by Cat Chandler
Maxie straightened her spine and nodded. “Perfect. Let’s whip up a delicious bite or two and have a toast to Catherine.”
“That sounds just right,” Nicki agreed. She linked her arm through Maxie’s and winked at her landlady. “If there’s something in particular that you’d like to make, I’ll do my best to scrounge up the ingredients for it.”
That got a small laugh out of Maxie, who then gave Nicki’s hand a gentle pat. “Oh no, dear. I’d never presume to cook in your lovely kitchen.”
“Since you’re the one who paid to have it renovated, I’m sure that gives you the right to cook in it.” Nicki smiled and waited for Maxie’s next protest. She knew that Maxie had a full-time cook and housekeeper. As far as Nicki had observed the few times she’d seen Maxie in her own kitchen, her landlady was a bit vague on how to turn on the stove, much less use one.
“That was so you could put to use that degree from culinary school that you have, and I would be able to be one of your fortunate guests to taste your meals.”
Nicki laughed as the two of them stepped into her very high-end kitchen. “You’re welcome to dine here any time. And so is your husband.”
“Why that’s very nice of you, dear. As soon as you tell me you’ll be making meatloaf and potatoes for dinner, I’ll be sure to let myMason know,” Maxie chuckled. “And do not go ruining it by putting anything green on the plate. It would be such a tremendous letdown for the poor man.”
“Meat, potatoes, nothing green. I’m sure I can manage that.” Nicki rounded the large center island and headed for the refrigerator. “Since we’ll be having mimosas, how does an egg and mushroom omelette sound? I have some wonderful fontina cheese to go with that.” Nicki started taking things out of the refrigerator and setting them on the nearest counter. She opened one of the drawers and handed oranges to Maxie who was standing behind her, peering over her shoulder.
“Here. You can cut up the oranges if you don’t mind. I’ll get the Cava in a minute.”
“That’s quite a bit of food you’ve gathered, dear,” Maxie observed as she took the oranges over to the island and reached for a knife from the butcher block on the counter.
“I’m going to make a little extra in case Jenna shows up soon.” Nicki shrugged. “If she doesn’t, I’ll keep it in the fridge and reheat it for dinner. I’m sure she’ll be back by then.”
The two women worked quietly together, exchanging an occasional smile. Nicki listened to several of Maxie’s anecdotes about Catherine, determined to save her questions and any murder discussions until after their impromptu brunch. She carefully placed the egg dish on plates as Maxie poured the fizzy orange drink into two champagne flutes. They had barely sat down on tall stools pulled up to the center island when the front door banged shut, sending its echo reverberating all the way back to the kitchen.
“Hello? I’m back. You’d better be here, Nicki Connors, because I have some great news.”
There was another loud thud, which Nicki assumed was Jenna’s overnight bag hitting the floor, and then the sounds of flip flops rapidly smacking their way down the hall.
“We’re in here, Jenna,” Nicki called out which wasn’t necessary at all since her good friend appeared in the doorway barely a second later.
At the huge smile on the self-proclaimed computer nerd’s face, Nicki set her glass down and clapped her hands together. “You got the contract!”
“I did,” Jenna crowed. “It couldn’t have gone better, and you are now looking at the web designer for Trident Industries, with facilities in four states and a gazillion dollars in annual sales.” She took a small bow when Maxie and Nicki broke into applause.
“So everything went along without any bumps, dear?” Maxie asked, patting the seat of the stool next to her.
Jenna sank down and leaned back, her untamed mass of black frizz and curls cascading over the back of the stool. “Not a single bump made an appearance. It was the absolute ult experience, and I never want to go through that again. I was so nervous, I swear I could hear my knees knocking together.” She looked at the plates on the counter and grinned. “And I’m just in time for lunch. Please tell me you made some extra.”
“I did.” Nicki nodded, sliding off her stool to prepare another plate.
Jenna grinned and mouthed an exaggerated “thank you”, before turning her attention to Maxie. Her brown eyes behind the over-sized frame of her glasses narrowed as she studied the older woman’s face. “What’s wrong?”
Maxie sighed and looked over at Nicki. “I really do hate to ruin such a wonderful moment.”
“You didn’t ruin it, Maxie,” Nicki snorted. “Whoever killed Catherine did.”
Jenna’s hands instantly shot up. “Whoa. What? Someone killed Catherine? Catherine who?”
“Catherine Dunton, dear. I believe you met her at the Society meeting.”
“Of course I know her. She’s been trying to make me one of her clients.” Jenna frowned. “Someone murdered her? When?”
“Last night.” Nicki walked over and put a plate with a mushroom omelette and creamy cheese melted down its side in front of Jenna.
“Last night?” Jenna glanced over at the big clock hanging on the far wall beyond the upper cabinets. “Word gets around quick.” She turned back to Maxie. “Did Chief Turnlow call your husband about it?”
Maxie nodded. “Yes, he called this morning. But I wish Nicki had told me last night. I would have insisted she come spend the night at our house instead of staying here alone.”
Jenna slowly turned toward her friend, a fierce frown on her face. “And how did you happen to find out about it last night?”
“Oh, Nicki found out about it before the chief did,” Maxie said, ignoring the slight groan from Nicki.
Jenna crossed her arms on the counter and dropped her head on top of them. Her muffled voice was still clear enough for Nicki to hear. “Do not tell me you found another dead body.”
“It wasn’t just me,” Nicki was quick to put in. “Rob and I both found her.”
“Oh, I’m sure lover-boy was a real big help,” Jenna muttered as she lifted her head and reached into her back pocket and pulled out a cell phone.
“Who are you calling?” Nicki asked.
“Who do you think?” Jenna responded then leaned away as Nicki made a grab for her phone. “Hey, glad I could catch you. Do you remember meeting Catherine Dunton at the Ladies in Writing meeting yesterday?”
Nicki closed her eyes when Jenna paused for a moment, listening to the person on the other end of the line. “Uh huh. The financial planner. Well, it seems she was murdered last night.”
Jenna cut a glance over to Nicki and rolled her eyes, ignoring the frantic waves from her friend. “And Alex, you’ll never guess who found the body.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Lunch was excellent, Nicki,” Maxie said.
The three women were gathered in Nicki’s office, and Maxie had settled herself into the chair Jenna had carried in from the dining room that was between the main living area and the kitchen.
Nicki plopped down into her desk chair and handed Jenna the marker. “Since you couldn’t wait to tell Alex all about our latest case, you can do the honors of standing at the board and writing down our ‘to-do’ list.”
Jenna grinned at her and grabbed the marker, waving it over her head. “That’s fine. Your handwriting is almost as bad as Alex’s. And she didn’t seem all that surprised at the news.”
Nicki crossed her arms and narrowed her hazel eyes. “I could hear her scream right through the phone, Jenna.”
“You’re exaggerating. It’s a writer thing. And if you think she was loud on the phone just then, wait until she hears you calling this ‘our latest case’.”
“I’m afraid she’s right, dear,” Maxie put in before Nicki managed to get another word out. “Alex was rather loud. Even I could hear her say she would be here this evening as soon as she got off her shift.”
“She’s only r
acing over here because she has three days off and wanted an excuse not to have to do any wedding shopping with her mom.” Jenna shrugged as she turned toward the white board. “Alex will do just about anything get out of any kind of wedding shopping. I think she’s still pushing for a destination wedding with only their immediate families invited.” Jenna turned her head to smile at Nicki. “Which includes us, of course.”
“Of course.” Nicki nodded. The three of them had been a family ever since they’d shared a tiny apartment in New York while they’d pursued their separate careers. After Nicki’s mom had been murdered, Jenna made the decision for both herself and Nicki that they would get away from New York and follow Alex out to her home state of California, where she was doing her residency after medical school.
Alex had been thrilled to have her friends back with her, and the move across the country had proved to be exactly what they’d all needed. Nicki loved New York City, but had finally come to accept that she could no longer live there. Too many memories no matter what subway she took or street she walked down. After three years, she’d come to call California her home.
And one of her best friends falling in love had been the icing on the cake. Especially when she really liked the man who’d asked Alex to marry him.
Alex had now been engaged to Tyler Johnson, a solidly built, amiable fireman who worked for the City of Santa Rosa, for almost six months. And while Alex had made it very clear that she wanted a small, easily organized wedding on a beach somewhere, she’d been ganged up on and out-voted by her fiancé and her mother, both of whom had an entirely different vision that included a church, a reception, lots of flowers, and of course a wedding dress. Which Alex had yet to buy despite the fact her wedding was rapidly approaching the six-months-from-now mark. Nicki thought the good doctor might not get around to it until the week before the big day, no matter how hard Alex’s exasperated mother pushed her to go dress shopping. Luckily Tyler was a typical male who didn’t really care what his bride would be wearing, as long as she showed up for the event itself and the honeymoon.
Thinking Jenna was probably right, and Alex was coming for a three-day visit to get out of being dragged to every bridal shop in town by her mother, Nicki glanced over at Maxie.
“You knew Catherine best. Did she mention anyone she’d had an argument with lately, or maybe a dissatisfied client?”
Maxie pursed her lips as her eyes scrunched at the corners. “I didn’t know her well enough to have that kind of cozy chat with her.” She sighed and shook her head. “I didn’t take the time to do that when I should have.”
Jenna turned around and looked at her landlady. “Don’t beat yourself up about that. It’s impossible to be on a ‘cozy chat’ basis with everyone you meet.”
“I second that, Maxie,” Nicki said, reaching over to give her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Catherine had a lot of friends here, and I’m sure she’d be happy that we’re going to do everything we can to find out who killed her.”
Maxie nodded and sat up straighter in her chair. “Of course, dear. And it’s the least we can do for her, so we’d better get started.”
Satisfied that Maxie seemed to be holding up okay, Nicki turned back to Jenna. “I think our first ‘to-do’ should be to talk with Suzanne Abbott. She might be able to tell us quite a bit about anything unusual going on in Catherine’s life lately.”
Maxie immediately perked up even more. “That’s an excellent idea. Why Catherine and Suzanne were practically inseparable. They were closer than Catherine was to her own twin.”
Nicki and Jenna exchanged a raised-eyebrow look before focusing back on Maxie.
“Twin? I didn’t realize Catherine had a twin,” Nicki said. “At least I don’t recall Catherine ever mentioning it.”
“Oh, they weren’t close, and if you saw them standing side-by side you’d never know they were twins. Cynthia is very different from Catherine.” Maxie gave a decisive nod. “I rarely see Cynthia myself. She’s a retired librarian, but had never shown an interest in writing anything herself. She lives in Sonoma.
“Sonoma,” Jenna repeated as she madly scribbled across the white surface of the board.
“That’s only twenty minutes from Arson,” Nicki remarked. Sonoma was the bigger, much better-known wine city in the county. With its large plaza surrounded by small businesses that fed on the year-round tourist trade, it had been the model used by Arson’s town council to design its own central square. Although Sonoma’s boasted a statue of General Vallejo who’d helped found the town, which would probably seem more appropriate to a casual visitor than a ten-foot high bunch of grapes sculpted in bronze.
“Yes, but I doubt if the two visited each other much,” Maxie said. “But Suzanne would know about that.”
“How about other relatives?” Jenna tapped the marker against the board. “I think she mentioned a recent divorce when I talked to her at the meeting yesterday.”
Nicki nodded. “That’s right. And I believe her ex-husband still lives in town.” She glanced over at Maxie. “And doesn’t she have a daughter in college?”
“Walter Gifford.” Maxie pointed at Jenna. “You should add his name to the list. Aren’t ex-husbands always the first to be suspected in these circumstances?”
Nicki’s eyebrows winged up in surprise. “Walter Gifford? The same Gifford who has an art gallery in town? He’s Catherine’s ex-husband?”
“Yes, he is,” Maxie confirmed. “He also has a gallery in San Francisco and in Los Angeles, and a few other cities as I recall. He’s done very well for himself.”
“I’m definitely putting the ex-husband on our list,” Jenna said over her shoulder as she printed out “Walter Gifford” right under the name of Catherine’s twin sister. “And you said she had a daughter in college?”
“She mentioned her to me once. I believe Catherine called her Ramona.” Nicki’s brow furrowed in thought. “That was a while ago, so she may gave graduated by now.”
“I doubt that, dear.” Maxie shook her head but her blue eyes took on a small sparkle. “She’s been in school at least six or seven years. Catherine did confide to me that Ramona seemed to be making a career out of being a student.”
“She should also go on the list until we can confirm whether or not she’s still away at school,” Nicki told Jenna, who dutifully added Ramona’s name to the board.
The tall, dark-haired web designer stepped back and gazed at the board. “It’s not a long list, but Suzanne might be able to add a few names.” She glanced over at Nicki and Maxie. “Unless you have others to add? Business associates maybe?”
Nicki sighed and curled in her bottom lip. She hated the thought, but she was sure Chief Turnlow would add the friendly restaurant owner to his interview list. “Mario, unfortunately. Catherine had just become an investment partner in his restaurant, and was working there as the hostess the night she died.”
“Oh.” Jenna frowned. “So anyone who was there that night would have known when she’d left.”
Maxie lifted a hand to her throat. Nicki knew that the older woman had a soft spot for the very outgoing talkative Mario.
“I’m sorry Maxie.” Nicki sent her a sympathetic look. “But I’m sure the chief will also be talking to him, and any of the staff who were there last night."
“Of course he will, dear. But I’m sure Mario is perfectly innocent in all of this.” Her lips, which still retained the exact shade of red that matched her earrings and her shoes, curled upward at the corners. “I remember saying much the same thing about several of the winery owners in our last investigation, and I was right about them. I’m sure I’m right about Mario as well.”
“I doubt if he’s involved,” Nicki reassured her. “But we still need to talk to him. He might have heard Catherine mention that she was meeting someone.”
“Now wouldn’t that be nice?” Maxie smiled.
“And very convenient,” Jenna muttered as she snapped the cap back onto the top of the marker. “I
’m guessing we should start tomorrow by talking with Suzanne. And by ‘we’, I mean you and Alex. I have to work on a preliminary plan for my new client’s website tomorrow.”
Nicki blew out a breath as she thought about the three chapters she needed to finish in her latest Tyrone Blackstone, Superspy, novel, not to mention several articles she’d promised to have done as part of her freelance writing work. She also needed to complete a new entry for her personal blog, Nicki Knows, about the food and wine scene in Northern California.
Maxie made a sympathetic humming sound in her throat. “I know you girls are very busy with your computer things and writing, but it’s important that we see this to the end. I don’t want to let Catherine down.”
Nicki flashed Jenna a questioning look, gratified when her friend nodded.
“The wonderful part about computer things and writing is that we can do them any time of the day or night.” She swiveled around and tapped on the screen of her desktop computer so it came to life. “I’ll work on rearranging my schedule and then let Matt know if I need some extra time for the Food & Wine Online articles. He said he’d be fine with it.”
Nicki instantly closed her eyes when Jenna pounced on that statement.
“He did?” She carefully set the marker down and grinned at her friend. “You’ve already talked to Matt about this new case of yours? When did that conversation take place?”
“Hopefully last night, dear,” Maxie said, lifting her shoulders up and back in a graceful stretch. “Since Bob left her at Catherine’s to make her own way home, she’d need someone to talk to after such a traumatic evening.”
Jenna crossed her arms and sent Nicki a narrow-eyed stare. “Lover-boy left you stranded?”
“Rob. His name is Rob,” Nicki corrected patiently. When did everyone around her take to mispronouncing things? “And I told him to go home.”
“Not that I don’t agree with the sentiment, but why didn’t you have him drop you off first?” Jenna demanded.
