On the Chopping Block (A Callie's Kitchen Mystery Book 1)

by Jenny Kales

  Viv was developing a good head of steam as she kept on with her lecture. “I’m not leaving you alone in the dark with anyone after a man was stabbed to death. What kind of grandmother would I be if I did that?” Viv tossed her head and straightened the smartly tailored but casual jacket she wore.

  “Okay, okay,” Callie relented. “But I’m trying not to attract too much attention to myself. Let’s just keep that in mind.”

  “Anyway,” Viv said as Callie started the car. “Ava didn’t seem to think anything of it.”

  It was no use arguing with her. But could Ava really be a threat? “I hope not, Grandma,” Callie said with resignation. She touched her grandmother’s forearm. “Thanks for protecting me.”

  Viv pouted for a second longer and then decided to accept Callie’s gratitude. Patting her granddaughter on the knee, she asked “What’s next?”

  “One more stop,” Callie told Viv. “This time, let me make sure the coast is clear before you get out of the car. I don’t know if police are patrolling Drew’s house, so let’s be careful. I’m not going to park right in front – we’ll walk a bit.”

  Reviewing her run-in with Ava, Callie felt that it was entirely possible that she or Mrs. DeWitt knew something about Drew’s visitors the night of his murder. However, she was willing to admit that it was equally as possible that neither woman knew anything. Mrs. DeWitt was a busy lady, not often at home, just like tonight. However, Callie found it strange that Ava would still be on the premises. Wasn’t it going a little bit above and beyond the call of duty to hang around at night just to bring roses in?

  As she pondered Ava and Mrs. DeWitt’s work arrangement, she realized that employee loyalty was nothing unusual in a town like Crystal Bay where the good jobs were held by people for years and years, much to the chagrin of the young Crystal Bay College grads who wanted to stay in town and find jobs close to home.

  Callie pulled up to the curb a safe distance away from Drew’s house, stopped the car and leaned her head against the steering wheel a minute. Being so close to the murder scene was making her feel shaky all over again.

  “Darling, what is it? I knew this was going to be too much for you,” Viv asked gently.

  “It’s just difficult to be here again. I haven’t been, since…” Callie swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought about the last time she visited Drew’s home. Worse still, his death was uncovering a side of him she hadn’t even known and yet, still she missed him. Or maybe she missed the idea of him. Either way, her heart pulsed with grief and she sat for a minute allowing it to wash over her. Silently, she wished him peace.

  The night sky was almost entirely black, the trees making huge, looming shadows that resembled gigantic prehistoric beasts. No kidding, Ava, she thought. I’m one of those humans scared of the dark.

  “Well, what are we looking for?” Viv asked, practical as always, as the two of them got out of the car and began walking slowly down the street with Koukla walking slightly ahead of them on her leash.

  Practically tiptoeing now, Callie and Viv approached Drew’s home. “Do you see any police cars?” Callie whispered to Viv. The two of them looked around but nothing looked unusual. Callie tugged Viv’s arm and they walked halfway up the walkway before she was brave enough to turn on the flashlight she’d brought with her. Bright yellow crime scene tape glowed garishly as she ran the beam up, then down.

  Various debris were scattered on the porch, some propped up against the front door, while other tributes simply lay limply upon the ground. It was an astounding and odd assortment of objects.

  A stuffed teddy bear lay next to a vase of silk flowers. Several greeting cards and notes were carefully placed against the door jamb. Someone had tied balloons to the door and a few were beginning to deflate. A small Eiffel tower was tipped on its side and unthinkingly, Callie bent down and set it right. Where had she seen one of these before? Oh yes. Drew’s office. Was this tribute from someone at the Bistro? Chef Johan aside, Drew had always seemed popular with his co-workers. He had to have been paying at least some of them.

  Callie hugged Viv’s arm closer to her then bent down to pet Koukla who was starting to whine. It was all so unbearably sad and strange, this little hodgepodge shrine on Drew’s porch. To Callie, however, it was not surprising. People in Crystal Bay needed to find something to do when tragedy struck. If someone was sick, they sent food. If someone in the family died, they sent food and attended the funeral. If someone lost their job, they offered food and moral support. George was right when he had said that people always needed to eat.

  What happened when a single, attractive man was murdered, one who had provided some of Crystal Bay’s finest dining to both locals and tourists? Having no precedent to guide them in this specific case, her fellow Crystal Bay residents simply did what they had always done: they made a gesture of goodwill toward the deceased, if only a bunch of balloons or silk flowers. Crystal Bay people were good people, Callie thought.

  Well. At least most of them were.

  “Grandma, let’s go around the back.” Viv nodded as Callie led the way.

  “Such a shame. Drew had his whole life ahead of him. Who would think that a random murder would hit Crystal Bay? Honey, let’s be careful, it’s so dark back here,” Viv kept up a constant stream of chatter that Callie found oddly soothing as they walked through the long grass, although she no longer believed that Drew’s murder was random.

  Brandishing her flashlight, Callie decided to walk the perimeter of the house exactly as she had done the night of the murder to see if it triggered any memories. She ran her flashlight around the back patio and saw that the ceramic pots had been smashed, the cheery yellow mums scattered across the flagstones.

  Koukla started growling low in her throat again and Callie feared that an animal had done the damage and was waiting to do more – maybe a fox or one of the huge raccoons that loved to raid the area. Callie was afraid for her loyal companion. A larger animal trying to defend itself could do away with Koukla in one swipe of its sharp claws. “Hush, Koukla,” Viv said softly and the dog gave a short, sharp bark in reply. So much for being silent.

  Callie swept the beam from her flashlight around the perimeter again looking for glowing eyes. Thankfully, she saw nothing. She walked around the entire house, trying to take in as much as she could in the dimness, her eyes darting anxiously in every direction.

  Callie switched off her flashlight and closed her eyes, trying to recall details from that terrible night she’d found Drew. She’d crawled in a window and called the police when she’d seen his body. Food had been cooking and nothing had really looked amiss.

  Callie decided to scan Drew’s side door, the one visible from Mrs. DeWitt’s house. She started a slow trek around the back patio one more time and decided to look out across the water to see if she could spot Mrs. DeWitt’s home in the distance. Koukla panted alongside of her, obviously tiring of her role as doggie detective. Viv’s chatter had died away and Callie knew she was growing tired. So was Callie. It was time to go soon.

  Peering out across the water, Callie stopped short. The lights were on in Mrs. DeWitt’s home and a silhouette could be seen in one of the windows. Short, curly hair, petite frame. It had to be Ava.

  And she appeared to be staring directly at them.

  Viv had followed Callie’s gaze. “Is that who I think it is?” she stage-whispered and Callie nodded briskly. “I think so,” she said, already starting to walk in the direction of the car. “Let’s go.”

  “You got that right,” Viv answered. “I’m getting the creeps out here.”

  Keeping the flashlight pointed only at the ground to keep the light low, Callie led Viv along the other side of Drew’s house, Koukla straining the leash at the end of Viv’s arm. Her flashlight shone on a few more “tributes” and Viv stopped to look. A piece of thick white notepaper lay upon a bouquet of red roses. Freshly cut, the large blooms were not encased in florist’s paper, but simply arranged in a small, n
eat bundle.

  Viv started to bend down as if to grab the note, but Callie yanked her back, as gently as she could. “Don’t pick it up!” she said. “You don’t want to touch it – it could be evidence!”

  The two of them crouched down to get a closer look, Callie keeping Koukla far away from the paper. The notepaper was crisp and fresh and it contained a message, obviously printed from a computer. Excitedly, Viv read it out loud: “Dearest Drew, I’m sorry. Love always, Kitty.”

  Twenty Two

  “Who’s Kitty?” Viv asked. “Do I know her?”

  “Grandma, let’s talk about it where we’re safe. I’m calling Detective Sands right now.” The two women made a beeline for the car, Koukla scurrying along at their heels.

  Viv soothed the dog while Callie dug out the detective’s business card and called him. What would she do if he didn’t answer? She’d just have to call the regular police non-emergency line. She clenched her jaw as the phone rang several times. Finally, Sands picked up.

  “Hello, Detective. This is Callie Costas. Listen, I’ve found something at Drew’s house that I think you should see. Can you drive over?”

  “What exactly are you doing at Drew’s house?” Sands asked, sounding genuinely perplexed. “I don’t know if you’re extremely clever or just extremely reckless!”

  Callie had to half-laugh at that. “Me either. Seriously, you’ll want to see this. It’s a note, from someone named Kitty. I saw a note by the same person in Drew’s office the other day, remember?”

  “All right. I’ll be there soon. Where are you?”

  “In my car.”

  “Stay there, please, just to be on the safe side.”

  “One more thing. My grandmother is with me.” Callie figured she may as well tell him everything.

  “Wonderful.” He hung up.

  “Callie, do you know this Kitty person?” Viv persisted after Callie let her know that the detective was on his way. “I’m thinking….I knew a Katie, but not a Kitty.”

  Kitty. Callie grimaced, her previous warm feelings toward Drew turning into a stony feeling that gathered in the pit of her stomach. Had there been other women, or just this Kitty?

  “I don’t know anyone by that name,” Callie admitted. “But it’s odd. I’ve seen the name on a note I found in Drew’s office, just recently.”

  Viv sighed. “Strange. And you have no idea who she is?” Viv said sitting up straight and peering out the window. “Well. I find it all very interesting. It’s kind to leave tributes for Drew but how do people have the nerve to just walk right up to that house? Just standing outside gave me the willies!”

  Callie smiled at Viv. “Yes, but you did it anyway. You’re one tough lady.”

  “True,” Viv agreed. “I try not to let my fears keep me away from my duties. Tonight my duty was to keep you safe and protected.” The two exchanged smiles, but Callie wasn’t so sure she’d be safe and protected once Sands arrived. Maybe he’d be angry instead of grateful that she was the one who’d found a clue.

  It seemed only a few minutes before Sands’ car pulled up in front of Drew’s house. The two women, accompanied by the now thoroughly disgusted Yorkie, got out of the car and walked over to meet him. He must have been speeding the whole way here, Callie thought.

  “All right, what do you have to show me?” Sands looked skeptical. He nodded at Viv as she introduced herself and said “Pleased to meet you,” then allowed the duo to lead him to the Kitty note. He crouched down and read it aloud, then stood up and looked at Callie. “Kitty again. Just like the note you found in Drew’s office.”

  “I know.” Callie felt her blood pressure skyrocket. Was it now going to look like she had killed Drew out of spite, a woman scorned? Why oh why hadn’t she just gone home the minute she’d seen this stupid letter?

  “You didn’t leave this note, did you?” Sands crouched down again and took a closer look. “It looks recent.”

  “She did not,” Viv piped up. “I was right here. We were walking around and found it together.”

  The detective turned back to Callie. “Can I ask once again – what are you doing here? You must know it doesn’t look good.”

  “I could lose my business, my daughter and recently, someone attacked me. It’s not that I don’t trust you to do your job, but you seem to think I’m involved. I thought that if I came back here, I’d remember something about the night I found Drew, something that would help. I also visited Mrs. DeWitt’s house and she has a pretty good view of Drew’s home. Did you speak to her?” she demanded.

  Sands looked slightly taken aback by her tirade. “I understand that you want to clear your name. However, unless you want to get into deeper trouble than you already are, crime scenes are officially off-limits. And I can’t discuss any conversations that I may or may not have had with any other witnesses.”

  “Callie is innocent!” Viv chimed in. “Please believe her.”

  Sands looked from one to the other and then down at Koukla. “You even dragged your dog into it. You all make quite a team.” He shook his head.

  Just then, a black and white car showed up and two officers emerged. Sands directed them to the letter and “tributes” and they began placing the items in clear plastic bags.

  “Right. You two are coming with me. I need you to make another statement – both of you. Callie, you’re going in my car where I can keep an eye on you.” He addressed Viv in a gentler tone. “Can you drive Callie’s car to the Crystal Bay police station? I need a statement from you as well.”

  Viv agreed and took Koukla with her. Knowing it was pointless to argue any further, Callie got in the car without protest and Sands began the drive back to town. Callie texted Samantha to let her know what was happening and asked if she could meet her there. To her relief, Samantha agreed.

  Near the water it had been so still that you could hear the lapping of gentle waves against the rocks and the whisper of bat wings. Closer to town, the cool but clear weather had energized the populace. Indian summer was an all-too-brief event in Wisconsin where you could begin the morning at 40 degrees and end it at 80 degrees. Or even more likely, vice versa. You couldn’t blame Wisconsinites for living it up outside when they could.

  “Look at Garden Street,” Callie said, just to make conversation. “It looks like Christmastime out there! Maybe the economy is improving. Or maybe it’s just the nice weather.”

  “It is quite lively,” Sands agreed. As they drove past Callie’s Kitchen, she felt a pang. It looked snug and warm, the windows darkened for the evening. Callie envisioned them dark forever, if she had to close up shop. She looked the other way, not able to cope with that feeling at the moment.

  A pedestrian crossing forced Sands to stop the car as he waited for a large group to pass. One of them, tall and heavy-set, looked familiar. Chef Johan. Based on their last meeting, Callie would have expected him to be long gone by now. He was speaking animatedly to someone next to him, someone much shorter because he was looking down. He was also smiling broadly in an obvious effort to be charming. When he smiled, he looked somewhat attractive. His teeth were straight and white and he had a dimple in his strong chin.

  The group near the chef cleared out and Callie could see Johan’s companion. She gasped. Sands heard her sharp intake of breath and stared at her. “What is it?” Callie just shook her head, her eyes transfixed on Lucille, who was teetering along, in her usual pencil skirt and spiky heels. As Callie watched, she stumbled a little on her heels and Johan caught her arm. They kept walking and jabbering away, totally oblivious to Callie’s interested gaze.

  “I’m just surprised to see Lucille with Drew’s chef. Johan. I had no idea the two of them were an item. You questioned him the other day,” Callie reminded him.

  “So I did,” Sands said, eyeing the pair with interest. He glanced at Callie, but he didn’t say anything more.

  Well, well. Lucille seemed to have recovered nicely. Samantha was right. You couldn’t keep a good woman down. But
what was the young bank worker doing with Chef Johan?

  * * *

  Callie was getting used to giving statements at the police station. Too used to it. She and Viv were interviewed separately, while a young officer entertained Koukla. By the time it was all over, Callie and Viv promised Sands that they wouldn’t return to Drew’s house, or in Callie’s case, Drew’s bistro. Callie couldn’t tell if Sands suspected her more or less after her attack and if this recent evidence helped her or hurt her. Samantha was trying to remain calm but Callie could tell she was furious that she had been called to the police station once again. Overall, this combination of worries didn’t make for a restful night.

  The next morning, Callie tried to get back to business as usual. She fed a grateful Koukla, applied lipstick (bright pink, to give some color to her haggard face), rushed about her house, tidying up and all the while she thought about her sighting of Lucille and Johan out on a date.

  She remembered the abundance of food magazines in Lucille’s apartment the other day – if she was dating a chef, maybe she was trying to educate herself on the latest food news. Though, she had admitted to Callie that she was a “foodie” herself – so maybe that was part of the attraction with Drew’s moody chef. When it came to romance, who was she to judge someone else’s taste?

  Chef Johan was volatile, though apparently he could also be charming. He was definitely a thief. He was a disgruntled employee, absolutely. But did that make him a killer?

  Callie and Lucille had both been attacked recently – they had that in common. Was that all they had in common? Lucille was close with the chef or even “just friends” with him, which would have given her proximity to Drew. Was she another of Drew’s conquests? Maybe, maybe not. After all, she’d told Callie that Drew was “weird.” Still, maybe Lucille was in a greater position to judge Drew’s personality than she’d let on. Enough! Callie was getting a headache just imagining another potential deceit on Drew’s part. And what about Kitty?