by Hillary Avis
“Huh. Well, Charley will sure be interested to hear that he ran off to another country.”
Confusion spread across Kimmy’s face. “Charley? Why would Charley care?”
Bethany took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Because Charley is investigating—”
“The poisoning of that wrestler dude’s assistant? Does he think Monsieur Adrian had something to do with it?”
“It’s more than that. After he stormed out of the tent, one of the judges keeled over and died. Just like that. And Charley is pretty sure he was poisoned, too.”
Kimmy gasped. “So Monsieur Adrian could be a murderer? Which judge was it? The wrestler dude?”
“No, Judge Gallagher.”
Kimmy smacked her hand on the counter. “No way!”
“Why do you say that?”
“That’s the judge who ruled on Monsieur Adrian’s custody case, that’s why! It can’t be a coincidence.”
Adrenaline surged through Bethany’s veins. “And it gives Monsieur Adrian a motive for poisoning Judge Gallagher even before the judge disqualified him! So he could have poisoned the judge’s bowl of chili.”
The sound of laughter met her ears an instant before the front door swung open and Charley and Milo squeezed through the doorframe at the same time. Charley shoved Milo playfully on their way to the couch. Bethany hurriedly smoothed the flyaways into her bun and straightened her rumpled clothes.
Kimmy raised an eyebrow. “You two just get out of practice?”
“Yup. Big game tomorrow,” Charley said. “It felt pretty great to hit some balls after dealing with the case earlier. I brought this guy home because he has some news.”
Milo waved a thin book at them. “I requested this from the library while I was writing the contestant profiles. It just came in by inter-library loan yesterday, but I didn’t have a chance to look at it until this afternoon, after the cook-off.”
“What is it?” Bethany squinted, trying to make out the print on the cover from across the room.
“High school yearbook—from Alex Vadecki’s alma mater in New Jersey.”
Bethany crinkled her nose. “So how is a twenty-year-old yearbook news?”
“Remember how he said, ‘I never even saw him before today’? I checked my notes—that’s an exact quote.” Bethany nodded, and Milo continued. “Well, take a look at the graduating class.” He brought the yearbook over to the counter and opened to a spread featuring a class photo.
Bethany and Kimmy leaned over it, looking for faces they recognized. Impatiently, Milo stuck an arm between them and pointed to a name on the caption at the bottom.
Trent Gallagher.
Bethany jerked her head to look at Milo. “Wait a minute. Alex and the judge went to high school together?!”
“Not just that.” Milo held up a finger and flipped to another page. On it, a young Alex clasped his arms around the waist of a slender girl with long, blonde hair. She wore a glittering crown and a sash proclaiming her Prom Queen. “Check it out.”
“Alex dated the prom queen? So what?” Kimmy asked.
“That was in April of their senior year. By graduation?”—Milo flicked to another page—“Same girl, but Trent Gallagher’s arms are around her.”
“So they might have been rivals way back then,” Bethany said slowly. “But why would Alex wait twenty years to get back at him for a high school relationship? That doesn’t make sense.”
“It wasn’t just a high school relationship. That’s Mimi Gallagher,” Milo said. “Trent Gallagher’s wife.”
“Maybe he’s still in love with her!” Kimmy said. She glanced over at Charley. “Nice to see you, too, by the way.”
“Hi, Kimmers.” Charley flashed her a mischievous grin and Kimmy bit her lip, smiling back. Charley hopped up and came over to look at the yearbook over their shoulders. “Alex had plenty of opportunity to poison Trent Gallagher at his restaurant over the years, though. I’m not sure he’d do it in such a public way—and his interest in Mimi must have waned at least a little bit, right?”
Bethany nodded. “In the tent, Alex seemed pretty focused on making some kind of deal with Chuck Bolton. He didn’t mention Judge Gallagher at all.”
Kimmy elbowed Charley in the arm. “Look at me, not the yearbook. I swear, you’re only interested in the case.”
Charley rolled her eyes, but she focused her attention on Kimmy instead of the book. She wrapped her arms around her from behind. “Mm,” she said, nuzzling her chin into the top of Kimmy’s head. “I like these big braids—they’re cushy.”
“Yeah, I got them for your comfort. Happy to be your chinrest for the evening.” Kimmy’s voice was flat and annoyed. “Seems like that’s all I’m good for as far as you’re concerned.”
“That’s not true—you make great snacks.” Charley’s attempt at humor fell flat, as the stormy look on Kimmy’s face darkened even further. “Aw, honey. I’m just joking. You are the most important thing in my life—at least as soon as this case and the softball season are over.”
She fist-bumped lightly with Milo.
Kimmy abruptly stood up, shrugging off Charley’s embrace. “See?! This is what I’m talking about! Our relationship is always last on your list!” She rushed out of the room, and a few seconds later Bethany heard her bedroom door slam.
She grimaced at Charley. “Bad move.”
“What?! I was just joking!”
“You’re definitely not winning her over to the idea of sharing an apartment with that kind of comment.”
“Did she say something about moving in together?” Charley sat down on the barstool Kimmy had just vacated.
Bethany nodded. “I asked her about it, and she said she wants you to be more serious about the commitment. Apparently you’d just said it would be more convenient?”
Milo groaned. “Ouch.”
Charley blinked. “What? It’s true—it would be. We could spend so much more time together.”
“Yeah, that’s the part you should have led with.” Milo grinned. “The whole ‘it will be much easier for me’ portion could probably go unsaid.”
Bethany nodded. “That’s what I said, too!”
“Ugh.” Charley put her head in her hands. “What am I going to do? How can I show her I just want to be with her?”
Milo smirked. “I’ve heard that if you like it, you better put a ring on it.” He winked at Bethany as he said it. Bethany ducked her head and avoided eye contact with him so she wouldn’t blush any more than she already was.
“I don’t think she’d mind a ring, no,” she said to Charley.
Charley sat up, looking relieved. “That’s it? Just a ring? I can totally do that.” She hopped to her feet and headed for the hall.
“Make it a surprise!” Bethany called, and Charley stopped short.
“So I shouldn’t tell her now? Won’t she want to know as soon as possible?”
Milo shook his head. “Romance is a slow art, my friend. She may want to know now, but she also wants to know that you’ve considered your decision. If you rush to tell her, you’ll come off as impulsive and greedy. Plan a nice evening—”
“Or a picnic,” Bethany added. “Somewhere pretty.”
“Or a picnic somewhere pretty,” Milo agreed. “And present her with a ring that’s nicer than she expects. And don’t be mad if she wants to exchange it; you’re not a mind reader or a jeweler.”
Bethany looked at Milo, impressed. “Sounds like you’ve done this before.”
He nodded, smiling sadly. “I was engaged for a short while, once.”
“What happened?” Charley asked.
Milo closed his eyes for a brief moment, a flash of pain crossing his face. When he opened them, it seemed to be gone. “She unfortunately passed away before we could get married.”
Bethany gasped. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“They’re not bad. Just...bittersweet. It was a few years ago.” He smiled. “Let’s talk
about the future, not the past. You should go comfort your girl, Charley.”
Charley hesitated. “You sure? I think she’s pretty mad at me. I’m not sure what to say.”
“Start with an apology,” Bethany said. “And then just hold her. She needs extra support because Monsieur Adrian fired her today.”
Charley’s jaw dropped. “Ah, crap. I feel terrible for teasing her!”
Bethany shrugged. “You couldn’t have known.”
“I might have known if I’d asked her about her day when I came barging in here.” Charley hung her head and Bethany patted her on the back. “Hey! Wait a minute.” She pointed to the graduation photo that still lay open on the counter. “Did you two notice Mimi Gallagher’s maiden name? It just caught my eye.”
Bethany looked closer at the caption. Trent Gallagher and Mimi Bolton cuddle up on Grad Night.
“Bolton!” Milo swore under his breath. “Why didn’t I notice that?”
“It’s a common name. It might not mean anything,” Bethany said.
Charley chewed her lip thoughtfully. “Well, if Alex and Trent went to school together, it’s not too much of a stretch to think maybe Chuck was part of their circle, too. They’re all about the same age. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that they’re all part of this cook-off where one of them died.”
Milo grabbed the yearbook and flipped to the back, scanning down the list of names. “He’s not in the index.”
“That just means he’s not their age or younger. He could have graduated the year before,” Charley said, drumming her fingers on the countertop. She stopped abruptly. “Check the wrestling team. Maybe there’s a mention of him as a previous captain or something.”
Milo obeyed, thumbing through the sports pages until he came to the wrestlers. “Nope. Nada. Just a bunch of dudes in tight outfits.”
“Do the seniors have their own pages?” Bethany asked. “You might check Mimi’s to see if she mentions her family.”
Milo located the entry and skimmed it, reading aloud. “Varsity cheerleading...choir...drama club...Homecoming Princess...Prom Queen. Yep, here it is. ‘Thank you to Mommy and Dad for supporting my dreams, and Charlie-bean for being my bodyguard. Look out, boys, The Tenderizer is watching you!’” He set down the yearbook on the counter. “I guess he was already using The Tenderizer moniker in high school.”
“Charlie-bean,” Charley snorted. “Good thing he goes by Chuck now. I don’t know if I could share the same name with that guy.”
“What a minute,” Bethany said, holding up her hand. “Chuck Bolton is Trent Gallagher’s brother-in-law? Why didn’t either one of them even mention that fact?”
“Same reason Alex didn’t mention that he knew either of the judges in high school,” Milo said. “Maybe so that the judging would appear unbiased?”
“Maybe.” Charley nodded. “It’s hard to say without knowing more information about how their relationships have evolved since then. And clearly neither Alex nor Chuck are talking about it with law enforcement. I talked to them, Coop talked to them...and neither mentioned their connection to Judge Gallagher to either of us.”
Bethany shrugged. “They could just be worried about being identified as suspects.”
“That gives me an idea,” Milo said slowly, drawing out his words as though he were formulating the idea as he spoke. “What if Bethany and I go talk to people? Bethany’s also a suspect, right? I mean, technically,” he added apologetically. “The other contestants won’t be suspicious of her if she asks them some questions.”
Bethany eyed him skeptically. “I think they might be suspicious if I have a newspaper reporter tagging along, though.”
“Nah, I have to write a food feature on whoever wins the community vote, right? So I basically need to write profiles for everyone, and then the one that wins will run in the paper. A puff piece is the perfect cover to ask very prying questions.”
Charley nodded. “That’s actually a good idea, Armstrong. I’m impressed.”
Milo buffed his nails on his shirt. “I have them occasionally.”
“I don’t know—it makes me a little nervous,” Bethany said.
“You’re afraid the poisoner might target you if you’re poking around?” Charley asked.
Bethany nodded. “But on the other hand, if we don’t do anything, the killer goes free—and Newbridge becomes a place where it’s not safe to eat food in public. Half the restaurants in town will go out of business, just when my kiosk is closed for the train station reno and Kimmy needs a new gig.”
“Oh, shoot, I should go check on Kimmy.” Charley slid back her stool and headed for the hall, leaving Bethany and Milo alone in the kitchen.
He held out his pinky finger. “Partners?”
She grinned and hooked her pinky through his. “Partners. Let’s solve this thing.”
Chapter 12
MONDAY MORNING
MILO WAS BACK BEFORE Bethany had even finished her morning coffee. When she heard his knock on the door, she shook Charley’s shoulder gently.
“Hey, wake up. Milo’s here.”
Charley sat up on the sofa, rubbing her eyes groggily. “Sorry. I hadn’t planned to stay over, but I was here so late and”—she yawned—“I thought it might show Kimmy how much I care about her.”
“So not just for the free breakfast?” Bethany grinned.
“No! While that will be convenient, I’m going to enjoy it only because of the quality time I get to spend with Kimmers while I eat it.” Charley winked, and Bethany went to answer the door.
As she greeted Milo with a hug, she took in his outfit, a blue checked shirt with a red bow-tie and jeans. “Hm. Quirky, approachable, definitely not a cop outfit. I like it.”
He wiped his feet and came inside, grinning. “You’re looking very pretty yourself.”
She blushed furiously. “I was going for nondescript and nonthreatening! I better go change.”
“No time. We’re supposed to meet Alex Vadecki in fifteen minutes.”
“OK. Let me grab my bag and we can head out.” She checked her appearance in the mirror on the way out the door. Her outfit wasn’t anything special, but it was a good hair day—some small tendrils had escaped her bun and were curling around her face in a way that was more lovely-lady-in-a-meadow and less sweaty-chef-in-a-shoebox-kitchen. Not too bad, Bradstreet.
Outside, Milo was waiting for her on the front walk. She looked around for his car, but other than Kimmy’s blue Honda, no cars were parked on the street near the cottage.
“Should I ask Kimmy if I can borrow her ride?” she asked uncertainly.
He gave her a funny look. “I thought, since we both like to bike...”
She looked over to where Daisy was parked in the side yard, and saw a green road bicycle chained up next to her yellow one. “Beat you there!” she said over her shoulder, and then dashed for the side yard, her purse bouncing against her side.
Milo took a few seconds to react, but then he bounded for his bike, too. Bethany unlocked Daisy and pushed off, bumping over the lawn to the sidewalk, and then to the street. She stood up and pumped the pedals up the small rise to the stop sign, and then when she saw it was clear, let the bike cruise down the big hill toward downtown without pedaling, letting it pick up speed as she went. The brisk morning air stung her cheeks and made her clothes ripple.
There goes my good hair day—but worth it. She’d taken this ride to the Seafood Grotto when she worked there so many times she couldn’t count. She glanced back over her shoulder. Milo had just made it to the stop sign—she was at least a half-mile ahead. She wondered if he knew the shortcut. Time to find out.
She turned Daisy sharply down the alley, into the Wash-n-Dry parking lot, then jumped the curb to the back of the Chinese restaurant and down another alley to the side entrance of the Seafood Grotto. She got off her bike and pushed it around to the front to wait for Milo.
Clearly, he did not know the shortcut. He rolled up seven minutes later, panting. “How
’d you get here so fast? I didn’t even see you—I thought you might have gotten lost!”
She rolled her eyes. “I used to work here, remember? This was my commute.”
“Right.” He ran his hair through his hands and it stuck up rakishly. “I forgot. Let me lock up.”
She waited impatiently as he fussed with his lock and then led him around to the side door and pressed the buzzer. A moment later, Alex appeared at the door and jerked his head to welcome them inside.
“Let’s make it snappy. I’m busy.”
Milo ran his hand through his hair again, this time slicking it down to approximate Alex’s hairstyle. “Hey man, I just wanted to get a little more insight into your business. The food feature comes out right after the crowd favorite will be announced, so I need to profile everyone just in case. You don’t mind, do you?”
This must be the male equivalent of batting your eyelashes. Bethany stayed two steps behind Milo. No point in reminding Alex that he despises me.
Alex frowned, considering. “It’s pretty clear the judges hated the dish, man. I think this is a waste of my time.”
“What do they know?” Milo said mildly. “I thought it was original. Plus everyone here is related to a fisherman, right? What’s the saying? ‘If your father’s not a fisherman, then you better marry one’? Everyone in Newbridge loves local fish.”
“All right, come on back. Just for two minutes, max.” He led them to his office and sat down in the chair behind his desk. The wall behind him was covered with flyers and a large banner.
Bethany stepped closer to get a better look at the banner. Get Condemented at the Seafood Grotto! it proclaimed. At one end, a halo floated over Alex’s disembodied head. On the other end, Chuck Bolton’s head was decorated with devil horns.
“Cute sign,” she said. Did the two of them already have a deal to serve Chuck’s hot sauce at the Grotto?
“It’s like the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other,” Alex explained.
Bethany nodded. “I get it. So you and Chuck made a deal, I take it?”
“Not yet.” His face darkened, and she regretted the question. How are we supposed to get anything out of him if he’s throwing tantrums all the time?
