A Food and Wine Club Mystery Boxset Books 1 through 5

by Cat Chandler

  “Charlie?” Nicki looked at Roe as if she’d lost her mind. Which she just might have. Sam was under arrest and Charlie might be next? Nicki closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

  “You can’t honestly think that Charlie had anything to do with a murder? He wouldn’t even kill a spider in that greenhouse of his.” When an uncertain looked passed over Roe’s face, Nicki let out an exasperated sigh. “And Sam’s never done anything illegal in his life. The man would turn himself in for littering, for goodness’ sake.”

  Roe stuck her chin out. “You can’t know what a person might do. And Sam isn’t from here. He’s from that place back East with lots of crime. Maybe even some Mafia types.”

  “Philadelphia?” Nicki rolled her eyes. “Sam is from Philadelphia not Sicily. And I doubt if Chief Turnlow has him under arrest, and he certainly isn’t going to arrest Charlie.”

  “Well, I guess you should know since you work with the police and all.” Roe grabbed a paper towel and started vigorously wiping down the countertop next to the cash register. “But that’s the rumor going around town. Sam and Charlie were in cahoots together and killed that lady because she found out something about them that they didn’t want to get out. And she writes those ‘tell-all’ books.”

  Nicki stepped closer to the counter and waited until she caught Roe’s eye. “I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt, don’t you?”

  The baker shuffled her feet for a few moments before nodding. “I suppose we should. It’s not as if they’re outsiders.”

  “That’s right.” Nicki gave an encouraging nod. “And I’m going to go over to the police station right now and find out what’s going on.”

  Roe smiled. “That’s a good idea. And if there is something going on, you come right back here and let me know.”

  “Will do,” Nicki said over her shoulder.

  She didn’t waste any time marching over to the police department. She came through the door like a steam locomotive until Fran held up a hand and shook her head at her.

  “Whatever it is, I can’t tell you.” She gave her gray head a bob up and down. “I can’t get into hot water twice in one week. You’ll just have to wait until Monday when we can start out fresh again.”

  Nicki tapped her foot as she thought about it for a moment. “I don’t want you to tell me anything, Fran. I’m here to bail out Sam Moore.”

  The longtime clerk barked out a laugh. “Bail out? Why would you do that when he’s not under arrest? Besides, he isn’t even here. He had his talk with the chief and went home an hour ago. Said he might go fishing until we catch whoever killed Viola Richards.”

  “Oh. Well, then. I guess I’ll be going.” Nicki started slowly backing out toward the door.

  “You do that,” Fran said. “Come back Monday. I might be reading again that morning. Unless the chief tells me I can’t.”

  “I’ll remember that, Fran, thanks,” Nicki gave a quick wave and made a hasty exit. The longer she stayed there, the greater the chance she’d run into Chief Turnlow, and she didn’t want to do that again so soon after their last talk.

  She was almost to her car when her text message from Alex came up on her phone stating that she was on her way. Calculating that it would take the doctor forty minutes to reach her house, Nicki thought she had just enough time to stop at the store and get home in time to greet her friend and her new husband.

  She’d just shut the door to the SUV when a second text came. This time it was from Jane letting her know that Matt had had no problem in postponing their phone call. Nicki sighed. This was the same Matt who had told her just a few days ago he would never miss one of their calls. Even though she’d been the one who’d asked Jane to move the call, she’d kind of been hoping that Matt would at least put up a small protest. Two minutes later Jane sent a second text stating that Sam had sent her an email apologizing for not being able to come to dinner tonight after all. A last-minute meeting had disrupted his plans. Nicki sighed. She knew exactly what that last- minute meeting had been, but apparently Sam hadn’t shared his visit to the police station with Jane.

  Somehow the day was turning out to be very depressing. And not just because of Matt. She wondered how Jane was going to take the news that her new crush might have gone off fishing for the rest of her stay in Soldoff.

  Nicki sat at her computer, watching the minutes tick by on the clock in the lower corner. Dinner had been a big success, despite the hurried trip to the market. Nicki had been very happy to see Alex, even if her fireman husband had been called in to work at the last minute and couldn’t make the trip with his wife. His absence was a hole in the group, and so was Matt’s.

  But Jane had seemed to enjoy herself, so that was a good thing.

  Nicki hadn’t wanted to ruin her evening by telling her about the gossip going around town with Sam at its center. She figured tomorrow would be soon enough to deal with that. Or maybe she’d get lucky and it would all have blown over before Jane got wind of it.

  But right now, she had her own problem to deal with. What was going on with Matt? Everyone had gone over to Jenna’s to watch an old movie on her giant-screen TV, leaving Nicki some much-needed privacy. When the clock rolled over to show nine p.m., Nicki clicked on the Skype icon and called Matt. A small trickle of relief went through her when he came on screen almost immediately.

  “Hey, Sherlock. How was the dinner party?”

  She smiled. “Fine. Everyone says ‘hi’, and wishes you were here.”

  Matt shoved a thick lock of hair off his forehead and grinned. “I do too. But it won’t be long.”

  “Just another month.” Nicki frowned when Matt gave a noncommittal grunt. Puzzled, she tapped her fingers against the top of her desk. “It won’t be only another month?”

  “I’m working on it, honey.” Matt yawned. “How was the rest of your day?”

  Letting his change of subject slide for the moment, Nicki shrugged. “All right. A little hectic. And one small glitch.”

  “Glitch? What glitch?”

  “The chief took Sam into the station for his interview about Viola, and the town is having a gossip field day pinning him with the murder. And throwing Charlie in for good measure.” Nicki propped her chin on her hands. “Jane doesn’t know yet, but she isn’t going to be happy. Especially since Fran told me that Sam said he was going fishing until Chief Turnlow catches the real culprit.”

  “Sounds like a small-town soap opera.” Matt yawned again and then gave his head a slight shake. “I’m sure Jane will take it all in stride like she does everything.”

  “Matt.” Nicki’s tone was sharper than she’d intended, but that was too bad. It wasn’t like him to blow off someone’s feelings, especially when that someone was as close to him as Jane was. “She’ll be very hurt if Sam leaves town without so much as a ‘goodbye’.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “I know. But she’s only known the guy for a few days.”

  “Do you think our relationship is moving too fast?” The question blurted itself out, taking Nicki by surprise. But now it was just hanging there, so she held her breath, waiting to hear what Matt had to say.

  “We’ve known each other a lot longer than a couple of days, Nicki.”

  “I know, but…”

  He leaned close to the screen. “Do you think it’s going too fast?”

  “Of course not, but…”

  “Me neither, so why are we having this discussion?” Matt settled back against his chair and lifted his hand to cover another yawn.

  Nicki felt like they definitely did need to have a discussion, but looking at the dark circles under Matt’s eyes and the droop in his shoulders, clearly now wasn’t the right time. He looked so tired it was a wonder he wasn’t falling over.

  “You’re working too hard, Matt.”

  He smiled. “I don’t mind, but I would like to get another hour of shut-eye, if that’s okay with you.”

  Tamping down her frustration, Nicki smiled back
at him. “I think that’s a great idea. Let’s skip our call tomorrow, if you promise me you’ll get to bed early and catch up on your sleep.”

  “I love you, Nicki, and that’s a deal.”

  “Okay. I’ll talk to you in a couple of days.”

  They both said goodnight and clicked off. Nicki sat for a long minute, staring at the blank computer screen. Even though it had been her suggestion, it was still hard to hear Matt so quickly agree to skip one of their calls. Something was definitely going on with him, and she had no idea what it could be.

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One

  Nicki set the bran muffins on the counter and collapsed onto a stool next to Alex. They had gone on their morning run together, so Nicki hadn’t minded ignoring the chief’s request to stop that activity as long as Viola’s killer was still on the loose. She was sure he’d meant she shouldn’t run alone.

  Glad to finally be sitting down since her leg muscles felt like rubber, Nicki was happy to let Alex finish making the first pot of coffee for the day. The doctor moved easily from sink to stove, without displaying even one of the aches and pains Nicki was feeling. But then Alex ran for enjoyment as much as for exercise, while Nicki would have happily forgone the whole ordeal if it didn’t mean she’d have to give up eating entirely.

  The two friends had on the same black running pants and white tank tops, but there the resemblance ended. The doctor wasn’t nearly as tall as Jenna, but still stood a good four inches over Nicki, and had jet-black hair cut short and tapered into a sophisticated wedge on one side. The early morning sun streaming in through the window over the sink caught the gleam of the diamond and wide gold band on her left hand.

  Seeing it, Nicki smiled. “It’s too bad Ty had to work this weekend. I was looking forward to seeing him.”

  Alex picked up the pot of freshly made coffee and carried it over to the island. “He was disappointed too, and kept grumbling about missing his posse. Or something along those lines.” She laughed as she poured out two cups and headed back to the stove with the coffee pot. “I think my big macho fireman enjoys being one of the girls.” She set the pot down and turned to smile at Nicki. “And your cooking, of course. I’m not sure which of those he likes the most.”

  “And I miss his enjoyment of food.” Nicki stirred her coffee and sighed. “Like Matt’s.”

  “Uh oh. I know that face. What’s up?”

  Nicki huffed out a breath. “What face? I’m not making a face.”

  The front door opened and was shut quietly just before flip flops smacked their way down the hall. When Jenna appeared in the kitchen doorway, two sets of astonished eyes were staring at her.

  “What? I know how to be quiet when I have to be.” She sniffed the air. “Coffee’s made? Great!” She stepped around the island, grabbed a mug from the coffee tree and headed for the stove.

  Alex gave her an amused look. “I was about to grill Nicki on what’s going on with Matt.”

  Jenna brought her mug back to the island and took her favorite seat. “Oh good. That’s why I was being quiet. I didn’t want to wake up Jane before we had a chance to get to the bottom of that face she’s been making for the last few days.”

  Exasperated, Nicki put her hands on her hips and glared at her two best friends. “I haven’t been making a face.”

  “Yes, you have.” Jenna turned and nodded at Alex. “Yes, she has.”

  “Oh, I know it. I’ve seen it too.” Alex took a sip of her coffee before setting the cup down and folding her hands in front of her. “So, what’s he done?”

  Still not buying she’d been making any faces, Nicki was glad to be able to do a little venting about Matt. “It’s what he hasn’t been doing, as in not talking to me.”

  Alex sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean? He hasn’t been calling? Is that why you called him last night?”

  Nicki waved a hand in the air. “No, no. It’s just that when we do talk, it isn’t for long because he always has someplace he has to run off to. But he has the time to spend an hour on the phone with Jane.”

  “You aren’t seriously jealous of Jane and Matt, are you?” Jenna grinned.

  Uncomfortable that she probably was, at least a little, Nicki sighed. It wasn’t that she begrudged Jane the time she spent talking to Matt, but she wanted more time with him too.

  “Being apart is hard, Nicki,” Alex said quietly. “I’m sure it bothers Matt just as much as it does you.”

  “I hate to wish it on him, but I hope so.” Nicki sighed. “He’s been so tired lately, I’m not sure he has the energy to miss me.” She kept on stirring her coffee. “He’s working too hard.”

  “Well that’s it then. As soon as he gets this Paris gig all set up, he’ll be home, rested up, and racking up the frequent flyer miles again to come see you.” Jenna nodded and reached for a muffin. “It’ll all work out.”

  “You don’t think he’s seeing someone else, do you?” Alex frowned. “Because that simply isn’t possible.”

  Jenna dropped the muffin back onto the plate and stared at Nicki. “Of course it isn’t. The man is crazy about you. And besides, no one who has half a brain would ever step out on you, Nicki.”

  Nicki quirked an eyebrow up at that. “Rob did.” Her former boyfriend had not only been seeing someone else behind her back, but Nicki had caught him having a lunch date with his other girlfriend.

  “All that proves is what I said all along, lover-boy didn’t even have half a brain,” Jenna declared. “And besides he was… well, the reason was because…” trailing off, the computer geek shot Alex a desperate look.

  “Rob wasn’t committed to you the way Matt is,” Alex said calmly. “I doubt if Matt has even looked at another woman since he’s met you.”

  Bursting into laughter, Nicki leaned over and gave the doctor a heartfelt hug. She had the two best friends anyone could ask for. There was no doubt about that.

  “I don’t think Matt is seeing anyone else. He wouldn’t have the vaguest idea how to cheat on someone, even if the thought crossed his mind.” Nicki’s grin grew wider. “Which it never would.” She shook her head. “I just wish I knew what was going on with him. I think the relationship might be moving too fast.”

  “They said the ‘L’ word,” Jenna related to Alex in a hushed voice. “In the usual Matt style. Only this time, Nicki called him on it and said it back.”

  “You did?” Alex’s whole face was wreathed in a smile. “It’s about time, Nicki Connors. He’s probably still in shock.”

  Jenna slapped a palm onto the counter. “That’s it. That’s probably what’s wrong with him.”

  “What’s wrong with whom?” Jane stood in the doorway, a bright-pink robe tied at her waist and fuzzy slippers to match peeking out from beneath the hemline that almost brushed the floor.

  Nicki pulled out a fourth stool and smiled at Jane. “Just a little girl-talk about Matt.”

  “Our friend here thinks Matt might feel their relationship is moving too fast,” Jenna said. She took another mug off the coffee tree and turned toward the coffee pot on the stove.

  Jane frowned as she stared at Nicki. “That’s ridiculous. Matt would have a ring on your finger right now and marry you tomorrow if he thought you’d agree to it.” She smiled when Jenna slid the full mug of coffee in front of the empty stool Nicki had pulled out. But it didn’t last long as she held up the cell phone she was carrying in one hand. “I just talked to Sam.”

  Uh oh. Nicki didn’t think this conversation was going to be fun, and especially not when a sheen of tears appeared in Jane’s eyes. Jumping off her seat, Nicki crossed the kitchen and wrapped an arm around Jane’s shoulders.

  “He said the whole town thinks he killed Viola Richards,” Jane blurted out as Nicki led her over to the counter and made her sit down. “How could anyone think that about Sam? He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  “Small town,” Nicki said. “It’s just the usual gossip of people who don’t have anything better to do, Jane. They
’ll forget all about it as soon as something else comes along.”

  “It’s ludicrous,” Jane declared with a loud sniff. Alex reached into her pocket and pulled out a small packet of tissues and silently handed it to Jane. “This could damage Sam’s business.”

  “Not unless all the tourists get wind of it,” Jenna said, then instantly subsided when Nicki shook her head.

  “We have to do something.” Jane stiffened her spine and looked over at Nicki. “Do you know who killed Viola?”

  “Um. No. I don’t.” Nicki blinked when Jane stepped off her stool and turned to face her. “How long will it take you to solve this case?”

  “Well,” Nicki shot a look at her friends, who both answered her with a shrug. “It’s Chief Turnlow’s case, actually. And I’m sure he’s making good headway on it.”

  “No, he isn’t. Sam told me the chief can’t find a connection between Viola Richards and anyone in town, except for the people listed on that calendar of hers.” Jane wrung her hands. “I’m sorry I ever asked Melinda about it.”

  Nicki quickly nodded. “Melinda, of course. I forgot to mention that she should have arrived in town yesterday. I’m sure she’ll be able to tell us something about Viola that will be helpful.” Nicki glanced at her watch. “I think the chief is going to bring her out to the townhouse this morning, so she can pack up Viola’s things.”

  Jane blew her nose with one of the tissues and then stuck it into the pocket of her robe. “Excellent. We shouldn’t get hysterical, ladies. What we need is a little organization.” She pushed her glasses further up her nose and nodded at Nicki. “We should go over the murder board to determine where we are in this case.” She made an about-face and marched out of the kitchen.

  No one was going to argue with her, so the three younger women all trudged after the admin assistant, with Jenna grabbing the plate of muffins before joining in the parade headed to Nicki’s home office. They’d barely assembled in front of the large board when there was the sound of the front door opening.