A Food and Wine Club Mystery Boxset Books 1 through 5

by Cat Chandler

  Chapter One Hundred Ten

  “Are you sure?”

  Nicki laughed. “Of course I’m sure, Matt. I’m old enough to know the difference between love and a crush.”

  “And you’re saying you love me even though you’re still mad at me?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Am I supposed to understand that?”

  She couldn’t help her grin. “Certainly.”

  Nicki bit her lip to keep from laughing even harder as Matt ran a hand through his hair again, making another strand stand on end. Now he looked like a Waldo who’d just had a bad scare. And maybe he had. Nicki had no idea if Matt had ever been in love before, so he very well might be terrified. Although he was acting more like a prosecutor with a tough witness on the stand than a man backed into a corner.

  “Nicki, when a guy hears the woman he loves say the words back to him, he expects something a little more… well, a little more…” Matt stopped and frowned.

  “Romantic?” Nicki supplied helpfully.

  “Yeah. Yeah, a little more romantic than ‘by the way I love you too, but I’m still mad at you’. And definitely not over the phone.”

  “I understand, Matt.” When he gave her a skeptical look, Nicki smiled. “Really, I do. There’s nothing more romantic than hearing those words as part of a description of all your assistant’s wonderful qualities while on a Skype call.”

  She could see the red sprinting across his cheeks before he scrubbed his face with both hands. “All right. Point taken. I need to do that over again.”

  Her smile widened as she nodded. “And I’m going to let you, just as soon as you finish up there in Paris and come home.”

  “Finish up…?” Matt gaped at her as he leaned closer to the computer screen. “You’re kidding, aren’t you? I’m not going to sit here and wait a month before I can kiss you.”

  “Yes, you are. You promised, Matt Dillon, and opening the Paris office is important. I also clearly remember someone saying that he never wanted to break a promise to me.”

  Matt flopped back against his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “That someone should have kept his mouth shut.”

  Now she did laugh. Matt was slumped down, with his chin on his chest and his mouth turned down at the corners. All that was missing was his lower lip sticking out.

  “Are you pouting, Mr. Dillon?”

  He immediately sat up. “Of course not. I’m a grown man. We don’t pout.”

  “Really?” Nicki rolled her eyes but melted inside. How could she not adore this guy?

  “Nicki? I think they’re done.” Jane’s voice drifted in through the closed door to her office.

  “Be right there,” Nicki called back without taking her eyes off Matt’s image on the screen.

  He squinted as he stared a little harder into the monitor, as if he was trying to see through the walls behind her. “What’s done? Are you teaching Jane how to cook?”

  “Don’t get your hopes up. She’s already told me she’s going to stick to mixes out of a box. We’re making brownies.” Nicki glanced at the clock on her screen. If she was going to make that trip into town, she needed to get moving.

  “Brownies?” Matt’s eyes narrowed. “As in Chief Turnlow’s favorite bribe? Those kinds of brownies?”

  “Could be.” Nicki tried for a casual shrug, but it only made Matt adjust his glasses and stare at her even harder. “Alex called. The coroner sent the preliminary autopsy report over to the chief first thing this morning.”

  “Okay. And?”

  Not bothering to pretend she didn’t know what Matt was asking, Nicki paused for a moment. “And there’s no conclusion about whether it was an accident, homicide, or natural causes.”

  Matt snorted when she added that last reason. “How much chance is there that it was natural causes?”

  “She might have had a heart attack, or a stroke, or something that made her fall and hit her head before landing in the pool,” Nicki said. She doubted it, but Viola was in her sixties and a bit overweight, so it could have happened that way.

  “But the most likely scenario is either an accident or homicide,” Matt prompted. “And what did Alex say was in the autopsy report?”

  “Nothing. I mean Alex didn’t say anything about it because she hadn’t read it,” Nicki clarified.

  Matt’s sigh came through the computer’s speakers loud and clear. “And since the coroner didn’t declare it an accident, you’re off to find out why not with the standard bribe in hand. Do I have that right?”

  “Yes.” Nicki glanced at the clock again. “I’m sorry, Matt, but I have to go.”

  He looked both resigned and glum, but he nodded all the same. “I know. You’re taking Jane with you, aren’t you?” When Nicki gave an affirmative nod, he managed a smile. “Okay then. Call me after your class is over. I don’t care how late it is, I want to know what’s going on.”

  She pressed a hand up to the monitor. “I will.”

  “And Nicki?” Matt’s expression softened as he leaned in a little closer. “You’ll remember I love you and stay out of trouble, won’t you?”

  She winked at him. “I’ll do my best.”

  He rolled his eyes but his laugh was relaxed and easy. “That’s good enough. ‘Bye, honey.”

  “’Bye.” Nicki clicked off the Skype app, sat back in her chair and sighed. How did she get this lucky?

  An hour later, she pulled her gleaming new SUV into an empty parking space half a block down from the two spots marked off in orange directly in front of the small building that occupied one corner of the town square.

  “We’re on police business, so I’m sure it would be all right to use those parking spots if you want to be closer.” Jane looked at her over the roof of the car. “In case we need to make a quick getaway.”

  Wondering what idea Jane had about Nicki’s “snooping”, as Matt always called it, the petite blond shrugged. “Not unless we want everyone within a ten-mile radius to know that we’re in the police station.” Nicki smiled. “Small town.”

  “Of course.” Jane looked around as they walked along the edge of the square. “Is that the grape statue I’ve heard so much about?”

  Nicki laughed. “I’m afraid the founding father fell out of favor and was crossed off the list of candidates when the council raised the money to erect a statue in the middle of the square.”

  “Politics is a hard taskmaster,” Jane said a bit primly.

  “So is greed,” Nicki countered. She stopped in front of the walkway leading into the compact building that housed the entire three-person police department. “Here we are.”

  Jane carefully looked it over as she handed the bag full of brownies over to Nicki. “This is it? Good heavens. The office of Food & Wine Online is bigger than this.”

  “The company also has more than three employees.” Nicki grinned. “Let’s go see if we can bribe a police officer.”

  “The way you say that, it sounds as if we’re about to commit a crime.” Jane almost sounded thrilled at the prospect, which had Nicki shaking her head and thinking that the admin probably watched too many crime shows on TV.

  The small lobby just inside the door was barely big enough for both of them to stand at the counter which spanned across the length of the room. Fran was sitting at her desk, her kinky gray hair floating around her head, and her fingers flying across the keyboard in front of her. She looked up when the bell over the door tinkled, and broke out into a big toothy smile when she spotted Nicki.

  “Hello there, Nicki Connors.” The clearly-over-the-standard-retirement-age clerk gave Nicki a wink. “Can’t say I’m surprised to see you. Put that autopsy report for Viola Richards on the chief’s desk this morning myself.”

  Nicki grinned back at the friendly clerk. “This is Jane Markley. A friend of mine.”

  Jane looked so pleased by that simple statement that Nicki didn’t bother to add she was also Matt’s administrative assistant.

  “I don’t su
ppose you got a look at that report and could save me a verbal wrestling match with the chief by telling me what it said?”

  “No, she couldn’t.” The deep voice sounded from the one opening at the far end of the front area that was crammed tight with two desks and a file cabinet. “And if you want to know what’s in that report, you’re going to have to earn it.” He glanced at the bag Nicki was holding. “You can start by telling me what you brought?”

  “Brownies,” Nicki smiled, shaking the bag a little.

  “Not orange muffins?” The chief glanced at his clerk. “Looks like this bribe is for me instead of you.”

  “That’s fine, Chief. I know you’ll share.” Fran looked at Nicki and waved her hand in the chief’s direction. “You go on now. And be sure you don’t give him all those brownies. I know Danny is partial to them too.”

  As the chief disappeared down the back hallway, Nicki and Jane followed him. When they reached his office, Nicki slid sideways in between the desk and two chairs that were pushed up against the wall. Chief Turnlow settled his large bulk into a squeaky leather chair on wheels and folded his hands on top of the desk. He glanced at Jane.

  “So, who is this?”

  “Jane, I’d like to introduce you to Chief Turnlow, head of the police department here in Soldoff.” Nicki shifted her gaze to the chief. “And this is Jane Markley. She’s a friend of mine.”

  The chief reached across the desk to shake Jane’s outstretched hand. “I’m happy to meet you, Ms. Markley. Are you from New York?”

  “Kansas City, Chief Turnlow,” Jane supplied.

  Nicki gave a mental groan. From the sudden gleam in the chief’s eyes, Nicki knew it hadn’t taken him more than a second to make the connection.

  “Kansas City? Is that so?” The chief shot Nicki a sideways glance. “You wouldn’t happen to know Matt Dillon, would you?”

  Jane nodded. “Certainly. I’m his admin.”

  The big man behind the desk chuckled. “His admin? Well. Did Matt send you here to keep an eye on Nicki?”

  “Of course. He wasn’t too happy about this latest body she found.”

  “Maxie found,” Nicki was quick to put in. Not that either of the other two occupants in the tiny office were paying any attention to her.

  “I can’t imagine that he is,” Chief Turnlow replied as if Nicki hadn’t said a word. “He always got pretty worried when she found them across town, much less across the street.”

  “Exactly,” Jane said before she neatly plucked the bag out of Nicki’s hands and set it on the desk in front of her. “We’re hoping these will persuade you to tell us if this latest incident was an accident or murder, so Matt will know how much he should worry about her.”

  “We all worry about Sherlock.” Chief Turnlow sighed. “She has a tendency to jump in first and ask questions later.”

  “I beg your pardon.” Nicki crossed her arms in front of her and frowned. “I jump in because I ask the questions.”

  Turning slightly in her seat to look at Nicki, Jane reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “I think the chief meant that you shouldn’t jump in at all, Nicki.”

  “That’s what he meant all right.” The chief nodded, then pointed at the bag as Nicki rolled her eyes.

  “What kind of brownies?”

  Jane’s lips curled up into a smile. “Double chocolate fudge. I understand they’re your favorite.”

  “That would be a true statement. And in return, what am I supposed to tell you about the victim?”

  “Victim?” Nicki immediately pounced on the word. “Was Viola a victim?”

  The chief shrugged. “Used the word out of habit, Nicki.” He tapped his finger on a folder lying on the desk in front of him. “This doesn’t say one way or the other.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Didn’t Doctor Alex already tell you that?”

  The admin quickly spoke up. “She did. But since she hadn’t read the report, there wasn’t much else she could tell us.”

  Nicki nudged the bag on the desk several inches closer to the chief. “Alex did say there was something in that report that was keeping Dr. Tom from declaring Viola’s death an accident.”

  “After reading the report, I wouldn’t declare it an accident either.” He rubbed a hand across his cheek. “I’d call it a homicide.”

  While Jane’s mouth dropped open, Nicki gave the chief a sad smile. “I don’t know if that’s going to make Maxie feel better or worse.” She sighed. “But I expect worse.”

  Chief Turnlow shook his head. “It wasn’t her fault. The forensic boys said the security alarm wasn’t even turned on, so the victim didn’t do anything to help herself.” He opened the report and traced down the page with one finger. “She drowned, which wasn’t a surprise. And the time of death is placed at between seven and eight that morning.” He looked over at Nicki. “So you were right. She hadn’t been dead long before Maxie found the body.”

  Nicki frowned. She’d gone on her usual morning run at six thirty, and then made the trip to the grocery store for milk an hour later. Neither time did she notice any strange cars or any other type of vehicle in the area.

  “Something bothering you, Nicki?” the chief asked.

  She chewed on her lower lip. “I’m not sure. Why didn’t the coroner call it an accident?”

  “Because of something else you were right about.” The chief drummed his fingers on the desk. “There wasn’t any alcohol in her system, and he didn’t think the hit on her head was severe enough to knock her out.”

  Startled, Nicki’s eyes grew wider. “Then why did she drown?”

  “Could have had something to do with the bruise on her back, and the scratches on her face and hands.” The chief’s dry tone had Nicki and Jane exchanging a surprised look.

  “Are you implying she fell into the swimming pool and then was held down?” One of Jane’s hands flew to her throat as her voice went up an octave or so.

  “Not implying, Ms. Markley, but stating it flat out.” The chief stared at Nicki. “Has all the markings of a homicide as far as I’m concerned, and that’s how this department will be treating it.”

  Nicki blew out a soft breath as her mind raced with possibilities.

  “Did you happen to notice anything while you were snooping around the crime scene yesterday?”

  The chief’s question left Nicki sputtering.

  “Snooping? What makes you think I was snooping anywhere?”

  “Does the sun rise in the east?”

  Nicki tilted her head back and closed her eyes. It was exactly what Jenna had said. Was she really that transparent?

  “There was some furniture out of place.”

  Jane’s flat statement had Nicki’s eyes flying open.

  “What furniture?” The chief demanded.

  Nicki reached over and flattened her hand on top of the one Jane had lying on her chair’s armrest, hoping the admin would get the silent message to let Nicki do the talking. The last thing she wanted was for the chief of police to think Jane had been searching a crime scene, stepping all over the police department’s authority.

  “A footrest, Chief.” Nicki breathed an inner sigh of relief when Jane clamped her mouth shut. “It was pushed up against the front of the desk.”

  Furrows cut into Chief Turnlow’s brow as he considered that for a moment. “Given the victim’s short stature, you’re saying the footrest was too far away for her to use?”

  “So was a notepad.” Nicki nodded when the chief frowned at her. “It was on the edge of the desk, so not handy at all to make a quick note on. All writers keep one close to their keyboards.”

  The chief’s eyes narrowed. “Keyboard?” He shuffled through the file until he uncovered an envelope bursting with photos. He quickly flipped through them until he stopped at one and stared at it. “Her laptop is on the desk.” Without another word to the two women in front of him, the chief stood up and bellowed out for Fran to get into his office.

  The clerk came running down the short h
allway and stuck her head around the doorframe. “What is it?”

  “Is Danny still sitting out on Highway 12 waiting for speeders?”

  Fran nodded. “He was last time he checked in.”

  “Tell him to get his butt over to the Richards’ place and pick up that laptop in her home office. With gloves,” the chief added before Fran disappeared.

  “Anything else, chief? Anything else before I go call the deputy?”

  The big man ran a hand over the top of his head before looking at Nicki. “Is Jenna home working?”

  “As far as I know,” Nicki confirmed.

  The chief turned his attention back to his clerk. “Have him stop by and take Jenna with him. But don’t let her touch that machine without gloves.”

  “Got it.” Fran’s head disappeared. The sound of her rapid footsteps echoed against the hallway’s walls.

  Nicki pushed the bag of brownies forward until they were directly in front of the chief. “This isn’t a bribe, because I know you’d never take such a thing. It’s a thank you for all your service to the community.”

  The chief chuckled. “I can live with that.” He inclined his head toward the open door to his office as he plucked his hat off a coat rack tucked into the corner behind his desk. “I’m headed out your way. I assume the two of you will be following right behind me? I’m just warning you not to drive too fast.”

  Nicki grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Chapter One Hundred Eleven

  Nicki made it back to the townhouse in good time. There hadn’t been much conversation from Jane, who’d sat in the passenger seat with her shoulders tensed and hands clenched together in her lap. Halfway home Nicki had received a text from Jenna.

  Dudley Do-Right here. We’re on our way to V’s

  Parking the car next to the curb in front of her own place, Nicki was out and almost across the cul-de-sac before she realized Jane wasn’t following right behind her. Stopping then turning around, she spotted the thin admin, still standing next to the SUV. Concerned that something was wrong, she quickly retraced her steps.