One Potato, Two Potato, Dead

by Lynn Cahoon

  “I think we’ll add a day in the spring. But if we do private parties, that should help with extra money for the holidays for your crew.” Angie was getting excited. “I’ll have Nancy look into that when she comes on too.”

  By the time the kitchen team came in to prep for dinner service, Angie was vacillating between glee and fear. She pulled Estebe aside first and let him know the plan.

  “This is good. Nancy is competent in those types of skills. You have made good choices with hiring and staffing.” Estebe sat in her visitor chair where Felicia had been just a few minutes ago. “The County Seat is lucky to have such a great management team.”

  Angie sat on the corner of her desk, drinking a bottle of water. “Okay, what do you want?”

  A look of confusion passed over Estebe’s face. Then he chuckled. “I could never hide anything from you. How do you read me so well?”

  “You are never that polite or encouraging.” Angie held up her hand. “I like your directness. It keeps me on my toes. And I know you’ll tell me if something isn’t working. So why are you blowing snow up my skirt now?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Angie shook her head. “Sorry, just something my Nona used to say. What do you want, Estebe?”

  “We have a tradition on Christmas Eve. Everyone comes to the community center after mass and we have a Santa for the kids and a late meal. Typically, I and my family cook this meal.” Estebe paused, watching her reactions.

  “You want the night off?” She glanced at a calendar. Christmas Eve was on a Sunday, and the County Seat wasn’t open. “Felicia and I need to make a plan for holiday nights. Are we open or not? I think we’ll honor the holidays and close for most of them. But it’s not something we’ve talked about. Anyway, we’re closed this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.”

  “Actually, I want you and the staff to come and cook with me. You all are part of my family now, and I want to share this tradition with you.”

  Tears built up behind her eyes. She’d spent Christmas with Nona or, if she couldn’t come home, with Todd and Felicia. In either case, it had been a time of cooking and eating and laughter. Now Estebe wanted her and the team to be part of his tradition. She’d made the right decision coming home, and this offer made her understand that.

  “I can’t say yes for everyone, but I’ll join you. Let’s talk to the group today and they can see if the event can fit into their plans.” She rubbed her face to make sure she wasn’t crying. “Thank you for the offer. It means a lot to me.”

  “I’m the one who is honored that you accepted my invitation. Of course, Ian is welcome as well. We can put him to work peeling potatoes.”

  Angie laughed. “I’m sure he’ll love it.”

  * * * *

  The mood in the kitchen for service was lighter, happier. Angie didn’t know if the news of more hours was the cause, but she figured it didn’t hurt. She’d been a struggling chef once. Of course, she’d always been an owner of the restaurant. So for her, failure affected not only her paycheck but that of her entire team. She, Felicia, and Todd had pulled together all the capital they’d had to open el pescado. Most of that capital had been sweat equity into making the space they’d rented even passable for the health departments. She’d helped build that community into a thriving neighborhood. Then the landlord had taken notice and raised their rent after their first lease contract was expiring. But if el pescado hadn’t closed, she wouldn’t have moved to River Vista and opened the County Seat, and Todd would still be skimming off his part of the businesses profits after doing none of the work.

  Life changed. Sometimes for the better. She pulled Hope aside after they shut down the kitchen. “You okay? You’re quiet.”

  “Just busy. I’ve got midterms coming up, and the professor who took over for Professor Monet is a real hard case. I’ve had to resend three of my papers because he said he couldn’t get into the class files so it must not have been turned in.” Hope rolled her eyes. “Some people.”

  “Well, if you need off a shift, just let Felicia know. We can bring in a temp if we have to.” Angie studied the girl’s face. There was something more bothering her. “How are you with this whole thing around Daniel’s death and being questioned by the police? Are you having nightmares?”

  “No. Why would I? I dropped the guy off, drank a glass of wine, and left. That was it.” She narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t investigating this like you did the other murders, are you? Is that why you wanted to talk to me?”

  “No. I wanted to talk to you to see if you were okay. That had to be hard.” Angie figured Hope didn’t need to know that yes, Angie was poking her nose in where it didn’t belong, again. She didn’t need the lecture from someone ten plus years younger than she was.

  The wariness didn’t leave Hope’s eyes. “Well, I’m fine. Like I said, busy with school and work. And I’ve got to go home and get some sleep. I’ve got a study group early tomorrow morning.”

  Angie watched her hurry to grab her tote and head to the back door. When she reached it, Estebe stopped her and handed her a bottle of water. They exchanged words, and even from a distance, Angie could see Hope’s shoulders drop. Whatever Estebe had said had calmed her, whereas Angie’s conversation had just wound her up.

  She waited for everyone to leave before she talked to Estebe. “What did you say to Hope?”

  A slightly confused look settled on his strong features. “What do you mean?”

  “When she left and you gave her the water. What did you tell her to calm her down?” Angie truly wanted to know. Her approach had been meant to comfort Hope, to let her know she had people who cared for her, but what she heard was someone spying on her.

  “I just told her that my cousin wanted to see her tomorrow and that I would drive her to his office.”

  “On a Sunday?”

  Estebe nodded. “He was a bit agitated too. He hasn’t been able to reach her on her cell. I guess she’s been in class a lot.”

  “Well, I hope everything’s okay.” For some reason, Angie had a bad feeling about this impromptu meeting.

  “Now I have you worried. I will call you as soon as it’s over if there is any news to report. Good or bad.” He glanced over to the dishwashing station where Hope had worked that night. “We can’t lose our up and coming star now, can we?”

  When Angie got home, she was dead tired, but she still went to the barn to check on Precious and Mabel. This time both of them were asleep, and she only took a few minutes to check food and water. She’d spend some quality time with the goat the next morning before she went into town to talk to Sheriff Brown. The only thing Mabel wanted from her was food, water, and a place to roost. She heated up the short ribs and mac and cheese Estebe had packed for her. Dom cuddled up to her legs and laid his huge head in her lap, looking up at her with those soulful eyes.

  “Hey, buddy. I’ve got a few errands to run in the morning. You want to go with me?” She’d stop by the store on her way home and grab a few items so she could try the sheepherders bread they’d put on Tuesday’s menu. She didn’t want the first time she made it to be at the class, even though she’d probably have Estebe make the bread. The women would love him. It didn’t hurt the potential popularity of the classes to have a handsome chef in the kitchen.

  Sex. The appearance or possibility of it was coming up a lot the last few days. She grabbed her tote she’d dropped on the table when she came in and dug inside until she found the two notes. She should give these to Sheriff Brown. And she would. Tomorrow morning. She opened them and laid them on the table, careful to hold them by the edges.

  The notes were handwritten and most likely in the same hand. She wasn’t a handwriting expert, but they looked the same to her. And they both started Dearest Daniel.

  The first was an angry tome about how he’d been ignoring her and that she’d be at his door at seven p.m. on Tuesday wear
ing nothing but her red coat and black boots. Had this girl been waiting for Daniel when Hope dropped him off? And had she seen Hope go inside? Angie glanced at the signature. Your one true love.

  This was probably the girl who Barb saw at the Red Eye the other night. Angie turned her attention to the second note.

  We were destined to be together, but you had to stray. Now you’ve paid for your betrayal. I won’t mourn you. Not now, not ever. Man, this girl had a bad case of the melodramatics. Would that have been enough of a reason to kill someone? Angie got a plastic bag and put both of the notes and envelopes into it and sealed it. She’d drop it off tomorrow and stay out of this whole mess. Daniel Monet had been a creep, and it was probably better for the entire lot of coeds from the campus that the fox had been removed from the henhouse. She ate her dinner, then headed upstairs to bed.

  She was done playing Nancy Drew. At least for this victim.

  * * * *

  The next day, Angie stood outside the church doorway, her blue bomber jacket wrapped around her protecting her from the chill that had stayed around even after the sun rose that morning. She smiled and nodded as people greeted her going inside. A few tried to hold the door open.

  “Whoever you’re waiting for will find you inside just as quickly, and you won’t be frozen.” A tall older man nodded to the door he held open. “It’s okay, we don’t bite.”

  “Thanks, but I’d rather wait here.” She put on as big a smile as she could manage. Her face seemed to be frozen as well.

  “Okay then, but I don’t want to hear from Ian how you caught cold from standing out here.” The man nodded. “Remember, we have hot coffee inside.”

  That had almost tempted her, but she saw the sheriff pull into the parking lot just then. Hoping she wouldn’t be struck dead by telling a lie in the church parking lot, she said, “Thanks, I’ll come in soon if they don’t arrive.”

  He nodded. “Okay then. I’m going inside. I’m not as weatherproof as you seem to be, Miss Turner.”

  She had a half second to wonder who the man was and why he knew both her and her relationship to Ian. Then Sheriff Brown stepped on the path to the church. He had his arm around a petite blond woman whose red lipstick was so harsh on her face, it made Angie blink.

  “Sheriff Brown, may I have a word with you?” She stepped into his path, blocking his exit.

  “Miss Turner, it is one of my rare days off and we are on our way to service. If you want to reach me, please call the station tomorrow morning.” He tried to step around her, but as he moved, so did Angie.

  “I tried calling the station. Several times. Don’t tell me your guard dog didn’t give you the message.”

  The woman squeezed Sheriff Brown’s arm. “Is this the woman who’s dating Ian?”

  “Maggie, meet Angie Turner. Yes, she and Ian are dating.” He turned toward Angie. “What do you want?”

  She had thought about how to juggle the multitude of things she wanted to know, but she decided to get the evidence she’d collected on the murder out of her hands first. “I found these notes at Daniel Monet’s office. I thought you should have them.”

  “What in the...” He paused and looked at his wife. With surprising tenderness in his voice, he said, “Maggie, go inside and get some coffee. You’re going to freeze out here. I’ll be right in after Miss Turner and I talk.”

  The woman moved up the stairs, then turned back. “You have Ian bring you by for Sunday dinner when he’s back in town. I’d like to get to know you better. Ian’s very special to me and my husband.”

  Angie watched her open the heavy wooden door and slip inside. “She seems nice.”

  “She’s a peach.” His face was hard, but his tone held a little softness for his wife. “You really need to stay out of police investigations. Can I ask why you were in the victim’s office?”

  “I wanted to make sure Hope was safe. But I realize that was stupid. She’s already been released and is probably off the suspect list.”

  Angie saw the flicker in his face before he shut it down.

  “Wait. She is off the suspect list, right?” She put a hand on his arm to keep him in front of her.

  “I am not at liberty to say. Look, I know you believe that Hope couldn’t have done this. Hel... Heck, I think the same thing.” He pulled her out of the path of the stream of people entering the church. “If she didn’t kill him, you don’t have anything to worry about. So stop digging into this case.”

  She studied him and decided to switch tactics. “Where’s Ian?”

  “He’s out of town, like my wife said. He’ll be back soon.” He pulled the collar of his coat up farther on his neck. “Are you coming in and worshiping with us or not?”

  “You’re sure he’s okay?”

  Relief flooded Sheriff Brown’s face. “Yes, Angie. He’s fine. I talked to him last night.”

  She hoped the pain she felt by the news hadn’t shown in her face. Tears threatened to fall now. She had known Ian had been in contact with his uncle, but to hear it as a fact made her question their relationship.

  “He’ll be home soon. Come inside with us. Maggie would love to get to know you better.” He put an arm around her and tried to lead her to the door.

  She shrugged it off. “Please tell your nephew that he and I are going to have a long talk as soon as he gets back in town.”

  She left him and headed to the parking lot. Dom was in the car and she didn’t want to leave him too long. Besides, he wouldn’t take off to England and not call. She might have to buy him a box of dog biscuits when she stopped at the grocery store just to reward him for his loyalty.

  A loyalty she didn’t feel from the guy who was supposed to be her boyfriend.

  Chapter 9

  She’d just finished her quick shopping trip and was on the way home when she got the call from Estebe.

  “Where are you?”

  Angie felt her fingers tighten on the steering wheel. She’d known something was wrong when she’d talked to Sheriff Brown. Now Estebe’s tone was verifying her hunch. “On my way home with groceries and Dom. I can’t meet you anywhere until I get him back home and the ice cream put away.”

  She heard the chuckle. “You bought ice cream? I would have thought you’d have your own machine in that gadget-heavy kitchen of yours.”

  “I do own a machine, but this way I can sit on the couch and drown my sorrows in a quart without having to do any work. What’s going on?” She might as well know the bad news sooner rather than later.

  “I will be at your house in twenty minutes. That way you don’t have to leave your couch or your ice cream.” The phone went dead.

  “Maybe I won’t be on my couch with ice cream in twenty minutes,” Angie said to the dead line. Dom whined from the back seat. Angie didn’t know if he needed to go out or was just reacting to her bad mood. She softened her voice as she spoke and caught his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Hold on, guy, we’re almost home.”

  After she got home and had the groceries unloaded, she still had ten minutes before Estebe was due to show up. Sunday was chores day, a habit Ian didn’t approve of. He was always trying to get her to do something fun and relaxing instead, but he wasn’t here to take her to dinner or occupy her time, now, was he? She put another load of clothes into the washer and had just finished cleaning the downstairs bathroom when she heard Estebe’s SUV pull into the driveway.

  The weather outside was beautiful, almost seventy degrees according to her temperature gauge on the porch. She met him at the door with a plate full of cookies she’d made earlier in the week. “I thought we’d chat outside. You want water, soda, or iced tea?”

  “Whatever you’re having.” He took the cookie tray from her.

  She quickly filled two glasses of iced tea and then held the door open for Dom. He went out, greeted Estebe, sniffed his shoes, then lay quietly on the
other side of the porch. But Angie noticed his eyes were still open even though his head was on the ground between his paws.

  “He’s withholding judgment on me.” Estebe took the tea and set it next to the tray of cookies he’d set on a table between the two chairs. “Trust but verify. I like your dog.”

  “He’s good with people, but yeah, the first few times he meets someone, he’s more reserved.” Or at least he was now. A few months ago, as a puppy, Dom hadn’t met anyone he didn’t like. Including a killer or two. She was glad he was being choosier with his friendships with humans. “I forgot that you haven’t been here before. I really should host a barbecue for the staff before the weather turns.”

  “That would be fun. The place is easy to find. My GPS didn’t have a problem.” He glanced around at the dormant garden and large barn. Mabel scratched at the dirt by the edge, looking for worms. “It’s peaceful. I can see why you like living out here in the boondocks.”

  She laughed. “It’s not so bad. Town’s less than thirty minutes away. Although I’m not sure what will happen if we get ice storms this winter. I might be stuck out here for months.”

  “Then I will as your second-in-command come and rescue you and your animals. I’m sure we can rig something up in the parking lot for the hen and goat.” He sipped his tea. “But no use worrying about tomorrow’s concerns when today has its own.”

  “My Nona used to say something close to that.” She picked up a cookie and broke it in half. She threw half to Dom and ate the other. When she finished, she brushed the crumbs off her hands and without looking at him, asked, “Why are you here, Estebe?”

  “Small talk time is over, then? Good. I was never good at this part of conversations.” He set his tea down on the table and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs and crossing his fingers together, apart, together again. Angie could tell he was stalling. “I told you that my cousin asked to see Hope this morning. Apparently, the cops have a witness that puts her car at the professor’s house an hour after she told the police she’d left.”