The Diva Cooks up a Storm

by Krista Davis

  It was noon when Nina and I insisted Francie go home. The heat would still be intense, but she wouldn’t be sitting in a tent out in the blazing sun. Streets were still blocked by work crews, and the sounds of hammering reverberated through the neighborhood.

  Wolf flagged us down as we approached the Haberman house. “They’ve set up a cooling room for seniors at one of the government buildings with a generator, Francie. I hear they’re setting up games.”

  I thought she might kick him in the shin.

  Pulling back her shoulders and raising her chin, she said, “I’m no lily-livered pantywaist. Who do you think you’re talking to?”

  Wolf bit back a grin. “I wouldn’t mind a break from this heat. Any damage to your houses?”

  “Looks like we’re all okay,” said Nina.

  “Good to hear that.” Wolf sucked in a deep breath. “It’s going to be in the papers tomorrow, and the way news travels around here, half of Old Town will probably know in a couple of hours, so I might as well tell you. Sophie, you’ll be glad to know that Hollis did not die from anything he ate. The cause of death is acute respiratory illness. At this point, they’re thinking it was related to pesticide use.”

  “The bees!” said Nina.

  “It’s a possibility. I’m waiting for Angus to show me where the bees are.”

  “So it’s not a homicide.” I breathed a little easier knowing that.

  Wolf shot me an odd look. “I didn’t say that. But it’s possible that Hollis sprayed the bees and inhaled the poison, which triggered some underlying respiratory problem.”

  That made sense. It explained the previous episodes of breathing issues.

  Angus strolled up, yawning as if he’d just gotten out of bed. “You ready to see the bees?”

  “Not me!” Nina took Francie’s arm. “I’d better get Francie home and out of this heat.”

  The two of them strode away with Francie protesting, “Stop treating me like a melting Popsicle.”

  “Are you coming with us?” Wolf asked me.

  I was torn. Part of me itched to see the bees, while another part of me did not want to be stung. “I’ll hang back a little bit, but I admit that I’m curious about these bees.”

  Angus led the way along the side of the house to the back.

  A lovely, but quite old white porch spanned the rear of the home. On the side of the house, a small tree house was almost hidden in foliage. A vestige of young Gavin’s residence there.

  Angus pointed up at an interior corner of the porch. “They’re right up there.”

  None of us walked any closer. We didn’t have to. Bees swarmed in a corner of the blue ceiling. I had never seen so many bees.

  Wolf held out his arm to prevent me from nearing the bees. It was completely unnecessary. I was more likely to bolt and run away than to get any closer.

  “Does it look to you like they’ve gotten inside the house?” I asked.

  “Can that happen?” asked Angus.

  “I don’t know why not,” said Wolf. “They wouldn’t need much of a crack to enter and exit easily. Did you call someone about this?”

  Angus ran a hand through his hair. “Not me. Hollis came to the hospital after I was stung and told me he was going to take care of the bees.”

  Wolf checked his watch. “Looks like Hollis took it upon himself to spray them, but he inhaled more than the bees. I’ll talk to Kelsey about getting someone over here today. We don’t want them attacking anyone else.”

  We walked around to the front of the house. Wolf knocked the fox door knocker.

  Natasha opened the front door. She was dressed in a tight black dress that screamed Halloween costume, except without the peaked hat. She wore a flat-topped hat with a double black veil rimmed with a black satin ribbon. Kelsey was right behind her in a sleek black suit. I couldn’t help wondering if Natasha had dressed her that way. In this heat? I had trouble imagining that Kelsey just happened to have a black pillbox hat with a net-style veil.

  In a low voice, Natasha said, “How kind of you to come.” She stepped aside so we could enter.

  Natasha gasped. Her gaze swept over us. “Not a one of you brought food? Sophie Winston, I know you were brought up better than that.”

  “This isn’t a social call, Natasha,” I said.

  Wolf did an excellent job at hiding what he thought of their attire. “I’d like to have a word with Kelsey, please.”

  Like a prim housekeeper, Natasha said, “Then you will have to return later. Mrs. Haberman is receiving at the moment.”

  I glanced into the living room. If she was receiving, no one had arrived. It was all I could do not to laugh. She’s receiving? I felt for Kelsey and sympathized with her grief, but Natasha seemed to have drawn a page out of a 1920s movie.

  Wolf wasn’t laughing. In a dead serious tone he growled, “Mrs. Haberman, we need to talk.”

  Kelsey stepped past Natasha and gazed at him with big eyes.

  “We’ve had a look at the bees. I think it would be advisable to get someone over here as soon as possible. Maybe even today.”

  “But we have to select Hollis’s coffin this afternoon,” protested Natasha.

  “I’m sorry to intrude on your grief, Mrs. Haberman,” Wolf emphasized her name as though he wanted to be sure Natasha understood she was not part of this equation. “The bees need immediate attention. I’m not certain that it’s safe for you to sleep here.”

  “Oh no!” Kelsey appeared frightened.

  Angus blurted, “What movie did you two get those costumes from?”

  Kelsey shot Natasha an annoyed look. “I told you.”

  “Really? You take your etiquette cues from him? He doesn’t understand what’s expected of the bereaved,” said Natasha. “He didn’t even bring a covered dish with him.”

  “We’ll put off the trip to the funeral home while I line up a bee person. Gosh, I don’t even know what to look for. A beekeeper? An exterminator?” asked Kelsey.

  She disappeared with Wolf and Angus, presumably to locate the appropriate person, leaving me alone in the foyer with Natasha.

  “Well, don’t just stand there. There’s work to do.” Natasha crooked her finger at me.

  Not that I minded pitching in, but I followed her out of curiosity more than anything else. She walked into the elegant dining room, slid on gloves, and proceeded to polish silver in her witchy black getup. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen.

  “Can you imagine?” she asked. “The silver is tarnished. Hollis has been dead for an entire day and Kelsey hasn’t even bothered to clean the silver.”

  “Oh, the horror of it! Her husband died. She herself was in the emergency room and then was questioned by police. How could she possibly have overlooked cleaning the silver?”

  “Are you going to help me or not?”

  I suspected not wasn’t going to go over well.

  “See if you can find the good china. We can’t have people eating off paper plates. And if you run across cloth napkins, we’ll need those, too. Honestly, Sophie, she hasn’t done a thing. Oh, and when you’re done with that, clean out the refrigerator. People will be bringing food by the tons.”

  I had nothing else to do. It took me all of two seconds to open the hutch in the dining room and find the good china. Ironically, it was Lenox’s Opal Innocence, a tone on tone pattern of white and off-white dots and vines, accented by a platinum band. When Natasha wasn’t paying attention, I swiped her black tablecloth and replaced it with a luxurious white damask tablecloth with vines reminiscent of the china. After stacking teacups, saucers, luncheon plates, and dessert plates on the table, I poked around in drawers of the sideboard in search of napkins. Kelsey probably received them as wedding gifts. I laid them out in a tight semicircle.

  That taken care of, I wandered into the kitchen and peered in the fridge. Given Hollis’s fear of being poisoned, I considered the contents with interest. Yogurt, difficult to poison, probably because it wouldn’t hide a bitter
taste. Sticks of butter, low-fat cheese, a package of chicken tenders, salmon, fresh peaches and blueberries, cottage cheese, eggs, bottles of water, salad and spinach, beets, carrots, and a whole host of unsalted nuts.

  I glanced around the kitchen counters. They were spotless. Not a bag of bread, a doughnut, or anything sinful. Surely they had ice cream in the freezer. I peeked inside. Frozen green beans and corn, chicken legs, lima beans. The Habermans ate a very healthy diet. Odd, considering Hollis’s rather beefy figure. Or had Kelsey thrown out all of Hollis’s favorites after his death because they had been poisoned? As much as I liked her, I had to consider that possibility.

  There really wasn’t much to throw out. I moved a few things around to make room for the casseroles and cakes that would soon arrive.

  Reluctantly, I returned to the dining room, where Natasha buffed fish forks, which were highly unlikely to be needed. I watched her, wondering how to politely suggest that her outfit might be over the top, when I heard Bernie’s voice in the foyer.

  “Sophie!”

  I hurried out to him. Natasha followed me.

  When Bernie caught sight of Natasha, he muttered a polite hello before turning his attention to me. “I’ve been calling you all morning.”

  “Cell phones aren’t working,” said Natasha. “Two towers were damaged in the storm.”

  “Is that the problem? No wonder everyone is complaining about their cell phones. But Sophie wasn’t answering her landline, either. Soph, since I can’t open the restaurant, I have a ton of food that needs to be used. The freezers will keep some of it good for a few days, but I have meat that has to be used or tossed tomorrow. How about a neighborhood party in your backyard tonight? Mars and I can get the grill going, and we can serve sort of a charcuterie.”

  “Great idea! I’m game.”

  “It’s unseemly to celebrate when Hollis is dead.” Natasha glared at Bernie.

  “We still have to eat. Besides, Hollis would be the first to belly up to the grill,” said Bernie.

  “In that case, I shall bring my famous Chipotle Kale Cake for dessert,” Natasha declared.

  Oh joy.

  Bernie shot me a look of desperation. “I thought we’d have an ice-cream board. It makes so much sense given the situation. There’s a lot of ice cream that’s going to melt if it’s not eaten today.”

  “Maybe that’s a better idea, Natasha. Besides, unless you have a generator, your mixer won’t work,” I pointed out.

  “I keep forgetting that the electricity is out. Perhaps I’ll bring appetizers.”

  “That’s very nice of you.” There was no telling what she would bring, but it was only polite to accept her contribution, whatever it might be. “Spread the word among our neighbors, okay?”

  Kelsey, Wolf, and Angus returned. All three of them were smiling.

  “Some guy who calls himself The Bee Man is coming in an hour. Natasha, I called the funeral home and cancelled the appointment. If you’ll excuse me, I’d better change clothes.” Kelsey hurried up the stairs.

  “Well! She better take me with her when she selects Hollis’s coffin. She didn’t even know enough to wear black. God love her, the girl is clueless. Tell her to call me when she’s ready to deal with reality. It won’t be long before she realizes that she needs me.” Natasha stalked out the door, clearly offended.

  Bernie and I left, too. The bees had been interesting to see, but I didn’t need to stick around for their removal.

  I spent the next couple of hours gathering lights. In the attic, I located some battery-operated strings of white Christmas lights and ran them along the fence to the backyard to help people see as they entered and exited. In the garage, I dug up two dozen wrought-iron lanterns in a bird and pinecone pattern that I had used at several parties I had arranged. We didn’t need them all, but as I set them around, I was glad I had so many.

  Between my garage and my house was a covered porch. I’d had plenty of parties out there but had relied on electricity for lights. I pushed two long tables together and set to work laying short cream-colored runners across the tables. Each would serve as a placemat for two people sitting opposite each other. Then I unrolled long festive turquoise runners lengthwise along the middle of each table. That way, small areas of bare wood showed, bringing a more casual feel to the upscale setting.

  When I was done, I stepped back and eyed it. I set the lanterns on the tables along the middle, leaving room for the boards with meat. Chunky and bronze, the lanterns had a weathered patina, which added to the rustic elegance of the tablescape.

  I wandered the house, collecting an assortment of candles, which I added along the length of the table and on top of the mantel. I ran more battery-operated lights around the base of the porch so people could see to step on and off of it.

  I carried out trays of glasses and set up a table for drinks, where people could help themselves. After hauling plates, cutlery, and paper napkins outside, I cut zinnias from my garden and popped them into vases that I placed around the porch.

  Two hours later, I was in my kitchen, chopping cabbage for coleslaw for the dinner that night, when Wolf knocked on my kitchen door and let himself in.

  “Did The Bee Man come?”

  “He did. He really knew his stuff. It’s called a swarm removal. Apparently it’s not unusual for them to enter a wall, which is what they did at Hollis’s house. They can get in a small space around a light fixture, or as in this case, a tiny space in the joint where the porch roof met the wall of the house. But here’s the thing—the bees that were inside the house were dead.”

  Chapter 12

  Dear Natasha,

  My husband throws a hissy fit when I toss out food after a power outage. Will you please settle our arguments once and for all by telling us what is safe to eat?

  Hungry in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

  Dear Hungry,

  When in doubt, throw it out. The federal government says most refrigerated food should be fine for four hours. Highly perishable items, including meats, cheeses, and dairy, may not survive that long. Consult the charts at https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html for further information.

  Natasha

  “I’m not sure I understand. Half the bees were dead, but not the other half?” I asked.

  “Pretty much. The Bee Man is removing the dead bees right now. He says it’s most likely due to one of two things: either a colony collapse disorder or someone sprayed them from the inside.”

  “The latter being consistent with your theory of Hollis’s death.”

  “Seems that way. It’s hard to imagine how or why he inhaled so much of the stuff, though.”

  I grabbed a couple of ice cubes that were beginning to look sad, plunked them into a tall glass, poured tea over them, and handed it to him. “Nor does it account for Kelsey’s exposure unless she was there with him when he sprayed. Or maybe she left the room faster than he did?”

  Wolf gulped the tea. “That’s where it gets interesting. She was exposed, but not nearly as much as he was. I’m not sure how that could happen unless she was with him at some point when he sprayed the bees. But she insists that she didn’t know he sprayed them last night.”

  Wolf stood up. “Here she comes. See what you can get out of her.” He drained his glass. “I’ll let myself out the back way.” He hustled toward the sunroom, no doubt to cut through my office and sneak out the French doors in the living room.

  Sure enough, the door knocker sounded on my front door. I opened it to find Kelsey looking disheveled and desperate.

  She rushed inside. Her chest heaved as though she had run up the street. “They’re going to arrest me. They think I murdered Hollis.”

  I was taken aback. So many thoughts went through my head I barely knew what to say to her. Mostly I had questions. Playing coy, I asked, “Then they’ve figured out what caused his death?”

  She curled her upper lip inward and bit it. “They think he inhaled bee spray.”

 
I coaxed her into the kitchen, where we sat down at the kitchen table. “Kelsey, unless you held Hollis down and sprayed him with the bee spray, which I don’t think would have been physically possible, I don’t see how they could blame you for his death.”

  “The cops asked me if they can search the house. I think need a lawyer. I called Parker Dixon, you know him—one of Hollis’s law partners. He said something about it being a conflict of interest and that I would need a lawyer outside the firm.”

  “And you heard that I date a lawyer.”

  “Could you put in a good word for me? I mean, I know I’m asking a lot, but I’m so scared. I don’t have anyone else to go to.”

  I reached for a pad of paper and wrote down Alex’s name and business phone number. I slid it across the table to her.

  She watched me intently. “Hollis told me you solve murders.”

  I saw where this was going and rushed to set her straight. “I don’t do it professionally. Call Alex. He might hire a private investigator. I just got lucky a couple of times.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m so scared. They’re all going to gang up on me.”

  “Who? What are you talking about? Do you know who killed Hollis?”

  “No! I have no idea. But I’m the outsider here. I was”—she made quotation marks with her fingers in the air—“the other woman. Everyone hates me. Do you think I don’t hear what they say about me when I walk by? Cindy was,” she corrected herself, “is an Old Town institution. Everyone knows her from little kids to old ladies. They all go to the library. She’s like a local hotshot. And I’m the one who replaced her,” she wailed.

  Unfortunately, there was some truth in what she said. The people in town weren’t cruel or closed to newcomers, but Cindy was one of them and had been for a long time. She had raised her son with their kids and read to their children at the library on Saturday mornings. She ran the annual book sale at the library and volunteered to help at local events.

  “How people feel about Cindy shouldn’t make any difference in your legal case.” I said it with confidence that I didn’t feel. “I’m sure the truth will come out and they’ll realize that you didn’t murder Hollis.”