by Lynn Cahoon
The rest of the evening, the kitchen almost felt back to normal. The service was flowing with everyone working closely together. After the last plate was delivered, Estebe took over closing down the kitchen. She’d never asked him to take on this assignment, but somehow, it had become his time in charge of the kitchen. And honestly, she was too tired to give the process the attention it needed.
She’d been going over the night’s evaluations when Estebe sat down, this time with two beers in his hand. He opened one and set it in front of her. She wanted the drink. Honestly, she wanted more than one. But she’d never get home if she did, and the zoo needed her. She picked it up and took a long sip. “Thanks.”
“You are welcome. You looked like you needed something. Is everything all right? Well, besides Hope’s troubles.” He fumbled with the label on the bottle. “Are you and Ian still a couple?”
Angie nodded. “Ian and I are fine. I guess I didn’t realize how worried I’ve been about the murder. I think I’m taking this investigating thing too far. I accused a professor of being some kind of law enforcement investigating the murder. Felicia thinks I’m seeing everything through a bad lens. I’m beginning to agree with her.”
“I’ve never known your perception about anything to be off. Maybe you are just tired.” He glanced around the empty kitchen. “If you need me to drive you home, I can.”
“I’m beat. But I can get home.” Angie yawned. She took one last sip from the beer and then walked over to the sink and dumped the rest down the drain. “I am going to fill my travel mug with coffee.”
“I left it on just in case. I will fill mine as well.” He joined her at the coffeemaker. “We make a good team. I wasn’t sure what it would be like to work for a woman.”
“And I wasn’t sure what you’d be like. Your references were a little sketchy. But like you said, we work well together. I’m glad for that.” She took the mug. “I’m heading out as soon as I grab my purse from the office and say good night to Felicia.”
“I will wait and walk you to the car.” He filled his cup, then took the carafe to the sink to wash it out.
“I can get to the car by myself.” She headed to the office.
He turned on the water. “I will walk you to the car.”
As she grabbed her things, she thought about how steadfast Estebe was. He was a big part of why the County Seat was so successful. He had a knack to twist a recipe just enough to make it sing. She just hoped he wasn’t harboring some hope that she might break up with Ian and be free to date. She’d have to talk to Felicia about her impressions tomorrow.
Tonight, she just wanted to get home and snuggle with Dom. The St. Bernard was becoming her touchstone when she needed comfort.
Her phone rang when she was in the car heading out of town. “I saw your car just leave the restaurant. Long day?”
“Ian. Weren’t you coming in for dinner? Don’t tell me you were there and I didn’t even know.” She turned up the heater.
“I didn’t make it. I’ve been playing catch-up on work since I got back from England.” He sounded as tired as she felt.
“So you made ramen for dinner? You should have just called in an order. I’ve got connections, we would have found someone to bring you food.” She missed him. The thought surprised her, especially since she’d just seen him a few days ago.
“Worse, peanut butter and crackers. And a can of those circle noodles.”
She couldn’t help it, she laughed. “SpaghettiOs? Do they even sell those anymore?”
“I have five more cans in my cupboard. You could come for dinner some night and I’ll cook.”
“I’ll pass. But I’ll make dinner next week. What day don’t you have something going?” She knew her schedule was unusual, but he tended to work a lot of evenings during the week. Sometimes breakfast was a better option for both of them.
“You remember we’re having dinner with Allen and Maggie on Sunday, right?”
She inwardly groaned. At least she hoped she kept her reaction silent. “Yes, but I was thinking a dinner with just the two of us. I’m going to call Maggie tomorrow and see what I should bring.”
“You don’t have to bring anything.”
She heard the tiredness in his voice. “I know I don’t have to. I want to. Besides, it will give me and her some time to talk before the main event. It’s a game that women play. And I want to do everything right in this case.”
“She already loves you. What else can you do?”
Screw it up? She didn’t say the words, but she wondered if he read the answer in her silence.
“Look, I’m almost at the house. Go to bed. I’ll talk to you in the morning.” She turned the car into the driveway.
“Sleep well.” He hung up.
Angie let Dom out of the house and grabbed a flashlight. The two of them went to the barn to check on Precious and Mabel. She felt bad disturbing their sleep, but she wanted the comfort of knowing they were safe and warm and fed.
With that done, Angie went into the house and reheated a cup of hot chocolate. Adding whipped cream on the top, she took the cup and her book and curled up on the couch with Dom to wind down.
But thoughts of Daniel kept running through her head. Who was the culinary professor really? And what secret did he hold that would have gotten him killed? She decided to go back to the college tomorrow and see if she could talk to some of his peers. Maybe they had some insight into Daniel Monet. If she could figure him out, she could figure out why and get Hope off the hot seat.
Chapter 16
Friday morning, she dialed the direct line to the dean. When she got the front desk clerk, she checked her calendar. No, it wasn’t a holiday. “Good morning, I was wondering if I could talk to Dean Schwartz.”
“I’m sorry, everyone is out today. They’re going to the memorial.” The woman sounded bored to the tenth power. “I’m here answering phones until five.”
“Daniel Monet’s memorial? Do you know where it’s being held?” Angie held her breath. This would be the perfect place to interview some of the faculty. They’d want to talk about Daniel.
“Yeah, hold on. They left an address in case one of the students lost the information. They’re always losing something. You wouldn’t believe the number of ID cards I have to replace every week.”
Angie waited as she heard drawers being opened and closed. Finally the woman came back on the line. Apparently the students weren’t the only ones who misplaced things.
“Here it is.” She took in a long breath. “That’s some fancy place.”
“Where is it?”
“The Owyhee Hotel, downtown. This says the memorial service will run from noon to one with a small wake to be held afterward in the ballroom. They’re having a cash bar.” She snorted. “Sounds like an excuse to get drunk to me.”
“Thanks, I appreciate you looking that up for me.” Angie paused. Sometimes the office staff were the best ones to ask questions. They saw everything. “Did you know Daniel?”
“Kind of. He’d come in here every morning with a bright smile and a good morning, but I could tell he didn’t really mean it. You can tell that with some folks, you know? My ma always said that a sharp dressed man was something to stay away from, and with Professor Monet that was certainly the case.”
“Did you see him with any women?”
“Ha. Half the faculty and most of the students tried to get time with him. I handle the professors’ office hour appointments too. I don’t know of one male student who even tried to get time on his schedule.” She sighed. “It is a shame. He was a good-looking man.”
“Did he ever fight with anyone?” Angie thought her questions were getting direct, but at least she wasn’t standing in front of the woman. She could pull off a casual interest over the phone. In person? Maybe not.
“Not that I saw. You’re the second person
to ask me about Professor Monet today. The man said he was with the FBI. Why in the world would the FBI be interested in a death in such a small town like Boise?” The woman paused. “Who did you say you were again?”
“I appreciate your time. Have a great day.” Angie hung up before she could trip over some question and spill her identity. She’d never talked to the woman before, so she wouldn’t be able to recognize her voice. She wondered about the FBI agent, though. There was no reason for the Bureau to be involved in a local murder. Unless Daniel was more than he seemed.
Time to go upstairs to find her black dress and get ready. She was going to a memorial service. She grabbed her phone and dialed. “Hey, can you do me a favor?”
Felicia was waiting outside the restaurant when she pulled up. She got into the car and clicked on her seat belt. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
“What? We should pay our respects.”
“We didn’t even know the guy.” Felicia gave her a pointed look. “All you want to do is go snoop around.”
“Seems like a good place to do it.” Angie pulled the car out onto the street. “Come on. It will be fine. We can meet some of Hope’s instructors, and you’ve wanted to make better connections at the school. This way, we’ll look like caring people.”
“Versus the rotten, horrible person I feel like right now for crashing the service?” She checked her makeup in the vanity mirror and then flipped it back into place. “Don’t mind me. I’m a little put out with Taylor. I called him last night just to talk and he blew me off. He said he was too busy to waste time chatting on the phone. I’m sorry, aren’t we in a relationship here?”
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but Ian called me on the way home just to make sure I wasn’t too tired to drive.” Angie turned onto the highway that would take them to the freeway and into Boise. “Maybe he was just tired.”
“I guess. I get grumpy when I’m tired. I’ll try again tonight, but if I feel like I’m bothering him again, that’s it. We’re done.” She opened the glove box. “Where’s the almonds? All I see is candy in here.”
“I decided to change to sugar in case I’m out somewhere and need a fix.” Angie turned her head and met Felicia’s gaze. “It’s a safety thing. You could die without food.”
“Almonds might just keep you alive while you wait to be rescued. Anyway, you’re going to have to restock, because I’m stealing them. I’m starving.” She opened the bag and poured out a handful of colorful candies. “You want some?”
“Of course.” She let Felicia pour a pile into the palm of her hand and then threw some into her mouth. After a few minutes, she continued the conversation. “You’re going to dump Taylor because he doesn’t want to talk to you on the phone?”
“No, I’m going to have a long, adult, heart-to-heart conversation about what he sees in our relationship, and then if I don’t like the answers, I’m dumping him.” She dumped the rest of the bag into her hand. “They don’t put a lot of candies in here.”
“Normal-size bag. Maybe you were just hungry.”
Felicia shook her head. “Don’t know how. I ate a three-egg omelet for breakfast, then I went down and raided the fridge for any leftover desserts from last night. And I just got back from grabbing a burger and fries at the drive-in.” She shrugged. “I didn’t know if we’d have time to each lunch before we drove back.”
“I was planning on stopping and getting something after the memorial.” Angie turned the car onto the freeway. “Man, traffic’s heavy today.”
“We can still stop. I’ll be hungry by then anyway.” She stared out the window. “I don’t want to think about Taylor anymore. Tell me what you’re looking for at the thing and maybe I can help you talk to people.”
“I think it’s one of those things where you’ll know it when you hear it.” Angie navigated around a slow-moving Cadillac. “Just keep people talking about Daniel. I’d like to know their impressions of the guy.”
“I’ll wander around and be the social butterfly.” She grinned at Angie. “It’s why I’m front of the house. It’s a gift.”
When they arrived at the hotel, they found parking on the street. Angie fed the meter and set an alarm on her watch. “We’re probably going to have to come out during the wake and feed this thing. It only goes for two hours.”
They started walking toward the hotel when she noticed a black SUV on the side of the road. She angled over to the edge of the sidewalk and looked inside.
“Angie.” Felicia pulled her away from the car windows. “You look like you’re about to break into the vehicle and steal it.”
“Yeah, in my little black dress.” But she followed her toward the hotel. There had to be a lot of that specific model in black hanging around Boise, but something in her gut told her it was the car Evan had been driving.
The doorman held the door open for them as they walked toward the entrance. “Fancy digs for a funeral.” Angie glanced around the opulent lobby.
“Here.” Felicia shoved a pile of business cards at her. “Give these out.”
Angie stared at the tastefully done County Seat card. “Don’t you think this is a bit tacky?”
“Not at all. People are always curious about others. This gives them our details right up front. And if they decide to try out the restaurant, so much the better.” She adjusted her dress and looked around the large room. “Do we know where we’re going?”
Angie checked the event board that was set up by the side of the lobby. “Looks like the memorial service is in Grand Suite Ballroom A and the wake afterward is in Grand Suite Ballroom E.”
They started toward the conference rooms. It was almost noon, so most of the mourners had already taken seats when they went in through the doors of the ballroom. A woman standing by a guest book offered them a flyer. Daniel’s school photo, the same one he had on his Facebook page, smiled out at them.
“Would you like to sign the book?” The woman motioned toward the table. “That way the family can know how many friends and coworkers attended and send thank-you notes.”
“The family? Daniel had family?” She shot Felicia a look that clearly said, see, I’m already finding out new things.
The woman shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, I spoke out of habit. I believe the university is putting on this service, not his family. But the platitude still stands. Someone is going to go through that book, page by page, and remember this day.”
That might be true, Angie thought, but it won’t be because they want to remember the day. It’s all about the visitors. Which was why she was there. She passed on signing, mostly because the woman annoyed her.
They sat in the next to last row of chairs. Angie nodded to a weeping woman a few rows in front of them. “Isn’t that your yoga buddy, Tanya?”
“She’s not my yoga buddy, but yes, it most certainly is. I wonder if her husband came along with her to mourn her dead lover,” Felicia deadpanned.
Angie’s lips twitched and she pressed them together to keep the inappropriate grin away. “Again, not the best opening.”
Felicia shot Angie a wicked look. “You’re killing all my best lines.”
The music increased in volume and the lights dimmed. At the front of the room, curtains pulled back to reveal a picture of Daniel, the same picture they’d put on the flyers. This wouldn’t be a service with a ton of pictures from baby to time of death flashed on the screen behind the speakers, mostly because the man hadn’t been in Boise long enough to make his own path. The school had been everything he’d been from the day he’d moved here. Or at least that’s what Dean Schwartz had just said at the platform.
Tanya’s sobs increased in volume, and a stoic man at her side handed her a tissue. Was this the famous Steve Livingston? Had she really brought him as her date for the event? What a loser. Angie watched the other mourners, and when she recognized someone, she wrot
e down their name on the back of the flyer. There was a lot of empty space, as Daniel’s life seemed as much of a mystery to the flyer author. She should be able to talk to at least some of these people. The other ones, she’d give to Felicia.
As the crowd was moving out, Angie spotted Evan Morris on the other side of the room. His gaze found hers and he cocked his head. She could hear the question from him. And what are you doing here? She decided she was going to ask him the same thing. It had been his car she’d seen on the street.
“You ready?” Felicia stood, watching her.
Angie nodded. “See that guy over there?” She started to point toward Evan but he was gone. She scanned the area. There was no way, with this crowd, that he’d gotten out of the ballroom. Then she saw the side wall door slowly closing after him. He must have slipped through that.
“What guy?” Felicia tried to follow her directions, but the people were moving too fast.
Angie moved toward the line of people exiting. “Evan Morris was right over there. Why would an archeology professor from Utah be at a memorial service for a culinary instructor? I know there’s more to him than he’s willing to admit.”
“You told Sheriff Brown about him. What more can you do?”
“Yeah, and he blew me off. But I’m texting him as soon as we get out of here. Something’s off with this guy.” They stepped outside the ballroom into the hallway, which wasn’t quite so crowded, and followed the milling people to the room with the cash bar.
“You point him out and I’ll go talk to him. I’m good at sizing people up in a hurry.” Felicia grimaced. “Unless I’m dating them.”
As they walked into the second ballroom, Dean Schwartz came up and gave them both a hug. “I’m so glad you could come today.”
“It’s such a shock.” Felicia moved closer. “Angie and I were just about to invite him to the restaurant. You know Hope Anderson works with us on a part-time basis while she’s getting her degree.”
