by Emmie Lyn
This was shaping up into a hole filled with quicksand, and I saw no way to free myself from being pulled into the mess.
AJ extended his hand to Sue Ellen. She grunted as he helped her up from the floor. “There’s one more question for you, Sue Ellen.”
I cringed. This ordeal went on forever. And from the expression on AJ’s face, I didn’t think Sue Ellen would like what was coming next.
She smoothed her red dress, adjusted the chain around her neck that held her reading glasses, and waited without saying a word. The crime photographer and other policemen and women milled around, seemingly back to their jobs of documenting evidence.
“We found this inside the rug along with the body.” AJ held up an evidence bag with a book inside. “Have you seen this before?”
“It looks like Judith’s favorite book of old quilts. I looked through it to study the designs and familiarize myself with the quilting terminology.”
“That’s interesting because,” AJ carefully opened the cover, “the inside of the book is hollow.”
Sue Ellen squinted at the book. “I don’t understand.”
AJ held up another bag. “And this was inside.”
“My gold coin?”
“Something doesn’t add up, Sue Ellen,” AJ said.
I knew it would add up to something, but I was positive it wouldn’t add up to anything good.
Chapter Eight
It was a relief to leave my sputtering, backfiring Honda at the Little Dog Diner and get in my grandmother’s dark green MG that she’d more or less given to me, and drive to her house, Sea Breeze. Lily followed me.
Rose’s house sat atop a rise overlooking Blueberry Bay, making it the perfect place to refuel, rethink, and remind myself of the thorny mess I’d gotten myself involved in.
Pip, with her dog sense, barreled into me as soon as I stepped inside the front door of Sea Breeze. A deep satisfying sigh drained my worry away as soon as Pip leaped into my arms and a spicy aroma filled my nose. Rose must have decided to throw together her easy peasy, last minute spicy bean dip. I’d have to kiss her on both cheeks for her thoughtfulness.
My stomach rumbled in anticipation as I followed my nose into the kitchen.
Voices drifting from Rose’s kitchen let me know she had company and the voice I heard made my heart throb a little harder. I once thought Luke Sinclair was the man for me… until he married someone else. He recently returned to Misty Harbor as a widower, and we had started to slowly rebuild that old friendship into something better than ever.
At least, that was my opinion.
“Now that I smell food, I have to diagnose my condition as starving.” I said when I entered the kitchen, nodding to Luke and his father Spencer. I helped myself to a chip and scooped it through Rose’s bean dip.
All seemed normal … for the moment. But I knew these moments had a nasty tendency to be short-lived.
“How was your day?” Rose asked as she set five wine glasses on the counter next to a bottle of chardonnay. “Help yourselves.”
“Our day? I guess one of us should have called to fill you in. You won’t believe what happened.” I filled my wine glass, swirled the fruity red liquid, and took a sip. “Ahh. Just what I needed today. Thanks, Rose.”
“So, fill us in. To be honest, I needed a nap after Rudy left, and then I did some cooking to release my tension.” Rose picked up her own glass of wine and sat on a stool at the counter. “I hope your afternoon went better than my morning with Rudy.” She turned to her guest also sampling the bean dip. “Right Luke? His ideas for filming at Blueberry Acres were not at all what I had in mind. He was all about the stone walls and trees and didn’t care about the blueberries! I was glad to see the back of him when he left to meet Sue Ellen.”
Luke nodded and said with a mouthful of chip and dip, “He’ll come around.”
As frustrating as it sounded for Rose, I was positive it couldn’t have been worse than what Lily and I had experienced. “Have you ever been in Sue Ellen’s house?” I began.
“Yes,” Rose said. “A bit over the top, but gorgeous nonetheless, and perfect for the auction tonight. We have just enough time for this wine and bean dip and something special I whipped up before we have to get ready. I don’t want to be late or we’ll never get a parking spot. Is everything all set?”
“Not exactly,” Lily said. Her glance in my direction held a silent plea for me to deliver the bad news.
Rose sent me a scowl. “I saw that look between the two of you. What happened, and don’t make a novel out of whatever it is.” Rose scooped some bean dip and crunched the chip. “We don’t have all night.”
“Judith is dead,” I blurted out. There really was no way to say it in a less shocking manner. “We found her rolled up in one of Sue Ellen’s Persian rugs.”
Rose’s mouth literally fell open. Almost to her chest. “Dead?”
“Well, she wasn’t taking a nap in there. We heard a door slam and now I’m wondering if whoever murdered her, panicked when they heard us and fled. Maybe the original plan was to take the body, hide it, and lead the police on a wild goose chase.”
That thought hadn’t occurred to me earlier, and it was more disturbing since it meant the murder was not accidental with a botched getaway, but premeditated.
I sipped some more wine. “There won’t be any auction tonight. It had to be canceled.”
Rose stared into her wine before she looked up at me. “Of course, Sue Ellen should cancel it. This is horrible. How’s she holding up?” Rose pointed at me. “Start at the beginning.” She pulled out one of her yellow-lined pads of paper that she used for writing articles for the Blueberry Bay Grapevine and a fine point black pen. “Should I jot down all the details that you can remember?”
I nodded, and Rose waited for me to scoop up more bean dip before I began.
“Okay. In a nutshell, Lily and I arrived at Sue Ellen’s house with all the desserts. Judith’s car was parked in front and the liquor store truck barreled out as we pulled in.” I looked at Lily. “Maybe that was the murderer rushing away from the scene of the crime.”
Rose filled her yellow-lined pad with her neat cursive handwriting. Even under duress, her writing looked elegant and never hurried or sloppy like mine.
“Dani?”
“Oh yeah. So, we brought the desserts into Sue Ellen’s kitchen and put them on her kitchen island with the cases of champagne.”
“Did you find Judith in the kitchen?” Rose whispered.
“No. We looked for her to find trays for the desserts. Lily knew the way to the big living room where the event was supposed to be held. We figured we’d find her there, but the room appeared to be empty. The quilt was a mess on the floor, and we heard a door slam.”
Luke said, “What do you mean the quilt was on the floor? What happened to it?”
“We don’t know. It looked like it fell off the hook on the wall.”
Lily cut in. “Anyway, about the noise. I went to see who that was, thinking it had to be Judith looking for a ladder or someone to help rehang the quilt.”
I sipped more wine to fortify myself for this sad tale. “Yeah,” I said, feeling a pang at the memory. “In the meantime, I tried to straighten the quilt but something heavy held it down.”
Rose covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes big round discs. “She was killed by the quilt falling on her?”
“No, no. Actually, we don’t know how she was killed. But a pedestal was all tangled up in the quilt. I did have a moment of panic before I discovered what it was, though.” I glanced at Lily. “You weren’t back yet but it was really creepy. I thought Judith might have been under the quilt and was relieved it was only the pedestal. Little did I know,” I said with my mouth curled up in a grimace.
“Okay,” Rose said, “Backtrack a minute. You found the quilt on the floor, wrapped around a pedestal. Where was Judith?”
“We heard a phone ring,” I said. For some reason, it was getting hard to keep the de
tails straight for Rose. We kept going back and forth. “Anyway,” I said, “a muffled ringing and we couldn’t figure out where it came from.” I finished my wine and slid it toward the bottle. “Maybe I’ll have a second glass since we aren’t going out tonight anyway.”
Lily opened another bottle and topped off all five glasses before she picked up the tale again. “We followed the ringing. Honestly, it sounded like it wanted us to answer it and we kept walking around the room searching for the phone. We moved closer and closer to the sound every time the phone rang until we realized the noise was coming from inside one of Sue Ellen’s big rolled up Persian rugs. Dani reached in—”
“And I pulled out a shoe. Judith’s black sensible pump.” I shuddered; the memory still so fresh in my mind.
“So, where did you find her?”
“Actually, we ran out of the house and locked ourselves in my car. I really didn’t want to see what was attached to that shoe but deep down I knew it was Judith rolled inside the rug. Who else could have been wearing her sensible black pump? Detective Crenshaw arrived and confirmed the body was Judith.”
“Right.” Rose filled that page of notes and flipped the paper over, just in time to hear the doorbell ring. “What now?”
Pip yipped and rushed to the door.
“Company?” I asked.
Rose shrugged. “I’m not expecting anyone.”
I followed Pip and opened the door, surprised when Sue Ellen swooshed inside, her arms overloaded with containers. “I had to cancel my auction, so I’m bringing food to you guys, otherwise it’ll go to waste. Besides, I need to keep busy doing something. If I just sit around, I’ll be a total mess.” She stuck her foot in the door so it didn’t swing closed and called to someone behind her. “Hurry, Rudy. The mosquitoes are hot on your heels to get inside and eat us alive.”
Rudy? Hadn’t Rose just told us in so many words she’d had enough of him for one day?
“Oh,” Rose said, when Sue Ellen descended on her kitchen, screwing her mouth in a pout when the lady in red spread her offerings on the counter.
“We weren’t expecting company, Sue Ellen,” Rose said, “and I already had a little something planned to eat before we left for the auction.” So far, she hadn’t acknowledged Rudy.
Sue Ellen gave the kitchen and its occupants a quick glance. “You have plenty of people here to eat your food and mine.” Sue Ellen didn’t take no for an answer—subtle or otherwise.
Chapter Nine
Was this turning into some sort of competition? If so, Rose would win hands down. Homemade vs. takeout? No competition there.
“Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious, Rose,” I said, hoping to stroke her ego a bit after Sue Ellen’s intrusion.
“Thank you, Dani. Of course, it will be delicious,” she said imperiously. She’d given Rudy a nod and proceeded to ignore him. Then said, “Have I ever let any of you down?” Rose eyed us all, daring someone to say they didn’t love her cooking.
Spencer, apparently oblivious to the tender nerve Rose had about her cooking, stuck his foot in it. “What about that time you decided to deep fry squash blossoms? I seem to remember we ended up eating globs of greasy batter.”
I chuckled, leaning back with my arms folded, and decided to enjoy this moment way more than I should. Hearing stories from Spencer and Rose about their childhood friendship always proved entertaining. Plus, the details I gleaned from their stories shed light on my background.
“Tell me more,” I said eagerly. “I haven’t had the pleasure of savoring greasy globs of batter, but I have a vague memory of the time you mixed up the baking powder and baking soda in your banana bread.”
Of course, I exaggerated a grimace to punctuate the awful taste. “The dog even refused to eat it as I recall.”
Rose gave each of us the evil eye. “Are you two done yet? Because if you keep it up, I’ll pack up this teriyaki chicken with sugar snap peas, baby corn, and shitake mushrooms and you can pig out on Sue Ellen’s take out?”
Rose stared at Spencer, then me, with one eyebrow ticked up. “Well?” she said, arms crossed now, waiting for an answer.
Spencer seemed oblivious. “What about those blueberry pancakes that time,” he said, blundering on. “They were so thin, they stuck to the pan and burned.” He let out a guffaw at the memory. “You made me eat them anyway, Rose, but after I drowned them with a pitcher of maple syrup, I did manage to choke them down.”
Rudy sputtered and opened his mouth but shut it as soon as Rose gave him her withering stink eye. She shook her finger at him. “Don’t you start on me too, or—”
Rudy held both hands up and jumped into the conversation before Rose finished her thought. “The way I heard it,” he paused as he looked at each of her friends. “Rose never had a failed cooking endeavor when she ran the Little Dog Diner. Single-handed, too. At least, that’s what she mentioned today while we were discussing the plans for our videotaping project. After these stories, I have to wonder, does she have a selective memory?”
Rose poured herself another glass of wine but still offered none to Rudy. “The squash blossom disaster that Spencer shared happened when I was twelve years old and, honestly, I don’t even remember the blueberry pancake mess.”
I came to Rose’s rescue, wrapping my arms around my grandmother. “I’m sure those early failures were all part of your learning curve. They got you where you are today—the best teacher I ever had in the kitchen. And I can’t thank you enough.”
Rose hugged me back and whispered, “Bless you, Dani.” She faced everyone in her kitchen. “Now, do you people want to eat or not?”
Spencer moved close to Rose and put his hands on her shoulders. “Feeling outnumbered? You know we love your incredible skills turning ordinary ingredients into tasty adventures, but sometimes it is fun to pick on you. It makes me feel like I’m ten years old again.”
He held his glass up. “To Rudy’s video putting the Little Dog Diner on the map for anyone coming to Misty Harbor who wants the best comfort food in Maine and, of course, the best blueberry pie.”
“Well, in that case, pour the man a glass of wine and let’s get this dinner on the table.” Rose, who always kept everything in the proper perspective slid a glass toward Rudy and busied herself with setting the table for seven.
A loud knock made everyone turn for the door. Pip who had her comfortable spot in the window seat of the kitchen nook, charged and yipped at the door, the hair on her back standing at attention.
She took this guard duty seriously.
“More company?” I asked. Today had turned into everything I didn’t want. First, the dessert delivery that set the other problems in motion. Now, with Luke, Spencer, Sue Ellen, and Rudy settling in for dinner with what should have been only Rose, Lily, and me, I couldn’t help but wonder what new surprise was behind the door.
Rose opened it. “Maggie Marshall? When did you get to town?” She pulled Maggie into an embrace. “Come on in and join the crowd. Have you heard the news yet?”
Maggie joined us in the kitchen, flicking her long, brunette locks over her shoulder as she greeted each one of us. I didn’t miss her quick survey of the room or the extra scrutiny she gave to Rudy, which included an almost imperceptible head tilt and slight narrowing of her luminous sea green eyes. What was that about?
Maggie smiled. “I have heard. As a matter of fact, I’m working for Sue Ellen, which probably ruined my high hopes of hanging out with AJ this weekend.” She bent down to pat Pip, who had her front paws on Maggie’s thighs, her tail beating a rhythm like a conductor’s baton. “At least someone’s happy to see me,” Maggie said with a fake pout that made Rose laugh.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Rose said with a nod toward the refreshments. “There’s plenty of wine and food and it’ll only take a minute to add another plate for you if you’d like to join us.”
Maggie seemed caught off guard by our impromptu party. “Oh. I guess I wasn’t thinking about my timing whe
n I intruded,” she said, her face drawn down in an apology.
“No problem,” I said and poured a glass of wine for her. “You probably need this after the surprises that hit you today.”
“Ha! That’s the understatement of the year. I never imagined that I’d arrive right at the beginning of a murder investigation.” She downed half the glass of wine in one gulp, then said, “Or, that I’d be hired to investigate that murder. Taking the job may have been my worst decision in a long time. AJ is furious.” She held her hand out to Rudy. “I’m Maggie Marshall, by the way.”
Rudy, looking weary compared to his sprightly appearance in the diner this morning, accepted the offered hand. “Rudy Genova. You’re investigating the murder?” I didn’t miss what sounded like concern in his voice.
Rose carried her steaming hot teriyaki chicken mixture to the table, along with heated rolls, and a tossed salad while I watched Rudy’s cheerful expression change to worried concern.
“Who are you working for?” he asked.
“Sue Ellen.”
Rudy sank into the nearest chair at the table. “Sue Ellen told me that one of her neighbors saw someone knock on her front door earlier today. She said the woman described someone who sounded like me.”
“Were you there?” Maggie asked, attacking her glass of wine again.
Something in the way she cast her eyes at Rudy caught my attention. Had she already uncovered this information?
“Yeah.” He sat back and crossed his arms. “I had an appointment to meet Sue Ellen at her house. I was supposed to film the auction and we were to go over the set-up. But, no one answered my knock, and I left.”
“You left?” Maggie asked.
“Yes,” Rudy said too forcefully. “I left. I walked back to my car and drove away.”
“Were there any cars in the driveway?” I asked.
Rudy rubbed his chin. “Just a small sedan, I think. It struck me as odd that there wasn’t more activity for such an important event, but I had a lot on my mind and didn’t dwell on it much.”