Bad Guys Don't Win (Janet Maple Series Book 4) by Marie Astor

found miniature
wedding cakes, each the size of a cupcake.
    Janet carried the tray into the living
room. “Please, help yourself.”
    “My, these are adorable!” Mrs. Chapman
eyed the elaborate confections with admiration. “They’re almost too pretty to
eat.”
    “Please, dig in,” Janet urged her,
worried if Mrs. Chapman didn’t help her, she might devour the entire tray
herself, drowning in self-pity. “I’ll just get the tea.”
    “You don’t have to ask me twice, Janet,
dear.” Mrs. Chapman cut a piece from one of the cakes and put it on her plate.
She took a bite and savored it. “My, these are as good as they look! Absolutely
delicious.”
    “I’m glad you like them,” Janet called
out from the kitchen. She picked up the tea mugs and headed back to the living
room.
    “Like them? It’s one of the most
delicious things I’ve ever tasted, not to mention the prettiest. You know I’ll
be expecting my invitation to the wedding in the mail, right? Just because
we’re neighbors doesn’t mean you get to skimp out on the card.”
    “Oh, of course, Mrs. Chapman. You’ll be
the first to receive your invitation.” If we ever get around to mailing them
out , Janet thought, but held her tongue.
    As if reading her mind, Mrs. Chapman
continued, “So which cake have you decided upon for the wedding?”
    “Oh, we haven’t actually decided yet,”
Janet confessed, figuring that there was no way of fooling Mrs. Chapman.
    “Didn’t Dennis like any of the cakes?”
    “He hasn’t tasted them.” Janet blinked,
sensing treacherous wetness in her eyes.
    Mrs. Chapman set down her plate. “Oh,
Janet, dear, what’s wrong? Me and my big mouth—I didn’t mean to upset you. Are
you two going through a rough patch?”
    Janet sobbed, nodding. “I think so.”
    “Do you want to talk about it?”
    “Not really. But you’re going to ask me
about it anyway, aren’t you?”
    “Yes. Not because I want to rub it in or
some such thing, but because I consider myself to be your friend, albeit a much
older one. And if there’s one thing that friends are good for, it’s talking
about things that hurt. Talking helps—believe me—I know.”
    Janet sighed. “Dennis didn’t come to the
cake tasting with me.”
    “Well, why the heck not?”
    “He said he had to work.”
    “And? You caught him with a mistress?”
Mrs. Chapman exclaimed excitedly and then instantly covered her mouth. “Don’t
mind me. I’ve watched too many movies. I’m sure he had a reasonable
explanation.”
    Janet was about to blurt out the entire
story, but caught herself just in time—who knew what trail of dirt Mila Brabec
might be dragging behind her? The last thing Janet wanted was to put Mrs.
Chapman in danger by inadvertently telling her things that might turn out to be
harmful. After all, as gossipy as she was, Janet loved the old lady like she
was kin. “I can’t tell you the specifics, but I can say that I saw him with a
girl, a very good-looking girl.”
    “I don’t care how good-looking she is,
she can’t be prettier than you,” Mrs. Chapman said adamantly. “And if Dennis
can’t see that, well then he’s just an idiot and not at all the smart gentleman
I thought him to be.”
    Janet smiled. “Thanks for trying to
cheer me up, but I’m afraid she’s prettier than me, a lot prettier.”
    Mrs. Chapman shook her head. “I don’t
believe it. What does she look like?”
    “Like a model. She’s got a body that
could stop traffic and she’s not afraid to show it.”
    “Tsk!” Mrs. Chapman shrugged. “Not all
men go for those bony giraffe types. And as for showing it, there should be
some mystique left in a woman.”
    “Yes, well, that may be, but the two of
them were getting pretty cozy.”
    “Did you see him kiss her?”
    “No.”
    “So what’s the trouble? Maybe it was a
business meeting. She could have the information Dennis needs. Sometimes even a
bimbo can be useful.”
    “Maybe. But why did he lie to me