Chicken Caccia-Killer (A Jordan McAllister Mystery)

by Lipperman, Liz

  She’d been so busy she’d totally forgotten about planting the bait recipe in her locked drawer before she’d left the night before. Glancing to her right, she made eye contact with Loretta, who was smiling at her—and not in a friendly way. It was more like an I-bested-you-once-again smirk.

  Jordan studied her face for a few moments before grabbing the key from her purse and opening the drawer, fully expecting to find the recipe missing like the last time. But it was there—right where she’d left it. Relief washed over her when she realized Victor’s prediction of Loretta breaking into her drawer again had been wrong. She was just beginning to upgrade her faith in the honesty of mankind when she heard Loretta snort.

  “You don’t think I’d be dumb enough to give you the evidence to run to Egan and report the recipe missing, do you?”

  Jordan squinted with a fake-surprised look. “What are you talking about, Loretta?”

  “You know good and well what I’m talking about, Red. You just got another step closer out the door.” She chuckled. “Go ahead. Check out today’s culinary column. Yours is all about how the Italian Festival started back in San Francisco over a decade ago, and mine is a recipe for an awesome braided spaghetti bread.” She chuckled again, this time louder. “Which one do you think the readers will like the best?”

  Jordan exited the personals page and pulled up the home screen showing today’s edition. Even before she clicked over to the culinary column, she already knew what would be there. And she wasn’t disappointed. BRAIDED SPAGHETTI BREAD stared out at her in bold letters across the top of the page. Ginny’s Braided Spaghetti Bread recipe minus a cup of spaghetti sauce, proving that the woman definitely had lifted it from the drawer.

  Ah ha! You’ve just made your first big mistake, missy.

  Biting her lower lip to keep from smiling, she turned to her nemesis. “I hate to tell you this, but the reason I haven’t published the recipe myself is because it’s missing a key ingredient.”

  Loretta’s face fell. “What key ingredient?”

  Jordan shrugged. “I have no idea. All I know is that Ginny left a message on my voicemail that she’d messed up when she wrote it out and that she’d be calling to fix it.” She crossed her fingers behind her back as if that would neutralize the lie. “I’m still waiting on that information.”

  Loretta grabbed the phone and quickly punched in a number. After waiting a few seconds and tapping her nails nervously on the desk, she shouted into the receiver. “Hank, have all the copies of today’s edition gone out yet?”

  Jordan didn’t need to hear the man in the print room on the other end. Everyone knew the day’s newspapers had already been delivered in the middle of the night, and she was pretty sure the frown on Loretta’s face was caused by hearing Hank confirm that.

  She slammed the phone down before turning her fury on Jordan. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

  Jordan feigned innocence. “I had no idea you would be stupid enough to steal from my drawer a second time, Loretta.” She raised one eyebrow. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and no one will notice.”

  “You’re a bee-otch.”

  “Takes one to know one.” Jordan turned her attention back to the computer and pulled up the personals again. She had to call on every ounce of willpower she had not to sneak a peek at Loretta’s face right then. When she heard Loretta’s audible sigh of frustration, she couldn’t help herself and smiled once again.

  Chalk one up for the new girl.

  The rest of the day was uneventful, although every time Loretta’s phone rang, Jordan’s ears would perk up and she’d lean to her right to listen to the conversation. But there were no angry calls from readers or a summons to Egan’s office, which made sense since there hadn’t been time for anyone to try the recipe yet.

  At exactly five o’clock, she gathered up her stuff and headed out, unable to resist a grin as she passed Loretta’s empty desk. Shortly after lunch, the woman had pleaded a headache and gone home—probably to work on a damage control strategy.

  Driving down Main Street, Jordan glanced up at the overhead banners announcing the festival and felt a surge of excitement. It was a big deal for the area and the vendors who needed a big turnout. She hoped everything went well.

  She pulled into a parking space halfway between Lola’s Spiritual Readings and Yesterday’s Treasures. She, Lola, and Victor planned to meet Ray and Rosie at the festival. Michael and his radio crew had already been there since four that afternoon to broadcast from the fairway.

  As if he’d been watching for her, Victor emerged from the antiques shop and locked the door before sliding into the backseat of her Camry. Immediately, he began to babble on about seeing Loretta’s recipe in the newspaper.

  “You should’ve seen the look on her face when I told her the key ingredient was missing,” Jordan said, waving hello from the front.

  “What? Why’d you go and tell her that? Now she can just reprint it tomorrow,” he said, looking up when Lola opened the door and slipped into the front seat. “Hey, girl friend, is that a new mu mu?”

  She gave him a disgusted look. “For a fashionista like you claim to be, you should know they don’t call them that anymore. I’ll have you know I’m wearing a below-the-knee caftan.” She smoothed the front of her dress over her generous figure and winked at Jordan.

  “Whatever,” he said, leaning closer to Jordan. “Back to you. Did you tell Loretta you left out the key ingredient on purpose, or did it slip out accidentally?”

  “Of course I meant to tell her. She would’ve run to Uncle Earl so fast, it would’ve made my head spin. And I suspect after all the complaints they get tomorrow, Egan and his boss won’t think our little plan is as funny as we do. I’ll be back to writing only the personals before you can say spaghetti bread.”

  “Who wants to say it? I want to eat it. But you might have a point. I still say you would’ve gotten more satisfaction out of her not knowing she’d been had until the boss lowered the boom,” he said.

  “My satisfaction will be keeping my job.” Jordan picked up speed and entered the freeway. “Enough about that. How was your day, Lola?”

  “Busy. Seems like everyone wanted their tarot cards read today. Even did a reading for the guy we met the other night when the Italian dude took a dive off the balcony.”

  “What guy?” Both Jordan and Victor asked in unison.

  “You know—that well-dressed man who couldn’t keep his eyes off Alex’s mother. The one whose daughter was supposed to marry the dead guy.”

  Jordan nearly swerved off the road. “Emilio Calabrese came by your shop today?”

  Lola nodded. “Yes. Said he was checking out downtown Ranchero and remembered that I had mentioned owning the psychic shop. And I gotta say, he seemed wound up tighter than...” She paused. “Suffice it so say he was so wired he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking and nearly fell twice getting to the table.”

  “Do you know why?” Jordan asked.

  “He never said, although it was obvious he wanted reassurance that his daughter wouldn’t end up in a bad way.”

  “Those were his words? In a bad way?”

  Lola nodded again.

  “Wonder what he meant by that?” Victor asked.

  “No clue,” Jordan said. “Although I do know that Tina was questioned by the Plainville police the other day after Ginny Bruno said she’d seen her go up to the bedroom suite with another man that night, even though Marco was already up there.”

  “Sheesh!” Lola exclaimed. “Wish I had known that when the guy was in the shop. I could’ve gotten more specific with my questions to him and maybe discovered if his daughter was the one who offed her fiancé.”

  “Do you think Calabrese thinks Tina pushed Marco off the balcony?” Victor asked from the back.

  “I don’t know, but he did say he’d do anything for her. He loves her very much.”

  “Yeah, so much so that he was forcing her to marry a man she didn’t love when she was
actually in a relationship with his brother.”

  “What?” Victor rubbed his hands together. “This is getting good—like our own little soap opera. How’d you find out that little tidbit, anyway? Surely, Tina didn’t admit it.”

  “I talked to Bernardo Petrone a few nights ago when I was at the fairgrounds looking for stories. He didn’t actually say he and Tina were having a thing, but I got the distinct impression that number one, he didn’t really like his brother, and two, he was in love with Tina Calabrese.”

  “Jeez. This keeps getting better and better.” Victor leaned so far forward Jordan could feel his hot breath on the back of her head.

  “Is your seatbelt on, Victor?” she asked, shivering involuntarily as the hair on her neck stood at attention. “’Cause you always say I drive like a maniac.”

  “You do,” he replied. “But I’ll take my chances. I don’t want to miss any of this. Do you have any other juicy gossip you haven’t told us?”

  “Yes, but I want to hold off until Alex gets here so I only have to tell it once.” She giggled. “Wait till you find out what I heard last night.”

  He groaned. “You’re such a tease, Jordan. At least give me a hint.”

  “Oh, can it, Victor. You’re like a little kid who expects everything the second he wants it. She’ll tell us in due time,” Lola said, before turning to Jordan. “Okay, now that I’ve gotten back at him for calling my dress a mu mu, you can give us one little hint, can’t you?”

  Jordan laughed. “Let’s just say someone may have confessed to killing Marco last night.” She turned and made a big deal of zipping her lips. “That’s all you’ll get until I feast my eyes on Alex.”

  She exited the freeway and drove toward the Plainville Fairgrounds, glad to be so close. Knowing how persistent Victor could be, she knew she wouldn’t last much longer before he would somehow wiggle the story out of her, and she wanted Alex to hear it first.

  “Just so you know, there probably won’t be any spaghetti bread tonight,” she said, changing the subject.

  “Damn! I was really looking forward to tasting that again. I guess that means Ginny hasn’t shown her face at the hotel yet.”

  Jordan shook her head. “No, and I’m getting really worried, although her sister says it wouldn’t be the first time Ginny has disappeared for a few days.”

  “Let’s hope that’s all there is to it,” Lola said.

  After pulling into the parking lot, she spotted Ray’s Suburban at the other end. She drove down the row of cars and slid her Camry into the vacant spot beside his vehicle. The minute she was out of the car, Rosie ran up and hugged her.

  “Girl, it seems like ages since I last saw you. I’ve missed you.”

  “Me too,” Jordan said when Rosie finally released her. “But I’ve been really busy trying to get stories and recipes that will help me keep my job.” She failed to mention how much snooping she’d been doing.

  “Tell her about the spaghetti bread recipe,” Victor said, visibly excited. “It was all my idea.”

  “I will, but let’s get in line first. It’s already snaking around the perimeter.”

  The five of them made their way to the end of the line while Jordan retold the recipe story.

  “The old bat finally got a taste of her own medicine,” Victor said, obviously proud of himself for thinking of it in the first place.

  “It’s a good thing Michael’s not here,” Ray said, thumping the top of his head. “The last time you called her that, he was all over you about it.”

  Victor ignored him and moved closer to Jordan. “She may know who killed Marco, but she’s making us wait until Alex gets here.” He stomped his foot. “Come on, kiddo. I’m dying here.”

  Ray nailed her with a stare. “Tell me you haven’t been poking around the murder investigation, little girl. If I’m remembering correctly, every time you start playing detective, you end up in big trouble.”

  She shook her head. No way she’d fess up to her meddling. “I overheard something that should help Kate’s lawyer get her off. That’s all.”

  “Good.” Ray turned to the group. “So, who besides me is going to gorge themselves on homemade Italian food?”

  “Me, me,” Victor said, raising his hand. “And Jordan may be able to get it for us free.”

  “Oh no, you don’t,” she said. “I like free food as much as the next guy, but now that I’ve met a few of the vendors, I know how much they’re counting on making a profit.” She punched him playfully. “And weren’t you just bragging about how much money you made off that antique bedroom set you sold this week?”

  “Shh,” he whispered with a laugh. “I don’t want to spring for everyone tonight.”

  “Like that would ever happen,” Lola said, unable to keep the mischief out of her eyes. “You, my friend, are the biggest cheapskate I know.”

  “Have you met Michael? He hoards every penny we make and socks it back into the apartment building. He even has me packing a lunch everyday because he said I was spending too much on fast food.” Victor frowned. “At least that’s what he says, but it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know what he’s really up to. He thinks I need to lose a few pounds and makes sure I take the carrot sticks he bags for me every day.” He chuckled. “Wouldn’t he die if he knew I feed them to the two big rabbits behind Myrtle’s Diner in exchange for a greasy cheeseburger?”

  “What’s up with this line? We’ve barely moved an inch in ten minutes,” Rosie complained.

  “It’s a different world we live in, my friend,” Ray said. “Security is much tighter everywhere you go.”

  “I know that, but I don’t have to like it,” she said as the line finally began to move. “Alright!”

  Even so, it took them fifteen minutes to make it inside the gate and another fifteen to purchase food and ride tickets. Then they started down the fairway for a night of fun. Jordan had already decided the next few hours would be strictly all play and no work, and from the looks of it, everyone from Plainville and the neighboring cities had the same idea. There were lines at every food booth, and the Ferris wheel was going nonstop with a full load every time and a line that wrapped around two food booths.

  At the end of the fairway, they turned around to walk down the other side to check everything else out. Several booths down, the area had been cleared, and there was a Bocce ball tournament in progress.

  When they stopped to watch, Victor asked, “So what’s the object of this game, Jordan? Two old guys at one end try to get their big balls close to the smaller one at the other end where another two old guys are waiting their turns?”

  She laughed. “It’s more complicated than that. The smaller ball is called a pallino, and they score points by—”

  “Hey, Jordan, do you want to be my partner and play?”

  Everyone turned to the young boy who was now looking up at Jordan with adoring eyes.

  “Can’t tonight. Sorry.”

  Victor tsked. “A little young even for you, Jordan. Don’t you think?”

  “Should I be worried?”

  Jordan felt Alex’s soft lips on the back of her neck before she even realized he was behind her. She squealed and turned into his body, planting a soft kiss on his lips. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Ditto,” he said. “Now back to your young admirer.”

  She turned to the boy and gave him a peck on the cheek, which brought out the cutest pink flush across his face. “I call this sweet young man Sure Hands because he’s better at catching a touchdown pass than a lot of NFL wide receivers.” Playfully, she messed up the kid’s hair, causing the blush across his cheeks to deepen. “But his friends know him as Gio. He’s Bernardo Petrone’s son.”

  Rosie was the first one to react and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Gio. Now tell us why our friend already has a nickname for you.”

  He smiled up at Jordan. “The other night she threw five touchdown passes to me. We kicked major butt.”

  “All this t
ime I’ve been feeling guilty about not being around much. Here I thought my girl was pining away for me, and now I find out she’s been carrying on with a bunch of guys.”

  “Boys,” Jordan corrected, before turning back to Gio. “Where’s your dad tonight?”

  “He’s around here somewhere looking for Mrs. Calabrese.”

  “Georgette Calabrese?”

  “Yeah. My dad’s been trying to get a hold of her since this afternoon, but no one knows where she is.”

  “I’m sure he’ll find her. After all, she is running the whole show here,” she said. “Hey, do you want to have dinner with us?”

  He shook his head. “Already ate. I need to find Vince to talk him into getting in on the Bocce ball action with me. They’re playing for real money,” he announced.

  “Then, by all means, go find your friend. I’ll catch up with you later.” She gave him a gentle shove along with an air kiss.

  “That boy’s in love,” Lola said with a grin.

  “Yeah, I seem to attract all the young ones,” Jordan said before adding, “Or the screwed-up older ones.”

  “Hey, wait a minute,” Alex protested. “I’m not messed up.”

  She grinned. “So you’re admitting you’re attracted to me?”

  He did a slow scan of her entire body, making her wish she was wearing something a little sexier than jeans and a T-shirt.

  “I think you know the answer to that one, but just in case you’ve forgotten, I fully intend to show you how much later on.”

  “Oh no. You’re not going to talk about that stuff with me standing right here.” Rosie threw her hands in the air. “Single, horny as hell, remember?”

  They all laughed and continued down the fairway to the area designated as the food court. Tables covered with red and white checked tablecloths were filling up fast as customers stopped to try the food.