Thyme for Love (Cooking Up Trouble Book 1) Read online

  I crossed to the pantry to put away the last of the supplies, but the megawatt grin on Marc’s face stopped me cold.

  I raised my brows. “You look mighty cheerful for a guy who just attended his boss’s funeral.”

  His smile faded a few watts. “Just relieved to have gotten through the day. Thanks for all your help.”

  “My pleasure.” I untied my apron and flung it over a stool. “And now I can’t wait for a good soak in Kitty’s spa tub. You must be exhausted too.”

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug, pressing my head against his chest. “I should be, but I’m going on adrenalin. Kendall told me a few minutes ago that the board has appointed me interim director.”

  “That’s wonderful,” I muttered into his dress shirt.

  He repositioned us into a dance position and waltzed me around the room. “God answered my prayers. It’s only interim for now, but who knows what lies down the road.” He whirled me around then stopped and released my hair from the clip at the back of my head. My untamed curls tumbled to my shoulders.

  “Much better. You should always wear it down.” He tossed the clip on the counter then twirled me around and pulled me closer, bending until we were cheek to cheek. I half expected him to start dancing the Argentine Tango. But after one more twirl he stopped.

  I looked up at his goofy grin. Where was the grief I’d seen earlier? Or for that matter, the vulnerable Marc from yesterday when I told him about the rumor. This guy seemed too much like the old Marc. The one that ended our relationship in favor of his drive for success.

  “Come on.” He released me and reached for my jacket where it hung on a peg. “I’ll walk you back to your aunt’s and we can talk on the way. Maybe go out for a bite to celebrate.”

  What happened to my need for a bubble bath? “Does your promotion mean we don’t need to be cautious about being seen together?”

  He held my jacket open. “I didn’t think that order meant we couldn’t be together away from the office. Did you?”

  I turned and slipped my arms into the jacket sleeves. “No. I just wondered with you coming in here and dancing me around and all.” I flipped my hair out from under the collar.

  “Good.” He turned me around to face him.

  I kept my eyes focused on the shirt button that had been up close and personal with my cheek during his celebratory dance. “I think I’d rather go home to Kitty’s for that soak I mentioned. I’m beat.”

  He stared at me as though I’d said I had a date with the latest celebrity heartthrob. “That the only reason, or are you thinking about those rumors again?”

  “Mostly tired, but I don’t want you to get in trouble. With the gossip, maybe it’s best to not create fodder.”

  Marc raised his eyes skyward. “I’m not concerned, so don’t you worry either. It’s unfounded. The memorial service is over. Tomorrow, we get back to normal around here.”

  His words hit my heart like a saber. Normal or a new normal? Normal around Rescaté didn’t necessarily include an in-house chef. My days could be dwindling down to a precious few. Tomorrow I’d ask for clarification on my job status. For now, that spa tub was calling my name.

  He pulled me into another hug. “Go ahead on home and relax. We can celebrate tomorrow night.”

  I waited in the kitchen door until he rounded the corner toward his office. Over the past couple days, I’d been tempted to admit he’d become the changed man Kitty claimed him to be, but now I wasn’t sure. I wiggled out of my jacket and tossed it on a stool before heading for the pantry to make sure it was in order for tomorrow. No time to mull over Marc’s idiosyncrasies. I’d save it for tub time.

  “April. You still here?”

  I shoved a canister of Panko breadcrumbs on the bottom shelf. “I’m in here.”

  Ana came into the pantry. “Good heavens, after today I thought you’d be home soaking your feet. I want to talk to you.”

  I was tempted to say, “Who are you, and what did you do with Ana,” Instead I said, “Let’s chat out there.”

  We stepped into the kitchen and exchanged awkward glances. I indicated one of the barstools. “Care to sit?”

  Ana shook her head. “I wanted to apologize for my temper tantrum this afternoon.”

  What was going on? First Marc reverts to the person he was before, and now Ana shows me a side I didn’t know existed. A woman with heart. I stepped over to a drawer and took out my purse. “What temper tantrum? Never saw one.” Ana’s smile belied the coldness in her eyes. Scratch the heart part.

  “Thanks for understanding. If you’re leaving, I’ll walk out with you.”

  “Sure.” Feeling in my gut she had more to say than what was meeting my ears, I grabbed my jacket and flicked off the pantry light.

  We reached the parking lot in silence. Her, gliding on those heels with the grace of a ballerina and me, slogging along in my clogs. “Ana, was there something more you wanted to say?”

  She stopped beside a silver Lexus and stared at it. “That’s all, other than I enjoyed working with you.” She opened the door and slid onto the leather driver’s seat. “Nice meeting you, April. I’ll probably see you around Rescaté.”

  I didn’t move until her red taillights disappeared behind the trees on Shore Drive. Now, if someone would show up and tell me what that was all about.

  Chapter 22

  After my soak, I donned pajamas and a robe, then padded downstairs. I found Kitty curled in her favorite chair in the sunroom, reading Poisons That Kill; A Mystery Writer’s Guide.

  “Writing murder mysteries these days?”

  She peered at me over the top of her readers. “It occurred to me that mystery writers have to learn about poisons, and what better way to investigate Ramón’s possible murder than to act as if I’m writing a story? At least that’s what I led Mavis Dorfler at the library to believe.”

  I groaned as I settled into a chair. “It’s not like you to fib.”

  She lifted her chin. “I implied. She’s always got her nose in someone’s business and the last thing I want is her meddling in mine. I thought she’d direct me to a book on poisons, but she gave me this instead. I’m only on the first couple pages. No new information yet.” She let the book slide to the floor, then removed her glasses and lifted a china teapot off the maple end table. “Cinnamon Spice. Want some?” She held the spout over an empty cup.

  I nodded.

  She poured the tea then set the teapot down. “Kendall was a little full of himself today, but what can you expect from a Montclaire? He certainly proves that the tree isn’t far from the apple.”

  “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  She waved a hand. “Whatever.”

  “Getting back to the Montclaires, Parker couldn’t have been all bad. He donated the property to Rescaté.” I picked up my tea and sipped.

  Kitty harrumphed. “And made sure his son stayed on as president.”

  I startled, sending my teacup rattling on its saucer. “Parker stipulated Kendall be board president?”

  “You heard me.”

  “President forever?” I took another sip, letting the hot liquid soothe as it went down.

  “Only five years. This is year two.”

  “Has he done a good job?”

  “Would they say he’d done anything but?” She set her cup on the end table. “I’d loved to have seen Pedro land on Kendall’s head instead of Marc’s and mess his ever-so-perfect hair. I’ve always wondered if he hasn’t gotten implants. His hairline used to go much further back.”

  I smiled at the vision Kitty’s remark conjured up. With the amount of gel the guy used I doubted even Pedro’s claws would make a dent in his coiffe.

  My aunt’s grin lit up the room like a spotlight. “Pedro landing on Marc’s head was perfect though. He got a bit flustered, but after all the self-serving eulogies we needed a little levity.”

  A memory of Marc’s egotistical attitude a short time ago flashed through my
mind. Not wanting to endure Kitty’s defending him at the moment, I chose to not mention it.

  “On a more serious note, did you learn anything more about Ana?”

  Kitty’s question drew me back to reality and those awful rumors. I shared about the former fiancée’s burst of anger and that despite his saying she’d given him the parrot, he’d actually bought the creature for her even when she didn’t like birds.

  Kitty scowled. “Why would he give Ana a bird if she doesn’t like them?”

  “Good question. Maybe to push her hot button. Ana made a special trip back to the kitchen after she left and apologized for losing her temper, but it seemed insincere. She’s very closed. I so wanted to be able to cross her off the list, but I can’t yet.”

  Kitty grabbed the service program from the coffee table and studied it. “What about the sister. Did you have a chance to meet her?”

  “Only briefly, but her cousin, Flavia, chatted with me over dessert in the kitchen. I learned what caused the rift between Isabel and her brother. Ramón threatened to reveal a dark secret about her to her husband. Something bad enough it could cause her marriage to end. I also found out that Isabel has been staying in a Chicago Loop hotel since she’s been here.”

  Kitty pursed her lips. “Then she had opportunity to drive to Canoga Lake and leave poisoned pills without her cousin knowing her exact whereabouts. The question is does she have entry into Rescaté as well as the apartment? She doesn’t live here, and they weren’t getting along.”

  “Aren’t you making a big jump to assume Ramón was poisoned with those pills I found?”

  She picked up a paperback book from the side table and opened it to where a marker had been placed. “Something similar happened in this story. The sleuth is a housekeeper and always gets mixed up in unsolved murders that happen to her clientele. A wealthy lady was found murdered, and it turned out her stepson wanted her out of the way. He was estranged from his father and had no key to the home. The sleuth discovered that he lifted a key from his sister’s key ring in the middle of the night, went to one of those 24-hour super stores and had a copy made. The key was returned before she even missed it.”

  She closed the book and lifted her chin like a proud child who’d just won the spelling bee. “If she didn’t have a key, Isabel could have done something like that.”

  “You’ve been reading too many of those mysteries. Whose key would Isabel have copied? Flavia wouldn’t have had one. And how could she have copied a key card to get in the front door?”

  She picked up her teacup and frowned into it. “I hadn’t thought that far.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Assuming your idea about the poisoned pills is true, my guess is that she did have access to the mansion and Ramón’s apartment with a card and key from before they fought. If the code hasn’t been changed since then, or the key, then there’s our answer. If any of this happened at all.”

  “You and the person in the orange cap collided at the mansion door around six-thirty. If that was Isabel, she could have been back in the Loop without being missed.”

  I sighed. “With plenty of time to make a business appointment.” Everything seemed surreal. Reconnecting with Marc, Ramón’s sudden death, rumors of murder and Marc being accused. I felt creepy even discussing it. Was it only a week ago I got the call from Kitty about the chef job? It seemed like a year.

  “So Isabel remains a suspect. What about the others?”

  I gave Kitty a blank stare. “Others?”

  “The possible suspects we talked about. Do you think they would have access to the apartment?”

  “I doubt Candy would have access to Ramón’s apartment unless she snatched a key from his administrative assistant’s desk and made a copy. Ana would be the most likely since she was his fiancé.” I winced. “There’s one more suspect I hesitate to name because, despite his tendency to gossip, I like the guy.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Karl, the handyman.”

  “That nice young man who came for the parrot? Why suspect him?”

  “He’s a bull rider on weekends. I overheard him on the phone making what sounded like a bet on a rodeo. I’ve been mulling that over ever since you mentioned the blackmail possibility. What if Ramón was blackmailing Karl, threatening to let the rodeo people know? It would kill his career. He has access to every room in the mansion and is about the same height as the person who ran me down. Maybe he’s trapped. Had to keep betting to pay off Ramón. He’s the one who told me about the rumor that Marc is supposed to have killed Ramón.” I sighed. “I’ve gotten to know him the past couple days. He’s a nice guy. At least on the surface.”

  Kitty chewed her lip. “Did you see Marc before you left the mansion?”

  I shrugged. “Yes, and I wish I hadn’t. He’s been promoted to interim director, and he couldn’t stop gloating. Came by the kitchen after the service.”

  “I wouldn’t let Marc’s rejoicing over the appointment bother you. It was probably a spontaneous reaction.”

  Irritation ripped at my gut. I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned his promotion, so why did I? What had happened to the aunt who’d been so furious with Marc the day he dumped me? Now it seemed as far as she was concerned, he could do no wrong.

  Her eyes sparkled. “I was young and in love once. And what a rollercoaster ride Daniel’s and my courtship was. One day up and the next day down. But the bottom line was that we loved each oth—”

  “I’m not in love with Marc and have no intention of being in that sorry state again.”

  She heaved a loud breath. “Why can’t you give him another chance? Eight years is a long time, April. People change.”

  I crossed my arms and fixated on a potted palm across the room. No way was I going to tell her how many times that thought had skittered around in my brain. No matter how often I’d tried to trap it and push it away, it returned. “How can I think about going back to him when he won’t explain why the very thing that broke us up never happened?”

  “Have you forgiven him, April?”

  Tears pushed at the backs of my eyes. The woman should be hired by the cops to be an interrogator. Anyone but her and I’d have stormed out of there. “I thought I did until I saw him again. It’s a little hard to forgive without an apology.”

  “Eight years is a long time to hold a grudge.”

  “I’m not holding a grudge. Fact is fact. He loved his precious goal chart more than he loved me. Now he’s back in my life with nothing to show for having left me almost standing at the altar, and he’s unwilling to say why. The hurt is still there.”

  “Seems to me I remember you saying he did apologize the other day. Even God gives us second chances. It’s time to forgive him.”

  Her words poked holes in my defenses like shrapnel. Wounded, but not done in, I stood. “I’m going for a walk.”

  “In your pajamas?”

  “People walk around in flannel PJ bottoms and T-shirts all the time. Besides, I’m wearing a robe.”

  Kitty pointed at my chair. “Sit. There’s something else I need to tell you.”

  Chapter 23

  I dropped into the chair. “If this is about Marc . . .”

  Kitty kept her steady gaze pointed at her lap. “I was a bit of a blabbermouth today and told Police Chief Bronson about the capsules and the speculations about Ramón’s death.”

  I felt the color drain from my face. “Kitty, it’s one thing to hypothesize among ourselves, but to get the police involved? We have no proof any of the rumors are true.”

  She pulled a scalloped-edged hanky from her pocket and blew her nose. I got the feeling she was buying time to formulate an answer. “I’m scared, April. What if the rumors are true and all of a sudden Marc is framed and hauled off to jail? The Bible says to be prepared in season and out of season.”

  “It also says to avoid mindless chatter. The chief must have laughed when you told him you were reporting rumors.”

  She wiped her nose with her h
andkerchief. “No. He asked me why we thought the pills you found were important, and I reminded him of those murders I told you about. Then he said I was reading too many mystery novels.”

  Relief washed over me. “And I’m inclined to agree. So that was that?”

  “Yes. It was after he reminded me that Doc Fuller is the coroner and knows what he’s talking about and that we’d best not be adding to the rumors. I assured him that the pills were safely tucked away in a bag of sugar in the Rescaté pantry.”

  I almost fell off my seat. “How did you know where I hid them?”

  “Dear, you told me. Don’t you remember?”

  I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter now. We got sidetracked before I could mention the other thing I learned today. Isabel is considering cremation. I was upset at first, but maybe it’s for the best. If he is cremated then there won’t be any way of determining if he was killed.”

  She stared at me through eyes as wide as the buttons on her sweater. “What are you doing sitting there? You need to get those pills.”

  “Why? The only people who know about them are you, Marc, and the police chief.”

  Kitty flew to her feet. Her fists planted on her hips. “April Love, where is your sense of right and wrong? If there was a murder that means a killer is still out there. If there wasn’t, then it’s better to err on the side of . . .of . . . I still can’t remember the right word, but you know what I mean.”

  “Caution. It’s better to err on the side of caution.” Maybe it would be best to get them out of the pantry and offsite. “I’m on my way.”

  After changing to jeans and a T-shirt, I headed next door. At the beginning of the path leading through the pines, I hesitated. Even though the sun still hung on the horizon and the sky overhead remained a bluish hue, the overgrown trail was already saturated in darkness. If a killer were on the loose . . . A shudder ran down my spine.

  “Okay, Lord. I know I’m being a bit childish. These are only pine trees, and I feel rather silly reacting to the rumor mill like this. I don’t even like watching those gossip shows on TV. I’m sure there’s no killer and that Ramón died of natural causes like the coroner said. But if collecting the pills puts my aunt’s concerns at rest, I’ll do it.”