Chapter 14
Pepper walked right into his parent's house, the alluring scent of something warm and delicious wafting under his nose. It was the house he and his sister had grown up in, and the comforting fragrance of cooking food seemed to greet him every time he came through the door, letting him know this was his home, and always would be. His grandmother lived here now with his folks, having moved into his old room after her husband had passed away.
He closed the door behind him and kicked off his shoes. Walking in, he spotted a furry grey ball in the middle of the coffee table. The family cat, Rosie, was curled up in a wooden tray. She lifted her head and draped it over the edge of the tray as she looked at him, gold eyes blinking sleepily. As he walked over, she stood up and stretched out her back legs, her standard posture when she wanted attention. Pepper scratched the old girl behind her ears. He could feel the warmth of her purr right through his fingertips. Satisfied, she circled twice around in the wooden tray, licked her shoulder a couple of times, and curled up into a ball once more.
"Is that you, Scot?" his mother's voice reached him from the next room.
"Hey Mom," Pepper said, following his nose into the kitchen.
"Hi, sweetie." His mother, Joanie, turned as he came in, wiping a stray wisp of blonde hair off her forehead with the back of her flour-covered hands. She stood in front of the big island in the kitchen, the granite surface spackled with flour and bits of food here and there. An apron covered the front of her sturdy body. Pepper noticed the apron bore the slogan: 'I Don't Need a Recipe-I'm Italian', a gift from Wallace following a batch of brownies Joanie had sent home with her son to give to his partner.
Pepper leaned down and gave his mother a peck on the cheek, reaching past her to snatch a shrimp off the ring she'd set out as an appetizer.
"Hey, leave some of those for everybody else," his mother said, playfully slapping his hand. "I know you'd eat them all on your own if I didn't stop you."
"I'm just having one?well, maybe two," Pepper said, grabbing a second shrimp and dipping it in the seafood sauce.
"That's such a horrible thing about the young Redmond girl. Her parents must feel just awful."
"Yes, I think everyone who knew her feels that way."
"Do you have any leads yet?"
"Um?well," Pepper said.
His mother waved her hands apologetically. "I'm sorry, dear. I know you can't say anything. Forget I even asked. But what about you? Are you all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine, Mom."
"Really? You look tired."
"I'm fine, Mom. Really."
"I just worry about you, sweetie. That's all." She reached up and gave her son a hug before stepping back. "Okay then, why don't you make yourself useful and finish setting the table." Opening the oven behind her, she checked what was inside. She gave it a scrutinizing look. Satisfied, she closed the oven door and turned around. "I've set the plates out, but you could help by putting out the silverware and some glasses. Everybody else should be here shortly."
"Okay," Pepper replied, opening up the silverware drawer and scooping out a handful. He nodded towards the oven. "What've you got going in there right now?"
"Some blue cheese and pear tartlets. They should be ready in just a few minutes." She nodded to a big casserole dish on the island, and next to it, a cookie sheet covered with what looked like little doughy igloos. "Once that comes out, the root vegetables can go in, and then the Beef Wellington once the vegetables are on their way."
"This looks great," Pepper said, looking into the heavy stone casserole dish. He could see a mixture of cut up potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, and sweet potatoes, drizzled with olive oil, grains of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper sprinkled over everything. He shifted his gaze over to the parade of Beef Wellingtons, their pastry wrappings looking perfectly identical as he looked from one little dough hut to another. His mother had grown up and worked in her parent's bakery her whole life. As he looked at the perfectly wrapped pastry that made up the Beef Wellingtons, he definitely knew his mother was her father's daughter. Combined with the delectable smell of the tartlets in the oven, he felt his mouth watering as he looked at the enticing display of food.
"C'mon, get moving-that table's not gonna set itself," Joanie said, giving her son a playful shove.
Pepper stepped from the kitchen into the dining room and started setting out the silverware around the spots set out at the long rectangular table, making sure there was a napkin beside each plate. "Who's the extra spot for?" he yelled back towards the kitchen, noticing eight plates instead of the usual seven.
"Oh, your grandmother asked if she could bring a friend. They should be here in a little while."
When Pepper was finished, he set out water and wine glasses all around, except in front of the small plate for his three-year old niece, April. In that spot, he set out her favourite plastic cup from the latest Disney movie that his mother had for her. "Is Dad downstairs?" he asked, returning to the kitchen.
His mother was just taking the tray of tartlets out of the oven, the savoury flavour of warm blue cheese filled the room. "Yes. As usual, he's down there working on his golf swing."
"I'm going down." Pepper turned towards the stairs that led to the basement.
"Is the table all set?"
"Yes, Mother." Like a scolded child, Pepper nodded towards his mother.
"Did you put some trivets out? I'm gonna need some for that big casserole dish."
"Yes. I put two side by side just for that."
"Salt and pepper? Napkins?"
"Yes, Mother. Everything's there."
"Oh, okay. Off you go then."
Pepper headed downstairs, his ears picking up the distinct sound of a golf club slicing through the air and impacting with a ball. He saw his father in the unfinished portion of the basement, placing another golf ball on the mat before him, a gloriously green golf hole projected on the simulation screen hanging near the back wall.
Dave Pepper was nearing retirement, closing in on thirty years with the City's Building Division, the last dozen spent as the manager of the inspection staff. Although he was a couple of inches shorter than his son, they looked like peas in a pod. When anyone looked at the two of them, it was easy to see the resemblance. They had the same face, but the small wrinkles around Dave's eyes and at the corners of his mouth showed he'd weathered all of those years that separated the two of them, like that favourite leather jacket you take out after the first October frost. Pepper was proud of his father, and especially of his work ethic, as well as the other aspects of his life-from his family, to his job, to how he took care of himself. His father worked out daily at the gym, and tried to eat right-as difficult as that was with the inventive cuisine his wife usually prepared. But golf was his true love, and he spent many wintry hours in this basement with his simulator, fine-tuning his game.
"Hey, son, how's it going?" Dave Pepper said, seeing his son approach. He stood his driver on end in front of him, resting his crossed hands on top.
"It's all right. You?"
"Ah, I think I'm getting the kinks worked out on why I'm hooking the ball all the time." He nodded towards the image of the golf hole on the screen. "Now I can't wait to get out and really play."
Pepper looked at the brilliant blue sky and lush green of the projected image, the water in the hazard even showing sparkling ripples. With the ominous leaden clouds that had hung over the city all day, he knew why his dad liked spending so much time down here. The verdant landscape on that screen definitely made Pepper feel better already-and he'd only been down here for a minute or two.
"How's the shoulder?" Pepper asked. His father had damaged some ligaments in one shoulder-overdoing it at the gym. He'd had to cut last season's golf game short and go in for some minor surgery in September, and he'd been on the mend ever since, adhering to his therapy routine religiously in order to make sure he was ready to take that first swing in the spring.
"It's feeling pretty go
od. I think it's going to take a few yards off my drive, but as you get older, you learn to tailor your game anyways. What are you gonna do? You can't beat Father Time." Dave paused as his son nodded. "Terrible thing about that young Redmond girl. It was all anybody was talking about at City Hall today, especially with the news conference and all."
"Did you see it?"
"Yeah. I'd heard it was going to happen, so I went down to the second floor and watched it. As usual, The Dick used it as another opportunity to try and make himself look good in public."
"I heard his wife was there with him."
"When isn't she?" Dave laughed. "Anyways, Councillor Redmond is off for an undetermined length of time. I'm sure it's going to be tough for him and his family, but I hope he comes back-he's one of the good ones. Your boss and the Chief looked good though. They didn't say much, but they seemed calm and in control of everything."
"Yeah, Chief Dakin's good at that PR stuff-I'm sure that's one of the main reasons they made him the Chief."
"So, how's the case going? You guys got anything on who did it?"
"We've got a few leads that we're following up on, but nothing concrete right now."
From upstairs, they heard the sound of the doorbell ringing and then footsteps, followed by the sound of small running feet above them.
Dave nodded. "I know you can't say much, so I'll leave it at that, but I've got one question for you, son."
"What's that?"
"That girl's death, is it?is it bad?"
Pepper paused, seeing himself in his father's caring eyes. "Yes, it's bad."
Dave nodded slowly, then reached out and patted his son's arm. "Okay, thanks for being honest with me. I'll keep that just between the two of us. No need to worry your mother or any of the others."
The tiny footsteps came barreling down the stairs, and the two men turned to see three-year old April rushing towards them, strawberry-blonde hair flying behind her like a kite on the wind.
"Grandpa, Uncle Tee," she yelled, jumping forwards and wrapping her tiny arms around each of their legs.
"It looks like someone wants a three-legged walk," Dave said, nodding to his son as the little girl stepped onto each of their feet. The two men started ambling about the room, April squealing with happiness. Her tiny fingers were like the claws of an eagle as she hung onto their legs, both of them taking exaggerated steps.
"Grandpa, I got another tooth. Look," April said, pushing her lip up almost into her eye socket.
"Well, well, look at that," Dave said, bending down to take a closer look. "I guess you're ready for that giant steak Grandma Joanie's gonna give you for dinner then."
"I sure am." April looked behind them at the big hanging screen with the golf hole projected on it. "Can I play your golf game, Grandpa? It looks pretty."
"Uh, maybe when you're a little older, sweetheart."
"Okay." The little girl turned and looked at the stairs. "I'm gonna go play with Rosie. Bye." She waved and tore off up the stairs.
"We better go, too." Dave shut down his golf simulator, plunging the unfinished part of the basement into the same grey pallor as the March weather outside.
"Hey, Matt," Pepper said once he got upstairs, spotting his brother-in-law standing next to the couch, beer in hand.
"Hey, Tee. How's that basement of yours coming along?" Matt smiled as he tipped his beer up and took a slug. It was the standard question he asked Pepper every time they saw each other, and it had become a bit of a running joke between the two of them.
"The same as the last time you asked me," Pepper said, smiling back. Being part owner of a small renovating company, Pepper knew that Matt would have had his basement project done in no time-whereas Pepper had been at it since shortly after moving into his condo.
"C'mon, kitty, let's play." Both men watched as April picked Rosie up from the tray and circled her with her arms, the cat hanging like a rag doll, gold eyes open wide. Pepper would have taken odds that the cat wasn't purring now.
"Matt, you've got to try one of these." Pepper turned as his sister, Marina, walked into the room from the kitchen, tartlets in hand. She gave one to her husband and handed one to Pepper, all of them biting into the succulent appetizers.
"Man, that's good," Matt said before turning to his wife. "When are you going to start taking those cooking lessons your mother keeps offering?"
"I'll get there, I'll get there. You said you loved my tacos."
"Yes, dear. Thank goodness for those all-in-one boxes." Matt turned and gave Pepper an eye-roll. Pepper had to suppress a smile as he saw the woeful look on Matt's face. Like himself, his brother-in-law loved coming to these family gatherings where Joanie held forth with her culinary flair. Somehow the cooking gene had skipped Pepper's sister. She couldn't even use the excuse that she worked hard at the office all day and didn't have time to cook. She was a graphic designer, and after having April, she'd gone back to work on a part-time basis. She gradually increased her hours, but most of those were done working from home on her own time, usually dropping into the office about once a week. Still, recipe books seemed to be written in a foreign language to her.
"So Tee," Marina said. "Are you working on the Yvonne Redmond case?"
"Yeah, me and a number of others."
"Any idea who did it? Do you think it was a boyfriend?"
"We're looking at all possibilities."
"C'mon, Marina," Matt said. "You know he can't say anything, even if he knew."
"I know, I know. But my money's on a jilted boyfriend."
"Okay, Sherlock, I'll keep that in mind," Pepper replied.
The sound of the front door opening drew their attention, accompanied by the sound of their grandmother's infectious laugh. The older woman stepped into the house, big white cloud of bouffant hair announcing her arrival.
"Grandma Dot," April squealed, dropping the cat on the floor and racing across the room. She leaped into the arms of her great-grandmother.
"How's my sweet ray of sunshine?" Dot said, swinging the little girl from side to side as she hugged her close.
The front door closed, and as his grandmother stepped aside, Pepper saw the guest she had brought to dinner. His eyes zeroed in on dazzling waves of lush red hair, and as the woman turned, he felt himself take a breath. This was like no other friend of his grandmother's he had ever seen before. This woman was about his own age, and was stunningly beautiful. She was tall and slim, about five-eight. As he looked at her face, he noticed her compelling green eyes first, as deep and inviting as an emerald pool. Her skin was creamy white and smooth as silk, her cheekbones pronounced. She smiled as she faced the group of them, and Pepper felt his heart flutter as that smile seemed to light up the room.
"You must be Shauna," Marina said, stepping forward.
"Yes. You're Marina, right?" the young woman said, her voice warm and confident.
"Yes. Can I help you with some of that?" Shauna had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a small tied-up box in the other.
"Shauna, I'm glad you could make it," Joanie said as she came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel.
"Thanks, Joanie. These are for you ," Shauna said, handing the flowers to Joanie.
"You didn't have to do that. They're beautiful."
"And this is just a little something for whenever." She handed over the little box.
"What is it?" Marina asked.
"Just some chocolate truffles I made up." Shauna and Dot took off their shoes, the pile on the mat at the door overflowing by this time. Marina hung up their coats and they stepped into the room. Pepper noted that the young woman was wearing black jeans and a white shirt with French cuffs. Around her neck she wore one of those scarves women wear, which are just a big piece of looped circular material but looked pretty fancy, hers being of swirling green tones. The colour brought out the vivid green of her eyes. Her lustrous red hair fell in shimmering waves to her shoulders, framing her face attractively.
"Hi, I'm Matt," Pep
per's brother-in-law said as he stepped forward and shook the new arrival's hand.
"Hi Matt." She smiled and looked past him as Pepper approached.
"And I'm Scot," Pepper said, extending his hand. She took his offered hand and shook it, her grip firm and steady as she looked him in the eye. Pepper felt his heart pound as he looked back at her. As Pepper introduced himself to Shauna, Marina and her husband exchanged knowing glances, both of them supressing smiles.
"Hi Scot, I'm so happy to have finally met you. Your mother and grandmother have told me a lot about you."
Pepper turned towards his grandmother, a puzzled look on his face. The older woman came up and gave her grandson a hug.
"Shauna's been working with us at the catering company the last two weeks," Dot said, bailing him out. "With all the jobs we've been getting lately, your mother and I needed someone who could help out. Your mother's been running around like a termite at a saw mill the last little while and I thought she was gonna blow a gasket on that girdle of hers. Shauna here has been a real find, let me tell you."
"You're the police detective, right?" Shauna said.
"Yes."
"Whew. You were right, Dot. Good thing I left my Glock 9-millimeter at home today."
The others laughed as she smiled at him, and Pepper smiled back, wondering where this beautiful creature had come from.
"I'm just gonna put these in some water," Joanie said, heading to the kitchen with the flowers.
"Careful, Joanie. I noticed them dripping a bit when I brought them in. Let me help you with that," Shauna said, following Joanie into the kitchen. Pepper watched her walk away from him, and liked what he was watching.
"Yoo-hoo?" His sister's voice made Pepper turn, and he saw Marina and Matt staring at him, big smiles on their faces.
"What?" Pepper asked.
"What's with the 'Scot' thing? Do you want the rest of us to call you that from now on?" Marina asked, knowing their parents and grandmother were pretty much the only people on the face of the earth who didn't call him Tee.
"I don't know. It just came out," Pepper replied, his face warming.
"Matt, is my brother blushing?"
Matt only smiled as Pepper turned to his grandmother. "Grandma, Mom told me you were bringing one of your friends for dinner." He jerked his head towards the kitchen. "She's not really what I expected."
"Shauna is my friend, dear."
"Yes, but I just expected someone more like?like?" Pepper couldn't even finish, leaving his words out there to twist in the wind.
"More like me?" Grandma Dot said, tipping her head forward and scowling at him.
"Uh, yeah."
"So, by like me, I'm sure you mean beautiful and charming."
"Uh?."
"Don't you think Shauna and I are both beautiful and charming?"
Pepper knew he never should have started down this road. "Yes. Is this a set-up?" He looked around, and from the looks on everyone else's face, it seemed he had been the only one not in on it.
"My dear Scot, we wouldn't do that to you-you know better than that. It's just a nice family dinner and Shauna is new in town. I thought it would be nice to have her over and meet the rest of the family."
Pepper looked over at Marina and Matt, the smiles on their faces telling him what he really already knew. Before he could say anything more, Shauna came back into the room, carrying the tray of tartlets.
"If you haven't tried one of these, you have to, they're fantastic," she said, passing the tray around from person to person. She bent down and handed one to April, who was now playing veterinarian. She had the cat lying on its side on the couch, her toy stethoscope pressed against its chest. Pepper loved the fact that although Rosie looked like she wanted to be anywhere else in the world, she lay perfectly still, letting the three-year old practice her craft.
"Try one of these, April. Grandma Joanie made them special for you. She told me you like pears."
The little girl nibbled at one, and then reached out and touched Shauna's hair. "You have pretty hair."
"Thanks, sweetie. I like your hair too."
"Do you have a cell phone? I have a cell phone." April reached into the toy bag she'd brought with her and pulled out a plastic cell phone.
"I do. Maybe we can call each other sometime. Would you like that?"
"Uh-huh." Rosie chose that moment to try and make her escape, but April spotted the movement out of the corner of her eye. She dropped her plastic cell phone, pulled the cat back into place, and continued her medical examination.
Pepper smiled as Shauna got to her feet and offered him another appetizer. "Don't be upset about her blowing you off for the cat like that," Pepper said. "She's done that to me for, let's see now; a hamster, a butterfly, a spider-even an ant. So if it takes a cat doing something to draw her attention away, I think you should consider yourself pretty high on her friend list."
"She is a sweetheart, isn't she?"
"She is, but she's a handful too. Her parents have occasionally put me on babysitting duty when they've been busy, and let me tell you, some of those times I think I'd rather deal with some of the guys in our holding cells than that three-year old."
"Okay everybody, I think we're just about ready if you want to take your seats. Shauna, can you give me a hand, please?"
"Sure, Joanie."
The two women disappeared into the kitchen as the others made their way to the table.
"I wanna sit between Grandma Joanie and Grandma Dot," April said. Anticipating what the little girl would want, Joanie had already put April's small plate between the two spots where the older women usually sat. Dave sat at one end of the table with Joanie's spot facing him from the other end. Pepper sat to his father's left, with his sister and Matt next to him. Dot lifted April into her booster chair and sat next to her, leaving the spot opposite Pepper for Shauna.
Pepper had just taken his seat when Shauna popped her head around the door frame. "Scot, can you give us a hand for a second?"
"Sure."
As Pepper got up from his chair he heard his sister's voice behind him as she spoke to her husband. "Scot-I love it."
"Honey," Joanie said as Pepper walked over to her and Shauna. Joanie was busy with the trays of Beef Wellington while Shauna tossed a salad. Joanie turned and opened the door of the lower oven. "Could you carry that casserole dish with the vegetables to the table please-it weighs a ton."
"Sure." He put on the oven mitts and carried the piping hot dish loaded with vegetables to the table. His mother was right-the stone pot filled to the brim with tons of veggies made him think of the anvil the coyote always tried to drop on the roadrunner. He was careful not to drop it on his toe.
"Plates please, people," Shauna said, following behind him and setting the big salad bowl down on the table. She gathered up the plates and disappeared back into the kitchen. She reappeared moments later, bringing April's little plate first, a tiny individual Beef Wellington placed to one side of the plate, warm wisps of steam drifting lazily into the air from the golden pastry. The little girl's eyes opened wide as she looked at her special portion.
"Grandma Joanie made that one just for you," Shauna said, her eyes smiling at Pepper as she looked over at him from behind his niece. Shauna went back into the kitchen and came back with more plates, setting one in front of Grandma Dot.
"Mommy, look at mine," April said, comparing hers to her great-grandmother's. "It's small-just like me."
"It is, sweetheart," Marina said. "You'll have to thank Grandma Joanie for that when she comes in."
Within a minute, Shauna had them all served, and she and Joanie joined them at the table.
"Grandma Joanie, I love my turnover. It's little, just like me," April said, tugging at her grandmother's sleeve.
"I'm glad you like it, sweetie, but it's not a turnover."
"What is it?" April asked, poking at the flaky pastry with her tiny index finger.
"It's a Beef Wellington."
"
There's no sweet gooey stuff inside it?"
"No, sweetheart. There's meat inside it."
"Oh." April sat back, lips pursed forward questioningly.
"Hopefully it still tastes good though. And April, I've got something for dessert I know you're gonna love," Joanie said.
"You do?" The little girl sat forward again, a smile on her face, the temporary crisis already over.
"Yes. And it's got all the gooey yummy stuff in it you love so much."
"Yummy."
"Flip a duck!" Joanie burst out. "I almost forgot the green beans."
"I'll get them, Joanie," Shauna said, getting up from her chair. "Are they in the oven?"
"Yes. I put them in the lower oven to keep warm. Thanks, dear."
Shauna returned moments later with a smaller casserole dish heaped with green beans dripping in butter and slivered almonds, and dotted with grains of coarse sea salt.
"Some wine, Shauna?" Dave Pepper said, holding one of the two bottles of red he'd opened.
"Yes, please. Thank you." Shauna put her napkin in her lap and sat forward as Dave poured her wine. Pepper found he couldn't keep his eyes from straying across the table to look at her, that red hair and those green eyes pulling at him like a hypnotist's watch.
"Mmm, Joanie, are those sundried tomatoes I'm tasting?" Shauna asked after taking the first bite.
"Yes. Just something I wanted to try. Do you like it?"
"It's wonderful," Shauna said, savoring her mouthful of food. The others nodded in agreement. "And the crust-there's something different in the crust."
"I just put a little crushed rosemary into the pastry. That's all."
"Everything together tastes amazing."
"Thank you, dear. You must have done your share of things like this in Toronto."
"Nothing quite like this. This is five-star."
The conversation over dinner flowed easily, with Grandma Dot taking centre stage, as usual. The woman was a wonder, her infectious smile and happy demeanor like a beacon of good cheer, making everyone around her feel better. The food was superb, Joanie's inventiveness in the kitchen once more resulting in a stellar feast.
At one point, the talk turned to Shauna's background, and Pepper found out she'd been a chef in Toronto for a number of years at one of the top restaurants in a major downtown hotel. She'd decided to get away from the rat race of the big city and had responded to an ad his mother and grandmother had posted. She'd come for an interview and they'd loved her. She'd been with them for a little over two weeks and had fit right in with the two of them, both socially and professionally.
Pepper was happy the conversation never strayed to the Redmond case. For one thing, it wasn't a topic that young April needed to hear about, and besides that, the others knew he wouldn't have been able to say much to them about it anyways. For him, he needed a break from the case. He tried to let it go, even if just for a few hours.
The dessert was divine, and Pepper realized why food experts used that word when he tasted the pavlova his mother had made. It was a big round tart-type thing, with a delicately crunchy meringue for the bottom shell, filled with a mixture of buttery-smooth custard and whipped cream, topped with fresh mixed berries, and then topped by more whipped cream. It melted in Pepper's mouth like a little slice of heaven. Decaf coffees all around and a sampling of Shauna's truffles brought a perfect end to a wonderful meal.
"We've got to get that one home before she falls asleep at the table," Marina said, nodding to a droopy-eyed April, who looked like a drunk about to slip off his barstool. As her parents got up from the table, the little girl kissed them all goodbye, including Shauna.
"Don't forget to call me on your cell phone, okay, Shauna?"
"I will. I promise." She picked the little girl up and gave her a big hug before setting her down. Pepper sat across the table sipping his coffee, watching with a smile on his face as Shauna pushed a stray lock of April's hair off the little girl's face before her parents scooped her up. The interactions Shauna had with his niece appeared natural and effortless. After his sister and her family left, his mother and grandmother started clearing away the dessert dishes.
"Here, let me help you with that," Shauna said, gathering up some of the empty coffee cups.
"No, no, that's fine," Dot said. "Joanie and Dave and I can handle this. Right, Dave?"
"Where're my yellow gloves?" Dave said, taking the cups out of Shauna's hands and heading to the kitchen, ready to attack the pile of pots and pans already in the sink.
"Oh shoot," Dot said, eyebrows knitted. "I picked Shauna up on my way into work today so she doesn't have her car here. Scot, do you think you could give her a ride home?"
Pepper looked over at Shauna, rolling his eyes and seeing her bite her bottom lip to stop from smiling as she caught his glance. "Sure, Grandma. No problem."
"Oh good. Thank you." She turned to Shauna. "Would that be all right with you, my dear? I'm sorry. I totally forgot about the dinner thing when I said I'd pick you up this morning."
"That'll be fine, Dot. I'm sure a policeman can get me home safe." Shauna smiled as Pepper got her coat out and held it for her. They said their goodbyes, Shauna giving hugs all around while Pepper kissed his mother and grandmother. His father was already elbows deep in foamy dishwater.
"Oh Scot," Pepper's mother's voice stopped him as he was just about out the door. She came running up, a Tupperware container in her hand. "I almost forgot. I made a little something for Rupert."
Pepper looked through the clear cover of the plastic container, spotting a Beef Wellington the same size as little April's. "You made him one of his own?" Pepper said.
"Well, I had a little dough left over, so I thought, why not? Now just you remember to give it to him, all right?"
"Sure, Mom. Goodnight." He gave his mother another quick kiss and then joined Shauna at the door.
"I wondered if that was your Mini," she said as they walked up to Pepper's car. He'd parked at the curb, saving the driveway spots for the others. "How do you like it?"
"I love it," Pepper replied, holding the passenger door open for her. She slid smoothly into the car, and he closed the door behind her.
"Do you find only having the two-seater to be a pain sometimes?" she asked once Pepper had gotten in and started the car.
"Well, sure, if you get stuck somewhere that you want to buy something big and take it home right away, but most of the time, it's fine. My partner has a van, Matt has a truck-I get by."
"I like it. I like the black colour with the silver top and mirror caps. Nice."
"Thanks. I saw that on the one I test drove, and once I saw it-that was that." He paused as he turned onto Oxford, heading towards downtown where she'd told him she lived. "So, my mom said your last name is Keegan. Is that Irish?"
"Irish?" Shauna blurted out. "Do I look Irish?"
As Pepper sat there in stunned silence, she burst out laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. With this red hair and a name like Shauna Keegan, I guess I'm not fooling anybody, am I? But if you're wondering if I really am Irish, you could challenge me to a whisky drinking contest. Then you'd get the answer to your question for sure."
Pepper couldn't help but chuckle. "I think I'll pass on that. I'd probably be under the table before we got to the third shot."
"What about you? Your grandfather on your mother's side was Italian, right?
"Yes. Grandpa Alfred was the one who started the bakery. My mom inherited her love of food and cooking from him, especially the baking. My dad, well, I don't know about my dad. I think he's some kind of white-bread mongrel of some form. So I have no idea what that makes my sister and me." He paused as he took another corner, the Mini hugging the road through the turn. "So how do you like working with my mother and grandmother?"
"I love it. And I really love both of them. They are so sweet, and they complement each other beautifully at work, with your grandmother taking care of the customers and the business end, while your mother concentrat
es on the kitchen side of things, which is where my strength lies too. They've got a beautiful partnership going there, and they've been so good to me since I've been here."
"It must be quite different than working in that restaurant in Toronto."
"Definitely-but that's what I wanted. When I was younger, I loved the hustle and constant pressure of the restaurant. It was exciting, with some kind of crisis virtually every day that had to be taken care of. But after a while, it really wears on you. I started to feel there had to be more to life than feeling that pressure every day."
"Kind of sounds like police work."
"I'm sure you have the same amount of pressure in your job-if not more-but yes, I'm sure it's very similar that way." She paused, looking out at the streetlights flickering past, the warm air purring from the vents keeping away the chilled night air. "When my folks passed away a little over a year ago, it really shook me. I took a good long look at my life and decided it was time to make a change."
"I'm?I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to your parents?"
"Drunk driver. Some guy with no licence or insurance decided to borrow his buddy's pick-up truck when they were out at a party. So get this, he was on his way to the beer store thinking he'd get more beer, when he ran a red light and smashed right into them broadside. His truck pushed the car right into a streetlight pole on the other side of the street, crushing them from both sides."
"Jesus, that's tough."
"And the ironic thing was, the guy walked away without a scratch."
"Typical. Where was that? I don't remember that happening here."
"No, that was in Ottawa. That's where I'm from. So anyways, after things settled down, I decided to make the change. I saw the job posting your mother and grandmother put out, and well, here I am. I figured London would be a nice town to settle in. I'm not too familiar with the city yet, so I'm just renting a place for now, but it'll do until I get the lay of the land."
"Well, I'm sorry about the circumstances that brought you here, but I'm glad you're here." He looked over at her as she looked at him, a hint of a smile turning up the corners of her lips. Not wanting to appear too forward, he started backpedaling. "I mean I'm glad they had that job you wanted, that you could make that change and get out of Toronto."
"I'm glad too. I'm loving it here so far. Okay, here we are-the next driveway past that van."
Pepper pulled into the driveway of a small yellow-brick house on Cartwright Street, right in the heart of the city. As he pulled up closer to the house, his headlights caught the distinctive shape of a red Mini Clubman sitting in a carport next to the house.
"Hey, the people you're renting from have a Mini?" he asked, putting the car into park.
"No, that's mine."
"Yours? You never said?."
"You never asked. No, I'm sorry. Since you were driving me home, I knew you'd see it. And I just couldn't resist the chance to see the look on your face. It was a pretty good one too."
"With that sense of humour, you definitely have to be Irish. Is the roof black? It's hard to see in this light."
"Yes. The roof and mirror caps are black. I bought it after the inheritance issues were settled. Things were divided up between me and my brother who still lives in Ottawa. I'm not rich by any means, but I guess you'd say I'm comfortable. I don't have to worry about every penny from day to day like I used to."
"That's good. So you treated yourself to the Mini?"
"Yeah. I've loved them for years, and yes, you're right, once everything was settled with the estate, I treated myself with that car. I love it too."
"So you rent an apartment in this house?"
"No, I rent the whole thing. It's just a small two-bedroom. The house itself is about a hundred years old, but it does have a renovated kitchen and bathroom, which I wanted. And of course, it had to have a gas stove-no chef would be caught dead living in a house with an electric stove."
"That's great. This location puts you right in the middle of things. A nice neighbourhood with everything close by, lots of nice restaurants on Richmond Row, Victoria Park's just a few blocks away-it's a good place for you to get to know the city."
"That's what I thought too." She sat quietly, the purr of the engine the only sound.
"Look, I'm sorry about this whole ride business. I'm sure my mother and grandmother put their evil little minds together and cooked up this whole scheme."
"Oh, you're right about that. I knew something was up once I accepted the invitation to dinner. The two of them were whispering to each other like a couple of high school girls. It was cute actually, and very sweet." She smiled across the car at Pepper, and he knew if he turned off the heat in the car, that smile would be enough to keep him warm.
"Look, umm, I wonder if you might like to go out some time? I know that the idea of going out with someone on the police force is not for everybody, and I understand if-"
"I'd like that," she replied, cutting him off in midsentence. She undid her seat belt, and before he had a chance to say anything, she leaned across the car and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She opened the door of the car and stepped out, leaning in to speak to him, the smile on her face making him shiver. "Thanks for the ride, Scot Pepper. Call me."
She closed the car door and bounded up to the house. Pepper waited until she opened the door with her key and waved before he put the car in reverse.
Heading home, the cold dark of the night surrounding him, the warm comfort of his car keeping him safe, he smiled to himself, knowing exactly what Wallace would say right now: "Pepper's got a girlfriend, Pepper's got a girlfriend."
Every Breath You Take Page 18
