A Food and Wine Club Mystery Boxset Books 1 through 5

by Cat Chandler

  “Eat fast, dear. We’re almost there. And please do so quietly. I need to make a phone call.”

  Apparently taking Maxie at her word, Matt practically stuffed a whole brownie into his mouth. Nicki rolled her eyes at him as Maxie spoke with another member of the Society on her car phone, disconnecting with a smile just as they pulled up in front of Suzanne’s house.

  Matt was still chewing his second brownie when Suzanne answered her front door wearing jeans and a paisley top in a unique pattern with several shades of blue and an occasional pop of gold. At least it doesn’t look as if she’s spent the entire morning crying, Nicki thought.

  “Hi.” Suzanne’s gaze went right to Matt. “I wasn’t expecting anyone this morning.

  “We won’t stay long. I know how busy you are.” Maxie cocked her head to one side and stared until Suzanne got the hint.

  “Oh. Won’t you come in? I’m not sure what’s in the refrigerator but I’m sure I can come up with some refreshment.”

  “No need. We really can’t stay long. We have several other stops to make today.” Maxie put a hand on Matt’s arm. “Of course you know Nicki from the Society. But have you ever met her good friend, Matt?”

  “No, I haven’t.” Suzanne stepped forward, which put her barely a hand’s width away from Matt. She turned her face to look up into his. “Hi. I’m Suzanne. Nicki’s friend. She’s mentioned you to me quite a number of times. I’m very glad to meet you.”

  Taken aback by the woman’s very unexpected and forward behavior, Nicki’s mouth dropped open as Suzanne put a hand on Matt’s chest.

  “Suzanne,” Maxie’s voice was sharp enough to startle Suzanne into jumping back, putting more space between herself and a thoroughly red-faced Matt. “I believe you’ll recall that I told you that Matt is interested in Nicki.”

  Nicki closed her eyes. Trust Maxie to be very honest and direct. But at least she’d prevented Suzanne from plastering herself against her defenseless editor.

  Suzanne’s eyebrows squished together as she glanced over at Nicki. “But you said that…”

  “Anything is possible,” Nicki cut in, circling a hand around Matt’s arm and pulling him to stand closer to her. He immediately put an arm around her shoulders.

  “We aren’t here to talk about budding romances,” Maxie announced. “Now that all introductions have been made, shall we sit down and discuss the upcoming event?”

  Suzanne nodded and led the way into the living room. She plopped into an antique-looking chair and crossed her arms.

  “What event are you talking about?”

  “We just came from a discussion with Ramona and her aunt. They mentioned you were planning Catherine’s memorial service?” Maxie paused, waiting for Suzanne’s nod. “Of course I wanted to let you know right away that anyone from the Society would be happy to help.”

  “Well, I’m not sure…” Suzanne glanced over at Nicki and Matt. “Maybe that would be fine.”

  “Anyone except Nicki,” Maxie clarified. “She’s busy helping the chief solve Catherine’s murder. And of course she’ll be giving several cooking demonstrations during our society’s charity event this weekend.”

  While Maxie diplomatically explained to Suzanne why it would be too difficult for her to continue on and plan the charity event on her own, and that Addie Young, who Maxie had called from the car, would be taking over most of it, Matt leaned over close to Nicki’s ear.

  “Thanks for the rescue.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Nicki whispered back.

  “When did Maxie say you’ll be giving those cooking demonstrations?”

  Nicki smiled. “This weekend. And Maxie told me the response has been very positive, so we’re hoping for a good-sized crowd.”

  “Damn, I’ll be in L.A.”

  Unable to make out what he’d said, Nicki glanced up at him. He smiled at her and ran a single finger down one of her cheeks before he got to his feet.

  “I’m sorry ladies,” he said when Maxie and Suzanne stopped their conversation to look at him. “But I need to step outside. I have a few business calls to make.”

  It took another twenty minutes of placating Suzanne before Nicki and Maxie could join Matt outside. The three of them walked to the car, with all of them shaking their heads.

  Once they were on their way, Matt tapped Nicki on the shoulder. “You know she has your haircut. And I’m sure I’ve seen you in that shirt she was wearing.”

  Taken aback that any male would notice something like that, Nicki couldn’t think of anything to say other than. “Ummm.” Unfortunately, Maxie didn’t have the same problem.

  “It’s a blouse, not a shirt, dear,” she corrected. “And you have seen Nicki in it, because she owns one. And well before Suzanne showed up in hers.”

  “It’s a very popular pattern,” Nicki said, not wanting to get into another argument about Suzanne’s choice of clothing. “And most blouses pretty much look the same.”

  “That depends on who’s wearing them,” Matt said. “And I think Alex might be right. That woman back there is crazy, and she should be near the top of the suspect list.”

  “I’ll be sure to let Alex know you agree with her,” Nicki said in a dry tone.

  “After her behavior today, I’m not so sure I don’t agree with Alex and Matt as well,” Maxie said. “I was mortified when she threw herself at Matt that way. Why, he’s a good ten years her junior, and she should have been much more discreet.”

  “Discreet?” Nicki’s eyes lit with amusement. “You mean like waiting until she’d cornered him alone?”

  “Yeah. Like that was going to happen,” Matt muttered. He cast a mournful eye into the now-empty paper bag he’d grabbed out of Nicki’s hands. “Where to now, Sherlock? And I hope it has something to do with lunch.”

  “It does,” Nicki nodded before smiling at Maxie. “Could we head to the square? You could make good on your promise to buy Matt lunch.”

  “And what will you be doing while we’re eating?” The question came from the direction of the back seat.

  “Nothing that will require bodyguard duty,” Nicki assured him. “I need to go talk to the chief and let him know what we’ve discovered so far.”

  “If you’re hoping he’ll reciprocate and share what he knows with you, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Chief Turnlow doesn’t strike me as the information-sharing sort.” Matt laughed. “Especially when you come without your usual bribe.”

  Nicki reached down and lifted up a second paper bag for him to see, carefully holding it over the dashboard and out of his reach. “Oh. I wouldn’t say that.”

  “Hey! You were holding out on me.” Matt made a swipe for the bag, but Nicki had already dropped it back to the floor.

  Maxie laughed as she pulled into one of the “official business” parking spots in front of the small police station. “We’ll be over at the deli when you’re through. And be sure to tell Danny that you’re here to talk to the chief, so he’d better not write up a parking ticket.”

  Nicki gave a small salute as she hurried up the walkway, carrying her bag of treats.

  Fran looked up from the stack of papers on her desk and smiled when Nicki walked in the door. “What can I do for you, Nicki?”

  “I’d like to talk to the chief, if he has a few minutes to spare.”

  A voice bellowed down the short hallway. “If that’s Nicki Connors, send her on back here, Fran.”

  The desk clerk winked at Nicki. “I guess he has a few minutes. That man hates to do paperwork, and any excuse to get out of it suits him just fine. So you take whatever you have in that bag right on back and see if you can put him in a better mood.”

  “Thanks,” Nicki said. “And Maxie wants Danny to know he can’t write her a parking ticket.”

  “I’ll let him know.” Fran chuckled as she shooed Nicki away.

  Nicki found the chief sitting in his usual place, surrounded by a mountain of paper.

  She eyed the tall stacks, thinking it was aga
inst the whole idea of gravity that a couple of the lopsided mounds didn’t tumble right over. “I had no idea there was this much crime in Arson.”

  “There isn’t,” the chief grunted. “But there’s a lot of it in the State capital. Having to fill out this much paperwork for our annual funding should be a crime. And I’d sure enjoy arresting the guy who sits around all day dreaming up ways to make my life miserable.”

  Nicki set the paper bag down on one of the few clear spots on his desk. “Maybe these will help.”

  The chief smiled. “What did you bring, and what’s it going to cost me?”

  “Brownies and nothing,” Nicki said. “Unless you want to share something with me, of course.”

  He reached into the bag and pulled out a large chocolate square. “Looks great.” He put it down and leaned back in his chair. “What is it you want to know?”

  Nicki folded her hands in her lap and looked steadily back at him. “If you’re going to arrest Charlie for Catherine’s murder.”

  The chief sighed and ran a large hand through his thinning hair. “You know I can’t tell you anything about that. And I don’t want to lie to you, so find something else to ask.”

  Nicki sighed. What she had to tell the chief wasn’t going to help poor Charlie’s case at all. “Matt spoke with Beatrice Riley, the woman who lives in the house across the street from Catherine’s?”

  “I know Miss Riley. She has a reputation of being the town busybody.”

  She was sure the chief had gotten that very description from myMason. The retired chief and the current one kept in close touch. “She told Matt that she didn’t see anyone except Catherine go in or out of her house that night. Not even after Rob and I found the body.”

  “So you think it was a ghost?”

  Nicki gave him an exasperated look. “No. I think someone could have slipped in and out while she was fixing her dinner around five, or watching the news at six. But whoever it was, was gone by the time Rob and I came along.”

  “Then you’re saying you didn’t scare off a burglar?”

  Nicki shook her head. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t.”

  “And since nothing else was taken, robbery wasn’t the motive. Generally, that would leave greed, jealousy or revenge for some slight.” The chief leaned forward. “Got someone in mind, Sherlock?”

  He means someone besides Charlie, the boyfriend, Nicki thought. “Not yet. But I know that neither Ramona nor Cynthia Dunton have alibis for the night Catherine was murdered. And Ramona was mad at her mother for refusing to give her the money to study abroad for a year. Now she doesn’t have that problem.”

  Nicki was grateful when the chief sat up a bit straighter. “Oh? Why is that?”

  “Because control over the trust now passes to Cynthia, and she’s already agreed to give her niece the money.”

  “Is that right?” The chief’s eyes narrowed as he reached into the bag for a brownie. He took a large bite and chewed in silence for a full minute. “I think that might call for another chat with Miss Ramona Dunton.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Nicki walked into the only delicatessen in town and looked around for Maxie and Matt. She spotted them sitting at a table against the far wall, right under a giant plastic fish. She waved then walked up to the counter and purchased a bottle of sparkling water before joining them, taking the chair that was the furthest away from the tail of the fish that jutted out from the wall. Matt eyed her water as she twisted off the cap before raising his gaze to hers.

  “Not much nutrition in a bottle of water.”

  “A lot of calories in that pastrami sandwich,” Nicki retorted.

  Matt looked down at his plate and then over toward the counter where a bored teenager was ringing up orders. “I can get you a turkey sandwich. Put something solid in your stomach and not as many calories.” He grinned at her. “I’ll even have them leave off the mayonnaise, although that might be a crime against nature when eating a deli sandwich.”

  She smiled and her mood lightened up a bit at his determination to feed her. But she really wasn’t hungry, and she had a rule not to eat unless she was. A rule she and Alex both adhered to while ignoring Jenna’s ability to eat anything at any time, and still never gain an ounce. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry. Unlike you, I had breakfast.”

  “I had half an English muffin and half a cup of coffee. Can you honestly tell me you had much more than that?”

  “I can.” Nicki paused and waited until Matt had taken a large bite of his sandwich. “I had a full cup of coffee.”

  She grinned while he chewed furiously and glared at her, pointing at the ordering counter while she continued to shake her head.

  Maxie clapped her hands together. “Now children, let’s play nicely together. Stop teasing him, Nicki. He’s an engineer who only grew up with brothers so he has no idea that’s what you’re doing.” She shifted her attention to Matt. “And Nicki isn’t one of those New York models who starve themselves by eating a handful of lettuce once a day. She simply isn’t hungry, dear. So enjoy your lunch and let her drink her water in peace.”

  Having settled that matter, Maxie pushed her unfinished sandwich toward Matt. “Here. You can finish mine as well while Nicki tells us what the chief had to say.”

  Nicki sighed. She knew what the chief had to say, or more importantly what he had refused to say, would not make Maxie happy. “He didn’t come right out and admit it, but I’m sure he’s taking a good look at Charlie as a prime suspect”

  “Why that’s simply ridiculous,” Maxie declared. “I’ll need to go in and talk to Paul Turnlow myself. Or maybe I should have myMason give him a call.”

  Nicki perked up at that thought. The former police chief weighing in on Charlie’s side was sure to count a lot in his favor. “That’s a great idea! I know the chief really respects your husband’s opinion.”

  “As he should.” Maxie nodded. “What else did he say?”

  “That he was going to pay Ramona another visit to ask about the trust her father left her.” Nicki shrugged. “I might have dropped a hint or two about it.”

  “Why hint around? Why didn’t you just come out and tell him that when her mother was alive Ramona couldn’t get her hands on the funds to go to Europe, and now that her mother’s dead, she can?” Matt dropped his crushed napkin onto his empty plate. “Did you tell him what Beatrice said?”

  “I told him. He didn’t seem surprised that it probably didn’t involve a robbery. But then he seems to have his attention fixed on Charlie.” Nicki sagged back down again. She really didn’t think that nice older man had killed Catherine in a jealous rage, or over an argument that had gotten way out of hand. “I wish I could talk to Ramona again.”

  “I must admit that I don’t know why, dear.” Maxie frowned at her. “I didn’t find the young woman very pleasant to talk to. And she certainly didn’t seem very upset over losing her only parent.”

  “I think she’s more upset than she’s willing to show.” Nicki thought back over the small signs of Ramona’s inner turmoil. “She kept looking away, as if she was trying to keep us from seeing the tears in her eyes. And when she picked up the coffee cup, her hand was shaking. I don’t think she’s staying with her aunt because she was bored at her friend’s place. I think she doesn’t want to stay in the house where her mother was killed, and she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “This is an area where you have some experience,” Matt said quietly. “If you think she needs help, I can find out the name of a good therapist in the area. Or maybe Alex could recommend one.”

  Nicki smiled her thanks at him. “That’s a good idea. I also think she might know something about her mom’s murder, and not even realize it.”

  “So Sherlock wants to ask her the right questions?” Matt nodded his agreement. “Your sidekick thinks that’s a great idea. If I remember the murder board correctly, we only have the ex-husband left to track down. And since he has an art gallery here in town, that shou
ldn’t be too hard to do.”

  “And Suzanne told me she’d already spoken to Walter about you coming to see him before I had a chance to. But I might have an idea how to get into Cynthia’s house to talk to Ramona,” Maxie volunteered. “I’ll set that up, but it does come with a price, dear.”

  “So what kind of bribe will I be baking now?” Nicki laughed.

  “Raspberry tarts,” Matt threw out then ducked his head when both women stared at him.

  “Raspberry tarts? It really isn’t the right season for those, Matt,” Nicki said, then narrowed her eyes at the suddenly guilty look on his face. “Are you telling me you weren’t kidding and you did offer them to Beatrice Riley? Have you been promising bribes without any authorization, Dr. Watson?”

  “I might have,” Matt said then held his hands up in surrender. “All right. I did. I told you Beatrice had heard Nicki used treats to get information and demanded to know why I didn’t bring any with me. What could I do?”

  Nicki put her hands on her hips and blew out an exasperated breath. “Offer something that’s in season?”

  Now Matt gave her an exasperated look of his own. “Sorry. She just threw it out there, so I didn’t have a chance to download the raspberry-growing season chart off the internet.”

  “I’ll have myMason track some down. Just put them on your list. And don’t forget to make a note of how much you’ll need,” Maxie said.

  Nicki frowned in confusion. “What list?”

  “The one you’ll need to make for all the ingredients you’ll need. But don’t worry, dear. I told Addie she would need to send someone by first thing in the morning to pick up the list and do the shopping.”

  “Maxie.” Nicki reached out and covered one of her landlady’s hands with her own. “Why do I need a shopping list, and why is Addie doing the shopping?”

  “Or someone she delegates that chore to.” Maxie blinked at Nicki’s exasperated stare. “Remember that price I mentioned? Well. While I’m arranging a meeting with Ramona, you’ll need to do a little baking. Just eight or nine items should do the trick. Suzanne did manage to put together a few commitments.”