Cozy Mystery Boxed Set: Rare Catch Cozy Mystery

by Liz Turner

  “Well, I’ve been busy with my restaurant, and I’m sure you’ve been busy with the police.”

  “Not particularly. There hasn’t been anything since the Starlight Resort case.”

  “Really? I guess it’s a good thing Meloda is such a safe place.”

  “True enough, although it’s a double-edged sword,” Max explained. “On one hand it’s good to live in such a safe place, but to be honest, I don’t have much work.”

  “But you wouldn’t want to live in a dangerous place, would you?” Veronica corrected him. Max gave her the nod and a smile, indicating his agreement. She looked back at the crime scene as the ambulance drove away, it’s sirens notably quiet. “He was already dead by the time anyone could get here, right?”

  Max turned to watch the ambulance as well. “Unfortunately. The coroner said he has been dead for several hours. Time of death was late last evening.”

  “I never like seeing a dead person,” she commented, holding onto her upper arms as the wind picked up a little. “It’s creepy. And sad.”

  “I’m sorry you had to see it,” Max consoled her. “Can you tell me what happened? What you know?”

  “His name is Leo Amato,” Veronica explained. “He’s a photographer who lives in this cul-de-sac. His family said he was supposed to come home and babysit his nephew, but he disappeared sometime last night. I guess we know what happened.”

  “Well, unlike last time we know for sure this is murder,” Max explained.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Leo was stabbed, multiple times,” the detective informed her. “The medical examiner will need to perform a full autopsy to know exactly how he died, but it’s not something he could’ve done himself. We need to find out who did.”

  “I bet it’s someone from this neighborhood,” Veronica theorized. “It’s not a gated community, but this street is cut off from a lot of the other houses.”

  “You’re right,” Detective Bernard agreed. “It would make the most sense for it to be someone who lives on this cul-de-sac.”

  Veronica glanced around the now empty park. While the area around the body had become a crime scene, the rest of the area had remained open to the public. Veronica made sure to check with the police before she and Lucy started picking everything up. The two chefs took it upon themselves to clean up all the plates, cups, soda bottles, plastic cutlery and napkins the party-goers left behind after the body was found. It may not have been their home, but that didn’t mean they wanted to leave so much trash littered about.

  “I hope we didn’t disturb the crime scene too much,” Veronica commented. “Sakura said that’s the worst thing that can happen when collecting evidence.”

  “One of the worst, for sure,” Ma concurred. “But we got the people out of the way quickly enough. All the families have returned to their homes and are staying there until further notice.”

  “Have your forensic people found anything that might point to the murderer?” the chef asked.

  “There was one thing. It was clenched in his hand.” Max pulled an evidence bag out of his case and showed it to her. “It’s a piece of a photograph.”

  Veronica took the bag to get a better look. It was a corner of a picture on what she presumed was glossy photo paper. The picture was of a couple of plants, what appeared to be a bush of some kind. Veronica wasn’t a botanist, so it was hard for her to tell what species it was. It did look strikingly similar to the bushes around the park so it wouldn’t surprise her if it had been photographed right where they were. There was a small bit of cubed wood closer to the torn part where the middle of the whole picture would have been.

  “This looks like a bench leg, doesn’t it?” she suggested.

  Max looked at the picture. “It sure does, but there are tons of benches around here.”

  “Yeah, I’d be hard-pressed to tell you which it is,” Veronica agreed. She squinted at the edge of the photograph, which was tainted with a stripe of red. “Is that…blood?”

  “I believe so,” the detective partly confirmed. “The forensic techs have already taken a sample. They should be able to find out who it belongs to.”

  “You don’t think it’s Leo’s?” she asked.

  “There wasn’t any blood on his hands, and his stab wounds were on his back,” he described. “It’d be hard for his own blood to get on the picture.”

  “Too bad you don’t have the rest of it.” Veronica handed the evidence bag back to the detective. “So what will you do now?”

  “There’s not a lot I can do until I have details from the autopsy and whatever test the forensic team can perform,” Max responded. “I’m going to interview the witnesses in the meantime. Four houses, four families. Do you know anything about them?”

  “A few things, mostly just what I overheard during the party while Lucy and I were cooking. I could...”Veronica was about to continue when a car pulled up behind her truck.

  She recognized the light blue sedan with several dents in the hood. Sakura had bought it from someone who made his living repairing cars that had been totaled in accidents and then selling them for a reduced price. The only thing that hadn’t been fixed was the hood, but Sakura hadn’t cared about that. The car barely had any miles on it, and it still ran well, even seven years later. It had been her college car, but it lasted long enough it was worth keeping until Sakura had some more money on hand.

  Once the car was parked the driver’s door opened to reveal a young Japanese woman. Her long black hair was pulled into a tight braid and hung along her back until it reached her waist. She glanced around until her deep brown eyes fell on Veronica. She smiled, giving an extended wave over her head, making her chef’s jacket ruffle loudly.

  “Hey! Veronica!” She called.

  “Hi Sakura!” Veronica yelled back.

  “Over here!”

  “You called Sakura?” Max asked, his eyes widening at the sight of the chef’s closest friend.Veronica nodded. “Yeah, I told her about the murder after I called you and the police.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Why not? I tell Sakura everything,” Veronica replied, a bit indignantly. “Plus she would kill me if I didn’t bring her along for a murder case.”

  “You’re not...”The sound of loud barking interrupted the detective’s next statement. They glanced back at the car and noticed Sakura had opened the door to the back seat of her car. A young Golden Retriever puppy bounded out of the vehicle and galloped to Veronica. Her bright eyes sparkled as she looked up at her owner in excitement. She squeaked as she sat on Veronica’s feet, waiting for her to pet her head and scratch behind her ears.

  “Amber!” Veronica called the puppy’s name. “What are you doing here? I left you at the restaurant.”

  “You take your dog to The Rare Catch?” Max inquired, his tone more amused than anything.

  Amber had barked before Veronica answered. “Well, I can’t leave her alone at my house! She’s only four months old!”

  “Still a pup then, aren’t you?” Max leaned down and scratched Amber on her left ear. She tilted her head into his hand. That felt good! “Yeah! Who’s a good dog?”

  “You are such a dork, Detective,” Sakura proclaimed as she approached the pair. “Yeah, Veronica still wants to keep an eye on her, so she has Amber in her office during the day.”

  “I can go back and see how she’s doing between meals,” Veronica explained, a bit of protest in her voice. “But that’s different. Why’d you bring Amber on a murder investigation?”

  Sakura pulled her braid over her shoulder from her back to her front. “Do you think I’d just leave her there?”

  “This isn’t the place for a puppy,” Veronica announced.

  Max looked like he wanted to say something, but Sakura beat him to it.

  “I was going to leave her in your office, but I checked her food and water before I left like you asked me to,” Sakura explained. She put her hands together in a begging pose. “B
ut then she looked up at me with her big eyes, and she looked so sad! I couldn’t just leave her there! I had to bring her along!”

  Veronica put her hands on her hips and gave her Executive Sous Chef a playful glare. Amber gave another bark, and her owner looked down. Amber’s bright eyes, which matched her name perfectly, were the biggest eyes she had ever seen. They were certainly happier now that she had been reunited with Veronica, but her sad face was an expression Veronica was quite familiar with by now.

  “It is hard to say no to a face like that, isn’t it?” Veronica said with a smile, and Amber barked in response. “Okay, you can stay while we do the investigation.”

  Max finally stood from his crouch where he had been petting the puppy. “Ladies, I think you’re misunderstanding. You can’t be allowed to work on this case.”

  “Why not?” Sakura and Veronica asked simultaneously, and Max looked back and forth between them.

  “Well, you know, it’s a murder investigation,” he emphasized.

  “That didn’t stop us from working together on the last one,” Sakura reminded him. “And I seem to remember that having our help was really…well, helpful.”

  “It was, but…” Max trailed off and sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want you involved. You clearly proved yourselves last time. But I don’t want you to get in trouble for getting involved.”

  “We won’t cause any problems,” Veronica promised. “We could be just as helpful this time. Aren’t more hands and ears always good things?”

  “And I want another idea for my next mystery book!” Sakura declared.

  “Did you ever get that published?” Veronica inquired.

  “Not yet. I’m still writing it,” she replied. “But that doesn’t matter! I can still write down ideas for more books!”

  Amber barked a few more times, adding her own argument for why the two women (and dog) should be included in the investigation. Max bit his lip.

  “I don’t know…”

  “How about this,” Veronica offered. “I’m still catering lunch today, so how—”

  “You’re still going to do that?” Max interrupted. The chef gave him an irritated look. “Sorry. Go ahead.

  “Yes, I am still preparing lunch, as I was hired to do,” she continued. “I’ll be making meals for every family, so we can use that as an excuse for Sakura and I to be there when you ask questions.”

  Max rubbed his chin in thought. “I do want you two there, but are you sure you can leave The Rare Catch without you for so long?”

  “I already sent Lucy back. She can take care of things,” Veronica explained. “Sakura and I will do the cooking here, and then bring it to the families while you do the investigation.”

  If Max really wanted to protest this plan, he wasn’t showing it. Instead, he smiled and nodded. “Okay. You’ve twisted me arm.”

  “We barely needed to convince you at all!” Sakura proclaimed.

  “Yes, twisted my arm,” the detective repeated. “We should start with the victim’s family first. How quickly can you get the food ready?”

  “In no time at all,” Veronica answered. She turned and pointed to the first house on the cul-de-sac. “That’s the Amatos’ house. Sakura and I will meet you there in ten minutes.”

  Amber barked and whined again, and Veronica reached down to pet her.

  “Don’t worry, little one. We won’t leave you behind.”

  Chapter 3

  True to their word, Veronica and Sakura finished preparing a surf and turf meal for the entire Amato family in only a few minutes. Most of the preparations had already been completed earlier that day, and Lucy made sure all the food was properly refrigerated in Veronica’s van before she left for the restaurant. The two chefs only had to take out the prepared meals and cook them properly before they were ready.

  Detective Bernard stood on the sidewalk in front of the cul-de-sac’s first house. It was a two-story building with deep gray roof tiling. The walls themselves appeared to be made of rustic brick, although Veronica bet they were regular walls only decorated to look that way. The windows were huge, taking up a majority of the upper half of the walls, coupled with light brown shutters. These were open, allowing some light into the house, and Veronica could see pale blue curtains inside.

  There was a long path from the sidewalk to the front porch, with cobblestones piled in rows on either side. In front of the porch, which was made of white beams, was a large garden filled with various ornamental flowers. Similar flowers were planted in a circle surrounding a tree in the middle of the lawn. The tree itself was tall but trimmed back so the branches were out of reach for anyone shorter than five feet.

  Next to the porch but still on the lawn was a large potted shrub. It had been trimmed into the shape of a star with multiple points on it. It looked like it had been recently placed there since the pot was clean other than the dirt inside and the edges of the shrub leading to the points were sharp.

  Maybe they just haven’t had a chance to plant it yet, Veronica thought as she and Sakura carried containers filled with food up the street to the house. Amber walked beside them, which was oddly obedient behavior for her.

  “That sure smells good,” Max commented as the chefs approached. He took a deep sniff above the plate Veronica held. She pulled it away from him and gave him an amused smirk. “Hey!”

  “This is for the grieving family, Detective,” she joked to him. “Are we ready?”

  “I’m all set,” Sakura replied, and Amber barked in response.

  Detective Bernard nodded, still a bit disappointed at the food being moved out of his reach, nodded and led the ladies to the home’s front door. He rang the bell, and the three (four if Amber was included) waited.

  It wasn’t long before the door opened, revealing a man in his early forties. He was several inches taller than Max and glanced down at all three visitors with bright blue eyes. Veronica noticed they were a little puffy, but this man had a stoic poise and aura to him that showed both compassion and a steel will. His blonde hair was cut short in a style that indicated practicality more than anything. He wore very simple clothing – just a T-shirt and a pair of jeans – again, giving the impression of pragmatism.

  The man smiled, although it was smaller than a genuine grin. “Hello, Chef Koche. Something smells good.”

  “Nice to see you again, Mister Amato,” Veronica greeted back. She lifted the plate she held, and Sakura followed suit. “We’ve come with some lunch if you’d like.”

  “You can call me Pietro, Chef, and a bite to eat would be great,” the man answered. He glanced at Max. “Who might you be?”

  “I’m Detective Max Bernard,” Max replied. He pulled out his badge and showed it to Pietro. “I’m working with the Meloda PD. I understand the man found today was your brother?”

  Pietro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yeah. My little brother. I assume you want to ask about him?”

  “If it’s not too much trouble.”

  “Please come in. All of you.”

  “Is it all right if my dog comes?” Veronica requested, gesturing to Amber, who was still sitting on the porch. “Or would you prefer if she stayed here?”

  “She can join us,” Pietro replied. “Dogs are welcome here.”

  Pietro led the group into the living room, which was just as cozy as the outside. A large couch was in the center, with smaller chairs on either side, but they were all plush and fluffy, with white coverings Veronica realized were made of fake fur. Thank goodness for that! In the space between the couch and chairs was a single coffee table, with metal legs and a glass surface. Beneath the surface was a swirl of bubbles, frozen in time, to make up the entire top of the coffee table.

  An unlit fireplace was to the right of the table, and on its mantle were some photographs in frames of various designs. Veronica instantly recognized a few of the people in the photos: the older man who was the grandfather, Pietro and his son Rupert, and the murder victim, Leo. Some of the picture
s were of them as a group, but there were others of each individual as well. Quite a few of the photographs were quite artistic as well, including one of a young boy at an angle showing the side of his face looking off into the distance.

  They look like such a happy family, Veronica thought. And some of these are art pieces, not just pictures.

  Veronica’s gaze traveled from the fireplace to the walls. Similar photographs were there as well, some set up in symmetrical patterns and other placed more haphazardly. A few were in sepia tone, giving them a gentler quality, many of which were either Lorenzo or the young boy. A majority of the pictures were color, however, and the family in them posed at different global landmarks. Smiles glowed from the photos as Veronica recognized the location where each one had been taken.

  The Eiffel Tower, Pyramids of Giza, The Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Veronica listed in her head. This is a family that has been everywhere.

  The pictures appeared to be in chronologic order as she continued down to the corner and over to the adjacent wall. Veronica couldn’t know for certain how accurate it was, but she understood the passage of time, chiefly based on the age of the boy as he grew from an infant to a child of about ten. Later on, there were photographs of the neighbors at different parties, all taking place at the park where Leo’s body had been found. The Amatos were usually in the center while Edwards and the Dolans were on either side. There was another family, one with four children, who Veronica didn’t recognize, and she assumed they must be the ones who moved out of the house Henry and Denise Mullins now owned.

  All the photographs were unique in their own way, but there was one striking similarity.

  Leo’s not in any of these pictures, Veronica concluded. He must be the one behind the camera.

  “Dad!” Pietro called up the stairs at the corner of the living room. “The detective’s here! And Chef Koche brought us lunch!”

  There was no response other than the sound of footsteps heading down the stairs. Veronica had seen the older man at the party, but she didn’t get a good look at him until that moment. Lorenzo’s hair was completely gray, although it was in a similar short style as his son. He wore a clean button-down shirt that was light gray, similar to the house’s roof tiles, and a pair of black slacks. He had a pair of wide-set gray eyes, a characteristic he didn’t share with Pietro, but Veronica spotted in the few photographs of Leo. She could only presume Pietro got his eyes from his mother.