Not Sweet, Only Wicked

When a woman reaches a crossroads in her marriage, she has two choices - fight for the marriage, or escape with a divorce. Caitlin could feel that crossroad looming in the distance, and she sure as hell wasn't ready for divorce, after only five years of marriage. She loved Samuel, with all her heart. He was handsome, charming, funny and could always make her smile. Losing him would be unbearable.

The thought of having to tell her parents she wanted a divorce, left her feeling extremely anxious. Her parents had been married for over forty years and were still happily together. They would look at her with disappointment in their eyes, and failure written across their faces. Not to mention, they would be rather irate at having to pay out a nuptial agreement because she couldn't keep Samuel happy. Which only left her one choice - to fight for her marriage.

Caitlin always resorted to baking when she felt sad or upset, and this time was no exception. Maybe a rich, decadent, chocolate cake would help her feel better? Pottering around the kitchen, she quickly gathered the ingredients and utensils that would be needed.

Sifting the flour into the bowl, she looked out the window and saw Samuel working in the garden. He was a gardener, through and through, pouring his heart and soul into making his garden thrive. From here, she could see all the glorious colours of the rose garden that he loved so much - pinks, reds, yellows, whites, and even lilac.

Watching carefully, she could see him cutting several long stems of lilac roses, and bundling them together. He never cut roses to bring inside as he preferred to see them blooming from the kitchen window, so she was confused by his actions. Suddenly the phone rang. Caitlin left her mixing bowl on the sink and wandered through to the hallway to find out who the caller was.

Samuel was busy tending his beloved roses when he noticed his wife watching him from the kitchen window. He suddenly felt resentment and anger. With Caitlin wanting to be part of his every waking moment he felt like there was a leash around his neck, and he wanted it gone. This marriage was a big mistake and he needed a way out! If he didn’t act soon he knew he'd lose his mind. It was so difficult hiding his feelings from her.

He heard the faint sound of the phone ringing and realised Caitlin had left the kitchen to answer the call. Now was his chance. He knew she would be baking. She always baked when she was sad, and after this morning’s argument, she would be baking away her sadness. Quickly, he grabbed the roses and headed inside.

Opening the back door, he could hear Caitlin talking on the phone. He placed the roses in the kitchen sink, then turned to listen to Caitlin’s conversation. It didn’t take long to work out it was Caitlin’s mother, so he knew he'd have at least ten minutes before the call ended and she returned to her baking.

Samuel walked over to the bowl, listening to the conversation in case it finished early, and tipped in the contents of the tiny jar. A small amount of white powder poured into the bowl, no more than a teaspoonful. The instructions stated he only needed a quarter of a spoonful, but he wanted to be sure. Being the same colour as the flour, she would never realise it had been added. He gave it a quick stir just to be certain. Then he turned to the sink and began to prepare the roses.

“Oh, there you are”, said Caitlin, walking back into the kitchen. “My mother requested that I join her for lunch. She wants to discuss our Christmas plans. I don’t know why we must do it now? Christmas is still three months away. Will you be okay to organise your own lunch while I am gone? There are cold cuts of meat in the fridge.”

Samuel nodded and replied “I need to go into town anyway. But I thought I'd take these roses over to Jessica later since she’s still sad over losing her job. I’ll also see if she needs anything in town. How long do you think your mum will keep you at lunch? What are you baking?”

Caitlin’s heart somersaulted. This is why she'd fallen in love with Samuel - he was always helping others when they needed it most. He was so thoughtful and considerate of how others were feeling. At that moment, she fell in love with him just a little bit more. It didn’t matter that they had fought that morning, he was still her Samuel, her husband that she loved.

"No, you don't need to join me. I'll come straight home once we are done. Hopefully, I should be back by mid-afternoon. I'm just baking a chocolate cake," she smiled and answered, knowing he always loved a sweet treat.

Samuel nodded, and turned, heading back outside to his garden.

Looking at her watch, Caitlin realised she would need to get a move on if she was to make it to her mother's on time. But what to do about the cake? She had already started, and it would take too long to cook and decorate. Maybe, with a small tweak of the ingredients, she could make muffins that could cook while she was getting dressed, and wouldn't need decorating. She was disappointed she wouldn't get her chocolate cake, but her mother demanded punctuality.

Nodding her head, she quickly added the remaining ingredients that were needed, poured the batter into the muffin pan, placed it in the oven, and put on the timer. At least there would be something for afternoon tea if Samuel got hungry, she thought to herself, as she walked to the bedroom to get ready.

Caitlin heard the oven buzzer as she was slipping on her shoes. Quickly, checking herself in the mirror, she grabbed her purse and headed to the kitchen. Pulling the muffins out of the oven, she savoured the smell. The scent of warm double-choc muffins filled the kitchen as she placed them on a cooling rack. Maybe, if she was quick, she could drop half a dozen muffins over to Jessica before she headed off to lunch?

Caitlin's best friend Jessica lived across the road. They had hit it off immediately when Samuel and her had moved into the neighbourhood, after their wedding. Jessica was everything that she wasn't - tall, dark-haired, willowy and extroverted. They were like chalk and cheese, but they enjoyed each other's company and soon became inseparable. Where ever one was, you could usually find the other.

Having lost her job last week, Jessica had been feeling depressed about her situation. Surely some chocolate muffins would help bring a smile to her face? Grabbing the muffins, she placed them in a small basket, covered them with a tea towel, headed out the front door, and across the road. She could see Jessica sitting on the verandah, and waved at her.

"Hey Jess, I have something for you" she called as she walked up the steps. "I'm heading to my mum's for lunch, but I thought I'd drop some muffins off for you to enjoy. I did some baking this morning but made way too many." She smiled at Jessica, as she handed over the basket.

"Thank you so much, these are just what I needed. Something sweet and yummy always cheers me up. Oh, what a shame you can't stay and have morning tea with me," exclaimed Jessica. "I would love some company".

"Hold that thought" replied Caitlin. "How about I join you for afternoon tea instead? I should be back by mid-afternoon", she replied and smiled, heading back down the stairs, and across the road to her car.

Samuel heard Caitlin's car as she drove off, and hurried back inside. The garden would have to wait, he thought to himself. Finding time to spend with Jessica was becoming difficult, with his wife always around. Neither of them wanted Caitlin to find out, so they were extra careful, but he knew he was safe for the next few hours. Grabbing the roses, he locked up the house and walked across the road. Soon, he would no longer have to worry about Caitlin. He had made sure of that.

Jessica was waiting for him in the doorway. Pausing to appreciate her standing there looking beautiful, he handed her the roses. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her slowly. She kissed him back passionately, and pulled him inside, closing the door. He placed his keys on the hall table and followed Jessica to the bedroom.

Several hours later, in need of nourishment, Jessica went to the kitchen, to see what she could find. She was ravenous. "Samuel, do you want a coffee? We could have chocolate muffins for a treat?", she called from the kitchen. "Sounds good to me", he replied. Returning to the bedroom, Jessica placed the coffee and muffins on the bedside tables. Crawling back into bed, she curled up beside Samuel, sipping her coffee, and nibbling a muffin.

"Hey, these muffins are really good", she said.

"I have to agree," replied Samuel. "Where did you get them from?" he asked as he licked the last of the crumbs from his fingers.

Looking at him guiltily, she replied "Caitlin dropped them off this morning before she left for her mum's. She wanted to cheer me up."

Sam froze. At first, he thought he'd misheard what Jessica said. But then all the pieces fell into place. Caitlin had baked muffins instead of the cake. And had given those muffins to Jessica. The same muffins that had been poisoned with the arsenic he had purchased, to kill his wife.

"Put the muffin down, NOW!", he yelled at Jessica. "NOW! RIGHT NOW!".

Jessica looked at him with confusion, the last of the muffin halfway to her lips. Sam looked at her, his face draining of colour, and turning grey.

"I love you Jessica, and I am so sorry" he sobbed, trying to reach for her.

"I love you, too", she replied. "But you have nothing to be sorry for. Why did you say that?".

"Because I have made a huge mistake," he grunted, as a stomach cramp made him clench in pain.

Jessica looked at him with fear in her eyes, watching him double over in pain. Suddenly, she didn't feel so well and Samuel was scaring her.

"The muffins are poisoned," he groaned. "I poisoned the food Caitlin was baking this morning. It was meant for her. To get rid of her, so we spend our lives together".

Jessica let out a huge cry of fear, and reached for the phone, as the first cramp hit her stomach. The phone fell from her hands, and slid across the floor, landing under the dressing table. Unable to react, or reach the phone, the pain in her stomach left her gasping for breath. She couldn't stand up. She stared at Samuel in disbelief and despair. The last thing she felt was her body convulsing rapidly, and falling sideways across the bed. After that, there was only darkness.

Having lunch with her mother, and talking about Christmas plans, was not how Caitlin had wanted to spend her day. The disappointment of this day vanished when she saw the cake being served with her coffee. Placed before her was a big slice of decadent, chocolate mud cake. Taking a small mouthful, she savoured the sweet, moist, richness of the cake. Today had turned out better than expected.

"I guess I won't be needing those muffins after all", she muttered to herself, as she ate the last of her piece of cake. "Samuel can enjoy them instead".

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