Dead by Dinner Time

by Jeff Shelby

  My heart was hammering out of control.

  I couldn’t look at Denise because I knew what she was thinking.

  It was probably the same thought that was running through my head.

  Earl had a story that would work.

  We all knew it.

  It would be his word against ours.

  And his version would win.

  “So,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Who has a phone handy? We can call this in now and get it over with.”

  “I do.”

  The three of us looked at each other.

  And then we turned, almost in unison, to see who was standing in the back of the kitchen.

  THIRTY ONE

  “Great. Another peon,” Earl grumbled.

  Aidan didn’t hear him.

  “What’s going on in here?” Aidan asked as he strolled toward us.

  “Nothing,” Earl said. “I came in to see if I could offer any help. Isn’t that right, ladies?”

  I stared at him.

  “No. That’s isn’t right at all,” I said. To Aidan, I said, “He’s fabricating a story about Arthur. He’s going to tell the police we did it, but I have proof it was him.”

  Oddly, Aidan didn’t seem surprised by this news.

  Earl tugged at his collar. For the first time since he’d shown up in the kitchen, he looked a little uncertain. “I’ll say you were involved, too,” he warned Aidan. “You were there with them. The three of you were in on it together. And...and...” he sputtered. “And you’re planning to injure other people, too. You set the fire intentionally. I saw you! All of you!”

  Denise gasped again.

  Earl smiled triumphantly. “All three of you will take the fall.”

  Aidan’s smile was just as bright. “You sure about that?” He held up his phone and Earl froze.

  “You see,” Aidan said, “when you asked who had a phone, I volunteered. But what I didn’t tell you is that I’ve been recording this whole time.”

  “You have?” I asked, hope blossoming inside of me.

  Aidan nodded. “I got everything.”

  Earl growled. “Give that to me,” he demanded.

  Aidan chuckled. “Not a chance.”

  Earl went apoplectic, his face turning a startling shade of purple. His mouth opened and closed several times, almost as if he were a fish struggling to breathe.

  And then he lunged at Aidan.

  For a man in his seventies, he moved with surprising speed and agility.

  He apparently caught Aidan off guard, because Earl landed on him and Aidan flew backward, with Earl landing on top of him on the floor.

  “Give me the phone!” Earl barked as he struggled to rip it out of Aidan’s hands.

  I watched in horror, frozen in place.

  I could tell that Aidan wasn’t fighting back. He didn’t want to hurt Earl; this much was obvious. But if Earl got ahold of the phone and managed to erase the recording, what did that mean for me and Denise? And Aidan?

  I had to stop him.

  The question was, how.

  I looked frantically around the kitchen.

  There were pots and pans stacked on a wire rack, and I knew there was a drawer brimming with knives.

  The problem was, I didn’t want to hurt him, either. I just wanted the phone safely out of his hands.

  My eyes finally lit on something that just might work.

  My hand closed around the canister sitting on the counter. The metal was cold, and the canister itself was surprisingly heavy.

  I shifted it into position and aimed, and hoped it had enough juice left to do what it needed to do.

  A stream of white burst out of the extinguisher and directly at Earl. I didn’t know if it was the force of the propellant or the surprise of being hit with it that made Earl roll off of Aidan.

  But I didn’t care.

  Because Aidan leaped to his feet and the phone was still clutched in his hand.

  I released the handle on the extinguisher. “It’s okay?” I asked him. “The recording?”

  He glanced at the screen. “It’s good.”

  Denise clapped her hands and a wave of relief washed over me.

  Earl rolled around on the ground, groaning, but it didn’t sound like he was hurt. It was a groan of rage, of frustration.

  I slumped against the counter, the fire extinguisher still cradled in my hands.

  “You did it,” Aidan said. “You figured out what happened.”

  Denise cleared her throat. “Now can I call the police?” She was holding her own phone above her head.

  I managed a weak smile. “Yes. Now you can call the police.”

  THIRTY TWO

  We’d found Arthur’s real killer, but I wasn’t out of the woods yet.

  It was the next morning and I was sitting in Anne’s office, waiting for her.

  She’d summoned me to see her as soon as I arrived, which I’d dutifully done.

  And she wasn’t in her office.

  I tapped the floor with my shoe, my knee bouncing in nervous anticipation.

  We hadn’t had a chance to speak for any length of time after the police were called. There were statements to give, for Denise, Aidan, and me individually, and then they spoke to us as a group, as well. Anne was brought up to speed, and she immediately immersed herself in damage control, making sure she had a handle on all the details that were available so she could control the information that was bound to be circulated within Oasis Ridge and in the larger community, as well.

  To his credit, Earl had immediately confessed when the police arrived.

  And I had been right.

  He’d been in love with Mary since the moment he saw her, and he’d patiently waited those first couple of weeks, wanting to give her time to get acclimated to her new surroundings before beginning the courting process. But by that time, it was too late. Mary had met Arthur and had gotten it in her head that he was the man she was going to marry.

  Earl had been devastated. And he knew, if he could just get Arthur out of the way, that he might have a shot with her. He and Mary had become good friends, after all, and he knew the primary reason she wanted to marry Arthur was simply so she could experience that type of commitment before she died.

  He did have a liking for gardening, and he had left behind a large garden of his own when he moved to Oasis Ridge. His desire to putter around Ruth’s plants was real. But when he spied the deadly plant growing in her apartment, an idea formed.

  He could use it on Arthur. Get him out of the picture for good.

  And Mary would be his.

  He’d planned everything to the letter. Chose a meal that he knew would have many ingredients, and that would have enough flavor on its own to potentially mask the bitter taste of the leaves.

  The one thing I hadn’t been able to figure out was how he’d managed to serve it to Arthur. How had he gotten it into the enchilada?

  The answer came from Earl. When Mary stepped out to use the ladies room, he’d sat down to congratulate Arthur. Knocked Arthur’s napkin to the floor and while he was leaning down to get it, Earl had sprinkled the leaves in the enchilada sauce. Arthur had been none the wiser.

  The fact that he’d succumbed so quickly to the poison was still a mystery, but Aidan later explained to me that if Arthur had any underlying medical conditions, it could have exacerbated the effects of the plant. We wouldn’t know for sure unless an autopsy was performed, and I didn’t know if that was even possible at this point.

  But none of those things really mattered.

  What mattered was the fact that the person who had killed Arthur was now behind bars.

  And I, thankfully, was not.

  However, I was sitting in a different kind of prison.

  Anne’s office.

  I heard the sound of her footsteps before I saw her.

  “Sunny,” she said as she closed the door behind her.

  I watched silently as she rounded her desk and sat down in her c
hair.

  She was wearing purple glasses today, paired with a lavender top.

  “So,” she said, squinting at me. It looked an awful lot like a frown. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me,” she barked.

  I felt my cheeks warm. “Um, well, I’m sorry about staying quiet about all of this. I just...Denise found the leaves on Arthur’s plate and I didn’t want her to rush to judgment without knowing what was going on. And I know it was irresponsible and I totally understand if this is something you feel needs to be disciplined but I just really want to say that I love my job and—”

  “That’s enough,” she announced.

  I swallowed nervously.

  “I was going to say how pleased I was that you kept this quiet,” she said quietly.

  I gaped at her. “What?”

  She nodded. “This had the potential to damage our reputation, both among our current residents and the community at large. It could have created mass panic here, knowing that one of the residents had been poisoned. You kept it under wraps, and you worked diligently to figure out just what had happened.”

  I was speechless. I swallowed a couple of times, not sure I was able to speak. “Are you serious?” I managed to croak.

  She gave me another slight nod. “That’s the good news.”

  My heart dropped.

  “What I am not pleased about is that you kept me in the dark, as well.”

  I scrambled for a reason to give her. “I know, and I’m sorry. I really am. I just...I didn’t want to worry you. You have a lot on your plate and—”

  “Save it,” she said.

  I stopped talking.

  A minute of uncomfortable silence ticked by. I stared down at my hands and I was pretty sure Anne spent the time glaring at the top of my head.

  “I’m giving you a warning,” she finally said.

  I looked up. “A what?”

  “A verbal warning.” She looked down her nose at me. “I could do more, you know. I could fire you.”

  I felt my pulse ratchet up a notch.

  And not from fear.

  “You could fire me?” I asked. “Really?”

  “Of course. You kept me out of the loop and you kept a very important secret from me.”

  I'd had just about enough of Anne's covering her own rear end while trying to hold my feet to the fire.

  “I mean, I could go talk to the newspaper,” I said. “Or maybe the TV stations. I'm sure they'd be interested in hearing more about what happened.”

  She blinked several times. “What?”

  “I'm just saying,” I said. “There's going to be a lot of interest in this story. I could probably drum up some more.” I stared at her. “Especially if I'm not wanted here.”

  Anne swallowed and looked away from me for a moment. “The verbal warning won't go in your file. I'd just like you to follow procedure. That's all I'm saying.”

  “Follow procedure. Sure. But, to be clear, nothing will go in my file?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  It felt like a small victory. “Then I'm sure I won't need to talk to anyone else about what happened here.”

  “Terrific. Just stick to your job. That's all I'm asking,” she said. “No more sleuthing. If something like this happens again—God forbid—you come directly to me. Understood?”

  I nodded again.

  “Alright, get out of here and go do your job. And send that friend of yours in.”

  I stood from the chair feeling like I'd won the battle.

  Denise and Aidan were both standing in the hallway. Denise looked like she was ready to pass out and Aidan was sitting on the carpet, looking as though he was playing a game on his phone.

  “You’re up,” I told Denise.

  She gulped.

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “She didn’t fire me so I’m pretty sure your job is safe, too.”

  She looked hopefully at me. “You think?”

  “I know,” I said reassuringly.

  She took a deep breath, straightened the hem of her shirt, and headed inside.

  The door clicked shut.

  I glanced at Aidan, still sitting on the floor.

  He looked up at me and grinned. “Everything’s cool?”

  “I think so. For now anyway.”

  He pushed up against the wall and worked himself into a standing position.

  “You know, I never thanked you for saving my life,” he said.

  “I didn’t save your life.

  He shoved his phone into his pocket. “Yeah, you did.”

  “Pretty sure you weren’t in danger of being crushed by Earl Lipinski.”

  “Not crushed,” he agreed. “But his elbows and knees were so bony, I thought he might puncture a lung or a kidney.”

  I chuckled. “Whatever. Besides, if anyone deserves to be thanked, it’s you.” I immediately sobered. “If you hadn’t recorded our conversation, yesterday might have ended very differently.”

  He shrugged. “Right place, right time.”

  “How did you know to start recording?”

  “It was just a feeling I had,” he said. “I’d run some meds up to a resident and was going into the laundry area to grab some sheets for the guest room, since Walter has family coming in this week. I saw Earl lurking by the kitchen door. Just standing in the dining room, which I thought was weird. So I went around back and was just about to grab the sheets when I heard his voice in the kitchen. He sounded...I don’t know. Evil, I guess. And I don’t know what made me think to start recording...but I’m glad I did.”

  I smiled. “Me, too.”

  “You did good, you know,” Aidan said.

  “We all did. At the end of the day, the right person is behind bars for what happened.”

  “Yeah, but none of that would have happened if it hadn’t been for you.”

  I frowned. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “It’s true. You kept digging. You thought there was more to the story and there was.”

  He wasn’t entirely right. I’d originally thought Denise was off her rocker when she suggested something sinister might have happened to Arthur.

  “I guess,” I said reluctantly.

  “Don’t guess,” he said with a grin. “Know. Know that you’re not just good at planning activities here.”

  Earl’s spiteful words played back in my head.

  “Eh, I’m not so sure I’m good at that, either.”

  Aidan put his hand on my shoulder. “You are,” he insisted in a soft voice. “And you’re good at something else, too.”

  I looked at him.

  He smiled. “You’re good at solving mysteries, too.”

  I responded with a slow grin of my own.

  Because I realized he was right.

  I was pretty good at solving mysteries.

  THE END

  Thanks for reading DEAD BY DINNERTIME! If you enjoyed it, please consider taking a few minutes to review it wherever you purchased it!

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  And if you missed the book where Sunny was introduced in the Moose River series, keep reading for a special sneak peek at DEAD IN THE WATER.

  Sunny Springfield was introduced in the 9th book in the Moose River series, DEAD IN THE WATER. Here's the first chapter of that book, which you can find wherever books are sold.

  ONE

  “This is a really big boat,” Grace said. She tilted her head back and looked skyward. “Like, probably the biggest boat ever.”

  “It is not.” Will frowned. “And it's not a boat. It's a ship.”

  Sophie adjusted her sunglasses and looked at her brother. “Aren't ships and boats the same thing?”

  Will’s frown deepened. “Have you ever heard of a cruise boat? No, I don't think so. They aren't the same thing.”

  “I seriously
hope you fall overboard,” Grace said as she dropped her own sunglasses down over her eyes.

  “Another family vacation will be fun, you said,” Jake whispered in my ear. “A cruise will be exciting, you said.”

  I elbowed him in the stomach. “Stop it. This is going to be fun and exciting.”

  “Does everyone have their hand sanitizer?” Emily asked. Her long brown hair hid her face as she bent toward her purse, apparently searching for her own bottle. “You should have it at the ready.”

  Will shook his head at his sister. “Oh my god.”

  We were in Ft. Lauderdale, waiting to board the largest ship in the Circus Cruise Lines fleet, the Stupendous. We'd arrived from Minnesota the afternoon before and had crammed all six of us into a single hotel room for the night. A long day of travel and close quarters had made everyone a little grouchy as we waited in line to board the ship. Standing in the Florida heat moving at a snail’s pace wasn’t helping anyone’s mood, either.

  I knew Will was probably right. The Stupendous most likely was not the biggest ship ever, but it was still a marvel to behold. Maybe seven stories high, and the length of it vast enough that it made me think I'd get tired trying to run from one end to the other. The sides of the ship were so white they sparkled, and the massive tail thingy at the far end was gleaming red.

  “Mom, is it the biggest ship ever?” Grace asked, still looking upward.

  “Not the biggest,” I told her. “But this is the biggest one I've ever been up close to.”

  She stuck out her tongue in the direction of her brother.

  “Do you think we can refill the sanitizer bottles once we get on board?” Emily asked. She’d found her bottle and squeezed a few drops on her hands. “TSA took my giant bottle yesterday and I really don’t think this is going to last me the whole trip.”

  “We will find some,” I promised.