Chocolate Cherry Cheater Read online

  “Like a lot of things here, it’s Quechua. Quiru means ‘choose,’ and toa means ‘queen.’ There’s actually a legend—”

  Abuelita interrupted, “Is too much boring fact. Let’s eat!”

  Jake looked offended.

  Both to satisfy my own curiosity and to appease him, I said, “You can tell me later. I love boring facts and history.”

  He grinned at me. “Me too. Adi calls me a nerd.”

  I wasn’t about to tell him everything my sisters called me. Instead, I directed my attention to the spread covering the blanket.

  I had expected sandwiches and simple outdoor fare. I ought to have known better. Sylvia had packed rice with steamed vegetables, boiled potatoes drenched in peanut sauce, and rotisserie chicken. She’d even packed a meaty bone for Lady to chew on (way better than the bacon treats I’d packed for her).

  Sylvia had even provided dessert — fruit salad with freshly made cream. My favorite. Fruit was one of the major perks of living on the equator. It was delicious, bountiful, and insanely cheap.

  Silence fell over our group as we devoured our early lunch.

  Our hearts content, our stomachs full, and our backpacks empty, we walked around, took photos, and enjoyed the surroundings before it was time to begin the long hike back up to the top.

  Abuelita and Tia Rosa went to get their donkeys while I snapped a few more pictures at the dock over the water. Lady didn’t like the movement of the wooden planks, so she stayed with Jake on the beach.

  The smooth bobbing of the dock lulled me into a serene calm, and I felt completely at peace with the world. My parents would love it here. Dad would appreciate the ambiance while Mom captured the contrast of the smooth, jade lagoon surrounded by the wild, uneven ridge of the volcano.

  Lady’s shrill bark pulled me out of my reverie, and I turned in time to see Abuelita’s donkey running up the trail with Lady on its heels. Abuelita followed, shouting, “Estúpido donkey!”

  Jake ran after Lady. He passed Abuelita who stood at the opening of the trail shaking her fist at her miscreant donkey.

  Bringing up the rear of the procession was Tia Rosa. She made kissy noises and tapped the sides of her donkey to no avail. It had one pace: slow.

  I sprinted over the wobbly deck and across the beach to the trail, passing Tia Rosa and Abuelita in my effort to catch up with my unruly pooch. What had gotten into her? Lady was such a well-behaved dog. Then again, if chasing after hooves was her one weakness, I could learn to live with that. I just wouldn’t get a horse. Easy.

  By the time I reached Jake, I was a panting, sweaty, dusty mess.

  “She pulled loose, and I couldn’t catch her in time,” Jake explained.

  I couldn’t answer. My lungs needed every bit of oxygen to climb up the precipice.

  We made record time up the side of the mountain chasing after my dog. I was convinced I was going to die before I reached the top, but concern that Lady would get herself kicked by the ornery donkey (and vanity that Jake would think I’m a wimp) kept me going. I imagined my obituary: Jessica James’ major organs burst from extreme exertion and lack of breathable air in an attempt to impress a guy way out of her league. Don’t be like Jessica.

  But I made it. My lungs burned and I couldn’t feel my legs, but I stood at the top. Okay, wavered or wobbled are probably more accurate. At this point, I was so weak, the breeze could have knocked me over.

  I was more than a little miffed when Lady sat calmly at the top of the trail, making a dust angel with her wagging tail. She grinned around her lolling tongue as if she hadn’t forced the greatest cardio session of my life on me.

  Too tired to stay mad at her for long, I crumpled onto the ground beside her. Fine dust poofed around me, but I didn’t have enough energy to care. “No treats for you today, young lady,” I gasped.

  Jake collapsed with us, his chest heaving as violently as mine did. “Gracious, Jess. I could barely keep up with you.”

  “Really?” I thought he’d slowed down so I could keep up with him.

  “There’s no stopping you when you’re determined.”

  “Thanks?” I said, hoping it was a compliment and not just a nice way of telling me I’m stubborn.

  Abuelita did not like sharing a donkey with Tia Rosa. She sat behind her sister with a firm scowl on her face.

  By the time they joined us, my legs had recovered enough to walk over to the paddock with them. Abuelita gave the guide a thorough chewing out … through which he laughed until Tia Rosa pulled her sister away.

  Jake opened up the Jeep, tossing our backpacks on top of the tarp in the back and quickly turning away to cough. The smell of the vinegar had concentrated in the few hours the vehicle had baked under the sun. We stood at a distance, pinching our noses. Lady wouldn’t go near it.

  “Man, Abuelita, how much did you spill?” Jake asked.

  Tia Rosa riffled through her backpack, pulling out a bottle of perfume and spraying until Abuelita smacked it out of her hand.

  “Stop that! You make smell worse!”

  Tropical musk and vinegar weren’t a winning combination, but we were so exhausted, we assaulted our nostrils and climbed in the malodorous vehicle anyway.

  Lady still wouldn’t go near the Jeep, so I held her in my arms in the front seat so she could stick her nose out of the window. Just because she’d sent me on a wild donkey chase didn’t mean I would leave her behind. She was still my girl.

  By the time we reached Latacunga, the nearest city to the lagoon, we had lost our sense of smell and decided to drive through the old part of the city.

  Abuelita rolled her eyes as Jake gave me another history lesson. He explained how the Spaniards built the city in the early 1500s. Some buildings dated back to the 1600s, surviving two large earthquakes that had tried to level the city.

  That reminded me that volcanoes weren’t the only danger of living so high in the Andean mountains. I had yet to feel an earthquake, and I wasn’t in any hurry to experience my first.

  The roads were cobblestone with an intricate design running down the length of the streets. The craftsmanship was amazing … and bumpy.

  Next, Jake drove us to a place known for its homemade ice cream: Salcedo.

  It was unlike any ice cream I had ever had before. Cream mixed with fruit and frozen in hard layers around fresh-made marmalade on a Popsicle stick. It was nothing like the soft serve ice cream at Dairy Queen, but the flavors of the exotic fruits and fresh cream were second to none.

  We passed through Ambato, and I saw a billboard with Christina smiling, larger-than-life.

  Abuelita saw it too. She hissed, “La Cabra.”

  Tia Rosa shushed her, pointing to the next billboard with the other major station SierraVista. “Look, is Maria Escobar.”

  Abuelita said, “UIO News from Quito is the best, but I say Maria Escobar is good, strong woman. No is cabra.”

  After spending most of the day in the nosebleed section of the mountains, I was ready to drop in altitude to the warmer climate of Baños. It was a relief when the roads inclined downhill once we had passed Ambato.

  Taking off my sweatshirt, I stuck my hand out of the window and let the balmy breeze run over my fingers. We were almost home.

  “Thank you for the adventure today,” I said. “I can’t wait to share my pictures with my family.”

  Jake said, “Any time. Mammy made me promise not to let you work too hard, so prepare yourself for more adventures to come.”

  “Sounds like fun. Although I have the feeling she would’ve rather sent me bungee jumping or zip lining through the jungle.”

  “Yeah, the lagoon was my idea. I thought you would appreciate something calm before we go waterfall rappelling.”

  I laughed, but a little voice in my head was game. Why not? If I could run up the side of a volcano, then why not dangle from the top of a waterfall?

  Lady squirmed in my lap. I was ready to get out of the car too.

  I patted her on the head. “W
e’re almost home, girl.”

  We drove by the line of vendors selling fresh-squeezed sugarcane juice with a splash of lime outside of town. I became as antsy as Lady. Five more minutes to home.

  Finally, Jake pulled into the lot by the park in front of my doughnut shop with Adi’s studio on the second floor and my apartment on the third. Sylvia’s restaurant was beside it on the corner. It was a cozy setup, and I loved it (although not as much as I loved the promise of a hot shower with soap that didn’t smell like musk and vinegar.)

  Lady leapt out of the Jeep and bolted across the park. What had gotten into her lately? I started after her until I saw that she made it across the street safely and sat in front of the security door to my apartment. I guess she was overjoyed to be home. Well, I was too. I could hardly blame her for that.

  Abuelita and Tia Rosa stretched while Jake unloaded our backpacks nestled on the tarp covering his tour equipment in the back of his Jeep.

  Taking a hint from my friends, I stretched my legs. They were already sore. Twisting my arms over my head, I waved at Gus. He manned the front desk of the police station behind us. Gus liked Adi. He was a nice guy.

  I heard Jake mumble, “It’s stuck on something.” He tugged at the tarp.

  Abuelita waved her hand at him. “Leave it. You no work for tomorrow.”

  “I’d rather get my stuff ready tonight all the same. I thought I’d left the bungee cords behind, but I must’ve dreamed it,” he said.

  “Do you need any help?” I asked. Jake had to be tired, and already he had to think of work the next day while I’d get to baby my sore muscles from the safety of my shop tomorrow. The least I could do was help him out.

  “Thanks, but I won’t be long.” He dropped the tarp, standing up to his full height and disarming me with a crooked smile. “Hey, Jess. Today was fun.”

  “It was.” I tried not to look too happy, but I knew I failed. So much for playing it cool, I thought, as my cheeks pinched into a grin.

  It became imperative for me to leave before I said or did something embarrassing. I looped my hand through the straps of my backpack, grateful it weighed next to nothing. My shower beckoned.

  I hadn’t made it two steps across the park when neighbors gathered around, asking where we’d gone. I was pleased my Spanish classes and all the practice I’d been getting were paying off. I understood and could answer without Abuelita or Tia Rosa translating for me.

  Poor Jake still hadn’t freed the tarp. I was about to excuse myself from my curious neighbors' company to help him when he grabbed the tarp with both hands and gave it a mighty pull.

  The friendly chatter stopped.

  There was an arm sticking out of the back of Jake’s Jeep.

  Chapter 5

  As gross as it would have been to find a random arm in the back of the rig, finding a dead body attached to it was worse.

  “What La Cabra do here?” Abuelita asked.

  Tia Rosa stated the obvious. “She dead.”

  The crowd thickened as nosy onlookers gathered around.

  Jake stood in the same spot, immobile. When he finally looked away from Christina, his troubled eyes looked at me. “This is bad, Jess.”

  More people gathered around staring, chattering, and pointing between Jake and the body. “Ya lo hizo,” I heard over and over. He finally did it, I translated in my head.

  “No! Jake didn’t do anything,” I insisted, trying to calm down the growing mob — an impossible feat when Abuelita started shoving his accusers and shouting.

  Why were people turning on Jake? I thought everybody loved him. I saw Adi and Sylvia walk toward us with Lady, their mouths open and their eyes widening as they got close enough to see the cause of the chaos.

  Once again, Lady had been smarter than the rest of us. I’d thought it was the vinegar that kept her from hopping into the Jeep, but she’d known something else was wrong. She’d known someone had crammed Christina into the back. She’d known there was a murderer at Lake Quilotoa. A murderer who’d just framed Jake.

  A wailing cry beside the Jeep added to the melee. “My baby! My baby!” a woman shouted, throwing herself over Christina and tampering with the crime scene.

  “The evidence!” I shouted when mourning family and friends infested Jake’s vehicle. What were they doing? “Don’t you want the police to be able to find out how she ended up here?” I asked in emotionally garbled Spanish.

  Again, fingers pointed at Jake. “Is Jake. He kill her.”

  I looked at Jake. He had his arms full trying to hold back Adi, Sylvia, Abuelita, and even sweet-hearted Tia Rosa.

  Gus and three of his uniformed buddies came out of the police station, blowing their whistles when their shouts went unheeded. I was glad to see them.

  When the whistles didn’t work, Gus deafened the crowd with an air horn. I looked closer at the horn. I could have sworn I’d seen that before. It reminded me of Mammy and our recent “adventures” (if getting caught trespassing on private property and spending the night in a smelly jail with a glow-in-the-dark Abuelita qualified as an “adventure”).

  Placing his hand on Jake’s shoulder, Gus asked, “What’s going on here?”

  The woman who embraced Christina’s body pointed at Jake. “He kill my daughter.”

  Oh, so the evidence-destroyer was Señora Cabrera.

  Sylvia stepped forward. “My son never hurt your daughter. He didn’t do this.”

  Gus held up his hands. Addressing the crowd, he said, “This is for the police to investigate. Please clear the premises. Jake, I’m going to have to take your vehicle for evidence…” After an extended sigh, he added, “…what’s left of it. I’ve already called the ambulance to take the body to the morgue.”

  Jake wrapped his arms around Adi and his mom. He put on a brave face, but he must have been devastated. I was.

  It was awful to witness how quickly our neighbors had turned on him — people who had probably known him his whole life.

  I had more questions than answers, but one truth was painfully clear. There was a lot more to Jake’s past with Christina than he had told me. And Baños was not just the quaint, friendly tourist town I had adopted as my new home. Whatever had happened had not been forgiven or forgotten, and unhealed wounds ran deep.

  Gus’ deputies cleared the crowd when the ambulance arrived, taking most of the mourners along with it to the morgue.

  When the tow truck showed up to take the Jeep away, Gus handed me the air horn. “Mammy gave that to me before she left.”

  I thought I’d recognized it. “She’ll be pleased to know you found a use for it.”

  Gus shook his head. “I never want to use it again. I can barely hear over the ringing in my ears.” He pulled out his phone while Jake brought the rest of his family over to stand beside us.

  I didn’t know who Gus was calling, but I knew who I wished he would call. If he didn’t, I would.

  “Hello, Washo,” he said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  If anyone could help Jake, it was Washo, criminal investigator extraordinaire. He was one of five special investigators in the country, employed by the government and specially trained to handle violent crimes and complicated cases. I’d come to know him since my arrival in Baños. Stumbling over dead bodies will do that.

  Instead of seeing me as a pesky wannabe detective, we’d become friends. Of course, it was because of me he was dating Sylvia, so Washo was forgiving where I was concerned for her sake.

  Gus put his phone back in his shirt pocket after a short conversation. “Washo will be here first thing in the morning. Until then,” he said, looking at Jake, “you’d better stay close. Don’t leave Baños.” To the rest of Jake’s family, he said, “Washo told me specifically to tell you not to start any fights.”

  Abuelita and Adi grumbled.

  I thought I was off the hook until Gus turned to me and said, “He told me to tell you to stay out of the case.”

  Washo always told me that.

&n
bsp; Abuelita groaned, “I need sugar.”

  My head hurt, and a cup of hot coffee sounded like it would solve all of my problems. I invited everyone, “Join me for coffee and doughnuts at the shack?”

  After spending the entire day away, I needed to see how Martha and her crew had handled the shop. It had been my first day off in two months, and part of me worried that my absence would make everything I’d worked so hard to achieve fall apart.

  Gus patted his flat stomach. “You know I can’t refuse your doughnuts. I don’t see any harm taking your statements at your place instead of the station.”

  Adi smiled up at him in approval. When would he finally muster the gumption to ask her out on a date? They obviously liked each other. It was so much easier arranging everyone else’s love lives than admitting that I had none. I hadn’t been on a date since… Let me think… Oh, wow. It had been a while. A long while.

  I opened the door beside The Sugar Shack for Lady, and she trotted up the steps to her personal doggie park on the terrace of my building above my apartment. Then, I went in through the side door and slipped into the kitchen of my bakery to check on things while Gus and Jake pushed tables together to accommodate our group.

  Martha’s oldest daughter, Fernanda — the poster child of a rebellious teenager with her bright purple and ebony striped hair — was helping. Or, as she called it, “interning.” She was an artist with the frosting. In exchange, Fernanda learned a skill she excelled at, spent time with her mother instead of getting in trouble, and used my WiFi signal with abandon.

  Fernanda paused whipping a bowl of fuchsia frosting. In her droll monotone, she asked, “How did your trip go?”

  “Too eventful for my taste. Jake’s ex ended up dead in the back of his Jeep.”

  Too cool to act shocked, Fernanda said, “Tough break.” She whipped her frosting a few more times, then covered it. “Christina Cabrera, right? I’ve heard about her, but I don’t believe what they say about Jake. Good thing you can help him out.”