‘How long do the bakers have?’ William held the microphone towards Mary.
‘Two and a half hours,’ she replied.
‘And Tom, you’ve been in this position before, what advice would you give the bakers standing here?’
‘Keep your cool and don’t get distracted.’
‘The judges will be wandering around asking questions and watching the competitors’ techniques and of course tasting the finished dish! We wish you all the best of luck and may the best baker win. Your time starts … now!’ he called as the digital clock on the wall began the countdown.
‘Here we go! Good luck, Cam!’ shouted Molly, clapping her hands.
William went over to talk to the judges whilst the three bakers on stage got to work and Molly watched Barney closely. She wondered if he even realised that Cam was related to Ted but there was no evidence of that yet. He was acting very professionally in his position of chief judge. He took off his jacket and placed it on the back of his chair, then, taking the microphone, he walked over to the far workstation and began chatting to Graham, who introduced his unique recipe while Barney nodded with enthusiasm.
Next up was Cam.
‘If he hasn’t realised who Cam is, there’s a possibility the penny is about to drop,’ Dixie leant in and whispered to Molly.
Molly felt anxious; she had no idea how this was going to play out. Would Barney even remember that this was the recipe that had caused the controversy many years ago? Both Molly and Dixie sat up in their seats; neither of them was going to miss a second of this introduction. Barney was now standing at the edge of Cam’s kitchen.
Swiping his hands on his apron, Cam shook Barney’s hand with a smile. Barney looked at Cam’s name on the plaque that was hung at the front of his workstation. ‘Cameron Bird from Heartcross.’ Barney strung the last word out as he quickly did a double-take at the name then swiftly glanced towards the front row where his gaze fixed straight onto Dixie.
‘There it is,’ uttered Dixie under her breath.
All eyes were on Barney as he rolled up his sleeves and asked Cam to introduce his recipe.
‘My recipe is all about the best slab of chocolate you will ever taste … guaranteed,’ said Cam with confidence. ‘Creamy Belgian milk chocolate filled with chocolate brownie and toffee sauce, topped with a Belgian white chocolate drizzle… It’s all about the layers.’
Barney had narrowed his eyes. ‘And what have you named your creation?’
‘Layers Treats,’ replied Cam, holding Barney’s gaze without faltering.
It was at that very moment that Molly felt a different tightening in her body. She glanced down at her arm to see that Bree had grabbed hold of her. Bree’s eyes were still fixed on the stage but she was digging her nails into Molly’s arm and looked ghastly white.
Molly turned sideward. ‘Are you okay?’ Something wasn’t right, Molly could feel it in her bones.
‘I’m not sure.’ Bree began to stutter. ‘I know him. He’s the man with the scar on his arm.’
‘What man with a scar on his arm?’
‘Barney, I know Barney. That man was a huge part of our lives. He knows our mother.’
Molly’s eyes widened. ‘What exactly do you mean?’
‘Barney Miller is the man my mother used to work for. She used to take me to his bakery with her every Saturday.’
‘You’re kidding me?’
Bree was shaking her head. ‘I saw that man every Saturday up until the age of seven and I can remember quite clearly when that changed.’
‘When?’
‘They had a massive row just before Christmas. I’d never seen an argument like it before. My mother ushered me into the café part of the bakery so I couldn’t hear most of it but five minutes later, she didn’t have a job and I never saw him again … until now.’
‘Are you sure it’s the same man?’ asked Molly.
‘Same man, same name, same scar.’
Molly’s eyes flickered back to the stage to see Barney was looking at Bree inquisitively. Or was it just her imagination?
