Have a Deadly New Year

by Lynn Cahoon

  “Not until we are questioned. He says that will probably be tomorrow or maybe even later.” He shook his head. “Steve’s going to throw a fit. He’s going to have to cancel a bunch of appearances.”

  “Well, you can’t schedule around a blizzard.” And an attempted murder, she wanted to say, but she held back the addition. “How many of you guys are left? I brought a lot of food, but not enough to feed thirty for a week.”

  “Seven. Me and Bailey, Steve and Carolyn, Robbie, Suzie, and well, there’s really six since Dane is at the hospital.” Cliff went over and poured himself a cup of coffee. “The kitchen should be pretty well stocked. I ask the housekeeper to keep it set up, just in case we decide to come up for a getaway.”

  “We’ll check the pantry then.” She fixed Cliff with a hard stare. “Just to be clear, we’re only doing meals. No short order cook will be available. We’ll do breakfast or brunch around nine, lunch at noonish, and then dinner at six. But nothing fancy unless you happen to like what we’re testing out for the restaurant. And we don’t clean. We’ll keep the kitchen clean, but the rest, everyone’s on their own. And, you’re going to get another bill for our cooking services as soon as we get home.”

  Cliff snorted. “I don’t think Bailey’s done her own laundry in her life. It should be an interesting experiment.”

  “Maybe we’ll get out of here sooner rather than later.” Angie met Felicia’s then Estebe’s gaze, offering them time to chime in, in case she’d forgotten something, but neither did. “Let your folks know if they’re hungry, we’ll cook now. Otherwise, we’ll have lunch ready at two.”

  “I’ll probably be the only one up earlier than noon. Well, besides Steve. Carolyn needs her beauty sleep.” He stood and refilled his cup. “I’m going to go lay down the law with the group. Let me know if they give you any grief.”

  “We can take care of ourselves,” Angie corrected him.

  “No doubt in the world, but I’d rather you not have to deal with our misbehavior. We can be a spoiled bunch.” He picked up his coffee and left.

  “The rules are set. How bad can this be?” Angie looked at Felicia and then at the others. No one said anything.

  Angie had planned on doing a day of the retreat on soups. The group had been staring out the window into the falling snow when she finished talking to Cliff. She studied the heavy snow, then brought her focus back to the group. “What are you guys waiting for? Did everyone bring a notebook? Let’s see what we have to work with. I want a day of soups. One different idea out of each of you. And you have to use a primary ingredient that’s available now. Locally.”

  “Like snow?” Hope pointed to the deck, where the white now covered the redwood stain.

  “Like potatoes, or turnips, or kale,” Matt corrected her. “Although snow might be a good descriptor of the soup. Snow day chowder.”

  “You always want to fancy up the recipe names. What’s wrong with potato soup?” Estebe grumbled as he moved toward the pantry. “Or sausage and leek stew?”

  “It’s just a list of ingredients, not a name. What if people were called Five-foot Blond Man rather than Tony?” Matt put his coffee cup on the counter.

  “We’d know exactly who to expect when someone made a reservation.” Estebe grinned and slapped Matt on the back as he joined him in the pantry. “Let’s make this interesting. Best dish gets to send worse dish out in the snow to clean off that deck.”

  “You remember I won last week’s bet, right? You still owe me money for the sandwich contest.”

  Estebe shook his head. “You didn’t win. I did.”

  Felicia held back as the rest of the team crowded into the pantry looking for ideas and supplies. She glanced at the dining room door. “Look, I’m sorry I dragged everyone out here. Now Dane’s been hurt and what was supposed to be an empty house where we could work undisturbed is filled with people. I wouldn’t doubt it if they all expect meals like last night.”

  “We spoiled them last night. What can you expect?” Angie gave her friend a quick hug. “I’m not letting this change up our trip. We’re here to work and retreat and figure out the winter menu. We’re going to do that. Even if they disturb us every hour on the hour.”

  “You don’t know how pushy these people can be. Cliff’s nice, but he’s as needy as the rest of them.” Felicia slapped Angie on the arm. “Stop grinning at me. So yeah, I used to be a spoiled brat, just like these people. Which is why I know this is going to be a disaster.”

  “Negative energy never produces a positive outlook.” Angie hugged her friend. “Relax, it’s all going to be okay. Besides, they seem like nice people. And you haven’t seen the bill I’m going to send when this is over. The more we get annoyed, the higher our service cost will be.”

  “How would you know? We’ve only met half of them. We should have insisted on meeting people before we take private jobs.”

  Angie raised her eyebrows. “Why? Just in case we get snowed in again? Maybe we should just make sure we don’t do retreats in the middle of winter. Let’s schedule the next one in June on the Oregon Coast.”

  “Sun, sand, and with my luck, a typhoon.” Felicia picked up her notebook. “I guess you expect me to play this create-a-recipe game too, right?”

  “Of course. I can’t be the only one playing the game with the staff. They’ll gang up on me. It will be interesting to see what they create with limited supplies.” Angie picked up her notebook and walked toward the pantry. “But you know we’re going with my soup, no matter what.”

  “In your dreams, sister. We all have a vote. This isn’t a monarchy.” Felicia teased her.

  “It could be. Queen Angie. Not a bad idea.”

  “I think you’d have a revolt sooner or later. If you even remembered to act like a queen. You’re more a man-of-the-people kind of gal.” Felicia paused at the doorway and picked up something off the shelf. “Ooh, butternut squash.”

  “I already claimed that.” Hope took the squash from Felicia’s hand. “You snooze, you lose.”

  Estebe chuckled.

  Felicia turned to him. “What are you laughing at, big guy?”

  “Nothing I’d say aloud. I like our relationship.” He walked by her, his basket filled with items. As he passed by, he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

  “I guess you got told.” Angie grabbed a basket and started looking at what was left. Potatoes and leeks—but the potatoes weren’t the large russets she was used to working with. Instead, they were heirloom potatoes. In different colors, different shapes. She could roast them with a few yellow onions, then puree them for the soup. The leeks she’d mix in the soup mixture after she’d wilted them a bit. It was basic, but if she truly concentrated on the ingredients and making them the star of the dish, the taste would be glorious.

  She was waiting for her turn at the sink so she could wash off her veggies when Suzie came through the door. She stumbled and almost fell into the table. Estebe caught her and led her to the table. Angie could smell the alcohol on her from across the room.

  Suzie lifted her head. “I need something to eat.”

  “We’ll have lunch ready around two,” Angie said, trying to stick to what she’d told Cliff, even though she could see the woman was hurting.

  She broke into tears again. “Dane’s gone and now I can’t even get a freaking sandwich.” She screamed out the last few words.

  Estebe set a cup of coffee in front of her. “I will make you something. I think we had some leftovers from last night. We are cooking right now, so we can’t stop and make something specific, but I’m sure I can get you something.”

  She looked up at him, grabbing his hand. “You’d do that for me? Even though Dane’s not here to see it? To reward you?”

  “People don’t need to be rewarded for doing the right thing.” Estebe stepped away, then pulled two dishes out of the fridge. “Here we are. I knew
there were leftovers. Give me a minute, and I’ll have a plate ready for you.”

  Suzie sipped the coffee Hope had poured for her. “I know what you’re all thinking. That I was just a piece for him. That he didn’t love me. But he did. That’s why he didn’t want to go out on the road again. He didn’t want to have to leave me home. Although I told him I would go. He was afraid I’d start drinking again.”

  And he’d probably been right to worry. Angie took in the woman sitting and sipping coffee while Estebe waited on her hand and foot. One piece of bad news and the woman had broken. The police hadn’t even been gone six hours and she was drunk. “We’re making soups. You’re welcome to eat here in the kitchen if you’d like.”

  Suzie rubbed her face. “Maybe I shouldn’t be alone. Bailey’s holed up with Cliff. They’re probably having sex. That’s Bailey’s answer to everything. She slept with Dane one night just because I was out of town. I take one night for myself and she slips into my bed. What kind of friend does that?”

  Felicia’s shocked face almost made her giggle, but Angie was more worried about Hope listening to this. Even though she wasn’t a child, the girl was pretty naïve. Estebe must have felt the same way because when he got her plate ready, he stood her up and aimed her toward the door. “Why don’t we go into the living room where you can watch some television. I think that will help you keep your mind off Dane’s condition. Go ahead, I’ll follow you with the food.”

  After they left, Felicia broke into giggles. “I knew Cliff’s life was different, but wow.”

  “At least Estebe got her out of here before she started talking about her and Dane’s life together.” Angie opened the oven and checked on her potatoes. She stuck a fork in one, but it was still hard. She closed the door and turned up the heat.

  “I don’t know. I thought she was fascinating. I would have enjoyed hearing more,” Matt said as he chopped veggies.

  “Perv.” Hope threw a dishcloth at him. Then she touched her cheeks. “Is my face as red as it feels?”

  “Yep. You look like a fire engine.” Matt grinned at her. “Maybe you should go have a cold shower.”

  “Maybe you should shut up?” Hope shot back.

  Estebe stepped back into the room. “What’s going on? I can hear you guys down the hallway.”

  “Just blowing off some steam.” Felicia walked over to him. “You are a sweet man.”

  He put an arm around her. “I feel bad for her. I know she must have loved him, and now he’s at the hospital fighting for his life.”

  Angie’s phone rang. She stepped out of the kitchen and into the hall to answer it. When she came back into the room, she looked at her crew. “Dane’s not fighting anymore. They lost him. The sheriff wants to make sure we all stay put. He thinks he can get up here as soon as the snow plow goes through if the storm stops soon.”

  The kitchen was silent. Felicia came and sat at the table. “Angie, does the sheriff think Dane was murdered?”

  Angie sat next to her, and the rest of the crew joined them at the table. She looked around at her staff. Her work family. A family that was now snowed in with someone who had committed murder. “Yes. So we need to be careful and not be alone. No one goes anywhere without one of our group with you.”

  “Not even to the bathroom?” Matt joked.

  Angie looked at him. “Not even to the bathroom. Estebe, you and Matt need to bunk together, and I guess the three of us will have a slumber party. Who has the biggest room?”

  “That would be me. I have a master suite.” Felicia held up her hand. When Angie turned to look at her, she shrugged. “What? Cliff knows I don’t like sharing a bathroom.”

  “Then it’s a party at Felicia’s.” Angie glanced at the clock. “We need to act normal, like we don’t know what’s going on until the sheriff comes back and gets us out of here.”

  The door to the kitchen slammed open, and Cliff and Bailey ran into the room. Cliff looked at the people sitting at the table. He dropped down next to Felicia’s chair and grabbed her arm. “Oh my God, can you believe it? The sheriff says Dane was murdered. What are we going to do?”

  “So much for keeping a secret,” Matt muttered.

  Bailey stepped back from the table. “Wait, you all knew? Did one of you kill him?”

  “No.” Angie pointed to a couple of chairs at the end of the table. “Sheriff Pearson called us too. We didn’t kill Dane. Did you?”

  Cliff’s eyes teared up. “I can’t believe he’s dead. He was such a kind soul.”

  “He was a piece of crap, Cliff. He made everything more difficult for you, just because he could.” She went around the table, stopping at the fridge to grab a beer. She twisted off the top, then sat in one of the chairs. Noticing the others looking at her, she shrugged. “It’s five o’clock somewhere, right? Besides, Suzie’s passed out in the living room. She started doing shots as soon as they told her Dane was hurt. Who knows what she’ll take when she finds out he’s dead.”

  “No one is judging you,” Cliff said as he walked over to sit next to his girlfriend.

  Of course, Angie thought, he was totally wrong. She was judging Bailey and Suzie for their lack of control over their drinking habits. But she wasn’t their babysitter. She just wanted to get her and her crew out of here in one piece. Sooner rather than later. And she bet a few others from her crew were thinking the same thing. This craziness was definitely not her circus or her monkeys.

  “What where you two fighting about last night?” Angie asked, watching Cliff play with Bailey’s hair, his thoughts distracted.

  “The usual. The business around the music. We never fought about the music itself. But the tour and how many stops and who should come along with us. Even what cut we should demand of the record company. Dane never got the point that the record company didn’t have a lot of options in the contract. He always wanted more money, more promotion. Then he’d compare us to the freaking Beatles and tell me Steve was scamming us.” Cliff sank even deeper into his chair, now chewing on the end of a pen.

  “Dane thought he knew everything. Dane was more like an abusive husband than a partner. Or even a friend.” Bailey sipped her beer.

  “We shouldn’t talk about him this way. It’s disrespectful.” Cliff closed his eyes and turned his head toward the ceiling.

  “No, what he was doing, writing that tell-all book about the band, that was disrespectful. The best thing about Dane being dead is that book will never be released now.”

  Angie watched as Cliff pulled Bailey to her feet. “Let’s go swim for a while. I need to relax and get my mind settled.”

  As the couple walked out of the kitchen, Angie glanced around the table. “We stay with our plan. Let’s get moved into our new sleeping arrangements, and then we’ll do a soup testing.”

  Felicia stayed sitting. “Estebe and I will stay here and watch the food.”

  “I think it will be fine.” Angie stopped, realizing what her friend was implying. “Oh, yeah, I guess that’s a good idea.”

  Hope fell into step with her and Matt. “It’s like we’re in that movie. Locked in a house with a killer.”

  “And Then There Were None?” Angie asked as they moved toward the bedrooms upstairs.

  Hope shook her head. “I was thinking about The Shining.”

  Chapter 5

  After they got their stuff moved to the new sleeping arrangements, it was time for lunch. The other guests came in waves. First Cliff and Bailey, whose hair was still wet from their swim. Then Steve and Carolyn. And finally, when Angie was just about to pack up the food, Suzie and a dark-haired man walked into the room. They both looked like they were in a haze—whether it was grief or chemically induced, Angie couldn’t tell.

  Suzie sat at the table, and the man slumped in a chair next to her. Felicia listed the soup and sandwiches still available. Suzie made her choice quickly, then turned
to him. “Robbie, what do you want to eat?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You haven’t eaten since last night. Dane would want you to eat.” Suzie lowered her voice and rubbed his arm.

  Robbie snorted. “Dane would rather I be the one dead on a slab in the morgue. He wouldn’t care if I ever ate.”

  “That’s not true. You guys were friends. I know you were.”

  He rolled his head around on his neck. Then he looked up at Felicia. “Just bring me something, sweetheart. I really don’t care.”

  Angie saw Estebe’s back stiffen at Robbie’s overfamiliar tone and words, but he let it go. Angie took the bowls and plates to the table for the two, hoping the guy wouldn’t notice Hope. She was young, fresh-faced, and perfect in the eyes of a certain type of older man. Another reason sticking together wasn’t a bad idea. She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to the girl.

  For someone who didn’t care what he ate, Robbie wolfed down his soup and sandwich. Angie offered him more, and he took a second sandwich, then stood in front of the window looking out at the falling snow. Dom watched him from his bed, not growling, but not being the friendly dog Angie knew.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much snow. I haven’t been up here in the winter before. We typically jammed and learned new material over the summer, then Steve would book our tours and we’d be off for eighteen to twenty-four months.” He barked a laugh after finishing the food. “I guess he’s going to have to find a new group to boss around.”

  “You don’t think the band will honor the contract?” Angie was curious. Other bands had replaced a major player without losing their own identity.

  He finally looked at her. Angie didn’t think Robbie had really looked at anyone directly in the eye since they’d walked into the kitchen. “Cliff won’t let Steve replace Dane. He’s tried that game before. I don’t know if the fact Dane’s dead would change that equation. Cliff loved the guy.”

  Suzie started to cry then and stood and ran out of the kitchen. Robbie sighed and started to follow. He paused by Angie. “The girl’s having a bad time. She loved the guy. More than he deserved.”