Cooks, Crooks and a Corpse (Baker Girls Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Page 16
I made it inside my place, determined to take a hot bath and go to bed early, when Max called. My head felt heavy. I didn’t want to think. He asked if he could come over. I knew how that would end, so I put him off until the next evening. Maybe it would be good for me, and get my mind off a certain forbidden temptation
The chiming of my cellphone woke me up at four in the morning
“Hello.”
“It took you long enough.”
Tommy. Count to ten, Monica.
“You need to get to the hospital, the one on Bell Road.”
“Have you been drinking? Were you in an accident?”
“Shut up and listen. Aunt Brenda is there. Apparently she was found unconscious in her car. You need to go pick up Dior before they turn him over to Animal Control or something.”
“Oh, my god. Tommy—”
“Stop whining and hit the road.”
He was gone. Was this real? Did Brenda try to reach me? What happened to her? A stroke? My mind reeled as I got dressed. Bell Road and what? Think, Monica, think. My mouth felt full of dirt, I grabbed a bottle of water on my way out.
The Emergency entrance had the brighter lights so that’s how I entered. It looked like I had arrived as one shift ended and a new one started. Confusion? Maybe I was the confused one. Eventually I was routed to a different wing of the hospital.
I found Dior sitting on the floor next to a young firefighter or maybe EMT. Both dog and man looked tired. Dior’s mood picked up when he recognized me. I realized then that I'd forgotten to bring his leash.
I asked about Brenda. The young man encouraged me to follow the nurse, and he promised he would stay with Dior until I got back. If only I could explain all that to the poor pooch. I forced myself to not cry as he whined and whimpered when I left with the nurse.
A quick glimpse at lifeless looking Brenda, hooked to tubes and beeping machines, nearly put me in an emergency room bed. The nurse assured me that Brenda was going to make it, but she was going to be unconscious until the drugs were fully out of her system. What drugs?
She whisked me away to an office where I had to answer questions, sign papers and collect Brenda’s belongings. Thanks to our shared last name, no one questioned me regarding the legality of my signing for her. We found her insurance card in her wallet, they also wanted a credit card on file.
They repeated that her prognosis was excellent, and that she could be released in twenty-four hours, with the approval of a psychiatrist. Sleeping pills and a possible attempted suicide slipped into the conversation. What? Dior’s barking inside the car had attracted attention and saved her life.
Her Pilot had been towed by the police department and they suggested I take charge of the Great Dane, now. Administration had been exceptionally understanding. Someone would call me if any change occurred or if my presence was needed. And with that I collected Dior, thanked the young man over and over, and was soon on my way home.
I was stunned. I felt defeated. I was in denial for a while. Sleeping pills? I had never known Brenda to use them. Attempted suicide? Impossible.
The last few days had brought nothing but good news, and it was all bound to lead to more happiness for Brenda. What went wrong? Why didn’t she reach out? Tell me?
My next phase was anger and confusion. I felt like a ticking bomb. I wanted to hurt somebody, starting with Tommy. But down deep I wanted to punish myself for being too busy feeling sorry for myself to notice Brenda’s descent into whatever nightmare had brought her to do what she did. If she really did it. There was the denial again.
The sun was up high in the sky by the time I unlocked Brenda’s back door to get Dior’s water bowl and some dry food. He was probably starving, the poor baby. I decided to keep him with me until Brenda got home, so he wouldn’t feel abandoned.
I switched on the television just to have some background noise to stop me from thinking. It was the news channel. A name caught my attention. Him, the senator from hell was being interviewed. I turned it up so I could hear it over Dior’s manic decimation of kibble.
There he was, the man who'd sucked up Brenda’s youth without a bit of remorse. He was all dapper in a gray suit and blue tie, tanned face and gray temples, the stereotypical politician and philanderer. Tristan’s amber eyes and midnight hair crossed my mind’s eye. I forced it away and concentrated on the screen and the snake’s words.
“A relief. That’s the best way to describe the situation. Long overdue.”
What was the adulterous creep talking about?
“Our lawyers are working to make this as swift and painless as possible. I've already proposed to my bride to be.”
Big smile, long pause. Then the picture of a young, large busted Barbie-like blonde flashed on the screen. The interviewer mentioned her name. She had been the senator’s secretary slash lover for the past ten months.
Noooo. Brenda. Now I knew why. I couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t right or fair. Brenda, poor Brenda. I hurled the TV remote control at the screen and missed it. I was so upset, I couldn’t breathe. Dior yelped, he needed to go out. Breathe, Monica, breathe.
We walked around the block twice. I cried my anger away, and spoke to Dior to soothe his fear, then headed back to the house. My cellphone had rung a couple of times, but I couldn’t answer it. I was afraid it was a client and they would guess my turmoil by my voice.
Finally, I called the hospital and was told all was good. Brenda was slowly regaining consciousness and perhaps I could visit later in the afternoon.
Next I called Tommy, not that he deserved to get the update, but, well, he was Brenda’s only blood relative that I knew of. No answer. I hesitated then clicked Kassandra’s number. She answered immediately. “Kassandra, hope I’m not catching you at the wrong time. I’m trying to get hold of Tommy to tell him about his aunt. Is he there?”
“No.” she kept an even tone and yet if felt like a scream.
“Is everything okay?”
“It is now. And, Monica? You were right. I should have listened. But I had to find out the hard way. Anyway, lesson learned, I kicked him out late last night.”
“Oh. Well, you’re a quick learner, that’s all I’m saying.”
She snickered. “Hey Monica, you think you can drive me to the mechanic to get my car when it’s done?”
“Huh, I guess. Any idea when?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m waiting for their call. How’s Brenda?”
“Good, sort of. She’s going to be okay. Well Tommy should see I called him. It’s up to him to call back. Okay then, let me know when you need the ride. We can talk later. Ciao.”
Wow. Kassandra knew how to take care of herself. Good. I wasn’t going to worry about Tommy, not now.
I checked my phone. There were two calls, one from Max, the other one from Tristan. I moved to click on Tristan’s number when Dior came to sit next to me, his trusting eyes staring at me, seeking comfort, the way I counted on Brenda when I needed reassurance. Remembering the way she looked in that hospital bed flashed before my eyes. Because of a man. A man she trusted.
I deleted Tristan's message, and called Max.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Brenda’s Pasta Primavera- serves 4
This version works for vegetarians. If you are following a gluten-free diet, substitute gluten-free pasta for regular pasta. You can use your favorite brand. My choice is Barilla.
12 ounces of pasta. Brenda’s uses Barilla thin spaghetti
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
½ pound of broccoli, trim thick stems
½ pound of cauliflower
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of heavy cream
Cook pasta according to directions.
While waiting for water to boil chop broccoli and cauliflower into bite size pieces.
Once the pasta is in the pot, melt butter in large skillet over low heat, but don’t let it brown. Set aside.
Two mi
nutes before removing the pasta from the boiling pot add the chopped broccoli and cauliflower to the boiling water/pasta.
Drain well pasta and veggies, transfer to the skillet with melted butter, toss well. Add heavy cream and cheese, toss some more and serve. (4 servings)
Buon appetito
Monica’s 1 pot-15 minutes version… if you dare… serves 2
8 ounces of pasta, (half a package) Barilla thin spaghetti cooks in 5-6 minutes al dente
Salt and pepper as needed.
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 tablespoon of olive oil
¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1-10 ounces package of frozen vegetables. Monica likes the Oriental Stir-fry plain, but any frozen vegetables would do.
Cook pasta according to directions.
While pasta is cooking, open frozen vegetables, discard wrapping and put vegetables in colander. Let hot water from kitchen faucet run over frozen vegetables. That way they will thaw but remain crisp.
When pasta is done, turn off faucet and pour pasta over vegetables in colander. Drain well.
Quickly return the pot in which the pasta was cooked to the same burner, add butter. Allow it to melt over a low burner but do not allow it to brown.
Pour pasta and vegetables on top of melted butter, add olive oil and toss well.
Serve with grated cheese to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
A note from Maria Grazia Swan
Dear readers and friends, thank you so much for taking a chance on this new series. By now you already figured out it’s a little or a lot different from my other series. I’m not sure why. I tend to sit and write what my characters suggest. This series, is my first with Arizona as locale. The fact that I live in Phoenix helps….Because it is the first book of a new series, your suggestions, ideas and comments in general are very welcome, and so are reviews, of course.
Hope to hear from you, here is my email mgsweb1@gmail.com mille grazie e ciao for now.
More books by Maria Grazia Swan
Lella York series
Gemini Moon #1
Venetian Moon #2
Desert Moon #3
Mina’s Adventure series:
Love Thy Sister #1
Bosom Bodies #2
Italian Summer #3
Ashes of Autumn #4
A Cat to Die For #5
Best in Show #6
About the Author
Best selling author Maria Grazia Swan was born in Italy, but this rolling stone has definitely gathered no moss. She lived in Belgium, France, Germany, in beautiful Orange County, California where she raised her family, and is currently at home in Phoenix, Arizona–but stay tuned for weekly updates of Where in the World is Maria Grazia Swan?
These days her time is devoted to her deepest passions: writing and helping people and pets find the perfect home.
Maria loves travel, opera, good books, hiking, and intelligent movies (if she can find one, that is). When asked about her idea of a perfect evening, she favors stimulating conversation, Northern Italian food and perfectly chilled Prosecco–but then, who doesn't?
You can find out more by visiting her website www.mariagraziaswan.com or connecting with her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MariaGraziaSwan?ref=hl