“You’re doing a great job all by yourself,” Pep laughed.
Sherry threw her hands up in the air. “Pep hasn’t told us a thing about you, to be perfectly honest.”
Charlotte and Pep shared a look only intimate partners dared to exchange.
“No ganging up on me, you two. I had my reasons. One being, we didn’t want to rain on your cook-off parade by sharing the news too early. Charlotte’s been holed up at the Augustin Inn. Then, with the small matter of the suspicion of murder hovering over me, I didn’t want to stress her out by introducing her to our crazy family too soon. We’ve been working through this surprise for a time now. Our decision to go public had to be on our terms. Sorry.”
Sherry put her hand on Charlotte’s belly. “I’d say it’s not too soon. What a surprise!”
“I think you’re right, Sherry. That’s what I’ve been telling Pep,” Charlotte added. “Can I give you a hug?”
“Of course,” Sherry answered before they embraced. “Just to be sure. Congratulations to both of you?” Sherry posed the question in a near whisper. Her sight darted from Charlotte to Pep and back again.
“No doubt about it. You’re going to be an auntie to the sweetest niece in history,” Pep proclaimed.
“A girl.” Sherry clapped. “Fantastic.”
Pep raised his arms as if he’d just kicked the winning field goal at the Super Bowl. “Baby has the best parents ever. Mommy’s a marine biologist and Daddy’s a, well, that has yet to be determined.”
Sherry wrapped her arm around Charlotte. “Now, let’s go meet Dad. I mean Grandpa. He’s going to flip his lid with joy.” Prepare yourself to meet some of Augustin’s finest.” Sherry led Charlotte to the porch.
“What’s all the commotion?” Erno asked.
All heads turned toward the trio entering the room.
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Pep’s special friend. Is that term accurate?”
The air in the room was thick with silence. Sherry scanned each face, from her father’s to Ruth’s to Amber’s. The ticking of Chutney’s nails on the floor broke the quiet. Charlotte’s hands rested on her bundle of joy.
Pep added, “The perfect term. She is special. And baby makes three.”
“Baby?” Ruth asked.
Pep nodded. “We’re expecting.”
“You mean we all are,” Erno hailed.
A united greeting filled the room and flooded out through the screened windows.
“Isn’t this the most wonderful surprise? You have filled my heart with joy. Come right over here, young lady.” Erno held his arms open wide. “Welcome to the family. What’s your name?”
Laughter filled the room.
“Charlotte Knight.” Her reply was nearly smothered by Erno’s bear hug.
Erno guided Charlotte toward Ruth. She greeted the expectant mother with another hug.
“Meet my special friend, Ruth.” Erno puffed out his chest. “We don’t have anything to announce like you two, though.”
Pep groaned. “Ugh, Dad, please. I hope not.”
“I second that,” Sherry added.
Ruth adjusted the silk scarf fashionably knotted around her neck. “That ship has sailed, but we still know how to have fun. Congratulations, you two.” She eyed Sherry. “Listen, dear. Just because Pep may have beaten you to the punch doesn’t mean you should give up trying to find that special someone.”
Sherry cringed. “I’ll give that thorough consideration, Ruth. Right now, I can hardly find five free minutes, even on my days off, let alone start a full-blown relationship with Mr. Right, if he’s out there.”
Pep cleared his throat. “Charlotte, this is our good friend Amber.”
Amber stood and Charlotte took her hand. “So nice to meet you. You must be the gorgeous gal Sherry was trying to fix my fiancé up with? If this doesn’t work out, he’s all yours.”
Amber’s mouth dropped open. “Sherry? You’re in big trouble. I swear I knew nothing about any of this.”
Sherry covered her face with a napkin. “No good deed goes unpunished,” her muffled voice whimpered.
Charlotte laughed. “Please continue eating. Sorry to interrupt.”
“Are you kidding? You’re the guests of honor. I’m assuming you guys haven’t eaten lunch? We have plenty,” Sherry offered. “Charlotte, take this seat.”
Charlotte waddled to the empty seat and sank down in the chair.
“Take my seat, Pep. I’m done,” Sherry said. “I’ll get you a clean fork. How hungry are you two?”
“Starving. Haven’t eaten for hours,” Pep replied. “We’re late because we were looking for Oxana. She was supposed to meet us at the inn after her class but never showed up. It’s very unlike her to be late for anything. I’ve never met a more punctual person, other than Charlotte, in my life.”
Sherry cleared her throat.
“And you, Sher. Oh, and you, Dad.”
“Did you try calling her? I saw her at Crunchtime this morning. She was going to a class right afterward.”
“We did, but her phone was off. It was kind of an important meeting. Since we’re leaving tomorrow, we told her we’d help her sort out the documents she needed to remain in the country. Finishing her degree is her top priority, and her country is very restrictive with students studying abroad for lengthy amounts of time. It’s a complicated process, hard to navigate on your own.”
“Class probably ran long.” Sherry went to the kitchen and prepared two lunch plates for her brother and Charlotte. She delivered the overflowing plates to the eager diners. Returning to the kitchen, she picked up her phone from the counter. “I bet Vilma knows where she is. I’ll shoot her a text.”
No sooner had Sherry delivered the text to Vilma than her phone buzzed. Sherry read the words on the screen. Sherry returned to the porch with the remaining sandwiches and fruit salad. “Hey, guys. Vilma says she’s been looking for Oxana, too. The community college called her because she’s listed as Oxana’s emergency contact. Her backpack was left on the town bus. Her school ID was found inside, and a Good Samaritan brought the backpack to the college admin building.”
Pep grabbed Charlotte’s arm “She’s in trouble. She told us if she disappeared, we should suspect the worst. That’s why we felt the need to check in with her as often as we could.”
Chapter 20
Sherry considered the options. “Oxana may have just decided enough is enough. She finds a dead body at work. It’s difficult enough to not speak the language. Her aunt is a tough cookie. Maybe the circumstances got to her, and she took off.”
“Her aunt?” Pep asked.
“Vilma Pitney is her aunt,” Sherry explained. “Oxana’s mother’s brother was married to Vilma. He passed away.”
Charlotte frowned. “I hope that’s all it is and not something nefarious.”
“Sherry, it’s obvious now that Charlotte’s the reason I haven’t been a willing participant in the murder investigation, right? If I admit where I really was at the time of the murder, Charlotte might be in danger. And you. Strange things are happening. Your car is vandalized, and you’re nearly squashed in the corn maze. Someone, obviously, knows you’re sniffing around to help me out of a pickle. He or she isn’t happy about your snooping. I can’t risk putting Charlotte and the baby in the crosshairs, too.”
“Pep’s right,” Ruth added. “In the girl’s condition, she doesn’t need undo stress.”
Pep patted Charlotte’s knee. “She’s my alibi, but I want her out of the spotlight.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl.” Charlotte smiled. “I’ve heard stories about your sleuthing, Sherry. Who would actually count on becoming involved in an investigation on their first visit to Augustin? Kind of exciting, if you look at it a certain way. We can help find the murderer, possibly.” Charlotte sat up as straight as her stomach bulge would allow.
“Now that things are out in the open, I have some intel to share,” Pep announced between bites.
&nb
sp; “Related to Fitz’s murder?” Amber asked.
“Yep. I knew him a bit longer than I’ve been letting on.”
Sherry tsk-tsked. “Lying to your sister? That’s grounds for culinary punishment. I may have to withhold sharing my best recipes with you from now on, until I see remorse.”
“I’d call it an error of omission rather than lying, your honor. Let me plead my case. Charlotte and I met in Portland, Maine. She was finishing up research on one of her remarkable projects that will one day save the planet.”
“Makes sense why you stayed up there so long,” Erno said. “I thought you had a thing for moose.”
Ruth gently slapped Erno’s arm and warned him to behave.
Pep chuckled. “Knowing we weren’t going to make Portland our forever home, we bounced from residence to residence, not wanting to sign a long-term lease.”
“We were basically living out of our suitcases for about six months. Not the ideal arrangement,” Charlotte added.
“You’ll never guess who came to our rescue,” Pep teased.
“I can,” Ruth volunteered. “That Fitz fellow you mentioned. The dead one.”
“Bingo. I was on a panel at our local library about the geology of New England. Fitz and his girlfriend, Kelly, were in the audience.”
“That’s surprising,” Erno said.
Pep shrugged. “There were lots of people in the audience. Many people find geology fascinating.”
“No, I mean, that’s surprising you’re finally putting your college degree to good use. Studying rocks for four years seemed like an expensive hobby I was funding for no good reason.”
“I bet you don’t call Sherry’s cooking-competition hobby a waste of time,” Pep countered.
“Because it’s not. Her hobby didn’t cost me a dime. As a matter of fact, she makes pretty good money crushing the competition in the kitchen,” Erno said.
“Is this because you want me to settle back here in Augustin and help you run The Ruggery?”
Sherry eyed her father. Erno seemed to be holding his breath for a moment before he produced a weak squeak.
“I thought so. Things will happen as they should. Give us time, Dad.”
“Getting off track here, guys. Although, I do appreciate the kind words about my cooking contesting, Dad.” Sherry broadcast a sunny grin in Erno’s direction. “Can we get back to Fitz rescuing you and Charlotte?”
“See, you are Dad’s favorite. Anyway, Fitz sought me out after the presentation and asked me if I was related to you. We chatted about his business dealings, and I picked his brain about commercial real estate. He told me how much he admired Sherry’s cooking and how much he’d enjoyed competing against you in a cook-off. He made extra sure I knew he beat you.”
Sherry let loose a long exhale. She opened her mouth to respond but reconsidered.
“He asked for my business card. A day or two later he emailed me. He and I had discussed mine and Charlotte’s haphazard living arrangement. He offered us short-term lodging for as long or short as we needed. I took him up on his offer, sight unseen. We only needed a place until Charlotte finished her research. How bad could it be?”
Charlotte dropped her fork with a clatter. All heads turned toward the pregnant woman.
“Is it time?” Ruth called out. “Pep, get the car.”
Pep handed Charlotte her fork. “I think she’s being polite by not stabbing me with her fork. I forgot to check with Charlotte when I made the arrangement with Fitz.”
“Never heard the saying, ‘wife first or it won’t last’?” Erno asked.
“We’re not married, Dad, but point taken. Anyway, we moved in the very next day. We were given a giant room, which served as a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. At first we were pleasantly surprised.”
“The feeling of euphoria didn’t last long,” Charlotte added. “Imagine living above a seafood-processing facility. As nice as it was for Fitz to let us stay there, the minute I got morning sickness, we had to move. Ugh. I can still smell the acrid fish odor to this day. I couldn’t possibly have set foot in the Lobsta’ Taproom, when Pep invited me to join you all.” Charlotte stuck her tongue out and clutched her throat.
“I like this girl. She lets it all hang out,” Ruth said.
“Phew. I came very close to serving shrimp salad today. Credit intuition for changing my mind,” Sherry admitted. “You answered how you met Fitz, but what about Uri and Roe? I’m guessing Maine Course uses the seafood processing facility that Fitz was the landlord of? What was your beef with those guys at the contestant party?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. One question at a time. Back to our Portland living arrangement. The situation quickly became a nightmare. Night deliveries were the worst. One night I couldn’t sleep, with the trucks coming and going below the apartment, so I took a walk. That’s when I met Uri and Roe. The men were coordinating the trucks that night and thought I was an intruder when I came out of the building. I almost ended up in jail. I persuaded them to call Fitz, our shared landlord, who cleared my name and explained my presence.”
Sherry kept her sights on Charlotte’s plate as she ate the last remaining chunk of fruit salad. “What a small world. Maine Course becomes a sponsor of the cook-off, Roe becomes the fisherman ambassador, and Fitz is a contestant who ends up murdered at said cook-off. The missing piece of the puzzle is, who had a major problem with Fitz? One that only murder could resolve.”
“What was the argument with Fitz all about? The guy did you a solid, even though it smelled fishy,” Erno asked.
“He said we owed him money for some damage to the floor. We didn’t agree. Usual landlord stuff.” Pep lowered his gaze to Chutney, who was scavenging for crumbs at the feet of the newest diners.
“Landlord stuff,” Sherry repeated softly.
“You didn’t tell me that,” Charlotte said. “Probably the heels of my boots scratched the floors.”
“Do you think Oxana’s disappearance is directly related to the murder?” Amber asked.
“Oxana told us she was fearful Vilma might be the missing puzzle piece. Not that Vilma committed the murder. More likely, she knows more than she’s letting on,” Pep said.
“Not just Vilma. Others know more than they’re letting on.” Sherry put a blondie on Charlotte’s plate. “Pep, any chance you’d come over to the Augustin Inn with me after lunch? I have a few questions for some of the guests and Ginger. You’d be a big help, and we could get things done twice as fast.”
“Charlotte, can I show you around The Ruggery while they’re gone? It’s closed, but I know the owner, and he can give you a private showing,” Erno offered.
“Love to. I’ve heard so much about the store.” Charlotte broke off a piece of the blondie and popped it in her mouth.
“I’ll come along with you two,” Ruth added. “We can discuss baby names.”
“Speaking of old businesses, Dad, did you know the Augustin Inn was in financial straits?” Sherry placed a blondie in her father’s hand.
“I did know. Very sad.” Erno spoke, despite chewing a bite of the buttery, crunchy, chewy dessert bar. “Clarence Constable is rolling over in his grave, as we speak. The right investor could bail Ginger out of trouble. Not to mention, one less murder would help, too.”
Sherry presented the dessert plate of blondies to each guest for one more round. Everyone put up his or her hand as a refusal except Erno, who plucked the largest remaining one off the plate.
After the last plate was stacked in the dishwasher, Sherry and Pep loaded into the car. Sherry side-eyed her passenger. “Very exciting news about you and Charlotte and baby onboard. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, can you tell me what your plans are? Settling down comes with the territory. At least for the immediate future. Why not make your home in Augustin?”
“Charlotte’s finishing up her research in the twelfth hour. She’s a hero, balancing everything. Problem is, babies can’t read timetables. They come when they come. That’s why we need to get bac
k to Maine. The debate’s ongoing for our next move. Right now, let’s focus on the business at hand. Time’s running out.”
“I’m betting on the fact Uri has a lot of information he’s not sharing. What’s your opinion of Roe, besides the fact he’s not fully versed in what he should be an expert at?”
“Roe and Uri are a package deal. Roe does what Uri asks of him.”
Sherry parked the car in the service entrance lot at the inn. The spacious lot was empty. Sherry considered that Ginger was most likely cutting down on expensive repairs and deliveries to save money.
“I want to find Uri,” Pep said. The severity of his tone gave Sherry goose bumps. She recognized the tone from the night of the party, when he was deep in discussion with Fitz. “Do you want to wait here for me?”
“I’m going to track down Ginger. She might have some idea where Oxana’s gone. Text me when you’re heading back to the car.”
Pep flipped a wave as he exited the car and headed across the lawn to the inn. Sherry turned in the opposite direction, toward the corn maze. She skirted the perimeter and made her way to the weathered wood barn.
Once she entered the barn, harsh shafts of light, bleeding through the door and windows, made for difficult viewing. Particles of dust shimmered as each of her steps stirred them up. She squinted to get a clearer picture of what she was heading into. To her left was the spot previously cordoned off with crime scene tape to mark the location where Fitz’s body was discovered. The floor where the ice sculpture had been was cleaner than its surroundings. A shiver ran through Sherry’s scalp when the image of the submerged body crossed her mind.
Sherry made her way to the back of the barn. There she found Oxana’s chair and tiny table. The single bulb, dangling from a low-hanging wire, was off. Sherry pulled the attached drawstring, hoping the makeshift contraption wouldn’t collapse on her. The harsh glare of the bulb illuminated the small table and the two items resting on it. A white envelope caught her attention first. She blinked to be sure what she read on it was correct.
Eat, Drink and Be Wary Page 16
