Killer Comfort Food

by Lynn Cahoon

  “Celena can’t stay up past eight, especially when you put her in front of a princess movie.” The older girl smiled. “My name’s Elna. Thank you for letting us hang out here. I didn’t want to stay home alone with these guys.”

  “I would have been fine.” The boy held out his hand. “I’m Rider, and I’m nine. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  His confidence told Angie that they’d had this conversation several times before. She shook his hand. “I’m just glad you all could come and visit with us.”

  “I’m going to be a chef when I grow up. And then I’m going around the world to cook in every country there is,” Rider explained.

  Nancy rubbed her son’s head. “My son is a big dreamer. I like it that way.”

  “Could be worse.” Angie smiled at the little boy. “He could want to play video games.”

  “Oh, he does enough of that too.” Nancy pointed to the back. “Come on, kids, let’s get you home so I can crash on my bed.”

  “Tomorrow you have to help me with my homework,” Elna said as they were walking out. “You promised.”

  “First thing after we take Rider to basketball,” Nancy responded.

  Angie watched them leave, then returned to her sandwich.

  Ian laid his hand on hers. “Gets you thinking, right?”

  “Yep, that my zoo is more than enough responsibility right now. Nancy looks beat.” Angie polished off her French fries. “And when would I create new recipes?”

  “Don’t tell me you don’t want kids.” Ian leaned back away from her. “Seriously?”

  “Man, you should see your face.” Angie grinned at him. “Let’s just say I don’t want three kids right now.”

  “I can work with that. Typically, they come one at a time.” He leaned over and grabbed the last fry on her plate. It had been hiding behind the au jus cup.

  “You have to remember, I’m an overachiever. Triplets do run in my Nona’s family.” She took a big bite of the sandwich, feeling her energy level rise. She might just stay awake for the entire drive home.

  “Heaven help us.” Ian sipped his coffee, watching her.

  Chapter 10

  As promised, Ian had stayed with her at the farmhouse. He’d brought in a suitcase when he’d fed the zoo Friday and set himself up in the guest room. Angie found him in the kitchen Saturday morning working on his laptop when she finally came downstairs. He stood and pointed to a chair. “Sit and I’ll get you coffee.”

  Angie grunted in response. She really wasn’t much of a morning person. Which meant typically all she had to do was deal with Dom’s over-the-top energy when she got up. But even her dog had started leaving her alone until she’d gotten a couple of cups in. “Thanks. What are you working on?”

  “Exciting stuff. Projections for this year’s farmers’ market budget. I’ve heard from ten new farmers who want to commit, which will ease the pain of the four I lost last year.” He grinned at her. “Too much rah-rah for nine in the morning?”

  “A little. But I love your passion for your work. And I’m excited to meet your new farmers. I’ve been working on Nona’s recipes to try to pull several together for a cookbook with Felicia. We’re calling it From the County Seat’s Kitchen to Yours. All the kitchen staff who wants a spot will have a recipe and an essay in the book. We’re thinking about doing one a year. Or maybe doing themes. I think this first one will be just recipes we’ve used since the restaurant opened.” She smiled at Ian, who was staring at her with wide eyes. “I know, too much passion.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve just never heard you string so many words together before noon. You must really be excited about this book.”

  She sipped her coffee, letting the warmth ease into her. “I am excited about the book. One of the best things about living here has been having immediate access to all of Nona’s recipe books. I remodeled this kitchen just to be my test kitchen. If I have to move, I’ll have to do it all over again. I know, I’ll have money, but I love this place.”

  Dom yipped in his sleep.

  “I think Dom’s agreeing with you.” Ian reached for her hand. “The deal’s not done yet. Have some faith. I’ve put you and the farm on the church prayer list, although I think some of them are confused on what they’re praying for. I kind of made it vague so even if they supported the plant being built, they could still pray for you to find peace. Peace to you is that the plant builds elsewhere.”

  “Well, let’s hope your church has a direct connection with the higher power. I could use all the help I can get.” She glanced at the window at the top of the barn. “I’m assuming you already fed Precious and Mabel?”

  “About two hours ago.” He returned to staring at the laptop. “That way we can feed again right before I take you in to work.”

  “You’re so good at the planning.” She pulled her calendar off the credenza behind her and glanced at her notes. “I am supposed to be working on the book this morning. I’ve got a couple recipes I want to make sure to translate for the home cook. Do you mind if I cook a bit today?”

  “What else would we do?” He looked over at her, confusion showing in his face.

  She made some notes into the next week. “One, I’m supposed to be finding Barb’s daughter. All I’ve done on that is get your uncle to reexamine the case using the lens of her being kidnapped.”

  “Having him look into her whereabouts again is doing something. He has the tools, not you.” He glanced at the calendar. “Did you put dinner with Allen and Maggie on the list?”

  “And Bleak. They’re a family now. You should call out all of them.” She wrote a word into the calendar. “Did they say what time?”

  “I’m thinking about two. Maggie’s old-fashioned country. Sunday dinner is an afternoon meal where supper is the evening meal.”

  Angie frowned. “Nona used to do that, but then she’d call Monday’s midday meal ‘lunch.’”

  “The weekends are different. We don’t really do brunches on Monday, either.” He stared distractedly at the screen.

  Angie filled out next week’s schedule. She needed to talk to Barb again and tell her that she wasn’t helping her one bit. Maybe she should suggest that Barb hire a private investigator. Although she did know one thing. At least in her heart. Jon didn’t kill his wife. Not unless he was totally bonkers and able to hide any trace of wrongdoing from his facial features or his body language. It wasn’t much, but it might give Barb hope. And that’s really all she needed right now was hope.

  She took out the notebook and started figuring out which recipes she wanted to play with today. The results of her testings would make a nice breakfast and lunch before they went into town, if she timed it right.

  She made a list of ingredients and went to set up her mise en place for the first round of food. Then she started cooking. She could run the other problems she had through her head while she was cooking. It made it easier.

  They were eating three different types of quick bread along with an assortment of deviled eggs when she had an idea. “Susan had to have more friends than just Holly. Especially since Holly was such a witch. Maybe she told Jon whom she was hanging around with. Or if she had a calendar.”

  She grabbed her phone and went into the living room to make the call. When she came back, she grinned at Ian. “Jon’s sending over a link to her calendar and her contact list. She kept everything digital so I can flip through that. Of course, he had no idea who her friends were besides that yoga group she talked about.”

  “Okay, but I’m betting he does know more. We’re not even married, and I bet I could name off your friends, acquaintances, and the people you hate with a passion right now.”

  “I don’t hate anyone,” Angie countered.

  “You hate Jon Ansley, or you did before this whole ‘poor me’ routine he’s playing with you.” Ian held out his hand before she could speak
. “Hold on, let me continue. You hate this guy who took advantage of you and Felicia at your previous restaurant.”

  “Hate’s a strong word. I just want Todd sent to live on the surface of the sun so I don’t have to think about him ever again.”

  “He couldn’t take a step outside without burning to death,” Ian pointed out.

  “And that’s my problem how?” Angie lifted her eyebrows. “And no, I don’t sympathize with Jon. I’m just doing this for Barb. She deserves to know where her child is. You should have seen her talk about the picture. She loves that little girl. And even though Susan isn’t the child she remembers, there’s a bond there.”

  “I know. I see the same attachment in Maggie’s eyes when she looks at Bleak. She’s accepted the role of mom and all the emotions that go with it.” Ian nodded at the dishes. “I’ll stop giving you crap about Jon. Are you done creating for now? Are we back in research mode?”

  Angie shook her head. “I can look through her calendar tonight after work. I’d like to try these soups out so I know which one I’m taking to the family meal at the end of the month. I’ll need to do at least one more narrowing before I’m ready.”

  “I’ll clean up dishes from round one before I go back to working on my budget. I’m really liking working here with you. At the office I usually eat cheese and crackers for my morning break.” He grinned. “Maybe my winter hours should be remote and away from the office.”

  “I might have to charge you rent.” She opened her notebook and started making notes. “Out of the three quick breads, which was your favorite? And why?”

  By three, Angie and Ian were ready to go back to River Vista. Ian, as promised, had fed the zoo while Angie showered and got into her work clothes. In the truck, she checked her phone. “The email from Jon is here. I guess we have homework tonight. What are you doing while I’m working?”

  “I’m heading to the office, grabbing stuff to work on tomorrow and checking the mail. Then I’m going to check in with Allen and Maggie and see if everything’s all right there. Maggie gets a little freaked out about having you over for dinner.” He turned right off the north-and-south highway to the road that would take them directly into River Vista.

  Unless there was a railroad or irrigation canal to work around, most of the rural roads ran north-south or east-west directly and intersected to make perfect mile squares. Angie had never seen an aerial view of the valley’s farmland, but she suspected it would look like a crossword puzzle with some blocks empty of houses or buildings and others with a scattering of life among the large patches of farmland.

  Unfortunately, if Susan was missing and had been hidden nearby, there were all kinds of abandoned buildings and farmhouses that might fit the bill. Some were so remote that no one would even notice if a vehicle showed up now and then. And some, the neighbors might think the old Robinson house had finally been rented or was getting ready to be sold. Eventually, someone would question the cars, but if he kept moving her, no one would ever see a pattern.

  Angie sighed, staring out the window at a pole barn that held the land owner’s machinery out near the fields. “Look at that barn. With all the work done until spring, the farmer might not even go into a building like that for months. A perfect place to hide a woman. Or a body.”

  “You think she’s already gone?” Ian’s voice was quiet.

  Angie shook her head to get the image out of her mind. “No. I’m not going there. At this point, I’m focusing on the hope that Susan is just missing. Funny how saying that aloud makes it seem totally strange. I’m hoping that a woman has been taken from her home and held against her will for months. And that’s the most positive outcome.”

  “She could have gotten tired of Jon and just left.”

  Angie turned the heat up higher in the truck. She was chilled to the bone and didn’t know if it was the cold winter day or the topic of conversation. “We both know if she’d left on her own, she would have made arrangements for Timber, her dog. Put him in a kennel for a few weeks while she found a place. Or with a friend. No, voluntarily leaving the jerk is probably off the table.”

  They didn’t speak again until Ian pulled the truck into Angie’s regular spot in the back parking lot of the restaurant. Estebe’s Hummer was already there, as well as Hope’s compact beater. The car looked like crap, but it ran well and had new tires all the way around to help her on snowy days.

  “You’ve got people here early.” Ian glanced at the clock on his dash. “I thought prep started at three.”

  “It does, but they like to use the kitchen to try new recipes. Estebe’s teaching Hope some Basque family favorites. That girl is going to be a beast in the kitchen once she gets her own place.” Angie grabbed her bag. “You can leave the truck here if you want.”

  He shook his head. “I’m going to talk to Maggie first. Get that over with, then I’ll be at my office or apartment if you need me. I’ll be at the restaurant for dinner about six or seven and wait for you to get off work.”

  “You could stay at the apartment. Watch television. I could come get you when I’m done,” Angie countered.

  “You don’t get the part of me being the boyfriend protector from the unknown fear. Or you haven’t watched enough horror movies. The vampire always gets the girl when the guy goes to the shower building at the campsite.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. “I know, we’re just reacting on a hunch, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. And if the zombie hoard is coming, I’d rather be at your side.”

  Angie laughed and squeezed his hand. “You make being stalked by a murderer and-or a kidnapper tame against your zombies and spooks.”

  “Just trying to keep it real, love.” He winked at her. “I’ll see you at seven. Do you want me to pop in the kitchen?”

  “Just tell Felicia to let me know you’re here.” Angie smiled. “The kitchen can get a little crazy during service.”

  She walked to the back door and unlocked it with her key. There was a buzzer on the door that she could have used that sounded in the kitchen and the upstairs apartment, but she didn’t want to disturb anyone. She watched as Ian pulled the truck out of the parking lot and onto the road. She didn’t like the fact he had to be inconvenienced to watch out for some unknown threat, but it felt good knowing he was there. She didn’t want to be the stupid one in the movie who always went home alone through the dark alleys and got herself killed.

  “Now he has me talking in movie scenarios.” She bypassed the kitchen entrance and went straight through the hallway to her office to dump her tote and check the emails for the day. When she got there, the door was open.

  Sheriff Brown sat at her desk, and a clearly upset Nancy sat on one of the visitor chairs with Felicia next to her. He waved her inside. “You might as well hear this too.”

  “What happened?” She dumped her purse and coat on a table and knelt next to Nancy.

  Nancy shook her head. “Nothing, really. I’m probably overreacting.”

  “I’m not sure about that, Ms. Gowan, but tell Angie why you want to bring the kids to work with you again.” He spoke in a gentle voice, like the one Ian used on spooked horses. “Please?”

  Nancy nodded. “As soon as we got home last night, the landline started ringing. I have one because I don’t want the kids to have a cell phone and they are there alone a lot.” She shot a glance at Sheriff Brown. “Elna’s taken a babysitting course with the Red Cross, and she’s very responsible.”

  “No one’s questioning your judgment here,” Felicia assured her as she shot a glance at Sheriff Brown.

  “Okay, sorry, I’m jumpy. Anyway, I’d pick up the phone to say hello and they’d hang up. This happened five times. When Elna picked up, a man asked her name. I took the phone out of her hand, and they hung up again. I wouldn’t let anyone pick up again. I unplugged the phone.” She shook her head. “I figured it was one of the guys at school, messing
with her, but then this morning when I re-plugged it in again, the calls started again. It’s my ex-husband. I know it is. He’s just that petty.”

  “I’ve got someone over at Ms. Gowan’s house putting a tracker on the phone. I don’t have manpower to keep him there twenty-four-seven, so if it’s okay, the kids are going to be here tonight, then my guy will go home with the family and stay until the morning.” His tone made it seem like this was the most normal thing in the world. And Angie knew it was to help Nancy calm down.

  “I told you yesterday it’s no problem at all.” Angie squeezed Nancy’s hand. She looked up at Felicia. “Do you have more age-appropriate movies?”

  Her partner laughed. “You’re kidding, right? I buy every fun movie out there, just so I have them on hand. I’ve already brought down a good collection, but Rider’s campaigning for some more boy movies. I think he’s tired of princess movies.”

  “Don’t let him fool you. He loves the fairy tales.” Nancy smiled, thinking of her son, and for the first time in a few days, Angie saw her face soften. “I’m so lucky to work with you all.”

  “I’m glad you put up with us.” Angie nodded. “Especially the guys. They can be a little over the top at times.”

  “Boys will be boys.” She glanced at her watch. “Service prep started ten minutes ago. Can I go clean up and go to work now?”

  Sheriff Brown stood. “Of course. I’ll have a man here waiting for you at ten, ten thirty?”

  “Better make it eleven. We’re fully booked on reservations tonight.” Felicia glanced at Angie. “Do you think you could spare her then?”

  “Yes. As long as the kids can stay out that late.” Angie turned to Nancy. “When do you need to leave?”

  “Eleven would be great. It’s a weekend, so we can sleep in tomorrow.” She rubbed her fingers under her eyes. “And maybe I can get some sleep and get rid of these circles.”

  Angie knew Nancy didn’t care about how she looked. It was just a way to defuse the tension in the room. The woman always thought about others. She watched Nancy and Sheriff Brown leave the office, talking about next steps.