Roxy gulped. “Okay,” she said quietly. Her eyes were wary. The priest looked at her quizzically. She cleared her throat and straightened up. “Sure,” said Roxy, more confidently now. “I’d love to.”
“Excellent!” Kathy gave a little jump and clapped her hands. “Now, I want to show you the rest of the preparations,” she said. “And to show you where you guys need to bring the food later.”
The trio started to walk. Kathy went a little way ahead and Roxy strolled alongside Father John.
“Thank you for helping Kathy and Derek like this, Father. I know you’ve been a huge support to them,” Roxy said.
“Ah, no worries, young lady. It’s my job. They’ve been dealt a terrible hand,” the priest replied.
“Do you think Kathy will be alright?”
“With the love of God and her faith, I believe in time she will be.”
“And Derek?”
“That, I don’t know. I don’t know the young man well. I only met him at the funeral service. I don’t think he shares his mother’s faith. You take care of them in your way and I will do so in mine. Together we’ll do the very best for them.”
“That we will, Father.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“WOW, IT’S NEARLY 10 AM already! We’re starting in an hour,” Kathy cried as she showed Roxy around the site of the party. “Here’s where you’ll speak.” The stage was flanked with beautiful pillars graced with streamers and crisscrossed with more flags in bright colors. “Here’s where you’ll serve your food.”
Roxy saw a few partygoers come down the street and glanced at her watch. “Look! People are trickling in already! I’d better get everyone to load their food into the van and bring it down. Where are all the other caterers, Kathy?”
Kathy bit her lip and looked down at her phone. “I told everyone to come at 10:30. Hopefully, that won’t be too late!”
Roxy smiled encouragingly. “I’m sure it will be absolutely fine. Come on, why don’t we go back to the hotel and get ready?”
Kathy smiled. “Sure! I think we’d better go at a jog, or we’ll be late for our own party!”
“Okay, let’s hurry!” said Roxy.
They headed back to the hotel quickly, and Roxy went into her room. Before changing, she grabbed a pen and pad and dashed into the kitchen where only Evangeline remained. Everyone else was upstairs getting changed into their party clothes.
“Aren’t you getting your glad rags on, Evangeline?” Roxy asked.
“Oh, no, cher,” the older lady replied. “I’ll be headin’ home. Can’t be doin’ with all these street parties anymore. I’ve been jumpin’ up in carnival since I could jump…naw, since before I could jump. Too many parties will take the party spirit right out of you. I can’t get excited anymore. Too old.”
“Yeah, I get it,” said Roxy. “I’m not one for parties myself. I always thought I wanted to go, but when I’d get there I’d wish I was at home curled up with a good book.” She was jabbering away, rushing through the kitchen drawers like a hurricane.
“You just take this food and feed it to all those young people, y’hear? What you lookin’ for, cher?” Evangeline asked.
“I’m looking for some bags.”
Evangeline walked to her left and pulled open a drawer. She dragged out a small pile of brown paper bags and held them out. The elderly woman looked at Roxy quizzically. “What do you want ‘em for?”
“I’m just giving everyone a little goodie bag,” Roxy said. “You know, seeing as it’s nearly their time to leave us.”
“Great idea,” said Evangeline. “What are you puttin’ in ‘em?”
Roxy paused, her eyes resting on bottles of spices lined up on the window ledge. “Cooking spices!” she said, hurrying over. “I-I-I’m gonna give each one of them a jar of your special Cajun spice blend, so they can make their own New Orleans-style meals when they get home.”
Evangeline sniffed. “It’s not a matter of having the right spices. N’awlins cookin’ is much deeper than that. There’s soul involved.”
“Oh, I know, you’re right,” said Roxy. “But at least they can try. And it’s a nice gesture.”
Evangeline nodded. “Hmph, awright, but I hope you’re not expectin’ me to help you bag it all up, cher. I’m still stuffin’ these tartlets.”
“Oh, but I need your help. I don’t know the recipe.”
“I don’t make it up each time I use it, you know.”
“You don’t?”
“Nah, I make up a batch every so often.” She pointed to the walk-in pantry in the corner. “Top shelf, back left corner.
Roxy dashed over to the pantry and seeing a huge Mason jar full of a spice blend on the highest shelf, climbed onto a step stool to retrieve it.
Evangeline peered over her tartlets as Roxy staggered out of the pantry carrying the glass jar that was nearly as big as she was and just as heavy. “Do you need a hand with that?”
“No, it’s fine!” said Roxy, breathlessly. “I got this.”
She strained to place the jar carefully down on the counter and took a breath before saying “Oh! I need containers.”
“Don’t you worry, cher, I got some lovely glass jars, just the right size. I was savin’ them for my tomato basil jelly, but you can use ‘em and I’ll get some more.” Evangeline pointed to the pantry again. “Box on the floor on the left, just as you go in the door.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Evangeline.”
Evangeline smiled fondly as she watched Roxy dash back into the pantry and come out again carrying a cardboard box full of unused canning jars. Roxy spooned the spice mix into six jars.
“I’ve got some labels somewhere here.” Evangeline rooted around in a drawer and brought out some brown tags. “Now, you have lovely handwritin’, write Evangeline’s Cajun Spice Mix on ’em and tie them around the rim before you put the lid on.”
Roxy did as she was told. As she wrote, she asked, “Tell me, what’s in your mix, Evangeline? What makes it so fantastic?”
“Well, there’s the usual paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper.”
“And?” Roxy pressed. “Isn’t there something special you put in it? Something your grandmomma passed down to you?
“Ah, they would be my special ingredients.”
“And what are they?”
“Well, that would be tellin’, wouldn’t it?”
Roxy looked at her. “But won’t you ever tell me? What will I do when this batch runs out?” She waved over to the huge Mason jar that she estimated contained enough spices to last at least five years. “I won’t be able to replicate your meals if you don’t tell. Our guests will be disappointed if I don’t use it in the cooking.”
Evangeline looked at Roxy’s sweet, innocent, slightly bewildered face.
“Guess you’re right. I did invite you to run this place after all.”
“So what are they?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
EVANGELINE LEANED OVER to whisper in Roxy’s ear. “Lemongrass and a touch of saffron.”
Roxy frowned. “But, but...Aren’t they mostly used in Indian and Asian cuisines?”
Evangeline tapped her nose. “Exactly, cher.”
Roxy paused, then smiled, nodding. “Okay, okay. Unconventional, I’ll give you that, but okay.”
After she’d attached the labels, Roxy wrapped ribbon around the necks of the jars, finishing them with a bow. She tightened the lids on the jars and they were ready.
She counted out the brown bags and labeled them, one each for Lily, Ada, Kathy, Derek, Sylvia, and Michael. Writing Michael’s name made her think of the speech she was due to give later but even that couldn’t distract Roxy at that moment. She slipped a jar of spices into each bag and a note she had written into one of them.
She heard footsteps come down the grand stairway outside. She folded over the tops of the bags, popped them all onto a tray and rushed into the hallway. She stood in front of th
e door determined that not a single one of her guests would leave before she’d handed them their bags. She’d track Michael down at the event.
Nat, Kathy, Derek, Ada, Lily, and Sylvia gathered in the hallway. They looked great in their bright colors. Well, in all honesty, Derek didn’t look that great but then he never did. His eyes were dull and sunken, and he looked moody. As ever, he was fidgeting with his model airplane. Roxy felt herself feeling a little sorry for him.
“Come on, let’s go,” Nat said. She made for the front door.
Roxy dashed forward and put herself between Nat and the assembled group.
“Hi, everyone,” she said brightly.
Nat, who was in black as usual but wore her turquoise sparkly Doc Martens and a matching neckerchief, said, “Is Sam here yet?” She peered out of the door. “He’s going to have to drive all the way inside the alleyway. There’s no way we can lug all the food up to the street.”
“Nope, he’s not here yet,” said Roxy, still facing the group.
“I’ll call him,” Nat said, pulling out her phone. Then she nodded at the brown bags. “What are those?”
“Oh yes,” Roxy said as if she’d forgotten them. The tray they lay on might as well have been burning hot for all she was able to ignore it. She addressed the group. “They’re just a little thank-you from those of us at the Funky Cat. For staying with us. Something to remind you of New Orleans when you get home. Make sure to open them in private, though. I’ve included something pers—Oh!” The front door to the Funky Cat opened suddenly, pitching Roxy forward and sending the brown bags on her tray flying to the floor.
“I’m so sorry, Roxy!” Sage said as she walked in. “Are you alright?”
Roxy was fine, but at that moment she wasn’t concerned about herself. Lily had reached down and was picking up the bags. She was handing them out indiscriminately!
“No, wait…” Roxy looked on in horror. But it was too late.
“Thank you so much, Roxy,” Sylvia was saying.
“Yes, thank you, Roxy. You’re too kind,” Kathy said.
“I think I’d better put this in my room. It’ll get lost at the street party,” Ada added.
As everyone headed to their respective rooms to deposit their gifts, Roxy was left in the hallway holding one bag—Michael’s. Nat looked at her perplexed. “What was all that about?”
Roxy shook her head. “Nothing, absolutely nothing.”
Nat shrugged. “Oh, come on! Don’t be a spoilsport. We still have to load all the food into Sam’s van, and he’s not even here yet.”
Roxy fixed Nat with a glare. “Nothing is going on, all right?” she said. “Come on, let’s sort out the food.”
They went into the kitchen and began stacking the dishes on a rolling cart. “By the way,” Nat said, avoiding eye contact with Roxy. “I just want to say that if ever I come across as a bit of a jerk, I’m very sorry. I know I get a bit edgy and a little inappropriate at times, and I also know that’s no excuse. I get anxious, you see. It makes me a bit mad. Sorry, Rox.”
“It’s alright,” said Roxy, finding a smile from somewhere. “I understand. Just be careful, take deep breaths, that’s what I do. And if you see me blink rapidly five times in a row, you’ll know what it means, okay?”
“Yes! It can be our secret code!” Nat said with a smile.
“That’ll do!” Roxy said, laughing. She gave Nat a quick side hug. “You know I love you, Nat.”
“I love you too, Rox. Thank you for keeping me on here.” Nat’s eyes shone.
“Come on, none of that. We’ve got work to do. Let’s hurry up with this lot.”
“I’ll go and enlist some help,” Nat said. She left the kitchen, soon returning accompanied by Lily and Ada. Sam came in behind them.
“Hi, Roxy,” Sam said, his deep, gravelly voice as seductive as ever.
“Hi, Sam,” she said, briskly. She had no time for flirting. Not today. “Thanks for coming to help.”
They transported dish after dish after dish of food out to Sam’s van while making sure to save some space for Elijah, who carried over piles of boxes of pastries from the bakery. When Roxy picked up the last set of plates, she turned to Evangeline, who was now loading the dishwasher. “Thank you, Evangeline, for helping us! What would we do without you?”
Evangeline came over, drying her hands on a towel. She put her arm around Roxy’s shoulder. “I know what you’re up to,” she said quietly.
Roxy’s eyes widened. “You do?”
Evangeline grimaced but pulled Roxy to her. “I recognize a fellow warrior when I see one. You do your best and seek justice. I know you need to do that for that young man. It’s just in your nature like it is in mine. But be careful. Promise me that, okay? You’re out in a big crowd. Small things have the tendency to get dangerous in crowds. Even carnival can get crazy. Just promise old Evangeline that you’ll be careful.”
“I promise,” said Roxy, relaxing. For once, she didn’t feel nervous or anxious, even with such an abundance of warnings. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Like you said, I just want to see justice done.”
Evangeline gave her an affectionate smile. “You know, cher, you’re more like me than I thought. The first day you came in here you was like a timid little mouse. Like your cat coulda eaten you whole.” She laughed. “Sorry, cher. But now, you’re somethin’ pretty different. The moxie’s strong in you. Moxie Roxy.” She laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “Run along, sugar. I know you’ll do great.”
“Thanks, Evangeline!”
Roxy rushed out and packed the last of the food into the van. Sage, Nat, and Elijah had already led the influencers, Kathy, and Derek out of the alleyway—they were walking to the party. They couldn’t get lost because the street decorations signaled the way. Roxy planned to walk with them, but since they had already left, she swung herself into the van’s passenger seat beside Sam.
“Hey, pretty lady,” he said, giving her the half-smile that made her kneecaps feel like they were melting.
“Hey,” Roxy replied softly.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“IT LOOKS AMAZING,” Roxy said.
The block over by the river where the party was being held was normally a rundown industrial area. Now it was alive with color.
“Kathy sure doesn’t play around, does she?” Sam said, sliding into a parking space.
Roxy spoke sadly. “I guess for your murdered son, you’d do anything. Money, effort, time, no object.”
“Indeed,” said Sam. “She must also be very determined. She would have needed a permit. How did she get around Detective Johnson to pull this off? Did he find a compassionate side?”
Roxy looked at him. “Compassionate? Him? He came to speak to us all this morning. He stared us down, each and every one of us, like we had murdered Dash in cold blood.” The truth was, one of them had murdered Dash in cold blood.
Once Sam had parked, Roxy slid out of her seat and got to unloading. Lots of people were arriving now, all wearing bright colors and laughing and joking and drinking. One vendor had started up a bar at the side of the street. A crew was setting up a modern sound system on the stage while a wall of enormous speakers stood to one side. It looked like the event was going to be loud.
Roxy smiled at the scene, her feelings bittersweet. Dash had so wanted to experience the joy of New Orleans for himself, but he hadn’t had the chance. Roxy hadn’t known him well or for long, but she knew that he loved to grab life by the horns, to explore, to learn, to grow, and above all to experience. Roxy doubted he’d ever have settled down in one place like his mother wanted him to. He was an adventurer, right down to his bones. Excitement coursed through his veins. Wind was in his sails. There was always something to be enthusiastic about, some new territory to conquer.
Now that was all over.
But Roxy looked over the growing crowd and felt something move deep within her. People were here celebrating. They clearly loved his message. It touched the hearts
of strangers, of people everywhere. And they had been so affected that they had made long journeys to be at the party today, to celebrate Dash one last time.
Roxy hoped that she would be able to absorb his message into her life too. In fact, it felt like she had done so a little already. Where she had allowed her anxieties and fears to clip her wings, she now felt herself growing more expansive. Where she had seen problems, she now saw possibilities. Where she had seen danger, she now saw adventure. She also recognized that she had the potential to be a leader.
She knew it wasn’t just Dash who had helped her. It was a sprinkle of Sage who gave Roxy the confidence that everything would be all right. It was a touch of Evangeline, who was so no-nonsense that Roxy now saw many of her anxieties as simply plain silly. It was a dusting of Elijah, who just like the sugar he scattered over his pastries, showed her how to have fun. It was a smidgeon of Sam, who always encouraged her to “go for it”. And it was a nip of Nat, whose “Nat-itude” and big heart pulled no punches.
Roxy realized how far she had come since she’d climbed onto the bus headed for New Orleans a few months before. She smiled to herself as she methodically unloaded Sam’s van and placed all the food on their table. There were a lot of dishes, and it took a good while, especially as Nat, Kathy, Derek, and the influencers were nowhere to be seen.
Roxy saw that Michael was there, sitting behind the podium on the stage. He was staring into space. She walked over to him. She handed him his bag with the jar of spices, gave him a sympathetic nod, but otherwise left him alone. She saw him briefly look inside the bag before looking up again to resume staring at the horizon.
Before long, old school reggae began to play. It totally lifted the vibe, and both Roxy and Sam couldn’t help briefly doing a little dance. Roxy imagined herself being so bold as to rock right up to him and dance together but she tamped her thought down. She couldn’t afford to be distracted.
“I wonder where Nat and the others are. I haven’t seen them, have you?” she said to him.
Roxy Reinhardt Mysteries Box Set Page 29