Soufflé Murder: A Seagrass Sweets Cozy Mystery Page 12

  “What is it, girl?” Ashley asked, a little fuzzy. “What do you hear?” Dizzy kept barking and jumped from the couch and ran to the front door.

  Just then the doorbell chimed, and Ashley heard another bark, this one from the front porch. She pulled herself up and trudged to the front door.

  “Oh, hi!” Ashley greeted Ryan and Dash. “I wasn't expecting you.”

  “We were out, and Dash decided he wanted to stop by and visit Dizzy,” Ryan said, winking at Ashley. “He let me come along for the ride. We brought Chinese, in case you're hungry. Dash thought you might be in the mood for honey-walnut shrimp and crab Rangoon.”

  Laughing, Ashley pulled him down next to her on the couch. “Along for the ride or along to drive?” she teased.

  “Well, Dash can't quite reach the accelerator and the steering wheel at the same time,” Ryan admitted, “so he takes shameless advantage of my willingness to drive him. So, how was your day?”

  Ryan pulled the food containers out of the plastic carrier bag, and then he went into the kitchen for plates and forks.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Ashley said. “There's so much to tell you, I hardly know where to start. It's been quite a full day, beginning with walking in on Patty and Smoke Daddy getting cozy in the storeroom.”

  “What?” Ryan snickered. “I don't guess that was awkward much!”

  “Yeah, that's pretty much of an understatement, but it probably helped solve a murder,” Ashley answered, a little smug.

  “Solve a murder? Okay, you're going to have to explain that connection, for sure!” Ryan said. “Before you do, though, let's get some food into you. You look like you might be running on fumes—I bet you skipped lunch, didn't you?”

  “Yeah, that sounds great. I didn't think I was hungry until I saw—and smelled—the food. Anyway, because I was so embarrassed, I decided to book a massage session with Chantelle Roth and see if I could get any information about the case from her. I peeked at some of her paperwork and found out that she was in danger of losing her house and her business, and that one of the creditors threatening her was Andrews Construction. She owed them a boatload of money. When I was leaving after the massage, I met her son, who told me that he expected to get her house when she decided to retire from the business. So, he'd have a motive to make sure she could clear up her financial problems.”

  “Oookaay, not hearing 'solved,' though,” Ryan grinned at her. “It just sounds like more of you being nosy to me.”

  “Keep your hair on, buster,” Ashley laughed. “I'm getting there! Anyway, I asked Rocky if he'd ever attended any of the Estes Mount events. I wondered if he was as angry with Graham and the center as his mom is. He told me that he hadn't ever been on the property during a party. A little later, I was looking at rehearsal dinner photos, and I found one with Rocky standing in the background in the center's back garden with Robin's guests nearby.”

  “So, Rocky lied about being at an event? I'm assuming he was crashing the party and not an invited guest,” Ryan said, “and he was at the place on the same day as the murder?”

  “Yep,” Ashley nodded. “I called Luna and told him that I wanted to talk to Graham again. He tried to keep me from going over, but ....”

  “But you totally ignored him,” Ryan interrupted. “I wonder why he still believes telling you to stay out of the investigation is going to work? He doesn't learn very quickly, does he?” He grinned at her, mischief twinkling in his eyes.

  “Pfft, who knows?” Laughing again, Ashley picked up her story. “When we all got there—Luna, the sheriff, and me—we found Graham unconscious behind the place, with Chantelle and Rocky trying to drag him away. They knocked him out when he accused them of murder, and they were trying to get him to the pond. Drowning their victim worked once so I guess they decided to stick with past success. On my way to the hospital to check on Graham, all the pieces fell into place for me, and I knew what happened when Robin's uncle was killed. Luna and Mueller interrogated the Roths, and they confessed. My theory was totally right. And I'm pretty sure they were planning to drown Graham, just like they did Howard.”

  “Mama Chantelle and her son drowned Howard Andrews? What was their connection to him, other than owing his company money? Why did they kill him?” Ryan said, surprised and still puzzled.

  “Chantelle blamed Graham and Estes Mount for her business problems. She couldn't see that her anger, and the tension it created, was driving her clients away. She decided to make Graham and the venue look so bad that they'd have to shut down. Her plan was to knock out the next guest they encountered on the path. Rocky found Uncle Howard in the garden and killed him to implement his mother's plan and protect his inheritance. Initially it wasn’t about Howard personally. He was truly in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Wow,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “That is truly bizarre—and scary. Those two are totally nuts. I'm glad Mueller and Luna were there with you. I know you can take care of yourself,” he said, raising his hands to stop her indignation, “but against two determined killers? And didn't you say that Rocky is a big guy?”

  Ashley agreed as she relaxed against her boyfriend, snuggling closer to him. They sat together in a comfortable silence for several minutes.

  “Ash,” Ryan finally broke the silence, his voice a little tentative. “I'm sorry that I've been pressuring you about our relationship. You were right the other night when you called me out on it. I hadn't really seen things from your perspective, and I didn't realize that what seemed like an innocent comment to me would seem totally pushy to you. I've been thinking a lot about what you said, and I'm willing to step back and give you the time and space you need. It's okay for us to keep going just as we have been for as long as you want. I won't push you anymore. I'll leave the timing of any changes up to you. You tell me when you're ready, and, if that time never comes, I'll learn to live with that, too.”

  Ashley placed her fingers over his mouth to stop him. “It means so much that you said all of that, and that I know you mean every word. I've been afraid of the pressure moving in together can put on our relationship, but this whole thing with Robin and her uncle reminded me that life is both short and uncertain. Patty also gave me a firm reminder that life doesn't come with guarantees. And my hesitation was never about trusting you; I didn't trust myself. I didn't have faith in my ability to be worthy of you, of us, so I put off making the decision and then tried to blame my cowardice on you. I realized this afternoon that I actually am ready for us to commit to one another in this next step. I want us to share both our lives and our home. It is the right time, and I don't want to wait any longer.”

  “Are you sure?” Ryan said, searching her face. “I mean, it's what I've been hoping to hear, but I want you to be certain.”

  “Yes, I'm sure,” Ashley said, “but I'd like for you to move in here. I love this little house, and I hate the idea of giving it up. Would you mind giving up your apartment and coming here?”

  “I think it's the perfect choice,” Ryan assured her. “Although putting up a fence to keep our mischievous dogs corralled in the back yard probably needs to top our to-do list. Dizzy does a pretty good job of keeping Dash in line, but she's still a little adventurous herself!”

  They laughed, and then Ryan kissed her. For the first time in several weeks, Ashley felt the peace of knowing that she'd made the right decision.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “This place looks gorgeous! I think it might be even more fabulous than it was for the rehearsal,” Patty said as she looked around. “In such a fabulous setting, a bride as lovely as Robin will look like a princess for sure!”

  “It is beautiful, isn't it?” Ashley agreed. “It's a little sad since her Uncle Howard won't be here, but I talked to Robin a few minutes ago, and she's doing okay. She said that she feels him here with her, and that she thinks he approves. She was positively radiant, but yeah, it's bittersweet for them.”

  The friends went into the kitchen to make a last-minute chec
k on the food before joining Ryan and Smoke Daddy on the bride's side of the chairs arranged in front of the garden gazebo. The men looked a little uncomfortable in their suits and ties, but they were being good sports about it all—no whining and not too much fidgeting.

  “So, Ash, what are you serving at the reception?” Ryan asked. “And what do you need Smoke Daddy and me to help you with?”

  “Well, now that the food has been delivered, we aren't actually having to do anything more,” Ashley replied. “Graham hired a kitchen manager for today, so our responsibilities ended once we finished the cooking back at Seagrass Sweets. Robin and Cash decided to go with a buffet of finger food appetizers and desserts, instead of a sit-down dinner. The only thing close to 'fancy' are the chocolate-hazelnut soufflés, and the kitchen manager said she could take care of finishing them for us. I think Robin and Cash are both super tired from all the emotional upheaval and they're sort of hoping that the reception will end a little earlier without a full-blown meal.”

  Patty took up the story. “We have a few dainty choices and some hearty ones, as well. There are pimento cheese pinwheels, cucumber sandwiches, and cranberry bread with goat cheese sandwiches. We also made bite-sized barbecue cups, mini bacon quiches, and ham biscuits. We even have small drinkable cups of cream of asparagus and cream of pumpkin soups.”

  “And I saw a ton of cookies in the van,” Smoke Daddy added. “I'm pretty sure there were some pecan bars and maple cinnamon stars mixed in with the meringue cookies and tea cakes. I do love me some pecan bars!”

  “Yep,” Ashley laughed. “We also made several different thumbprint cookies—some with strawberry jam, some with chocolate hazelnut frosting, and my favorites with caramel. The groom's cake is an amazing chocolate espresso cheesecake, and the wedding cake has an almond-apricot filling between the layers. There's pretty much something for everyone!”

  “Ssh,” Patty murmured. “The ceremony is beginning. Oh, and look at Robin—she's practically floating toward the gazebo. She looks positively regal in that purple dress, and the joy and love are shining all over her face!”

  Ashley agreed, a little teary-eyed. Ryan squeezed her hand gently, and she smiled at him before turning her attention back to the couple and the pastor.

  After the ceremony had concluded and the reception was well underway, Robin interrupted as Ashley and Ryan were dancing slowly around the room. She hugged Ashley, tears forming in her eyes.

  “Ashley, thank you so much for everything,” Robin said. “Not only is the food fabulous, you brought the peace my family needed to be able to enjoy this day. In so many ways, you saved my wedding—most especially by making sure my new husband wasn't in jail instead of being here today! Detective Luna told us that you played a big role in figuring out exactly what happened that day.”

  “I didn't do that much. I'm just happy that the truth came out,” Ashley said. “I'm so sorry that your family is grieving, but I'm glad that you can have closure from knowing what really happened.”

  The friends chatted for a moment longer before Robin's mom called her away to speak with a few more distant relatives.

  “I can't believe Luna admitted to someone else that you helped solve the case,” Ryan teased. “Maybe he's mellowing a little?”

  Ashley snorted. “Yeah, maybe—until the next time I try to make a suggestion about one of his investigations!”

  Later, Ashley and Ryan stopped by his old apartment to pick up the last of his belongings. He looked around and commented, “This was a great place to live, but I have to admit that I'm glad to leave it—because it means that we are starting the newest phase of our lives together.”

  Ashley smiled, still a little nervous about the future. “Let's go home,” she said, the words sounding right to her. “Let's grab some pizza and a movie for tonight. I'll fix us a special homecoming dinner tomorrow night, but for now, I'd just like a quiet, normal night, relaxing with you and the fur kids and enjoying our first night sharing our home.”

  Ryan agreed and pulled out his phone to order the food before loading the last two boxes into the back of his truck. “We'd better pick up something special for Dizzy and Dash, too, or we'll have to fight them for our own food!”

  When they got home, Ashley grabbed one box while Ryan carted the last one up the front steps. Setting her load on the porch swing, Ashley unlocked the door and let it swing wide, bracing for the two dogs to greet them loudly and enthusiastically. Instead, she and Ryan saw the two dogs curled up together on a single dog bed. Blinking back a few happy tears, Ashley said, “I think that's a pretty promising sign for the future of our new little family,” as Ryan closed the door on the rest of the world.

  THE END.

  PREVIEW: Crouquembouche Murder

  The following is the first chapter of Croquembouche Murder, which is the next book in this series and is part of a box set title Summer Snoops and Cozy Crimes, which can be found here: https://www.summersnoops.com/

  CHAPTER ONE

  The private jet touched down at the tiny Jackson Hole, Wyoming, airport. The wheels met the tarmac almost delicately.

  Over the speakers, the pilot said, “We have arrived. How’s your adorable puppy-dog doing, Miss Ashley?”

  Ashley Adams was buried in a mound of black fur. Dizzy, Ashley’s Labrador-hound mutt, had been specially requested to come along on the flight by Mr. Steven Musgraves, the wealthy ranch owner who had hired her to cater his niece’s wedding.

  Dizzy, as it turned out, did not like to fly.

  At all.

  “I think she’s okay,” Ashley called. Dizzy whimpered and shoved her head further into Ashley’s neck. Ashley had brought a crate for her to sit in during the plane trip, but Dizzy had cried so much during takeoff that the co-pilot had come back into the passenger area to tell Ashley it was okay if Dizzy came out.

  “Thank you,” Ashley had said, “but I’m afraid that she might, um, have an accident.”

  The co-pilot had laughed and said not to worry about it. The private jet wasn’t very large, and they were all trained to “assist” passengers who got airsick during turbulence.

  Fortunately, Dizzy didn’t have an accident, but she had spent the rest of the trip from Seagrass, Texas, to Jackson Hole in Ashley’s lap, panting rapidly with her head almost in Ashley’s face.

  The jet slowed to normal taxiing speed and began trundling slowly along the runway back to the airport. Dizzy slowly began to settle down. Ashley spoke reassuringly to her. “Soon, we’ll be at Mr. Musgraves’s ranch, and you’ll be able to get out and run to your heart’s content. There will even be horses to play with.”

  Dizzy didn’t understand a word of it but trusted Ashley’s soothing tone.

  “Poor darling,” said Ashley’s co-passenger, Patty Lafontaine. “I know how she feels. I hate to fly.”

  “But you’ve flown around the world,” Ashley said. Patty had had an adventurous life before settling down to run her French-style catering company, The Southern Bird.

  “Sure,” Patty said, with a shrug. “But every time I get into a plane, it’s a white-knuckle ride. I took a half-tablet of a sedative before I got on the plane this morning, you know. Otherwise I would look just as panicked as poor Dizzy.”

  If Patty felt as terrified as Dizzy obviously was, Ashley could only feel sympathetic. “Did it help?”

  “Oh, yes,” Patty said. “But I’ll feel better when I’m on solid ground.”

  Once they had left the plane, the pilot and co-pilot came out of the cockpit to say goodbye. By then, Dizzy had completely recovered and was wagging her tail merrily. The pilot and co-pilot crouched down to collect their much-deserved face-licks from Dizzy. They petted her for a few minutes, both saying that “it was the highlight of their day.”

  Ashley was relieved. If the crew hadn’t been such animal fanatics, the trip could have gone much worse.

  But it only made sense that they were fans. Their boss, Mr. Musgrave, ran an animal rescue ranch in an isolated corner
of Wyoming. He had been a successful businessman in Hollywood some years ago but had retired early to pursue his true passion—caring for animals. Now he used his contacts in the industry to help raise donations for animal causes and awareness of the problems that elderly animals faced, especially horses. A lot of the biggest names in the film industry had spent their vacations in and around the area and were familiar not just with the ski resort, but with the dude ranches in the area.

  Mr. Musgrave rescued all the animals that he could. Just because a horse couldn’t carry riders around the scenic mountain trails any longer didn’t mean that it didn’t deserve a good life. “A retirement home for animals” was what he called the Muddy M Ranch.

  The reason he had a private jet was that he liked to fly his friends out to the ranch throughout the year. Nothing raised donations like a relaxing weekend away from Tinseltown, helping take care of grizzled old riding horses who would become your best friend for two bright red, local heritage apples and a brush-down.

  And nothing was better than a rescue-horse ranch wedding!

  Ashley was in charge of all things dessert, bread, and pastry, from the wedding cake to the cookies she was making for the rehearsal dinner. Patty would be in charge of the rest of the meals. She had planned several sensational menus, culminating in the wedding feast of foie gras, quenelles with lobster sauce, and semi-boneless game hens with a wild mushroom sauce over amaranth risotto with lightly picked red onions and a thyme drizzle.

  The wedding was for just over thirty people. Ashley knew she’d be able to handle her end of the feast, but she was also glad to know that Mr. Musgraves had corralled Patty a pair of ranch hands to serve as assistants to help serve the food and clean up. Cooking for thirty was one thing—but making sure that thirty people at a sit-down meal were all fed before the food got cold was something completely different.