Soufflé Murder: A Seagrass Sweets Cozy Mystery Read online

  “And to figure out who did it,” Graham commented. “I mean, I've run into the guy before, at events here and around town, and yeah, he was cranky as all get out, but who kills someone just because they're in a perpetual bad mood? From what I saw, he never actually got into an argument. He grumbled and made a few snarky remarks, but then he walked away before the other person could respond. The only time I remember more than that was when he went after Cash last night, and, even then, Cash just walked away without saying anything.”

  “Patty and I saw him arguing with someone between dinner and the speeches,” Ashley told the manager. “Neither of us knew who the other man was though. They both looked pretty hot at the time, but we saw them go back to their seats, and the other guy looked like he cooled off pretty quickly. I didn't notice anyone else missing from the party after Howard went outside.”

  Graham agreed. Then he excused himself to check on the progress of the cleanup and to see if the overnight guests needed anything. As Ashley headed toward the parking lot, she found Robin on a bench outside the front door, sobbing quietly. Her heart aching to see her friend hurting so badly, Ashley enveloped her old friend in a hug. “Oh, sweetie, I just heard. I'm so, so sorry that you're going through all of this. What do you need that I can help you with?”

  Unable to speak, Robin took the tissues that Ashley passed to her, shook her head. Finally, she was able to calm herself enough to respond to Ashley's offer. “Right now, I'm just trying to wrap my head around it all,” Robin said. “The reality that Uncle Howard is dead or that I'll never see him again hasn’t really sunk in yet, and now the detective—Luna, is it?—says my uncle was murdered. I know he was a curmudgeon. In fact, I think they invented that word just for him, and I know he irritated a lot of the people he met. But I can't imagine what someone thought he'd done to them that was serious enough to kill him.”

  Ashley comforted her friend as best she could, remembering as she did that Howard had argued with someone during the dinner and that he had then been very rude when speaking about Cash. When Robin began to speak again, a woman stormed out of the house next door, slamming the screen door and coming across the lawn between the two houses with an angry look on her face.

  “Would you please be quiet? You know, you're not the only people in the world or even in this neighborhood? I'm trying to run a business over here, and your incessant caterwauling makes it impossible for my clients to relax. Why is that so hard for people like you to understand that it's not all about you just because you have more money than the rest of us do? If you must make so much noise, then go somewhere else where you aren't disturbing anyone else. Just be quiet or leave—it's very simple if you have half a brain!” the woman shouted.

  “I'm sorry, ma'am,” Ashley said. “We didn't realize that we were being quite that loud.” In fact, she thought, you could only have heard us if you were standing right at the end of the porch or leaning out a window, eavesdropping.

  “I'm sure you've heard by now that there was a death here yesterday,” Ashley continued. This woman is the deceased's niece. I'm sure you can understand that she's a bit upset, but we had no intention of disturbing you or your customers.”

  “Clients—they're clients,” the woman huffed. “It's certainly not my fault or my clients’ fault some old fool died, or that your friend can't deal with it, so why should we have to put up with being disturbed by all of her racket? If she's so upset—although I can't imagine why anyone would be upset by the death of that old thief—let her go home instead of wasting money on a snooty room in that over-priced house. If she can't be respectful of those around her, she should stay away from others. If you people won't take care of the problem, I sure will!”

  Stunned by the woman's insensitivity and the implied threat, Ashley took a step in her direction to call her out on her hypocrisy regarding respect, but Robin stopped her. “It's not worth it, Ashley; let it go. Some people are just angry people and trying to talk to her is just going to make her madder.”

  Standing, Robin turned to the irate woman. “Chantelle, I'm very sorry for bothering you. We didn't realize that you could hear us and that we were disturbing anyone. We'll go back inside. Please apologize to your client for me. We'll take better care not to upset you again.”

  “Hmmph!” the woman snorted, but she spun around and stamped back into the house without saying anything else.

  “Who on earth was that?” Ashley asked. “And what is her problem?”

  “That's Chantelle Roth,” Robin replied. “She runs a massage therapy business in her house next door. This is the first time I've ever seen this side of her although I've heard about it. She's always been a sweet, carefree spirit, all 'being in tune with the universe’ kind of thing, whenever I've been here to talk with Graham. She never raised her voice or said anything rude or even remotely negative during any of those times. I heard her talking to Graham about Estes Mount cutting into her business yesterday afternoon, though, and she was fairly obnoxious about it. And then, at breakfast someone said she's called the police to complain several times, so I guess she's looking for a fight and doesn't much care who she picks.”

  “Well, she's definitely wound a bit too tight,” Ashley shook her head. “There's no way she or her client could hear us, even if all her doors and windows were open. We were talking too softly. I'm guessing she was watching out the window, looking for a chance to intimidate someone. And I don't think she was thrilled with the outcome. I think she was expecting us to yell right back at her, so she'd have another reason to complain. Sounds like she needs some chill pills and a massage or two of her own!”

  The two laughed lightly before Ashley gave her friend another hug, making sure that Robin had all of her contact numbers, before heading back to her car. Patty would be waiting for her at the Fresh Start kitchen complex. Robin turned to go inside to find Cash and her guests, pausing first to stand in the doorway and wave goodbye as Ashley drove away.

  Ashley texted Patty to let her know that she and Dizzy were finally on their way to the kitchen, and that she had news to share. Her partner responded that she would be waiting with coffee and cookies.

  “Hello,” Ashley called out. “What a morning! You missed all the fun, leaving when you did.”

  “That doesn't sound good,” Patty said, raising an eyebrow in question. “I thought you were just going to tell Graham that we'd finished and then come back here. I didn't expect to get back before you could drive back. What on earth kept you there so long? Not that I'm complaining, I am just surprised.”

  “Yeah, well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans,” Ashley snickered. “When I found him, Graham told me that the preliminary postmortem report was already back. He said that Sheriff Mueller told him that Howard Andrews was not drunk. As a matter of fact, he'd only had one drink like Robin said was usual for him. Graham got the impression that Luna is investigating the death as a homicide now although neither he nor the sheriff said that in so many words.”

  “Oh, no,” Patty exclaimed, “that's awful! I was so hoping Seagrass was through with murders, at least for a while. And I hate that Robin's family is caught up in that type of painful situation. What is going on in this town lately?”

  “I know, I can't believe there's been another murder—this many in such a short time period can't be normal for a town this size. But the weirdness didn't stop there either,” Ashley said. “Robin and I were talking on the front veranda—talking at a normal volume, I might add—about what happened and how I could help her and Cash when this crazy woman came raging out of the house next door, waving her arms, and yelling at us. For a minute or two, it was really scary!”

  “Yelling?” Patty said, surprised. “What was she worked up over?”

  “The woman said we were making too much noise and disturbing her clients as she insisted we call them. Patty, no one farther down the porch from us would have been able to hear us talking, and she was next door with the house all closed up! I tried to ap
ologize and explain why Robin was so upset, but she got even more belligerent. She said that it wasn't her clients’ fault that ‘some old fool’ was dead, that she ‘can’t imagine why anyone would be upset over the death of that old thief’ anyway. She also thought that Robin was being disrespectful to her clients, and that Robin should either shut up or go somewhere else. I was a little bit afraid for a second or two before I got mad.”

  “What a witch!” Patty said. “Neither you nor Robin are loud people, and, if you were comforting her, there's no way you were loud enough to disturb anyone. It's not like you're going to be shouting to try to make her feel better. That neighbor sounds like a cold-hearted, reality-challenged old hag!”

  Agreeing with Patty's assessment, Ashley stepped over to their catering whiteboard to check on what needed to be finished for the week's events. “It looks like we're caught up. Thanks for taking care of the anniversary party prep. I'll make it up to you, I promise,” she said. “Do you mind if Dizzy and I sneak out to go home early? I'm so tired after not sleeping well last night that I'd probably end up trying to make chocolate chip soup and broccoli cookies. I think I'd like a quiet night with an early bedtime.”

  “Go, cheri,” Patty said. “I'll make sure everything is turned off and locked up, and then I'm going home as well. Smoke Daddy promised me catfish and hush puppies tonight followed by a movie at my place, so heading home early sounds good to me, too—I do love that man's catfish, not to mention his company. I'll see you in the morning.”

  The friends hugged, and then Ashley gathered her things, clipped the leash onto Dizzy's collar, and drove to her cozy little cottage.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Good morning, Dizzy,” Ashley greeted her dog as Dizzy plopped her front paws on the edge of the bed and woofed softly, nudging her owner's hand. Ashley scratched behind Dizzy's ears and then pushed the pup to the floor so that she could get out of the bed herself.

  Ashley headed to the kitchen to feed the dog and to check the coffee maker before she went in to shower and dress for the day. She thought about Robin and Cash and about the murder of her friend's uncle. She knew that Detective Luna would be furious if she got involved in the murder investigation, but she also knew that was exactly what she was going to do. Robin was one of her oldest friends, and Ashley knew she would do anything she could to help her friend find the comfort that a closed case could bring. She'd just have to be careful to stay away from the hard-boiled detective and his inflexible view of civilians' assistance with investigations.

  “Okay, Diz,” Ashley said as she stepped back into the kitchen. “We want to help, so let's fix some food to take to Robin and Cash. You know that neither of them feels much like eating, much less cooking, and being in a strange kitchen makes it even worse. So, taking a casserole will give them something easy to handle, and it will give me a chance to talk to them, to find out what clues they might have about the killer.”

  Ashley pulled out cooked chicken that she'd placed in the freezer a few days before, along with an onion, butter, chicken broth, rosemary, and homemade frozen gnocchi. When those ingredients were ready, she would add frozen peas and heavy cream then top it all with mozzarella cheese and broil it.

  While the chicken thawed in the microwave, Ashley poured herself a cup of coffee and sipped it as she whipped up a yellow cake batter and popped it into the oven. When the cake had baked and cooled, she would spread warmed jam over it and then finish it with old-fashioned Seven-Minute Frosting.

  While Ashley worked, her thoughts bounced between what she'd seen at the rehearsal dinner, what she'd learned so far about the investigation, and what she felt about the whole moving-in-together thing with Ryan. She knew she would have to decide about that situation soon, too. It wasn't fair to keep him and their relationship in limbo.

  “I'm sure he understands that I need to focus on the case first, don't you think, Dizzy?” Ashley mused aloud. “Don't you agree that Ryan will see how the case has to come first right now?”

  “Rowf, Rrrroowwf!” Dizzy barked, cocking her head to one side. Ashley was sure that, if she could understand the dog's comment, she'd find out that Dizzy disagreed with her assessment of the situation.

  “I'm thinking it's good I don't speak dog, girl,” Ashley laughed. “I have a feeling that you'd have a lot to say about it, and that I wouldn't like what I'd hear! Why am I sure you'd be taking Ryan's side of this discussion?”

  Once the casserole was cooked and cooled enough to transport, Ashley loaded it, along with the cake and a tossed salad, into her car. With Dizzy settled into the back seat, Ashley drove to Estes Mount to find Robin and Cash's suite. The bride-to-be greeted Ashley at the door. Robin was calm, but her eyes were red and puffy, and Ashley could see the pain in them. Robin invited her friend into the small apartment where Ashley marveled at the beautifully appointed rooms. The reproduction wallpaper and wooden chair rail perfectly set off the intricately carved fireplace mantle, and the surfaces of the Victorian furniture shone like mirrors.

  “I've brought you a casserole, a salad, and a cake,” Ashley said. “You probably don't feel like preparing meals, but you have to eat if you aren't going to get sick. You can reheat the whole thing in the oven, or you can microwave individual servings whenever you want them. The cake has blueberry jam and lemon frosting. I know those flavors are some of your favorites, Robin.”

  “Thank you, Ash,” Robin hugged her friend. “If you don't mind, set the casserole and the salad on the dining table. I'll take the cake into the kitchen and fix us all some coffee. Then, we can have some cake to go with it as an afternoon snack.”

  After placing the dishes on the antique dining table and admiring the wall sconces lighting the room, Ashley went back into the sitting room where she found Cash alone. A perfect time to ask a few questions, she thought. He might be willing to say more without Robin listening.

  Ashley took a seat on an overstuffed armchair arranged near the end of the matching love seat where Cash sat staring at the floor. She reached over and placed her hand on his arm. He startled and then glanced up at her, worry clouding his eyes.

  “How are the two of you holding up?” Ashley asked. “I know this must be hard for both of you.”

  Cash smiled grimly. “Robin is a wreck. It's so frustrating to see her hurting, feeling like I'm not able to make it any easier for her. Uncle Howard was an irascible, crass man who made it hard for almost everyone to get along with him, but he treated Robin like a princess. For her, losing him is nearly as hard as losing her dad would be.”

  “Did you get the benefit of his affection for his niece?” Ashley asked. Based on what she'd seen at the dinner and what Robin had told her in the past, she already knew that he didn't, but she was curious to hear what Cash would have to say about the way the quarrelsome man treated him.

  “Not even close,” Cash snorted. “We definitely didn't like one another. Howard made no secret of the fact that he considered me a gold-digger who was only after Robin's future inheritance. He told perfect strangers—like waitresses and sales clerks—that I was planning to get Robin's money and her inheritance from him and then run away, leaving her alone and broke.” Cash leaned forward, “Ashley, it's not true. I love Robin, not her or her family's money—present or future. I would love her just as much if she didn't have a penny. I even tried to get Robin to do a pre-nup, so that if we ever split up, we would each leave with only what we brought to the marriage. It even detailed how we would divide the regular monthly expenses so that we were contributing equally, but she wouldn't do it. She told me that she trusts me, that she knows that our love is real, that I don't care about her money, and that she wasn't going to let anyone bully her into thinking or acting otherwise. Howard was so wrong, and now I'll never get the chance to prove that to him. She argued with her uncle just a couple of weeks ago about it. They worked out their disagreement, but things were still tense between them. I hate that neither of us can ever fix things with him now.”

  Ash
ley nodded. “Anyone who spends any time with the two of you knows that you have a true love match. I think Howard was just overprotective because he loved her so much. I don't think it was about you personally. I doubt any man would ever have been good enough for Robin in his eyes, but he couldn't admit that to himself or to her. He had to create a reason for being protective. Because money was important to him and because it's often a contentious point in relationships, he focused on that and assumed it was just as important to you. And he wouldn't have understood anyone who didn't have a career in a traditional field.”

  “You're probably right,” Cash admitted, “but he definitely made sure everyone knew he didn't consider me worthy of her and that he hated me. But, you know what? While I didn't like him much at all, and I definitely didn't want to spend time around him when I could avoid it, I did appreciate the way he loved Robin, and I never wanted anything bad to happen to him if for no other reason than I knew how much it would hurt her. It wasn't that hard to find something to do with myself while Robin visited with him, and I would never expect—or even want—her to give up someone who meant that much to her because of me. I certainly didn't want him murdered. I would never, ever consider killing anyone, except to protect Robin or myself, and I sure wouldn't want anything that would cause her this much pain!”

  “As nasty as he was at the rehearsal dinner,” Ashley said, “I doubt anyone would be surprised if you did have a moment or two when you thought about him getting back some of what he dished out. I don't mean that you would, or did, do anything to hurt him, but I think most people would sort of get it if you daydreamed about it now and then.”

  Cash shook his head and smiled wryly. “You know, I didn't, not really. I knew that he would never understand how hurtful it was when he treated people that way—it was just his style, and apparently he'd done it all his life, even as a child. He was an equal opportunity grouch. He treated pretty much everyone, even his family, except Robin, the same way. But, now that the police know he didn't die from natural causes or an accident, I'm sure they have me in their sights as the prime—as the only—suspect. And, if I'm arrested for killing him—which I did not do—I can't be here to take care of Robin, and she'll be hurt even more.”