Free Bake Me a Murder by Carole Fowkes

Eric.”
    He gazed at the photo once more.
    His voice almost gruff, he said, “Never seen her before. Sorry.”
    I was just as sorry.
    Corrigan and I walked in silence side-by-side. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I was deciding whether to believe Eric or not. As far as I knew, he had no reason to lie.
    We got to my car and I began fishing for my keys when Corrigan said, “Good work getting the phone.”
    I waved that compliment away. “Have you found Rico yet? What if those pictures are why he’s looking for Coco?”
    He joked, “You think he has a thing for dilapidated furniture?” When he realized I was serious, he stuck his hands in his pockets. “We’re still looking for him.”
    When I opened my car door, Corrigan put his hand on my arm. “Want to follow me back to the station? Help find who the girl in that picture is. Maybe she knows Carreras’s whereabouts.”
    It was like the devil himself tempting me, but would I regret it later? “You’re willing to let me in on the investigation?”
    “Tit for tat, you know? We might not have gotten the phone without your help.”
    I placed my hands on my hips. “So this is your way of thanking me?”
    “Yeah, plus then, I can keep my eye on you.” He half-smiled and his dimples grabbed my attention. “Besides, I might as well admit you’re a lot better to look at than most sights at the station.”
    My insides warmed, but the warning light went on in my head. There had to be more to it. “You want me to look through mug shots for this girl rather than you spending the time.”
    He let out a brief laugh. “That never crossed my mind.” He emailed the photo of the unknown girl to me.
     
    Thursday, 11:00 a.m.
    To avoid distractions, Corrigan sat me in an interrogation room. I looked through picture after picture, but never found a match for the girl in Coco’s phone. I was about ready to call it quits, feeling like I’d wasted time I didn’t have, when Corrigan burst through the door. “You better come out here, now.”
    My stomach dropped and I jumped from my chair. “What is it?”
    Without answering he led the way out of the room and we came face to face with my aunt, holding a massive sheet cake adorned with chocolate and vanilla swirl frosting.
    “Aunt Lena?” Was all I could manage.
    My aunt’s body swayed a bit under the weight of that dessert. “I thought everyone was working so hard, I’d bring a little something down to the station. Is Ed here by any chance?”
    Corrigan stepped toward my aunt. “Here, Lena, let me take that cake from you. It looks delicious, but it’s got to be heavy.”
    Aunt Lena hoisted it into Corrigan’s arms. “Thanks, Brian. Or should I call you Detective Corrigan, since we’re in the police station?”
    “You can call me Brian, anytime.”
    I wanted to smack my forehead to wake me from this ridiculous dream. My aunt bringing a cake to the police station so she could see Ed? That bordered on desperate.
    I had to rescue her dignity. “That was considerate of you, Aunt Lena. I don’t think Ed’s around but I’ll certainly make sure he gets a piece of cake.”
    A voice behind me boomed. “Who says I’m not here?” It was Ed. “Lena, I swear you get prettier every day.”
    My aunt giggled and tapped his arm. “You’re such a kidder.”
    Corrigan smiled. “Lena was nice enough to bring us all this cake.”
    Ed took Aunt Lena’s hand and kissed it. “You’re enough sweetness for me. But I will take a piece later. I’ve got to go see my aunt and uncle, Merle’s folks.”
    Aunt Lena’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, Ed. Can I do anything?”
    He placed his hands on my aunt’s shoulders. “Just keep good thoughts. Thanks for coming down, Lena. It means a lot.”
    Nice to see not everyone had bad luck in relationships. I was happy for my aunt and admired Ed. As worried as he was about Merle, he was still more gracious with my aunt than I would have expected.
    Corrigan was talking again, but