Iced to Death (A Gourmet De-Lite Mystery)

by Cochran, Peg

  His side of the conversation was short and terse. He punched the end call button and frowned. “Another lawn ornament has gone missing. The Fosters came home from a trip to Europe to discover someone had nicked a metal frog from their front lawn.” Mertz laughed. “Apparently, the frog was playing the violin.” He shook his head. “What will they come up with next?”

  Gigi was bending down to pick up her purse when she stopped short. She was about to tell Mertz that she’d seen the actual theft when she remembered the flash of yellow, and Pia’s yellow jacket. Somehow she couldn’t bring herself to mention it. She was going to locate Pia’s studio somehow and find out once and for all if Pia was involved. Then she would let Mertz deal with it.

  “I’m sorry our evening has to be cut short.” Mertz got Gigi’s coat from the closet and held it out for her. “Just when it was getting good.” He gestured toward the sofa.

  Gigi felt her face heat up. She had enjoyed kissing Mertz. And she appreciated the fact that he wasn’t rushing her into something she wasn’t ready for.

  Mertz put on his own coat and slipped his hand into the pocket. He pulled out a white envelope and handed it to Gigi. This time his face reddened. “I hope you like it. I think I read every card in the store before I chose that one.”

  Gigi ripped open the flap on the envelope and pulled out the card. The design was simple and pleasing, the prose equally simple but poignant. The message was clear.

  Mertz gathered Gigi into his arms. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, his lips hovering over hers.

  As they drove through the darkened streets back to Gigi’s house, Gigi glanced at Metz’s profile in the flickering light from the streetlamps. She felt a rush of warmth and thankfulness. There had been a few other men who had caught her attention since her move to Woodstone, but Mertz had stayed the course. She had made the right choice.

  The house was dark when they pulled into Gigi’s driveway. Reg gave a giant yawn and stretched before jumping out of the backseat. He made straight for one of the rose bushes and lifted his leg.

  Mertz waited until Gigi got inside and turned on the light. She waved from the back door and watched as he backed down the driveway. She turned away as his taillights disappeared down the street. She was putting the kettle on for a cup of tea when she noticed a white envelope sitting out on the counter. It was addressed to her.

  At first she thought Pia had gotten her a Valentine’s Day card, but it was a business-size envelope and didn’t look at all like a card. Was it a good-bye note? Had Pia finally taken off for California? Gigi hoped not. She was enjoying having family around and hoped that Pia might settle down—in her own place, to be sure—but at least close to Woodstone.

  Gigi slit open the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper inside. It looked like some sort of certificate. She read it through. It was a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure at the new nail salon that had opened behind Abigail’s. Stuck to it was a sticky note with thanks for everything and happy Valentine’s day, love Pia scrawled across it.

  How terribly sweet, Gigi thought. She hadn’t treated herself to a manicure or pedicure in ages. It would be fun and relaxing. Maybe she’d go tomorrow.

  Meanwhile, it was off to bed for her. “Come on, Reg.”

  They padded down the hall to the bedroom where they were both soon fast asleep.

  • • •

  Pia was still sound asleep when Gigi left to make her deliveries the next morning. Gigi wanted to thank her for the gift certificate so she penned a quick note and left it in the bathroom where Pia was sure to see it.

  Her plans were to deliver her breakfast Gourmet De-Lite meals and then head to the Perfect Ten Nail Salon to use her gift certificate. Reg was quite put out that he wasn’t able to go along as she dropped off her meals, which was their norm, but she suspected that the sunbeam coming through the kitchen window would be calling his name in no time.

  A drooping plastic banner with Grand Opening on it hung from the front of the Perfect Ten Nail Salon. Gigi pushed open the front door. The girl at the reception desk was simultaneously talking on the telephone and shaking a bottle of bright red nail polish.

  She moved the receiver away from her mouth. “Manicure or pedicure?”

  “Both.”

  Gigi glanced around. A row of manicure tables were lined up at the front of the shop and behind those were half a dozen pedicure stations. A middle-aged blond woman was getting a set of acrylics applied, and Gigi could see the back of another woman, with her pants rolled up to her knees, who was about to climb onto one of the pedicure platforms. Other than that, the shop was empty.

  The décor was simple and streamlined, with a Zen-like feel to it. Everything was in black and white except for an acrylic wall of shelves where bottles of nail polish provided a splash of every color imaginable, from dark purple to bubblegum pink.

  A young girl came rushing out of the back toward Gigi. She wore slim-fitting cropped black pants and a white blouse with a mandarin collar. She smiled and motioned toward the wall behind her. “Please, pick your color.”

  Gigi went over to examine her choices. They were endless, it seemed. She settled on a neutral sort of mauve shade for her nails and a bright red for her toes. Even though no one would see them, she would enjoy the pop of color when she took her shoes off.

  The girl summoned her to the pedicure area. The other woman was now seated, and Gigi got a better look at her.

  “Mrs. Simpson,” she exclaimed.

  Barbara looked up from the magazine she was reading. “Gigi! Please do call me Barbara. Why don’t you sit here,” she motioned to the station next to her, “and we can chat.”

  Gigi was glad to see that Barbara was getting out, although there were still dark circles under her eyes and an air of sadness about her. Her shoulders drooped, and she looked as if she might start to cry at any moment.

  Gigi slipped out of her shoes and socks, cringing at the sight of her toes—it had been at least a year since she’d last had a professional pedicure—and slid her feet into the basin of warm, bubbling water. A sigh escaped her lips as she settled back into the chair.

  “I’ve been enjoying your food so much,” Barbara said, putting down her magazine. “I’ve only lost a pound so far, but I know I have to be patient. I just wish Bradley were here to . . .” She wiped at a tear that had collected in the corner of her eye. “But I mustn’t dwell on that. Tell me how you’re doing.”

  “Oh . . . just fine I guess.”

  “I was horrified when I heard about Tiffany Morse,” Barbara confided in a near whisper. “She was a very ambitious young woman. Bradley was quite taken with her and was acting as her mentor. It was just unfortunate that that old geezer West was so old-fashioned about allowing women into the partnership.” Barbara watched as the nail technician painted a wide swath of hot pink polish down the middle of her big toe. “I learned quite a bit about self-actualization in the . . . the . . . well, in all the magazine articles and self-help books I’ve read.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Bradley used to tease me about it.” Her expression turned serious. “But a woman needs to do whatever necessary to reach her full potential.”

  “Yes.” Gigi agreed, sighing again as the salon technician rubbed a citrusy-smelling scrub over her feet and lower legs. This was heaven. She should have done it sooner.

  “I’m just afraid,” Barbara stopped abruptly.

  “Yes?” Gigi tried not to look too eager.

  “It’s about Hunter.” Barbara’s voice was still barely above a whisper. “Well, not Hunter exactly, but his fiancée. I adore Madeline, but she’s rather . . . ambitious . . . for Hunter.”

  Gigi’s ears perked up. That was a surprise. Madeline had certainly never struck her that way.

  “Hunter has created this medical device, you see.” Barbara winced as the nail technician briskly rubbed a pumice stone up and down the bottom of her foot. “And he needs funds to get it off the ground. He didn’t want to ask h
is father, because he wanted to do it all on his own.”

  Was it that, or was he afraid to ask his father? Gigi wondered.

  “But Madeline kept pushing him to do it. Finally, she said she was going to take matters into her own hands and speak to Bradley herself.” Barbara’s lower lip quivered. “I’m just afraid that she might have . . . gone too far.” Barbara turned her wedding ring around and around. “Hunter thinks the world of Madeline. If anything happened to her . . .”

  Gigi reached over and patted Barbara’s hand. “I’m sure everything is going to be okay,” she said with a lot more conviction than she felt.

  Gigi had to sit for what felt like hours as her nails dried. She thought about what Barbara had said, but she couldn’t reconcile an ambitious Madeline with the Madeline she knew. But she did decide to lose weight in order to better fit the culture at Simpson and West, a small voice whispered inside Gigi’s head. Was it possible that Madeline had become ambitious enough to kill? Logistically it was possible. It would have been easy enough for her to slip into the kitchen at some point and take Declan’s ice pick. Hunter had stormed off, leaving her alone. No one knew exactly how she got home that night. Or when.

  Gigi shook her head. Not Madeline. It just wasn’t possible.

  She almost put her gloves on as she was leaving Perfect Ten but remembered just in time that her nails still weren’t completely dry. She paused for a moment by the door, admiring the pretty mauve color she’d selected.

  Gigi was leaving the nail salon just as Alice was coming down the street. Alice saw her and waved furiously, rushing along to catch up with Gigi.

  “Gigi,” Alice said, panting slightly. “Do you have time for a cup of tea?” She gestured toward the Woodstone Diner. “I’ve got some news.”

  Gigi glanced at her watch quickly. “Sure. A quick one. Then I need to get back home.”

  “I am just so excited!” Alice declared as they walked toward the diner.

  Gigi could easily guess what Alice’s news was, but she decided to let her play it out her way.

  They settled themselves in a booth, and the waitress immediately appeared at their table with two glasses of ice water. She pulled her pad from the pocket of her apron.

  “What can I get you?”

  “Just two cups of tea.” Alice looked at Gigi for confirmation, and Gigi nodded her head.

  The waitress headed toward the kitchen, and Alice could contain herself no longer.

  “It’s true!” she exclaimed. “My Stacy is pregnant. I’m going to be a grandmother!”

  “That’s wonderful,” Gigi said, taking Alice’s hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. “When is the baby due?”

  “The end of June. A perfect time to have a baby,” Alice said as the waitress slipped cups of tea in front of them. “She’ll deliver before the weather gets too hot.” Alice ran a finger around the neck of her sweater as if imagining the summer temperatures. “I was nine months pregnant with Stacy in August, and it was nearly unbearable.”

  “How is she feeling?”

  “Much better. She’s back at work. It’s those first three months that are so hard. She said she could barely stand the smell of food. Not the best thing when you work in a restaurant!”

  Gigi finished the rest of her tea and checked her watch. She needed to be getting back home. The waitress had just slid their check across the table when the front door opened, letting in a blast of cold air. Gigi glanced up briefly, then did a double take. It was Hunter Simpson and the Japanese woman Gigi had seen him with before.

  Alice was about to get up, but Gigi motioned for her to stay. Alice plunked down in her seat, a puzzled look on her face.

  Hunter looked around, then headed toward the booth in back of Gigi and Alice. Gigi couldn’t believe her luck.

  “What?” Alice whispered, pushing her teacup to the side and leaning across the table toward Gigi.

  “It’s Hunter Simpson. With that Japanese woman he’s been seen around town with.”

  Alice’s eyebrows shot up.

  The waitress walked past their table, looked questioningly at the check abandoned next to Gigi’s saucer and continued on to Hunter’s booth.

  Gigi leaned back in her seat and listened. Hunter ordered coffee with cream, but she couldn’t hear what the woman said.

  Alice started to open her mouth, but Gigi put a finger to her lips and shushed her.

  Hunter’s words were not as distinct or easy to hear as his order to the waitress had been. Gigi picked up a few words here and there—finance, interest, ownership. She was desperately trying to make sense of them when Hunter’s next words came through loud and clear.

  “Looks like we have a deal. If you have the paperwork drawn up, Simpson LLC and Gaishi Enterprises will join forces to develop and market the . . .”

  “I didn’t hear the last of it,” Gigi whispered to Alice, “but it sounds like she represents a company that is going into partnership with Hunter to market his invention.”

  Gigi motioned toward the waitress, who quickly picked up the check and the dollar bills Gigi and Alice had put out on the table. As they left the diner, Gigi gave one last backward glance at Hunter and his partner.

  “I didn’t think Hunter was playing around,” Gigi said as they stood on the sidewalk. “He just didn’t seem the type. It looks like it’s all business.”

  “So Hunter is innocent in Bradley’s murder.”

  “Not necessarily. Just because he’s found a backer for his invention doesn’t mean he didn’t go to his father for money first. And if Bradley had turned him down, that might have made Hunter mad enough to kill.”

  Chapter 19

  Gigi took a slight detour on her way home, taking some of Woodstone’s back streets that led her past several industrial parks. She hoped she would see Pia’s wreck of a VW bus parked somewhere, but no such luck.

  It also wasn’t in the driveway of her cottage when Gigi pulled in. Perhaps Pia was at Declan’s, keeping him company and having a bite to eat?

  She finished the preparations for the lunches she was bringing to her clients and filled her Gourmet De-Lite containers. Reg hovered around hoping for a treat, but Gigi had noticed that he was putting on a bit of weight, and she was determined not to give in to his pleading looks. It wasn’t easy—he had a way of tilting his head and making his eyes look extra large and bright that pierced her heart every time.

  Finally, Gigi had everything ready and was heading out the door again, this time with Reg. He was content to sit in the car while she dropped off the meals, even if she occasionally spent a few minutes chatting with her clients at their front doors.

  Reg jumped into the car eagerly and settled himself into the passenger seat. Gigi headed toward town and made the left turn onto High Street. She slowed as she reached Declan’s Grille and quickly scanned the parking lot. As far as she could tell, Pia’s VW bus wasn’t there. Of course it might have been there earlier, and she could now be on her way to the mysterious studio she’d rented.

  Gigi pulled into the tiny lot adjacent to Simpson and West.

  “I’ll just be a minute,” she said to Reg, who was already curled up on the seat. He opened one eye and glanced at Gigi briefly before giving a deep sigh and heading into dreamland.

  Gigi went around toward the front door of the law firm. She had her hand on the doorknob when someone went by on the other side of the street. The movement caught Gigi’s eye, and she turned to look. It was Janice Novak, dressed in her usual strange conglomeration of clothes that were either too big or too small. The hems of her pants were dragging along the sidewalk, and even from where she was standing Gigi could see that the constant friction was wearing them out. Her buttercup-colored corduroy coat was open despite the frigid temperatures, revealing a silver sequined top underneath. It was hardly the sort of thing most people chose to wear during the day, but Janice didn’t seem to care what others thought.

  Gigi suddenly remembered Tiffany’s cell phone and the fact that
she had promised Janice a reward, but Janice went on past, seemingly not even recognizing Gigi. Gigi breathed a sigh of relief and pulled open the door to Simpson and West.

  The usual hush hung over the elegant lobby. Gigi always felt underdressed when she arrived with Madeline’s meals. Madeline wasn’t waiting downstairs as she sometimes was, so Gigi pushed the button for the elevator. It opened with a melodic ping, and closed behind her with a silent whoosh.

  Madeline was in her cubicle, bent over a stack of papers, when Gigi arrived on the third floor. She jumped when Gigi, standing in the doorway, cleared her throat.

  “Oh, my, lunchtime already?” Madeline smiled at Gigi.

  Gigi thought Madeline looked tired. There were bags under her eyes, and her complexion was paler than usual.

  “Busy?”

  Madeline nodded. “That’s for sure. We’ve got several big cases going at once.” She rubbed her temples with her fingers. “Listen, do you have a minute?” Her voice dropped to a near whisper.

  “Sure.” Gigi slid into the chair in front of Madeline’s desk.

  Madeline gestured toward the door to her cubicle. “You’d better shut that.”

  Gigi reached out and eased the door shut. She couldn’t imagine what Madeline was about to tell her.

  “With Tiffany . . . gone . . . her office needed to be cleaned out. Mr. West asked me to do it.” She gestured toward the stacks of papers on her desk. “I haven’t had much time, what with everything else I’ve got to do.”

  Madeline’s lip quivered, and for a moment Gigi thought she was going to cry.

  “I came in early this morning, and thought I might get a slight start on it.” Madeline stopped and rubbed her temples with her fingers again. “At least assess the situation and see how long it was going to take. Papers and files all have to be put back in the appropriate places so it’s not just a matter of boxing up the pictures on her desk or the handful of personal items in her drawers. Her secretary could do that.”

  Gigi nodded, wondering what Madeline was getting at.