A Tiny Bite of Murder

by Constance Barker

  I sighed and stalled for a moment before saying, “Thank you, Oliver. And ask Grandma Rose for some of her secret stash. She is keeping some hand-rolled Chinese gunpowder green tea with fresh mint leaves for herself and friends. Tell her I owe you a cup. I know you like tea and I think you will enjoy it.”

  Oliver raised his eyebrows. “Wow, that sounds delightful. I was thinking of going over for some tea and to see Daisy. Now I have to go. Thanks.”

  I replied, “Thanks for being so kind and helpful.”

  Jaxon cut in. “We need to get going now, but Raine is right. Thanks. I appreciate you being open with us.”

  We shook hands and left. We closed the inn’s front door and were walking down the steps when Jaxon said, “My spidey sense is really tingling now. Let’s go see Jessica and see how fast she can dig up Emery’s old articles.” We power walked back to the car, jumped in, and once again he pushed the car’s start button. We were off to the glass blowing shop.

  We entered the showroom to find Jessica scolding Dennis, with his sister Susan laughing in the background. Jessica saw us enter, and after glaring at her son, she walked over to greet us. “Don’t ever have kids unless you are comfortable with a constant state of confusion and anger.”

  Jaxon laughed. “It can’t be that bad.”

  Jessica folded her arms across her chest and ranted. “He thought the new clippers I bought to groom our dog were a toy and he carved ‘woof’ into her fur. So now I have a show quality golden lab with a comedic billboard on its side.”

  My laughter slipped out before I could suppress it. “Sorry, it’s not funny, but it kind of is. The fur will grow back.”

  Jessica huffed. “That’s not the point. He should know better than to do something like that!”

  Jaxon held his hands up in surrender. “Maybe this is not a good time to talk.”

  Jessica shot back. “It’s the perfect time. I was just telling Dennis I was considering carving ‘not funny’ into his hair. But that is too many letters for his scrawny head.” She glared over to her son, then turned back to us. “So I’m glad you’re here to change the subject. I was getting dragged down to the level of a thirteen year old boy.”

  I pushed my luck and asked. “We need some help with this investigation thing, and you are a perfect candidate for what we have in mind.”

  Mike came from the glass blowing shop into the showroom. He laughed then said, “So I’m sure you know we learned our son is a dog grooming prodigy.”

  I nodded. “We heard, yes.”

  Mike asked, “So, two days in a row. What’s going on today?”

  Jessica answered, “They want my help with the investigation.”

  Mike put his hands into the pockets of his apron. “Doing what?”

  Jessica shrugged. “We didn’t get to that part yet.”

  Mike and Jessica stared at Jaxon and me. Mike broke the silence. “So what do you need?”

  Jaxon answered, “The food critic, Emery, may have had trouble making his deadlines. And we heard a rumor that he may have plagiarized some work.”

  Jessica snorted. “Well, I didn’t expect that.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Neither did we. So we were hoping you could get all of his old articles and study them.”

  Mike jumped in. “Jessica could use the break. And so could all of us. I think this is a good job for our whole family. The kids know how to use the computer to find anything and we could use some quality time together to help get things back to normal as a family. And if it is really going to help you, Raine, we would be glad to do it.”

  Jaxon added, “It means finding the articles and reading them. And searching to see if any of what he wrote was, um, let’s say borrowed from someone else.”

  Jessica said, “Sounds like something I can do. And Mike is right. Our family could use a change of scenery.”

  Their dog was named Gryffindor, and it trotted over to check us out. The sight of the crude letters carved into its fur were too much for Jaxon. He laughed till he had to wipe tears from his eyes.

  Jessica glared at him. “That’s not helping with the lesson I was trying to teach my son...But I will help Raine with this. I know it’s important to her.”

  Jaxon nodded as a sign of thanks and collected himself. “Can you get going on it right away? We have to get going to meet someone over at the tea room.”

  I glanced at the clock on the showroom wall. “Holy moly! Time flies when you’re investigating. It’s almost one o’clock already. We really do need to get going.”

  Jaxon chuckled and we said our goodbyes to the Tunsburry family. Especially poor Gryffindor who got an extra special ear scratching before we left.

  Chapter Eleven

  The early meeting with Matt was not the one I dreaded most. It was meeting with Andrew and Jaxon together at one o’clock. And it was time.

  Jaxon and I made it to the tea room a couple of minutes late. Andrew was there already, waiting for us. My handyman friend glared at my detective friend as we entered, and Andrew said, “Well, I’m guessing you wanted to be late to make a statement. That you are the big dog when it comes to this investigation thing.”

  I jumped in. “Not at all. We were over at Mike and Jessica’s shop, asking them for help. With all of the people we had to talk to today, I’m surprised we made it only a couple of minutes late.”

  The spots of paint on his face and the Hunter Green color soiling his white painter’s overalls spoke to his hard day of work. But when he smiled at me, I saw a man with renewed energy. “I’m sorry. It’s just been hard to get a minute with you since you started chasing this thing. I guess I understand and I’m glad to be in a position to help this afternoon.”

  I returned the smile, grateful of the consideration he showed. “That is sweet of you. Thank you. We need Mrs. Lewis be open and honest with us, and I am guessing since she knows you, it will be best if you ask her about the incident.”

  Jaxon groaned. “Sweet? That’s a bit of stretch. More like opportunistic.”

  “Alright, both of you! Let’s get this straight, right now before we go any further. After my engagement ended, I was deeply hurt and not in any hurry to get into another serious relationship. I was very open and honest about that with both of you, so please remember that. And stop this testosterone punctuated competition. It is not working for either of you.”

  Jaxon laughed, Andrew frowned, and Daisy lightened the mood. She hugged me, then sought attention from both men. Andrew reached into a chest pocket of his overalls and took out a small paint brush. Daisy stood straight and accepted the prize, then scampered off to her stool to stash another treasure in her basket. I said, “Well, that made her happy. I don’t think she has been given a paint brush before. Let’s hope she doesn’t figure out how to really use it. Grandma likes the tea room the way it is.”

  Jaxon chuckled. “I don’t know. With the way the art world is, pieces painted by a monkey that works as a hostess in a tea room may be worth something.”

  Andrew grinned, “That’s almost funny.”

  Jaxon spun to face me. “See, I told you I was funny.”

  I shrugged and threw my hands in the air. “This is as good as it’s going to get isn’t it?”

  Jaxon scrunched his nose. “What? I’m holding my tongue so hard it’s bleeding.”

  Andrew snorted. “No one wants to hear what you have to say anyway.”

  “Boys, one more time, truce.”

  Jaxon stood straight, “You know what, you're right. You’ve been honest with us and we need to be mature about this situation. And I can see it would be distracting to have both of us with you when you interview a witness. So I will step aside, let you and Andrew go see Mrs. Lewis without me. I want to make some calls and do some followup research. This will give me the time to get it done while you chase the accident angle and see if anyone else got sesame oil in their salad.”

  I smiled at Jaxon. “Now that’s better, and smart. We have plenty to do and splitting
up is a good idea.”

  Andrew smiled too. But Jaxon wiped the grin away when he said, “Listen up, wrench head, you have one simple question to ask Mrs. Lewis and her husband. Did they taste sesame oil in their salad. Can you do that?”

  “Better than you.” Andrew glared back at the private investigator.

  Jaxon studied the handyman, then said, “I’m not sure about that. But, Raine, if you could also ask whether they saw anything strange, someone messing with Holly’s salad for example, that may be helpful too.”

  I sighed. “So we all have our marching orders. When should we regroup and where.”

  Jaxon looked at his phone. “Let’s say two thirty, right back here. It’s as good a spot as any.”

  I nodded. “Okay. We’re off to Mrs. Lewis’ place. You need a makeshift office to work from, or anything else?” I locked eyes with Jaxon to make sure he was comfortable with the arrangements.

  Jaxon smiled and said, “I’m fine.”

  “Good.” I looked to Andrew and rocked my head toward the door. He understood, rose from his chair, and glared at Jaxon as he walked to the exit. Separating these two was definitely a good idea.

  We jumped into Andrew’s van, and headed out. It only took five minutes since the Lewis’s lived just outside of the downtown area. The husband and wife were both retired and we spotted the car in the driveway; they were home.

  At the front door, I knocked and Mrs. Lewis answered. Her face lit up and she smiled, even with her eyes. “Andrew, so nice to see you again. Did you forget something here? And Raine, nice to see you too. You look so pretty in that blouse.”

  It seemed like days ago when I picked out which shirt to wear, but it was only this morning. I smiled back at her. “Thank you. Would you happen to have a minute to chat with us? Andrew and I are trying to piece together the things we saw when that awful incident happened at The Gilded Nickle. You and your husband sat next to the food critic and his assistant, so you might have seen something.”

  Mrs. Lewis smile disappeared and she teetered her head no. “Dear, I’m not sure I can tell you anything. The police asked us all sorts of questions and we told them what we saw. There was nothing unusual.”

  “Maybe. But I am trying to make sure I didn’t miss, or overlook, something. And the police did say that they needed us to help, to try and remember something that might seem insignificant, but is really important.”

  Mrs. Lewis looked at her toes, “I have thought about that dinner a lot since all this happened, and I’m not sure I have much to add.”

  Andrew cut in, “Well, while I’m here, how's the bathroom, everything working alright?”

  She raised her eyes to meet his. “Of course it is. You repaired it and you do good work.”

  “Glad to hear it. Those faucets hadn't seen new washers in years. So it's good to hear the new ones seated properly. Sometimes it takes a while, and in the worst case they don’t seat at all and start leaking again.”

  “Oh, no. They work fine. Why don’t you come in. Have some something to drink with me and keep me company. I have some strawberry rhubarb pie to go with a nice cup of coffee.”

  Andrew smiled. “That sounds lovely.”

  We were seated in the living room and I learned that it is possible to stuff too many doilies into one room. But true to her word, Mrs. Lewis whipped up a pot of coffee and served us some wonderful pie. Andrew devoured his piece and I asked, “We were wondering if you tasted sesame oil in your salad that night at The Gilded Nickle? If it was an accident, there is a chance the others near Holly would have gotten sesame oil in their salad, too.”

  Mrs. Lewis looked to her husband, and chuckled. “The police asked us the same thing. And it is funny because I noticed they made a lovely strawberry balsamic vinegar dressing. It was delicious and I even made a comment to Frank. There was no sesame oil in our food” She looked to her husband, who nodded in agreement.

  I pressed. “Did you notice anything strange with Holly or Emery? Did anyone mess with her salad?”

  “Not a thing dear other than all the fuss. You know like when they brought out the wine and made a show of it.” Mrs. Lewis paused. “The only thing the police seemed interested in was when Holly got a phone call. They asked a lot of questions about that.”

  Andrew wondered, “What did they ask? Why was it so interesting to them?”

  “That woman put her hand over the naked ear opposite her phone, you know how people do, to hear better. And she pushed her chair back a little, turning towards the wall a little for privacy. The police seemed real interested in how long the call lasted. And if that food critic man did something while she was not looking.”

  I grinned. “That is very helpful. Thank you.”

  Andrew added, “And this pie is delicious. Not too sweet and it really lets the rhubarb shine.”

  Mrs. Lewis perked up. “Exactly. That’s the trick. Let the fruit come through. Don’t drown it in sugar.”

  Andrew wiped his mouth clean. “I feel guilty, we came to ask the favor of your time. And then we stole some pie from you. But, boy, was that good.”

  “Oh, Andrew, anytime. Your company is lovely. And you at least talk to me. Frank here seems to think he gets charged by the word.” Mrs. Lewis glared at her husband.

  Mr. Lewis spoke for the first time. “We’ve been married over thirty years, I have learned to be careful with my words and that it is much better to listen to the conversation, honey.”

  His words rang true. And I had listened carefully to Mrs. Lewis tell her story of what she saw that night. So I asked, “Mrs. Lewis, did you by any chance hear who Holly was talking to?”

  She chuckled, “Yes, well kind of. I remember it was a funny French sounding name. Exactly the kind of name you expect to be associated with in fine dining. The food critic man seemed miffed by the call and raised his voice, that is why we overheard the name. But I don’t remember the precise name.”

  I continued, “Was it Gabriel Dubois by any chance?”

  Mr. Lewis leaned forward. “I think it was. That sounds right.”

  Mrs. Lewis nodded in agreement.

  I stared at Andrew, and he understood. Andrew rose and said, “This has been enlightening and we really appreciate the time, and the pie with coffee was perfect.”

  “Yes, we do appreciate everything, thank you. But we have a lot to get done today and we need to be going. But thank you, again, and hope to see you both in the tea room soon.” I rose to join Andrew and we said our goodbyes, then headed back for the tea room.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jessica called as we were heading back to the tea room. She told me there were hundreds of articles written by Emery and that they had a huge project on their hands. It was not surprising, and confirmed we made a good decision by having someone else handle the task. Plus it sounded like it brought the Tunsburry family back together, even Gryffindor.

  We arrived at the tea room and found Jaxon sitting at a table working on his laptop and phone. Daisy sat opposite him, mimicking most of his moves. I laughed at the sight and glanced over to Grandma. “He’s teaching her how to be a private eye.”

  Grandma shrugged. “Daisy seemed happy, and Jaxon is in his own world. So why mess with it?”

  Aunt Mabel added, “She misses you, I can tell. She’s been a bit of handful with you gone. She even tried to communicate with me at one point I think. It seemed like she was asking for you.”

  I nodded. “Grandma Rose and I noticed she tries to communicate sometimes, too. We were thinking of teaching her sign language.”

  Mabel giggled. “That is a good idea, and would be fun, if not real interesting.”

  I smiled at Aunt Mabel and scanned the room. I saw Grandma making tea and went over to her. “I’m sorry Grandma. But I will make it up to you.?”

  “Nothing to make up to me, Raine. We are all pitching in to help get this thing resolved. To be honest. I would like to prove it was an accident so there isn’t a blot on the town. Sinking Springs relie
s on tourism and we don’t need bad news out there like a murder.”

  I laughed. “I don’t know. Mr. Twain’s ghost tours do pretty well, and some of the alleged ghosts are said to have been murdered here.”

  Grandma sighed. “Good point dear, but for some reason I would feel better if you could prove it was an accident.”

  Jaxon cut in. “So, what did you and paint man find out?”

  Andrew chuckled. “So, have I been promoted?”

  Jaxon never looked up. “I’m not sure how that’s a promotion from wrench head. I almost said monkey wrench, but I didn’t want to insult Daisy, so I went with today’s painting theme.”

  Andrew sat next to Daisy. “I didn’t think you could consider anyone else but yourself. Nice to see you care about Daisy’s feelings.

  Aunt Mabel surprised everyone when she popped off. “Alright. Enough. Twelve year old boys behave like this. Knock it off, or if you must, be real men and take it out back.”

  Andrew snorted. “Ah, the old settle it in the sand lot out back. Cliche, but classic.”

  Jaxon chuckled and studied the painter opposite him. “Well said.”

  I rolled my eyes. “To answer your initial question, Jaxon, which is what we need to focus on instead of acting like Jacob and Edward squabbling over Bella, yes we did find something.”

  Jaxon finally moved his eyes off Andrew and said, “Well, that’s great! And did you just make a Twilight reference? I’m not sure if I should be worried that you know about that particular series.”

  I reluctantly nodded. “Yes, I did make that reference, on purpose, to emphasize how you are both acting like teenagers.”

  Jaxon sat back in his chair. “Alright, we get it. So what did you find out?”

  I took the last chair at the table. “Get this. Holly may have received a call from Gabriel Dubois. And she turned from the table while talking on the phone. If the salad was on the table, it would have been possible to spike it without her seeing.”

  Jaxon raised on eyebrow. “Wow, so that was worth the trip. But the sesame oil? You buried your lead.”