A Food and Wine Club Mystery Boxset Books 1 through 5

by Cat Chandler

  “I don’t know how Brad does this. My feet are about to fall off.”

  “You should take up running, it helps toughen up your feet.” Nicki laughed when Gin gave out a loud groan.

  When her phone beeped, Nicki was almost too tired to look at it, but somehow she got it out of the pocket in her apron and glanced at the screen. “Good news.”

  “Tell me it’s from Andrew and he’s coming in to take over,” Gin mumbled, her head still down on the counter.

  Oh yeah. Like that’s going to happen.

  “No. It’s from Jenna. She’s ordered pizza for everyone, and will be picking it up in about an hour.” She smiled when the three sous chefs who were still busy at their various tasks let out a loud cheer. “And then she’s going to stay and help Kylie wash dishes.”

  “If this Jenna person is volunteering, she can wash some of ours,” Steve, the youngest of the three chefs, called out. Nicki could understand why the twenty-three-year-old with the stick thin build would like that. As the newest chef, he was also the low-man on the totem pole, and in a catering kitchen, most of the dishwashing would fall to him.

  Nicki gave Gin a gentle nudge with her foot. “Do you think you could find someone to come in and help with the dishes on short notice? It would be a great morale booster.”

  Chuck, the senior sous chef in the group, looked over at Nicki and grinned. “Having a culinary-school-trained chef in the kitchen, who also works as hard as we do, is a pretty good boost. I can’t say we’ve seen much of that.”

  Blushing at the compliment, Nicki smiled back at the short, friendly man before texting back to Jenna that both the pizza, and her help, would be great.

  “I need to return a few vendor calls and check on the serving captains who will be working at the event.” Gin raised her head and sighed. “The last thing we need is any more staff shortages.” She looked over at the double doors leading to the back hallway. “What’s Kylie doing in the baking kitchen? I thought the cupcakes were all made.”

  “They are,” Nicki confirmed. “But the menu Andrew left listed mini lime tarts with candy mints as the ending course. And the tarts require baking. He hadn’t told Kylie about it, so I assume he was going to spring it on her tomorrow during our cupcake frosting party.”

  “Sounds like him.” Gin checked her phone. “And I still don’t have a message from him.” She sent Nicki a stricken look. “What if he doesn’t show up the day of the wedding?”

  Nicki was more worried about him not showing up tomorrow to finish the food prep so she could concentrate on the mountain of cupcakes, but she kept that to herself. Gin already had enough to worry about.

  “Let’s take it one day at a time, and right now we’re dealing with today. Can you put together a cleaning crew to come in tonight so the chefs don’t have to stay late? And how about transportation to take all this food to the hotel on the big day?”

  “Done and done,” Gin said. “I also called the lawyer and the police station. The lawyer said he’s trying to get a bail amount set this afternoon, and the deputy told me that they’d release Brad as soon as the bail was posted. Now I just have to arrange for the money.” She wiped away a single tear that had escaped to run down her cheek. “I hope it’s not more than we have. Brad told me not to borrow anything, but I will if I have to. I can’t leave him sitting in jail.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Nicki assured her, although she had no idea how. She imagined that the bail amount set for a charge of murder would be pretty high.

  “Um, Nicki?” Karen was standing just inside the doors, her hands clasped in front of her.

  The uncertainty in the receptionist’s voice instantly had Nicki wondering what else had gone wrong. She didn’t have long to wait, and couldn’t have been more surprised when Paul and Lydia walked through the doors.

  Karen glared at their backs when they breezed past her. “There’re people here who insist on talking to you and Gin.”

  “Well, show them right in.” Nicki’s dry tone had Paul raising one eyebrow at her and Lydia indulging in her usual glare.

  Gin stood up and did a little glaring of her own. “I never thought I’d see the two of you in the same room together.”

  “We’ve declared a little truce in honor of Robin’s memory,” Paul said.

  Lydia stopped and put her hands on her hips as her gaze bounced between Gin and Nicki. “And we’ve come to find out what’s going on?”

  Nicki deliberately took a slow look around the kitchen. “We’re cooking. It’s what chefs do.”

  “I meant about Brad murdering Robin,” Lydia snapped.

  “He didn’t.” Gin’s hands fisted at her sides as she shook her head. “And you can’t come into his company and accuse him of such a thing.”

  Paul put a hand on a sputtering Lydia’s arm. “I seem to remember that it’s Brad and Robin’s company until a probate court says otherwise.” He held up a hand when Gin started to protest. “But that’s neither here nor there. I came because I couldn’t believe it when I heard that Brad had been arrested. I don’t think Chief Thomas has the right culprit.”

  Gin’s whole body relaxed as she stared back at Robin’s lifelong friend. “You don’t?”

  “Why not?” Nicki asked at the same time.

  Paul gave the petite chef a puzzled look before he glanced around the kitchen. Everyone had stopped what he was doing and was listening to the conversation going on in the center of the room.

  “Maybe we can find a more private place to discuss this?”

  Nicki followed his gaze before putting an arm around Gin’s shoulders. “That might be a good idea,” she said softly.

  Nodding her agreement, Gin went out the kitchen doors and turned left down the long hallway. She stopped at a door next to the one to Robin’s office and pushed it open. Gin’s space was a lot more compact than Robin’s large office, and a great deal more inviting. The walls were the soft green of the catering company’s colors, but the window and baseboards were trimmed out in white instead of black. There were several modern art pictures on the wall that reminded Nicki of the ones she’d seen in Gin’s home.

  The catering manager took the chair behind the desk, and Nicki leaned against the window casing behind her, leaving the two visitor chairs for Paul and Lydia.

  “Why did the police arrest Brad?” Lydia demanded.

  Brad’s wife remained silent and simply stared back at her.

  “I heard they found the gun in his house,” Paul said.

  “It wasn’t in the house,” Gin shot back. Then colored a bright red when Paul said “ah” and Lydia displayed a smug smile.

  “It would have been too difficult for the killer to plant the gun in the house. The door to the garage wasn’t kept locked, so it was easy to get into.” Nicki had no idea if the garage door had been locked or not, but she wasn’t going to give the rumor mill any more ammunition against Brad.

  “That’s right,” Gin quickly spoke up. “Someone put the gun in our garage.”

  “Well, that explains that.” Paul had a wide smile on his face. “I told Lydia that the disagreement between Brad and Robin wasn’t enough to kill anyone over.”

  “Someone disagreed with Robin enough to kill him,” Lydia groused. She narrowed her gaze on Gin. “All I know is that he’s dead, and the gun was found at your place.”

  “Anyone could have killed him,” Gin declared. “Brad isn’t even the most likely person.”

  Paul raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh? Who do you think is?”

  “I thought Mink did it.” Lydia gave a hard nod when everyone looked at her. “She had the biggest bone to pick with my ex-husband since he wouldn’t marry her.”

  Nicki knew very well that Mink hadn’t killed Robin, and certainly not over any desire to marry him. “She has a solid alibi. She couldn’t have killed Robin.”

  “If it wasn’t Mink, and it wasn’t Brad, then who did?” Lydia stared at Nicki. “Do you have any bright ideas about that, Nancy Drew?”r />
  My nicknames don’t seem to be getting any better, Nicki thought. Going from Sherlock to Nancy Drew didn’t seem like a step up. Just then her cell phone buzzed. Ignoring Lydia’s question, Nicki lifted her phone and glanced at the screen. It was a text message from Clay Thomas.

  Meet me at the bench down by the harbor. Nicki frowned. She’d intended on using a short lunch break to track down the police chief, so this would definitely save her some time.

  “Maybe our amateur detective thinks it’s you, Lydia.”

  “Shut up, Paul,” Robin’s wife number two snapped at him.

  Paul only shrugged. “Or me.” He glanced over at Gin. “Or even you.”

  “I don’t have any better idea than any of you do,” Nicki declared. “And you’ll have to excuse me, I need to go.” She smiled politely at the two people sitting in the chairs facing her. “We’re very busy today. I’m sure Gin will be happy to show you the way out.”

  As the two unexpected visitors dragged their feet out the door, Nicki silently patted herself on the back. Maxie would have been very proud of her.

  Nicki walked slowly up to the bench where Clay was sitting, waiting for her. She skirted around it and took a seat next to him. She silently stared out at the harbor for a long moment.

  “He didn’t do it,” Nicki finally said, keeping her voice low so none of the tourists strolling by could overhear her.

  “I know.”

  Nicki coughed and then stared at the police chief whose gaze stayed focused on the harbor. “If you know that, then why is Brad sitting in your jail?”

  Clay shook his head. “An anonymous tip and lo and behold, there was the gun.” He turned his head and looked at Nicki. “I couldn’t just ignore the fact the gun was in Brad’s garage.”

  She went back to studying the harbor. “It doesn’t sound like you're a big fan of anonymous tips.”

  “I’m not.” Clay rubbed a hand across the bottom of his chin. “I’m hoping you’ve turned up something new. That’s why I’m here.”

  “As a matter of fact, I have.” Nicki quickly filled him in on the Thomas Jefferson wine bottle, sitting back when Clay let out a long, low whistle.

  “Wow. That’s an impressive amount of money for a bottle of wine. Especially if those initials aren’t real.”

  “Uh huh. But some collectors will pay big for it, whether they’re real or not,” Nicki said.

  “Any ideas on who knew about it?” Clay frowned. “Besides Kylie, I mean. I can’t picture her shooting anyone. And not actually hitting that person at any rate.”

  Nicki found her first smile. “Not in a million years. But no, I don’t.”

  “It would still have to be someone who could get into the building without tripping the alarm.” Clay rubbed his chin again. “Which means the staff.” He glanced over at Nicki. “Ricki told me that you were working at the catering company today. I guess Jenna stopped by for a burger to go along with the pizza she’d ordered from the place down the street. Something about a chef not showing up?”

  She nodded absently and automatically pressed her fingertips into her lower back. “Andrew Benson. He’s the head chef there, but he got mad yesterday and walked off, and so far hasn’t made an appearance today.”

  “So this guy walked off in a snit and now isn’t anywhere to be found?” Clay snorted. “Right after Kylie told you about the Thomas Jefferson bottle of wine? Convenient.”

  It hadn’t dawned on Nicki until Clay mentioned it, but the timing of Andrew’s blow up was a little odd. He could have easily been listening outside the door when Kylie had talked about the wine Robin had inherited from his dad.

  “He had access to the building,” Clay said. “And maybe Robin told him about the wine, a kind of chef-to-chef thing.”

  Nicki shook her head. Even that small movement made her tired. “I wouldn’t have called them friends, Chief.”

  “Okay. He could have overheard it, or done some snooping on his own. There are a lot of ways he might have found out about it if he’d been trying to.” Clay leaned forward, the look in his eyes hard and flat. “What I do know is that’s he’s the only one who is currently missing.”

  He stood and held out a hand, helping Nicki to her feet. “I’m going to check into this. And thanks for the information about the wine.”

  “I need to get back.” Nicki sighed. “I still have a long day in the kitchen ahead of me.”

  Clay wished her luck then walked off, his long stride eating up the ground as he headed for the street. Nicki turned and started to make her way back to the catering company. Her head was down so she didn’t notice Paul standing in the doorway of his shop, watching her.

  “You’re a surprise, Nicki Connors,” he called out as she got closer.

  Stopping, Nicki looked over at him and shrugged. “Why is that?”

  “Meeting secretly with the police chief so Gin won’t see it? Makes me wonder if you’re trying to get Brad out of jail, or keep him in it.”

  Chapter One Hundred

  Nicki checked her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. The minutes were flying by like lightning when she considered how much work they had to do. On the other hand, it seemed as if three o’clock would never get there.

  She really hoped the all-male hiking group was on time for their pickup. She knew that the sooner they got back, the happier Alex would be. Entertaining both sides of the family who were pouring into the St. Armand had to have her doctor friend stressed out to the max. Something Jenna had confirmed when she’d shown up with the pizza.

  Nicki suspected it was also a major reason for the fancy-party-phobic Jenna volunteering for dish duty. Not that Nicki didn’t appreciate that. Plus, it was nice for Kylie to have company while she slaved away on her own, making all those last-minute tarts.

  Gin had left to consult with their lawyer, and Nicki hoped she would be successful in getting Brad out of jail. That meant he’d be here to help tomorrow so she wouldn’t be running between the main kitchen and the baking kitchen, trying to be sure everything was getting done.

  Nicki looked at her watch again. Just thirty more minutes and the guys would be on their way back to the hotel. Nicki had no idea how long a trip it was, but she’d already sent Matt a text message welcoming him back. Returning her phone to its spot in the pocket of her large chef’s apron, Nicki sighed. She wished she could be at the St. Armand to greet him. She’d really been looking forward to seeing him again.

  Another two hours had crawled by when Chuck tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Chef? We’re just about finished. The cleaning crew will be here at five. I can stay tonight and make sure everything gets done.”

  Nicki appreciated the offer, and normally that wouldn’t have been a problem. But she knew how hard he’d worked today, and that he’d have to do the same thing tomorrow and the day after that, so she shook her head.

  “Thanks, but you’ve earned your evening off.” She added a smile. “I’m waiting to hear from Gin. Hopefully she’ll be by with Brad, and he can watch the cleaning crew.”

  Chuck gave her a dubious look, but nodded. “I’ll just get started until the crew gets here. I know who’s supposed to show up for that shift.”

  Since Nicki had no idea, Chuck’s suggestion sounded good to her. Thinking she’d go check on Kylie who’d been alone in her kitchen for the last hour, Nicki turned toward the door and then stopped when Ricki James came through it.

  “Guess who insisted that I drop him off here?” The dark-haired brunette grinned and stepped aside.

  When Matt appeared in the doorway, Nicki didn’t even stop to think. She simply sprinted across the room and threw her arms around him. He hugged her tight, dropping a kiss on top of her head. When she looked up at him, he smiled back at her and lowered his head to give her a proper kiss. When they finally broke apart, Ricki was gone, and the three sous chefs were applauding.

  Matt laughed before he held her off at arm’s length. “You seem to be in one piece
.”

  He looked over her head at the three faces grinning back at him. “Ricki said you’d been put to work because the head chef was a no-show?”

  “She did a better job, too,” Chuck called out. He shrugged when Nicki shook her head at him. “I’m just saying.”

  “How much longer are you going to be?” Matt asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll track you down when I get back to the hotel.”

  Matt frowned as he glanced over at the three sous chefs.

  Steve was the first to get his silent question. “She said she’d stay and keep an eye on the clean-up crew.”

  “Until Brad shows up,” Chuck put in. “But since he’s currently in jail, that might be a long shot, so she could be here for hours.” The short man pointed to the mop he was holding in one hand. “I’m getting started, to shorten things up a bit.”

  Matt nodded. “Sounds good.” He took his jacket off and hung it on a peg by the door as he rolled up his sleeves. Smiling, he looked around the kitchen. “Where do you keep the mops?”

  Two hours later, Matt and Nicki walked out of Robin’s Catering hand-in-hand. The three sous chefs had left, and so had Kylie and Karen, when Brad and Gin had shown up. The two owners looked a little pale, but Brad insisted that having productive work to do after sitting around for two days would be a welcome relief, so Nicki had turned the cleaning crew over to him and happily left with Matt.

  Thinking they’d have to walk back to the hotel, she was surprised to see Matt’s rental car sitting by the curb right outside the front door.

  “I asked Ricki to bring it down since she doesn’t live far from here.” Matt laughed. “And I think she was glad to cut short any time she had to spend in the car with her ex-husband.” He put his arms around her and bent his head close to her ear. “Want to hear a little gossip?”

  Nicki leaned back. “I don’t know. I’ve certainly had my fill of rumors during the last week.”

  Matt grinned at her. “Not a rumor, Ms. Connors, but a fact. Ben the Bear is still stuck on his wife.”