Delaney unwrapped the block of white chocolate, following Vicky with her eyes until she reached the opposite corner of the tent where Mary’s station was. Delaney caught the teenager’s eye and gave her a wave and a smile.
Mary grinned and waved back, only to be scolded by her mother.
With a shake of her head, Delaney went back to chopping. When she’d finished with the second block, she glanced over at Mary’s station again.
Vicky was gone and Mary looked distraught.
Delaney checked the time. Still an hour and forty-five minutes to go. She wiped her hands off and headed over to talk to Mary. No doubt her mother had said something to upset her.
“Hi, Mary. I didn’t know you were competing.”
Mary turned. She looked on the verge of tears. “Hi, Mrs. Ellingham.”
“You okay? Did your mom upset you? Forget what she said. Whatever you make is going to be fabulous.”
Mary sniffed and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m making an orange chocolate pound cake and I forgot my eggs.” She sniffed again. “You can’t make pound cake without eggs. I might as well go home. My mother was right, this was a bad idea.”
“Wait a sec. How many eggs do you need?”
Mary screwed up her face in an expression of gloom. “It’s pound cake. I need, like, all the eggs.”
“Which is how many exactly.”
Mary frowned. “A dozen. A whole freaking dozen.”
Delaney winked at her. “I can cover that.”
Mary’s mouth came open in surprise. “For real? Is that legal?”
“I’m not sure, but let’s find out. If it is, I’ll hook you up.” She raised her hand and gave a wave to one of the bake-off contest officials walking around.
The woman, wearing a hot-pink apron emblazoned with the contest’s heart-shaped cupcake logo, came over. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, we have a question. What do the rules say about giving another contestant ingredients?”
“There are no additional outside ingredients allowed. If you have some you feel are extra and you wish to give those away, that’s all right. What sort of ingredients are we talking about here?”
“Eggs. They’re definitely extra and they came in with me. You can check my cooler if you want.”
The woman smiled. “No need. You’re good to go.”
“Great, thanks.” Delaney gave Mary a thumbs-up. “We’re in the clear.”
Mary grabbed her arm. “Mrs. Ellingham, are you sure you can spare a whole dozen eggs?”
“I have three times as much stuff as I need. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re the best. Thank you!” Mary hugged her.
Delaney gave her a squeeze. “You’re very welcome. I’ll go get them and be right back.”
Mary let her go and Delaney started through the tent toward her station. It was really getting packed as the last of the contestants and their assistants arrived in a flurry of activity. Delaney went around the center aisle and looked toward her spot at the opposite end of the tent.
Someone was walking out of her station. Someone who looked very much like Vicky Keller.
Chapter Two
Hugh and Stanhill sat in Mummy’s Diner, enjoying a rare breakfast out. Hugh had told Delaney he would be home, but the diner was closer and he wasn’t keen on going home just yet in case she needed him. This way, he could be nearby and ready to help. Although what he was going to do after breakfast, he wasn’t sure. Maybe Delaney would call before then.
As if on cue, his phone buzzed. He answered it after the first ring. “What can I do for you, my love?”
“You’re never going to believe this.”
“I hope I didn’t leave anything off her list,” Stanhill said softly.
Hugh held up a finger. “Let me guess—you forgot something.”
“No, I have more than enough of everything. I think Stanhill doubled everything I asked him to pack. But that’s not what I called about.”
“That’s good.” Hugh looked at his rook. “You’re in the clear.”
The server came over with the coffee carafe. “Warm you boys up?”
“Warm you up? Where are you,” Delaney asked.
“Stanhill and I are at Mummy’s having breakfast.” He nodded at the server so she’d freshen up his coffee. “What am I never going to believe?”
After a dramatic pause, Delaney said, “I stepped away from my station for about five minutes and when I headed back, Vicky Keller was in it. In my station! Right smack dab in the middle of it.”
“Delaney, think now,” Hugh said. “Are you absolutely sure that’s what you saw? That tent was already starting to fill up with people when I left. Maybe it was someone else. A judge checking that everything was in place.”