A Clue in the Stew

by Connie Archer

  “Well, I just figured you all are so busy that—”

  Lucky cut her off. She wanted to reach across the room and throttle the woman. “Please do not take it upon yourself to make any decisions about anything at the Spoonful.”

  “Well, I was sure you wouldn’t want to be closing up and losing all those customers . . .”

  Lucky gritted her teeth. “Please remember, it is not your business to make decisions. If anyone calls, for any reason, you are to tell me about it right away. Is that clear enough?”

  Nanette sniffed. “I was only tryin’ to be a help. But I understand.” Her face had assumed a thoroughly chastised look as she stepped out to the corridor and shut the door behind her.

  Lucky rubbed her temples and put her head in her hands. What was wrong with this woman? Flirting with Jack, ignoring the fact that Lucky was her boss and upsetting Sage. This would never do. She was sorely tempted to fire her on the spot but she was terrified Meg might quit if she did that. Maybe things will work out, she thought. And maybe that’s too optimistic, was her second thought.

  The phone on the desk rang. “What now?” Lucky mumbled to herself.

  “Lucky?” the voice on the other end of the line said.

  “Yes. Who’s calling?”

  “Oh. It’s Barbara. Barbara Drake. It didn’t sound like you at all, Lucky.”

  Lucky sighed. She was sure she had sounded like someone had their hands around her throat. “It’s me. What can I do for you, Barbara?”

  “I just wanted to call to thank you, for hosting the book signing at the Spoonful. Eleanor just told me. I was really afraid it would be canceled and I’d lose all these bookings. You know, Ms. Stone and her staff have rented the entire second floor. And they’re really keeping all of us busy too.”

  “How many people did she bring with her?”

  “Well, her assistant, Phoebe, is here already and her publicist just came in. Plus her son, Derek Stone, and his wife, Sylvia, so all four large bedrooms and the sitting room on the second floor are filled. It’s a blessing, but I can’t let them have the dining room. I have guests on the first floor and I need that for serving meals.”

  “It’s no problem. Hopefully, Hilary Stone is so popular our customers won’t mind. Besides it’ll give Meg and . . . our new waitress a night off. They’ll appreciate that, I’m sure.”

  “I hope to get over there too and have her sign a book. I wouldn’t want to miss all the excitement. Imagine, somebody as famous as Hilary Stone coming to our little town. It’s wonderful! She’ll really put Snowflake on the map.”

  Lucky mumbled an agreement. That’s what I’m afraid of, she thought but didn’t reply.

  Chapter 11

  “WHAT EXACTLY DID she do?” Elias asked as he sliced through the shell of a jalousie he had created with pie dough. The vegetables inside steamed in a creamy mushroom sauce.

  “More like what she didn’t do,” Lucky replied vehemently.

  “Okay. Okay!” Elias held up his hands in mock surrender.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to bite your head off. The woman is just so annoying—cloying, that’s what she is—with that Southern accent and all the phony gooey charm. It’s probably not even real.”

  “What’s not real? The charm?”

  “That too,” Lucky grumbled. “No, I meant the accent.”

  “You think so?” Elias scooped a large helping of vegetables onto her dinner plate.

  Lucky shrugged noncommittally. “Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes I hear it and sometimes I don’t. I’m just being critical ’cause I’m so mad at her right now. She gets under my skin. First she sashays in and flirts with Jack and completely ignores the fact that it’s my restaurant. Like I’m invisible because I’m not the man in the room. You know the kind of woman I mean. Just lays it on thick for every guy around and tries to get one up on all the women.”

  “Hmmm. I’ll have to meet her.”

  “Are you trying to make me jealous?” Lucky smiled.

  “No, just trying to make you laugh.”

  “Well, I’m not jealous anyway. She might even be young enough to be Jack’s granddaughter. Hard to say. And she’s stuffed into that low-cut dress like pork sausage in a casing. I just can’t stand the way she’s so obviously flirting with him.”

  Elias chuckled. “Maybe Jack’s liking it. You ever think of that?”

  “Hmph,” Lucky grumbled. “Well . . . maybe you’re right,” she agreed reluctantly. “I guess Jack’s flattered by all that attention. I can’t blame him. I’m sure he’s lonely a lot of the time. He’s been all alone for years, really.”

  “He may be,” Elias agreed, “but he has the restaurant, and now you’re here. I’d guess Jack’s pretty happy all around. He never seems down.”

  Lucky nodded. “You’re right. Let’s not talk about that awful woman anymore. She just makes my blood boil.”

  “Okay.” Elias smiled. He knew what was coming. “What would you prefer to talk about?”

  Lucky grinned at him across the table. “You know me too well. I am curious, even though I feel so bad for Guy and Tommy. I worry about how discovering the woman’s body will affect that little boy.”

  Elias nodded. “At least it wasn’t a gruesome scene. Tommy told Guy that a lady was sleeping in the woods.” He sighed and shook his head. “Nate told me that.”

  “Kids are sharp though. It will filter through. And for all we know, his mother’s been ill, he might be deeply affected. There’s just the two of them and a small kid would be terrified his mother could die.”

  “His mother’s doing fine now. And don’t forget, kids are resilient. Tommy will be okay.”

  “Who was she? The woman in the woods? Does Nate know yet?”

  Elias shook his head negatively. “Not as far as I know. I haven’t talked to him since he called me out there. Nate didn’t find a purse or wallet near the body. He was sure she wasn’t local so hopefully he’ll find a car or figure out how she got there.”

  Lucky shuddered. “How awful. Strangled in the woods. Maybe she was meeting someone there?”

  “I guess that’s a possibility. Otherwise why would she be in that area dressed as she was?”

  “Nate mentioned a plastic cord near the body. Was she strangled with that?”

  “Quite possibly.” Elias reached over and helped himself to another scoop of vegetables. “The pathologist will be able to tell for sure, but whatever the murder weapon was, it was something thin, maybe plastic. The mark was very clean. They’ll check for fibers in the wound and look at the cord microscopically, but it’s likely that’s the murder weapon.” Elias took a sip of his wine. “But I want to hear about your day. What’s the scuttlebutt about the famous mystery author?”

  Lucky took a deep breath. “My arm’s been twisted. I couldn’t say no. Apparently, this woman, Hilary Stone, is very famous. Her murder mystery is on every bestseller list in the world . . .”

  “Really? I’ll have to check this book out.”

  “The original plan was to hold the event at the church meeting hall but the church roof has been leaking like a sieve and Pastor Wilson’s keeping his fingers crossed that the whole roof won’t have to be replaced. Eleanor Jensen was just frantic. They can’t really use the dining room at the Drake House, and if they cancel the event, Eleanor could lose a sale and Barbara will be left hanging too. What else could I do?”

  “I see your point. So you’re closing the restaurant tomorrow evening?”

  “Yes.” Lucky nodded and took a sip of wine. “We’ll close at five, clean up and rearrange everything. They’ve been very generous in compensation, so I’m not worried about that. We’ll serve coffee and tea and pastries from Bettie’s Bakery. Jack and Meg and our wonderful new waitress can have an evening off,” Lucky replied grimly. “It’ll just be me and Sage. Sophie might come b
y to help if she feels like it. But it really shouldn’t be a lot of work.”

  Lucky took another scoop of the mushroom sauce and smiled. “And it turns out, Meg is a big fan! I had no idea she was such a mystery devotée. She wants to be there to meet the author. That’s why she didn’t want to have to work that night. I don’t mind at all. She’s been so upset about her hours and she had a meltdown the other day if you can imagine that. That’s the only reason I hired Nanette. I promised Meg I’d hire the first person who walked through the door”—Lucky shook her head—“even though my first instinct was to toss her out on the sidewalk.”

  Elias smiled. “I can just picture Meg with her nose in a mystery book.”

  “She’s told me all about the characters and the police officer and the clues. She’s a huge fan.” Lucky’s face clouded. “It’s weird though . . . I just recalled . . .”

  “What?”

  “Meg told me the victims in Murder Comes Calling were strangled with a telephone cord.”

  Chapter 12

  JACK SAT BY the window reading the morning paper while Lucky moved around the front room of the restaurant organizing everything for the morning. She laid placemats at all the tables with napkins and silverware, straightened the chairs and refreshed the water in the vases of forsythias in the front window. She loved the way the yellow color of the blossoms on their long twigs reflected the color of the gingham curtains. It was still early. Meg and Nanette had yet to arrive. Only Sage clattered about the kitchen, getting pots ready for the day ahead. Sophie had promised to stop in later. Now that the long winter was really over, Sophie’s schedule as a ski instructor had finally freed up. She often spent time helping out at the restaurant during the warmer months when her schedule was light. Lucky looked forward to the season and having more time to spend with her friend.

  She heard a tap at the front door and looked up. Nate Edgerton stood outside. She hurried over and unlocked the door.

  “Hi, Nate. How are you?”

  “Fine, Lucky.” He smiled. “I know I’m too early, but I was hoping for a cup of coffee and a muffin, if that’s okay. I’ve been up since the crack of dawn.”

  “Of course. No problem. Grab a seat with Jack and I’ll bring you something.”

  Sage had peeked through the hatch and overheard Nate’s comment. He poured a large mug of coffee and placed a warm blueberry muffin with butter on the ledge. Lucky carried it over to the table.

  “You still investigating this woman Guy and Tommy found in the woods?” Jack asked, folding up his newspaper.

  Nate nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. Things are breaking though. We found an abandoned car a quarter of a mile away, off a dirt road that verged from the main road. Got a license number and a photo and we’ve identified this poor woman.”

  “Really!” Lucky remarked, sitting down at the table. “Who is she?”

  Nate shook his head. “The last person you’d expect to find around here, especially in such a state. Turns out she’s . . . she was a psychiatrist at the Salisbury Retreat in Bournmouth.” Nate took a sip of his coffee. “I suspected she was some sort of a professional woman, given her clothing.”

  Lucky shuddered. “The Salisbury Retreat? Isn’t that the place that used to be called the Institute for the Criminally Insane?”

  “I think you’re right,” Nate agreed. He guffawed, “Good thing they changed that name.”

  “How do you think she ended up in the woods?” Jack asked.

  “No idea right now.” Nate shrugged. “She might have just come from work, or maybe she was heading to her office. Certainly not dressed for tromping around in the woods. Was she kidnapped and taken there? Had she broken down on the road or maybe gave a ride to the wrong person? We don’t know yet. We’ll have to track her movements. And check the car out. She might have had mechanical problems but . . .” Nate hesitated.

  “But what?” Lucky asked.

  “If she did have problems with the car, why would she pull so far off the road? She could’ve called for roadside assistance, but she’d have to wait where a tow truck could find her. Or possibly somebody else moved that car in an effort to hide it.”

  “Well, she might not have been exactly local, but Bournmouth isn’t that far away,” Jack said.

  “I’m heading over in that direction now. We’re trying to find a next of kin and check her residence and all that. Just real sad. She was a relatively young woman.”

  “It’s so scary, Nate,” Lucky said. “Another murder right here in Snowflake.”

  “I know. Doesn’t make anybody sleep easier around here, that’s for sure.”

  Lucky heard the rear door slam. Nanette called out, “Yoo-hoo, everybody.” Lucky cringed. She hoped today would go more smoothly with their new hire. She glanced at Jack. He sat up straighter in his chair and brushed some crumbs off his shirt. No doubt about it. Jack was taken with Nanette’s dubious charms.

  “I better be on my way, folks.” Nate stood. “Thanks for the bite to eat, Lucky. I’ll see you all later.”

  Lucky followed Nate to the door and unlocked it for him. He waved once from the sidewalk and headed for his cruiser. Lucky flipped over the sign at the front door to read OPEN. “I better get busy too, Jack.” Her grandfather wasn’t listening. His face was wreathed in smiles as Nanette, smiling broadly, waggled her fingers in a cute hello from across the room.

  Lucky sighed. What next? she thought.

  • • •

  THE MORNING FLEW by quickly. Sage seemed to have calmed down after yesterday’s upset, and Meg and Nanette were managing to work well together. She allowed herself an optimistic hope that everything might work out just fine. Lucky glanced around the restaurant. The midday rush had just ended and only a few customers remained. Something wasn’t quite right though. She had been so busy she hadn’t had a chance to notice that their two most regular regulars hadn’t arrived at all this morning. Hank and Barry always came in together and were usually their first customers of the day.

  “Jack?” Lucky called to her grandfather. He looked up quickly. Lucky realized with a shock that Nanette was standing next to him again as he made change at the cash register. She was rubbing his arm in a very familiar way. Lucky gritted her teeth. What was this woman’s game? She was openly flirting with Jack in a way that was inappropriate for a working environment.

  “Hey! Lucky!”

  Lucky turned. Sophie peeked through the hatch and waved.

  Lucky smiled. “Hang on.” She slipped out from the counter and pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen. “We missed you here.” She gave her friend a big hug.

  “I know. I missed everybody too, but you’ll be seeing more of me soon.” Sophie and Sage had married almost a year ago in May. Their lives had settled into a routine that revolved around work and setting up housekeeping together. The three of them hadn’t had as much time to visit and catch up with news.

  “I can’t stay long this morning. Just popped in to say hello and see how things are going.” Sophie leaned closer. “I also want to check out the new waitress. I heard all about her.”

  Lucky glanced at Sage and grimaced. “I’m sure you did. I’m not happy about all this but I really had no choice. Too much work was falling on Meg’s shoulders and she was pretty upset.”

  “I know, Sage filled me in,” she said. “He was telling me about . . .” Sophie trailed off as the swinging door opened.

  “Hellooo.” Nanette smiled. “Who do we have here?” She stood with her hands on her hips as though waiting to approve anyone who entered the kitchen.

  Sophie’s eyes widened. She was rendered speechless.

  “Uh, Nanette, this is Sophie. Sophie DuBois, Sage’s wife.” She turned to Sophie. “Nanette is our new waitress.” Lucky forced a smile.

  “Well,” Nanette drawled. “Very nice to meet you, I’m sure.” She turned to Lucky
. “Ah was just talkin’ to your grandfather, dear. I was tellin’ him I think our aprons could use a new logo. This one with the soup bowl is kinda old-fashioned, don’t ya think?”

  Lucky blinked. “My mother designed these aprons,” she replied quietly. Sophie and Sage stopped breathing. “And my dad had the neon sign in the front window made to match.”

  “Oh.” Nanette pursed her lips. “I see. Well, Jack’s agreed with me. So he’ll be talkin’ to you about that. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.” Nanette turned on her heel and returned to the front room.

  “I think we should kill her,” Sophie mumbled under her breath.

  “I’ll help you,” Lucky added.

  Chapter 13

  SOPHIE SAID HER good-byes and Lucky returned to the counter, where she swept up the dirty cups and dishes and slammed them into the plastic bin under the counter. In a determined effort not to lose her temper, she counted to one hundred under her breath. She caught Meg’s eye across the room, where Meg had just finished taking an order. Meg raised her eyebrows, aware that something had just happened and that Lucky was upset. She approached the counter and leaned across. “Are you all right?”

  Lucky’s jaw clenched. “Fine. I’m fine.”

  Meg looked doubtful.

  “Really. I am. Nothing to worry about.”

  Meg shot a look in Nanette’s direction. Nanette was taking orders at another table and talking animatedly to her customers. Her hips wiggled as she talked. Meg looked back at Lucky and heaved a sigh, then placed her order on the hatch.

  The bell over the door jingled as Barry Sanders entered. Barry was alone again. Barry waved a hello to Jack and sat on a stool at the counter.

  “You’re late today. No Hank? Is he still not feeling well?” Lucky asked.

  Barry had a worried expression on his face. “I don’t know, Lucky.”

  Lucky’s attention was immediately arrested. “What did you say?”

  “I don’t know where he is. I called him again yesterday and he said he still didn’t feel well. I stopped at his house on my way back but he didn’t answer the door. I figured he was maybe sleeping. I didn’t want to be a pest. But today, I went by on my way down here to see if he was feeling better. He wasn’t home. His car was gone.”