Free Death by Scones by Jennifer Fischetto Page B

security tape?"
    He jumped up and hit his knee on the underside of his desk. "Yes, of course. One second." He raced behind the teller area and into a room in the back. The teller was still helping the customer.
    I stood and paced the front of his desk. Through the large windows, I spotted Officer Fred Fields. He was across the street, walking toward the bakery, probably needing his daily fix. Crap. I couldn't have him seeing me like this. There'd be too many questions, and then I'd never get the tape.
    Come on…come on. I willed Mr. Stewart to hurry the heck up.
    Fred pulled on the bakery door, oblivious to the Closed sign I'd hung. Two good yanks, and he stopped, dropped his hand, and just stood there.
    It's closed. Leave. Hurry up.
    Finally Mr. Stewart emerged from the back with a disc in his hand. He brought it over with a big smile on his face.
    Fred turned his back to the bakery and started to leave. He walked in the opposite direction of the bank, but his steps were slow, and he could turn around at any moment.
    When Mr. Stewart was within my reach, I snatched the DVD from his fingers. "Sorry, I'm in a rush. Thank you." I briskly walked to the glass doors, wanting to get the heck out of here.
    "Um, what about the sightseeing?" Mr. Stewart asked.
    "I'll call you," I said over my shoulder.
    When I reached the sidewalk, I held the DVD up, covering my profile, and hurried around the building to Tara's car. I slipped into the passenger seat and slid as low as I could. "Do you see Fred?"
    She looked left to right. "No, you're clear."
    I pulled the hat and wig from my head and tore off the light-blue shirt, popping a button in the process. I wore a pink tank top underneath. "Get the player."
    She reached into the backseat and grabbed her portable DVD player. She inserted the disc and fast-forwarded to that afternoon.
    We spent several minutes trying to locate the right moment. Eventually we found it and watched the mob enter the bakery. It looked like a herd, much like it had felt at the time. Then Nathan arrived.
    Tara fast-forwarded it again, and I stopped it when everyone left. One or two people at a time trickled out. Nathan never left. We watched it until Elizabeth Ashby left with the cinnamon muffin she'd bought that day, and then Amber and Mrs. Hendrickson. I rewound it a second time, and we watched again. I stared at everyone's feet and hands, hoping to catch a glimpse of gloves or those moccasins, but the crowd was too thick, and a few DC residents chose to use the ATM machine, blocking the view at various moments.
    "Nothing," I said with a sigh.
    This had been a waste of time.
    "Now what?" Tara asked and started her car.
    "Let's make a pit stop at the police station. I can't see anything, but don't they have special computers that can tear these images apart?"
    "Um, do you really want to show them the tape you just lied to get?"
    Ooh, she had a point. It would lead the cops to discovering that a strawberry-blonde woman illegally pretended to be a cop. Surely it would get back to me, and then I'd still be responsible in their eyes, and they'd never look for the truth
    "Okay, well, what about the footage from the bakery's security camera?" I asked.
    "Sounds like a plan." She put the gear into drive and drove out of the parking lot.
    As we turned onto Main Street, driving past the bank, I ducked in my seat, not wanting Mr. Stewart to see me sans wig.
     
    *   *   *
     
    There wasn't much time before the funeral, and I still needed to change into my sleeveless black shift dress with the white embroidered Peter Pan collar and to tease my hair into a 1960s beehive. Luckily, I'd thought ahead and put the dress, accessories, and supplies in Tara's backseat.
    I yanked open the doors to the police station and walked straight back to Lester's desk. This time he wasn't lounging over dinner. He wasn't even at his desk. The room was empty, in fact.
    "You again?" boomed a voice behind me.
    I flinched and spun around.
    He stood