by Kathi Daley
“I was, but then the woman making my wedding cake was murdered and Cody’s mother is the prime suspect, so I decided angsting over a new venue could wait.”
Tara’s mouth fell open. “What?”
I walked into the cat lounge and flopped onto the sofa. Tara, my sister Cassie, and our assistant, Willow, all followed. The three women stood staring at me like I’d lost my mind. Who knew, maybe I had.
“Maybe you should start at the beginning,” Tara said.
I nodded. “I was at the cabin late this morning, trying to figure out what I was going to do about the ceremony, now that the church is closed for repair, when Siobhan came over to let me know she’d spoken to Finn, who’d informed her that Sally from the bakery had been found dead by her assistant this morning.”
“Oh no. Poor Sally,” Willow said. “What happened?”
“She was hit from behind with a rolling pin or a rolling-pin-shaped object. At least that’s what Finn suspected.”
“So get back to the part about Mrs. West,” Cassie suggested.
“Finn told Siobhan it appeared as if Cody’s mother might have been the last person to see Sally alive. It seems she went to the bakery late yesterday afternoon to change my cake order because, apparently, white cake with white frosting is boring and stupid.”
I saw Tara cringe.
“Sorry.” I cringed in response. “That was rude and very inappropriate. A woman is dead and here I am, complaining about the actions of the woman who might have killed her.”
“Mrs. West might have killed her?” Tara asked, taking a seat next to Willow.
“Finn said two women were passing the bakery while Mrs. West was yelling at Sally. They heard her tell Sally to make the changes or suffer the consequences.”
Willow audibly gasped. “You don’t think she actually…”
“No. At least, I hope not. But the sheriff is taking the threat seriously. He told Finn to bring Mrs. West in for questioning. I think she’s still there. I was told to stay far away from the place while the sheriff’s on the island. And I did. For a while. But I got tired of waiting, so I decided to go by to take a peek. Finn saw me and yelled at me, so I came here.”
“You know Sally was Sheriff Fowler’s half sister?” Willow asked.
I frowned. “She was? I had no idea.” I bit my lip. “I guess that’s why Finn wanted me to stay out of the line of fire. He was just looking out for me.”
“She and her husband moved to the island from Seattle to be closer to him,” Willow confirmed. “I attend the same exercise class as Sally, and while I wouldn’t say we were close, we chatted on several occasions. It sounds like Sally and her brother were pretty close.”
“This sounds really bad,” Tara said.
I had to agree.
“The sheriff must be devastated,” Cassie said, a touch of sadness in her voice.
“Yeah,” I agreed, feeling like a terrible person for trying to make Sally’s death all about me.
“Do you think they’re going to put Mrs. West in jail?” Cassie asked.
I narrowed my gaze. “I don’t think based on an argument and nothing more they would actually arrest her.”
“What if there’s something more than just the argument?” Willow asked.
I really, really wished I could say without a doubt in my mind that Cody’s mother would never get mad enough to haul off and smack someone with a rolling pin, but from her behavior in the past few days, I couldn’t help but wonder if that wasn’t exactly what she’d done.
******
While Sheriff Fowler didn’t arrest Cody’s mother, he did tell her that she was a person of interest in the investigation and warned her not to leave the island, which she wasn’t planning to do anyway. His request still angered her. When Cody arrived at my cabin after dropping his mother at her hotel, he looked as if he’d been put though the ringer. Poor guy. I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel if my mother was the prime suspect in a murder investigation.
“Does it seem as if the sheriff actually thinks your mother is guilty of killing Sally?” I asked after opening a beer and handing it to the man I still hoped to marry in just a few days if we were able to find an alternate venue.
“He didn’t say it in so many words, but Finn said in confidence that my mother was argumentative and even somewhat belligerent while being interviewed, which didn’t help her case.” Cody ran his hand through his hair. “I suspected my mother might not be quite as okay with our wedding plans as she indicated when I originally spoke to her. I even suspected a bit of an attitude, but I honestly didn’t expect her to act the way she has.”
“It does seem as if she’s been trying to sabotage our wedding ever since she arrived on the island.” I sighed, sitting down next to him. “I don’t understand why. Doesn’t she like me?”
Cody used one finger to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “She likes you. It’s just that she blames you for ending my military career. I knew that and should have anticipated there was going to be fallout.”
I sat up straight. “What? How can she blame me for ending your military career? I had nothing to do with that. We weren’t even dating when you decided to leave the SEALs and move back to the island.”
“I know.” Cody let out a long breath. “It’s just that she really had her heart set on my being career military, like my grandfather. And at one point I considered a career in the military as an option. But after a decade in the Navy, I realized that wasn’t what I wanted for a lifetime. After moving back to the island and buying the newspaper, I had to explain my decisions to her. In the course of listing my reasons, I might have let it slip that one of them had to do with my feelings for you, and my desire to live in one place long enough to see where those feelings might lead.”
I closed my eyes and groaned. And here I’d been thinking the only problem the woman had with me was my desire to get married on Madrona Island rather than in Florida. For the first time I understood that the loving, close mother-daughter relationship I’d hoped to have with Mrs. West had been doomed from the beginning.
Cody continued. “I’m sorry my mother this way. I thought she’d have the maturity to behave herself at my wedding despite of her feelings, but I can see now I was wrong. I don’t believe she’d kill anyone, but I have no doubt she not only tried to sabotage our cake but that she yelled at the poor woman for hesitating to do what she demanded.”
I couldn’t help but throw my hands in the air. “So what do we do now? Do we cancel the wedding? For all we know, your mother could be in jail by Saturday.”
“She isn’t going to be in jail. We’ll figure out who really killed Sally and my mother will be off the hook.”
I began to pace. “We’re getting married in four days. Four days!” I couldn’t quite keep the screechy, loud tone out of my voice. “We don’t have a venue for the ceremony or a cake. Your mother is not only the prime suspect in a murder investigation, but even if we manage to clear that up, she’ll still hate me.” I took a long breath in, then blew it out slowly. “Maybe this wedding just wasn’t meant to be.”
Cody put his hands on my shoulders. Turning me toward him, he looked me directly in the eye. “Are you saying you want to cancel the wedding?”
I felt my anger dissipate as I looked into Cody’s deep blue eyes. “No. That isn’t what I want. I want to marry you and have your babies and build a life with you, but it seems as if things shouldn’t be this hard.”
“I know.” Cody pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me. “But sometimes life is hard, and sometimes we’re forced to make compromises. I wish you’d been able to have your dream wedding. I really do. But I know we make a good team. A strong team. If we work together, I know we can figure this out.”
I squeezed Cody around the middle with my arms. “You’re right. I’m sorry about the meltdown.” I loosened my grip and took a step back. I looked at Cody him again. “What we need is a plan. A list. We have four days to pull everything together.�
�
Cody kissed me on the nose. “That’s my girl. I’ll grab a pen and pad and we’ll get to work.”
I sat down on the sofa and stared into the cracking fire I’d built earlier to chase away the chill. Cody and I had real obstacles to overcome if we were going to get married on Saturday as planned, but if it took every ounce of energy I had, somehow I was going to make it happen.
“We have several small obstacles and one very large one,” I said once Cody sat down next to me. “Beginning with what seemed like a huge obstacle this morning and now seems like a minor problem compared to Sally’s murder: We need a place to hold the ceremony.”
“What about here?” Cody asked. “The reception is going to be here on the estate, so why not just do the whole thing here?”
“What about the storm? We could cram everyone into the house for the reception if need be, but there won’t be room to set up chairs for as many people as we ended up inviting.”
“Yeah,” Cody said. “The storm could be a problem. It’s supposed to roll in tomorrow evening and the first wave should blow through by Friday morning, but according to the weather forecast, there should be a second wave blowing through shortly after that. If we’re going to get married on Saturday, we need an indoor venue. Maybe the recreation center?”
I made a face. “That seems cold and impersonal. What would you think about postponing the wedding?”
“Until when?” he asked.
“Father Bartholomew is still waiting for the contractor to get back to him, but he hoped the church would be repaired in time to reopen on Sunday, November 25. If that happens, he offered to let us have the ceremony after the morning services. I know that isn’t ideal, but we’ll need to call everyone we invited anyway, so other than your mother and cousin, who came from out of town, I’m pretty sure everyone else will be able to come on the twenty-fifth.”
“And if it doesn’t reopen by then?”
“Then we’ll need to move on to plan B, or maybe by that point it will be plan C. I know there’s quite a bit of uncertainty involved at this point, but Father Bartholomew should have a better idea when the contractor will be done by the first part of next week. I’m inclined to wait to see what he comes back with.”
Cody paused. From his frown, he wasn’t happy with the idea, but eventually, he admitted that postponing the wedding to see if the church could still work out might be the best idea.
“So, about the cake…” Cody said.
“I’ll ask Tara to make it. I should have asked her in the first place. I didn’t want to make such a huge request because she’s already going to be maid of honor and she’s covering for me at the bookstore, but I kind of think she was hurt when I decided to order the cake from Sally.”
“Okay.” Cody jotted down a few notes. “We’ll ask Father Bartholomew about doing the wedding at some point after the church reopens and Tara to do the cake. Are you still thinking of having the reception here at Finn and Siobhan’s place?”
I nodded. “If it turns out to be nice by the time we get around to doing the ceremony, we’ll have it in the yard, and if the weather is bad, we’ll all cram into the house.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“It sounds like we have it covered, although it might be a good idea to find Sally’s killer so your mom is no longer a suspect and we won’t have that hanging over our heads.”
“Let’s call Father Bartholomew, then talk to Siobhan and Tara. Once we have those details ironed out, we can focus on proving she didn’t kill Sally.”
“Are you sure she didn’t?” I asked.
“Of course I’m sure she didn’t. I know she’s been acting irrationally since she’s been here, but she wouldn’t attack anyone. At least I don’t think she would.”
“Has your mother always been this domineering?”
Cody shrugged. “She’s the sort of person who likes to get her way. I know that’s why my dad left. I suppose it’s also why I went into the military. She had it in her head that I was going to have a career in the military, and she isn’t the sort of person you say no to. I think she means well, but she does have a way of steamrolling over anyone who disagrees with her.”
“Have you ever witnessed her taking out her frustration in a physical manner? Could she have been so frustrated that she hauled off and hit a woman who wouldn’t do as she asked before she even had a chance to think about the consequences?”
Cody frowned. “Honestly? I’ve seen her become physically aggressive. Not hit anyone, but she used to throw things at my dad. Dishes and knickknacks mostly.” Cody groaned. “Maybe I was playing with fire to even invite her here. I’m beginning to think we should have eloped after all.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing.”
Recipes:
Thanksgiving Leftovers
Leftover Turkey Sandwiches
Turkey Soup
Turkey Stew
Leftover Turkey Sandwiches
¼ cup mayo
½ cup leftover cranberry sauce
6 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
¾ lb. leftover turkey
6 slices cooked bacon, cut in half
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced red onion
lettuce
2 oz. cream cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix mayo and cranberry sauce together. Spread cranberry mayo on all six pieces of bread.
Pile ¼ of the turkey onto two slices of bread and top with lettuce, followed by 2 slices of bacon, cheddar cheese and red onion. Place other piece of bread on top, cranberry mayo side down.
Spread middle piece of bread with one oz. of cream cheese. Top with turkey, followed by bacon, cheese, and red onion.
Place toothpicks in corners of sandwich. Place on sheet pan and bake until cheese is melted.
Turkey Soup
2 qt. chicken broth
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. dried thyme
¼ cup butter, cubed
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 can (10¾ oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
½ cup dry white wine or additional chicken broth
3 cups cooked wild rice
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
In Dutch oven, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in soup and wine. Add rice and turkey; heat through.
Turkey Stew
⅓ cup chopped onion
¼ cup butter, cubed
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. pepper
1 can (10½ oz.) condensed chicken broth, undiluted
¾ cup whole milk
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 cup cooked peas
1 cup cooked whole baby carrots
1 tube (10 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
In a 10-in. ovenproof skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper until blended. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Add the turkey, peas, and carrots; heat through. Separate biscuits and arrange over the stew.
Bake at 375 degrees until biscuits are golden brown, 20–25 minutes.
Books by Kathi Daley
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:
Halloween Hijinks
The Trouble With Turkeys
Christmas Crazy
Cupid’s Curse
; Big Bunny Bump-off
Beach Blanket Barbie
Maui Madness
Derby Divas
Haunted Hamlet
Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
Christmas Cozy
Alaskan Alliance
Matrimony Meltdown
Soul Surrender
Heavenly Honeymoon
Hopscotch Homicide
Ghostly Graveyard
Santa Sleuth
Shamrock Shenanigans
Kitten Kaboodle
Costume Catastrophe
Candy Cane Caper
Holiday Hangover
Easter Escapade
Camp Carter
Trick or Treason
Reindeer Roundup
Hippity Hoppity Homicide
Firework Fiasco
Henderson House
Holiday Hostage – December 2018
Zimmerman Academy The New Normal
Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook
Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press:
Pumpkins in Paradise
Snowmen in Paradise
Bikinis in Paradise
Christmas in Paradise
Puppies in Paradise
Halloween in Paradise
Treasure in Paradise
Fireworks in Paradise
Beaches in Paradise
Thanksgiving in Paradise – Fall 2019
Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:
Romeow and Juliet
The Mad Catter
Grimm’s Furry Tail
Much Ado About Felines
Legend of Tabby Hollow
Cat of Christmas Past
A Tale of Two Tabbies
The Great Catsby
Count Catula
The Cat of Christmas Present