Death by Chocolate Cake: A Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery by Stacey Alabaster

the phone with Adam myself, and let me tell you, he is ECSTATIC over the news."
    "Ecstatic? Why is that?"
    "Well, honey, he knew he didn't get through. He blew his audition, and not just in the 'kind of' blew it way that you did. I mean, his cake was inedible . Maybe we could have pushed him through if he had any kind of personality to speak of on the day, but he totally froze up, and not even in an entertaining way. Pierre hated him. We'd already sent him home that day WELL before Pierre's body was found."
    Hang on. But Adam said he'd heard the screams when Pierre had been found.
    And that wasn't the only thing he'd told me.
    "But Adam told me that he'd gone through to the next round. Or at least that he was pretty sure he had."
    "Nope," Justin replied. "We'd told him thanks but no thanks. Try again next year. So, you can imagine that this is all very good news to him. If we rehold auditions then Adam gets another shot." Justin sighed. "Not that I think he has what it takes, but hey, I'm just the genius producer of the whole thing. Rachael? Are you still there?"
    "Er, yes," I said, standing up. I'd been lost in my own thoughts. "I have to go, Justin. Thanks for calling."
    "Hey, Rachael," he whispered again. "You ARE still working on trying to clear my name, right?"
    "I am Justin. That's why I've got to go. I think I better make another visit to Adam Ali."

Chapter 7
    " D awn ?" I asked tentatively, as I stuck my neck into the greenroom like a nervous gander. No one there.
    Hmm.
    Maybe I should just leave . After all, there was no way that Dawn wanted to confide in me about my top secret casting on Baking Warriors . I cringed now, remembering that I'd been so sure of her intentions, so sure that I'd made it on TV. What made me cringe even harder was how much I'd wanted it to be true.
    My heart started to thud a little. What if it's bad news she wants to tell me? Maybe she wanted to tell me that my audition was so abhorrent that I should never bother embarrassing myself by trying again.
    I should just leave. I need to talk to Adam.
    "Hello, dear!"
    I stifled a scream as I managed to control myself from jumping out of my skin. Dawn was standing behind me with a big, warm grin on her face that immediately put me at ease. She was probably only old enough to be my mother, but she had that 'grandmotherly' vibe about her that made you want to spend the afternoon with her baking cookies. Or just being taken care of by her.
    For a few seconds I missed my own grandmother. I was ashamed to find that I could feel tears beginning to prick my eyes and I quickly turned away.
    "Oh, heavens, are you okay, dear?" Dawn placed a hand on my arm and stroked it gently. That, unfortunately, only made the tears fiercer.
    "I'm fine," I said quickly, putting a bright smile on my face. "Just had a silly moment there."
    Dawn smiled sympathetically. "I suppose you've heard that filming has been delayed indefinitely. But don't worry, dear, you'll be able to audition again when the time comes. I'm sure you'll be on the top of the producer’s lists. Is that what's got you so upset?"
    I shook my head quickly. "No. Geesh, I hope I wouldn't cry just because a TV show was being delayed. I hope I'm not quite that desperate to be famous." Was I though? I wondered if the disappointment of the news Justin had given me was actually mixing together with my sudden grief and making me feel more emotional than I would have otherwise.
    I didn't want Dawn to think me that shallow. "I'm just missing my grandma today.” I glanced around the studio where the Baking Warriors logos and branding still stood, all pink and white lettering with puffs of flour and sugar surrounding the font. "She was the one who taught me to bake." I bowed my head. "I thought that being on the show might make her proud. Well, if she can still be proud of me, wherever she is now." I took a deep breath. "She passed away a few years ago, just before I opened my bakery. She never got to see that