“Of course, I want to eat everything in sight. I do have some will power, though. A nice warm soft pretzel should be enough to tide me over.”

  “In that case, we’ll make a pretzel run.”

  I smiled. “That sounds good.”

  The End.

  Cake, Coincidences, and Casualties

  Chapter One

  “Did you hear that Melissa Wagner got engaged?” Kristina Fowler asked.

  There were very few places in town that had hotter gossip than The Majestic Cove Bakery. My dear friend, Kristina, ran the place. Not only did she make incredible pastries and desserts, but she also seemed to know about everything that was going on in town. Her customers were usually very chatty. They told her juicy details. This was one of them.

  Although, unlike a lot of pieces of gossip, I had actually heard about this tidbit before entering the bakery that morning.

  “I saw a post about that online,” I said.

  “That’s where I heard about it too,” Kristina said. “Honestly, the news of her engagement is all over social media.”

  I nodded. “It sure is. Melissa seems like she is anxious to tell the whole world about it.”

  “I don’t blame her. This engagement is a long-time coming. She was single for years before she met Eric. I know for a while she felt like she’d be single forever.”

  “I certainly know what that is like.”

  “We both do. But now look at her. She’s getting married.”

  “That’s pretty incredible.”

  “The crazy thing is that she and Eric haven’t been dating all that long.”

  “They’ve been together for over a year.”

  “I realize that, but we both know couples that have been together for four or five years and they haven’t tied the knot.”

  “I guess they aren’t in as much of a rush as Melissa is.”

  “Maybe not.”

  “Honestly, I kind of feel like it’s her way of making up for lost time. She has spent the bulk of her life as single as can be. So, when a good man finally came around, she dove headfirst into their relationship.”

  “I’d probably do the same.”

  “Don’t you mean, you will do the same?”

  “I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Last time I checked, Mr. Right hasn’t shown up at my doorstep.”

  “When you do meet him, I have a feeling that your relationship will become intense in a hurry.”

  “I didn’t know you could predict the future.”

  “I can’t,” Kristina said. “You know I love some good wishful thinking.”

  “So do I. But I’m always careful to separate my dreams from reality.”

  “If you’re lucky, your dreams will become a reality.”

  “That hasn’t happened.”

  “Not yet. But it could. I mean, it happened to Melissa. She stuck it out. She never stopped believing. And her perseverance paid off. To me, that’s really inspirational.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely happy for her.”

  Kristina’s eyes lit up as she stared into the distance. “It gives you hope for our love lives, doesn’t it?”

  I folded my arms. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “Wait. You don’t feel more hopeful?”

  “Not especially. Do you?”

  “Yes. Then again, that could be because of my upcoming date.”

  My eyes widened. “Wait a minute. You got a date?”

  She nodded.

  “Good for you,” I said. “With who?”

  “His name is Oliver Perkins.”

  “I don’t recognize that name.”

  “He’s a banker. He comes into the bakery every once in a while. He’s really handsome.”

  I pulled out my phone and looked Oliver up. Within a few seconds, a photo of him showed up in the search results.

  “You weren’t kidding. He is handsome,” I said.

  “I was actually kind of shocked that he asked me out.”

  “You shouldn’t be. You’re a wonderful woman. You have so much going for you.”

  “Thanks for saying that.”

  “Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks that way. If Oliver didn’t believe that, he wouldn’t have asked you out.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “Anyway, congratulations. This is a huge deal.”

  “I know. I’m so excited. I really want this to go well.”

  “I hope it does.”

  “Fingers crossed.”

  “Wow. What a wild morning filled with breaking news. First, Melissa gets engaged. Now, you have a hot date.”

  “I know. Not bad for a sleepy little small town.”

  “It makes you wonder what’s next.”

  “Maybe something incredible will happen to you.”

  “I’m not going to hold my breath.”

  “Hey, one of these days you’re going to come to me with some insane news,” Kristina said. “I just know it.”

  “The question is, when?”

  Chapter Two

  Kristina didn’t have an answer for me. What she did have was some delicious pastries. I grabbed a blueberry muffin and a croissant. I then headed over to my office. I ran a detective agency with my friend, Lisa Williamson. As a private investigator, every day was full of surprises. Most of the time, I had no clue what my next case would be.

  That kind of life certainly kept things interesting. I spent a great deal of my time trying to anticipate what the future might bring my way. That particular morning, I just wanted to eat my pastries and ease into the workday.

  As I arrived at my office, it didn’t seem like that would happen. When I opened up the front door of the agency, Lisa was already in the office. She was sitting at her desk grimacing.

  Since she was staring out the window, she didn’t even notice me approaching her. Clearly something was bothering her. But what?

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Melody. I didn’t see you there,” Lisa replied.

  “I just came in,” I said. “What’s the matter?”

  “How did you know that something was wrong?”

  “Lisa, what kind of a question is that? We’re both private investigators. All I had to do was to take one look at your face and it was obvious to me that you’re having a tough morning.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “So, tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I just got some bad news.”

  “Would you care to give me some specifics?”

  “My friend is getting divorced.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “What horrible news. Especially since Charley and Michelle seemed like they were a great couple. Apparently, I was wrong.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s going on in someone else’s relationship. It might look great from the outside while being a complete mess on the inside.”

  “I guess you’re right. I just feel so bad for Michelle. I’ve been in her position before. Divorces are brutal.”

  “I know your divorce was like a heavyweight prize fight, but that doesn’t mean Michelle’s will be too.”

  “No. It’s a pretty solid assumption, though. How many amicable divorces do you know of?”

  I opened my mouth to answer.

  Before I could get any words out, Lisa spoke up again.

  “When I say amicable, I’m not talking about Hollywood divorces. Those aren’t really amicable. Public relations people just say that to keep the public from gossiping too much.”

  “In that case, I can’t think of a single divorce that wasn’t absolute misery for everyone involved.”

  “That’s exactly my point. And to me, that’s very telling.”

  “I wish I had something uplifting to say.”

  “And I wish my friends weren’t getting divorced, but it’s still happening.” Lisa stopped talking and got a faraway look in her eyes.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “At this point, all you can really do is be there for your friend and pray for the best.”

  “That doesn’t seem like it’s enough.”

  “Trust me. It’s plenty.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Lisa took a deep breath. “It’s just a terrible time for love, isn’t it?”

  “I’m not sure that I’d go that far.”

  “Melody, after everything I just told you, why would you disagree with me?”

  “I’m sorry about your friend, but not everyone is that unlucky.”

  “What do you mean by that?” She stared deep into my eyes. “Do you have a date or something?”

  “No,” I replied. “Although, wouldn’t that be great?”

  “It would be amazing.”

  I stared off into the distance. “Maybe it will happen one day.”

  “It will.”

  “In the meantime, at least I have my hopes and dreams.”

  Lisa stared at me again. “I think you have more than that.”

  “What are you talking about?” I replied.

  “You told me that not everyone is as unlucky as my friend. Does that mean you have some actual good news to share? Or were you just trying to take a glass half-full approach to life?”

  “It turns out that it has been a crazy rollercoaster of a morning.”

  “How so?”

  “While you were getting news that your friend is going to divorce her husband, I was at the bakery discussing my friend’s recent engagement.”

  “Wow. That is pretty wild.”

  “Talk about being on different ends of the spectrum.”

  “That’s just how life goes sometimes. One day, you might be having the time of your life. Meanwhile, someone you know might be having the worst day of their life. Or vice versa.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?”

  “Well, congratulations to your friend. It’s good to know that love isn’t officially dead.”

  “No. It is definitely alive. In some parts of the world, at least.”

  “I sure wish it would pay me a visit.”

  “Are you kidding? I want love to do more than to pay me a visit. I want it to become a mainstay in my life.”

  “I’m right there with you. You know I’m not a fan of emotional rollercoasters.”

  “Yeah. They are a lot to stomach before breakfast.”

  At that point, I began to think about the croissant that I had to look forward to. Not to mention the blueberry muffin that I had in my bag.

  Before I could get too deep into thought, someone cleared their throat behind me.

  I turned around and saw a brunette woman in her late forties standing in the doorway of the detective agency.

  “Is this a bad time?” the brunette asked.

  Lisa turned to me and said, “Why don’t you take this one?”

  “Will do.” I nodded at my friend and then looked at the brunette. “It’s not a bad time at all. How can I help you?”

  “I want to hire you,” the brunette said.

  “In that case, why don’t you step into my office?” I replied.

  Chapter Three

  I walked into my office and sat down behind my desk. The brunette followed me into the office and took a seat across from me.

  I outstretched my hand and introduced myself. The brunette shook my hand and told me her name was Denise Willard. She ran a health insurance company in town.

  With the introductions out of the way, I asked how I could be of assistance to her.

  “I have a really interesting case for you,” Denise said.

  I shrugged. “What’s so interesting about it?”

  “I suspect that there’s some fraud going on at my company.”

  “I hope that’s not the case.”

  “So do I, but I’m pretty sure that my hunch is right.”

  “I can definitely look into it.”

  “Good.”

  “That said, fraud is a pretty common problem in the insurance industry, isn’t it?”

  Denise winced. “Unfortunately.”

  “In fact, don’t most insurance companies have a fraud investigator on staff for that exact reason?” I asked.

  Denise nodded.

  “So, what’s the deal then?” I continued. “Why are you looking to hire me rather than keeping things in-house?”

  “This is where things get tricky.”

  “How so?”

  “I believe that the fraud is being committed by my on-staff investigator.”

  My eyebrows rose as I leaned back in my chair. “Wow.”

  “Exactly. You can see why this is such a tough situation for me.”

  “Absolutely. It sounds like a real mess.”

  “It is.”

  “Now, when you say that your investigator might be committing fraud, what do you mean by that exactly?”

  “I’m worried that he’s been filing false reports.”

  I squinted. “Why would he do that?”

  “I have a couple of theories.”

  “Such as?”

  “The reports that are in question are all disability-related. And they all side in favor of the claimants.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Don’t you mean, troubling?”

  “That too.”

  “There’s a chance that my investigator is being paid off.”

  “That would be disturbing on so many levels.”

  “Trust me. I really hope that I’m wrong. But if I’m not, I need to know about it.”

  “I agree.”

  “You can understand why I came to you then.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “So, can you help me?”

  “I’ll do everything that I can.”

  “Good.”

  “You know, you weren’t kidding when you said this was a wild case. It’s not every day that I get hired to investigate a fraud investigator.”

  Chapter Four

  A case like this had multiple prongs to it. First, I wanted to determine if there truly was fraud on the part of the claimants. If there was, I would then try to figure out if Craig had assisted with the fraud, or if he had been duped by the claimants.

  Three specific claims stood out to Denise. With each of those cases, Denise was certain that her investigator would have found valid grounds to deny a payout. Instead, his recommendation was to approve those claims. To Denise, that was a huge red flag.

  After all, she had been in the insurance business a long time. To the point where certain patterns had emerged. Even though she wasn’t always correct, she could typically predict whether a claim had merit just by looking at the initial paperwork.

  As Denise went over the case files with me, she freely admitted that her instincts about the claimants and her investigator could be wrong. There was a possibility that she had misread the situation. That perhaps the claimants truly were telling the truth. And that the investigator, Craig Caldwell, had done his job properly. Denise just didn’t believe that was the case.

  Of course, if she was going to take disciplinary action against her employee, she needed proof. That’s where I came in.

  ***

  After finishing up with Denise, I headed over to Mercer Street. That was where one of the disability claimants lived. Robert Adamson had a beige ranch-style home. Mercer Street was lined with trees, which was a real benefit to an investigator.

  “Lucky me. He happens to live on a leafy street,” I said to myself.

  Trees provided more than just shade. They were also great to hide behind. That fact might come in handy, sooner rather than later.

  With a case like this, there were a number of approaches that I could take. I could have gone right up to Robert’s door and knocked. If he answered the door, I could have introduced myself as an investigator. I also could have provided him with a fake name. At that point, there were all sorts of questions that I could have asked him.

  When I was working on an investigation, I didn’t like to give my true identity away. Especially if I didn’t have to. It was surprising how much information could be obtained from keeping a safe distance and observing. In fact, sometimes I was able to get everything I needed without saying a word to the subject I was investigating. Those were the best types of cases. The more I was able to stay under the radar, the better.

  I was hoping this case would fit that profile. I would find out soon enough.

  “All right. Time to make the first move,” I said to myself.

  Rather than just staking out in front of Robert’s house, I decided to be more proactive. After all, I didn’t even know if Robert was home.

  It was safe to assume that he would be inside. The claim that he had made on his insurance form was that a work accident had made him disabled. That meant he definitely wasn’t at work right then. My guess was that he was at home, resting and recuperating.

  Generally, I preferred to work under the cover of darkness, but Denise wanted me to get started on my investigation right away. Since I had so much ground to cover, I had arrived at Robert’s place while it was broad daylight.

  I had to be very careful as I snooped around. If I was spotted hiding behind a tree, or outside Robert’s window, it could lead to a confrontation. There would probably be a lot of yelling involved. Maybe even some chasing. Although, if Robert truly was disabled, he shouldn’t be able to chase me.

  One of his family members could take off after me, however.

  Crazy things like that had happened to me in the past.

  Luckily, I made it up Robert’s driveway without having any problems. I then headed toward a bush that was beside Robert’s living room window.

  Unfortunately, his drapes were closed. I hated not being able to see what was going on inside, but the good news was that I could hear what was taking place.

  As I pressed my ear up against the window, I didn’t hear any talking. Nor did I hear a TV or radio playing. It was dead quiet in the living room.

  “Time to keep moving,” I whispered to myself.

  I decided to head around to the side of the house. Maybe Robert was in his bedroom. Or in the kitchen. As I crept up in front of each of the windows of the house, that didn’t appear to be the case. I didn’t hear any noises coming from inside the home.