Steamed to Death

by Peg Cochran

  Her hair was another matter. She hadn’t thought to bring her brush with her. She did what she could by washing out the sticky stuff, and then used her hands to comb through her curls. She dug in the pocket of her jeans and triumphantly pulled out a hair elastic. She managed to subdue her mass of dark red locks into some semblance of a ponytail, after which, with her face clean, she looked reasonably presentable.

  Gigi was about to turn out the light when she noticed a crumpled piece of paper half hidden by the shower curtain. She bent to pick it up. It looked as if someone might have been aiming for the dented metal wastebasket but missed.

  She opened it up and smoothed out the wrinkles. There were only a few lines of text, printed boldly in pencil. The letters were regular and easy to read.

  Gigi scanned the message, then slowed down and read it again.

  I know you did it. I saw you. Pay up or I’ll tell. Gigi turned the paper over, but that was it. No signature and no salutation. No clue as to who sent it or for whom it was meant. One thing was obvious, though: It was some kind of blackmail note.

  For one chilling moment, Gigi realized that Sienna’s office was only two doors down the hall. She probably used this bathroom and could have easily tossed that note herself. Sienna had an alibi, and Gigi believed her, but she doubted Mertz would.

  Gigi squared her shoulders and gritted her teeth. She’d have to show the note to Mertz. It might turn out to be nothing—a mere prank—or it might turn out to be important evidence. She wondered if she could drop it off at the police station without having to encounter Mertz face-to-face.

  Gigi turned out the light and opened the door. As she was stepping into the hall, she heard footsteps. Instinct made her tuck the crumpled blackmail note behind her back.

  She looked up to see Anja coming toward her. Anja gave her a small smile, nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

  • • •

  Gigi gave the counters one last swipe with a soapy sponge, then laid open two of her Gourmet De-Lite containers. She’d had a low-calorie pulled pork cooking in the slow cooker all morning to go over whole wheat buns that she’d toasted to a rich, golden brown. With it she would serve pepper slaw—a German version of coleslaw that included chopped green pepper and was dressed with a sugar and vinegar dressing. By substituting artificial sweetener for the sugar, Gigi had significantly lowered the calories. She’d rounded out the meal with a fresh fruit cup enlivened with a splash of orange juice.

  Anja came through the swinging door from the butler’s pantry. “They are still eating.” She gestured toward the dining room, from which Gigi could hear the low murmur of voices. Fortunately, the shouting had stopped—at least for now. “I am going to run a quick errand.” She eyed Gigi’s containers open on the counter. “You are leaving?”

  “Yes. As soon as I get these meals packed up.”

  Anja pursed her lips. “No matter. I will only be a few minutes.” She grabbed a long, dark cape off a hook in the mudroom and went out the back door.

  Gigi was rinsing out the slow cooker when she noticed Anja coming around the side of the house, wheeling her bicycle. She wondered if she ought to wait until Anja returned. But Bea and Madeline would be getting hungry, and it wasn’t fair to keep them waiting. Winchel would have to manage on his own.

  Gigi packed the meals into a large woven basket she’d bought for the purpose, grabbed her own jacket from the mudroom and slipped into it.

  “Come on, Reg.” Gigi held out his leash.

  Reg uncurled himself from his spot under the table and did a quick stretch in each direction. Gigi clipped on his leash. She gave one last look around the kitchen. Everything was in order. She flipped out the lights and pulled open the back door.

  The wind caught the door almost immediately and tried to tug it from Gigi’s hand. Leaves swirled around her as she made her way around to the driveway where she’d left her car.

  The fierce breeze made Reggie look as if his coat had been turned inside out, and Gigi laughed as he jumped into the front seat of the MINI. She got into the driver’s seat and gratefully closed the door against the suffocating force of the wind.

  Bunches of leaves and small twigs and branches were scattered over the road that led from Felicity’s house to the main road. Gigi drove slowly, but even so she noticed how the wind rocked her small car from side to side. She held the wheel and eased up even further on the gas. A low-hanging branch from one of the trees had broken, and it hung over the narrow lane. Gigi jumped as it slapped against her windshield. She breathed a sigh of relief when she gained the main thoroughfare.

  Gigi increased her speed slightly. The road was clearer, and the wind had abated slightly. The note she’d found was burning a hole right through her jeans’ pocket. She really did have to show it to Mertz. She thought briefly about giving it to Alice to take to him—would that be too thoroughly cowardly of her?

  The wind picked up again. Gigi felt the car rock, and she moved her foot toward the brake. But before she could slow down, the left front end of the car collapsed and began to pull hard in that direction. Gigi gripped the steering wheel and held on with all her strength. What on earth is going on?

  The car began making a hideous grinding noise that was nearly deafening. Gigi glanced at Reg, and he was sitting very still, his coat puffing out the way it did when he was disturbed. Movement off the left side of the car caught Gigi’s eye, and she watched in horror as her front tire bounced down the road and disappeared down an embankment. By now the car was crossing the left lane despite Gigi’s effort to pull as hard as she could to the right. Fortunately, no one was coming in the opposite direction, although the car behind her had started to honk its horn.

  Gigi gave a small sob as she fought to regain control of the car. She was edging off the macadam now and bumping across the grass verge. She closed her eyes as the car made a beeline for the guardrail.

  The jolt wasn’t as bad as Gigi expected. The trek across the grass had slowed the MINI considerably. She opened her eyes to discover that they had stopped, the front end of her precious MINI crumpled against the steel of the rail. Reg had slid off the seat and was cowering in the foot well. Gigi felt a surge of anger and then immediately burst into tears.

  She was digging in her purse for a tissue when someone knocked on the driver’s side window. Gigi looked up, startled. Right into Declan McQuaid’s very blue, very concerned eyes.

  His cell phone was already out, and he was speaking into it. Gigi buzzed down her window while motioning to him that she was fine, and there was no need to call 9-1-1.

  Declan crouched beside the car, his eyes telegraphing his concern. “Don’t worry, the police and an ambulance are on their way.”

  “I don’t need an ambulance. I’m fine,” Gigi protested.

  “At least let them look you over. Some of these injuries can sneak up on you days or weeks later.”

  Gigi opened the door and got out of the car. She was shocked to discover how wobbly her legs felt. A wave of dizziness came over her, and she grabbed for the door frame.

  “Whoa.” Declan put an arm around her. “Maybe you’d better sit down. Don’t want you fainting and landing face-first in the mud.”

  Gigi was about to protest when another wave of dizziness convinced her that Declan was right. He led her to a tree stump, and she sank down gratefully.

  “Reg—”

  “I’ll get him, don’t worry. You stay here. Put your head down if you start feeling faint.”

  Gigi watched through a haze as Declan went around to the passenger side of the car and retrieved Reg. Reg stood by the car for a moment looking slightly dazed, but then he gave a vigorous shake and headed for the nearest tree to lift his leg.

  Declan brought him over to where Gigi was sitting. She looked up at Declan.

  “What happened? All of a sudden I couldn’t control the car.”

  Declan gestured toward the MINI. “Your tire came off.”

  Gigi felt that wave of dizzin
ess again. Thank goodness she hadn’t been on the highway or going downhill when it happened.

  “When was the last time you changed that tire?”

  Gigi thought for a moment. “I had them rotated last month. I took the car to Smith’s Garage over by the train station.”

  “I would go have a word with them if I were you. It looks as if someone didn’t tighten the lug nuts properly.”

  Gigi shivered. She wasn’t entirely sure what lug nuts were, but the fact that the whole tire came off . . . that was enough to frighten her silly.

  Reg had been sniffing the ground energetically, but he suddenly stopped and sat, rotating his ears like a pair of receivers.

  “What is it, Reg?” Gigi was scratching his ears when she heard it—the wail of a siren coming from the other side of town.

  “Sounds like the police are on their way.”

  Gigi suddenly became very conscious of Declan’s presence. She felt the blush she’d been cursed with coloring her face. “I’ll be okay now. I don’t want to keep you.” The heat in her face intensified.

  “I wouldn’t forgive myself if I abandoned you now.”

  Gigi felt another rush of dizziness, but it had nothing to do with the accident. Just then the sirens got louder as a police car crested the hill and pulled to a stop several yards behind Gigi’s MINI. Two officers got out. One skittered down the embankment toward where Gigi’s tire had spun, and the other came toward her and Declan.

  The officer, a tall, skinny fellow whose head looked too heavy for his body, pulled a notebook from his pocket and stood with his pencil poised above the page. “What happened here?” He scowled at Gigi as if the accident had been her fault.

  Gigi felt Declan bristle and hastened to explain what had happened. The officer’s face softened, and he looked over his shoulder. “Ambulance should be on its way.”

  Once again, Gigi insisted that she was fine, but she was quickly overruled by Declan and the officer. Meanwhile, the other officer had scrambled back up the embankment, wheeling the tire in front of him. He walked toward them, a grim expression on his face.

  “All four lug nuts were off,” he said as soon as he was within earshot. “Where did you have that tire put on?”

  Gigi explained about going to Smith’s for her tire rotation.

  Both officers shook their heads. “People gotta learn to be more careful,” the skinny one said. “If I were you, miss, I’d go have a word with the manager there.” He jerked his head toward her car. “You could have been hurt. Badly hurt.”

  All of a sudden the seriousness of what had happened washed over Gigi like a rogue wave, and she began to shake.

  “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Fortunately, nothing really bad happened.” Declan pulled her close and held her tightly.

  Gigi leaned her head against him and shut her eyes. Her lower lip quivered, and tears built up behind her closed lids. She bit her lip. She couldn’t cry. It would be too embarrassing. She was vaguely aware of another car pulling off the road, the slamming of a door and then the crunch of loose gravel as someone began walking toward them. She opened her eyes briefly and peered over Declan’s shoulder.

  Mertz was coming toward them, his face as black as a storm cloud.

  Chapter 24

  Gigi didn’t know what to do, so she closed her eyes again, crossed her fingers and wished with all her might that some fairy godmother would transport her somewhere else—anywhere else. Antarctica in a blizzard would be preferable to seeing the hurt radiating from Mertz’s eyes.

  Mertz stopped shy of Gigi and Declan. “I heard someone in a red MINI had gone off the road. I thought it might be you.” He sounded breathless, as if he’d been running, and Gigi could see the muscle jumping in his cheek. “If anything happened to—” He bit the words off abruptly.

  Declan looked back and forth between the two of them. “It looks like you’re in good hands. I’ve got to get back to the restaurant. I came out for some salt. Believe it or not, we ran out.”

  Both Gigi and Mertz were silent as they watched Declan make his way toward his SUV parked at an angle off the road behind Gigi’s crumpled MINI.

  Mertz sighed. “What happened? When I heard that someone in a red MINI had been involved in an accident, I . . .” He wiped a hand across his eyes and took another deep breath. “Are you all right?”

  Gigi nodded. “I’m fine.” She gestured toward the ambulance, whose crew was hovering. “I don’t think I’ll be needing that.”

  “It would be a good idea to get checked over. You never know. Your neck, your back could be affected. Might not show up for days.”

  It was the same thing Declan had said, but Gigi didn’t mention that. “Sure,” she said to reassure Mertz. “I’ll let them have a look.”

  Mertz nodded, satisfied. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you and your . . . boyfriend.” Mertz said the word as if it burned the inside of his mouth. “I apologize.” He stared at his feet.

  “He’s . . . he’s not my boyfriend. I hardly know him. He came along in back of me, and I guess . . . I guess I kind of lost it for a minute there.”

  “Oh.” A smile lit Mertz’s face.

  Just then one of the EMTs came over. He had a stethoscope draped around his neck and a clipboard in his hand. “Sorry, miss, but we need to check you out before we take off.”

  Gigi succumbed to his ministrations and allowed him to take her blood pressure, temperature and pulse. He gently felt her neck and up and down her back. “I’d feel better if you let us take you in for an X-ray or a CAT scan.”

  Gigi looked imploringly at Mertz, but he shook his head in assent.

  “Fine.” Gigi allowed them to strap her to a gurney. “But what about my car? And what about Reg?” she said on a note of panic.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the car, and if you’ll give me your keys, I’ll drop Reg off at your place.” Mertz squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. He glanced toward the spot where her cheerful red MINI was tangled with the guardrail. “It looks like there’s damage to the fender, but I’m guessing it can be repaired. Of course, you might be riding a bike in the meantime.” A broad grin cut a swath across his face. “At least it will be easy enough to park.”

  Gigi started to laugh but then realized that it hurt. Her ribs, in the area where her seat belt would have been, felt slightly bruised.

  “If you’re ready?” The EMT looked from Gigi to Mertz and then back again.

  He was about to pick up the back end of the gurney when Mertz stopped him.

  He leaned over Gigi. “If you wouldn’t mind quickly telling me what happened. I gather you threw a tire?”

  Gigi nodded. “I had them rotated last month at Smith’s, and it looks like one of the workers forgot to tighten the lug nuts.”

  Mertz shook his head, grim-lipped. “Someone might have done this on purpose. To stop your investigating.”

  Gigi felt her breath catch in her chest. That had never occurred to her. What if the murderer had been rattled? And they’d decided to scare her off . . . or worse, do away with her? She shivered.

  “Leave the investigating to me from now on, okay?”

  “Okay,” Gigi said, her voice coming out breathless and very tiny.

  The EMT once again began to hoist the end of the gurney, but once again, Mertz stopped him. He leaned over Gigi for a moment and then quickly bent and kissed her cheek.

  Mertz turned to the EMT. “Take care of her, okay?”

  The EMT nodded and sketched a brief salute before loading Gigi into the ambulance.

  • • •

  It was midnight by the time Gigi was released from the Woodstone ER with a clean bill of health. She had a couple of bumps and bruises—or hematomas, in the parlance of the ER—but nothing more serious. Except for an overwhelming case of the heebie-jeebies. The idea that the murderer might have been trying to . . . kill . . . her, left her hyperventilating. She’d been thinking about nothing more than getting back home to her cozy cottage, and now
the very thought scared her nearly half to death.

  Oliver came to pick her up at the hospital. He offered to stay with her, but once Gigi saw her home, the windows lit with welcoming light, and heard Reg’s bark carrying on the cold night air, she felt her fears dissipate. She reassured Oliver that she would be okay, and rather wearily made her way up the front steps and through the door.

  Gigi didn’t wash her face or even brush her teeth, but fell into bed and was immediately deep in sleep.

  • • •

  When Gigi awoke, light was already streaming through the windows. She didn’t immediately recall the events of the day before, but turning over in bed brought everything rushing back. She groaned softly, and Reg sat up in alarm, his ears high and alert. Gigi reached out and scratched his head.

  “It’s all right, boy, I’m a bit sore. Nothing to worry about.”

  But life still had to go on. Gigi eased her way out of bed and immediately popped two ibuprofen. That, followed by a hot shower, had her feeling almost as good as new. She just had to be cautious about making any sudden moves.

  She brewed a cup of coffee and began work on breakfast for Bea and Madeline. She was trying something new, and she hoped they would like it—quinoa cooked in low-fat milk topped with chopped apples, walnuts and the merest drizzle of maple syrup.

  Gigi put the pan on the stove, poured in the milk and quinoa and turned on the burner. While that cooked, she put some walnuts in the oven to toast lightly and began peeling, coring and chopping the apples.

  She was thinking over the events of the day before when she realized that Mertz had actually kissed her! It had been only a quick peck on the cheek, but then the way he’d told the EMT fellow to look after her . . . Gigi felt her face get warm from the memories.

  • • •