Stabbed in the Baklava

by Tina Kashian

  Lucy had been right. She’d left the window open and had given Victoria access into the catering van. The entire conversation was unnerving. Victoria spoke about killing a man—a man she claimed she loved—without an ounce of remorse. Lucy couldn’t fathom the way her mind worked.

  But then, she wasn’t a killer.

  Lucy took a deep breath. “You made a mistake.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Cressida wasn’t Henry’s lover. She was his daughter.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “I’m not. Think about what you thought you saw when you found Cressida in Henry’s arms at the wedding rehearsal. He was holding her, not like a lover, but like a father. I went to Cressida’s mother’s home and found family pictures. I also spoke with Cressida, and she confirmed it. Henry was her biological father. Cressida had recently discovered the truth and had reached out to him. Over time, they’d started to have a father-daughter relationship.”

  Victoria’s hand trembled. “Still, I—”

  “Please lower that thing and we can turn the car around and tell the police it was all a misunderstanding. If you turn yourself in, you can make a deal and avoid prison.”

  A muscle flicked angrily at Victoria’s jaw, and her grip on the gun tightened. “No! You’re lying. I’m not going to jail. I’ll never survive the conditions. Keep driving.”

  Instead of listening to reason, Victoria felt backed against a wall, and nothing Lucy could say would change her mind. Time was running out. Lucy knew, without a doubt, that she couldn’t talk Victoria out of her insane plans. Victoria was going to kill her.

  Lucy had to act.

  Without warning, she pressed the gas pedal to the floor and simultaneously made a sharp right—straight for the sand dunes. The car tires squealed, and Victoria screamed before the car slammed into what felt like a brick wall. Everything else happened in a split second.

  A shot fired, hitting the windshield, and the glass shattered. The air bags exploded as the acrid odor of gunpowder assaulted Lucy’s nose.

  Lucy’s seat belt, combined with the air bag, held her tight. Dazed, she turned to Victoria. Blood had splattered her face where she’d collided with the air bag. The safety device had saved her from flying through the windshield, but without a seat belt, she’d flown face first into the air bag, which had knocked her unconscious.

  Adrenaline coursed through Lucy’s body, and deep in the recesses of her mind, she knew she wouldn’t feel the pain until later. Unclasping her seat belt, she reached for the door handle and stumbled out of the car. She landed on her hands and knees and slowly rose to her feet to look at the damage. The speeding Cadillac had made it halfway through the sand dunes until it came to a halt. The dunes not only protected Ocean Crest’s beaches and residences, but they had saved her life today.

  A low ringing sounded in her ears, growing louder by the second, until she recognized the distant sound of a siren. She cried out, but her voice was hoarse and her mouth felt like old paper, dry and dusty.

  Please, let them come here.

  Her prayers were answered. A police cruiser turned down the street and came to a screeching halt by the Cadillac. Officer Bill Watson stepped out of the cruiser. The passenger door flew open and Azad emerged. He ran straight for her.

  “Lucy!” Azad shouted. “Are you all right?”

  Relief flooded through her, strong and steady like an ocean wave. “I am now.”

  Bill took one look at the crashed vehicle, reached for his walkie-talkie, and called for an ambulance.

  “Thank God. What happened?” Azad asked.

  Lucy took a shaky breath. “Victoria killed Henry. She was his longtime lover and she thought he was cheating on her with Cressida Connolly. She didn’t know Cressida was Henry’s daughter.”

  “That’s twisted,” Azad said.

  “Katie filled us in on everything,” Bill said. “We were on our way to arrest Victoria at the Sandpiper Bed and Breakfast when Hannah Smith told us Victoria had checked out.”

  “How did you know she’d look for me?” Lucy asked.

  “We didn’t know. We were about to put out a statewide alert, when Edna and Edith Gray called the station. They told us they saw you in a white Cadillac with a strange woman and that you said the weirdest thing. They suspected something was amiss and as good citizens they decided to notify the police.”

  “Thank goodness for nosy neighbors! I told them that the restaurant made delicious soup from their crabs. But the crabs they sold me were hermit crabs, and I hoped they would suspect something was wrong.”

  “It was genius and it worked.” Bill squeezed her shoulder, then he hurried to check on the crashed car and left Lucy alone with Azad.

  Concern was etched on Azad’s face. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because you were trying to save my neck. I was worried out of my mind.” He pulled her into his arms and held her.

  Once again, he took her by surprise. She could feel his breathing on her cheek, as he held her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and breathed in the scent of his cologne. It was a reassuring embrace, and she needed it more than ever after her harrowing escape. Then, just as abruptly, he released her and grinned. “Thanks,” he said. “I needed that.”

  She opened her mouth to respond, but the roar of a motorcycle engine stopped her short. Seconds later, a Harley tore down the street and stopped next to the police car. A man jumped off the motorcycle and removed his helmet.

  “Lucy!” Michael shouted. “Thank God you’re not hurt.”

  Azad shot her an incredulous look that said, What’s he doing here?

  Lucy shrugged, just as perplexed as he was.

  Michael approached. “I stopped by to see you at the restaurant and found a smashed cell phone in the parking lot. I knew it was yours from the cracked cell phone case picture of you and Gadoo. Then I saw the police car race from Kebab Kitchen, and I knew something bad was up. I panicked.”

  “So did I,” Azad said.

  Azad frowned at Michael, but thankfully, neither man spoke to each other.

  “It’s all right,” Lucy reassured them both. “I’m fine. Not a scratch, thanks to my seat belt and air bag.” Her emotions were tumultuous and she felt the beginnings of a headache. She knew she’d feel every ache and pain tomorrow, but she also knew it could have been much, much worse. She could have ended up shot and dropped in the ocean. Who knows what Victoria had planned?

  An ambulance arrived and paramedics began working to extract Victoria from the smashed car. Victoria awoke and began screaming for her doctor and her lawyer.

  Bill returned from speaking with the paramedics, his expression firm. “They think Victoria will be okay. She’s lucky, considering she was not wearing her seat belt. After she’s treated at the hospital, she’ll be charged with murder.” Bill reached for Lucy’s elbow. “You should go to the hospital and get checked out, too, Lucy.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m fine.” She wanted to go home, shower, and curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and watch Murder, She Wrote reruns with Katie.

  “Lucy—”

  “I promise to see a doctor if I don’t feel well tomorrow.”

  “All right. But Katie and I will be keeping an eye on you tonight.” He opened the cruiser door. “Now let’s get you home.”

  Lucy turned back to see the paramedics load Victoria into the ambulance. Her steps faltered. “I’m glad she’ll be okay. Despite everything, I didn’t want to kill her, or hurt her badly, just stop her.”

  “Don’t feel too bad. She planned to kill you and skip town,” Bill said.

  “If it wasn’t for your fast thinking, she would have,” Michael said.

  “You cracked the case again, Lucy. Only this time, I’m grateful that you proved I wasn’t the killer,” Azad said.

  “I have a feeling Katie was in on this, too, wasn’t she?” Bill asked.

  Lucy managed a faint smile. “I plead the fifth.”r />
  Bill sighed. “For not getting involved in solving murders, you two sure do good work.”

  CHAPTER 26

  “I knew my girl could do it,” Raffi Berberian said.

  “Thanks, Dad.” Lucy smiled at his bear hug and the light scrape of his whiskers as he brushed her cheek with a kiss. He released her to study her face, and he grinned.

  He turned to her mother. “See? I was right. I told Lucy to solve the case.”

  Her mom pursed her lips. “Do not take all the credit. I gave her my consent to investigate and she listened.”

  “In other words, you came to your senses.” Raffi gave her a smug look.

  Angela faced him squarely. “No. I gave her good advice about men, and she came to her senses.”

  “Mom,” Lucy whined.

  “Never mind how it happened,” Azad interrupted. “I want to thank Lucy. I owe her my freedom.”

  It was days after Lucy’s scare with Victoria, and Lucy had recovered from crashing into the dunes. They’d closed the restaurant early after a busy dinner service. It was another successful day, and it was even better when all her friends and family had shown up to surprise her. Now they gathered around tables in the dining room, and Lucy’s heart warmed as she gazed at everyone present. Her parents, Butch, Sally, and Azad. Emma arrived a few minutes later with Max and Niari fresh from a soccer game. Her niece was dressed in a red and black soccer uniform with cleats, shin guards, and a glitter headband printed with her team name, “Go Strikers!”

  Her mother, in her usual fashion, had set out a wide array of mezze—hummus, pita, an assortment of raw and pickled vegetables, olives, and feta cheese. Her father had opened bottles of his favorite merlot and filled everyone’s glasses. Niari’s wineglass was filled with apple juice.

  Bill’s arm was draped around Katie’s shoulders, and Lucy was grateful the couple were getting along. She’d been worried after he’d learned of the extent of their involvement in the investigation. He’d surprised them both by taking it so well.

  When Bill moved away to have his wineglass refilled, Lucy motioned for Katie to help her with a pitcher of water and a tray of glasses.

  “Are you sure Bill’s not mad?” Lucy asked when they were out of earshot.

  “Oh, he was at first, but I assured him that we never purposely put ourselves in danger looking into the case.”

  Not if you omitted breaking and entering, running for their lives while being pursued by a mad movie director, and in Lucy’s case, being kidnapped at gunpoint by a murderer.

  “He even joked that we should be consultants for the Ocean Crest Police Department,” Katie said.

  Lucy almost dropped the tray of glasses. “Are you serious?”

  “You never know with Bill, but I think he was only half joking,” Katie said as she helped Lucy place the water pitchers and glasses on the table.

  The sound of laughter drew Lucy’s attention to Michael Citteroni. Even he’d shown up and had struck up a conversation with her mother about his deceased grandmother’s Italian recipes. Angela had immediately been interested and invited him to stop by the kitchen one morning with his grandmother’s recipes so they could prepare one of her specialties together. Lucy couldn’t help but notice that Azad wasn’t pleased. She could just imagine the fireworks when Michael showed up in Azad’s kitchen.

  But that would be something to worry about another day.

  “We have a surprise for you, Lucy,” Emma said.

  “Even more than all of you showing up together to celebrate with me?” Lucy asked.

  Niari jumped up and down in excitement, then ran into the kitchen. She returned carrying a white cake box. Lucy recognized the name on the box and clasped her hands to her chest.

  “Cutie’s Cupcakes!” She guessed what was in the box.

  “Mom helped me call in the order just for you, Mokour Lucy!” Niari lifted the lid to reveal a lemon meringue pie.

  Lucy hugged her niece. “Thank you, sweetie.”

  “Don’t forget my baklava.” Her mom stepped out of the kitchen carrying a tray. “It’s fresh out of the oven.” The thin pastry was cooked to a golden brown and smelled like heaven.

  Lucy inhaled the delicious scent. “Hmm. Niari has to share the first piece of the pie and the baklava with me.”

  Niari reached for a plate and two forks. “I’m ready!”

  Just then, the front door opened and Calvin Clemmons walked inside. “Hello, everyone. Sorry to intrude, but I wanted to let you know that Victoria Redding was released from the hospital and confessed to the murder of Henry Simms. She was taken to the county jail to await trial. Prosecutor Walsh will handle the case.”

  “Thank you for coming over to tell us,” Lucy said.

  Clemmons cleared his throat as he took in the group. “I’ll leave you to your celebration.”

  Lucy’s gaze went to Emma’s, and her sister nodded in silent approval.

  “Would you like to stay?” Lucy asked.

  “Pardon?”

  “It would be nice if you could stay. The baklava is fresh out of the oven and we haven’t even cut the pie yet.” Lucy motioned to the laden table.

  His eyes roved the delectable desserts as well as the food. “Well, if you don’t mind, I suppose I could sample a piece.”

  “We’d all like that,” Angela said.

  Raffi poured a glass of wine and handed it to the detective.

  Lucy cut the first piece of baklava and set the plate in front of Clemmons. It was a peace offering of sorts. They may not agree on everything in the future, but today was a day of celebration.

  Raffi raised his glass. “To family and friends!”

  Everyone followed. Even Niari lifted her apple juice.

  A warm glow flowed through Lucy. Over the past few months, she’d returned home, learned how to run a restaurant, and even how to solve a murder, but nothing was more important or valuable than the people gathered with her here today.

  Lucy raised her glass. “To family and friends.”

  RECIPES

  Lucy’s Baklava

  1½ cups sugar

  1 cup water

  1 teaspoon lemon juice

  3 cups finely chopped walnuts

  1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

  1½ cups clarified butter

  1 pound phyllo dough (9-x-14-inch sheets)

  Combine walnuts, cinnamon, and ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside. This is the walnut filling.

  Melt butter and coat a 14-x-10-inch baking pan. Layer 7 sheets of phyllo dough in the pan, buttering each sheet with a pastry brush. Spread half of the walnut filling evenly over top. Layer another 7 sheets of phyllo dough in the pan, buttering each sheet. Spread the remaining walnut filling evenly over top. Cover with the remaining sheets of dough, buttering each sheet. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven for 40 minutes. Cool baklava before cutting it.

  Simple Sugar Syrup

  Boil together 1¼ cups sugar and 1 cup water for 10 minutes. Stir often until sugar dissolves in water. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Turn off flame and set syrup aside to cool. Pour cooled syrup on your baklava and enjoy.

  Azad’s Prized Shish Kebab

  3-lb beef sirloin or leg of lamb, boned, with fat

  removed, and cut into 1-inch cubes

  3 cloves of minced garlic

  ¼ cup minced flat leaf parsley

  ½ cup olive oil

  ¼ cup red vinegar or lemon juice

  ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

  3 onions, cut in quarters

  2 tomatoes, cut in quarters

  1 eggplant or zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes

  red, green, and yellow peppers cut in quarters

  salt and pepper to taste

  Place cubed meat in a large bowl with onions, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Mix the olive oil, garlic, parsley, vinegar, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl, then pour the mixture over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least a few hours. Thread the me
at onto skewers. Because cooking times vary, thread the tomatoes, onions, and peppers on separate skewers. Broil the skewers over a charcoal fire. Turn the skewers until the meat is cooked on all sides. Serve with pilaf and enjoy.

  Angela’s Stuffed Grape Leaves with Meat and Rice (Derevee Dolma)

  1 jar (12 oz) grape leaves

  Meat and Rice Stuffing

  1 lb ground beef

  ½ cup long grain rice

  1 chopped tomato

  3 tablespoons tomato paste

  1 large chopped onion

  1 teaspoon salt

  ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  Combine all ingredients and mix well.

  Cooking Liquids

  juice of ½ lemon

  2 tablespoons tomato paste

  ½ teaspoon salt

  2 cups hot water

  Rinse grape leaves. Line the bottom of a large saucepan with a few leaves, shiny side down. Then, on a cutting board, roll out each remaining grape leaf, shiny side down, and put a spoonful of the meat and rice stuffing in the center. Fold over both sides and roll from bottom up until it looks like a small sausage. Continue with each grape leaf. Place the stuffed grape leaves in rows on the bottom of the pot.

  Prepare the cooking liquids by combining the lemon juice, tomato paste, salt, and water and pour over the stuffed grape leaves. Place a small inverted plate on top of the leaves to keep them in place during cooking. Cover the pot. Bring to boil, then simmer gently for an hour until rice is tender. Serve warm with cold garlic yogurt sauce (optional).