Spiced and Iced (A Callie's Kitchen Mystery Book 2)

by Jenny Kales

  When they were on the opposite side of the vast room away from George, she finally spoke. “I swear. I had no idea he’d be here. I’m a little hurt at him, actually. No one but this Kathy seems to see him anymore!”

  “Is that so?” Sands said, giving Kathy an appraising glance. “She’s a nice-looking lady. Good for him!”

  “Oh, you’re as bad as he is,” Callie answered, giving his foot a light stomp.

  “Watch it,” Sands said. “If you’re seen having a tantrum, you’ll be sent home.”

  Sands kept them both in step over the next few numbers and when the music ended, she found herself looking at him a bit in awe. “Why didn’t you tell me you were such a good dancer?” she asked.

  Sands’ cheeks flushed and he cleared his throat. “I’ve had a bit of practice, you see. In the past.”

  “Oh,” Callie replied. He must mean with his ex-wife. He also had a young daughter that had passed away but he never spoke of her and Callie felt that it might be prying to ask him. He’d tell her about it when he was ready.

  Suddenly, their lighter mood felt like it was growing darker. Callie squeezed his hand. “Well, you’re terrific,” she said. He squeezed her hand back but didn’t look at her.

  The instructor clapped her hands, her nails bright with red lacquer to match her lips. “Wonderful job, guys!” she crowed. “So let’s move on to the next step.” She and her dance partner demonstrated the box step and the class followed along, albeit, not as gracefully. Callie noticed out of the corner of her eye that George and Kathy were moving smoothly together and she felt a rush of love for her father. Please don’t let Kathy break his heart, she prayed.

  She glanced at Sands as he whirled her around the room, still smiling at her, but seeming a bit preoccupied. She was startled by a sudden, unwelcome thought.

  And please don’t let Sands break mine.

  Ten

  Despite the unexpected drama with George, Callie enjoyed herself at the class and when Lina announced the last dance of the evening, she was surprised at how quickly the time had gone. George and Sands had exchanged partners at one point, but Callie and her father didn’t have time for any sort of deep conversation. George seemed happy to see his daughter, if a bit abashed at being caught out on a date. She told him what Olivia had shared with her: that Hugh and Raine thought they’d found a home just a couple of blocks from her own.

  “Eh, you worry too much, hrisi mou,” had been George’s dismissive response. “It may not even work out. Real estate – who knows?” He had something there. Real estate deals were notoriously dicey, especially in this market. However, she would have thought that George would understand why she didn’t want her space invaded by her ex, cordial though she tried to be. She didn’t get a chance to ask him. The dance had ended, George had returned swiftly to Kathy, and that was that.

  Callie’s stomach did a flip flop once she realized it was soon time to interrogate Lina about Bix.

  The last remaining class members were still chatting and laughing with the dance instructor and her partner, but thankfully, they started to drift out the door after a few more minutes. Callie let out a sigh of relief as Sean, the other dance instructor, gave Lina two big cheek kisses and then went out the door as well. Here was her chance!

  Callie sidled up to the fit young woman who smiled warmly, if a bit wearily, at her. “Thank you, Lina. This really was an enjoyable class. Sorry about my Dad – George, that is. He didn’t mean to disrupt anything.”

  “No need to apologize. George is a darling! Don’t worry about it! I’m glad you enjoyed the class.” She gathered up her things as if to leave and Callie put a panicked hand on her arm. “I have a question for you. I hope you can answer it for me.” Callie was aware of Sands standing nearby.

  The dance instructor looked up at him and back at Callie, a concerned look on her face. “What is it?” she asked, disengaging from Callie’s grasp.

  “One of your former students was recently murdered. Natalie Underwood. I heard that she came here with a man named Bix. I’m a friend and colleague of Natalie’s and I wondered if you knew anything about their relationship.”

  “Surely if you really are her ‘friend’ you would know more about it than me,” Lina answered, somewhat sarcastically. “What are you – police?”

  “Actually, I am,” Sands said smoothly, stepping forward. “Callie here is just a ballroom dance fan. We don’t mean to trouble you, Lina and we really were here to participate in your class. We just thought that you might be able to shed some light on a few things for us.”

  “You want to know about Natalie and Bix,” Lina said with a gusty sigh. “OK. Well, Natalie was nice enough; I’ll say that for her. Obviously, I didn’t know her well, but that’s how she seemed. I was devastated to hear about her murder. She was fashionable, funny, and polite. Bix on the other hand…” Lina raised a palm in the “stop” sign. “He thought he was God’s gift to women.” She sighed and sat down on the lone folding chair at the front of the room.

  Callie looked at Sands and he nodded at her. “What do you mean?” she asked Lina.

  “Bix and Natalie were definitely an item. I mean, most people who come here are engaged or at least in a serious relationship. Like you two, right? When’s the wedding?”

  Callie gulped and couldn’t look at Sands. “No wedding yet,” Sands said pleasantly and Callie’s heart thrummed a bit. “What about Bix and Natalie?” he urged.

  “Sorry. Well, they acted really affectionate together. Hugging, kissing, laughing.” Callie nodded – she’d heard as much from Grandma Viv’s description.

  “But then – get this.” Lina narrowed her eyes. “Right after the last session of the class – Natalie had already gone to the car or some such thing – Bix comes up to me and asks me out! Seriously.” She shook her head.

  “What did you say?” Callie asked.

  “What do you think I said? A big, fat ‘No.’ What a jerk. But truth be told, I’ve even had grooms-to-be ask me out. Kind of makes you lose your faith in marriage, you know?”

  No need to go there, Callie thought. She glanced at Sands, who looked grim. “Anything else you think might be of interest?” Sands asked Lina.

  “Bix tried contacting me after I rejected him. He emailed me a couple of times and somehow got my cell phone number. He texted me for a bit, until I got smart and blocked his number. I guess he got the message. I ran into him a few days ago in town and he totally ignored me. Thank goodness.”

  “Right. I may need to question you again, more formally about this, Lina. And if you think of anything else, would you give me a call?” Sands gave Lina his crisp white business card and she nodded.

  “You know what? For a cop, you’re a pretty good dancer.” Lina batted her eyelashes just the tiniest bit. “And I like your accent.”

  * * *

  “That was interesting,” Sands offered as they walked down Garden Street, past Callie’s Kitchen, Tea for Two and the many Crystal Bay business district shops now covered in evergreen boughs, tiny white lights and all manner of festive Christmas decorations. Callie inhaled deeply of the cold but refreshing air. It had been a little bit stuffy in the dance studio. Fresh snowflakes fell softly on the two as they strolled together, and there was a hushed quality to the early evening.

  Suddenly, Sands stopped and grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry I got a bit funny in there. I loved dancing with you, you know.”

  Callie was embarrassed that he’d noticed her dismay while they were dancing. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I understand that you have a lot on your mind.”

  “Let me explain anyway. I don’t really talk about my past much, do I?”

  “No,” Callie admitted, her face flushing. “But I didn’t want to upset you by prying.”

  “That’s one of the things I like about you, Callie,” Sands said, keeping hold of her hand as they started walking again. “You only pry when there’s a murder mystery involved.”

  Callie was startle
d into laughter but she quickly grew somber. Whatever Sands was trying to tell her, he was clearly using humor to deflect some of the pain.

  Sands seemed to be struggling to find the right words, but he hesitated and Callie saw his expression change. “It’s nothing. I just used to dance with my ex-wife and it reminded me of some things I’d rather forget.”

  “Oh.” Callie was taken aback. “Do you miss your wife?” The question popped out before she could stop herself.

  “Ex-wife,” Sands corrected her gently, giving her hand a squeeze. “I don’t miss her. Please – it’s not that. It’s just reminded me of my life with my daughter. You know, before.”

  Before. Callie gulped. Sands had told her before they started dating, that his young daughter had died. He hadn’t specified how and Callie had never asked. She debated asking now but didn’t want to cause him any more pain.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, softly. “I never would have dragged you to a dance class if I thought it would bring up sad memories for you.”

  “Not sad, exactly. Well, I guess, so. If I’m honest, a little bit. But listen,” he said, facing her. “When I found out about Natalie being in the class, I would have been forced to go the dance studio to ask questions, with or without you. You provided a bit of moral support for me.”

  “Really?” Callie asked, taken aback. “Then I’m glad I was there for you.”

  “Me too,” Sands replied and Callie felt her heart give an odd little skip. Suddenly, Sands light humor and seeming glibness about life made a lot more sense. In his shoes, Callie would be frantic.

  “What about an Irish coffee or a beer?” Sands asked. “Maybe we can even catch the end of the Packers game.”

  “You bet,” Callie answered. Someday she’d get the whole story about his previous life, but he didn’t seem to want to share more right now. “After that, I’d better get back. Sweetie and Viv are watching Olivia tonight. They’ve really been helping me out a lot lately and I don’t want to take advantage.” In the back of her mind, she was worried about the three of them, alone in the house. A chill went down her spine as she thought of them, defenseless against anyone who might want to cause them harm.

  But Sands was already steering her into the only pub on Garden Street, aptly and simply named, “The Pub.” They also served pretty good food and Callie as always was interested in what the competition was doing. Callie stood back to let a couple pass and then let out a little gasp of astonishment when it registered who they were.

  “Hi, Callie,” chirped Piper, albeit a bit uncertainly. Instead of Max, Callie’s loyal friend and co-worker, Piper’s companion was none other than Bix Buckman.

  “Evening,” Bix nodded tersely. “Piper, let’s get going.”

  “See you tomorrow, Callie,” Piper called, following Bix quickly past Sands and Callie and out into the street.

  Once the two were gone, Callie gaped at Sands who looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, his hazel eyes glimmering.

  “’The game is afoot,’” he said, a gleam in his eye.

  “Sherlock Holmes would be proud,” Callie answered.

  Eleven

  Callie felt drained the next day at work, but she tried to channel positivity into baking a huge batch of paxemathia, Greek “biscotti.” She’d decided to place them in large, pretty glass jars with a red ribbon around them. Spiced with festive anise-flavored ouzo, they’d be perfect as impromptu Christmas gifts or hostess gifts at holiday parties.

  As Callie gathered ingredients and cooking utensils, she found her mind ticking off the many odd experiences and revelations of late. As a whole, the events of the last few days had been not only tragic, but puzzling in the extreme.

  Between nearly being hit by a wayward SUV, breaking up fiancé feuds, finding out that her best friend’s current boyfriend was most likely a “player” and possibly a murderer, and having her Dad squiring a relative of her ex’s new wife around town, Callie’s brain was on overload.

  Not to mention, trying to help her friend Emma keep an eye on her hotel, processing young Natalie’s brutal murder and now – she was finding herself increasingly confused about her relationship with Sands. Could he still be hung up on his ex? He was a perfect gentleman, a smart, funny, dear companion. She blushed when she realized it didn’t matter that her brain was telling her to slow down. No question about it. She was falling for him.

  Exhaling in a whoosh, Callie brushed flour off of her hands and plopped onto a stool in the baking area of her kitchen. Max was out front serving customers, which was always a good thing. But thinking about Max made Callie think about Piper. And more specifically, it made her think about Piper and Bix, together. What was that all about? Maybe Piper liked guys that had an “x” in the last letter of their name. Callie shook her head at her own whimsy.

  Break time over. Callie heaved herself out of her chair and started forming dough for the paxemathia. Just like biscotti, they’d be baked in small, delectable-smelling loaves before being cut into slices and baked again. As usual, working with food, especially baking, perked up Callie’s spirits. While she shaped the cookie loaves and put them in the oven, she decided that she wouldn’t tell Max about running into Piper and Bix. Maybe the two were just friends.

  Except that Bix didn’t seem to have female friends: He was either dating the women in his circle, trying to date them, or semi-stalking them. This last observation made Callie decide that she had to share some of what she’d learned with Sam. Now that was a conversation that she wasn’t looking forward to initiating. Out of loyalty to her friend, though, she had to give Sam warning about the guy she was seeing. It wouldn’t be welcome news, but she’d want Sam to do the same thing for her.

  Or would she? Grimacing, Callie remembered her tense conversation with Sam at The Elkhorn regarding Sands and his frequent unavailability. She didn’t like anyone criticizing the person she was seeing, true. Still, Callie rationalized; Bix just seemed like a man with too many secrets and too many women in his past – or possibly his present. Leaning down to check on her paxemathia loaves, she resolved to speak to Sam ASAP.

  “Callie?” a hesitant voice jolted her from wondering if the cookies were browning too quickly. Easing the kinks out of her back, she straightened up and turned around. Piper.

  “Can we sit down a minute?” Piper asked. Callie nodded and gestured at two stools by the long marble countertop that she used for rolling out cookies and pastry.

  Callie busied herself with the coffee pot as Piper settled herself onto a stool. Finally, when the two of them were seated and sipping at the rich, dark roast coffee, Piper spoke. “I wanted to explain about Bix and me,” she said. Her blue eyes blinked at Callie and she licked her upper lip nervously. Callie sat and waited, tapping her foot against the metal rung of the stool. Today, Piper wore a retro-looking red knit dress with a white Peter Pan collar. She looked like a young, pretty Mrs. Claus.

  “You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Callie began, but Piper cut her off.

  “Yes, I do. I saw the way you and your boyfriend, that detective, looked at us last night. I like Max and I don’t want him – or you – to get the wrong idea.”

  “Piper, what you and Max do is your own business. If anything, I’m more concerned about my friend, Sam, who’s been seeing Bix.” Callie wasn’t sure if she believed Piper’s story but she didn’t want to get involved in a fight between her employees. That was a recipe for nothing but disaster.

  “OK, well, there’s nothing going on with me and Bix,” Piper was saying, her eyes still blinking rapidly. “He wanted my help with social media for his band. I took the freelance job with Bix because I need the money,” Piper explained, with a little shrug of her red-knit covered shoulders. “You know how it is. I need to pay for school.”

  Callie nodded encouragingly. “I know. You’ve done a great job. I’m not surprised that other people want to work with you.”

  Piper took another sip of coffee and stared into her cup as intently
as if she could read her fortune in it. “There’s something else. Max wasn’t around last night, but Bix was. Because of Natalie’s murder, I wanted a bodyguard. I didn’t want to tell you this, but the other night, I felt like someone was following me.”

  “What happened?”

  “Well, I was leaving class and even thought it wasn’t late, it was pitch dark. You know how it gets around here – it’s like midnight at 5 pm.” Callie nodded encouragingly.

  “So I was walking to my car and I heard footsteps behind me. The footsteps were soft, but fast, like they were jogging to catch up to me. I was alone and I started to panic. I carry pepper spray, and I was about to get it out of my bag.” Piper’s face was white as she relayed the incident.

  “But just as I was about to turn around, a whole bunch of people came out of the student bookstore. It’s right near where my car was parked. They were heading my way and I was about to call to them for help, when the footsteps stopped for a minute, and then started up again but in the other direction. Whoever it was ran away.”

  Callie let this sink in. Why would someone be following Piper?

  “You probably don’t believe me and I know you and Max are friends.” When she looked up again, her blue eyes were wet at the corners. “I don’t want Max to think I’m going out with Bix. Because I’m not.”

  Oh dear, thought Callie. What have I gotten myself into? “Piper, I’m not the Dating Police. Talk to Max if you like, about last night. I won’t say anything.”

  Piper beamed at Callie, her lipstick bright red to match her dress. “Thanks, Callie.”

  “But I am going to mention this to Sands. This may be nothing, but you never know. Any ideas as to why someone would be following you?”

  Piper shook her head just as the oven timer started beeping. “Hey, didn’t you want me to take some pictures of your cookies?” she asked. Clearly, she was trying to change the subject.