by Lynn Cahoon
“Didn’t your ex try to steal your catering cookbooks once? Maybe this was him too?” Trent picked up a book and dusted it off, setting it up on one of the shelves.
“He was just in Bermuda with Christina and the family. Besides, I told him he wasn’t getting those recipes.” Mia grabbed a towel from a drawer. “Why would he come up here now? He has to know I keep the recipes locked up. And that Christina wasn’t going to help him.”
“Maybe she said something by accident about you and the catering recipes. He could have thought he knew exactly where you would put something. He lived with you for several years; he can probably figure out what you’d do.” Trent helped her pick up the books as they talked, wiping each one to get rid of the fingerprint dust the police had used.
“He would have had to have been actually paying attention. You’ve heard Christina talk about the two of us together. He was checked out of our relationship long before it was officially over.” Mia adjusted the last book and glanced at the doorway. “You’d better get that door fixed or I might have to reshelve these books again tomorrow after tonight’s break-in.”
“There’s not going to be a break-in tonight. At least not through this door. You’re keeping the rest of the building locked up tight, right?” He moved to the doorway and examined the frame.
“No, I’ve been leaving doors open with a Welcome sign that points out where all the gold is hidden. What do you think?” She studied him as his gaze moved from the door frame to her. He hadn’t known she was kidding until he’d seen the smile on her face. Man, the boy was wound up tight today. Maybe she’d just go upstairs and see what Grans was up to. “Well, if you don’t need me . . .”
He watched her trail off, then nodded to the pots and pans all over the floor. “I’ll help with the washing if you want to get this all together tonight so you can cook tomorrow. I know the reveal party is this weekend. I’m sure you’ll need to bake tomorrow.”
Mia studied him. “Are you sure? I mean, I can drag Christina down here early tomorrow and we can clean before we cook.”
“You have me here without even one drag, you should use me. Besides, I love it when you talk dirty to me.” He pulled a screwdriver out of his bag and checked it against the head of the screw.
“We’re talking about cleaning.” She bit back a smile.
“If we’re talking about cleaning, then there’s something dirty in the picture.” He went for a second screwdriver. “Your choice, but if I were you, I’d pick me over Christina.”
“You’re so modest.”
He chuckled as he started unscrewing the lock mechanisms. “Maybe not modest, but I know I can outwork her with one arm behind my back. Face it, the girl doesn’t know hard work.”
“She was raised differently. This is the first time she’s ever done anything remotely like actual work. For money. She’s trying. That’s all I can ask of her.” Mia walked over to the next pile and moved things from the floor to the large metal table.
“She’s your project, not mine. Besides, I know you love working with me more anyway.” He popped out the bent-up lock and tossed it onto a nearby table. “I want to talk to you about Levi and Christina. What in the world is going on?”
“What do you mean?” Mia was trying to stay out of it, but everyone wanted to know the facts behind their very public fight.
“She’s been MIA the last few days. Before she left on her trip, she was tied to my brother’s hip. Now he’s grumpy and won’t talk about it. And she’s not around, anywhere. Did he mess up this thing?” He paused in his work to watch Mia answer.
“I don’t really know anything.” She hedged her answer, not meeting Trent’s gaze.
When he didn’t respond, she turned toward him, hands on hips. “You ask your brother, don’t ask me. I really don’t know what she’s doing, but I see the same things as you do. I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
Trent put the final screw in the lock, then stood, testing it. “Now, see, that’s where we disagree. I love my brother, but sometimes he’s an idiot. Bethanie’s been hanging around the house, trying to get his attention. She even came out to the farm to see if he was there. Mom about had a coronary. I’m supposed to fix that too. Mom likes Christina.”
Mia started a load in the dishwasher and went to the next area to clean. “I’m glad to hear that. Christina is good for him.”
“I agree, but we have to do something before he drifts too far.” Trent closed his toolbox. “So, what else can I do to help?”
“One, stop thinking you can change Levi’s life. He and Christina need to figure this out themselves. And if Bethanie gets in the way—well, then, Levi’s loss.” She met his gaze. “You can’t fix everything.”
He held up his toolbox. “I beg to differ.”
“If only a hammer and a screwdriver worked on a broken heart.”
With Trent’s help, she was able to get the kitchen back in order by the end of day. He offered to take her to the diner for dinner, but she asked for a rain check. With only one day of prep available for the party Saturday, she needed to reset her plan for the next day. There was a note on the kitchen table when she got to the apartment. Grans had gone to bed early and Christina was out for a few hours.
Mia wondered if she was out with Levi or just a friend. The note didn’t say, so she threw some good wishes on the event and made herself some leftovers while she opened her notebook to reschedule prep. In all her years as a caterer, she’d learned one thing: A solid plan always got you through even the worst event. She had a solid plan for two days, but just one was going to call for some creativity and a lot of hard work.
Hours later, she was finally finished with the plan. Maybe not totally happy, but it would have to do. Baldwin could deal with whoever broke into her kitchen, and the new security system that was being installed on Saturday while she was out at the party would deter future attempts to disrupt her process.
That was why she knew it was John Louis. Not that he would have done anything himself, but Mia figured he could hire people. And with some time in jail, maybe he knew even more of the darker element who would like to take a job tearing up a kitchen. But one thing still bothered her. Someone was looking for something specific. And John only wanted the house. Or at least that was what he said. This attack felt personal to her. She brushed off the bad mojo and smiled at Mr. Darcy. “Ready for bed?”
He jumped off the window seat where he’d been watching her work and headed down the hallway. Mia glanced at the video feed of the front door. No Christina yet. She had her keys; no use staying up for her. Yawning, Mia headed for bed. Tomorrow’s alarm was going to go off early. She hoped Christina would be ready. She needed her help.
Late in the night Mia heard the apartment front door open and close. Then footsteps to Christina’s room. Mia rolled over and smiled. When had she become den mother?
Chapter 11
The next morning Christina was already at the table, eating yogurt and a banana and reading the paper when Mia came into the kitchen.
“Good morning. I figured I’d have to drag you out of bed this morning,” Mia said as she made her way to the coffeepot.
“I knew we had a job and that you needed my help. So I’m here.” Christina looked over the paper at her. “Is that a crime?”
“No, I just didn’t think you’d be up so early.” Mia grabbed one of the croissants she’d made early in the week. She pushed the notebook toward Christina. “I have a plan. And, hopefully, nothing else will happen to keep us from the kitchen.”
“Rumor is that Baldwin paid a visit to John Louis yesterday.” Christina didn’t look up from studying the notebook. “Bethanie said they were in the office together for over two hours, and John Louis left for the day after Baldwin exited. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“Actually, no. John was my first bet too. The guy wants to bulldoze the school and build a fancy strip mall. He’d probably make a fortune in rents.” Mia sipped her coffee. “Are you sure
of your source?”
“Do you mean I trust Bethanie to have my best interests at heart? Are you crazy? She’s going after Levi. I have my own rumor sources.” She tapped on the paper. “This is good. We should be ready for the party early tomorrow morning.”
“That’s my plan. That way I can worry for a couple of hours before we start. I’d hate to break a tradition.” She smiled at Christina, who had turned back to the paper and was starting on the crosswords.
“It’s okay. I don’t really have any traditions anymore. It would be nice to see that one break. You need to have confidence in your ability to put on amazing events. You were always being written up in newspapers in town. I heard Isaac say their bookings have gone down by over thirty percent.” Christina grinned. “And you didn’t even curse him and his business to fail. It’s just happening without any bad karma.”
“Got it; no magic on your brother, his life sucks anyway.” Mia picked at her breakfast. “Trent was here yesterday. I’m supposed to ask you about Levi.”
“I guess I had that coming by bringing up Isaac.” Christina ran a hand over her jet-black hair. “Look, I don’t want to be someone’s girlfriend just when I’m in front of them. I want him to remember me when I’m away, and not put himself in compromising positions.”
“So, you want to be exclusive.” Mia didn’t look at her. “Like maybe not going out on a guy’s boat just because you’re out of town.”
“That wasn’t the same thing.” Christina paused. “Okay, maybe it was the same thing. I know what you mean by exclusive. So what about you and Trent? Are you exclusive yet?”
“We aren’t talking about me and Trent.” Mia glanced at the clock and then put her cup in the sink. “We need to get busy if we’re going to be ready for tomorrow’s gig. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Christina shoved the notebook into Mia’s hands before she could escape. “You’ll need this. And besides, I’m going to be down there with you. There will be lots of time to talk.”
“Not about that,” Mia muttered as she hurried out of the apartment and downstairs. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Trent; she did. But she’d just gotten out of a long-term relationship. Why would she want to jump back into the fire? If it was right, Trent would be there in a year or two, when Mia was ready to try again. Right now, she just felt the burns from her relationship with Isaac way too intensively. She couldn’t bring Trent into her broken life.
When Christina came down, Mia was focused on the cake batter. She didn’t look up, just pointed to the fridge. “Why don’t you start chopping the vegetables? I have a list of what I need. We need to be ready to cook by noon so everything has time to cool. I have to get these cakes into the oven before we do anything else.”
“Many hands make light work.” Christina pulled on an apron. “Your grandmother told me to tell you that she’s going down to get Cindy today. I guess Baldwin verified her alibi.”
Mia wasn’t sure bringing Cindy back to the house was a good idea. She might not have killed Denny Blake, but she brought enough bad karma into the house. Mia might have to sage it after the woman left, just to keep the energy flowing. “I wonder if Baldwin found out anything.”
“Not from John, or at least that’s what Bethanie says. Of course, you can’t trust her to tell you the truth if her lips are moving.” Christina checked the list and then got everything from the fridge. She set up her chopping block, got a clean towel, opened her knife set, and then got out bowls for the chopped vegetables. “You know, we could have asked Majors if they could special order this.”
“Not the same. Besides, I’m trying to build repeat clients. If I wasn’t worried about it, I’d just stay home tomorrow and let you drop off and pick up. But no, I’ll play the social butterfly for the event.”
“I’m sure you could get clients without networking. You would think everyone would be here ordering a meal to take home to their family, your food is that good.” Christina started chopping.
They worked beside each other for a few hours; then Mia’s phone rang. “Mia’s Morsels. Can I help you?”
“You can help by not sending your guard dog over every time something happens at your shop. It’s not my fault you chose to live in a ghetto. People used to hang out there doing drugs and whatever, and now you’re questioning your neighborhood?”
John Louis had returned her call.
“I don’t think it’s the neighborhood I need to watch out for. And I didn’t send Baldwin over to talk to you. Your actions made you look like the best suspect, not my dislike for you.” Mia put the call on Speaker so Christina could hear what he said. Better to be safe than sorry.
“And unfortunately for you, I have an ironclad alibi. Carol dragged me to one of her inane dinner parties. I have ten people who can vouch for my whereabouts. I just want to let you know you were barking up the wrong tree.” The phone clicked, and Mia saw he’d hung up.
“The break-in happened sometime during the night. I don’t know any dinner parties that go through nine the next morning,” Christina commented on the call and John’s alibi.
“You’re right. And of course Baldwin knows that. So what game is John Louis playing now?” Mia glanced at the clock. “We’ve worked through lunch. Let’s make something fun to eat.”
“No sandwiches?”
Mia shook her head. “We’re ahead of where we needed to be for prep. What about fajitas? I can show you how to make homemade tortillas.”
By the time they finished prep work, they were both beat. Walking up the stairs, Christina looked back at her. “No offense, but I don’t want to cook for a while. And I mean, like years.”
“We don’t have to cook anything tomorrow, just bake some appetizers and get the plates ready. Shelly hired waitstaff from the Lodge, so we don’t have to serve either. We’ll set up the cake and then we can leave, so you can rest up for Monday’s kitchen session. We have tons of new orders.”
“Great,” Christina said without emotion. “Tell me we don’t have an event next weekend.”
“I could, but I’d be lying. It’s the library tea, remember?” Mia paused at the top of the stairs and looked at the locked door down the hall. “I need to get a locksmith out here next week. Remind me to put it in my planner to call someone.”
“Sure. Well, at least I have a few months before I have to go back to school. With the speed you’re expanding, fall is going to be brutal.” Christina held the door open for Mia. The apartment smelled wonderful. “Someone’s been cooking up here too.”
“It does seem that way. If school and work get to be too much, I’ll hire someone else.” Mia closed the door behind her, locking it more from habit than anything else.
“Let me know when you’re planning on hiring. Several of the guys in my classes have been asking me if there’s a job with you. They live in the area too.” Christina grinned. “And I can tell you who the slackers are.”
“Much appreciated.” Mia stopped in the kitchen doorway. Grans was sitting at the table and Cindy was standing at the stove, stirring what appeared to be a stir-fry. “What’s going on here?”
“We’re making dinner. I figured after cooking all day the last thing you’d want to do is cook again, so after I picked up Cindy from the station, we stopped at Majors and got supplies.” Grans looked up from the grimoire. “And we’ve made some progress on the spell Cindy cast that started this problem.”
Mia sat down at the table. “Cindy, why were you calling an on-call hit man?”
Cindy turned around, her cheeks pink. “Well, about that. I knew he was a hit man, or at least claimed to be one. I have an upcoming part where I’m a female assassin, and I wanted to learn more about the character.”
“You were researching a part?” Christina set a bottle of water in front of Mia and sat down at the table with her own. “Cool. How many people had he killed?”
“More than I want to think about, now that I realize he was being honest with me.” Cindy shuddered as she sat down at
the table. “Look, I didn’t know he was coming here. He told me during our last call that he was going west for an assignment and he’d call when he got back home. He joked that he hoped he didn’t run into me while he was working. I thought he was all hat, no cattle.”
“What?” Christina looked around the table.
“It means a big talker,” Mia explained. She studied Cindy, who looked like she’d been telling the truth, but actors and all? “So, how did you convince Baldwin?”
“Easy, I had a real alibi for the time of death. Mike and I were FaceTiming about what we’re doing with Father’s property. He has the transcripts. Let’s just say my brother doesn’t quite trust me. And they didn’t find any missing money or transfers from my account, so he believed me.” Cindy pointed to the book. “Your grandmother thinks I did a prosperity spell without the proper grounding.”
“No, I said you had wrong intentions.” Grans sighed, like it wasn’t the first time she’d explained the difference.
“So, to get this straight, you didn’t kill Denny.” Mia rephrased the conclusion so there would be no wiggle room. “Was he the man who ate room service in your Lodge room?”
“Freaking small towns. Yes, I had dinner with him a couple of times. But I’ve never killed anyone. Why would I start by killing someone who was an excellent subject matter expert for me?” Cindy pointed to the spell book. “Now, all we have to do is correct the spell and I’ll be out of your house and your cute little town.”
The way she described Magic Springs indicated that she didn’t think it was cute at all. Mia sighed and stood. “I’m heading to my room to shower some of these kinks out of me. I may also take a bath before I go to bed just to make sure they’re gone. I need to be fresh and sunny tomorrow at this event.”
Cindy nodded. “I understand preparing for an event. I have to have someone come and do a full body massage the day before any premieres or release parties. Too much stress ages your face.”
Mia wasn’t sure if Cindy was just making a comment or if Mia’s face had accidentally shown the true level of her stress. If so, she must look over one hundred.
