside it and there was no such a scary intimidating criminal locked up in the same place with her.

“Don’t mention it, Libby. Of course, I wouldn’t let you stay there long. I just did my best to prove your innocence,” replied Russell. “Actually, Toby helped you too. If he didn’t bring your leftover cheesecake for a lab test, they wouldn’t know that you’re innocent.”

“What leftover cheesecake?” asked Libby confused. She didn’t recall making a cheesecake the morning before she was arrested.

“Ahem. Your failed cheesecake. The one you made before you left to Jessica’s place,” told Toby.

“Huh? I don’t remember making…”

“It’s okay. Maybe you forget. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? Let’s get going? The store won’t run itself without us,” urged Toby.

“Yes. Just take some rest at home as well, Libby,” suggested Russell.

“Are you going with us?” asked Libby to Russell. But he shook his head and said that he had something to do with his business. He had to find a new secretary to replace Jessica, but he promised to pay her a visit as soon as possible.

Libby was proved innocent as after the cops ran a lab test on the last cotton cheesecake she made and they couldn’t trace any rat poison as they found in Eleanor, Dan and Jessica’s bodies or any dangerous toxic that would possibly take someone’s life. As soon as the lab result came out, Tim Avery squeezed the cops to release Libby since they didn’t have enough and strong evidence to keep her. However, the police would investigate further to find the real murderer who was believed to still be out there. They couldn’t just close the case and declared the three victims’ death to be natural causes.

Someone must have tipped off the cops, thought Libby who had been laying in a warm bathtub for the last ten minutes. She wanted to loosen up after spending a night in jail for a false accusation. She wasn’t yet the only person who believed that someone must have given some inside information and sold her out. Toby and Russell shared the same theory as her. The real killer must have called the police to go to Jessica’s house to find her dead. Libby also believed that the killer also steered the cops into performing an autopsy to Eleanor and Dan’s remains, otherwise they would’ve considered that they died from natural causes. One thing Libby wasn’t sure was that she was able to prove her innocence.

Libby grabbed her bathrobe and went to see the surveillance monitor that was situated upstairs, near the living room. She thought the killer must have broken into Pastry Mystery and put poison in her cotton cheesecake. He or she must have been a real professional one that knew every nook and cranny in Pastry Mystery. The security alarm also never went off as Libby recalled.

“Everything’s checked out. You’ll find nothing there,” said Toby suddenly behind her back. Libby nearly jumped out of her chair and punched him with all her might.

“You shocked the living apple out of me!” she shrieked. She got goosebumps all over her body thinking of the real killer must have gone in and out her place at night and she was lucky enough that he or she didn’t end her life yet.

“Sorry. I just wanted to tell you that dinner is ready. But yeah, I’ve checked the surveillance monitor and everything is clear,” told Toby. Libby played some part of the videos over and over again—the night before each of the victims were killed. Toby was right, there was nothing odd at all happened.

“Ah, look!” Libby snapped her finger as she found the killer’s little mistake. It was almost untraceable but luckily she found it.

“What?”

“Look at this,” said Libby pointing at the timer on the right upper corner of the monitor. “From one o’clock until two o’clock midnight the time didn’t change at all. Someone must have paused this!”

Toby’s eyes widened to see what Libby found out. He didn’t pay a close attention to it since everything really seemed normal. The surveillance system in Pastry Mystery wasn’t broken at all since Jimmy and Toby always got it checked every once in a while.

“That’s very smart of him, I must admit. But guess what? I’m smarter,” added Libby.

“Good job, Libby. Now, let’s go down before the pizza got colder and it won’t be yummy anymore,” said Toby.

After dinner, Toby started to clean up Pastry Mystery as usual, but this time he had to throw away so many pastries and cakes. The sales dropped drastically since Libby was appointed as the main suspect in Jessica’s murder case. Besides Blake Johnson, some other customers also canceled their orders at the very last moment. Only around twenty regular customers out of more than seventy that kept coming to Pastry Mystery.

“I’ll do it,” said Libby offering a help throwing away the leftover bakery goods. Toby didn’t say much as always, but Libby could tell that he had a lot in his mind.

“I’m sorry,” mumbled Libby.

“What did you say?” asked Toby who really didn’t hear what she just said.

“I said I’m sorry,” repeated Libby. Toby let out a big sigh and spun around. He lowered his gaze to Libby.

“What did you do this time?” pried Toby.

“Nothing! I’m just- I’m just sorry,” replied Libby. “We lost our customers because of me.”

Toby didn’t respond anything to her apology. In fact, he didn’t even blame her at all for what happened to Pastry Mystery. He was upset with himself since he felt like he had failed Jimmy. If only he stopped Libby from making cotton cheesecake since the beginning, they wouldn’t get into a big trouble like this. However, he also realized that if the killer was someone who really held a grudge against Libby or Pastry Mystery, or to any of the three victims, the murder case would still be inevitable. Libby’s cotton cheesecake was just an easy ride for the killer to execute his malicious plan.

“No, Libby. It’s not your fault,” said Toby at last. “All we have to do now is making sure that all the customers come back to Pastry Mystery.”

“I’ll help. This time I will really help. I’m not going to make Japanese cotton cheesecake anymore, I swear. I’m going to do whatever Daddy would want me to do. Even if you want me to start making Danish pastry right now, I will do it,” pledged Libby.

“Are you serious?” doubt Toby, but as he looked at her in the eye, he knew that Libby meant every single word she said.

“I am,” assured Libby.

“Shall we go to the kitchen for lesson one now? Danish pastry 101.”

“What? Now? Like right now?”

“Yeah, right now. What? I thought you were serious about it,” teased Toby.

“I- I- yeah, I am serious. Let’s do it,” grinned Libby grabbing her father’s old apron.

It was almost half past eight in the morning when Libby accidentally rolled down from her bed. Her head surely hurt from hitting a night cabinet that had been standing next to her bed for the last ten years. She didn’t have a nightmare or an action dream. Instead, she dreamt she was on a date with Russell on a private beach and when things were getting intimate between them, his face changed into Toby’s and he wrapped her in a giant pastry dough and rolled her together with it.

“Ouch,” grunted Libby as she felt a little bump on her head. Moreover, all over her body ached since she stayed up in the kitchen until late last night. After telling Toby that she was willing to make Danish pastry and Pastry Mystery’s other specialties, he became overly excited and taught Libby everything in just one night. She thought her father was a perfectionist when it came to cooking, but Toby was almost thousand times worse than him. If he wanted Libby to make certain texture and thickness of dough, she had to make exactly the same as he expected. Otherwise, she would have to repeat over and over again until he gave her an okay. Maybe it was the reason why Libby dreamt about him rolling her in a pastry dough.

After taking a quick shower, Libby went downstairs. As always, she could smell a sweet aroma of pastry and other buns from the kitchen. This time, it felt yet different for her. She never cared about it before but now she could perceive a cinnamon and chocolate flavor from the pastry that getting baked in the oven.

“Sorry, I just woke up…” Libby halted as a flood of memories suddenly overwhelmed her mind. Toby was standing in the kitchen decorating some cakes before he put them in the storefront, like usual. Today, however, Toby was wearing one of Jimmy’s old flannel plaid shirt and apron. Libby asked him to stay last night since she was still getting goosebumps whenever she thought that the killer could come back at any time. She lent him some of her father’s old clothes as Toby didn’t have time to go home and grabbed some of his stuff. Libby never realized it before but his gestures in baking and everything was very similar to her father’s. Toby spun around and beamed brightly at her. It was the first time for him to look this happy to see Libby in the morning. Toby looked nothing like Jimmy but they shared the same smile—a smile that would make people happy to see it. Libby missed her father, more than anybody in this world.

“Libby?” said Toby snapping his fingers in front of her face. “Hello?”

“Oh yeah, I am. Hmmm, it smells yummy back here. Can I have a taste of the chocolate and cinnamon pastry that I made last night?” asked Libby awakened from her reverie. She grabbed one hot pastry that just came right out of the oven. Toby warned her that it was still burning hot but she wasn’t listening.

“Oh gosh, it’s so good! Toby, you should be worried that I may take over your job,” exclaimed Libby praising her own pastry.

Toby guffawed at his apprentice who became cocky after tasting the very first pastry she ever made, “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll be happy if you take over my task.”

“Anyway, thanks for helping me doing this,” said Libby while having her third pastry as her breakfast. Toby had to stop her before she ate up everything and there was nothing left to serve the customers later. Libby picked one more and gave it to Toby to try.

“Nah, don’t mention it,” said Toby. “Gosh, Libby! This one is surely good.”

“I know right? Anyway, can I ask for one more help?”

“Just say it.”

“Can you help me restoring Pastry Mystery’s reputation and catch the killer?” asked Libby firmly.

Toby grinned from ear to ear as he said, “With my pleasure!”