A Food and Wine Club Mystery Boxset Books 1 through 5

by Cat Chandler

  “Oh,” Sally looked almost disappointed. “But you did talk to the chief, right? Because I thought I should tell you, he’s been hanging around Ricki’s place a lot, so if you want to make a move on him, you’d better do it quick.”

  “Ricki?” Nicki asked before she could stop herself.

  “Ricki James. She has that little diner over on Fifth Street. It’s called Sunny Side Up. It’s got great food. You should try it.”

  Fortune smiled on Nicki when her phone rang. Making a grab for it, she gave Sally an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but I have to take this.” She glanced past Sally. “And I see that you have customers.”

  Relieved when the talkative Sally scurried off, Nicki tapped the “answer” button on her phone and raised it to her ear.

  “Hi, Jenna, and thank heavens you called.”

  Alex, Jenna, and Nicki had been best friends ever since they’d shared an apartment in New York City right after finishing college. Alex had been entering medical school, Jenna getting her master’s degree in computer programming, and Nicki had enrolled in cooking school. But despite their vastly different career choices, the three of them had become family, especially after Nicki’s vivacious mom had been murdered right outside her apartment in the city.

  The killer had never been caught, and the memories had prompted Jenna and Nicki to follow Alex to the West Coast where the doctor was doing her internship. Now they’d all made lives for themselves in the wine country of Northern California. And Nicki wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

  “Why? Is some hunky guy chasing you around?”

  Nicki laughed at how close Jenna was to the conversation she’d just been having with the gossipy Sally. “No, alas, it seems he’s already taken.”

  “Taken? Who’s taken? And what are you talking about? What’s going on?” Jenna demanded.

  “Never mind, it’s not important. Are you still planning on coming up to Henley Bay next week?”

  “Yeah. And I know that tone of voice, Nicki Connors, so I’m asking again, what’s going on?”

  “We’ve run into a little problem with the wedding cake.” Nicki smiled because she could almost see Jenna rolling her eyes.

  “And you want me to program Alex a new one?” Jenna snorted. “You’re the chef. Bake her one if that’s what it takes to keep this wedding on track.”

  Nicki waited while there was a muffled conversation on the other end of the line. She felt a little guilty that Jenna had interrupted whatever she’d been doing to return her call. But only a little guilty.

  Jenna had her own business setting up and maintaining websites for a growing list of customers, and Nicki didn’t want to interrupt a meeting she might be having with a client. But on the other hand, a dead body was important too. Especially when it might affect Alex’s wedding.

  “Maxie says ‘hello’. She’s here being trained on her new website.”

  “That’s great.” Nicki breathed a sigh of relief. Maxie was their landlady. She owned the twin townhouses that Nicki and Jenna rented for a bargain, and part of their rent was in trade. Nicki baked up a constant stream of treats for Maxie’s many charities, and Jenna provided free web services for their eccentric silver-haired landlady’s genealogy business.

  “Only because you’re not the one trying to explain this to her.” Jenna’s dry tone got a laugh from Maxie that came clearly through the phone. “Maxie wants to know what’s going on too, so I’m going to put you on speaker.”

  In the next moment, Maxie’s voice floated into Nicki’s ear. “Hello, dear. How is all the wedding planning going? It sounds as if our Alex has hit a glitch? Something to do with the wedding cake?”

  “You could say that. The cake baker can’t do it.”

  “He backed out just two weeks before the wedding?” Jenna asked. “Can he do that? Don’t they have a contract?” There was a short pause as Jenna sucked in an audible breath. “Wait a minute. What did you mean by he ‘can’t’ make the cake? Was he in an accident or something?”

  “Or something,” Nicki agreed. “He was murdered. Right there in his office.”

  Two loud gasps came through the phone.

  “Murdered? When?” Jenna asked.

  “I have no idea. Maybe no more than an hour ago. At least that’s when he was found. Alex spent some time with the ME looking over the body.”

  “Oh dear,” Maxie said. “That’s unfortunate.”

  “For him and for Alex,” Nicki said. “And for his business, I’d imagine. I mean, it has his name on it, and he was the head baker.”

  “Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Jenna’s voice held a note of suspicion in it. “I know it’s a small town and news tends to travel fast, but you said an hour ago? What did they do? Post a notice in the hotel lobby?”

  “Not exactly,” Nicki hedged. “We weren’t at the hotel.”

  “I’m assuming you were not at the business establishment when this happened?” Maxie stated while Jenna groaned loudly in the background.

  “Not when it happened,” Nicki quickly said. “Just when the body was discovered. I don’t know when he was murdered.”

  “Oh. Just when the body was discovered? Well. That makes all the difference.” Jenna let out a huge sigh. “And I suppose you’ve already made the acquaintance of the local police chief. I mean since you probably found the body and all.”

  Nicki chewed on her bottom lip. She couldn’t blame Jenna for being annoyed. Dead bodies did seem to be making a habit of popping up lately. “I didn’t discover the body. Karen did.”

  “And who’s Karen? A new friend who is insisting that you find the murderer?”

  Nicki frowned. Clearly Jenna was more than a little annoyed.

  “No. As a matter of fact, the police chief wasn’t happy to have me at his crime scene, and is expecting me to stay far away from his investigation.”

  Jenna barked out a laugh. “All that means is that he doesn’t know you very well.”

  “I have to agree with Jenna, dear. Of course you’ll get involved,” Maxie cut in. “Which means that we’ll be leaving right away, won’t we?”

  Nicki assumed that last question was directed at Jenna, and smiled when her friend made a sound of agreement.

  “If you aren’t ready in two hours, I’ll be leaving without you,” Jenna declared.

  “Which will be difficult, dear, since we’ll be taking my car,” Maxie replied calmly.

  “Okay. Three hours, then.”

  Nicki wasn’t the least surprised at Jenna’s quick acceptance to ride in Maxie’s car. The landlady’s well-appointed Mercedes was much more comfortable than the compact car Jenna drove.

  “It’s a thirteen-hour drive,” Nicki warned. “You can’t do that all in one day.”

  “We’ll head to Ashland tonight. I have a friend there we can crash with,” Jenna said. “I’ll just give her a quick call.”

  “We’ll go to Ashland and stay in a nice hotel, dear. My treat,” Maxie corrected. “And we don’t have time to argue about it. We’ll be there around dinnertime tomorrow, Nicki.”

  “I’ve got to get packing. It’s a good thing the bridesmaid’s get-up is up there, or I’d probably forget to bring it. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”

  Jenna disconnected and Nicki smiled as she tucked her phone away in her purse. She couldn’t ask for better friends. Even though she probably wouldn’t be getting involved in Chief Thomas’s murder investigation, Jenna and Maxie hadn’t hesitated to drop everything and drive to Henley Bay, just in case. And also because it worried them whenever Nicki was close to a murder. None of them ever said so, but Nicki could see how protective they got, and she loved every one of them for it.

  Nope. Friends didn’t come any better than that. The elevator doors opened, and Alex stepped out, smiling when Nicki stood up and waved at her. Inclining her head toward the bar, Nicki waited for Alex’s nod before heading in that direction. The two women met at the entryway leading into the dark-paneled room and headed for
a table near the front window. The bar was quiet at this time of day, and no bartender was in attendance, which made Nicki and Alex the only two people in the room. And that suited both of them just fine at the moment.

  “How’s your mom?” Nicki asked as she and Alex sank into the comfortable chairs crowding around a minuscule-sized table.

  “Upset. And I don’t know if it’s more about finding Robin murdered or the fact he won’t be able to make the wedding cake.” Alex ran a hand through her hair. “Or that Henry called and asked if I’d come by and observe the autopsy tomorrow morning.”

  “Henry?”

  “Dr. Hanson, the ME,” Alex said. “And Mom isn’t happy with me mixing the wedding in with cutting open a dead body.”

  Nicki wasn’t sure she could blame Alex’s mom for that. “So you turned Dr. Hanson down?”

  “Of course not.” Alex looked slightly offended. “He asked for my help. I can’t turn away when a fellow doctor asks for my help. Tyler understood. He didn’t like it, but he understood.”

  “You’ve already called Tyler on top of dealing with your mom?” Nicki smiled. Somehow that didn’t surprise her coming from the efficient Dr. Kolman.

  “Of course,” Alex nodded. “I dialed his number while we were still in the elevator.” She raised an eyebrow at Nicki. “And when did you call Matt?”

  The petite chef could feel the blush heat up her cheeks. “Before I made it all the way across the lobby. But I got his voice mail. Did Tyler have anything else to say?”

  Alex shrugged. “That he doesn’t care if we have cake or not, a comment I did not repeat to my mother, and that he’s going to get some extra days off no matter who he has to arm-wrestle for them, which I was glad to hear.” She grinned at her friend. “And that you aren’t to chase one single clue until everyone gets here.”

  “What makes him think I’ll be chasing clues?” Nicki complained. “No one has asked me for help.” She leaned back in her chair. “But I did talk to Jenna, and Maxie was with her. They’ll be up here tomorrow afternoon.”

  Alex’s eyes lit up. “Oh good! The more reinforcements the better.”

  Nicki shook her head. “The chief told me to stay out of his investigation, so no snooping around will be necessary.”

  “That’s only because he doesn’t know you,” Alex said, echoing Jenna’s words. “And it isn’t chasing clues I was referring to, it’s dealing with Mom.” Alex’s forehead wrinkled as she tapped one finger against the tabletop. “Maxie will be a godsend for that.”

  Nicki’s phone pinged, indicating a text message had arrived. She reached into her purse to retrieve her phone and tapped in the password. A moment later she was frowning down at the screen.

  “What is it?” Alex asked.

  “It’s from Matt.” Nicki looked up, her frown still in place. “He said he can’t talk now, but he got Jane’s message and he’s on his way.”

  “A message from Jane? Why would he be telling you about a message from Jane?”

  Nicki looked back down at the screen. “I have no idea. Maybe he sent this to the wrong person.”

  Chapter Eighty

  The next morning Nicki was still wondering where Matt was off to now, and trying not to be hurt that he hadn’t returned her call. She looked up from her English muffin and coffee when Alex slid into the seat on the opposite side of the booth.

  “Mother’s furiously making calls to all the caterers within a fifty-mile radius to find another wedding cake.”

  Sympathetic to Nancy’s dilemma, Nicki set her mug down and folded her hands in front of her. “You don’t need a real wedding cake. A decorator can do the same thing with Styrofoam blocks and then serve sheet cake to the guests.”

  “I think one of the bakeries she called already made that suggestion.” Alex gave a mock shudder. “Believe me, it did not go over well.”

  Both women sighed as a waitress came up to the table.

  The middle-aged woman, who’d introduced herself as Christy, smiled at her two downcast customers. “Having a problem with a wedding, or just having a problem?”

  “A wedding,” Alex said. “How did you know?”

  She waved the pencil in her hand through the air. “Oh, we get lots of brides in here with that same look you have right now. And believe me, honey, don’t you worry about whatever it is. Every one of those girls got married right on time. You just go see Amanda. She’s in charge of all the events here at the St. Armand. She’ll take care of you.”

  “Thank you,” Alex said politely. “I’ll have a cup of coffee.”

  “Coming right up, and it’s on the house.” The waitress gave Alex a quick pat on the shoulder before hurrying off.

  Since it was a little late for breakfast, and too early for lunch, the waitress was back with the coffee in no time at all. The two friends sat across from each other, idly stirring their coffee and taking in the view of the bay.

  “Has Matt called yet?” Alex asked.

  Nicki shook her head, sending the tips of her honey-blond hair sliding across her shoulders. “Nope. Has Tyler managed to finagle more time off?”

  Her friend sighed. “Not yet. He said he’s still working on it.”

  “Is there something your mom needs us to do?”

  “As long as she’s on the warpath about the cake, I’m not going anywhere near her to ask,” Alex stated. “Do you need any help planning out those cooking classes you’ll be starting soon?”

  “No. Suzanne has them all under control,” Nicki said, referring to one of the members of Maxie’s Ladies In Writing Society. Nicki was also a member. Alex and Jenna had been given honorary status with the society when they’d helped Nicki solve the murder of one of the members.

  There was another long moment of silence before Nicki smiled at Alex. “This is silly. I know you went to that autopsy at seven this morning. What can you tell me about it?”

  “Quite a bit, although there really isn’t much to tell. Strangely enough, Dr. Hanson did not declare me as part of the official team, and neither did the movie-star chief.”

  Nicki grinned. “Who, by the way, seems to be interested in the owner of the local diner.”

  “Oh, too bad for you,” Alex laughed. “But good news for the currently missing-in-action Matt. Who had better not be turning into the perpetually-absent Rob.”

  Rob was Nicki’s last boyfriend, who’d had a habit of breaking most of their dates because of his heavy travel schedule for work. Although that hadn’t stopped him from seeing someone else in his office, Nicki thought even as she came to Rob’s defense.

  “I keep reminding everyone that I never objected to Rob being away so much.”

  “Which should have told you something about that relationship,” Alex declared. “And do you object to Matt being in Kansas City while you live in California?”

  It did bother her, but Nicki didn’t want to get into that right now. What she did want to hear were Robin Boral’s autopsy results.

  “I object to him not being here right at the moment, since I’ll have to repeat everything you tell me about the autopsy once he does call back.” And Nicki had her fingers crossed that Matt would call soon.

  Alex didn’t look as if she believed Nicki, but thankfully let it go. “There really isn’t much to tell. He died from a gunshot wound from a small caliber pistol. Other than that, he was surprisingly healthy for someone who was overweight and smoked.”

  “Did the ME know when he was shot?”

  “Sometime between ten and midnight as the conservative estimate. I’d guess it was closer to ten.” Alex shrugged. “Dr. Hanson spends most of his time in general practice. He hasn’t had a lot of experience doing autopsies. Most of the unattended deaths around here occur in the national forest, so that’s on federal, not county, land.”

  “That would be all those trees behind the hotel?” Nicki asked with a straight face, making Alex laugh.

  “Not quite directly behind the hotel but close enough, oh city girl,” her fri
end teased.

  “I suppose it would be useless to ask how many people around here own a small caliber pistol?”

  Alex shrugged. “A lot, probably, although those are more city guns than country since they’re easy to conceal.”

  “Great,” Nicki muttered. She wasn’t a big fan of guns, so maybe the chief was doing her a favor by insisting that she stay away from this murder case.

  “Shh...” Alex put a finger to her lips. “Gin’s here.”

  Nicki’s gaze switched over to the door into the hotel’s cafe and immediately spotted Gin Ashton. The curvy brunette wore a pair of sunglasses with large round lenses and was clutching tight to the strap of her purse. Her head slowly turned until she was looking straight at Nicki and Alex. Waving off the hostess, Gin threaded through the tables, clearly headed in their direction.

  Alex gave her childhood friend a wave and scooted over to make room for her in the booth. Gin set her purse down on the table and slid in next to the doctor. After a deep sigh, she took off her sunglasses.

  Her beautiful brown eyes were rimmed with red and swimming in tears that the woman was obviously trying very hard not to shed. Judging by the tracks in her carefully applied make-up, Nicki knew she hadn’t been very successful at holding them back. Alex put an arm around her friend’s shoulders.

  “What’s wrong, Gin? Is it about Robin?”

  The manager of the catering company nodded her head as she fished out a Kleenex from her purse. Nicki had only met Gin once when she’d made a solo trip to California to spend a “girls’ weekend” with Alex when Ty was off on a scuba diving jaunt with his buddies. Although she hadn’t spent much time with Alex’s childhood friend, Nicki had instantly liked the friendly, out-going Gin. So she felt a deep pang of sympathy for her since Gin had lost someone who obviously meant a great deal to her.

  “Don’t worry,” Alex soothed. “The police will catch whoever did this to Robin.”

  “But that’s the problem,” Gin choked out. “They think they already have. Or at least they’re acting that way.”