Killer Comfort Food

by Lynn Cahoon

  The Bluetooth speaker picked up a call, and Angie decided to take a chance. “This is Angie.”

  “Angie? This is Maggie Brown. Allen’s wife? I was wondering if you could stop by today. I’d love to chat with you a bit.”

  “Maggie, thanks for the offer, but I’m swamped. In fact, I’m on my way into town, then I have to work on some menu planning.” Ten to one, Ian’s aunt wanted to talk about the non-scheduled wedding that would follow the not-yet-happening engagement. Ian needed to handle this rather than her. “Maybe we could do lunch later this month?”

  “That would be lovely, but I really need your insight soon. I was hoping we could talk today while school was in session. Bleak, well, she’s being difficult.” Maggie sighed. “I know I shouldn’t bother you, especially since you did so much by giving her a job, but I don’t know what to do.”

  Angie thought she heard tears in Maggie’s voice. Guilt, it always worked on her. Angie glanced at the clock. By the time she got back to town, it would be after noon. Maybe she could stop in to see Maggie after she updated Barb? “Look, I can’t promise anything, but if I can, I’ll stop by this afternoon. What time does she get out of school?”

  “Three. And by the time she gets home, it’s always closer to four. I don’t know what she’s doing during that time, but I’m worried.” Maggie paused. “And it would be better if you didn’t mention this to Ian or Allen. I don’t want them getting the wrong idea and scaring the girl.”

  Angie groaned. Keeping secrets wasn’t one of her best skills. And she really didn’t want to hone in on her sweet boyfriend, especially when it came to his family. “You’re asking a lot.”

  “I know. But I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  The line died before Angie could tell Maggie that she wasn’t going to keep a secret from Ian. So was that implicit agreement? She wondered how the legal system felt about that fine distinction. All she had agreed to do was to talk to Maggie. She’d tell her flat-out today that she wasn’t going to lie to Ian or his uncle. With that moral line drawn in the sand, she pulled into the parking lot behind the restaurant next to Felicia’s car to wait.

  A knock sounded on her window, and she turned away from watching the door. Ian stood outside her car.

  Angie rolled down the window. “Hey, handsome. What are you doing hanging out in the alley?”

  “I would ask you the same thing, but I’m wise to your ways.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

  Angie froze. She hadn’t even talked to Maggie yet. How had he known? She turned down the radio. “Look, I don’t know what you think you know, but…”

  “It’s obvious, you’re going into town to check out the animal shelter, right?” He nodded to the doorway. “Felicia’s been talking about getting a kitten, and you’re enabling her.”

  Angie smiled but felt a little sick. If this was how she felt by even thinking of keeping something from Ian, there was no way she could keep Maggie’s secret. She’d just have to tell her when she got to the house. And if that meant Maggie didn’t want to talk to her, well, that was a blessing in disguise.

  “Actually, no. We’re going into town to talk to the guy who wants to tear down my house.” She rubbed her face. “And before you tell me it’s a bad idea, I already know that. But I just found out that Barb’s daughter is missing and…”

  Felicia climbed into the car. “I need to be back by noon. Estebe is taking me out for lunch at a new place near the winery.”

  “Sorry, I’ve got to go.” Angie reached out and touched Ian’s face with her gloved hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll talk later.”

  “Call me as soon as you’re heading back. I’d like to hear the rest of this story.” He squeezed her hand. Then he added, “And I’d like to know the two of you are safe.”

  As they drove out of the parking lot, Felicia glanced back at the place where Ian was still standing, watching them leave. “Don’t tell me you told him what we’re doing.”

  “Kind of.” Angie didn’t look back as she turned out onto the road that would lead to the highway. She glanced over at her friend, who was digging through her purse. “Do you know what’s going on with Bleak?”

  Felicia’s head snapped up. “No. What’s going on?”

  Angie focused on the road ahead. “I have no clue, but I’ve been asked to the Browns’ house to talk to Maggie about it. And sworn to secrecy, at least where Sheriff Brown and Ian are concerned, so you can’t say anything. I just thought if there was something happening, you might have seen something.”

  “She’s doing a great job as a hostess. I’m not sure she’s going to want Hope’s dishwashing job this summer. She’s really good with people.” Felicia sat back in her seat. “She’s been so happy, chatty about school and the kids. I can’t imagine anything is going on that’s worth this kind of angst.”

  “Maybe Maggie’s just overreacting. She hadn’t raised a kid before, and now she gets a teenager as her first try as a mom.” The Browns had taken on permanent foster care roles for the teenager, whom Ian had found sleeping in the alley last summer. He had convinced Angie to hire her even before they’d known the whole story about why she’d left her Utah home. “I don’t know that I’d be a great mom, especially if I got a kid who could talk back. I wasn’t the easiest kid for my grandmother to raise. At least until I discovered I loved cooking.”

  “And the rest is history.” Felicia smiled, then turned to look out the window. “Bleak will be fine. She has a village of people who care for her.”

  Angie drove toward Boise and her next problem. Bleak would be fine. And she was going to keep the farmhouse. Good things happened to good people.

  That was her mantra for the upcoming days, and no one was going to mess with it.

  Chapter 3

  No one sat at the reception desk when Angie and Felicia walked into the law office. A low hum of canned music flowed through the room, and a sign directed visitors to the offices at the left. A wooden door had been propped open, and after giving Felicia a shrug, Angie made her way into a large room with a lot of desks in the middle. On all four sides, offices with glass walls and doors circled the room. One woman nearest the door looked up from her computer and asked in a bored tone, “May I help you?”

  “We’re here to see Jon Ansley,” Angie said, trying to ooze confidence into her tone. She didn’t want to be asked why or challenged.

  Surprisingly, the woman only pointed to the left and said, “Third door on the left. If he’s there.”

  “Thanks.” Angie met Felicia’s gaze, but this time her friend shrugged. For a law office, they didn’t protect their lawyers very well. The last time Angie had been in a law office had been downtown, where she’d been read Nona’s will. That guy had the receptionist and an assistant you had to get through before you got to talk to the busy attorney.

  At the third door, they paused, looking in on a man filling a box with pictures and coffee cups. He paused, sensing their presence, then sank into his desk chair. “Go away, Miss Turner. Even if I hadn’t been put on administrative leave, I wouldn’t be able to talk to you without your attorney being present. I’m sure the firm will assign someone new to handle the soybean plant’s interests soon. You can tell him your sob story.”

  “Nice to see you, too, Jon.” Angie decided to ignore his command and stepped into the office. She took one of the photos out of the box. “This is your wife, Sunny?”

  “Susan. She never did like that nickname her mother saddled her with.” He took the picture frame back from Angie and returned it to the box. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Her birth mother’s worried about her.” Angie let the words settle in and watched his face.

  He leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his face. “What are you talking about? Her birth mother’s in Canada. Don’t tell me you know people in Canada?”

 
Angie saw confusion on the man’s face. “You said your wife was dead. The first time we met at Celebration Park, you told me she died.”

  “I don’t think I ever said the word ‘dead.’ Timber misses her. Although if she wasn’t dead, Susan would have never left that dog with me for this long. She loved the dog way more than she loved me.” He stared at them. “So, you’re not here to talk about the land purchase? Taylor Farms offered you a great package. Twice what the actual land is worth, plus relocation money. You could buy a new place in a great neighborhood for that.”

  “I like my house. I don’t want to sell.” Angie slipped into one of the chairs and pointed to the other one for Felicia to join her. “And that’s not why I’m here. So, your wife isn’t dead? You know that?”

  “Of course I know that.” He took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. He grinned. “I always wanted to do this. They can’t put me on administrative leave twice.”

  Felicia frowned at him. “Your smoke isn’t just an health hazard for you. We’re in the office too.”

  “And again, I’m asking why. Sorry I’m not making it hospitable for you.” He took a drag from the cigarette and continued to watch them.

  “Her birth mom actually lives in River Vista. She’s worried about Sunny, I mean Susan,” Angie blurted out.

  He frowned, sitting up and crushing the cigarette on the glass-topped desk. “That’s not possible. Susan’s note said she was going to stay with her mother. Her birth mother. She was adopted. She told me the family was from Canada.”

  Angie studied him. She thought he was being truthful. But on the other hand, lawyers lied. All the time. This could just be one of the stories he told himself. “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “December twelfth. It’s been hard. When I met you at the park, I told you a sob story to get you to talk to me. Then, when she really left, I just thought she was mad. That she’d come home eventually. She always was running off in a tizzy. I was working a lot on this Taylor Farms deal, and she wasn’t happy.” He stared at her. “Her mom thinks I killed her? Is that why I was put on leave? Because people are asking questions about the wife killer who works as a lawyer?”

  “I don’t know.” Angie was starting to feel bad for the guy. But on the other hand, it could all be an act. “Look, I told her mom I’d see what I could find out. Where would she have gone if she isn’t…”

  “I have no clue.” He picked up the picture again.

  “I just want to be able to tell her mom that she’s okay. That she’s safe,” Angie pushed. No matter what she thought of the guy based on his attorney work, Barb needed help, and she needed to get on Jon’s good side. “Can you think of anywhere?”

  “There’s one place. We have a cabin in McCall that I thought maybe she might be holed up at. I was going to take some time next week to check there, since I don’t have to work.” He glanced around the room, his eyes darkening. “Anyway, I was going to go see if she was there and at least take Timber up with me so she could have the dog. She loves that dog.”

  “Let us know what you find out.” Felicia touched Angie’s arm, and they moved toward the door. “Jon, I hope you find her.”

  “Me too.” He sank backward in his chair and started to cry.

  Angie and Felicia made their way to the exit, not talking or looking at each other.

  After they left, Angie started the car and watched the building. “What do you think?”

  “I think he was so wrapped up in this Taylor Farms deal he might not have noticed when Sunny left. And after she did, he used the time to get deeper into work, since he assumed she’d come home. And now...” Felicia picked up her phone and texted someone.

  “What are you doing?” Angie backed the car out of the parking spot and aimed her car back toward River Vista. If they left now, Felicia wouldn’t miss her lunch date with Estebe.

  “One of the yoga moms was close to Susan. I’m seeing if I can take her out for coffee tomorrow. She might have some gossip about what happened or at least how the marriage was before Susan left. A lot of times the best friend knows way more than the husband when a marriage is going downhill.” She sent the text and got one back before she could put the phone away. “Tomorrow at ten at the library in Meridian. Do you want to come?”

  “She doesn’t know me.”

  Felicia grinned. “That’s never stopped anyone from gossiping. And this group of women love their gossip. It’s like a recreational sport.”

  “Send me the information, and I’ll put it on my schedule for tomorrow. Today, I have to go back to Barb and tell her I didn’t find anything.”

  “Yet,” Felicia added.

  Passing a slow-moving car, Angie glanced over at her friend. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you haven’t found Sunny yet. You’ve only been looking into this for less than half a day. Be gentle with yourself. Besides, you still have to go talk to Maggie. You need to up your game if you’re going to face the sheriff’s wife. Everyone I know tries to stay away from her. And that’s when she’s in a good mood.”

  “Maggie’s a nice woman. A little intense at times, but nice.”

  “Whatever. Let’s get this cleaned up before Bleak takes off and there are two missing daughters in the wind.”

  Angie parked behind the restaurant. Felicia went in to get ready for her lunch date. And Angie headed over to the Red Eye, wondering if Barb would even be inside. She could walk the two blocks to the Browns’ house just a few blocks away from Main Street. Bleak could not only walk to work, but also to school and any of the after-school activities. She’d told Angie she was saving for a cheap car so she could drive back from the dorms and still work for the County Seat once she went to college. It seemed like once she’d hired someone, they never wanted to leave the job. They must be doing something right as an employer.

  She pulled on the back door of the saloon that led out to the alley where she stood, expecting it to be locked, but the door swung open easily. Angie walked through the narrow hallway past the bathrooms and the storage area. The smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke was stronger here, mostly because of the confined space. She wondered if it would ever leave, even though smoking inside had been banned for several years now.

  Barb sat at the bar, probably on the same stool she’d been on Saturday. She waved Angie closer, seeing her without even turning her head. “I didn’t expect to hear from you for a while.”

  “I went into town today to see Jon Ansley.” Angie sat on the stool next to Barb and watched her reaction. A tiny flicker of hope filled the woman’s eyes but was gone before Angie could believe it was even there.

  “Oh. What did that weasel say?”

  “Not much. He was packing up his office.”

  That got a reaction, and Barb turned to stare at her. “Don’t tell me he’s leaving town. We’ll never find Sunny if he leaves.”

  “No, he had been put on leave. And he wasn’t happy about it. But he seems to think Susan, I mean Sunny, is alive and just mad at him for working too much.”

  Barb’s shoulders dropped. “You believed him?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. He did seem concerned, but then again, he’s a lawyer.” Angie rubbed the edge of the wooden bar where it had been burned too many times with cigarettes then varnished over. “Felicia and I are going to talk to Sunny’s best friend tomorrow. One interesting thing came up, though.”

  “What was that?” Barb didn’t even look up from her paper.

  “Jon said he thought Sunny had gone to Canada to find her birth mother.”

  Barb turned her head away and stood up, turning off the lights in the front bar. “You can’t believe a word that man says.”

  “Are you from Canada?” Angie asked.

  Barb didn’t answer. “Look, I’ve got an appointment this afternoon in town. I’ll talk to you later. Thanks for checking on Sunn
y. If you hear anything else, let me know, okay?”

  Angie followed Barb out and paused just outside the door, hoping to get something else out of her, but the woman locked the bar, then went and got into her newer Mustang. The woman had a type, at least in cars.

  After Barb drove away, Angie reluctantly walked toward Sheriff Brown’s house. She had to tell Maggie that no matter what, she didn’t keep secrets from Ian. If she wanted this issue with Bleak to be kept quiet, she would just have to not tell Angie. She knocked at the door. She decided she wouldn’t even step inside until that was clear between them. The door swung open a crack, and Maggie peeked outside. When she saw it was Angie, she opened the door wider and without a word, pulled her into the house and closed the door behind them.

  “It won’t do if Mr. Stephenson sees you. I swear, that man is more of a gossip than any woman in the world. I can’t take my own garbage cans inside without it being a big deal around the mens’ group at church about Allen not doing his husbandly duties.” Maggie nodded to a hallway. “Let’s talk in the kitchen. Do you want some coffee?”

  “Maggie, I’m not sure I’m staying,” Angie said, but the woman had already disappeared deeper into the house. She mumbled to herself, “I guess coffee couldn’t hurt.”

  When she got to the kitchen, she saw Maggie had been making cookies. It looked like a cookie factory had exploded in the updated room. The breakfast nook had a small table that wasn’t covered in trays of cookies.

  Maggie handed her a cup and saw her looking around. She pointed to the small table by the wall. “We can sit over there. When I get nervous or upset, I bake. The good news is, with Bleak in the house, this will disappear before they go bad or I have to take them to the church. Do you need cream or sugar?”