Chili con corpses, p.22
Chili Con Corpses, page 22
Before James could even rise to his feet, Bennett called his name from the top of the stairs. “James! They’ve both been knocked out cold!” he shouted. “Come on, man.”
Stirred into action by the fear of what horrors could have been inflicted upon his friends, James hustled up the stairs to find Lindy and Gillian splayed upon the bedroom carpet. Their breathing was even and there was no sign of trauma to their heads.
“Maybe he injected them with something,” James whispered.
“This is some mess, some mess,” Bennett muttered, kneeling over Gillian.
The sound of sirens approaching caused them both to sigh in relief.
Bennett moved to the window and looked out. “Lucky that we’re right in town. The cavalry was just around the corner.”
As James hastened down the stairs and opened the front door, his heart froze in shock at the sight of Sergeant McClellan standing on the stoop. His long hands gripped the nape of the masked man’s black shirt.
“Could you give me a hand?” McClellan asked. He and James dragged the inert figure inside.
As soon as they released him onto the floor, McClellan rolled the motionless man onto his back. Outside, several sheriff’s cars and an EMT van pulled to a screeching stop in front of the house. Blue, red, and white lights burst into the living room, striping the walls, ceilings, and floors with blinding color.
Despite the noise and the flashing lights, James could focus on nothing else but the man beneath him. Even as the paramedics pushed him aside to reach Lucy and Gary, his eyes were fixed on the masked face. Even as he heard footsteps thunder up the stairs, he couldn’t blink. Even as Murphy called his name over and over again, he heard nothing. His attention was zeroed in on McClellan’s sticklike fingers as they reached forward and, in what seemed like agonizingly slow motion, rolled the mask, inch by excruciating inch, up over the gunman’s face.
Staring at the handsome features—the square jaw, the narrow nose, and the flawless skin peppered by stubble, James tried to comprehend the image his eyes had relayed to his brain. His mind rebelled, struggling against the logic of what he saw.
The man in the mask was Colin Crabtree.
The supper club members were gathered around Lucy’s hospital bed, waiting in polite silence as she spoke on the phone to the sheriff of Madison County.
“Thank you for the offer, sir. I will certainly consider it.” She replaced the phone on the nightstand and then grimaced as she straightened her injured leg.
“How are you?” Gillian asked, patting Lucy’s hand in quick, agitated taps.
“I’m fine. Really.” She smiled at her friends. “Getting stabbed by a fireplace poker was great for my career! Both the Madison and Augusta departments want me to come aboard as a deputy sheriff as soon as I’m well enough.”
Bennett frowned. “What’s wrong with working for Shenandoah County?”
“Nothing.” Lucy shrugged. “But they haven’t offered me a position. I suppose Donovan’s been whispering mean nothings in Huckabee’s ear again. You know, how I’m a loose cannon, don’t follow procedure, regularly endanger the lives of citizens, blah, blah, blah.”
Lindy sat down in one of the two chairs in front of a filmy window that faced the parking lot. Behind her head, fat snowflakes swirled through the air, lazily falling upon the black pavement until it appeared to be sprinkled with chalk dust.
“Does that mean you’d move to another town?” Lindy clasped her hands together as though she feared the answer.
“Maybe,” Lucy answered softly and then turned her blue gaze upon James.
He wanted to tell her not to go, but he knew that he had no right to influence her decisions just because he didn’t want her to vanish from his life. “We’d never be the same without you,” he told her, meaning that the supper club wouldn’t feel right without her presence. But he also realized that he wanted her in his life. The thought of Lucy being completely gone from Quincy’s Gap instantly filled him with anxiety and sorrow.
“There’s our heroine!” cried a voice from the threshold. There was Milla, carrying a baking tray that bore a large sheet cake covered in white frosting. “This is my peppermint patty cake,” she declared, setting the cake down on the swivel tray next to Lucy’s bed. “The cake is chocolate, the icing is peppermint butter cream, and the word ‘hero’ is spelled out with tiny crumbles of chilled peppermint patties. I know it’s the masculine form of the word, but I just didn’t have room to write out ‘heroine,’ my dear.” Milla leaned over and cupped Lucy’s cheek in her hand. “You are something else, young lady.” Tearing up, she reached into her purse and blew her nose into a tissue. “Let’s cut this cake, and you all can explain to a simple old woman what in this world happened yesterday.”
Lindy volunteered to do the talking while the rest of the supper club concentrated on the rich chocolate cake layered with mint-flavored icing so buttery, creamy, and sugar-laden that James could feel his teeth shrieking in protest. He was pleased to see that Lucy had set aside her dietary restrictions for the moment and was eating the largest slice of them all with fervor.
“This frosting,” Lucy moaned after Lindy had finished talking and everyone had eaten his or her slices of cake. “Milla, you know my biggest weakness now.”
“It’s your kryptonite, huh?” Milla laughed. “Don’t worry dear, I’ll keep your secret. But boy, oh boy, there were a whole mess of secrets in that class of mine!” She shook her head in disbelief. “So you’re telling me that Colin Crabtree and Kinsley’s new husband killed that sweet Parker and were planning on … getting rid of Kinsley, too?”
“That’s what we’ve heard from the State Police,” Bennett answered. “The two of them almost got away with it, too. Lucky for everyone, McClellan’s been shadowing Colin for weeks. Seems he never trusted the guy.”
“Then who poisoned Kinsley at your party, Lindy?” Milla wanted to know. “And using my very own chili con queso recipe, too?”
“Gary,” Lindy said. “But he didn’t want to kill her then. He just wanted her to get sick so that he could set up Dwight to take the fall and he, Gary, could rescue Kinsley and earn her trust. We think he was going to kill her in Florida. He had both a rental car and a hotel room booked in the Keys, and had also rented a private sailboat. Looks like he was going to dope her up with Wildnil and toss her overboard.”
“That horrible little troll!” Milla waved her cake knife in the air. “After what that girl’s been through, I hope he rots away in jail until he’s nothing but skin and bones.”
Lucy pointed at the ceiling. “Gary’s a floor above me. He’s in the ICU. McClellan said the only reason the guy’s still breathing is that Colin shot him with a .22 and missed his major organs.” She smirked. “I’d say he’s lucky, but I’ve heard mumbles from my nurses that he may never walk again. I guess one of the bullets damaged his spinal cord.”
Gillian sighed and fluffed her hair, which had acquired cantaloupe-hued highlights in the last twenty-four hours. “Money is so corruptive. It tainted Colin and Gary, and robbed Parker of her very life. The Buddha knows it will take years of love and healing for Kinsley to trust again. Poor soul!”
“The word around school is that her parents are here and are going to stay with her until she’s ready to move back to Kansas,” Lindy said. “So at least she’s not alone.”
“I hate to say it, but finding out that Gary is a scoundrel doesn’t seem like a big surprise,” Milla scoffed.
“Gary did have a black aura, but I was terribly distraught to see Colin’s handsome face beneath that ski mask!” Gillian wailed. “I thought he was one of the good ones. I mean, he took care of sick animals!”
“But he wasn’t very good at that job, remember?” James added, pleased that he could remind Gillian of the man’s imperfections once again.
“Colin was Mr. Sneed all along.” Lucy poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher on her nightstand. “He just picked up the clothes from a thrift store and the hat caught his eye because it looked like the kind of thing an old man would wear. He never even noticed the fishing lure! The wig and beard came from some online costume shop, so we never would have been able to solve the crime by visiting local stores.” She paused and stared at her water glass. “I told you guys that strangulation was a personal crime. The crazy thing is, Colin knew all along that Parker had gone as a chaperone in Kinsley’s place.” She sipped her water. “That man committed a premeditated murder so that Gary could step in and comfort Kinsley. It was a seriously huge gamble, but neither of them cared.”
“It’s all too awful. And what about the quiet vet … Dwight?” Milla sounded worried. “He was innocent all along?”
James nodded. “Kinsley’s hired one of the state’s top criminal lawyers to help get him out of jail right away. Murphy’s been trying to interview him for the last two days, but Kinsley’s been taking up all the allotted visiting time.” He smiled. “Rumor has it that they are making plans to build a million-dollar animal rescue facility in Parker’s name.”
“What a wonderful tribute!” Gillian clapped with glee. “And so many animals will benefit. Just think of some pitiable puppy or kitten trying to survive outside on a day like today. It breaks my heart …” She choked up.
Bennett handed her a tissue from the box on Lucy’s nightstand. “We’re celebrating the end of this nutty affair, woman. Don’t get all blubbery on us now.”
“There’s still something I don’t get.” Milla rose and began wiping off the cake knife with a napkin until it gleamed beneath the overhead lights. “How are Colin and Gary connected? A vet and a stockbroker from different states? I don’t get it.”
“They’ve been planning this for a long time,” Lucy explained. “And they’ve been friends for a long time, too. Boyhood friends.”
“Their families summered together,” Lindy mimicked a haughty, aristocratic tone. “In Bar Harbor, Maine. The boys were enrolled in an eight-week theater camp every year. They learned how to act all the classics and apparently decided that if Shakespeare’s characters could commit murder on a regular basis, then they could kill off a few folks as well.”
“Ah!” Milla slapped herself in the head. “I should have guessed the Maine connection by the lobster references Gary made during my class.”
“Gary and Colin kept in close touch after graduating from college. Apparently, they were both frustrated about not becoming wealthy right away. Gary especially,” Lucy continued. “So they decided to find an heiress to seduce, marry, and knock off. Unfortunately, the other girls they flirted with didn’t take the bait. It wasn’t until the Willis sisters came along that their scheme had any hope of working.”
Milla licked a dab of icing from the end of her fork. “How do you know all this?”
“McClellan called this morning,” Lucy said. “Both of our felons are doing their best to rat out the other. So much for lifelong friendships!” She snorted and then turned sober. “Though I think I’ve got some amazing friends right here in this room. We did this as a team. Murphy too. I thought she’d be here today. Has anyone seen her?”
James picked at some crumbs on his plate. “She’s writing articles as fast as her fingers can generate them. I guess a lot of big city papers are going to run her pieces.”
“Good for her,” Lucy mumbled and then sank back against the pillows, suddenly looking exhausted.
“We’ve worn you out!” Gillian cried and then began pushing Bennett out the door. “Time to go, everyone.”
“Oh my, she’s right,” Milla agreed. She gathered up plates, forks, and napkins and pulled on her coat. Kissing Lucy on the forehead, she asked, “When will you be released, dear?”
“Tomorrow.”
Milla was concerned. “I don’t suppose you can drive home. Do you have a ride?”
“I’ll come get her,” Lindy quickly volunteered. “I’m sure I can get out of school a bit early.”
A cough from the doorway alerted them to the presence of new visitors. It was Sheriff Huckabee and Principal Chavez. Both men stepped aside as Bennett and Gillian made their exit.
“Ms. Perez?” Chavez gestured to Lindy. “May I have a word with you in private, please?”
Lindy gulped, said goodbye to Lucy, and left the room. Milla scurried out after them, leaving James to stand awkwardly by as Huckabee entered.
“So I hear you’ve been gettin’ job offers from other departments?” The fleshy sheriff tugged on the ends of his mustache.
“Yessir,” Lucy replied as James turned to leave.
“Well, I got one more for you. How about it, Lucy? You wanna be a deputy right here in Shenandoah?”
Lucy appeared undecided. She glanced at James, a look of appeal on her face. Huckabee followed her eyes and examined James curiously.
“You her career advisor or somethin’?” A hint of disapproval laced his question.
James shook his head, and then, spying a memo pad next to the phone, scrawled out a single sentence. He then folded the paper and slipped it into Lucy’s hand.
“Get some rest,” he told her and smiled on his way out the door. As he waited for the elevator, he noticed Lindy and Chavez huddled together on two chairs in the waiting room. Chavez was holding Lindy’s hand and gazing into her eyes as though she were the only person in the world, though dozens of people sat all around them. James could tell that whatever Chavez was saying was filling his friend with joy.
As he watched, the twosome suddenly flung their arms around each other and exchanged a passionate kiss. The waiting room fell completely silent, and when the couple finally noticed and separated in embarrassment, the onlookers whistled and applauded the display of affection.
James grinned at the look of rapture on Lindy’s face and pushed the button for the elevator. At the same moment, Lucy unfolded the note he had written. Her mouth curved upward in a small smile and her eyes twinkled.
“Sheriff,” she said proudly, “I accept your offer. I’d like nothing more than to be a deputy of the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Department.”
Huckabee shook her hand with excessive firmness and then ordered her to get some rest. After he left, Lucy stared and stared at the single phrase written upon the note until she eventually grew too weary to look at it anymore and fell into a contented sleep.
When the nurse arrived thirty minutes later to check Lucy’s vitals, she gently removed the piece of paper from her patient’s limp hand.
Reading the one sentence, the nurse shrugged and placed the scrap on the nightstand. The words We wouldn’t be the Flab Five without you, so don’t go meant nothing to her, but judging from the peaceful smile on her patient’s wan face, it was something quite precious to Lucy Hanover.
“Good work, boy.” Doc Spratt slapped James heartily on the back. “You’re down to a normal range again. One thirty-five over eighty-five.”
James let out a relieved sigh. “Well, that’s good to hear. Still, I feel like there’s nothing I can eat anymore, doc. No fat, no salt, no sugar, no carbs. What’s the point? I can’t live on salad, water, and grilled chicken!”
The old doctor chuckled. “I know how you feel, son. Have what you want, in moderation, and then, every now and again, say to yourself ‘what the hell’ and go whole hog. Eat a donut, get the popcorn with the cup of butter, have those mashed taters drownin’ in gravy …”
He patted James on the arm, made some notes in a file, and then snapped it closed. “Live your life, James Henry. Make it a full one, for the sake of those that didn’t get the chance.” He met James’s eyes and held them for a minute and then pretended to pull an orange lollipop from behind his ear. “Now where did that come from, I wonder?”
After settling his bill, James stepped outside the medical office building and into a fresh inch of snow. It was blindingly white and pure beneath a muted blue sky. James could feel the blood pulsing through his veins and the crisp air tingling his lungs. He inhaled deeply, his arms wide open as though he might embrace the Blue Ridge Mountains emerging from the snowy hillsides like giant ocean waves. He glanced at the orange lollipop and then, with a smile on his face, headed in the direction of the building housing The Shenandoah Star, his boots crunching through the crust of snow.
It was getting late, but he saw lights shining from the windows above newspaper offices. He quickened his pace, seeking the warmth of Murphy’s welcoming home. Ringing the doorbell, he hid the lollipop behind his back and thought about Doc Spratt’s advice. Live your life, James Henry. Make it a full one, for the sake of those that didn’t get the chance.
When Murphy answered, James handed her the lollipop and then took her in his arms.
“It’s cold out there,” he whispered. “Let’s light a fire.”
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Holly, Anne, and Mary for their reading and commentary—you gals are the best. Thanks also to Mary for bringing me enchiladas after Sophie was born. You gave me that idea to write about Spanish and Mexican food. My gratitude to the fab Midnight Ink team: Barbara Moore, Karl Anderson, and the skilled artists including Ellen Dahl and Linda Ayriss who created this wonderful cover. For their expertise in the world of finance, I’d like to thank my brothers, Mead and John, and Dad for supplying me with information on front running. Thanks as well to Dr. Ted Stanley for tips on carfentanil citrate. And to my friends at the Short Pump Panera (John, Dave, Brad, Ellen, Robert, Theresa, et al.) for coffee and good company.
And last but never least to my darlings—Tim, Owen, and Sophie—for pulling me away from the computer to enjoy real life every now and then.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title_Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
One
Two
Three
Recipe-Enchiladas
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Recipe-Paella
Eight
Nine
