Death At A Diner: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (A Murder In Milburn Book 1)

by Nancy McGovern

  “What breed is she?” Mrs. Mullally asked.

  “I’ve been asking myself that since I picked her up at the pound three years ago,” Sean said with a smile.

  “One of the only mysteries you haven’t solved, then,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Come right into the house, will you? My tenant’s made some Venison Shepherd’s Pie, and it’s come right out of the oven just now. I’ve got some lovely rhubarb iced tea to go with it too.”

  “I couldn’t possibly,” Sean said, even though he’d begun salivating at the thought. His current plans for lunch involved a very sad tuna salad sandwich and a slightly wilting pack of lettuce. It was 3 pm, and he was starving, but had been putting off the meal.

  “Oh, I know you, Sean. You’ve probably had nothing but coffee all day.”

  “Not true,” Sean said. He’d had coffee and a protein bar.

  “What you need,” Mrs. Mullally said, “is a woman to feed you and look after you.”

  “Well, I’ve been after you to marry me for a long time,” Sean teased. “But you break my heart each time.”

  Mrs. Mullally, who wasn’t a day younger than 80, blushed red. “Sean Dracon, you young rascal, I’ve known you since you were pint sized. Go on, now. Sit yourself down and have at it.” They entered through her yellow and white tiled kitchen with a handsome wooden floor, and Mrs. Mullally smiled, taking time to caress a new potted plant that stood at one of the window ledges, tiny sprouts peeking out of it.

  “That’s new,” Sean commented.

  “Oh, Nora’s decided to grow her own herbs,” Mrs. Mullally said. “She’s actually been asking me to rent her the garden so that she can start her own vegetable patch too.”

  “What’d you say to that?” Sean asked, half interested, as he sat down at the kitchen island. Mrs. Mullally took out a steaming dish from the oven, set it down next to him, then placed a delicate china plate with blue flowers dotting its edges down in front of him. “I told her, Nora, you better not be getting any fancy ideas,” Mrs. Mullally said.

  “Oh, please!” Nora entered the kitchen from the dining room. “She told me to help myself to all her land if I liked, just as long as I let her eat the vegetables too.” She gave Mrs. Mullally a hug and waved to her to sit down.

  Sean, whose hat was resting on the counter beside him, got up as soon as she walked in.

  “Sheriff,” Nora said, her smile dimming a little.

  “Nora.” He gave her a small nod.

  Behind Nora, Raquel walked in too. Bounced in, more like. She was skipping and holding up a dress – a pale blue thing with a yellow border and a lace collar.

  “Our new designs are here!” she said in a sing-song voice. “Look at that Mrs. Mullally!”

  “Oh, they’re pretty!” Mrs. Mullally exclaimed. “Well done, girls.”

  “Is this for Madness?” The Sheriff asked.

  “You’ll come to our opening night, won’t you, Sheriff?” Raquel asked, leaning at the counter, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

  Nora was rummaging inside the fridge. She brought out a large jug filled to the brim with a pink liquid and clinking with ice cubes. She set out four glasses, then tore leaves off the potted mint plant at the window. Crushing a few in each glass, she poured the pink liquid over them and handed a glass each to everyone gathered around.

  “I’ve heard there’s karaoke,” Sean asked. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “There’s karaoke, yes,” Raquel said, “but also, there’s Nora.” She put both hands around Nora’s shoulders and thrust her forth. Giggling, she added, “What I mean is, you wouldn’t want to miss her food for the world.”

  “Oh, quit it, Raquel, the only reason anyone’s going to walk in is to see you belt out Shania Twain in style,” Nora said, giving Raquel a gentle nudge and a wide grin.

  “You make this pie?” Sean asked Nora.

  There was a sea change in her, he noted, when he asked her a direct question. The open ease with which she had leaned against Raquel changed into a defensive hunch. She nodded, mumbled, “Hope you enjoy it,” and bent down to pat Maynard.

  She was a quiet one, Sheriff thought. He always got a sense she was scared around him. He wondered what it was that scared her more – him or his badge.

  He spooned up the pie and bit in, making sure he got all the layers of cheese, mashed potato and meat. In his mouth, a symphony began. He shut his eyes to truly appreciate it, inhaled the wonderful scent of meat and cheese, and then took another bite. A hint of cinnamon, somewhere in the meat, and the spice of jalapeño hit his tongue. The cheddar cheese clung to the potatoes, adding a tang to his palate. He’d have scalded the roof of his mouth if he hadn’t made himself slow down.

  “Look at that,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Sheriff’s on a different planet.”

  Nora, who’d been playing, looked up and a huge smile spread across her face.

  “This,” Sheriff said, punctuating each word with a bite and swallow, “Is. Delicious.”

  “Savor it, Sheriff,” Raquel laughed. “Next time you eat some, you got to pay for it.”

  “I’ll pay for it now, I’m sure,” he said, patting his stomach. “This has got to be a calorie bomb.”

  “Oh, you and your calories,” Mrs. Mullally clucked. “In my day, we ate what we ate and didn’t think twice about it. None of this calorie business. We stayed healthy as horses too.”

  Sean wanted to reply but was cut short by the crackle of his radio. “Sheriff. We got a 187 over on Willow and Main, number 14.”

  “That’s Harvey Nathaniel’s office, isn’t it?” Mrs. Mullally asked. “What’s that boy up to now?”

  But the Sheriff, with a curt nod to them all, had already put on his hat and headed out.

  *****

  Chapter 4

  The Sheriff had the handcuffed man seated in the back of his squad car. He had a flip board with a form on it and was looking carefully neutral as Ashley spoke to him.

  “So he barges into the office, demanding to see Harvey. Next thing I know, I hear a shot, and then the man threatened to shoot me! I screamed so loud all of Main Street must have heard me.” She mopped her brow dramatically, flipping her bangs out of the way. “My condition being what it is, all this stress is terrible for me!”

  “I’m sure it is,” Sean said. “Anyone call Jeremy over for you?”

  “He’s out of town,” she said. “Attending one of his silly sales conferences. I told him he’d make a lot more money if he focused on online sales, but he loves the old-fashioned hustle. Left me all alone in my condition, can you imagine?”

  Sean wisely said nothing, knowing better than to get into a discussion about lazy husbands and their ever-suffering wives. “Two months along, are you?” he asked.

  “Just about,” she said. “We’re both so excited.” She caught sight of the gunman and shook her head. “Well, I’m glad Harvey knocked him out, that’s for sure.”

  “Harvey engaged in a physical fight with him?” Sheriff asked, noting it down.

  “I knocked him out when he turned his gun on Ashley,” Harvey said. He was hardly paying attention to the questioning. Sean frowned. A normal man would have been a little upset about being held at gunpoint in his own office. Harvey shrugged it off like a rocket-ship shrugging off gravity. He was sitting on the sofa, tapping away on his computer, and occasionally looking up to speak to the sheriff or Ashley.

  “You’re remarkably calm,” Sean noted.

  “You know Harvey, sheriff,” Ashley said. “He could be going bankrupt tomorrow, and he’d treat it with a yawn. The only time I’ve ever seen him nervous was when he was asking the new girl out.”

  “I think the sheriff wants to focus on the crime, Ashley,” Harvey said, his voice mild.

  “The perp is Javier Lugo. He’s one of Santino’s men,” Sean said, his voice equally mild. “Wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Harvey?”

  “Santino? Never heard of him,” Harvey said.

  “You’
ve done business with him.” Sean tapped his pencil on the flip board.

  “I do business with a lot of people, sheriff,” Harvey said. “I suppose I could be expected to remember each name, each face. Unfortunately, my brain isn’t as sharp as yours.”

  “I do remember names and faces,” Sean said. “Specially the men I’ve arrested. Find it funny you could do a multimillion dollar deal with someone and forget he exists.”

  “Oh, that Santino! Marco Santino.” Harvey nodded as if remembering just now. “Well, did the perp say anything about him?”

  “No,” Sean admitted. “It’s all the same with Santino’s men. Everyone has a bad memory.”

  Harvey shrugged. “Sounds to me like you’re accusing a man on a whim, sheriff. There’s no proof Santino’s involved.”

  “Not yet,” Sean promised. “There will be one day soon, and maybe you won’t be so poker-faced then, Harvey.”

  “Do you treat all your victims this way, sheriff?” Harvey smiled. “I hope not.”

  “Victims, no. Abettors, yes.”

  “Careful,” Harvey said. His voice was still mild, but a note of steel had entered into it.

  Ashley, who had made herself lemonade, broke the tense silence between the two by offering some to the sheriff, who shook his head. “No thanks, Ashley. I just had some excellent rhubarb iced tea.”

  “Nora’s homemade tea is delicious, isn’t it?” she asked slyly, her mind filing away the information for a future gossip session with the library committee. “It was Nora’s tea you drank, wasn’t it?”

  “Nora’s, yes. I was over at Mrs. Mullally’s. Her dog needed rescuing.” Sheriff winced, knowing that the explanation made him sound even more suspect. If he was very honest, there was no reason a deputy couldn’t have gone over to Mrs. Mullally’s – he had enough work to keep him occupied for a year without going about rescuing puppies. Still, he’d felt obliged to pop over himself. After all, Mrs. Mullally had been his high school English teacher, and he still had a great fondness for her. The problem was, the rest of the town suspected the fondness lay for Mrs. Mullally’s new tenant, as was evident by the gleam in Ashley’s eyes. He sighed. Milburn was a small town, with a large demand for gossip, but he didn’t want his own love life – or lack thereof – to be included.

  He turned the focus back on Harvey. “Real estate business going well, Harvey?” he asked. “No competitors out to get you? No jealous ex-partners who’d put a bounty on your head?”

  “Business is business,” Harvey said. “It looks like it is going well one minute, then tumbles off into the abyss the next. It’s smooth for now. I suppose I have my share of competitors, but I can’t think of any who’d want to hire that goon to threaten me. Honestly, I think it’s just a botched robbery. There’s no mystery here.”

  “You’re certainly trying hard to make it look that way,” Sean said.

  “Are we done here, Sheriff?” Harvey asked. “I’ve got a date tonight, and I wouldn’t want to be late.” He smiled, his lips moving to bare teeth, but his eyes remaining cold.

  “He’s taking Nora out tonight.” Ashley giggled, and Sean resisted the temptation to wince again. Yes, he knew who Harvey was dating. It was impossible not to, in Milburn. He didn’t need Ashley to throw the fact in his face. Ashley was watching them both intensely, ready to report any and all interactions between the two to her friends.

  Harvey was pulling at the cuffs of his sleeves, and Sean wondered how the man always managed to look ridiculously comfortable in his three-piece suits. Sean himself had worn a suit maybe three times in his life, and each time gotten rid of the jacket and tie as soon as possible. It amazed him that someone could choose to spend their lives bound up like that. Harvey, though, looked as comfortable as he would be lounging around in pajamas. Sean felt a growing determination in him. He was going to make sure Santino was exposed–and soon. If Harvey got taken down with him, that was all the better.

  Let’s see how comfortable he’ll be lounging in a prison jumpsuit.

  *****

  Chapter 5

  The eternal question was how to dress for a first date. The eternal answer was, “Ask your best friend”. Raquel was rummaging through Nora’s cupboard while Nora pressed her hands to her stomach and turned this way and that in front of the mirror.

  “God, your wardrobe is a mess. It’s too bad we’re built too different to share clothes. I have stuff that would have looked so gorgeous if you weren’t too skinny for it. You only have a bunch of ratty jeans and some blouses. You might as well be living in a cave.”

  “Didn’t have money for clothes,” Nora said.

  “Yeah, I know, you were too busy saving it all for the diner,” Raquel snorted. “Well, let’s see. What look are we aiming for, casual, dressy, or a mix?”

  “I have no idea where he’s taking me, so I don’t know,” Nora said. “When he asked me out, I was so surprised I just nodded, and he told me he’d pick me up at 8. Next thing I know, he’s gone and I don’t even have his number.”

  “Harvey’s a smooth one,” Raquel said with a grin. “He hits you like a ten-ton truck speeding into your blind spot, then vanishes like the sun on a foggy day.”

  “You’re poetic today,” Nora smiled. “Wait… have you been hit on by him? Did you date him? I know nothing about this guy. I don’t even know why I accepted. I was grabbing coffee, he was in line behind me, and boom, he’s welcoming me to town as a fellow business owner, and asking me about the diner, and making witty remarks that made me laugh. After that, it’s a blur.”

  “I heard all about it at our committee meet,” Raquel said.

  “Which one? You sit on at least fifteen.”

  “This was the committee that’s working to save the historic Mill house from the swamplands,” Raquel said. “May Almand, the mayor’s wife, was in line behind you too, and she said you turned red as a beet and stuttered when Harvey asked you out. Said you looked cute as a kitten.”

  “I don’t want to be cute as a kitten,” Nora frowned. “I’ve never been cute as a kitten. I’ve always been fierce and ambitious and sharp and-”

  “-and an absolute wreck when it comes to flirting with boys,” Raquel said. “Harvey was smart to prime you up with talk about the diner. Well, nothing for it. Knowing Harvey, he’s going to take you someplace fancy, and try and impress you with his fancy car and his fancy watch and his fancy face.”

  “So you have dated him?” Nora said. “I feel icky now.”

  “Don’t be silly. He’s a big client for my accounting firm, and I have a strict policy against mixing work and pleasure,” Raquel said. “No, I’ve heard all about his dates from my library committee. That’s the one that’s working to get more funding into our town library.”

  “I don’t know if I should be doing this,” Nora said, pressing her hands against her stomach again. There was a swarm of butterflies trapped in there. “Madness is opening soon. We haven’t even finalized the décor for opening night yet.”

  “That’s my area,” Raquel said. “Have I told you I love our interiors yet? Chalk blue leather booths, checkered floors, neon lights, and yellow-topped tables. Utter perfection.”

  “Have you double-checked with the AV guy about the speaker systems yet?” Nora asked.

  “Yes, grandma. Now here–try this on,” Raquel tossed her a silky blue dress with cap sleeves and a v-neck collar.

  Nora did, smoothing it out. “Looks good,” she said.

  “That’s just the base,” Raquel smiled. “Thank god we’re the same shoe size. Now watch as I transform you from Cinderella to the princess.” She kept Nora’s jewelry minimal, only letting her wear silver earrings and a single silver bracelet. “Always emphasize your best features on a date. In your case, your delectably tiny waist,” Raquel said, putting a thin belt around it..

  “I thought my best features were my sparkling personality and sheer wit,” Nora teased.

  “You save those for a second date, so he isn’t overwhelmed,” Raq
uel said with a smile. “Now that we’ve got the base set let’s make you look a little less dressed up by adding in a casual touch.” She got out a leather jacket.

  “I don’t know.” Nora looked uncertainly in the mirror. “It’s nice but-”

  “But I’m not done yet,” Raquel said. “Now it’s time for our final touches. We add in pieces that pop!” She clapped her hands and handed Nora bright yellow high heeled shoes. “I bought those from Jackson last month, but they should fit you fine.”

  “Wow,” Nora said, staring at herself in the mirror. “I’ve gone from tatters to classy chick. Raquel, everyone should have a personal stylist as awesome as you.”

  “Well, everyone should have a chef as awesome as you,” Raquel said. “I still can’t get over that shepherd’s pie of yours. Make me quesadillas for dinner tomorrow, and I’ll consider my stylist fees repaid.”

  “Done,” Nora said. “A friend from Boston mailed me a great spice mix last week. I’ve been looking forward to a Mexican night. I was thinking, one-pot cheesy Mexican rice with crumbled Tostitos and fresh salsa. Some avocado if we can find it.”

  Raquel rolled her eyes in ecstasy and shuddered. “That sounds like the only thing in my life I’d give up my shoes for,” she said dramatically. “Except maybe that delicious hunk Sheriff Sean Dracon.”

  “I don’t like him,” Nora said. “Everyone thinks he’s nice but I know he’s a jerk.”

  “What, because of the thing with Alan?” Raquel shrugged. “Hardly matters now. It was so long ago. You know, I get the feeling Sean has a thing for you.”

  “He better not. It doesn’t help that you’re flirting with him half the time, and then teasing him with me the other half,” Nora said. “You’ll confuse the man.”

  “Not him. He’s sharper than he looks,” Raquel said. “He adopts the slow-old-boy pose so people feel comfortable with him, while his mind hums along fast as a computer.”

  Nora changed the topic. “So what will you do tonight?” she asked. “Curl up in bed with a good book? Drive down to Jackson and go pub hopping?”