Cupcake Overload (Cupcakes 2)

I took off running for my van, and once Bran was safely inside, I peeled off and explained, “That kid saw Samantha here with her ex the night she was murdered. That’s who Carmen is with now.”

Bran’s expression turned thunderous and he urged, “Go faster.”

I had Bran shoot a text to Bea to let her know what I’d learned and where we were going.

I parked on Twenty-Fifth again, but this time I went around to the back of Carlton’s condo, pausing to peer in windows as Bran and I circled the unit. When we got around to the kitchen window, I looked inside to see Carmen sitting on a stool at the counter. Carlton was standing in the kitchen.

Carmen had her stuff lined up for taking notes, and it looked like Carlton was refilling their coffee cups.

Gone was the sniveling mess that I’d met. Instead, Carlton was dressed in a suit, ready for work, and he was perfectly groomed and decidedly less snotty.

I pointed toward the back door, then followed Bran that way. The doorknob turned when I tried it, so I eased it open, careful not to make a racket as we stepped inside.

“So, you and Samantha only dated a short while, and you were over long before her murder, is that correct?” I heard Carmen ask.

“Yes,” Carlton replied, his tone conveying boredom and not an ounce of sadness. If I hadn’t seen him myself, I’d think this was a totally different man than the one I’d talked to. “It was a fling really. Samantha and I wanted different things, and she wasn’t the sort of woman I’d want for a wife, if you know what I mean.”

“No, actually, I don’t know what you mean,” Carmen responded, and I could tell she was offended on Samantha’s behalf. “Why don’t you explain it to me.”

“Well, she worked at a coffee shop, and her brother’s a lowlife thug who can’t stay out of trouble. Totally unsuited for a man like myself. I’d be more suited to someone … Well, someone like you, actually.”

I almost threw up in my mouth, and turned to make a face at Bran, who was looking in the direction of the kitchen like he was about to open a can of whoopass on Carlton.

“Oh, well, thanks, I think,” Carmen said, and I could hear rustling like she was gathering her things. “I should have everything I need for the article. Thanks again for seeing me on such short notice.”

I heard footsteps, then a bit of a scuffle.

“What’s your hurry?” Carlton asked. “Why don’t we have some lunch or something?”

“Um, I’ve really got to go,” Carmen replied, and I heard panic in her voice. “My editor’s waiting for these notes, so I’d better get back. Can you, ah, let go of my arm?”

“That’s it,” Bran said, and before I could react, he rushed past me and into the kitchen.

“Who the hell are you?” Carlton asked, and I hurried after Bran to see Carlton standing in a face off with Bran, his hand clasping Carmen’s bicep.

“Get your hand off of her,” Bran ordered, and Carmen’s wide eyes met mine.

“Hey, Carlton,” I said easily, trying to diffuse the situation. “You seem to be doing a lot better.”

“You can’t just barge into my house this way,” Carlton cried, pulling Carmen and walking backward away from us.

“Actually, we were just checking on our friend Carmen here, when we heard a disturbance from inside your house. We’re doing our civic duty by making sure that everything is okay.”

“Everything’s fine, now get out of my house.”

“Let her go, and we will,” Bran said, stepping forward.

“She’s fine, she wants to be here,” Carlton argued.

“No, Carlton, she doesn’t. You’re holding her against her will. She’s already asked you to let her go. Is that what happened with Samantha too? Were you trying to make her do things she didn’t want to do?” I asked, hoping Bea had received my message and was en route as we spoke.

“Samantha didn’t know what she wanted. She wanted to be with me, but that brother of hers was always around, always calling. She couldn’t give me the time and attention I needed, because she was always taking care of Tony.”

“So, she broke up with you because of her brother and you wanted her back?” I asked, my eyes on Carmen.

“She wanted to be with me, she just couldn’t act like it. She just needed to see that I was more important than Tony. I could take care of her, give her the life she deserved. Her brother brought her nothing but trouble.”

“Is that what you were discussing that night at the pool? Her coming back to you?”