The Diva Cooks up a Storm

by Krista Davis

  I walked around the corner to the rose trees. They were showing their unhappiness at having gone through such a brutal treatment. I hoped they would recover. I watered the impatiens along the side of the house and returned to the backyard. I was watering potted geraniums when I heard a crash next door.

  Chapter 31

  Dear Sophie,

  My husband passed away suddenly. Am I required to host a big repast at our home? I don’t have the energy to talk to all those people and play hostess. Is it wrong of me to take my children to a quiet family dinner in a restaurant instead?

  Widow in Whynot, Mississippi

  Dear Widow,

  The one thing etiquette demands is making everyone comfortable. No one wants to upset or inconvenience the bereaved. If a quiet dinner in a restaurant with your children is what you prefer, then by all means do exactly that.

  Sophie

  I dropped the watering can, dashed through the back gate, raced through the alley, and over to Jay’s gate. I had to push it hard to open it. When I was able to wedge through the opening, I realized what the problem was. His backyard was a tangled mess of beautiful blooming perennials like black-eyed Susans, daisies, Russian sage, and coneflowers. No wonder the bees at the Habermans’ had settled close by. His yard was a bee paradise. No one had mowed it in a very long time. An assortment of rusted gardening tools and empty flowerpots lay at rakish angles. I had a feeling that the two large pots he had brought to Kelsey’s house for the roses had previously occupied what now appeared to be a newly empty space.

  “Jay?” I called. “Is everything okay?”

  A faint voice replied, “In here!”

  I walked up on his back porch, which was littered with empty boxes and stacks of newspapers. The door to his house was open about one foot. “Hello?”

  “In here! Hurry, Sophie!”

  I pushed on the door gently. Like the gate, it wouldn’t give any more. I peered inside. The backyard had been a warning of what was to come. Jay was a hoarder.

  Squeezing to get through, I carefully stepped over a hodgepodge of stepstools, pots, and papers.

  “Hurry up!”

  “Natasha?” I asked.

  “What is taking you so long? Jay could be home any minute.”

  “It’s a little too late to worry about that. Where are you? Keep talking.” I immediately regretted having said that.

  “Did you know about this? I want Mars back. At least he’s tidy.”

  I found her feet sticking out from under a pile of boxes and cushions that must have fallen on her. She wore short black boots. In the summer? I couldn’t help laughing. It was just like the house landing on the Wicked Witch of the West.

  I lifted each box and cushion and pitched each on top of other junk until I could see her arms. I held out my hands and pulled her up.

  We heard a sound at the front door. “Quick!” she said. “Let’s get out before he finds us here.”

  The two of us slipped and slid on heaven knew what in our mad scramble to the back door. We pressed through the opening and closed the door quietly.

  “Was it locked?” I whispered.

  “Who cares? Come on!”

  “We should leave it the way it was.”

  “Okay, yes. It was locked.”

  I reached around the doorknob and locked it before I pulled it shut. Natasha was already sprinting through the wild garden. I followed right behind.

  We closed the gate and stopped to catch our breath.

  Natasha leaned against the gate.

  “How did you unlock the door?”

  “There was a key over the top ledge of the door.”

  “Natasha! What would possess you to unlock the door and go inside?”

  “He was so perfect. But I couldn’t stand how secretive he was about his house.”

  I stared at her in horror. “Were you sneaking around the Habermans’ side yard at night? Please don’t tell me you’re the one who knocked over the rose trees.”

  “All right, I won’t tell you.”

  “Natasha! What is wrong with you?”

  “I thought he might be entertaining Lavinia.”

  “Why didn’t you clean up that mess?”

  “I was going to, but you beat me to it. It doesn’t matter. Now I know why he didn’t want anyone seeing what’s inside his house.”

  “And we’re not going to say a word about it. Do you understand me?”

  “Thank you, Sophie. You’re such a good friend.”

  “Not for you, you doofus! For Jay, so he can save face. He will never know that we saw his secret.”

  “We ought to get him help. Like a backhoe to clean that mess.”

  “You’re the one who broke into his house. You call someone who deals with hoarders and ask how we can help him without causing him any embarrassment.”

  She nodded. “It’s the least we can do.” Natasha walked away through the alley.

  I returned to the watering can in Kelsey’s backyard. When I was through, I locked the back door. Once again, I was overcome by the silence.

  I strode through the downstairs rooms. Nothing appeared out of place. I climbed the stairs to the second floor and entered the master bedroom. The afternoon sun shone through the windows, warming the space. It was really quite lovely with soft blue walls and a busy blue on white fabric on the comforter. The dust ruffle matched it. Next to the bed was a cozy blue armchair covered in a velvety fabric with a luscious hand-knitted throw draped over the side. I reached out to touch the soft throw. It was mostly blue, but the yarn also contained shades of greens and purples. The knotted fringes touched the floor.

  The scent of pesticides was completely gone. I gazed at the bed, full of fluffy pillows. Looking at it now, no one would ever imagine that someone had sneaked in and placed foggers next to it.

  Cindy? Trula? Parker? I opened and closed the door to the bedroom. No squeaky hinges. A person could have easily entered without being heard.

  I dropped to my knees, lifted the bed skirt, and peered underneath the bed. The angle of the sun helped me see without a flashlight. The hardwood floor was clean. Not a single dust bunny in sight. I was pretty sure that I couldn’t say that about my own bed.

  I lay there for a moment, thinking about someone starting the foggers, knowing full well that Hollis slept peacefully right next to them. The fumes must have wafted straight up to Hollis as he lay sleeping.

  I sat up, my bracelet accidentally catching the fringe of the throw. As I untangled it, the sun caught on something I hadn’t noticed before. A dragonfly earring whose colors shone in the sun but blended so beautifully with the colors of the throw that it would have been easy to miss it.

  Chapter 32

  Dear Sophie,

  I met a guy whose house is beyond the norm of messy or disorganized. I have watched hoarder shows on TV, and that’s where I think he’s headed. I really like him otherwise. How do I handle this?”

  Want to Help My Honey in Chipmunk, New York

  Dear Want to Help My Honey,

  Hoarding is a very sensitive matter. Do not simply barge in and start cleaning up. You can talk to the hoarder with empathy and try to understand it from his perspective. Better yet, see if he’ll talk with a professional about the situation.

  Sophie

  Madison. There wasn’t a good reason in the world for Madison’s earring to be caught in the throw next to Hollis’s bed.

  Even if she’d been having an affair with Hollis, she’d had the earring at the underground dinner. She could only have lost it there within the last few days.

  Madison’s earring must have snagged on the throw when she set the foggers. She would have been working in darkness and probably couldn’t locate it.

  Suddenly things began to fall into place. She’d been very close with the Habermans once. She might well have had a key to the house.

  And she had probably been the one we interrupted when we walked Kelsey home when no one had electricity. Madison must have r
eturned to look for her earring or the missing foggers.

  Cindy’s story made sense now, too. She was afraid Gavin had killed his dad. To protect him, she rushed to the Habermans’ house, found the foggers, and removed them.

  I couldn’t help snickering just a little bit at the thought of Madison returning for the foggers and not being able to find them.

  I left the earring hooked onto the throw. My fingerprints were on it now, of course, but it was probably better for Wolf to see it where it had been.

  Locking the Habermans’ front door behind me, I couldn’t believe I had yammered on and on with Madison at the coffee shop. The whole time, she must have been thrilled that I wasn’t on to her.

  Mochie mewed and stretched when I walked into my own home. I called Wolf on my cell phone while opening a can of beef stew for cats. He didn’t answer. I left a message for him on his voice mail.

  I retrieved fresh red and yellow tomatoes from the garden. They were still warm from the sun. I sliced one into chunks, added strips of leftover flank steak and baby spinach leaves, and made a quick vinaigrette with sweet balsamic vinegar for my dinner.

  By the time I finished, I still hadn’t heard from Wolf. I called again and left another message. “I found evidence today at the Habermans’. Left it in place for you to see. I still have a key to their house. Call me if you need to get in the house.”

  It had been a long day and I felt like I had hiked from one end of town to the other and back. I settled into my little den with a good mystery and hit the sack early.

  * * *

  I woke to glorious blue skies in the morning. I was a little surprised that Wolf hadn’t called. Maybe he had arrested someone for Hollis’s murder.

  It was still early enough to enjoy sitting out back in the garden. After a long shower, I threw on a sleeveless blouse and denim shorts with a comfy elastic waist. I fed Mochie Tuna Delight, which lived up to its name. It reeked of tuna and Mochie seemed delighted.

  I made myself a large mug of hot tea, slid Mochie’s harness on him, and carried them both out to the backyard.

  Mochie was thrilled to prowl in the grass while I relaxed with my tea.

  The gate creaked open. Mochie lifted his head from the scents in the grass. We watched as Fawn, a slender young woman, studied the back of my house. She clearly hadn’t noticed Mochie or me.

  She took a few steps into the yard, turned around, paused, and took a deep breath.

  In as gentle a voice as I could manage, I said, “Good morning!”

  She started in shock. “I thought I was being so careful, but I didn’t even notice you.”

  She walked toward me. “Who is this?”

  “Mochie.”

  Fawn bent to stroke him. I could hear him purring.

  She looked up at me. “I talked with Bernie last night. He thinks pretty highly of you.”

  “We go way back. Could I get you a cup of tea?”

  “No, thanks. I can’t be here very long.”

  “Who are you hiding from?”

  She slid into a seat. “Parker.”

  I sipped my tea and watched her.

  “Bernie said I could be honest with you. But you should know that I’ll deny everything.”

  What could I say? “Okay.” She was clearly afraid of Parker. He seemed so harmless. What had he done to this poor woman?

  “I was in a car accident six months ago. The people in the other car didn’t have insurance and their little boy wasn’t in a car seat. His medical bills were unbelievable. He’s okay now, but they sued me for the cost of the medical care. It was crazy! If he had been in a car seat like he should have been, he wouldn’t have been injured. My little boy was in his car seat and didn’t get so much as a scratch. Anyway, the point is that I needed a lawyer, so I went to Parker.”

  She swallowed hard. “He agreed to let me pay his bill in installments. I thought he was the greatest thing ever. So sweet, so kind. Always checking to see how we were doing. And then the ax fell.” Fawn looked away. “Parker came around and told me he could make my payments to him disappear if I would sleep with him. I threw him out of my apartment.”

  “Good for you! What a scumbag.”

  “The thing is that I have an incident in my life that I’m not proud of. I’ve worked hard to put it behind me. And if it came to light I wouldn’t be able to get a job anywhere. It was stupid—I was running with the wrong crowd by a mile and stole from my employer. I left town to get away from my problem. Then I met my husband and had my little boy, Trevor. I’m a different person these days. I’d still like to pay back every penny that I took, but my husband got sick and died. I’m struggling to make ends meet. Parker found out about the charges against me. And now he’s blackmailing me. But I set him straight. I saw his high-society wife at the underground dinner. And I let him know that if he presses me anymore, I’m going to tell her. I bet she wouldn’t be happy to know about his behavior!”

  “She would be mortified. I gather you didn’t go to the police because of the charges against you?”

  “What would happen to my baby? They’d sock me into jail and give him to strangers. I can’t let that happen to him. He’s everything to me!”

  “Of course. I understand completely.” It pained me to say it. Parker let Bettina think he was being kind to his clients by cutting their bills, when he was pressuring them into bed. Hollis must have learned the truth. Had Hollis confronted Parker? Maybe Gage had, too, before him.

  “I think you’re smart to avoid Parker. For the time being, anyway. Thank you for telling me what happened to you.”

  “You won’t tell the police? Bernie said you wouldn’t.”

  Ugh. Why was Bernie tying my hands this way? “I have to be honest with you, I think the truth will come out. Parker will be in a lot of trouble. If it’s any consolation, I don’t think you’re the only one who is going through this.”

  When Fawn left, I changed into a skirt and slipped on some silver bangles. I walked down to Alex’s office. He was just striding out the door when I arrived.

  He pecked me on the cheek. “I’m on my way to court.”

  “Mind if I walk with you?”

  “I would enjoy your company.” We started walking toward the courthouse.

  “So let’s say I became your client.”

  “Uh-oh. What did you do?”

  “Mmm, I don’t know. Someone is suing me.”

  “For what?”

  “I drove my car into their house.”

  “Were you drunk?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Are you kidding? Of course it matters.”

  “We’re getting off track here. Just assume I need your brilliant legal expertise. But I struggle to pay your bills. So you propose a barter arrangement. You’ll reduce the amount of money I owe you if I play hanky-panky with you.”

  Alex stopped walking and stared at me. “Is this some kind of weird game like I’m the cop and you’re the chambermaid?”

  “You play some strange games. I think it’s the cop with the burglar, and the chambermaid with the duke. But you’re missing my point. What would happen if you did that?”

  “Well, I would lose my license to practice law, and you would have to find another attorney.”

  I smiled at him. “That’s what I thought. Thanks! See you later.”

  “Sophie! Wait. What was that about?”

  “I’ll tell you later. Good luck in court.”

  I walked home slowly. I was in a pickle. If I told Wolf what Parker had been doing, even without mentioning Fawn’s name, they would surely pull all of Parker’s client records and ask questions. The trouble was that he probably was smart enough to hold some other sin over their heads. They might all deny everything, and Parker would get away scot-free.

  Even worse, Parker’s scam was a major motive to murder Gage and Hollis. If they found out, they would have notified the Virginia Bar. It would have brought Parker and the whole firm crashing down. Hollis and Gage
would have had to leave and try to salvage what little respect they could.

  But if Parker had killed Hollis, then what was Madison’s earring doing on the throw in Hollis’s bedroom? I didn’t want to think that they had conspired to murder him. Had Parker used Madison? Had he convinced her to kill Hollis?

  I didn’t want Fawn’s greatest fear to come true—her child placed in a foster home while she was in prison. But Parker had to be stopped.

  Even when I was back at home making dough for chocolate chip cookies to put in the freezer, I wrestled with my conscience. If I told Wolf, Fawn would either run like Kelsey had, or she would have to deal with the consequences of stealing money from her boss.

  Wolf showed up at my door when I was wrapping the dough in waxed paper. It was ready to be cut into cookies and baked when I needed them.

  I motioned Wolf in and bit my tongue so I wouldn’t say anything scathing. It had certainly taken him long enough to show up!

  I slid the packages of dough into freezer bags.

  “Could I make you some lunch?”

  “No, thanks. But I’d take a cup of coffee if you have it. I was up all night working on a different case.”

  That explained the delay in responding. I could understand that. I poured us both a cup of coffee, the rich aroma filling the kitchen.

  We sat down at the kitchen table, and with a heavy heart, I told him about Parker’s scam on young women who had a secret to hide.

  In all the years I had known Wolf, I had never seen him so spitting mad. His face turned a shade of red that I had never seen on him before.

  “Who told you this?”

  “One of his clients.”

  Wolf narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going to tell me who it is? We’ll need someone to testify. I can’t just walk into court for a warrant without some kind of confirmation.”

  “Here’s the problem. Parker was smart about who he targeted. I suspect all these young women did something in their pasts that they want to hide. That gave him leverage over them. Now they have moved on. Some of them are single moms who worry about what will happen to their children if they go to prison.” I took a chance. “Is there any way you could wipe the slate clean on their past transgressions in exchange for their testimony?”