I coaxed Mochie out of his playroom and carried them downstairs. I hung each of them by the ribbon. The ends draped onto the flowers in the wreaths.
That done, I cut a large rectangle out of an old plastic tablecloth that I had used outdoors. With the aid of waterproof repair tape, I affixed it to the shower wall where the tiles were missing. I wasn’t sure it would hold up, but it was better than nothing. I sprayed water on it and was pleased that it didn’t peel off.
I swapped my now-damp clothes for jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a fuzzy vest and headed for the grocery store.
It was early enough for traffic to be light. There weren’t many people shopping yet, either. I started with Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, and potatoes. I placed some Fuji apples and bananas in my cart. Chicken breasts were on sale and always a favorite of mine, so I added a couple of packages along with a whole chicken and bacon. Suddenly a chill swept over me, and it wasn’t from the cold meat section. I felt as if someone was watching me.
I turned and saw the man who had pulled the soda can out of the garbage. He smiled at me, placed a steak in the basket he was carrying, and walked away.
I shivered and kept an eye out for him. Strolling along and trying to focus, I grabbed Parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, cornmeal, ketchup, frozen corn, heavy cream, and more pumpkin puree. I thought I had most of the spices I would need. But I added some staples. Eggs, bread, milk, and a box of Daisy’s favorite dog treats.
I drove home and unpacked my groceries. When I stepped outside to get my mail, Nina emerged from her house and ran across the street. “I love your wreaths! But wait until you see what I’m doing.”
“Something new?” I asked.
She smiled. “They should be here today!”
“Sounds like fun. How would you feel about a slice of Grandma Peggy’s Pumpkin Bundt Cake?”
“Perfect. I haven’t had any breakfast. I had to get up before the crack of dawn to drive my husband to the airport. He’s off to Los Angeles again.” Nina’s husband was a forensic pathologist who spent more time traveling than he did at home. She didn’t seem to mind, though.
For the second time that morning, I sat down at my kitchen table with a friend, a cup of tea, and a delicious nosh.
“Mmm.” Nina swallowed a bite. “Grandma Peggy knew how to bake. This is perfect for fall.”
I had to agree with her. “The pumpkin makes it so wonderfully moist. I’m going to bring some over to Tilly to be sure the recipe is correct. Want to come with me?”
“Would I turn down the opportunity to rub elbows with a TV star?”
“Never.”
“Any news yet on poor Abby?” asked Nina.
“Only that word made it to Wesley in the middle of the night.”
Nina’s gaze met mine. “I know she worked for them, but who would have called in the middle of the night to tell Wesley that Abby was dead? Wouldn’t a normal person wait until maybe seven in the morning to call?”
“Thank you! That’s precisely what I thought. Mars seemed to think it was perfectly normal. Exactly who knew and why was it so vital that he had to inform Wesley immediately?”
“A sinister aura begins to surround Wesley Winthrop.” Nina plucked crumbs off the cake plate. “Do you think he murdered Abby? Or is afraid their affair will be made public?”
“Could be neither. Politicians are a strange breed. They need to watch their backs all the time. There’s one additional little hiccup. Mars went out with Abby.”
“Our Mars?”
“The very same.”
“You know he didn’t kill her,” said Nina.
“Of course not. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be a suspect.”
I cut the remaining cake in thirds and placed one portion in a turquoise-and-white cake carrier with a handle on top. I stored the other two pieces.
Daisy was roaming underfoot as if she knew we were going somewhere. But Mochie was bored and ambled into the sunroom, probably to watch birds.
Nina carried the cake as we walked over to Tilly’s house. This time Tilly opened the door wide and invited us inside.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m just sick over Abby’s death. And now I feel terrible about not pursuing the reason she quit working for me.” Tilly led us into the kitchen, which smelled like cinnamon.
Nina sniffed the air. “What are you cooking? It smells like Sophie’s kitchen.”
“I was just experimenting with the pumpkin spice latte recipe. Would you do me a favor and try one? I’m not sure I have the recipe exactly right.”
We readily agreed.
I handed her the cake I had brought. “What did you think about the mac and cheese? Was it worthy of your cookbook?”
Tilly pulled three mugs out of a cabinet. “It was better than my usual mac and cheese!”
Nina watched, and I jotted notes while Tilly assembled the drinks and topped them with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Tilly suggested we sit outside and led the way out the French doors to a charming fenced patio.
Tilly had a good eye for form and color. She had thrown a blue-and-yellow tablecloth over a round table. An arrangement of fresh yellow and orange sunflowers sat in the middle. Freshly tilled soil in flower beds along the brick fence in the rear featured masses of yellow and purple mums. We settled into comfortable chairs with thick cushions. The high brick fence blocked the breeze, and the fall sun warmed us. Daisy lifted her nose in the air and sniffed something I couldn’t detect.
“Grandma Peggy’s Pumpkin Bundt Cake was Abby’s favorite recipe in my collection.”
I could hear the grief in Tilly’s tone. Her bubbly nature was hidden, and her eyes were rimmed in red.
“What happened?” she whispered. “Why would anyone harm Abby? She was such a sweet, normal sort of person. I don’t mean this in a cruel way, but Abby was so nice that she bordered on dull. She wasn’t into drugs or drinking or anything dangerous, you know? Who would want to kill a woman who writes cookbooks? What could possibly be a more benign profession?”
“I’m sorry, Tilly,” I said. “She was very kind to an elderly friend of ours. Abby touched a lot of lives. It’s a terrible tragedy.”
“You spent time with her,” said Nina. “Abby must have told you about herself. She never mentioned anything worrisome? Problems she had? Neighbors or men she dated who were stalking her?”
I shot Nina a look. Surely she didn’t mean to imply that Mars was following Abby. She may have dated other men, though.
“Like me,” said Tilly, “she wasn’t from Old Town. We talked about how we didn’t have any relatives close by. That’s always difficult. She and her husband moved here because he worked for the government, some technical job, I don’t recall exactly. She had thought about leaving since nothing was keeping her here anymore, but she seemed fairly happy up until the last day she worked here.”
Now she had piqued my attention. “Did something unusual happen that day?”
Chapter 10
Dear Sophie,
I love fall spices. They smell great, and they taste even better. But there’s something about pumpkin pie spice that bugs me. I can’t put my finger on it. Is it possible to make my own?