by Lyndsey Cole
“Thanks Camilla. Enjoy your date,” Annie said.
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” She winked as she headed through the door to get her coat.
“No wonder George has been acting like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. He must be hiding something,” Annie said. “We’d better be extra careful around him.”
“So, you’re striking Alex off your suspect list?” Leona asked Annie.
“Not off completely, but I’ll move his name to the bottom of the list for now.”
Jason poked his head into the kitchen. “I could use some help out here . . . before there’s another murder to report.”
Annie and Leona dashed from the kitchen, following behind Jason.
Annie’s head buzzed with concern—for what, she wasn’t sure, but she knew Jason was a calm, cool, and collected person and would never pull the panic button for no reason.
24
A loud argument traveled from the living room into the dining room, but stopped suddenly when Jason entered in front of Annie and Leona.
George stood with his fists clenched, his face red, and his jaw clamped tight.
Sarah stood trembling about five feet away, her face drained of color as she stared at her husband. “All I asked is where did you go when you left our room Friday night? If you have nothing to hide, just tell us, otherwise . . .” Her voice trailed off to nothing.
“Otherwise, she’s sleeping in my room tonight.” Connie draped her arm over Sarah’s and pulled her close.
All eyes focused on George.
He stomped from the room. Loud footsteps echoed up the stairs to the second floor. A door slammed, shaking the whole house.
Annie let her breath out. That problem took care of itself.
Sarah sniffled. “I can’t believe this is happening. This weekend was supposed to be fun.” She looked around the room. “What should I do now?”
“There, there,” Connie crooned to Sarah. “Did you tell that detective about George leaving your room Friday night?”
Sarah’s eyes bugged open wide. Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to respond. Finally, in a small, little girl voice, she answered, “No. I couldn’t say those words out loud and have the detective think George had the opportunity to kill the chef. It was just too much.” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
“Maybe we should take a look in that suitcase of his,” Annie suggested. “Maybe you’ll find something that helps you understand his behavior.” That was the gentle suggestion for what Annie was really thinking. She wanted to take a look to see if Detective Crank overlooked a clue. Sometimes you miss something that’s staring you right in the face because you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for.
Before Sarah had time to pull herself together and respond to Annie’s suggestion, a door opened above them. Everyone looked up. Footsteps echoed down the stairway and the front door opened and slammed closed with another house-rattling explosion.
“Okaaay.” Alex wiped his hands together. “I think it’s safe to say that George has decided he’s had enough of all of us here at the Blackbird Bed and Breakfast.”
“I wonder if he took his suitcase with him,” Annie added.
Sarah’s sobbing increased to a dramatic and pathetic nature. “I can’t,” she choked out between sobs, “believe . . . he left . . . without me.”
“He’s not supposed to leave town, so I wouldn’t worry too much about him,” Leona said. Her tone indicated she’d had about enough of the current drama. “He won’t go far. Let him cool off before you go chasing after him.”
Robin, who finally put her phone down, asked, “Are we getting any dinner around here?”
Leona rolled her eyes at Annie. “It’s almost ready. Jason, could you pour drinks for whoever wants something while Annie and I finish up in the kitchen?” She muttered so only Annie could hear, “I thought the plan was to have a quiet and relaxing evening.”
“Let’s go upstairs and see if George left his suitcase in your room. That way you’ll know if he’s planning to return,” Connie said to Sarah. “And don’t you want to see what’s inside?”
“I don’t know.” Sarah hesitated, her eyes terrified.
“I always say it’s best to keep busy in times of stress.” Without letting Sarah think about it too much, Connie looped her arm through Sarah’s. “Come on, it will only take a minute to check.”
“Annie?” She stopped at the sound of Robin’s voice. “Jared wants to stop by, is that okay?”
“What for?”
“He said he has something to talk to me about and needs to do it in person. I told him I wasn’t going anywhere and if he needed to talk to me he could come here.”
“So, you asking me if it’s all right is beside the point.” Annie didn’t know what to make of Robin and her attitude of entitlement. Was it her age or was she just a self-centered person?
“I guess it is.” Robin smiled. “I’ll check if he’s here yet.”
With only Jason in the living room with Annie and Alex at the moment, he pointed to the little table next to the chair where Robin usually parked herself. Her phone glowed from the flames from the fireplace. “Should we look at those videos she’s always taking?” he asked.
Annie didn’t bother to answer. She took five big steps to the table and snatched up the phone. It disappeared in her pocket. “Robin’s distracted so maybe she won’t miss it for a bit.”
By the time Connie and Sarah returned with George’s suitcase, Sarah was laughing. “I never thought of it that way,” she said to Connie. “George would have had to go downstairs to get the leash off the coat tree before he went to the chef’s room. That just doesn’t make sense if he went to the chef’s room to demand a refund. He wouldn’t get a refund with the chef dead.”
Whoever tightened that leash around the chef’s neck was out to kill him. Annie suspected it didn’t have anything to do with getting a refund from the chef. Did George have a different reason to want the chef dead?
“That’s right. Now, do you have a key to open this suitcase?” Connie asked.
“I think so, but I’m still not sure I want to open it.” Sarah sat on the couch with one hand on Buddy.
Annie quietly left the room as Jason filled four glasses with wine, hopeful that would keep Connie and Sarah occupied. Maybe she and Leona could finish the dinner preparation before a new interruption arrived. And, more importantly, to check what was on Robin’s phone before she started looking for it.
No interruption turned out to be wishful thinking she soon discovered.
Detective Crank lounged against the island sipping on something in her travel mug. Leona had all the ingredients ready to start making her grilled paninis. Her big cast iron griddle was heating over two burners on her gas stove.
“So, I’m looking for Jared. Are you hiding him upstairs in the bathtub?” Christy asked with a straight face.
“That little weasel left on Saturday and I haven’t seen him since,” Leona said.
“Actually,” Annie said, “Robin just informed me that he’s supposed to be meeting her here. Go check at the front door to catch him before he comes and goes.”
“Are you making any extras of those?” Christy was almost drooling as she eyed Leona’s luscious panini creations on her way to the door.
“Unfortunately, these are all spoken for.” Leona filled her grill with the paninis—including one with no ham for Jason. The sizzle made Annie’s stomach rumble.
“That’s a shame,” Christy said as left the kitchen.
“What’s she want with Jared?” Annie asked.
Leona turned the flame down. “She didn’t tell me but I’m glad I’m not him. There isn’t much chance that she showed up with good news.”
“Check this out.” Annie pulled Robin’s phone out of her pocket. “Robin left it in the living room.” She hit the home button and the screen came to life. “Great, it’s not locked.” She touched the photo icon. “It will take a
while to watch all these videos. I’ll start at the beginning, maybe something will look out of place now in hindsight.”
While Leona tended to her grill, Annie watched Robin’s videos. The first one was everyone sitting in the living room before Annie had even arrived. Chef Marcel complained about the weather and fidgeted with his mustache. Connie patted Buddy and asked the chef about his recipes. Nothing unusual.
The next video was in Robin’s room after she’d taken food upstairs before dinner. This was more interesting because Jared was featured. He told her about his research into the chef’s background and how he expected the chef would make a lot of money when his cookbook was released.
“Cookbook? The chef was working on a cookbook?” Leona asked.
Annie nodded. “There’s more. Listen to this, Leona.” Annie carried the phone closer to her aunt. Jared’s face filled the screen as he said, “That guy must be loaded. I’m gonna check out his room while everyone is still downstairs.” The video continued as Jared opened the door and walked out. The video followed him as he walked down the hall and opened the chef’s door, disappearing inside.
Annie looked at Leona. “Jared went into the chef’s room. But that was before the chef went upstairs so it must have been empty.”
“Maybe Jared was still in the room when the chef got there. I was in the kitchen and you helped Connie upstairs after everyone else went up. And now Christy is here looking for Jared? Why did he come back here, anyway?”
“Robin told me that Jared needed to tell her something.”
Leona turned the two burners off. “How long before Robin starts to look for her phone? Do you have time to look at any more of those videos?”
“I think I’d better put it back on the table. I’ll figure out something to get her to let me look at them. I think she’s a bit of a show off and if I flatter her she might share everything.” Annie carried Leona’s big salad bowl to the dining room table and continued into the living room.
With George’s suitcase resting on the couch, still closed, Connie entertained Sarah with her baking disaster stories. Annie surreptitiously placed Robin’s phone back where she’d found it. “So, you don’t think the chef’s cookbook will ever get published now?” she heard Sarah ask Connie.
That grabbed Annie’s attention. Apparently, the chef’s cookbook was common knowledge to the people who paid attention to him.
“I suppose it won’t,” Connie said. “I mean, how could it now with him dead? And I was looking forward to having a signed copy from him when it did come out. Wasn’t that part of taking his workshop?”
Annie moved next to Jason, but continued listening to Connie and Sarah. Unfortunately, Sarah changed the subject and started to tell Connie about some recipe she had made recently.
“Did you see Christy walk through?” Annie asked Jason.
He nodded.
Annie lowered her voice. “She’s here looking for Jared. I don’t know what she’s after, but one of Robin’s phone videos made it clear that he went into the chef’s room.”
“Jared made a visit to the chef’s room? Interesting,” Alex said.
Annie moved closer to the door leading to the front entryway with the hope of hearing the discussion between Detective Crank, Jared, and Robin. As those voices rose, everyone’s attention was focused on the argument.
“Enough of your lies,” Christy demanded. “I know you were in the chef’s room.”
“The chef wasn’t in the room when I went in,” Jared insisted.
“That might be true but I’ll ask you one more time, Jared—did Chef Marcel come into his room while you were still there?” Annie could picture Christy with her arms crossed as she waited and her foot tapping as she stared at the quivering Jared. She almost felt sorry for him.
Silence as deep as a thick blanket of snow filled the Blackbird Bed and Breakfast. Everyone waited.
From around the corner of the living room doorway, Jared’s shaky voice finally broke the hush with a soft whisper like the wind rustling a dry leaf. “He did come in but I had already hidden myself under the bed before he saw me.”
Annie couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
25
Connie gasped and her hand flew to her chest as if to calm a thumping heart.
Sarah’s hand covered her mouth but not before a small eek slipped past her lips.
Annie looked at Jason, hoping he could read her what-does-this-mean expression.
Alex slipped Robin’s phone into his pocket with only Annie noticing the quick move. He alone acted instead of being shocked into inaction by Jared’s words.
Detective Crank entered the living room with Robin and Jared in tow. “Okay, folks, the show’s over. Jared and Robin have agreed to come to the police station with me to answer the rest of my questions.”
Robin glanced at the table where her phone should have been. She patted her pockets and glanced around the floor under the table. “Did anyone see my phone?” She directed her question toward Annie.
Annie shrugged, making a noncommittal answer that could mean anything.
“It must be in my room which is where I planned to leave it anyway.” Robin took another quick look around, patted the chair cushion, and sighed. “I’ll find it when I get back. Can I get my dinner to go?” she asked, her voice noticeably absent of any concern about her upcoming trip to the police station. “I’d like to eat it while it’s hot instead of coming back here, who knows when, to a cold, soggy meal.”
“No problem.” Annie headed toward the kitchen, glad to have something to occupy her body. “It will only take a minute to wrap it up for you.” Was that her voice sounding so normal and unaffected by Jared’s admission of being in the victim’s room with him?
Annie pushed into the kitchen where Leona had all the dinner plates lined up on the island.
“Is everyone ready to eat?” She obviously had been busy with her meal preparation, and with her oldies station playing in the background she’d completely missed hearing any of the drama from the living room.
“Yes, but Robin needs her meal wrapped up to go and George is gone.”
Leona turned from the stove with her spatula waving in front of her, punctuating each word as she spoke. “She’s hiding out in her room again? Tell her she can eat at the table with the rest of us. If she keeps bringing food upstairs, I’ll end up with more mice than guests!”
“Um, that’s not exactly her situation. Robin and Jared are going to the police station with Christy.”
“What?” Leona almost dropped the panini that was making the journey from the griddle to a plate when she jerked around to look at Annie.
“Yeah, Jared admitted to being in the chef’s room. He said he hid under the bed before the chef came in, but I’m not sure Christy is buying that part of his answer.” Annie wrapped one hot panini in foil, added a big slice of wrapped cherry buried cake, and a generous handful of cherries to a bag for Robin. Annie wouldn’t put it past Robin to consider crushing the cherry pits to add to someone’s coffee as a way to escape the police interrogation if Christy’s questions became too rough. “I’ll tell everyone to head to the dining room. I’m sure there will be plenty of chatter at the table tonight.”
Christy pushed through the door into the kitchen. She eyed the plates, one empty, one sandwich still on the griddle, and one bag for Robin. “Is that sandwich on the griddle extra?” She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows giving a good impression of a begging puppy. “It’s not like I’m asking for a handout but I certainly would remember this act of kindness if that last sandwich made it into a bag with my name on it.”
Leona waved her hand. “Take it. I can always grill up more if George returns or if anyone wants seconds. But I’m not wrapping one up for Jared. He can go hungry, as far as I’m concerned, or Robin can share hers with him if she’s so inclined. I don’t like sneaky, wanting-everything-for-nothing, possible killers under my roof or expecting handouts.”
Well that s
ummed up Leona’s feelings without mincing any words. Annie tore off another piece of foil. “Do you think Jared killed the chef?” she asked Christy while she made a big production of wrapping the sandwich for her. She tightly folded the long side over and made neat corner folds at each end.
Christy laughed. “What do you think, Ms. Hunter? As much as I’d love to share all the minute details of this case with you,” her lip twitched at one corner, “I’d much rather hear what your gut feeling is telling you about this event.”
Annie ignored the sarcastic tone of Christy’s comment. “Actually, I don’t think the time frame works for Jared to be the killer.” She watched Christy’s expression which remained stone-cold serious. “He went into the chef’s room well before the chef was upstairs.”
“And you know this how?”
“Ask Robin.” Annie definitely wasn’t going to mention the video, which was currently in Alex’s possession. That was Robin’s deal.
“Oh, I will. Those two haven’t told me everything they know yet.” She took the two bags from Annie. “Thanks for the food. Did you add a slice of cake, too?” The tip of Christy’s tongue moistened each corner of her mouth as if she was already tasting sweet morsels of chocolate ganache stuck to her lips.
Annie rolled her eyes but she sliced off another piece of cherry buried cake, wrapped it, and dropped it into Christy’s bag. “Enjoy. Don’t forget, you owe us one now.”
“I’ll be back to talk about that after I’m done with those two kids. They have no idea what kind of mess they’ve created for themselves.”
“You think Robin is involved?”
“To the extent that she knows something. Don’t worry, I’ll get it out of her.”
Annie grinned. “Oh, I’m not worried about that. You could get a macho teenager to admit to crying just by giving him your stink eye.”
Christy frowned and her eyebrows scrunched together as she looked over the top of her dark rimmed glasses. “I’ll let that slide.” She tapped the bags of food. “Thanks.”