Food, Family, and Murder

by Patti Benning

  They eventually settled on a little, family-owned restaurant called simply The Breakfast Place with a smaller sign underneath that proudly declared, We Serve Lunch Too! The atmosphere inside was cozy and judging from the promising smells coming from the kitchen, the food would be good.

  A sign just inside the door told them to seat themselves, and they chose a private booth in the corner. Autumn looked around; she always liked going to new restaurants. It was one of the things that she loved about her dates with Nick. They almost always went somewhere new. He seemed to enjoy trying exotic and unique dishes just as much as she did, and in turn, she found that she had been getting a lot of inspiration for the menu at the nursing home.

  “I don't know if I want the strawberry pancakes or the fish and chips,” Alicia groaned, staring at the menu. “I forgot how hard it is to decide what to get when you're eating brunch.”

  “I think I'm in the mood for –” Autumn broke off mid-sentence. A couple sitting on the other side of the restaurant had caught her eye. The woman had laughed, and at first, she had simply glanced up at them, but then she had done a double take. She recognized them. It was the older woman, Aunt Connie, and the man, Gregory, who she had overheard at the picnic.

  Why are they here, together? Autumn wondered. From what Chloe had said, they definitely weren't married. She knew that the entire family had stayed around Asheville for the funeral, but that didn't explain why the two of them were sitting in a small restaurant more than half an hour away from the little town.

  “What are you staring at?” her friend asked.

  “Don't let them see you looking,” Autumn said in a low voice. “But those two people over there, I saw them talking to Erica at the picnic, and right before she was killed, I heard them having a conversation about someone who they were worried might have seen them doing… something. I didn't get any details, but the conversation stuck with me, and when I brought it up with Chloe, Nick’s sister, she seemed to think that there might be something suspicious going on.”

  “Are they married?”

  “Yes, but not to each other,” Autumn said quietly.

  Her friend smirked, then glanced over her shoulder and frowned. “So… you think they're having an affair?”

  Autumn risked another glance at the two people and frowned. “I don't think it. I'm sure of it.”

  She watched as the older couple leaned in for a kiss, then reached for her cell phone. She risked taking a couple of photos, then before the older couple could notice that they were being watched, she turned her attention back to the menu. “I'm going to tell Chloe,” she explained to her friend. “I don't want to butt in – I know it's not really my business – but if they had something to do with Erica's death…”

  Her friend nodded solemnly. “You can’t just ignore it. I agree that in normal circumstances a secret affair happening in your boyfriend’s family is something that you would be better off ignoring, but I think you're right in this case. From what you just told me, it sounds like those two may very well have been involved with Erica's death.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  * * *

  Autumn had been meaning to send the photos of the couple to Chloe once they got in the car but had thought better of it at the last minute. They were about to go to Erica's funeral. It wasn't the time for her to be bringing up family drama. The focus today should be on laying the young woman to rest. Even though she was anxious to get to the bottom of the mystery, she convinced herself that everything else could wait.

  Her friend dropped her off at home, giving her a worried but encouraging smile. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked.

  “I'll be fine, I just feel bad for Nick, Max, and Chloe. And poor little Cate. Do you think this is the first funeral she's been to?”

  “I hope so,” Alicia said softly. “Call me if you need anything, all right? And Autumn… I hope they find whoever did this to her. I know it won't be easy if it's a member of Nick's family, but it's still better if they have closure.”

  Autumn nodded. She thought of her phone, sitting in her purse, which had the incriminating photos of Connie and Gregory on it. Was an affair really enough to murder someone over? She tried to imagine being in their position, but she had always been the loyal type. She couldn't even imagine having an affair, let alone killing someone over it. Still, from the little she had seen of Erica, she thought that the young woman might have been overjoyed on finding out this juicy bit of gossip. She hadn't seemed like the type to keep her mouth shut, and maybe, just maybe, that had been her undoing.

  She spent a short time at home throwing toys for Frankie in the backyard before going back inside and taking a quick shower. She had just put on her new outfit when she heard someone knocking at the front door. Ignoring Frankie's barking, she opened it to find Nick standing on the front stoop.

  “Sorry, I know I'm a little bit early,” he said. “Is it all right if I come in for a bit before we leave?”

  “Of course,” she said, stepping back to let him inside. He crouched down automatically to greet the little dog.

  “You look nice,” he said to her, glancing up.

  Autumn looked down at her funeral clothes. “I just bought them today,” she said. “Alicia and I went to town this morning.”

  She shut her mouth then, thinking about the photos on her phone. She really did want to tell him, but she didn't think that now was the time. Not right before his cousin's funeral. Maybe afterward she would bring it up, or sometime tomorrow.

  “Where are Chloe, Max, and Cate?” she asked.

  “Chloe dragged them all out to the grocery store,” Nick explained. “She said that she was going stir crazy sitting around the house and waiting for the funeral. She wanted to pick up some food for dinner tonight. You're invited, by the way. They're going home tomorrow, and she – well, all of us – thought it would be nice to get together before then. I'm sorry that I haven't seen you much this week.”

  “I understand,” she said immediately. “Trust me, I don't blame you at all for wanting to be with your sister and niece instead of at work. Plus, I've been keeping busy at the nursing home. People seem to think that just because I'm dating you, I have all the answers.”

  Nick chuckled. “Have they been coming to you with problems?”

  She groaned. “Yes. I keep telling everyone I'm just the cook, but somehow, I've been roped into asking the construction crew to keep things quiet during meal times, I had to call the maintenance man to fix one of the washers, and I also had to help make the schedule for next week. None of that is in my job description at all, I'll have you know.”

  He was still smiling, and she had a feeling that it wasn't an expression that he had worn often over the past week. “Well, thank you for holding down the fort while I was gone. People like you. It's good to know that you're there when I'm not.”

  “I much prefer being there when you’re there too,” she said.

  “I know.” He was still smiling as he pulled her in for a kiss. He pulled back and hesitated for a second, then said, “I love you.”

  She blinked. It was the first time he had said it, and even though she thought that she felt the same way toward him, somehow, she couldn't make her lips from the words. It wasn't because she didn't want to say it, but because she didn't know why he was saying it. People suffering through a period of grief sometimes said things they didn't mean, didn't they? She didn’t want him to say he loved her when he was emotionally distraught, and then regret it later.

  At that moment, she saw Frankie slinking into the other room with one of Autumn’s new shoes in her mouth, and she latched onto the distraction gratefully.

  “Frankie, get back here right now,” she called out, hurrying towards the little dog. “Give me my shoe. There had better not be a mark on it.”

  The next hour was torture. At least she had her makeup to focus on, and then her hair, and after that, she began cleaning up the kitchen even though it was already nearly spotless. She found
herself hoping that Nick hadn't noticed that she hadn't answered him, but she knew that if their positions had been reversed, she certainly would have noticed it.

  He didn't say anything, though, and she wasn't sure whether she was grateful or not. As she scrubbed at a spot of nothing on the counter, she tried to figure out why she was reacting so strangely to his declaration. She figured that it probably had something to do with her relationship with Brandon. She had been so sure that he was the one, and that his feelings toward her were real, that when he had broken up with her, it had taken her completely by surprise. He had told her that he loved her up until the day before he had dumped her, and she thought that maybe it had affected her more deeply than she had thought.

  She knew that Nick liked her, of course, but given the circumstances, she didn’t know if any stronger feelings he thought he had were real. She desperately didn't want things to be odd between them. If he said it again later, she decided, she would just trust that he meant it and say it back to him. If he didn't, she wouldn't hold anything against him. He was burying a member of his family today, and for that, she could forgive him a slip of the tongue.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  * * *

  They left shortly before two, giving themselves some leeway to make it to the next town over, where the funeral was being held. Autumn squeezed Nick's hand reassuringly as they got into the car. She was glad that his sister would be there. Chloe, she had decided, was the glue that kept her little family together. She was one of those people who was a natural caregiver, and always seemed to sense whenever someone needed something. She hoped that she and Chloe would keep up their tentative friendship even after they returned to their home, which was a little bit over an hour away.

  The funeral home was a beautiful one, and as they walked inside, Autumn couldn’t help but look around, thinking that it was a shame that such a lovely building was the host of so many sad gatherings.

  “Nick!”

  She turned to see Chloe hurrying towards them. Autumn stepped back slightly as the other woman pulled her brother into a hug. “I just saw Erica’s mother. She's a wreck. It made me think what I would be feeling if Cate – if Cate –”

  “Chloe, take a deep breath,” Nick said. “Cate’s just fine.” He looked around. “Actually, where is she? And where is Max?”

  “He took her outside for a little bit. The viewing started a couple of minutes ago, and we didn't think that she should see the body. She's very curious, you know, but she’s still so young… this is not something that she should see.”

  “Well, you can stick with us,” Nick said. “And don't torture yourself with thoughts of something that is never going to happen.”

  “It's just… seeing Erica's mother, made it so real. I mean, all this time I've been thinking about the fact that we've lost a cousin, but today I realized that she was so much more to so many other people. And you should've seen Sadie. That poor girl looked like she just lost her best friend. Which, I guess she did. Even Sammy is here. So many people loved Erica. It's hard to imagine any of them doing this to her, but it must have been someone here. I just keep remembering that someone in our family must have killed her, and it's driving me crazy not knowing who it was.”

  “Chloe…” Nick glanced over at Autumn, his eyes panicked. He didn't seem to know how to deal with his sister's breakdown. Neither did Autumn, but she figured that maybe this was the sort of thing a woman’s touch would be best for.

  “Chloe,” she said softly, walking up to the other woman and putting a gentle hand on her arm. “Do you remember that thing we were talking about the other day?”

  Chloe blinked, then nodded. Autumn made a split-second decision. “I think you're right, at least about part of it. I wasn't planning on bringing it up until after the service, but if you think it might help, we can talk about it.”

  “Did you learn something new?” Chloe asked, her reddened eyes wide.

  “I did,” Autumn said. Nick gave them a confused look. “I saw them this morning at brunch. Together.”

  Chloe's eyes widened. “Nick, why don't you go and pay your respects to Erica? I want to talk to Autumn privately. Unless she wants to go too, of course…”

  Autumn barely fought back a shudder. She really did not want to go and see Erica's body. She had always thought that the tradition was somewhat horrifying. Death made her uncomfortable, and even though she would be there for Nick if he needed her support, she was more than happy to stay as far away from Erica's casket as possible.

  “I'll wait here with you,” she said firmly.

  “Why do I get the feeling that there's something going on that the two of you aren't telling me?” Nick asked.

  “We’ll catch you up later,” Autumn promised. “But you should go and say goodbye to your cousin right now.”

  He hesitated, then nodded. Autumn watched as he vanished into the crowd, then jumped when Chloe took her by the arm and began dragging her toward a hallway. They stopped when they reached a private, quieter part of the building.

  “What did you see?” Chloe asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “The same two people as before,” Autumn said. “But this time, I managed to get pictures.”

  She pulled out her phone, holding it out to Chloe after finding the right images. Chloe stared at it for a second, her eyes going wide. “That's definitely them. And they’re… kissing. Oh my goodness. They are having an affair.”

  The other woman blanched. Autumn could only imagine what she was going through. It would have been a huge shock in its own right, even if they didn’t suspect that the older couple might be tied to Erica’s death.

  “Erica must have seen them,” Chloe breathed. “That's the only explanation. She must have seen them, and knowing her, she would have threatened to tell everyone.”

  “Do you really think they would have killed her?” Autumn asked quietly.

  “I don't know. I never really liked Aunt Connie, but Gregory always seemed pretty nice. I really can't imagine him murdering someone, let alone someone in his own family, but I suppose it's possible. I could definitely see Aunt Connie doing it, though. Maybe he doesn't know about it.”

  “It's possible,” Autumn said. “Though I think it's also possible that neither of them had anything to do with it, and we are jumping to a conclusion that we shouldn't.” The look in the other woman's eyes was beginning to frighten her. “We really don't know that either of them so much as lifted a finger against Erica.”

  “It's the only explanation that makes sense,” Chloe said, her voice hard. “I think we should go to the police with this. They'll at least question them. Maybe one of them will slip up.”

  “It should wait until after the funeral,” Autumn said firmly.

  Chloe looked at her, surprised. “If they murdered her –”

  “Do you really think Erica's mother wants her daughter's funeral to be interrupted by the police coming and taking two members of her family in for questioning? Whether they're guilty or not, it won't achieve anything besides making this harder for everyone. Waiting until after the service won't hurt.”

  Chloe bit her lip, then sighed. “I guess you're right. But as soon as the funeral is over, will you come with me to the police about this?”

  “Yes,” Autumn said. “And I'll tell Nick, too. We won't let them get away with this.”

  “Won't let who get away with what?”

  Both women spun around to find Sadie standing only feet away, watching them with an odd expression in her eyes. Autumn swallowed. She hadn't expected to be overheard, and she really didn't want to interrupt Erica's funeral with this, but Chloe took things into her own hands.

  “We think we know who killed our cousin,” the other woman said. “And as soon as the service is over, we're going to go to the police about it.”

  “You don't have any idea what you're talking about,” Sadie said, her arms crossed. “I know who killed her, and it certainly wasn't whoever you're talking about.�
��

  “You don't even know who we are talking about,” Chloe said, beginning to sound annoyed.

  “Well, you said ‘them’. Only one person had anything to do with her death.”

  “If you're so sure about all of this, then why haven't you gone to the police?”

  Sadie shifted, reaching into her purse. “I'm not going to the police, and you aren't either.”

  She withdrew her hand slowly, and Autumn took a half step back when she saw that the other woman had her fingers wrapped around the grip of a deadly looking pistol.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  * * *

  “Chloe,” she breathed, reaching for her friend's arm. Chloe wasn't looking at Sadie's hand or her purse, she was glaring at her cousin's face.

  “I want justice for what happened to Erica. I don't know why you don't, but you aren’t going to stand in my way. I don't care what you say. We might be cousins, but I'm nearly old enough to be your mother. You don't have any right to tell me that I can’t go to the police.”