Free A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander Page B

catch Thomas’s eye.
    Thomas stepped toward Marco’s things and Nina scurried away. Calling over her shoulder, she said, “I’ll be back with my things, and I’ll be ready to bake something special just for you.”
    “What was that about?” I said as I attached the bowl to the mixer and clicked it on low.
    “What?”
    I could feel my top lip curl. “Uh, Nina. Her weird reaction to butter.”
    “She’s just upset about the murder. Trust me, everyone reacts differently to stress. I’ve seen it again and again. You never know how it’s going to affect someone. Like with you this morning, I was mentally going through my ‘what to do if someone goes into shock’ checklist.”
    “I wasn’t going into shock.”
    Thomas scowled, reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves. He stretched them on his hands and began to sort through Marco’s things.
    “Don’t you think that it’s a bit strange that Nina freaked out, though?”
    He didn’t seem to be listening. “What’s that?” He held a bottle of vanilla extract in the air and sniffed it.
    “Nina. She jumped at the sight of butter ?”
    “Jules, you’re funny.” He set the bottle back on the counter, ignoring my comment. “Can I store all this in your office? I need to keep everything secure until the Professor gets back.”
    “Fine.”
    “Is that going to be a problem? You sound mad.”
    “No, it’s no problem. But are you seriously going to blow off how weird that just was with Nina?”
    “Am I blowing it off?”
    “She freaked out, about butter .” I raised my eyebrow.
    Thomas wheeled the cart toward the office. “I think she’s really passionate about being vegan. That’s all.”
    I squeezed between him and the counter to open the office door. “Maybe.”
    Thomas parked the cart next to the filing cabinet in our tiny office. Not that it mattered. Mom and I mainly use it to do the books and place vendor orders. “This isn’t going to give you much room in here, are you sure it’s not a problem?”
    “Positive. Don’t sweat it. Let me tell you what the problem is going to be.”
    Thomas held the door for me as we exited. “Butter?”
    “Exactly.” I punched him in the shoulder. “Nina is really not going to like it when she realizes she has to share our workspace. She thought she was getting Chef Marco’s. We might taint her vegan products with deadly items like butter or eggs.”
    Thomas gave me a thoughtful look. “If it would help, I can bag everything up and take it into the evidence room. The Professor likes to examine evidence ‘in the real world.’ That’s the only reason for keeping Chef Marco’s things here. If it would make things easier for you and Nina, I can bag it, tag it, and take it with me.”
    He emphasized “Nina.” I assured him that she and I would work something out. He left to check in with the coroner. I returned to my butter pound cake. What was wrong with me? Thomas was a friend, nothing more. I’d made it clear that I wasn’t in the space to think about anything other than a friendship right now. Then why was I so irritated that he was showing interest in Nina?

 
    Chapter Eleven
    Lunchtime brought a packed house to Torte. Not only because locals were eager to reclaim their town, but because word had spread about Marco’s murder. The pork and apple sandwiches and amaretto cookies were sold out before we were halfway through the rush. Andy’s pumpkin cream lattes were a huge hit. The line at the espresso bar held steady despite the fact that he was cranking out coffees at record pace.
    The four of us worked in rhythm. Stephanie started new batches of cookies and muffins—anything we could turn around fast. Sterling rang up customers and dished out pastries. I delivered lunch orders to each table, and kept my comments on Chef Marco’s death brief.
    After about an hour the crowd began to thin. Lance strolled in with two young starlets from the company on either arm. He carried himself