Debut Cozy Mystery Box Set 2

by Dianne Harman

  DeeDee had hit it off with Susie right away. At Tammy’s suggestion, DeeDee had taken Susie to lunch to informally interview her, and she was impressed by Susie’s enthusiasm and experience. As well as working at the winery and for Tammy at Buddy’s Dog Friendly Cafe, Susie had taken a number of food and wine classes in Seattle. Her plan was to get more hands-on experience with food and catering events before moving to Seattle and applying for a job at a high-end restaurant.

  DeeDee sighed. “I just hope the client doesn’t cancel. I’m afraid they’ll hear about the murder, if they haven’t already. I’m worried they’ll think I was somehow involved. It’s a pretty small island, and everyone seems to know everyone else.”

  “That’s all the more reason for you to solve the case, so you don’t have this hanging over your head any longer. How’s the investigation coming along?” Roz asked.

  “I’m going to make a couple more calls today, and see what I can find out. We know Lisa had at least two enemies. It’s possible she had a few more.”

  “Be careful, Sis. Keep in touch with me if you go anywhere. How’s Jake by the way? I can’t wait to meet the guy that’s making my sister drool.”

  “Stop it, Roz. The only drool around here is coming from Balto when he smells me cooking bacon. You’ll meet Jake soon enough, I promise, but I don’t want to scare him off by introducing family to him this early. What with a murder the other night, and then meeting a member of the family, it might send him running for the hills.”

  “Somehow, from what you’ve told me, I don’t think so. Bye, Sis.”

  “Bye, Roz.”

  Balto padded over and laid down next to DeeDee’s feet. She smiled at him as she finished her coffee. It was 11:00 a.m., and she was sure Cassie would be at work by now. She scrolled through the address book on her phone and pressed Cassie Larson’s name.

  Cassie answered after one ring. “DeeDee, I’m so glad you called. I’ve been meaning to call you. How’s everything on Bainbridge Island? I’m sitting in my office with nothing scheduled for a little while, and I want you to tell me all of your news, every single thing, but first of all, I want you to know how much I’ve missed you. The new neighbors are nice, but they’re a lot younger than we are. I’d forgotten how noisy children can be, especially when they’re not your own. Everyone you worked with at the museum misses you, too.”

  DeeDee’s and Cassie’s children were about the same age, and Mitch and Tink had grown up in and out of the Larson’s family home. Over the years, Cassie and DeeDee had helped each other out, often watching each other’s children. After her children began to be involved in their own activities and she felt she could go to work, Cassie had gotten a job in the Conservation Department of the Seattle Museum of Art. When a docent position needed to be filled, she’d recommended DeeDee.

  DeeDee had always looked forward to the days when she was going to be volunteering at the museum. Not only was it an opportunity for her to see the latest exhibits and be around the art she loved, she’d enjoyed guiding visitors and educating them about the various pieces of art and the artists who created them. It made her feel like she was giving back to the community by helping to share the city’s art heritage.

  “A lot has happened, Cassie. Bainbridge Island is beautiful, and I now have a dog, Balto, DeeDee said, stroking his soft coat. “Plus, I started a business, and I met someone.”

  “DeeDee Wilson! It sounds like you have been a busy lady. I suppose you heard the news about what happened at Marlene’s dinner party?”

  “I heard that Lisa Sanders died,” DeeDee answered, feeling guilty about not telling Cassie that she’d been there when Lisa’s body was discovered, but she promised herself she’d tell Cassie everything once the matter was resolved.

  “Evidently she died right next to Marlene’s patio. Poor Marlene hasn’t been back to work since it happened. I understand she’s taken to her bed and won’t see visitors. You know how dramatic Marlene can be.”

  “Yes, I well remember. Actually, I know the caterer,” DeeDee said, glad that Cassie couldn’t see her face. Anyway, she decided she was just twisting the truth a bit. “She’s very upset about the whole thing.”

  “I’m sure she is. There was a lot of publicity about the party and the guests beforehand, but Marlene had kept the details of the food and wine secret. She wanted there to be an element of surprise that night.”

  “I think she succeeded on that count, Cassie.” DeeDee was again relieved that neither she nor Deelish had been named in the Seattle newspapers. If Cassie had heard that DeeDee had done the catering, she was sure she would have mentioned it.

  “There’s been talk of nothing else at the museum ever since it happened. It’s ironic that Marlene’s assistant in the New Acquisitions Department was terminated recently, along with a few other people. While Marlene’s away there’s no one running her department. It’s in utter chaos.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame. Have you seen her assistant since she was fired?”

  “It’s funny you should ask that,” Cassie said. “I saw her in the Ladies Room on the first floor of the museum just a little while ago. Her name is Katie Harris. I told her how sorry I was she wouldn’t be working at the museum any longer. She seemed pretty upset.”

  “About Marlene?”

  “I don’t think so,” Cassie said. “I don’t believe there was any love lost between the two of them after she was terminated. No, she said she wouldn’t have come back to the museum, but she’d lost her wallet with all her ID in it, such as her driver’s license and her bank and credit cards. She remembered going into the bathroom right after she’d been terminated by Human Resources.”

  “Why didn’t she go to Lost and Found?”

  “I asked her that, but she said she’d already been there, and the wallet hadn’t been turned in. When I was in the bathroom she was looking in the stalls and all around the room. It seemed to me she was almost frantic.”

  “If I’d lost my wallet, I probably would be, too,” DeeDee said. “Poor thing. Should I know Katie? I don’t seem to remember her.”

  “I don’t know when you would have met her. She’s a brunette and red faced, probably from drinking too much wine. She’s kind of big-boned and has an athletic frame. She belongs to a rowing club, so she’s quite strong. Katie’s around forty, but she looks older.”

  “I hope everything works out for her. I know what it’s like starting over. We need to meet for lunch soon, Cassie, and catch up. I’ve got to go. Nice talking to you.”

  DeeDee made a few notes about what Cassie had just told her, so she wouldn’t forget anything when she was telling Jake about her conversation. She knew her memory wasn’t what it used to be. She looked down at the slip of paper she’d brought out to the porch with her and pressed in some numbers on her phone.

  Shane Conklin’s assistant was reluctant to put DeeDee’s call through to him. “May I ask what this is regarding? Mr. Conklin isn’t taking calls at the moment, due to a personal matter.”

  “Please tell him it’s about Lisa Sanders. Jake Rogers gave me his number.”

  A moment later, Shane Conklin came on the line. “Hello?”

  “Mr. Conklin? You don’t know me, but my name is DeeDee Wilson. I’d like to come to your office to talk to you about what happened to Lisa. It’s important.” As she spoke, DeeDee watched Balto disappear through the open door of the house.

  Shane hesitated and cleared his throat. “DeeDee, I shouldn’t be in the office at all, given the circumstances of what’s happened. After Lisa’ s death I intended to cancel all of my appointments for the rest of the week, but there are several people who are in town and I need to see them. However, If Jake told you to call me, I trust his judgment. I can meet you this afternoon at three. Otherwise I won’t be available for some time.”

  “Three would be fine, Mr. Conklin, thank you,” she said as she heard the click on the other end of the line.

  Balto returned with something in his mouth, and he beg
an nudging his head against DeeDee’s legs. “What do you have, Balto?” DeeDee asked, reaching down for the thing he’d dropped at her feet. She looked at the leash and laughed. “Another walk, Balto? Okay, you win.”

  DeeDee attached the leash to Balto’s collar, and they walked down the path to the beach for the second time that day. DeeDee never tired of walking along the ocean, whatever the weather. She removed her shoes and left them on the sand. Rolling up the bottom of her jeans to above her ankles, she followed Balto down to the water’s edge. Balto zigzagged in and out of the water, and DeeDee followed him in a straight line, careful to just get her toes wet.

  This was the life she’d longed for. Free, happy, with Balto and maybe Jake, if that’s what Jake wanted, too.

  As she walked along the beach, another idea for appetizers for the winery party came to her, and she decided to try it out the next day. It also occurred to her that unless she started specializing in murder mystery nights, she might not have a business much longer, but with considerable effort, she pushed it to the back of her mind. Balto came bounding back to DeeDee before running off again.

  “Hey, Balto, come here, boy. We have to go back to the house,” DeeDee called, but the wind carried her voice in another direction. Balto ran happily down the beach. As she watched the dog run free and easy through the shallow surf, she made a silent vow to find Lisa Sanders’ murderer, so she could begin to enjoy her new life without a cloud of uncertainty hanging over her head.

  CHAPTER 17

  Shane Conklin’s office was near the Bainbridge Island City Hall. DeeDee arrived promptly at 3:00 for her appointment. His secretary showed her into his office, and Shane smiled as he stood up to greet her.

  “Shane Conklin at your service, DeeDee,” he said, with a friendly handshake. “Any friend of Jake’s is a friend of mine.” He gestured for DeeDee to sit on the couch across from his desk. “Have we met before?” Shane continued, loosening his tie. “You look familiar to me.”

  Shane was an attractive man in his forties. Tall, with an athletic build and gray hair, he had an easy manner about him, and DeeDee felt very comfortable with him. He snapped his fingers. “Now I remember. You were at Marlene’s house the other night, right? I saw you in the library with the policeman, but you weren’t at the dinner.”

  “That’s right. I was in charge of the catering, so I was in the kitchen all night. I’m very sorry about your loss, Shane. Please accept my condolences.”

  Shane stared at a spot somewhere behind DeeDee’s head. They were both quiet for a moment. Shane shifted his gaze back to DeeDee, raking a hand through his hair. “Sorry, I…so how do you know Jake, DeeDee?”

  “I recently moved to Bainbridge Island,” DeeDee said, “after my divorce. Prior to their death my parents lived on the island, and I’ve moved into their old house. I bought a husky dog from Jake, and we’ve been seeing each other from time to time since then.”

  “Jake’s a great guy,” Shane said with a smile.

  “He speaks just as highly of you,” DeeDee replied.

  “It still feels like a small town here,” Shane said “even though over twenty-three thousand people now live on the island. Many of the residents still have parents and grandparents living on the island. That’s one of the reasons I still live here. It’s not like Seattle which is full of transplants, and no one really knows anyone else.”

  “I agree. There’s a nice feeling of community here,” DeeDee said. “That’s what I like about it, too.”

  Shane’s eyes narrowed. “I know Jake referred you, but I’m not sure why you’re here. You said it was something to do with Lisa. Did you know her?”

  DeeDee paused. She was having second thoughts about her visit. She was here for her own selfish motives, when she should be respecting Shane’s right to grieve in private, but Jake had said Shane was a good guy, so she’d just have to tell him the truth and hope he understood.

  “I need to find out who murdered Lisa, to save my catering business. It’s a brand new venture, and I have a lot invested in it, both emotionally and financially. Lisa’s death at Marlene’s party has put the future of my catering business in jeopardy. Although Jake talked to the chief of police and the coroner’s preliminary report indicated she died from being suffocated, the papers initially said she may have died from food poisoning. If I don’t clear my name as soon as possible, I’m finished. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  Shane looked at her with interest. “If you think you can find out who murdered Lisa, then I would be very interested in helping you in any way I can. I want to see justice done, so Lisa can rest in peace. From what they’ve told me, the police have no leads, and there’s a murderer on the loose while Lisa is lying in the morgue, dead. Sure, go ahead. Ask me whatever you want.”

  “What was Lisa like?”

  “Beautiful. Kind. Funny. She was passionate about art, and helped many an unknown artist get discovered. She had a good business mind as well, and had big plans for the Pioneer Square Art Gallery.”

  “From what I hear, she was highly respected in the art community.”

  “Yes, she was. She had an excellent eye for art and never compromised her standards. Artists were begging to get into her gallery, and her competitors were running scared. She had a vision and wasn’t afraid to follow her dream even if she upset people along the way.”

  “That’s an admirable and brave thing to do,” DeeDee said. “Something most people could learn from.”

  “You’re right,” Shane said in a shaky voice, his eyes becoming shiny, and DeeDee thought he looked like he was tearing up. “Most of all, what I loved about Lisa was her intelligence. We enjoyed many lively debates even when we had different points of view, and we never ran out of interesting things to talk about. It was a refreshing change after my previous lousy relationship with an ex-girlfriend.”

  Something about the way he mentioned his previous relationship piqued DeeDee’s interest. “Your ex-girlfriend, does she still live on the island?”

  Shane laughed bitterly. “Joan? I don’t know. Maybe. She played me for a fool. She was my rebound relationship after I came off of a bad divorce. She was pretty to look at, but pretty vacant up here,” he said, tapping the side of his head. “She gave me some sob story about coming from the sticks in Eastern Washington. Turns out Eastern Washington was Los Angeles, where she’d been an actress in porn movies. She was the worst mistake I ever made.”

  “Can I ask you her last name, Shane?”

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “I’m not sure, but maybe if she’s still around here, and she’d seen you with Lisa, she could have been jealous of Lisa. I know it’s probably grasping at straws, but from what Jake’s been telling me, everything is important in a case like this.”

  Shane shrugged. “Joan Adams, that was her name.”

  DeeDee stood up to leave. “Thanks, Shane, I appreciate how difficult this must be for you. I won’t take up any more of your time. I’m sure you could do with some privacy.”

  Shane also stood up and walked over to the door with DeeDee. “Thanks for coming by. I hope you can save your business. Please give Jake my regards.”

  “Of course, and thanks for taking the time to see me, Shane.”

  On the drive home, DeeDee wondered how she could find out where Joan Adams lived or worked. She hoped Jake might be able to help with that.

  Balto was waiting for DeeDee when she got home, and according to the red light blinking on her answer machine, she had two messages. DeeDee pressed play.

  “Hello, this is a message for Deelish Catering. Please call me at…” DeeDee wrote down the details using the pad and pen she’d left on the hall table beside the telephone. Both of the calls were bookings for Deelish. Maybe Jake was right, and she would be able to make a go of her catering business, after all. She was looking forward to telling him the details later.

  Balto dropped the leash at DeeDee’s feet, taking advantage of the f
act she was still wearing her coat.

  “Okay, Balto, let’s go.”

  *****

  DeeDee checked her watch. “Hurry up, Balto. We need to get back. Jake’s taking me out for dinner.” At the mention of dinner, Balto ran up the path towards the house. “You're not coming with us, you know,” DeeDee yelled after him, shaking her head.

  After they got home she had just enough time to call the people who had inquired earlier about catering bookings, and to get ready for her dinner with Jake. Balto was waiting by the front door when DeeDee came downstairs.

  “Come on, Balto, let’s get you some food.” He followed DeeDee into the kitchen, sniffed the dog food in his dish after she filled it up, then looked up at DeeDee, unimpressed. “You might get a treat later,” she said to Balto as she heard Jake pull up in the driveway.

  DeeDee had mentioned to Jake a few days earlier that even though it was silly, she loved mac and cheese. Jake had told her about a place on the island that served the best Dungeness crab mac and cheese he’d ever tasted. He’d offered to take her, and they’d made a date to go there this evening.

  “Bye, Balto,” DeeDee said. She left Balto chewing his furry toy rabbit that squeaked when he bit into it, which was a lot.

  Jake opened the car door for DeeDee before going around to the driver’s side. “How was your day?” he asked, as he got into the car and started the engine.

  “I have lots to tell you,” DeeDee said as she looked at Jake and thought how handsome he was. He was clean shaven, and she could tell his hair had just been combed. He wore a blue button-down shirt and jeans that added to his masculine appearance.

  “How did your meeting with Shane go?”

  DeeDee smiled. “I think it went well. I’ll tell you all about it at the restaurant. The best part is when I got home after meeting Shane, there were two messages on the answer machine about booking catering events. Maybe I’ll be able to make a go of Deelish after all.”