Murder at the Grill (Cold Creek Book 3)

by Christa Nardi

  “Who the heck cares? He was a vile man.” She grimaced as she spoke.

  “Now I thought you two were an item?” Brett asked, trying for an innocent tone. He was not successful.

  Dawn’s face turned red as she spit out her answer. “He… he was the devil himself. He never should have come back, threatening and taunting.” Her voice vibrated with anger.

  “He made you mad didn’t he, Dawn?” Brett’s tone was calm but his words pointed.

  She blustered and yelled, “Mad? Mad? Furious more like it! He lied. He cheated. He stole. And then he made everyone else’s lives miserable. The scum of the earth.”

  “Did he keep in touch with you all these years? Have you been back to Lowell?”

  “In touch? He got in touch when it suited him. Only to make more trouble, to make promises he’d never keep. I’m glad he’s dead and can’t ever come back. I had to see him in the coffin to be sure.” Her voice rose as she ranted and everyone in the restaurant looked at her.

  She looked from Brett to me. “You really need to mind your business and stop with the questions.” With that she reached over and swept my plate and coffee into my lap.

  “Aaagh!” I jumped up and knocked the chair backward in reaction to the hot coffee and eggs landing in my lap.

  A lot of other people moved quickly too. Brett was up and grabbed Dawn’s arm as she turned to walk away. Rebekah was at my side with napkins and apologies, skittish as she looked at her aunt. Officer Matthews and his companion wasted no time joining us. Everyone else just stared.

  “Mrs. Baxter, I think we need to continue this conversation down at the station,” Officer Matthews stated in a tone that left no room for argument.

  Dawn’s mouth opened and closed, her nostrils flared, and her gaze searched the room. Brett still had one of her arms and Matthews took hold of the other one.

  “I’ll be right back as soon as we get her in the cruiser,” Brett explained as they moved Dawn toward the door.

  I nodded and tried to get myself together. The last thing I wanted to do was burst into tears. Rebekah disappeared and the woman with Office Matthews introduced herself as she righted my chair and guided me into it.

  “Hi. I’m Lori. I’m one of the dispatchers. Did you get burned by the coffee?”

  “I… I think I’m okay. A bit uncomfortable. Not burned.”

  Rebekah came back with some towels and a mop. Jason came behind her and took over clean up. He tilted his head toward the other customers and she hustled away. He looked older than in the park, weighted down. This was taking a toll on everyone.

  Brett came back, chin set, and talking on his phone. “Officer Matthews is bringing her in. Sher and I will be in after she has a chance to clean up.”

  He ended the call as his hand squeezed my shoulder. “You okay?”

  I nodded and stood. I looked down at my sporty capris and new top and groaned. “Definitely need another shower. Not sure these pants will ever come clean.”

  “Sounds like a great excuse to go shopping,” Lori chimed in with a smile.

  I forced a smile and nodded. Brett’s raised eyebrows told me he didn’t see the humor. He put his arm around me, borrowed a towel to protect his car’s seat, and we left the Grill.

  I took a hot shower, using the water flow to mask my tears. Startled not hurt, I didn’t want to admit that maybe Brett was right. Clean, dressed in clean clothes, and de-stressed with the knowledge that Dawn was in custody, I looked forward to going to the police station. I no sooner felt calm and my phone rang. “Private” again. Obviously, it wasn’t Dawn making these calls.

  At my insistence, we stopped at the local donut shop for a dozen mixed. I argued I deserved comfort food and others at the station would enjoy them as well. Brett grunted at the stereotype. That didn’t keep him from snagging the maple nut frosted one though.

  When we arrived, we gave the remaining nine donuts to the officer of the day after he told Hirsch we were there. Officer Matthews came out and showed us to the interview room that looked in on Dawn, Hirsch and Lori. I whispered, “Lori?”

  Officer Matthews explained, “Female suspect, need a female in the room. Lori’s cool.”

  I nodded and we listened to Hirsch’s interrogation.

  “So Mrs. Baxter, what did Jebediah want from you or anyone else?”

  Dawn looked calmer, more composed. Still, her tension was evident in her clenched hands and bouncing knee. “He threatened to let all the skeletons out of the closet. He wanted money. I guess you could say he was blackmailing us.”

  “Us?”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Me and when I didn’t buckle – I don’t have that kind of money – old man Baxter.”

  “What were these skeletons? Were they worth killing him over?”

  Dawn shifted and both Hirsch and Lori tensed. “His multiple names and marriages, his illegitimate children mostly.”

  I was surprised she didn’t bring up Trevor. That wouldn’t have been the biggest secret in this day and age but still not acceptable in many families.

  “Didn’t the rest of the family know these secrets?”

  “Yes, everyone knew even though we never talked about it. Or at least the adults. As long as it wasn’t public knowledge, we could all pretend. If he made all the secrets public, I’d have to leave. I … I have no place to go and it’s all his fault.”

  “So, you killed him.”

  Dawn jumped up and spouted, “What? I loved…”

  Hirsch and Lori responded to her movement quickly and together got her seated.

  “Go on.”

  “I loved him then and I still loved him. Cathryn was my special child because he was her father. I was sure of that and it was confirmed when she developed the seafood and nut allergies. I couldn’t kill him. If only he hadn’t come back and been so mean.” Tears were streaming down her face.

  She put her head on the table and sobbed. Hirsch and Lori left the room. We watched Dawn as Lori came back in with a box of tissues. Hirsch joined us.

  He shook his head. “Now what?” he asked looking at Brett for direction. Turning to me, he asked, “Enjoy your breakfast, Sheridan?”

  I chose to ignore his question. “If she didn’t kill him, then who did?”

  Hirsch gave me a look like that was obvious, and I quickly added, “If not Zoe?”

  Brett chuckled and then more serious, suggested Hirsch ask her about the family dinner. He rattled off all the questions we wanted answers to starting with where the shrimp came from. Beyond that, he told Hirsch to ask her what she remembered about the kitchen that day and when the senior Jason stopped in at the restaurant.

  Hirsch shrugged and with a nod to Lori, they left. We watched them enter the other room. Dawn pulled herself together but looked deflated.

  “A few more questions, Mrs. Baxter. There was a family dinner the night before Jebediah died. Who arranged that dinner, bought the shrimp?”

  She looked confused, her brows knit. “Louisa called the restaurant around noon and told us all to be at the house for dinner. She called it an invitation. We all knew it was an order. She asked who was working, and I guess she called everyone individually. Jason and Kay were scheduled for the evening shift so they weren’t invited.”

  “And the shrimp?”

  “When we were ready to eat, old man Baxter said something about a great deal on shrimp, and how it was too good to pass up. After we ate, he asked Louisa about dessert. She acted all apologetic and he suggested that Harrison and Rebekah go pick up an ice cream cake or something at IGA. Once they left, he told us about Jebediah.”

  “Was that when you first became aware he was in town?”

  “That he was here, yes. I knew he was coming. He’d told me that a few weeks before, but I never got the letter he sent with the information or the game plan.”

  “The game plan?”

  “When I heard from him last, he said he had a plan that would net him the funds he needed for a new start.” />
  Hirsch nodded. “Back to the dinner. Who prepared the shrimp? How was it prepared?”

  Dawn knitted her brows again and looked at Hirsch like he was crazy. “What difference does it make? Some were boiled, some fried, some in Alfredo sauce. There must have been three or four different ways shrimp were prepared. And plenty of shrimp left over. Zoe took some home to make into shrimp salad. What difference does it make?”

  “Zoe the only one to take home leftovers?”

  “Well, most of the leftovers stayed there. I took some of the Alfredo for Kay and Jason. They missed the dinner because they were working.”

  “And then Mr. Baxter got everyone to agree not to talk to Jebediah? Is that correct?”

  “No one disagrees outright with old man Baxter. Doesn’t mean they listen.”

  Hirsch nodded and asked, “Did you talk with Jebediah before he died?”

  “Briefly. He called from the Hole in the Wall and told me one of his sons was in town and railed on him. His response was to get drunk before going back to Peabody’s. He told me he’d see me the next day.”

  “When did that call take place?”

  “That same night. I took the call and told everyone it was someone from the bar telling me he was there and drunk.” She shrugged like this was the most obvious explanation of all.

  “At the restaurant that day, Mr. Baxter told us he stopped by. Do you remember anything about that?”

  “I had the later shift and he was leaving when I arrived. That was about noon time. I don’t know how long he’d been there already. Lots of people come in for lunch. Trevor had orders backed up so I just went to work. He told me later he was backed up because Jebediah complained about the omelet, then changed his mind and wanted the chicken salad. He sent the first one back and requested the same order but with chicken salad without the nuts. Jebediah spotted the nuts and he’s allergic to them too.”

  “Anything else stand out?”

  Dawn shook her head and slouched in the chair. Hirsch stood up and Lori followed suit. She stopped at the door. “Can I get you water? Coffee? We’ll be through shortly.”

  Dawn shook her head and they left the room. On our side, we all sat at the table. Hirsch and Lori joined us.

  “Let’s assume, just for a minute, that Zoe didn’t kill Jebediah. After all, assuming that he ate the only piece of shrimp in his chicken salad is a stretch. Who else had access to chicken salad and shrimp?”

  “Trevor and Dawn were in the kitchen and both were at the dinner as well. Anyone else?”

  “Old man Baxter?” I asked. “He wasn’t doing food preparation, but he admitted that he stopped in.”

  Hirsch shook his head and then tilted it, struggling not to smile. “Not my job. Speaking of which, Sheridan, do you plan on pressing charges of assault?”

  I shook my head no. Assault with eggs and coffee? Not worth the time.

  We all stood and went in our own directions. By lunch time, Dawn would probably be back at work. I wasn’t planning on eating at the Grill for a while. I called Marty and let him know what had gone down.

  Back home, Brett worked on paperwork in the study and I did laundry. We took Charlie for a walk and talked about the party. I still hadn’t heard from Kaylie so I gave her a call.

  She answered and sounded upbeat instead of her usual distressed self. For a change, she wasn’t complaining about work. She could only talk about Nathaniel, the current possible Mr. Right. I listened like a good sister. With her history with men, I had reservations. It was a quick call and I hoped for the best.

  After dinner Madison called. She was excited to have done well in the day’s competition. She mentioned someone named Jake several times as she described the activities. Brett was concerned and then put off when I pointed out that this was only the beginning.

  We busied ourselves for a while and then both spoke at once. “I know you don’t get yourself in these situations on purpose…” “It’s not like I search out these situations…”

  We both laughed. Brett joined me on the couch and put his arms around me. Charlie didn’t want to be left out and jumped up.

  “I care about you and that means I worry about what happens to you. That’s not going to change.” His brows knitted together in a scowl.

  I wasn’t sure where this was going or how to respond. Afraid of what he would say next I tensed up.

  “Relax, Sher. I’ll still worry. Maybe less if I know you can defend yourself. We’ll need to work on the self-defense basics some more. We could schedule monthly refreshers for whoever is interested.”

  He shook his head and exhaled. “I’m betting that you wouldn’t use a gun even if I taught you how to shoot. Am I right?”

  My eyes opened wide in alarm and I nodded. “No way. I’d probably shoot myself or Charlie. You have a gun and that’s all we need.”

  “I figured as much. Then we stick to self-defense. I’ve been splitting my time between here and home already and that does have its advantages.” He squeezed and kissed me to make his point. “I’ll keep asking for all the cases and calls in this direction.”

  “I wondered how you happened to be assigned the cases in North Shore and Altavista so often. Now it makes sense.”

  “All of us detectives live in Appomattox. Jenks and Rogers both have families and prefer cases that don’t take them too far from home. It works out most times.” He held me close and kissed me. We snuggled and forgot about the murder for a while.

  CHAPTER 22

  No sooner had Brett and I pulled together a breakfast of French toast when my phone rang. It was the ever persistent “Private.” When I tried to ignore it, Brett answered it. Nothing.

  “That’s annoying to say the least.”

  “Yup, but it’s not threatening. It borders on harassment, except I don’t know who it is. I suspect it’s Priscilla, only I can’t prove it.”

  “Let me see if we can do a trace and see who this or at least get the number so you can block the caller after we eat.”

  With that in mind, while I cleaned up the dishes, Brett took my phone and headed back to the study. I could hear him on the phone with the dates and times that “Private” had called. It was a long list.

  Brett muttered something about needing to get some report done, which left me on my own. I read the paper, and sure enough the tentative announcement of Ryder Colbert as the new Chancellor was front page news. The background report by Joe was on page 7, with no surprises. Hard as I looked, there was not one word about the murder investigation, Zoe’s trial, or the Grill.

  I curled up with a good book and Charlie in the front room. I must have fallen asleep. The phone ringing startled me. Instead of “Private” it was Marty. I put the phone on speaker as Brett joined me.

  “Hi Marty, Brett’s here so you’re on speaker. How are you?”

  “Good. Tired but good. Also a little frustrated. I’ve been trying to get access to old man Baxter’s credit cards to verify that he purchased the shrimp. That in itself won’t help unless we can figure out how he contaminated that sandwich, but it would at least be a start.”

  “Who made the chicken salad? Is it made in house or bought pre-made like from someplace like Sam’s or Costco? Costco makes good chicken salad.”

  Marty chuckled and Brett smiled.

  “No idea. Hadn’t given it any thought. I guess I could chase that down. Sheridan, I did ask if the rest of the chicken salad was tested or only his sandwich. Unfortunately, I was right and it was only his sandwich. We have a lot of people with motive, but not means and opportunity. The only seafood in the restaurant the police found was Zoe’s shrimp salad.”

  “Trevor was doing food preparation. Have you talked with him?”

  “No, let me try and set something up. I’ll get back to you.”

  There wasn’t much else to talk about. I snoozed a little longer until Brett woke me to go for a walk and then a bite to eat. It was truly a leisurely day without much excitement.

  After dinne
r, Marty called to confirm an appointment with Trevor for the next morning. He said he also scheduled another appointment with the senior Jason Baxter for mid-morning. He hoped I was available for both. With the Chancellor search finished, I agreed.

  Brett and I left at about the same time. Marty and I had a rhythm going and he wasn’t expecting any surprises from Trevor. Trevor was a few minutes early and nervous. His eyes darted all around when the admin showed him into the office.

  “Come in and sit down, Mr. Baxter. I’m Mr. Cohn, and as you know, I represent Zoe. This is Sheridan Hendley. She’s helping me.”

  “We’ve met.” He looked down at the table and sat.

  “Mr. Baxter. May I call you Trevor?”

  Trevor nodded and Marty continued.

  “Trevor, can you tell me what you remember from the time you got to work on the day Jebediah died? When did you arrive at the Grill?”

  “Uh, like almost every day I work, I go in around 5 AM. We open at 6:30 for breakfast so I got the coffee ready and threw together some breads and muffins and got them in the oven.”

  “Who else works that early?”

  “Oh, I’m the only one there until about 6. Kent comes in most days and so does Rebekah or Kay. That day, it was Kay and she got there late and grumpy. All Dawn told her was that she had to open even though she had closed the night before. I filled her in on the plan.”

  “Did you say anything to Kent?”

  “No, why would I?” Marty ignored that question.

  “How does the rest of the schedule go?”

  “I take a lunch break around 10, so that’s when Zoe comes in. Lance or someone else comes in about then as well so whoever else is working can take breaks. All of us work through lunch.”

  “Is that what happened that day?”

  “More or less. Like I said Rebekah was supposed to work but her shift was cancelled. Kay replaced her and Lance was the second shift.”

  “So, starting off it was you, Kay, and Kent?”