by Lynn Cahoon
They made plans. After she hung up, Angie looked at Dom. “I don’t think she believes in my vision.”
Dom woofed. Which could have meant, I believe in you. Or, more likely it meant, If you’re not eating that breakfast, I will.
Angie pulled out a notebook and started making a list while she ate. She had the radio playing in the background, and the music made her happy. For a minute, she paused. Maybe she shouldn’t feel happy. Someone had died yesterday.
She shook her head. She was sad David had been killed, but it shouldn’t affect her life. She hadn’t killed him. She glanced at Dom. Then up at the clock. If she hurried, they could go for a quick run down at Celebration Park. She ran upstairs and changed into running clothes. The extra hour the contest judges had given her would be put to good use.
A little over an hour later, she was showered and back on the road, this time without Dom. He’d enjoyed his run, but now he was sleeping on his bed in the kitchen. He had learned to work around her schedule. Keeping a Saint Bernard busy was almost a full-time job.
She ordered her phone to call Felicia and got her voice mail. Leaving a quick message, she hung up and turned up the music. She spent the rest of her time planning through the day.
When she got out of the car at the grocery store, she saw Felicia leaning against her car and working on her phone. Angie walked up and stood in front of her. “What are you doing here?”
“I decided I was heading to the fairgrounds anyway. I wanted to show you something.” She handed Angie her phone.
A picture of a loaf of banana bread with a blue ribbon showed on the small screen. “You won?”
“I did. And the newspaper from town is coming to take pictures and do a story on me. Which means, on us. Next year, I’m canning. Wait, I told you that already, didn’t I?” Felicia was bouncing in place.
Angie smiled at her friend’s excitement. “Yes, you did. But I’m so excited for you. This is amazing.”
They chatted as they made their way into the store. In the produce section, Angie paused and started bagging lemons. “Check out my list and tell me what you think.”
As Felicia studied the shopping list, Angie put the bag into the cart and moved toward the berry section. A tall man was working there. “Tim, I’m glad I caught you. Did you get my email?”
The short man grinned, showing a too-bright smile. He was addicted to bleaching his teeth. Sometimes when she stopped into the store, his smile was so bright it hurt her eyes. “Good morning, Ms. Turner. I did get your email. And you are in luck. I have the crate in the back. One of my small suppliers had brought in a couple of flats just yesterday. Last berries of the season.”
“I’m so glad.” Angie knew that the start of the huckleberry season had been slowed by a hard winter and a late spring in the mountains. If the growers couldn’t get into the remote valleys to pick, the berries overripened and were ruined.
“I’ll be right back.” He tipped his hat at Felicia as he went to the back.
Felicia handed the paper back. “One thing, I’d add some pineapple. I know your lemon will add some acid, but the milk is going to offset that quickly.”
“There’s a reason I keep you around.” Angie smiled at her friend. “Not just for your award-winning banana bread.”
A woman in denim capris and a Perfect Pies for Any Meal T-shirt pushed her cart toward the area where Angie was standing. “I couldn’t help overhearing. You’re the one who won the banana bread category? I usually have that ribbon in my pocket, so imagine my surprise when I found I’d lost to someone.” She shoved her hand out to Felicia. “Sarah Fenny. I own Fenny’s Pies in downtown Nampa.”
“I’ve eaten there.” Felicia smiled and shook her hand. “Felicia Williams, and this is my partner from the County Seat, Angie Turner.”
Sarah studied Angie as they finished the greetings. “I have to admit, the County Seat has been on my list to check out for a few months now. Ever since you all got that great write-up in the Statesman.”
“You’re always welcome. We can do a chef table for you. Just let us know when you’re coming.” Angie considered the woman in front of her. She looked like someone’s maiden aunt. The one who seems to be surrounded by chaos, but yet you always have the best time at her house. “I’m afraid I haven’t visited your shop yet. Felicia gets around more than I do.”
An alarm went off on Sarah’s watch. “Well, that’s my cue, I’ve got a ton of stuff to do before we start today. Good luck at the contest.”
Before she could move her cart, another one blocked her from advancing. “Looks like you two are collaborating on your dishes.”
“We’re talking, Miquel.” Felicia pushed his cart away for Sarah to have room to leave. “Why are you being such a jerk this weekend?”
He ignored her question, his eyes narrowing his gaze on Angie. “You should watch out. Maybe you don’t want to win. You saw what happened to the last guy who did.”
“Are you saying you killed David? I have a cell, so you can call the police and confess.” Angie pulled her phone out of her purse. “Do you want to use it?”
“Whatever. That’s not what I said, but if I were you, I wouldn’t try so hard. You all think you’re so special, moving here from California, trying to steal our business.”
Angie was almost able to keep the comment from coming out, but the smirk on his face made it impossible. “No one can take away your customers. You must be sending them away with a bad taste in their mouth.”
“Now you’ve crossed the line.” Miquel stepped closer, but right then Tim came out of the back, a box on his shoulder.
He frowned at the group. The emotion must have been overwhelming for him to read the situation that quickly. “What’s going on? Everything okay here?”
“You watch yourself,” Miquel hissed as he pushed his cart out of the area.
Tim put the box on Angie’s cart. “Maybe I should help you shop. I would hate for you to run into him again without some backup.”
Angie watched Miquel storm down the long aisle in the back of the store. “I wouldn’t turn down the help.”
Chapter 5
River Vista Sheriff Allen Brown sat outside on one of the folding chairs the contest organizers had set out by each trailer. Two folding chairs and a table. Most of the restaurants had ashtrays set out as well, but none of Angie’s staff smoked. At least none who had confessed. She’d brought out two large glasses of iced tea so that Ian’s uncle wouldn’t have heatstroke as he interviewed her about the scene at the store.
“Look, I told Ian, it wasn’t a big deal. The guy was just posturing, trying to get in our heads to mess up our performance today. I don’t think he’s a killer. But if he is, he’s dumb as a bag of rocks for tipping his hand.” Angie sipped her tea. It felt good to sit still for a minute. She’d been working full-bore since they’d been let into their trailers. The staff had moved the Sandpiper trailer off-site as well as the two “losers” from yesterday’s competition.
“Can you let me do my job?” He mopped at his forehead with his handkerchief. “At least this time? I’m about done working with the hodgepodge of people over in that security trailer. Everyone thinks they’re a big dog, and the territory marking is getting a little out of hand.”
Angie felt her lips curve into a smile. She’d wondered how the joint task force would be working, and Sheriff Brown had just answered her question. “Anyway, Miquel’s just a jerk.”
“So, it was you and Felicia and who else?”
Angie sighed. The sheriff wasn’t giving up. “Sarah Fenny. So, you all don’t have any leads as to who killed David?”
His head popped up from focusing on his notebook. “Who said he was killed?”
“He’s dead. And everyone and their dogs are here investigating. That wouldn’t have happened if it was just a heart attack.” She sipped her tea, considering h
er next words. “Besides, I talked to Ian.”
“That boy. He needs to learn not to run his mouth.”
Angie was about to tell Sheriff Brown if he hadn’t told Ian in the first place, she wouldn’t have learned anything. But she thought better of it. “Poison is a scary way to die.”
“Maybe the killer just wants to scare people off. Please don’t spread this rumor. I’m sure you don’t want people panicking and not being able to have a good time.”
“Maybe that’s what the killer wants.”
He ran a hand over his head. “I don’t understand. What does he want?”
“For people to be scared. Maybe someone doesn’t want the fair contest to continue. Or at least not here.” Angie glanced around at the prime development land surrounding her. She wouldn’t put it past some shady developer to want the land, come hell or high water. “You might want to look into developers who are interested in buying the land. If Garden City had to lay off police officers, maybe they’re looking for a way to raise some capital.”
He stared at her, then wrote something down. “Tell me again why you went into cooking rather than law enforcement?”
The backhanded compliment made her smile. “I’m good with details. And wondering why.”
Matt stuck his head out of the trailer. “We’re ready to taste-test if you are.”
Sheriff Brown waved her away. “We’re done for now. Just be careful. Don’t take any shiny apples from old women.”
“I would almost think you cared.” Angie stood, taking her iced tea with her.
“My nephew likes having you around. I love my nephew. You do the math.” He finished off the tea and handed her the glass. “I’m going to hang out here for a few minutes and make some calls.”
“Works for me.” Angie paused at the stairs leading into the trailer. “I will be careful. Not only for me, but for those two in there. I kind of like having them around.”
“Well, let’s just hope this is an isolated incident. The easiest answer is that David Nubbins had an enemy who decided to get him out of the picture.”
* * * *
After the competition, which Angie felt they nailed, she found Ian sitting at the table where she’d left his uncle hours ago. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to make sure you were okay. And to get another corn dog. Man, those things are addictive. And you can’t get a good one except during this one week.” He stood, nodding to Matt and Hope. “How did it go?”
“Great!” Hope rolled her shoulders. “The milkshake was amazing, and with the alcohol, it just had a power punch. I know we’re going to win.”
“That’s exactly what you said last night,” Matt reminded her.
She shook her head. “No, last night I said our corn dogs were awesome. We didn’t make corn dogs today.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know—”
Angie interrupted the two. If there was only one piece of evidence that showed she’d turned the kitchen staff into a kitchen family, it was the way these two fought like brother and sister. “Now, children, Mama loves you both. Let’s go grab something to eat. I’m buying.”
They found an empty table at the Baptist Church’s tent, where they were frying onions to go on top of hamburgers. Ian and Matt stood in line waiting for food while Hope and Angie saved a table.
Hope yawned. “I can’t believe how much work this is. I thought going to school and working a night shift was brutal. This is crazy, and it’s fewer hours.”
“It’s the heat. Even with the air-conditioning on high, we need to keep hydrating ourselves. Make sure you keep your water bottle full.” Angie leaned back in her chair. “You’re doing great. When do you graduate?”
“Next May.” Hope smiled, looking off in the distance like she could see the finish line. “And the week after that, my folks are taking me on a cruise. Can you believe it? We’re flying to Florida, getting on a boat, and relaxing for seven days.”
“Sounds like heaven.” Angie rubbed the top of her shoulder.
Hope frowned. “I mean, if I can get the time off. I don’t want you to think I won’t still want my job.”
“Of course you can have the time off. But I think your job will be over as soon as you graduate.”
Fear filled her eyes. Then she nodded. “I understand. You’ll probably want to hire another student for the dishwasher job.”
Angie could see the wheels turning in Hope’s head. “Darn right. I mean, I can’t have you doing dishes when you’re supposed to be a chef, right? I think, though, we’ll get a freshman so the kitchen doesn’t get filled up with trained chefs too fast.”
“Filled up?”
“If I hire you as a line cook, and then the next student does as well as you do, I’ll have to hire them too. Then we’ll have way too many cooks in the kitchen. And you know what they say about that.”
Hope took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a minute. “I thought you would fire me, not promote me.”
“Why would I do that?” Angie leaned back as Ian set a plate filled with a too-large burger and a matching pile of crispy fries.
“Because she’s totally annoying and needs to go out into the world to find out that things aren’t really as cushy as they are working for you.” Matt set Hope’s plate down and then shoved five or more fries in his mouth. He made wavy movements at her. “Fly little bird. Fly.”
“Stop being mean.” Hope took a big bite of the burger, then leaned over and breathed on Matt’s face. “Here’s onion breath for you.”
“Cooties…girl cooties…”
Ian glanced over at Angie. “I take it you’ve had to deal with this all day?”
“Yeah, typically I have Estebe to put down the hammer, but these two aren’t afraid of me. So, they sniped at each other all during prep and service.” Angie dipped a fry into the “special sauce,” which appeared to be Thousand Island dressing. “Maybe I should fire one of them. I need to up my street cred.”
“You have no street cred, and you wouldn’t fire either of them anyway. Especially since when they aren’t talking all the time, they do a great job.” Ian glanced over at the other two, who had stopped eating and were watching the exchange. “What? You think we don’t talk about you behind your back too?”
“Harsh, man.” Matt glanced at his watch. “Fifteen minutes before the next winner is announced. Hopefully we’ll have a quiet night. I don’t care if we win at this point. I just don’t want to lose—or have someone on the team poisoned.”
“We locked up the trailer, right?” When Matt nodded, she relaxed a little. “Just do me a favor, and if there is an open container or an unfamiliar snack that shows up, don’t eat it.”
“What if the bottle says ‘Drink Me’ on the side?” Hope took another fry and pointed it at Angie. “Or maybe there’s a note?”
Ian glanced at Angie. “Is she for real?”
“She’s teasing. But just to be safe, throw away anything that looks suspicious. I’d hate to have my employer rates go up because I had to pay out a death claim on our life insurance.” Angie dug into her burger. This was too good to let go to waste.
“Wouldn’t that be workman’s comp?” Ian asked conversationally.
Angie wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I guess you’re right.”
Hope and Matt exchanged worried glances.
“What do you two know that we don’t?” Matt asked, his fries gone and his hamburger forgotten for the moment.
“Oh, so much—but I think you’re talking about more recent events.” Ian looked up from dipping his last fry. “Just listen to your boss, and don’t be stupid. David Nubbins is dead from a suspected poisoning. You don’t want to follow in his footsteps.”
By the time they got back to the Restaurant Wars section, the area was crowded with people. Apparently a suspected murder had in
creased interest in the local competition. Angie was having trouble making her way through the crowd. Matt pulled the two women behind him. They were making good progress when she bumped into someone and lost hold of Matt’s hand.
She realized she’d dropped her bag in the shuffle, but when she peered down at the ground, in between a mass of feet and legs, she spied it a few inches to her left. She reached down, but a male hand dropped down and picked it up. She lifted her head and came face-to-face with the guy who had sold her the cotton candy on Friday night.
“Well, if it isn’t the blue girl.” He smiled. A missing tooth on the left side of his mouth made his smile seem a little sinister. He held out her bag. “You dropped this.”
“Thanks. It’s a big crowd.”
He glanced around, nodding. His gray hair was pulled back into a ponytail. His faded blue eyes seemed to scan the crowd and then return to meet hers, confirming her statement. “People like competitions. Makes them feel important.”
“And they like trying new restaurants too.” Angie wasn’t sure where the conversation was going, but he seemed to have a negative bent on humankind. Which was odd for a man who worked in a fun customer service career. She moved toward her trailer. “Sorry, I need to be in place when the announcement is made.”
“You’re one of the competitors?” He looked surprised at her statement.
“The County Seat. Stop by if you have time before you head out of town. We’re in River Vista.”
As she started to walk away, she heard his response. “I just might do that.” For some reason, it chilled her.
When she finally got to the trailer, Ian was watching for her. She handed her bag to Hope and asked her to put it away inside.
“What kept you? I was about to go looking, but in this crowd, I would have probably been better off standing on top of the stage to give me some height.” Ian put his arm around her. “You’re shaking. What happened?”
“Remember the guy at the cotton candy booth the other night?” Angie shook her head when Ann Cole tapped on the microphone. “Never mind. I’ll tell you later.”