Murder Al Fresco

by Jennifer L. Hart

  I didn't have time to argue with him, but then glancing back and forth between him and his former fiancée, I thought about Kaylee's stepparent trap idea and murmured, "Lizzy, you convince him. I gotta jet."

  "But—" Lizzy began.

  Their two cars were in the road, but both Kyle and Lizzy had dropped their keys on the counter. Lizzy's house was a few-mile trek across the wooded slopes. I scooped up both sets, praying they didn't have spares on them, and then tossed their stunned faces a jaunty wave. "I'll check on you later. Toodles."

  Not waiting for an answer, I sprinted for Mustang Sally, secured myself behind the wheel, backed up far enough to execute a three-point turn, and took off down the driveway—leaving them to either work it out or kill one another.

  I really hoped they chose door number one because I'd found enough bodies for one week.

  * * *

  "Omg, have you seen it?" Kaylee asked me the second I exited the car.

  "Seen what?" I glanced down at the phone in her hand. It was opened to the Foodie Fanatics page, and the headline read, Romance in the Kitchen? Underneath the headline was a picture of Rodrigo and me outside the hotel the night before. He had his hand on my back and though the shadows hid his expression, mine was clearly nervous as I looked up at him.

  "So I guess Rodrigo isn't Fangirl#1," Kaylee concluded.

  My teeth sank into my lower lip, and I swallowed the stream of cuss words that wanted to burst forth as I read.

  Celebrity chef hook up in the small town of Beaverton, NC is all the rage. Andy Buckland's had a busy week—first with a case of food poisoning in her restaurant, then vandalism. Has she turned to superstar Rodrigo Lobo for simple comfort, or are things just heating up?

  "Oh my God, Jones is going to lose it," I groaned, handing her phone back. "I can't believe someone snapped this picture, and I didn't even notice."

  "Did you see anyone you recognized?"

  I shook my head. "Donna and Mimi were there too, but of course that wasn't mentioned. We can ask them."

  "If we can find them in time." Kaylee made a face as the crowd swelled like a blowfish.

  Needing to take my mind off of the possible ramifications of this latest debacle, I turned to her. "By the way, you will be so proud of me when you hear this."

  "Why? What did you do?"

  "Stole Lizzy and Kyle's car keys and stranded them at the A-frame together."

  Kaylee snort laughed then clapped a hand over her mouth. "That's hilarious. But won't Kyle arrest you?"

  "Well, then at least Jones and I will be jailbirds together." Though my reply was glib, I really was concerned about keeping my image free and clear of any more scandal. Mr. White had called to inform me that I had been approved to take temporary custody of Clayton. I was walking a fine line with my grand public reveal today and didn't want to do anything that would reverse the custody decision. That stupid blog wasn't helping either.

  "Are you really okay with this?" Kaylee asked me as she studied the gathering media frenzy over by the new gazebo. "I mean, announcing to the world that Jacob's your father is kind of a big deal."

  It was, and yet it was a means to an end. "All the people I really care about already know the truth." I scanned the throng for any sign of Pops or Aunt Cecily. "Besides, I want to expose this blogger for the bottom-feeding scum bug that she is."

  "There's Jacob and Lacey," Kaylee waved toward the left side of the town square. "I'm going to run over and say hi."

  "I'll be there shortly. I just want to check in with Mimi and make sure we're all set."

  Since Jones still wasn't available, Mimi had agreed to dial the blogger's cell phone number when I gave the signal. Lacey had offered to do it, but Jacob had insisted that she stay by his side to display a united front. I wondered if he had ever considered running for public office—he had quite a grasp on the whole spin doctoring thing.

  Mimi stood off by herself and didn't make eye contact with anyone around her. She jumped when I tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, Andy. There you are."

  "You sure you're up for this, Mimi?" I scrutinized her face. "You look a little pale."

  "It's just the heat." She waved it off. "I'll be all right, really."

  Part of me wanted to call the whole thing off. After all, what did it matter who Fangirl#1 really was? Chad Tobey's death had been ruled an accident, and Jones would be out of jail just as soon as Lizzy and Kyle got ahold of Clayton's grandparents. I had been granted custody, and the competition started tomorrow morning. With Jacob's re-launch of the Bowtie Angel planned, I should be focusing all my efforts on cooking my way to fifty thousand dollars instead of unmasking the blogger. All this scheming was taking its toll. My poor assistant looked ready to pass out under the stress of it all, and my grandfather wasn't speaking to me.

  One of the benches encircling the town green was empty, and I led her to it.

  "Maybe you should go inside," I suggested. "Cool off in the air conditioning for a little. I'll find someone else to make the call. Donna maybe."

  "It's nothing," Mimi insisted, and I decided to let it go.

  "Hey, quick question. Did you notice anyone odd in the hotel parking area last night?"

  Mimi thought about it for a second. "There were a few people who came and went. An older couple, a young woman in a business suit talking on her phone, a teenager wearing a hoodie."

  "Huh." I drummed my fingers on the wooden bench.

  "Do you still think Rodrigo might be the blogger?"

  "I'm not sure." He could have posted that story to throw suspicion off himself, but then again, he could've been an innocent bystander.

  "He asked me out," Mimi blushed.

  "He did?" Both my eyebrows went up. "What about your boyfriend?"

  She shrugged. "We decided that a long-distance relationship was too hard."

  "I'm sorry." With everything that had been going on, I hadn't even asked about her weekend away.

  "It's fine." She toed a patch of crabgrass with her sandal. "So do you mind if I accept Rodrigo's offer?"

  "No," I spoke the word slowly. I really wanted to believe that Rodrigo had asked her because he genuinely liked Mimi, but with everything else going on… "But would you mind terribly waiting until after the competition? I just want to make sure he isn't using you to get information on me."

  She looked away quickly, and I felt like an egomaniacal jackass. Note to self: Not everything is about you, Andy.

  "Mimi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

  "It's all right. I should have figured he wouldn't really want to go out with me just because he liked me."

  This woman and her self-esteem issues! "No, Mimi, I'm sure he does genuinely like you. But Rodrigo is—"

  "Rodrigo is what?" Rodrigo asked from behind our bench.

  We both jumped. "A ninja apparently. Someone should put a bell on you," I finished, glaring at him to mask my discomfort. How much had he heard?

  He gave no indication that he'd picked up on any of our conversation. "I just wanted to let you know that Loretta Tobey and her son are still here."

  "What?" I glanced around the crowd. "Here as in here, right now?"

  He nodded. "After making such a big deal about her early flight today, she's still hanging around here. Why do you think that is?"

  I remembered what Jones had said about her. "Is her son with her?"

  Rodrigo did a palms-up gesture. "I have no idea what the son looks like, but she appears to be alone."

  "Mimi, I have to go. Maybe Rodrigo can stay here with you?" And wasn't I just little Andy matchmaker all of a sudden? Of course, it was my fault she was even having doubts about his interest to begin with. I really needed to keep my paranoia to myself.

  Rodrigo turned the full power of his megawatt smile on my sous chef. "It would be my pleasure."

  Good. Two birds, one stone. Rodrigo would be sitting right next to Mimi when she dialed the number so she would know if he got the call. I was hoping for her sake that he wasn't the bl
ogger and that his interest in my friend was genuine.

  Jacob waved at me from the new town gazebo. Kaylee and Lacey stood flanking him, and a sense of inevitability washed over me as I made my way toward them. This was it, the point of no return, public acknowledgment of the man who'd abandoned me.

  All the reasons I was doing this disappeared as I drew closer. No matter what I'd said to Kaylee, this public announcement did mean something. Pops knew it. So did Jones. How I wished Jones was here to help me through this.

  The new gazebo was beautiful, white with gingerbread trim. Stu had been right to insist on something so picturesque, and it would definitely photograph well. Even if the producer's methods were high-handed and bordered on bullying, he was definitely a visionary. Plus the new structure would be a nice legacy for Beaverton when the competition left town. Stu stood in the front row, smiling smugly. Yeah, he knew he was right.

  When I was in place beside Jacob, he stepped up to the microphone that had been set up. "Thank you all for coming, please save any and all questions for after my statement," he said with a genuine-seeming smile. "By now you know that I am acting as a business advisor for Beaverton's own Andy Buckland. We hope we will see you all at the Bowtie Angel's re-launch next week!"

  Several flashes went off, causing me to blink. I studied the crowd, half-holding my breath in fear that Pops would show up and cause a scene. But he knew about this event, and making a public fuss wasn't his style. He'd be as far away from here as possible.

  Again I scanned the crowd, seeing a sea of familiar faces. Donna gave me a thumbs-up from the outer edge. And then someone approached from her other side, and I recognized Steven's uniform.

  Other familiar faces stood out. Mavis Humphries and her son, Peter. Irma Getz and Holly Brooks. Business owners and family friends, I knew all these people, and they were about to hear my deepest secret. I'd grown up as a Buckland, one of the Rosetti women, accepted. My tragic history was an open book to them. How would Jacob's announcement change the way they looked at me? How would it change the way I looked at myself?

  There was a roaring in my ears, and I couldn't hear what Jacob was saying. The faces swirled together into a giant blur. I gripped the railing, desperately trying to steady myself, terrified that I would pass out. Oh God, I couldn't get enough air.

  Then a hand gripped mine, holding on tightly. I turned, and my gaze snapped into focus as I saw Jacob's face clearly.

  "I've made mistakes," Jacob said into the microphone. His words were for them but also for me. "More than I care to count. But I hope my beautiful daughter gives me the chance to make up for them. I hope that Andy Buckland will accept my sincere apology for not being the father she deserves."

  He lifted my hand up high for all of the crowd to see, the signal Mimi was waiting for. There was a murmuring through the masses but no sound of a cell phone going off. I looked to the bench where Mimi had been sitting with Rodrigo and found it empty. The murmuring grew louder, and bodies clustered together by the bench.

  "What iz going on?" Lacey hissed from behind me. "Where is the phone call?"

  Then a cry went up. "Someone call 9-1-1." It was Rodrigo's voice, though his accent was sharp with panic. "I think she's been poisoned!"

  Nightshade-Free Gravy

  You'll need:

  2 tablespoons bacon fat

  2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  5 carrots, peeled and diced

  2 beets, peeled and diced

  1 white onion, peeled and diced

  2 celery stalk, chopped

  5 garlic cloves, minced

  3 pieces of bacon, chopped

  1½ teaspoons sea salt

  ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

  ¾ cup dry red wine

  1 cup chicken stock

  2 bay leaves

  1½ teaspoons dried oregano

  ½ teaspoon dried thyme

  1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  ½ pound ground beef

  ½ pound pork

  Directions:

  Melt the fat with the olive oil in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes. Add the bacon and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

  Add the carrots, beets, garlic, and celery, and cook until the vegetables have softened slightly, about 5-6 minutes.

  Pour in the wine and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

  Carefully pour the sauce into a blender, and blend on low for 15 seconds then increase the speed to high, and continue to blend until you have a smooth sauce.

  Crumble the ground meat with your hands, and add it to the saucepan to brown. Return the sauce to the pan. Add the bay leaves, basil, oregano, thyme, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes to combine flavors.

  **Andy's note: The thickness of the sauce will depend on the fat content of your meat. If it is too thick, add a little more stock toward the end of the cooking process until it has reached your desired thickness.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  "Andy, sit down," Jacob urged me for the tenth time.

  I couldn't blame him, I was wearing quite the groove in the waiting room rug, but there was too much nervous energy coursing through my system to actually sit down and wait. Pacing helped me think, let my mind do something other than shriek, Oh God, what have I done?

  Rodrigo hadn't left the hospital either, insisting he had to know how Mimi was first. I shot him a discreet glance. His face was a mask of worry. Was it really a mask? Rodrigo had been sitting next to Mimi, who had been about to reveal Fangirl#1's identity. Was it mere happenstance that she'd collapsed at a critical moment in our investigation, or was something more deliberate going on?

  I reminded myself for the third time that Mimi hadn't looked well before Rodrigo had approached us. I was the one who had urged her to sit down. But his words rang in my head. I think she's been poisoned. Mimi had been in mid-seizure when I'd pushed my way through the crowd. Her eyes were open, and she'd been foaming at the mouth. At the time, I did believe that maybe Rodrigo was right, that she had been poisoned. But with all this time to speculate, I'd begun to wonder if he knew more than he let on. He could have easily cried, she's seizing, or simply, get help! Had his word choice been deliberate because he knew she'd been poisoned?

  A doctor in a white lab coat entered the waiting room, and people surged up, asking questions.

  "She'll be fine," Doctor Young, who ironically looked as old as Methuselah, said. "Whatever caused her reaction was already in her bloodstream, but luckily it wasn't a fatal dose. I recommend keeping her overnight for observation."

  The people in the room let out a collective sigh of relief.

  "Can we see her?" I asked.

  The doctor shook his head. "It's late, and she needs rest more than anything else. I would recommend visitors wait until morning, when she's regained some of her strength."

  The relieved buzz filled the room behind me, but if I couldn't talk to Mimi right away, I wanted the MD's input. Stepping closer to him, I turned away so that no one could hear what I said.

  "Do you have any idea what she was poisoned with?"

  The doctor shook his head. "Whatever it was, it didn't show up on her blood test."

  "Do you think it was accidental?" I didn't, but Dr. Young didn't need to know that.

  He frowned as if trying to understand what I was driving at. "Anything can be poisonous if given in the right dose, even water. Technically a poison is anything the body systems can't handle, but some substances are more toxic than others."

  "But what could have caused her symptoms that wouldn't show up on a blood test?" I pressed. When he eyed me suspiciously, I added, "I'm her employer, and I want to make sure it's nothing in her environment."

  He studied my face then looked around. "All I can say is that you, as her employer, should have her tested for illegal substances more frequently."

  I blinked. "Come again
?"

  "Has she ever appeared to be high while at work?"

  Stunned at the implication, I shook my head then cleared my throat. "What sort of drug, hypothetically speaking, would cause her to seize and not show up on one of your blood tests?"

  "Synthetic cannabinoids, drugs commonly known as Spice. It's inhaled, which is why it doesn't show up on a blood test. If she has a problem, you should get her help."

  He walked away, leaving me to absorb his words. So someone had poisoned Mimi to make it look as if she had a substance abuse problem? Why?

  "Because she works for me," I whispered, feeling numb.

  "Hey." Kaylee came up and put an arm around my shoulder. "Mimi's going to be fine. This is good news, so why do you look so worried?"

  "No reason." I forced a smile.

  My daughter was nobody's fool though. "What were you and the doctor talking about?"

  I waved it off. "Just insurance stuff. Come on, I better get you home."

  "Let me just run to the restroom." Kaylee chucked her thumb down the hallway.

  "I'll get my purse and meet you in the parking lot." I headed back to the waiting room and almost ran smack into Jacob and Lacey.

  "Well, that didn't work out as planned." Jacob smiled. "Our announcement was sort of lost in the chaos."

  "So it was all for nothing." My tone was glum.

  "I wouldn't say that," Jacob murmured, and I looked up at him, recalling the connection I'd experienced while he made his proclamation and asked for forgiveness for not being a dad.

  I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Part of me wanted to offer it, to forgive him, but the rest of me knew it wouldn't have been genuine. My lips clamped together, and I stood there like a freaking idiot.

  "Do ze doctors have any idea what happened to Mimi?" Lacey asked, pulling me back to reality.

  "Um, not exactly, only that she's on the mend."

  Lacey patted me on the shoulder. "Try not to worry, everything will work out ze way it's supposed to in the end."