Page 82 of Pepper, the Biker & the Vanishing Body

“No one said it would be, but we have a deal. So, get it done or else.” His threat was followed by the sound of fading footsteps on the crushed stone path.

My dress got snagged on the large rhododendron as I made my way around it and one heel sunk into the mulch.

“Good heavens, Pepper, what are you doing there?” Anderson said and hurried to help free me.

I threw the truth right at him. “I was listening to your conversation with that man. What kind of trouble are you in, Professor?”

He unsnagged my dress and shook his head. “Leave it alone, Pepper. This mystery is far too dangerous for you to get involved with and if you mention this to your dad, I will say you misunderstood the conversation. For your own good, Pepper, let it be.”

He hurried away, leaving me standing alone. I looked to see if Beau lurked about, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I thought maybe he followed the man and decided to see if I could catch up with him. Coming upon several pathways the man could have taken, I decided it was foolish to try and find him. He could be anywhere, and he was.

He was standing behind me.

“You’re too nosy for your own good,” he said and stepped toward me.

With the ultimatum he had given Anderson, I didn’t wait to see what he intended for me. I took off down one of the garden paths, kicking off my heels as I went so that I could pick up speed. I needed to get to where there were people since I had no idea what that man had in mind for me.

Dodging around a towering rose arbor, I spotted a side pathway that led toward the house. Just as I turned onto it, I heard a screech, and my bare feet landed squarely on something with wheels—something that immediately took off beneath me.

The skateboard.

With a yelp, I flailed my arms, trying to regain balance, but the skateboard had other ideas. I shot forward, rocketing down the smooth stone pathway like a misguided missile.

“Out of the way!” I shrieked as I zipped past a stunned elderly couple enjoying a breather from the preview. The husband blinked, the wife clutched his arm, and I barely missed flattening a spitting water fish statue before my ride took an unexpected detour—straight through the open kitchen sliding glass doors.

A blur of motion, I sailed inside, barely processing the wide-eyed stares of Ian, Amy, and Beau, and the horrified expression on Ms. Dickens’ face as they stood near an assortment of desserts. The table was covered in cakes, pies, and an artfully arranged pyramid of cream puffs that now stood directly in my trajectory.

I hit the table with all the grace of a flying squirrel in a wind tunnel. Plates clattered, whipped cream exploded, and I landed sprawled atop a chocolate mousse cake, its rich filling squelching beneath me like an overripe melon. The pyramid of cream puffs? It went airborne, raining down upon me like sugary hail.

Silence.

Beau, ever the charmer, let out a slow, appreciative whistle. “Wow, Pepper, that was some entrance.”

Amy glared at him, then turned a wide-eyed expression on me, her mouth opening but nothing coming out.

Winifred Dickens looked ready to scream at me, but her words came out in a soft croak, “You ruined the desserts.”

Ian was the only one to react. He took his suit jacket off, rolled up his sleeves and his pant legs, then waded through globs of chocolate, smashed pies, and lurking cream puffs to reach out and help me up. “Are you all right, Pep?”

Groaning, I wiped a chunk of blueberry pie off my cheek and glared at the skateboard, which sat innocently nearby.

“I don’t know how I got on that thing,” I muttered.

Ian offered me his hand, his blue eyes sparkling. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up before someone tries to serve you for dessert.”

“Whatever am I going to do about dessert?” Winifred Dickens asked, shaking her head as she stared at the mess in disbelief. “I’ll be fired for sure over this.”

Amy stepped forward, leave it to an accountant to set things straight. “We’ll get this cleaned up ASAP and while we may not be able to replace the cream puffs, I know a place where we can get some fabulous pies and cakes for you. I believe some tarts as well.”

“And her?” Dickens pointed at me as if I were her arch-enemy. “She cannot be seen like that.”

“I will stay here away from the guests,” I said to ease her concern, “and I will pay for the replaced desserts.”

Winifred Dickens’ chin went up. “Of course you will. Now get busy cleaning this mess up and get those desserts here ASAP.” She marched out of the kitchen mumbling.

Amy had Beau looking for garbage bags before she got on the phone with Zelda at the Star Diner. She procured an assortment of desserts that sounded far tastier than the ones I had landed in.

Ian didn’t let me go until he was sure I was steady on my feet. “Beau told Amy and me that you and he followed Professor Anderson and the guy you believed was the one who spoke with Stone in the stairwell of the hospital.”

---