Page 28 of Twice Baked Risky Whiskey Cakes (MURDER IN THE MIX #53)

LOTTIE

T he bell above the door chimes, and Venus Finnegan glides in looking as put-together as I am pulled-apart.

Her blonde hair is swept into a perfect updo, her spring dress unwrinkled despite the March wind—with pink and white daisies printed over it. It’s almost as adorable as she is.

“ Lottie ,” she sings with a wave. “Just the baker I was hoping to see,” she says, approaching my table with the grace of someone whose center of gravity hasn’t been hijacked by two tiny humans.

“Venus, what brings you by? Here for more of my addictive sweet treats?” I say it with a wink because we both know her sweet treats might just be twice as addictive.

Sebby swipes a custard-filled donut from my plate. “I love your donuts.”

“Right on the money,” Venus trills again.

“I’m here picking up a few dessert platters.

I ordered and paid for them online. I’m taking them to my sister-in-law’s.

My baked goods are still strictly verboten.

Plus, she loved your cookies at Fondu’s birthday party and she’s hosting a small get-together tonight.

It’s sort of a do-over without the exploding cake and traumatized pony. ”

I give a mournful laugh at the thought. “Well, your niece had quite the memorable party.” I leave out the fact that I’ve had nightmares about that unicorn horn flying through the air like a mythological missile.

“Memorable is one word for it.” Venus rolls her eyes.

“I’ll say,” Sebby agrees.

“Try being related to the mastermind behind it all.” Venus gives a mournful chuckle.

“I’m locked in for a lifetime of memorable moments.

Anyway, the platters are for the do-over party.

Only family this time around. Fondu’s other grandparents missed the main event due to the fact they were ‘trapped’ on their yacht in the Bahamas. ” She says trapped in air quotes.

“The struggle is real,” I say with a little a laugh.

I wave over at Lily and ask her to retrieve Venus’ treats for her.

And while Lily heads to the back to gather the order, I decide to seize the moment. After all, I’m running out of time in more ways than one.

“Venus”—I begin carefully—“I was wondering if you spoke to your mother about…” How in the world am I supposed to ask if her mother spilled some big, dark family secret yet?

“Anything?” She blinks my way.

Sebby tosses up his front paws in frustration. “You know, Lolita, you might get further along in your cases if you simply finished your sentences.”

I shook him a look before wincing over at Venus because I can feel the truth bubbling its way up my throat. “About Sebastian Gallagher?”

“Good going, Lolita.” Sebby brazenly munches on a donut in front of the nontelesensual among us. “Now ask if she’s the killer. But if she is, don’t arrest her until tomorrow night. Like I said, I’ve heard great things about this leprechaun lunacy about to take place on the big green day.”

But I don’t so much as glance at the spunky little specter. I can’t take my eyes off Venus.

Her smile freezes and suddenly looks a little brittle around the edges. “Sebastian Gallagher?”

“Yes.” I give a quick glance around. “At Fondu’s party, your mother said she had something interesting to say about him, but she wouldn’t extrapolate.”

What she really said was I realize that my true relationship with the man will come out in the end, but I can’t say a word to you without speaking to my children first. They would never forgive me.

I inadvertently frown at Venus. If I didn’t value our relationship so much, I wouldn’t be beating around the bush.

Venus’ eyes round out in horror and her perfect composure cracks just enough to confirm that I’ve hit a nerve.

“She’s going to say it.” Sebby floats her way. “She’s going to confess!”

That’s not where I see this going, but perhaps a confession on behalf of her mother would be on order.

Lily chooses that exact moment to return with a stack of pink bakery boxes, completely oblivious to the tension crackling in the air.

“Here you go, Venus,” Lily announces with the somewhat faux cheer I expect her to give to each and every customer. “Suze added a few extra macarons on the house. She says they turned out too pretty to sell to regular customers.”

I try my hardest not to avert my eyes. I happened to think all of my desserts are equally pretty, and I certainly like to sell them to customers.

That’s what keeps the lights on and Suze’s bank account lined with green.

Although I will agree to giving Venus a few freebies.

After all, I brought Carlotta to her niece’s birthday party, and we all know how that went.

“Thank Suze for me.” Venus accepts the boxes with a smile that looks forced.

Lily takes off and Venus turns back my way. “I’m sorry, Lottie. I don’t know of any connection between my mother and Sebastian.”

My lips invert because that’s not what I asked. I simply asked if her mother said anything about him. She’s the one that brought up the connection.

She turns to leave, then pivots my way again.

“I just thought of something.” Her lips twitch as if there was a whole other direction she wanted to take this conversation. “Remember that redheaded woman who was arguing with Sebastian that night when you and I came upon them?”

“Della Crane?” I perk up, nearly forgetting all about my custard donuts. Well, almost.

“That’s the one. She was in my bakery this afternoon.

I happened to overhear her chatting with her friend.

She said there was a big Irish feast tonight at a place called O’Reilly’s Pub and Diner.

The woman couldn’t stop raving about it.

She asked if her friend wanted to meet her there at five, but her friend said she couldn’t make it.

Della said she was going anyway. She said they have the best shepherd’s pie this side of Ireland. ”

“Shepherd’s pie does sound delectable,” I say, nibbling on my thumb.

“I thought so myself.” Venus looks rather proud for even suggesting it.

And don’t think for a minute I don’t realize that I’m being manipulated. But, well, she’s good, I’ll give her that.

She shrugs. “If you really want to solve this case, and I know you well enough to know that’s true, I’d hunt down Della Crane and see exactly what she has to hide. The argument she had with Sebastian the night he died looked pretty brutal.”

Her phone pings, and she frowns at the screen. “I’m sorry, I’m being reprimanded for being late. My not-so-sweet sister-in-law says, if I don’t show up in the next twenty minutes, she’s replacing me as Fondu’s godmother with her Pilates instructor.”

“Sounds like you’d better hurry.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow for the big parade,” she says with a wave. “Erin go bragh!” With that, she’s out the door in a whirl of perfume and let’s be honest— deflection .

I pick up another custard donut while considering Venus’ convenient subject change. But before I can think too deeply about it, the door bangs open again and Carlotta marches in, heads straight for my table, drops into the chair across from me, and grabs a donut without so much as a hello.

“Don’t eat that donut,” I tell her just as Sebby snatches it from her lips.

“Hear that?” he says her way. “Lolita only shares her donuts with me .”

“You shouldn’t fill up on them either,” I tell him, picking up my mile-long to-do list. “We’re going to dinner.”

Venus might think that Della Crane is hiding a few secrets, but it’s painfully obvious that Venus is hiding a few secrets of her own—or more to the point, secrets that belong to her mother.

Nevertheless, someone somewhere knows something about Sebastian Gallagher’s death, and I’m hoping that someone is Della Crane.