“Come on, sis! It’s Sunday! We agreed that we wanted to spend our day off working on the Christmas shopping. What are you doing?”
“Ugh! What time is it?”
Kari looked at her watch. “It’s a quarter after 7.”
“A quarter after…! Are you out of your mind? I said that I wanted to sleep in.”
“But, you did.” Kari was genuinely confused. She had let her sleep in. She had even slept in, herself. She didn’t wake up at the usual 5:30am. Oh, no. Not on her day off. No, she had snoozed until at least 5:45am. And, she didn’t even rush to get into the shower till after 6:00am. Okay, so it was almost 6:00am. But still, that was late for her. “Okay, well I am going downstairs to make some coffee and breakfast. I guess just come down whenever, then.”
Kari went down the kitchen, still a little hurt and confused by her sister’s reaction. She ground some of the beans they had brought home from the shop the night before, and set the coffee pot up to brew, popping a couple pieces of bread in the toaster for herself.
Before she had her first sip, a bedraggled looking Kasi had come down the stairs, still dressed in the clothes she had slept in.
“Ah, coffee, thank you,” she said, as she grabbed the cup out of Kari’s hands, just before she had brought it to her lips.
“Yes, yes, you’re very welcome. That cup that I was just about to sip from was totally the one that I made for you.”
Kasi stuck her tongue out at her, then drank deeply from the steaming mug. “Hmm, this is good. Is this from the roast you did yesterday?”
Kari knew her sister well enough to tell when she felt bad for snapping at her. “Oh, those? I don’t know. They were just some beans that I grabbed on the way out.” She also knew that it happened often enough that she didn’t mind letting Kasi sweat a little bit for doing it.
Kasi looked at her sister and waited for Kari to look back at her. Kari pretended that she didn’t notice and went about thumbing through one of the local circulars that was on the table. “Ugh! Okay, sis. You win. I’m sorry for snapping at you. We just have to coordinate about what ‘sleeping in’ means, for the future.”
Kari finally turned to her sister, not trying at all to hide the smug smile. “Okay, so when were you thinking?”
“I don’t know. When the first part of the time had two digits instead of just one. Or even better, when it went back to having one after already having two for a while. That would’ve been a dream.”
“Ugh,” Kari said. “We’d lose the whole day if I left it up to you.”
Kasi shrugged. “We’d at least be well rested.” She spread her arms out to the sides, palms up in a pleading gesture. “And, wouldn’t that be the best gift of all? Far better than these material possessions.” She practically spit that last part out, as she gestured to the circular that Kari was looking through.
“Oh, that’s good to know,” Kari said, as she got out her list and a pen. “Because that store you like so much a few towns over, Buy Best, had a new model of your laptop in stock.” She pretended to cross off something on the list.
"It's not Buy Best, it’s Be…wait, what new model?”
Kari laughed at her sister. “Okay, are you done now?”
“Yes. Thank you for waking me up, Kari,” she said, smirking.
“No problem, just try to be a little nicer next time when I do.”
“Hah! Nice requires more sleep.”
“Noted.” Kari got her list out. “Okay, where do we want to start?”
“Wait, I thought we weren’t going shopping till next week.”
“We’re not. We’re just planning where we’re going to go when we do.”
“Okay, I’m going to need some more coffee for this.” Kasi filled her cup from the pot, then took a seat at the kitchen table across from her sister, pulling a circular in front of her. “Hey, do you have an extra one of those pads? And a pen?”
Kari, smiling, pushed the pad and pen that she had laid out for her sister in front of her. The two girls sat quietly going through the circulars, writing down gift ideas, crossing them off and writing down better ones as they found them, and drinking coffee right into the afternoon.
Finally, Kasi stretched and broke the silence. “I need a break.” She looked at the clock. “And look at that: almost back to single digits again. What are you thinking for lunch?”
“Dealers choice,” Kari said, not even taking her eyes off the sweater selection of the catalog she was going through. She was looking for the perfect one for their mother.
Kasi shrugged, and went to the refrigerator. Kari heard her mumbling a few things to herself while she looked around in there, debating what she could do with what they had and what she felt like. Seemingly having made a decision, she pulled a few things out and went to work on the kitchen counter.
After a few minutes, she returned to the table with a platter full of little sandwiches. Kari picked one up. “English Tea cucumber sandwiches?” Kari asked, as she bit into one.
“Close,” Kasi replied. “These are Cuban coffee cucumber sandwiches, in honor of the Cuban beans you roasted. There is a dash of coriander and cumin in a quick remoulade that I whipped up, in addition to the Worcestershire sauce. What do you think?”
“Oh, man,” Kari managed to get out in between bites. “These are delicious, sis! You want to add them to the menu?”
“I don’t know. I am still working on the recipe. I don’t know if it’s there yet.” Kasi was always a bit of a perfectionist when it came to her cooking.
“Well, wherever it is now, it’s awesome, sis.” Kari got out before attacking the next sandwich she picked up off the plate.
In short order, the sandwiches Kasi had prepared for them were eaten, and Kari went back to her list, with a full stomach and full cup of coffee. Kasi, under the pretense of straightening up after lunch, started reading Kari’s list over her shoulder.
“Hey, sis, why are there three question marks after Hunter’s name?”
Kari, turning beat red, quickly covered it when she noticed. “That is not for prying eyes,” Kari said, arms covering the gift ideas she had laid out.
“Oh, come on sis, let me take a look,” Kasi said as she started to tickle Kari beneath her arms. Kari, reflexively, pulled her arms back to her side, revealing the list. “Aw, there are no good ideas, huh? Why would you give him a gift, anyway?”
“Get off of me,” Kari said, wrenching her arms, and armpits, free from her sister’s attacks. “You don’t think he’s earned one? I think he deserves one, especially with how much he’s been helping us, recently. I’m just not sure what the right gift for him is.”
“No, you’re right. He has earned one. You know, I think I’ll give him a shirt. Why don’t you just go ahead and give him your heart.” Kasi grabbed her sides, and practically fell into her seat, laughing at her own joke. Kari just rolled her eyes at her sister.
“Okay, I’m done with this for now. I am going to take a shower.” Kasi gave her sister a hug as she passed.
“Good, cause you stink!” Kari went to take a friendly swipe at her, but Kasi had already let go and started running for the stairs.
Kari continued to work on her list but didn’t seem to make much progress. It was like she was stuck on something, but she couldn’t figure it out. Almost an hour later, she heard Kasi getting out of the shower, and went upstairs to see how much longer she was going to be.
“Why are you hovering? It’s not like we have plans, or anything.” Kasi seemed like she actually forgot.
“So, are you not coming?”
“What are you talking about?” She really had forgotten.
“We were going to Russell’s for dinner tonight. Everyone was going to be there.”
“Oh man, I did forget. Alright, I’m almost ready. Did you go start the Jeep to let it warm up?”
Before Kari could answer, she heard a horn honk, and went to the window. Hunter was parked out front in Babe, his dark blue Silverado. Kari waved an
d turned, running for the stairs to go down and invite him in. She heard her sister calling after her.
“Don’t forget to tell him about his gift. And, wipe that stupid grin off your face!”
For once, Kasi may have had a point. Kari didn’t even realize that she was smiling, until she passed the mirror by the front door. Ugh. It’s a full-on schoolgirl smile. She took a moment to compose herself before going out the door.
“Hey, Hunter.”
“Kari. Are you ready? I mean, I was wondering if you would like a ride. You and Kasi, I mean. To Russell’s. I’m heading there, and I could bring you there, because I was heading there anyway, cause we were all invited.” Hunter stopped stammering and after audibly gulping and taking a minute to compose himself, tried again. “I was wondering if I could offer you and Kasi a ride to Russell’s for dinner.”
“Yes, I would love that. WE! We would love that. Thanks, Hunter.” They stood there smiling at each other for a few seconds before both realizing that no one was talking. “Uh, Kasi is almost ready. She’s done now. I mean, she was almost done when I came out, so she is probably inside now. I mean, she’s probably done getting ready. Would you like to come inside to wait?”
Hunter smiled and stepped out of the truck. The two walked silently into the house.
Kasi was just coming down the stairs as they entered, still working a Q-tip in one of her ears. She nodded to their guest. “What’s up, Hunt?” Turning to Kari, “Did you start the jeep, sis?”
“Hunter has offered to take us there in Babe. Wasn’t that nice of him, Kasi?”
“Well, yeah, but why would we put him out? We have the Jeep.”
Kari did not know that her eyes could open as wide as they were. She stared daggers at her sister, who didn’t seem to notice. Kari walked over to her, and turning back to Hunter, reached her arm around Kasi’s back to surreptitiously pinch her sister.
“Ouch, what the he…” Kasi finally caught Kari’s look, and picked up on the hint. “I mean, yeah, that’s really nice of him. And, a great idea, too. I was just saying that we have the Jeep, but hey, it’s safer to ride with a cop!”
Kari finally exhaled the breath that she didn’t know she was holding and turned to smile at Hunter. Hunter smiled back at her in turn.
Kasi, rolling her eyes, said, “Okay, well I guess I’ll just go get my things, and we can get going. I can tell already it’s going to be a fun night.”
Chapter 24
Kari
This is really nice, Kari thought as she looked at her friends around the dining room table, enjoying dinner.
Kasi was beside her, dressed in her favorite black velvet pants and a floral blouse, her hair pulled into a single French braid. She was happily chatting with Maddie, who was seated to her left.
Maddie looked gorgeous in a deep green blouse that complements her hair and glittering earrings. She looks happier than Kari had seen her since Jake’s death.
On her right was Hunter, who looked handsome in a navy blue button-down shirt, his hair combed back from his face. He met her eyes and smiled, a dimple winking in his left cheek. She felt a fluttering in her stomach.
Has he always been this darn cute? she wondered.
Andy was sitting at the head of the table, and Kari thought how nice it was that Russell had given up what was probably his normal seat to Jake’s brother. Andy seemed lost in thought, a frown creasing his face. She felt her heart go out to him.
How long would it take before life started to seem normal to him again? Would it ever be normal again?
“Salads, everyone!” Russell announced, putting a large bowl and tongs down in the middle of the table. “I hope everyone likes Caesar salad. I went ahead and mixed the dressing in.”
Russell had made thick T-bone steaks with twice-baked potatoes and roasted carrots—all of which looked surprisingly delicious. Kari had never pegged Russell as a cook, but he sure knew his way around a kitchen.
He also seemed to know a thing or two about interior design—or he worked with someone who did. His home—a large two-story Tudor-style with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, and even a theater room—had a medieval feel to it that was unique, yet still tasteful.
The deep colors, tapestries, and old-fashioned lighting fixtures were clearly expensive. Though Kari would have never picked them for her own home, they suited Russell.
She wondered if he’d purchased the home on his own, or if it had once been his parents. She knew from Hunter that Russell’s mom and dad had retired to Bermuda after building a successful real-estate business together in Mills Township. She was about to ask more about them when Andy suddenly clinked his water glass with his fork.
“I’d like to propose a toast in honor of my brother, Jake,” he announced, clearing his throat.
“That’s a great idea!” Russell said, looking around the table. “Does everyone have wine to toast with? Anyone need a refill?”
Kari looked at her still-full glass of merlot. She wasn’t much of a wine drinker, but she felt it was rude to turn it down when Russell had poured it for her, saying it complemented the steaks perfectly. He’d also provided beer, martinis, and strawberry lemonade.
When they’d walked in and seen the numerous selections, Kasi had whispered to her, “Who would have guessed that Russell was a regular ol’ Martha Stewart?”
After topping off a few glasses, Russell sat back down and gestured to Andy. “Go for it, bro.”
Andy smiled sadly at him and cleared his throat again.
“Jake would have loved to see us all here together, enjoying a meal and each other’s company. He cherished his relationships so much, and I wish he could be here with us tonight.”
Kari felt her heart break as tears welled up in Andy’s eyes. She looked around the table and saw that Maddie and Kasi were also holding back tears, and she felt them prickle at the back of her eyes as well. Jake was truly well-loved, and it didn’t seem fair that none of them would get to be around him anymore.
“I think we all wish that,” Russell commented. “Life really isn’t fair sometimes.”
Andy nodded his agreement, then lifted his glass.
“To Jake!” he said, wiping at his eyes. “The best brother, friend, and partner any of us could have ever asked for.”
Kari raised her glass then drank with the rest of them. The red wine instantly made her face flush—though she had to admit, it was clearly of good quality. She managed to finish her glass then placed her napkin on the table.
“Russell,” Kari asked, “could I please use your restroom?” She felt like getting her emotions under control in private and was also curious to see how Russell’s bathrooms were decorated. She had visions of suits of armor beside the shower and swords hanging above the toilet.
Kasi gave her a knowing look. “You’ll have to tell me what it looks like,” she whispered. “I’ve been dying to go in there.”
“You bet,” Russell told her. “But the bathroom on this floor is broken. Plumber was supposed to come today, but he got held up and can’t come until tomorrow. That’s what happens when there’s only one plumbing company in town. You can just use the one in my bedroom upstairs—first door on the right.”
“Thanks,” Kari told him, giving her sister and Hunter a smile as she got up. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
She made her way up the spiral staircase to Russell’s room, admiring the paintings on the walls. She was developing a deeper level of appreciation for Russell with every new part of his house she saw.
The artwork was tasteful and perfectly matched the other colors in the house. She couldn’t help but wonder how much some of the paintings cost.
Russell’s room, however, was different. There was no medieval décor here. It actually resembled a college dorm room with posters of rappers on the wall, clothes on the floor, and photos of him and Jake at various shows taped to a mirror. She looked at a few of them with a smile on her face, remembering the stories Hunter had told her about Jake and Russ
ell in high school.
They’d been dubbed small-town Eminem clones by the school bullies, though Hunter said they’d never really minded.
I wonder what those bullies thought when they first heard them on the radio, Kari mused. And I wonder what they’ll think when they hear the Fire Spitters were going to be signed by one of the biggest record companies in the country.
Feeling a little bad about snooping, she spotted the bathroom door in the corner of his room and started walking toward it. Then her gaze fell on Russell’s nightstand, which had a half-open drawer, a flash of red peeking out.
Not able to contain her curiosity, Kari looked around to make sure she was still alone, and then she padded over to have a closer look.
If I’m gonna be a sleuth, then I can’t feel guilty about sleuthing, she thought.
She gently pulled the drawer open further and saw a small leather-bound notebook with Dragon’s Dope Rhymes written on the cover.
Her heart speeding up, Kari carefully pulled the notebook out of the drawer and started flipping through it. Her breath caught in her throat as she read through what were obviously Jake’s songs. In the beginning of the book were recognizable tunes, including Welcome to Mills.
As she flipped to the end, she found more and more songs that hadn’t made it to the radio yet. One of them was obviously about Maddie and sounded like something that would be played at a wedding.
The part that truly worried her, though, were the number of lines that had been crossed out with red pen and replaced with other rhymes written in a different one. One of them in particular caught her eye. It had been a song about Jake’s parents, though the red pen had transformed it into the tribute song of Russell’s that she and Kasi had listened to just the other day—the song that Russell had told them he’d written.
She felt a shiver run up her spine as she realized what she was holding. She glanced furtively at the door, worried that she’d be caught at any moment.
“Oh my gosh,” she told herself. “I have to find Hunter.”
Chapter 25
Hunter
Black Coffee, Biscotti & Murder Page 11