Pastry Mystery: Cheesecake Mistake

Chapter Four

Lunch at Russell was amazing—he served a fresh handmade Neapolitan Margherita Pizza, a classic pizza from his origin, Naples and they discussed a lot about bakery business—even though Libby didn’t expect that her high school competitor would be present as well. Russell though apologized for not telling her that Jessica would join because it was also unintended. Jessica found a good and strategic property for Russell to start his bakery shop, a better choice than Pastry Mystery actually. It was situated in the market near the town hall, while Libby’s shop’s location was in the middle of residential area. Russell yet still needed more time to choose which store he would purchase since it wasn’t just a small decision to make. Even though she still was not a hundred percent sure whether she would really let go of her father’s legacy, Libby didn’t like Jessica’s proposal about the other place.

Libby and Jessica were both smart and beautiful students back at Amaranth High School. However, Jessica was always one step behind Libby. When Libby successfully achieved a scholarship to study law in New York, Jessica remained to study in California. After finishing her college degree in Sacramento, Jessica moved back to her hometown Amaranth Creek. She planned to work as a civil servant at the town hall but she met Russell Fontana. Russell hired her as his secretary since he needed someone who knew well about Amaranth Creek and also smart in the business field. Jessica didn’t expect that Libby would go back to Amaranth Creek after her father’s death since she always bragged about how she would be a successful attorney in New York back then.

Until today, Libby still didn’t understand what made Jessica hated her very much back then and surprisingly until now. They used to be a close friend in the junior year in high school. After Jessica broke up with Jerry Mitchell, she just switched her personality towards Libby all of the sudden. She refused to talk to her and spread her hatred to other students. Jessica was the one who made Libby’s senior high life a living hell, except that the Vanderbilt girl didn’t give a care about it. Instead, her grades excelled even better and she was truly loved by her not-so-many friends. Libby knew that she would eventually see Jessica again when she moved back to Amaranth Creek, but she didn’t expect that she’d be Russell’s secretary.

“Ahem,” Toby cleared his throat and startled Libby who was playing back a memory of yesterday in her mind. She spilled a little sack of cornstarch all over her body from shocked. It was the very last cornstarch she had to make cotton cheesecake.

“Crap!” she grunted while cleaning herself up. She couldn’t make cotton cheesecake anymore since they were running out of cornstarch. Toby grinned from a distance—he knew that they still had plenty of cornstarch in the storeroom but Libby didn’t know that. Since Libby started the cold war between them, she wouldn’t even bother to ask him where he kept all the flour and starch. At least she now didn’t have enough ingredients to make cotton cheesecake and maybe she would be interested to learn baking a pastry. Then he could finally fulfill his promise to Jimmy. Yet Toby was wrong if he thought Libby would give in easily.

Libby went upstairs to change to clean clothes, she wanted to go to the market to buy a sack of cornstarch. However, Toby was not in the store when she returned. ‘Where on earth could he be?’, thought Libby annoyed. She didn’t feel like calling his name, instead, she snuck around to find him. The bus key wasn’t at its place as well, Toby must have taken it with him. She looked at the clock, it was six thirty p.m. and the supermarket would be closed in half an hour as it was Sunday. She also couldn’t just close down Pastry Mystery thirty minutes earlier than usual. Libby sighed as there was nothing she could do.

Just fifteen minutes later, Toby came back. His expression seemed uneasy as he fixed his eyes on Libby. She didn’t feel comfortable with that and she looked away. ‘Does he finally want to talk to me? Good luck with that!’, she thought cockily.

“Libby,” said Toby with a vague voice. Libby smirked thinking that he yielded. “Dan Michelson is dead.”

Libby turned around, she couldn’t believe her ears, “What? How?”

Dan Michelson just visited her shop yesterday. There seemed to be nothing wrong with him—he wasn’t sick or anything. Dan owned a small fitness center in Honeydew Bay and he was well-known as a really healthy man.

“I don’t know,” Toby shrugged, “The cops found him dead in his house. Food poisoned they said, but I’m not sure. I mean, it’s Dan, you know.”

“I know. He’s like the fittest person in the world. Oh gosh…”

“Eleanor left us less than a week ago and now him. What an awful coincidence,” said Toby staring at the floor. He used to see them almost every day at Pastry Mystery.

“It’s too odd to be called a coincidence,” said Libby abruptly. It almost never happened before in Amaranth Creek’s history that two citizens died not long from each other. It happened twenty-five years ago when the wife of Landon McKenzie and three other residents died from food poisoning caused by Landon himself. But Libby didn’t really comprehend the story well since she wasn’t born yet that time. She only heard from her friends when she was in school but she didn’t know the truth about it.

Bzzz. Bzzz. Libby’s mobile phone vibrated—Russell called her.

“I- I have to pick it up,” said Libby awkwardly making a gesture that she would head upstairs, as Toby and she were actually still not talking to each other. The obituary about Dan Michelson was just something that was inevitable.

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Toby nodded and scratched the back of his head that wasn’t itchy. He went to the kitchen to carry on with his work.

Russell hung up right before Libby picked up his call, but he texted her right away.

Russell F.: Hi, Libby. Busy?

Liberty Vanderbilt: Hey, I was about to pick up your call. Yeah, a little bit. What’s up?

She didn’t know why she lied, but she was not really in the mood to talk on the phone. Her mind was still away with the bad news she just heard from Toby.

Russell F.: OK! Nah, I was just asking if you’d have time tomorrow evening

Liberty Vanderbilt: On Monday evening? I have all the time in the world. Well, besides taking care of Pastry Mystery.

Russell F.: Can Toby cover it for you? Want to watch Tommy Olsen’s new movie tomorrow?

Liberty Vanderbilt: Butterfly Droids? OK!

Russell F.: Shall we have dinner together as well?

Liberty Vanderbilt: Sure!

Russell F.: Great! I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 6 p.m.. See you!

Liberty Vanderbilt: OK! See you tomorrow

Libby’s mood got better after reading Russell’s message. She was happy that Russell took her to the cinema to watch her favorite actor’s new movie. Since the first time they met, Russell seemed to be interested in Libby, but she didn’t want to be overconfident about it. He just moved to Amaranth Creek few weeks before Libby got back here, maybe he just wanted to make some friends. Besides, Jessica seemed to be closer to him and had been in and out his mansion regularly. Overall, she was his secretary. She didn’t seem awkward at all wandering around Russell’s place and they kissed each other’s cheeks before she left. Maybe they were more than just boss and secretary, Libby wasn’t sure. Besides, it was none of her business. She thought Russell was just a nice and handsome friend of her.

Speaking of handsome, Libby’s thought ran to someone who she, as a matter of fact, didn’t want to have in mind—he was none other but Toby. If she didn’t know that he was her father’s apprentice, she might think that he was a model or an actor. His dark hair accented his strong jawlines and hollow cheeks, making him looking attractively mysterious. His attitude yet sucked very hard, even though Libby couldn’t really remember what held her to still be angry at Toby until now. Was it because he was angry at her when she recklessly almost burned down the store? Or because he kicked Russell out? She acknowledged that both were her fault, yet she was quite juvenile to say sorry first. ‘Wait, why did I even think about him?’, asked Libby to herself. She saw herself getting blushed in the mirror. She shook her own head out of embarrassment. She could hear him closing down the store. She went down immediately to clean up her deli.

In over half an hour, Pastry Mystery would be full of loyal customers who came to get their fresh baked bread and cakes. Toby expected that Libby would help out a little bit more since she was running out of cornstarch, but he was wrong. Libby looked up for other cotton cheesecake recipe that didn’t require the ingredient she didn’t have. She worked a little bit faster now, although she hadn’t succeeded in making a proper and edible cotton cheesecakes yet. After putting her cake mixture in the oven, she went to the storefront to tidy up a little bit. She wrote down on a paper and hung it in front of the store that they would serve green tea flavored cotton cheesecake today. No matter how hard she tried to promote and even gave away her cake, nobody was interested in it. The only two people who were nicely accepted were only Eleanor and Dan, and both passed away already. Toby smirked looking at his new boss that started to look pitiful from her own stubbornness.

Toby had unlocked the main door even though he didn’t put on an open sign in front of the store yet, but someone came earlier today.

“Sorry, but we’re not open yet,” said Toby when he saw a tall blonde woman with a big sunglasses entering Pastry Mystery.

“Oh, I’m not here to buy anything. I want to meet Libby,” she announced firmly. Libby who happened to be in the kitchen overheard her name getting called. She came out to the front and was surprised to see Jessica in her store early in the morning.

“Jessica? What are you doing here?” asked Libby.

“I come here to warn you to stay out of Russell Fontana,” she stated straight to the point. Libby and Toby exchanged a confused look.

“Okay. But why?” Libby demanded a reason. She had no right to tell Libby to whom she should be friend with.

“Because soon he will be my boyfriend and I don’t want you to go out with him tonight.”

“How do you even know that we’re going out tonight?”

“Because he asked me to arrange your tonight’s date!”

Libby, and mostly Toby, were surprised.

“A date?” they asked at the same time.

“It’s not a date! Oh come on Jess, there’s nothing between me and Russell. I thought he was just making some new friends in a new town, that’s all,” Libby explained. The last time they met, they only talked about business matters, nothing personal at all. Jessica was there too.

“Then cancel it. Tell him you can’t make it tonight,” command Jessica. She was just like her old self—bossy and selfish, yet very insecure when it came to Libby. Meanwhile, Libby hated to be dictated, mostly by Jessica. If only she asked her nicely, Libby might have as well cancel her appointment with Russell tonight. But since Jessica barged into her store and acted rudely like that, Libby chose to play along. She came closer to Jessica and told her right in her face.

“Oh no. I’m still going. You have no right to tell me what to do. I’m still going to go out with Russell tonight, but I assure you, as a friend. Anyway, thanks for making a reservation for us tonight, Miss Secretary!”