CHAPTER SIX: THE WRONG BOX
That evening, Ethan returned home to find a new valve installed beside the foundation.
The plumber had capped the unnecessary fountain branch and replaced the broken exposed section.
The repair was neat, but the wet soil remained a reminder of Carol’s visit.
Ethan placed the invoice on his kitchen table beside the white bakery box Vincent had left.
He had forgotten the box during the morning’s confusion.
Nina examined it while Ethan washed his hands.
“Are we opening this?”
“I suppose we should.”
She untied the green string and lifted the lid.
Inside sat six delicate tartlets arranged on gold cardboard.
Each had a pale pear filling and a dark herb garnish.
A little card identified them as samples of the Calder Original Collection.
Nina brought one close to her nose.
“That’s not thyme.”
“What is it?”
“Rosemary and dried citrus peel.”
She broke a piece of crust and tasted it.
“The pastry is good.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I wanted the company to be terrible at baking.”
Ethan laughed despite himself.
Nina examined the card.
“They’re calling this the original 1978 recipe.”
“Maybe they changed it for production.”
“Then it isn’t the original.”
She set the card down and went to Ethan’s bookshelf, where he kept an old spiral-bound collection of town recipes.
The booklet was a thrift-store find, printed during the competition’s tenth year.
Nina turned to a stained page and showed him the ingredient list for Inez Calder’s winning tart.
There was thyme, pear, cream, and a touch of salt.
There was no rosemary.
“Companies change recipes all the time,
” Ethan said.
“Of course.”
Nina tapped the sample card.
“But why pretend they never changed it?”
Ethan sat at the table and thought about Inez’s request.
He understood why she wanted Rosa named, but he also knew that a single public confrontation could turn the event into a shouting match.
Nobody would remember the work behind his own pie.
Nina could see the conflict on his face.
“You still want to win.”
“I have spent eight months preparing.”
“I know.”
“I paid entry fees, canceled shifts, and practiced the crust until I could roll it half asleep.”
“You should want to win.”
Ethan rubbed his eyes.
“Then why do I feel ashamed for saying it?”
“Because Vincent wants those two things to be in conflict.”
She took a seat across from him.
“You can care about the trophy and still tell the truth.”
A knock sounded at the door.
Ethan opened it to find Carol standing beneath the porch light with a white envelope.
“I brought the money for the plumber,” she said.
“That was fast.”
“I sold my old sewing machine.”
Ethan hesitated.
“Carol, that machine belonged to your mother.”
“It was sitting under a cover for twenty years.”
“You didn’t have to sell it overnight.”
“I had to repay what I broke.”
He accepted the envelope and set it on the hall table without counting it.
Carol entered only after he invited her.
She noticed the opened bakery box and stared at the pastries.
“Those are not Inez’s tarts.”
“We noticed.”
Carol picked up one and studied the garnish.
“Rosa would have thrown this into the compost.”
“Because of the rosemary?” Nina asked.
“Because the pears are undercooked.”
The two women started talking shop, which gave Ethan a moment to check his messages.
One had arrived from Priya.
The event committee was holding an emergency meeting before the final because Becca had complained about her damaged decorations.
Another message came from a number Ethan did not recognize.
It contained a photograph of the ceremonial oven with its display tray removed.
Below the photograph was one sentence.
If you care about your sister’s job, stop asking questions.
Ethan read it twice.
Nina taught at the community college, but Magnolia Hearth supplied ingredients for its annual student showcase.
Ethan looked at the photograph and noticed that the tray shown on a worktable was not the same one he had seen through the glass at rehearsal.
The carved edge was smooth rather than grooved.
Someone had already prepared a replacement.
He showed the message to Nina and Carol.
Carol immediately reached for her coat.
“We need to go to the hall.”
“No,” Ethan said.
“We need to stop running every time Vincent wants us frightened.”
Nina turned the phone in her hand.
“Whoever sent this thinks my job is his to threaten.”
“Can he affect your position?” Ethan asked.
“He can complain.”
She smiled without humor.
“He can also discover that my department doesn’t answer to him.”
Ethan considered calling the police about the threatening message, but there was no clear identity attached to it.
He saved the screenshot and called Priya instead.
He described the photograph and asked whether the display had been changed.
Priya said she did not know.
“The committee has an inventory list,” she added.
“I can check it first thing tomorrow.”
“Please do.”
When he ended the call, Carol was staring at the garden through the window.
“I made this worse,” she said.
“You made the plumbing worse,” Ethan answered.
“Vincent had a plan before you swung the axe.”
Carol looked at him.
“Are you still going to compete?”
“Yes.”
“And the medal?”
He picked it up from the table.
“I am going to carry it.”
