My doorbell rang, and I was stunned to see Daniels on my doorstep. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence in my humble home?"
He waltzed in on his big but graceful feet. "Is that any way to talk to your best customer?"
I laughed and walked him into the kitchen, "So it’s my pies you want to see, not me?"
Daniels pulled up a stool at the butcher-block. "Zelda was out of chocolate sour cream cupcakes today, and Davis threatened to rearrange my face if I didn’t get her some." He shrugged. "So naturally, since I have a direct pipeline to the source, here I is."
From the pantry, I grabbed a dozen cupcakes for Davis and a pie for Daniels. "Staying for coffee and pie or is this just a smash and grab?"
Daniels pointed to the coffee maker. "And what kind of pie do you have today?"
Since he obviously wasn’t going to break into his personal pie, I slabbed him a piece of blueberry with a good helping of ice cream on top. He wasted no time in cleaning his plate then held it out to me. "More, please?"
I sipped my chamomile tea and shook my head. "Sorry, that last piece is for my husband." I looked at my watch and said, "What’s on your mind Marty?"
Daniels poured himself another cup of coffee and doctored it. "You watched the trial coverage today?"
I nodded. "Yeah, talk about a plot twist, can’t wait for the finale on Monday."
He lasered me with his little blue eyes. "What do you know about it?"
I shrugged. "Just what I saw on TV. I haven’t worked on the case for while. And off the record, I don’t give a shit if he rots in jail for the rest of his life."
Daniels nodded. "Yeah, that’s what Zee said." He drank his coffee and ruminated for a while. "So who do you think it is?"
I made a face at Daniels and swatted his arm. "If you want to tell me, fine, then tell me. But I’m not going to pry it out of you."
He grinned, "Well, well, well, Scotti Fitzgerald refusing to the take the bait? That’s a first." He slurped down the rest of his coffee, scooped up his goodies and said, "Thank you kindly Mrs. Jordan, that was indeed the pause that refreshes."
I walked him to the front door. "You make sure Davis gets those cupcakes." I elbowed him. "I’m going to call her to make sure she got all twelve of them."
Daniels laughed and gave me a one-armed hug. "You’re a good lady, Scotti. Be sure to tune in Monday for, As the trial turns your stomach." He winked. "You’ll be glad you did."
I waved as he drove off, then went back to the kitchen to start dinner and pull stock. Matt and Zelda walked in as I was stacking pies for them. Zelda helped herself to the rest of the coffee and snagged a chocolate cupcake out of the pantry. "Did Daniels come by?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
Matt stacked the dolly while Zelda slumped over her cupcakes at the butcher-block. "I get two cupcakes when I’m done, right Scotti?"
I rolled my eyes. "You can have as many cupcakes as you want, Matt. Just be ready to face the mob if there aren’t any left for the customers."
I caught up Zelda on Rose’s case while Matt stocked the truck. She wagged a chocolate covered finger at me. "You’ve been a busy little bee. Why didn’t you ask me to help?"
"When? Between the truck and that stupid website you’ve been pretty scarce." I handed her a napkin. "I’ve got it under control."
She stared at the kitchen door for a minute. "Oh, so it’s all out in the open now? You’ve told Teddy boy everything?"
I shook my head. "Not everything." I blew out a sigh. "I need more evidence first."
Zelda scowled. "Evidence?" She grabbed my arm and stared me down. "You be careful. It’s not just your ass you’re putting on the line anymore. You run around getting people stirred up, there’ll be shit to pay."
I pried my arm loose and frowned. "I am being careful." She raised a doubting eyebrow. "I’m just talking to people. How dangerous is that? Lighten up, Zee." I nudged her. "Once Atkinson is over you can ride shotgun, okay?"
She gagged herself. "Amen to that." She stuck out her lip. "But I miss working with my partner. When are you going to quit pouting and make nice with Joe?"
I slid off my stool and pulled four containers from the freezer. Sliding two of the containers across to her I said, "I made a bunch of chili last night. This is for you and Eric.
Zelda eyed the other containers. "Who are those for?"
"Matt."
Matt overheard us and said, "Awesome, chili and cupcakes."
Zelda smacked me. "So, are you going to make up with Joe or not?"
"Have you asked Joe if he’s going to make up with me?" I waved a hand. "Never mind, don’t answer that." I ducked into my office and grabbed Rose’s video cassette tape and gave it to Zelda. "Will you ask Eric to convert this to a DVD? It’s from my mom’s stuff. I know it’s old but if there’s anything on it, I’d like to see it."
Zelda put the cassette on top of the chili containers. "Sure. I’ll get him to play around with it tonight."
I smiled. "Thanks Zee. See you at the baby shower on Sunday?"
Zelda whispered. "Remember what I said. Be cool." Then she stepped back. "Okay, Sunday at two. Be there or be square."
Ted stood in the kitchen doorway. "Be where?"
"You’re home early."
Ted came into the kitchen and kissed my cheek. "Just keeping my eye on you."
"We’re talking about the shower on Sunday. Please tell me that Melinda hasn’t hired a marching band or acrobats."
Ted tweaked my nose. "It’s only because she loves you, honey."
Zelda rolled her eyes. "I’ve seen this comedy act before, so we’ll catch you later."
Matt grabbed his chili and cupcakes and followed Zelda out.
Ted poured both of us a glass of milk, dumped some cookies on a platter and put it on the butcher-block.
"Why are you really home so early?"
He smiled and rubbed my shoulders. "New schedule as of today. Since you’re getting closer to D-Day we worked it out so I’m home by four every day."
I frowned at my belly. "I’m not even seven months yet. Although if I get much bigger I might split in two."
"Drink your milk."
I drank my milk. "So, now you’ll be home by four? Every day?"
Ted chuckled. "Does that interfere with your plans?"
I nibbled on a cookie. "I don’t know. Maybe. I’ve gotten used to being alone in this dungeon. What am I going to do with a big gorilla underfoot?"
Ted wiggled his eyebrows. "I could join you on all those field trips you’ve been taking."
I remembered that GPS phone app and made a mental note again to uninstall it from my phone. "Always the tracker, eh honey?"
"It’s my husbandly duty."
I stared at Ted then said, "Okay. It’s all in my room, in the closet. Feel free to look it over." I stood and opened the fridge. "I’m making dinner."
Ted did a double take. "You’re just handing it over? No more secrets?"
I shook my head. "It’s not about secrets, it was just about me trying to make sense of things for myself first." I closed the fridge and looked at him. "Turns out I could use a second opinion."
Ted stood and bear-hugged me. "How pissed would you be if I told you I’ve already looked it over?" I glowered at him, and he jumped back. "That pissed, huh?"
I sucked in my lips and took a couple of deep breaths. "I could point out that there are a lot of things about your past that you wouldn’t tell me. And that I respected your wishes and stopped pushing. And that I never poked into your private stuff behind your back to look for the answers to my questions."
Ted frowned. "Yeah, I guess you could."
I held up a hand. "But since we’re married now and you’re obsessed with protecting me, I shouldn’t be surprised." I opened the fridge again and pulled out the leftover lasagna. "So, what’s your take on it?"
Ted put his butt on a stool and gave me a coy smile. "There are a lot of missing pieces. And I couldn’t find your notes." He shrugged,
"So?"
I rolled my eyes. "Notebook — in the bottom drawer of the dresser, inside the black sweater."
Ted was out of his seat and down the hall before I finished the sentence. While I made dinner, he pored over my notes at the butcher-block. He pored over them while we ate. He pored over them while I cleaned up. Finally he finished. "Well?"
He shook his head and grinned at me. "You’ve been pretty busy wife. When’d you do all this?"
I cranked my hand. "Just tell me what you think."
He tapped his fingers on the notebook. "The alibi for Jennifer and Kathy seems suspect. Like they knew they’d need one. And Kathy being the only witness to the robbery is a little hinky too."
I slipped onto a stool. "Yeah, I don’t know if they’re lying or hiding something, but I don’t buy it either."
"And the priest and Marley pretty much confirmed you were an adoption that went sideways." He smiled at me. "Though one look at that picture of Rose should prove to anybody that you’re her daughter." He pulled me out of my seat and into his arms. "But why would Rose’s sister and her best friend steal her baby and get tangled up in this underground adoption business?"
I shrugged. "Secrets of their own? A grudge against Rose?" I made a face. "It doesn’t make sense, does it? From all accounts, Rose was sweet and kind. Not the kind of person who inspired revenge."
He looked at me. "What’s Kathy like?
I frowned. "I don’t know, why?"
He shrugged. "Just give me your impression of her."
I pulled my stool over and sat next to him. "She strikes me as an unhappy woman. She’s gruff. Wound a little tight. Smokes a lot." I looked at him. "But she talked to me for a long time. Seemed open enough." I shrugged. "Not overly friendly though. Not happy to see me but not horrified either."
Ted shook his head. "Okay, let me ask it another way. What bothered you about her?"
It was a good question, what did bother me about Kathy? I scanned through my meeting with her in my head for a few seconds. "She was hot and cold. Didn’t want to talk about Rose but did want to talk about Rose." I frowned. "I couldn’t read her. She talked a lot without really telling me anything — at least anything I didn’t already know. She lives in a cute little bungalow, but it’s jammed with all this big ugly furniture and clutter. Kind of felt like a cave where she hides out. And she has lots of pictures on the wall but no pictures of family or friends. Nothing personal. Nothing that gave you any sense of who she is." I fingered the chain of my locket then chuckled. "And she did this. She wore a necklace and she was constantly playing with the chain."
Ted looked interested. "What kind of necklace?"
I shook my head. "I don’t know, I could only see the chain."
Ted reached out and gently touched the two necklaces of Rose’s that I hadn’t taken off since I put them on. "Like these?"
I nodded. "This type, I think. A fine chain, so probably a small pendant." I held out the chain from my neck and looked at it. "Maybe she’s still wearing the other half of this one."
"Did you think she was intentionally hiding it from you?"
I shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe. But what would I care what kind of necklace she was wearing? She’s just a strange woman." I glanced at him. "That’s my impression of Kathy Morrissey — strange."
Ted took my hand. "And?"
I heaved a sigh. "I can’t for the life of me figure out how they could’ve been friends."
"Because?"
"I don’t like her. Not one bit."
Chapter Fifty
For my baby shower, Melinda thankfully didn’t hire acrobats or clowns. Although it wasn’t a traditional shower either. Instead of a group of giggling girlfriends, pretty much everybody I knew, including Daniels, his wife and Davis were my guests. Even Joe, although he barely said a word to me. So in true Jordan style, it was just another reason for a party. Melinda put out a scrumptious buffet of finger food on the dining table, the soundtrack was soft jazz, and we amused ourselves by having a limbo contest. I couldn’t participate, but I got some great photos for the nursery gallery wall.
Because I was having twins, the theme was two of everything. Two giant storks made of flowers, two baby shoe ice sculptures, two kinds of fried chicken, two flavors of cupcakes, two punches, two gift tables, two seating areas, two baby banners. I wondered if Melinda was trying to compensate for Rose — trying to be the mother I didn’t have. Like Ted, Melinda’s stainless exterior covered a pretty soft heart.
From the limbo contest, we segued into the baby name guessing game. Ted and I had decided on names but shared them with no one. A lot of guesses but not one of them came close. Zelda frowned. "You’re seriously not going to tell us the names?"
I shook my head. "I’m definitely not telling you Miss Blabbermouth."
Melinda pouted. "But why, darling? What if someone wants to have a gift engraved with the names, then what? What can they do?"
I laughed. "I suppose they can wait until the birth."
Melinda cast a hopeful look at Ted who shook his head. "Sorry, I’m under strict orders. It’s on a need to know basis."
Ginny giggled. "I don’t blame you. When I got pregnant with Katy, I went round and round with my mom about changing it to Madeline." She rolled her eyes. "Everybody thinks they have a better name than the one you pick."
Ted nodded. "Definitely no shortage of suggestions."
Steve stared at me with narrowed eyes. "Who decided on the names?"
"What difference does that make?" I asked.
Tom laughed. "Because we want to know how whipped Ted is."
Everybody laughed while Ted nodded and took the ribbing. "Oh, so that wasn’t Ginny’s purse I saw you carrying earlier?"
Tom’s cheeks reddened. "She had her hands full with Chelsea."
The crowd erupted in laughter, and nobody cared anymore about the names of the babies. Melinda let them have their fun for a while, then told them all to compose themselves, so we could start the gift opening ceremony. It was worse than our birthdays and Christmas combined. Mountains of diapers, bottles, onesies, booties, blankets, car seats, baby walkers, strollers and gift certificates for every baby boutique in town. Ted’s brothers gave him a simulated breast pump gadget so he could experience the joy of breastfeeding with me. And no Jordan gift-giving event would be complete without a bill from his brothers for slave labor — this time for painting the nursery. I winked at Davis across the mountain of gifts, whose belly was smaller than mine and she was further along. "Feel free to give me a call if you run out of anything."
Wide-eyed, she regarded the stack with wonder. "You people are like your own country."
That got all the brothers into a discussion of what they might name their country and who would be president — which was my cue to announce that cake awaited in the dining room. On the way to the dining room, Eric pulled me aside. "I have the tape transfer for you."
I grabbed his arm. "There was something on it?"
Eric grinned. "Yeah, I think it’s your mom and dad, kind of sweet." He pulled a DVD case out of his pocket and gave it to me. "The tape was ancient but I retrieved as much as I could."
I held it like it was made of gold. "You’re the best, Eric." I gave him a one-armed hug. "Now go, get your cake. You earned it. In fact, I’m going to make you a cake, just as a thank you."
Eric’s dark eyes glistened. "Yeah? What kind of cake?"
I chuckled. "Any kind you want."
Eric grinned and headed for the kitchen. "Hey Zee, Scotti’s going to make me my own Christmas cake. Just for me. No sharesies either."
When I turned back and bumped into a scowling Joe, I lost my grin. "Something wrong, Gramps?"
He huffed and turned toward the dining room.
Ted came up behind me and slipped his arms around my non-existent waist. "You and Joe still spatting?"
I leaned against him and sighed. "Next topic, please."
Ted nuzzled my neck. "Anxious to go home and watch th
at video?"
I tilted back my head. "Do you think anyone will notice if we leave now?"
<<>>
We watched the five-minute video of Rory and Rose so many times I lost count. It was just a few minutes of them sitting on an beat-up plaid sofa, teasing each other, and making silly jokes. But seeing my parents alive was indescribable. That little bit of tape gave me a way to be with them — to imagine us as a family. It was the most precious and unexpected gift. Rose was obviously pregnant with me, so in a way it was my only family home movie.
Death of the Family Recipe (A Scotti Fitzgerald Murder Mystery Book 3) Page 30
