A Flair for Truffles (The Sadie Kramer Flair Mysteries Book 4)

by Deborah Garner

  “Any orange juice today?”

  “Not today, Harold, sorry,” Nora said to a man who was clearly a regular. “We hope to have some next Sunday.”

  “I’ll be here,” the man said, flashing a toothless grin.

  Sadie watched him walk away and turned to Nora. “Is there usually orange juice?”

  “When we can,” Nora said. “We operate on donations. Sometimes it covers everything we want to serve, other times it doesn’t. We have to make choices.”

  “I see,” Sadie said, somehow feeling especially disappointed that Harold wouldn’t have orange juice with his breakfast. It was a little thing in some ways, but in other ways, it wasn’t.

  A commotion in the kitchen interrupted Sadie’s thoughts. At the sound of Luke’s raised voice, Nora handed the spatula over to Sadie to continue dishing out pancakes while she checked to see what was going on. Sadie could hear Nora gasp as she opened the door to the kitchen. As Sadie placed a pancake on the plate of the last woman in line, she saw a blur of fur fly out into the room.

  With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she handed the spatula to Lila and took off into the crowded dining area. Following the bobbing heads of the formerly calm crowd, Sadie frantically peered under tables but saw no sign of the culprit. Hearing laughter, she stood and glanced toward the enthusiastic sound. To her dismay, she zeroed in on the source of the entertainment. In the center of a particularly crowded table, Coco stood on her hind legs like a circus dog. Sadie made a beeline for the table.

  “Here you go, doggie!” a man with a scruffy beard called out. He broke off a piece of sausage and tossed it in the air. Teetering on her hind paws, Coco caught the tasty morsel like a champ. Applause broke out, and another person at the table repeated the offering. Again, Coco snapped up the treat in midair. Even more applause filled the room. Torn between letting the show go on and taking the responsible route of stopping it, Sadie got the necessary nudge in the form of a voice by her side.

  “Sadie!” Nora said, her voice a mix of sympathy and dismay. “Is that your dog?”

  Meekly Sadie nodded. “I’m sorry. She was in my bag, in the closet, with the door closed. I don’t understand how she got out.”

  “Lila never closes the closet door,” Nora said. “She must have left it open when she put her purse in there. And, as much as the crowd loves this exhibition, we’re going to be in deep syrup if a health inspector stops in.”

  “Understood,” Sadie said. “I’ll get her.” She made a move for the table in an attempt to put an end to the show. But seeing Sadie reaching for her, Coco’s mischievous side took over. She set off down the center of the long stretch of tables, finally stepping in a plate of butter and skidding off the end. She landed on the floor, a pancake balanced perfectly on her head. The crowd roared in appreciation, a sentiment not entirely shared by the volunteer staff.

  “I’m so sorry,” Sadie said, apologizing once she had Coco firmly held against her chest with one buttery arm. She plucked a morsel of sausage out of Coco’s fur. “I’ll just get my things and go. The box in the kitchen is full of truffles for anyone who wants a bite of chocolate.”

  “I could use some about now,” Nora said, a smile forming. “But we’ll save them for the dinner tonight.”

  “She’s a cute little thing,” Lila said. “I especially liked the way she modeled that pancake hat. Maybe that could be a new item for that shop you work in.”

  “Who knows?” Sadie said lightly. “Fashion trends change all the time.”

  “I’ll start clean-up,” Lila said, heading off toward the kitchen.

  “I should really be helping,” Sadie said. “But…”

  Nora reached out and patted Coco on the head. “I think you’ll have enough cleaning up to do when you get home. Seems you’re taking some Valentine’s breakfast home with you. We’ll take a rain check on the clean-up help. Maybe you could come by tonight if you don’t have plans. We could always use an extra hand or two. Many vendors will be dropping off donations. Volunteers get to eat as well.

  “Yes,” Lila said. “Zane and I bring extra food from the bar whenever possible. Better than having it spoil.”

  “Actually, I’m not busy tonight,” Sadie said. “I think I could come back.”

  “Maybe just you,” Nora added as she glanced down at Coco and smiled.

  “I’m the first to agree, trust me,” Sadie said. “I’ll grab my tote bag and apologize to Luke.” She looked down at Coco, who bore what seemed like a feigned innocent look. “And you and I will have a little talk when we get home, understood?”

  Coco sighed and dropped her head on Sadie’s arm dramatically.

  “Exactly,” Sadie said.

  A tiny whimper of apology followed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Sadie stopped at home on the way to Flair, just long enough to give Coco a quick scrub-down in the bathroom sink.

  “You could use a full grooming session, you little rascal, but at least you’re presentable now.” Sadie held the red rhinestone collar as she ran the blow-dryer over the Yorkie’s fur. Coco raised her head and closed her eyes, enjoying the treatment. She’d always been fond of the blow-dryer’s warm air. Of course, the extra attention from Sadie didn’t hurt either.

  Fortunately, Coco’s shenanigans hadn’t ruined Sadie’s carefully chosen outfit for the day. She adjusted her candy heart necklace back below the neckline of her sweater, having tossed it over her shoulder while removing the butter and syrup from Coco’s fur.

  “Let’s go,” Sadie said, scooping Coco up and placing her in the tote bag. “We promised Amber we’d cover so she can have lunch with Dylan.” Finally, Sadie added to herself. The flirtation between the two had gone on for months. They needed to spend some time together that didn’t involve signing for incoming UPS packages.

  With that in mind, Sadie headed for the shop. It was bound to be a busy shopping day in any case. Aside from covering Amber’s lunch break, she wanted to be there to help customers. And there was the matter of the weird note left on the door as well.

  Flair was busy when she arrived at the store. She stashed her jacket and tote bag in the back office and carried Coco up to the front to assume her rightful place on the counter pillow. The sparkling red collar worked well as an accent to Amber’s hand lotion display, picking up the festive ribbons on the bottles. As an added bonus, the fragrance of the lotion covered any remaining scent of butter or sausage that Coco’s quick clean-up might have missed.

  “I’m worried about that note I found on the door,” Amber whispered between customers at the register. “I hope you’re not in danger.”

  “I’ll call Froggy as soon as it slows down,” Sadie said. “I don’t want you worrying. This is an important day for you.”

  Amber blushed, and Sadie was charmed by the girl’s reaction. Ah, to be young again! Sadie thought. Until she remembered the turmoil of young adulthood and dating, and her view became more sympathetic.

  Sadie glanced at Amber and smiled. “You look lovely, by the way. I like the soft curls in your hair, as well as the denim headband. It picks up the blue of your vest.” A yip followed, and Sadie turned to Coco. “Yes, you look lovely too, little one. And you’re due for some lovely behavior to make up for this morning.”

  “Uh-oh, what did she do this time?” Amber laughed.

  “Just a few antics on top of the food bank tables, that’s all.”

  “On the serving table?” Amber raised her eyebrows and shot Coco a disapproving look.

  “No, thank goodness,” Sadie said. “But she did make a spectacle of herself on one of the customer tables, not that they minded. Honestly, I think she brought some cheer to the occasion.”

  “Good thing there were no health inspectors there,” Amber said.

  “Yes, those were the exact sentiments of the people who run the place.”

  The personal conversation paused in order to ring up several purchases from frantic, last-minute shoppers, all men. Jewelry, sweat
ers, and scarves all left with festive tissue paper and ribbon stuffed inside bags with store logos. It was amazing how fancy a paper bag could become with the right amount of decorative flourish.

  Taking advantage of a break in activity, Sadie took Coco and moved to her office. She set Coco down and took a seat behind her desk. There, carefully set aside from other papers, was the odd note that Amber had found on the front door.

  “At least the person could have used some colorful letters, Coco,” Sadie said as she looked down at the note. “All black and white is so boring, especially on a holiday like this, don’t you think? At least some pink.”

  “Or red,” a familiar voice added. Sadie looked up to see Detective Frogert standing in the doorway. “Or maybe a combination of both,” he added.

  “Good morning, Detective,” Sadie said. “I was just about to call you.”

  “Is that so?” Frogert stepped into the office and walked over to Sadie’s desk. He looked down at the note and frowned. “I assume this is why you were planning to call me? Not simply to wish me a happy Valentine’s Day.”

  Sadie attempted a smile. “No, Detective Frogert. Sorry to disappoint you, but I was not calling to wish you a happy Valentine’s Day. I was indeed calling—or about to call—to discuss this note.”

  “When did you find it?” Frogert pulled a plastic glove from his pocket and put it on. He picked up the note carefully by one corner and held it up to the light.

  “I didn’t find it,” Sadie said. “Amber did. She’s up at the register now. She said it was taped to the front door when she arrived to open the shop this morning.”

  Frogert nodded. He turned the paper over and inspected the back. “So it was left there sometime this morning or last night?”

  “Of course,” Sadie said. “It certainly wasn’t there when we closed up last night. We would have noticed.”

  “Naturally,” Frogert said. “I just have to ask questions, you know.”

  Well, ask something important then. Sadie was beginning to feel miffed. It had already been a long morning, and much of the day still loomed ahead.

  “I’ll take this down to the station to check for prints.” Frogert pulled a large plastic baggie from his other pocket and dropped the note inside. “I assume yours will be on it?”

  “I’m sure Amber’s prints will be on it,” Sadie said. “She’s the one who found it and brought it in. But I haven’t touched it. You conveniently showed up just as I was about to.”

  “Whoever put it there probably used gloves,” Frogert said. “But it’s worth checking.” He sealed the top of the plastic bag and looked at Sadie. “Do you have any idea who might have left this for you? Have you received any threats—phone calls, other notes, anything like that?”

  Sadie shook her head. “Nothing like that,” she said. “I would have reported it if I had.” You’ve been the only one to bug me so far…

  “I’ll get back to you later today,” Frogert said. “Meanwhile, I would advise you to be careful. Watch for any strangers hanging around your place. Don’t go out alone. Better yet, don’t go out at all.”

  “I’m not going to live in fear, Detective,” Sadie said sternly. “I have plans to help at Free Harvest’s Valentine’s dinner tonight. I was at their breakfast this morning, and it seems they could use extra help.”

  “Aha,” Frogert said, nodding his head as if he’d just discovered some sort of giant government secret. “I knew it.”

  “Knew what?”

  “That you were following Luke Manning,” Frogert said. “I’m well aware that he is a volunteer there. I thought you said he was innocent. Yet you’re chasing after him.”

  “Detective Frogert.” Sadie’s voice was even firmer than before. “I had no idea Luke Manning worked at Free Harvest until I got there this morning. And I still think he’s innocent, more so now than before, in fact.”

  “How so?”

  “I took a box of truffles from next door as a donation to the food bank,” Sadie said. “He clearly saw the logo and didn’t react any differently than when I asked him about fishing.” Just verbalizing this bothered Sadie as it caused her to think back to the “favor” she had done for Froggy. Even though it had worked to her advantage, she never should have let Froggy goad her into that appointment at Manning Property Holdings.

  “So you didn’t go to check on Luke Manning this morning,” Frogert conceded. “Maybe you suspected some of the other suspects would be there then?”

  Sadie couldn’t deny it so chose to say nothing at all.

  “I believe I had asked you to back off, yet you continue to pursue this,” Frogert said. He glanced at the plastic-covered note, apparently realizing his poor choice of words. “In order to let us do our job, that is.”

  Sadie wasn’t sure how to respond. It seemed he was hindering her investigation more than she was hindering his. Then again, she wasn’t the one officially assigned to the case, so he had a point.

  “I’ll call you later if we find anything out.” Frogert left abruptly, clearly irritated with her lack of response.

  “Great,” Sadie said to the empty room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Sadie looked at her watch, anticipating Amber’s return at any moment. Business had been brisk since Amber left for her lunch date with Dylan but not more than she could handle on her own. The activity kept her mind off the troublesome note, not to mention Froggy’s annoying visit. Plus Matteo sent over a new batch of samples in order to encourage customers to head over to his shop after leaving Flair. It seemed to be a good day in general. Aside from that pesky little detail of threats, of course, like the one left on her door that morning.

  Amber was all smiles when she returned from lunch. Her rosy cheeks complemented her pink turtleneck perfectly, and the single red rose she held seemed to accentuate the glow. Coco, seeing Amber return, stood up from the counter pillow and sniffed the rose. Amber gave the petite canine a pat on the head.

  “A successful outing, I take it?” Sadie fought to keep a teasing tone out of her voice. She knew Amber had been nervous enough. There was no reason to make it harder for her. Still, she was eager for a report. “Do tell.”

  “I’d say it was very successful,” Amber said, blushing as she lifted a floating heart necklace off her turtleneck to show Sadie. “And we’re going out again this coming weekend. A movie, I think, at least that’s the tentative plan. And dinner.”

  “Dinner and a movie—perfect,” Sadie said. She was happy for Amber yet surprised to feel a wave of envy pass through her. The idea of dinner and a movie with Broussard sounded wonderful but impossible with the distance between them. Should she plan a return visit to New Orleans? Or maybe invite him to visit her in San Francisco? Both ideas seemed too forward. This was one of the problems with the distance. It was impossible to plan something little. The logistics alone made something simple into much more.

  “Sadie?”

  Amber’s voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she realized her assistant had been speaking to her.

  “I’m sorry, Amber,” Sadie said. “My mind was somewhere else. What were you saying?”

  “I was asking if Froggy had any ideas about that note on the door this morning. I’m worried you might be in trouble.” Amber lowered her voice to a whisper as a female customer approached the counter. The woman sampled a truffle, picked up a bottle of hand lotion as if intending to buy it, put the bottle back down, sampled another truffle, and walked away.

  “He’s going to check it for prints,” Sadie said. “Who knows if he’ll find anything or not.”

  Amber’s rosy glow paled. “My prints might be on it, though I did try to only touch the tape when I took it off the door.”

  Sadie smiled. “Don’t worry. He knows you were the one to find it on the door. Besides, neither one of us would have a reason to leave the note.”

  “Speaking of which,” Amber said. “Who would?”

  “That’s the question of the day, I’d say.
” Sadie sighed. “Anyone who didn’t want to be found out, which could either be the killer or someone with something to hide. In this case, it seems everyone involved has something to hide, whether guilt over murder or guilt over infidelity. There are a lot of secrets buried in this maze of personalities.”

  “Perhaps you need to consult with a different detective,” Amber suggested, a twinkle in her eye. “You know, for another opinion.”

  “Not a bad suggestion,” Sadie said. “And it’s a good excuse to call him. There’s just one problem with that.”

  “I know. I know,” Amber said. “He’ll worry.”

  “Exactly.” Sadie mulled this over. She could use Broussard’s opinion but knew it would come with a well-meaning lecture. On the other hand, it seemed Broussard and Froggy were in contact with each other over this case, so maybe Broussard was going to find out about it anyway. Better to have it come directly from her.

  Taking advantage of a lull in store activity, Sadie took Coco and escaped to the back. Setting Coco down on the floor, she retrieved her cell phone from the desk and contemplated sending Broussard a text. She paced back and forth, a movement Coco insisted on mimicking. Finally she settled into her desk chair and typed out a text.

  Detective Broussard.

  Not getting an immediate answer, she set the phone down faceup and tapped her fingers on the desktop. Now that she’d gathered the nerve to discuss updated events with him, she was anxious. Fortunately she didn’t have to wait long.

  Ms. Kramer.

  Ah, there he was. Close by in terms of technology but not close enough to lecture her for her continued involvement. Dinner and movie aside, this felt like the best situation at the moment. She weighed a few options and then sent back a text.

  A few new developments here. Need your opinion.

  There, that wasn’t so hard, Sadie thought. A simple statement of fact, followed by a kind request for help from a friend.