Death at the Day Lily Cafe (18 page)

“Good idea,” I said, unable to contain my enthusiasm. As I headed into the kitchen I almost bumped into Glenn.

“Oh, will you look at that,” he said, equally excited. “We're really doing this.”

“I know. I hope it's all as good as that bottle of rosé we had.”

“How can I help?”

“I've been working on my own version of a muffuletta sandwich. I sliced it into bite-sized pieces. If you carry that platter out, we can taste those as well.”

“As in New Orleans? What a fantastic idea.”

“Taste them first. But I think they're pretty delicious.”

After refrigerating the wines, I returned to the dining room. Crystal had arrived and was showing something to Alessa. Janice charged in the front door next. She had put some effort into her appearance, wearing a pretty cotton dress with Jack Rogers sandals. “Hey, Snow White,” I said, and brushed her cheek with a kiss. “You look cute.”

“I'm in perimenopause. There is nothing cute about that.”

“Rosalie,” Glenn said as he set out a stack of turquoise napkins. “Did you know Janice was going through the change?”

“Why, no, Glenn. She hadn't mentioned it.”

“Ha-ha,” Janice said. “Very funny. But I can't help myself. Sorry if I'm tedious.”

“You?” I said. “When you're here the fun factor shoots up a couple of notches. I'm just sorry you're suffering.”

“Well, I am. But it seems we are all aware of that.” She clapped her hands together. “So, what are we drinking? And more important, when do we start?”

“Oh, hey, Miss Janice,” Crystal said over her shoulder. “I made your tincture.”

“I highly recommend it,” Alessa said. “I've been using Crystal's tinctures for over a year now, and I wouldn't do without them.”

Janice's eyes widened. “
You
take them?” She looked at Crystal. “Well—what are you waiting for? I'll have three.”

Crystal rolled her eyes. “Just put two drops under your tongue twice a day. It's in the refrigerator so it stays cold. And I put it in a brown bottle, so the light won't break down the essences.”

“Crystal,” I said, “you really know what you're doing.”

“Don't forget I make teas, too, Miss Janice.” Crystal slid her hands in the back pockets of her denim shorts. Her hair was free from its traditional braid, and thick wavy tresses flowed to her waist.

“I drink a cup of chamomile every night before I go to sleep,” Alessa said.

I studied Crystal and Alessa who seemed completely comfortable together. “May I ask how you two know each other?”

Crystal frowned. “'Lessa?”

Alessa sat down in one of the bar chairs and propped her chin on her hand. “Hmm. Did we meet at the farmers' market?”

“Yes,” Crystal said. “That's where. A couple of years ago. It's funny,” she said as she sat down next to her. “I feel as if I've known you my whole life.”

“And maybe even before that,” Alessa said, and winked.

“Excited!” Kevin rushed in the front door. “Hello, I'm Kevin,” he said to Alessa.

“Pleased to meet you.” She stood and held out her hand. Instead of shaking it, Kevin leaned down and kissed it. Her hands were lovely, with incredibly long, slender fingers. Although she looked to be at least fifty, there wasn't an age spot to be seen. Crystal and I needed to talk.

“Everyone have a seat,” I said. “Oh, wait.” I went into the kitchen and took a wedge of Brie out of the oven. The cheese had begun to melt out of the rind in a creamy lava flow. I brought it out, along with some light crackers. “This will cleanse our palates.”

“Excellent idea,” Alessa said. “Let's start with the sparkling, Rosalie.”

When I handed her the bottle, she peeled off the foil, and Crystal immediately put her fingers in her ears. Alessa stopped. “It won't be noisy. Not when it's done properly.”

“You can never be sure,” Crystal said, her shoulders hunched. “I just don't like being surprised.”

“Here,” Alessa said. “You do the honors.” She held the bottle out to Crystal.

“Oh no, I couldn't.” Crystal backed away from her.

“You can do it, my dear. It's always best to confront your fears.” Alessa smiled warmly at Crystal, her lipstick a rich red. “Otherwise the fear can take over your life.”

Crystal's arms dropped to her sides. “I knew you'd say something like that.” She accepted the bottle, her face scrunched up in worry.

“First, let the cork out of its cage. And don't worry—it won't go anywhere until you want it to.”

Crystal unwound the wire while holding the bottle at arm's length.

“See?” Alessa set the wire on the bar. “That's not so bad.” She stood behind Crystal and wrapped her arms around her. “Champagne is one of God's gifts. It should be honored as such.” Alessa placed Crystal's right hand on the cork. “Now you're going to remove the cork, see? But we aren't going to pop it out. We're going to massage it slowly.”

Kevin leaned in. “I never knew opening champagne could be so sexy.”

“I'm sorry, Kevin,” Janice said flatly, “but what's more phallic than uncorking champagne?”

Crystal spat out a laugh.

“Hmm, you have a point, JJ,” Kevin said.

“Rosalie, do you have a towel?” Alessa said.

I handed her the cloth I kept by the Mieles.

She put the towel over the bottle. “Now, you are in control, princess. Hold the neck of the bottle with this hand, and twist the cork with your right hand, ever so slowly.”

Crystal's eyes were squeezed shut. “Am I doing it right?”

“You're doing just fine. Come on, my dear. Keep twisting. You get to decide when you are ready for it to release.”

“Holy crap,” Kevin said, and shifted in his seat.

“She's very good at this,” Glenn said.

Crystal's forehead was furrowed, her cheeks a bright pink. She wiggled and twisted the cork until it at last emerged with a muffled pop. “Oh my gosh,” Crystal said, a wide grin on her face. “I did it.”

Alessa smiled and patted Crystal's back. “Now you can cross that off your bucket list.”

“Yes.” Crystal nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I will.”

“Rosalie, glasses, please. I believe Crystal has earned the honor of pouring,” Alessa said. “Now let's see how you fill them. I'll bet you will know exactly when to stop and wait for the bubbles to die back without spilling a drop.”

Crystal filled the glasses flawlessly, topping off one and then another. When she had finished, Alessa raised her glass. “To our brave beauty, Crystal Sterling.”

We toasted, and Janice took a long sip. “Oh, this is yummers. And you're going to start serving Sunday brunches?”

“As soon as I can come up with the menu,” I said.

“Are you going to have banana bread French toast?” Janice asked after finishing off her glass.

“I'm sorry,” I said, almost choking on my wine. “What did you say?”

“Banana bread French toast. You mean you've never had it?”

“It sounds incredible,” Kevin said.

“How have I never had that?” Glenn said, and frowned.

“It's an old family recipe. My kids love it.” She held her glass out for Crystal to refill.

“I'll bet it would be good with my lavender honey,” Crystal said.

“Lavender
honey
?” I said. “Crystal, sweetie, what else do you make?” I offered the Brie to Glenn. “And I am so putting banana bread French toast on the menu.”

“With lavender honey,” Kevin said, and dipped a cracker into the Brie.

 

T
HIRTY
-
ONE

As everyone gathered their belongings, I noticed Kevin stacking the dirty plates, and wondered if he would be willing to talk with me more about his and Jake's encounter with CJ. Although I knew the basics of the story, I wanted to know how it had impacted them. I walked over and began filling a tray with dirty glasses. “Kevin, I don't know about you, but I hate to leave so many unfinished bottles of wine just sitting around.”

“What are you suggesting, girlfriend?”

“I'll be right back.” I walked Alessa to the door, exchanged two quick cheek kisses with her, and waved goodbye to Glenn, Janice, and Crystal. I closed and locked the door and returned to Kevin. “Shall we?”

“I certainly wouldn't want the wine to go bad.” Kevin sat at the bar. “Besides, we were only having little tastes. And what about the Brie?”

“Exactly,” I said. “What will it be? We have a cab, a pinot grigio, and a rosé. I think Janice finished off the sparkling.”

“How about the cab.” Kevin dabbed at the Brie and licked his finger. “Poor JJ. I hope Crystal can help her.”

“I know Italian women have great genes, but if she can help Janice the way she helps Alessa, Janice may be on the mend soon.” I filled Kevin's glass and slid it over to him. I studied the bottles lined up on the bar. “I think I'll start with the pinot.”

“Alessa is fabulous,” Kevin said. “Jake and I will have to go out to her winery. He already ordered that case of rosé.”

“And what a surprise she's good friends with Crystal.” I took a small sip. “That's what I love about this town. A fifty-year-old Italian bombshell is good friends with a twenty-five-year-old hippie who makes teas and tinctures. People seem so much more accepting of uniqueness here.”

Kevin glanced at me sidelong. “I love you, darlin', but now you're in la-la land.”

“Sorry.” I sat next to him. “I hope that wasn't insensitive. Especially after your encounter with CJ.” I gripped the stem of my glass and gazed over at him. “How awful was it, Kevin?”

“Beyond awful.” Kevin took a long sip of wine. “Thing is, it didn't end there.”

“What do you mean?”

“CJ didn't just walk away from Jake. I mean, he did that night, but then he started to harass us.”

“Oh no,” I said. “What did he do?”

“First he spray-painted nasty words on our mailbox. And two days after that incident, someone—well, it had to be CJ—slashed Jake's tires.”

“Did you tell the sheriff?”

“No.” He shook his head. “We talked about it, but we decided it would only make matters worse. We were hoping it would blow over and CJ would find someone else to pick on. But then he showed up at the college.”

I swallowed hard. “And?”

“He went to President Carmichael's office and asked if he knew Jake was a—well, I won't repeat the word. Apparently he caused quite a ruckus.”

“I've met President Carmichael. The man doesn't like controversy.”

“I know he's not the most popular guy around here, but he's very good at his job.”

“So you like him?”

“The guy's smart. Enrollment is way up. They're turning more and more students away. And their rating has skyrocketed in that
U.S. News & World Report
list. One of the ways he's accomplished it is to attract good professors. And he knows how to keep them. Jake is a popular teacher. The lacrosse team has won their division four out of the five years since he's been there.”

“So Carmichael ignored CJ?”

“Well, as much as a person can ignore that man. I think his secretary called security, and they barred him from campus.”

“What was Jake's reaction?”

“It was bad. You see, Rosalie, I'm Jake's first openly gay relationship. He came out because of me. For most of his life he was the macho guy, trying to compensate for how he felt inside. This was as public as it had ever gotten for him.”

“Top off?” I picked up the cab. Kevin nodded, and I filled his glass. “So how did you two meet?”

“At a bar in Philly. Jake would go out, but only if it was far enough away from Cardigan no one would recognize him. He finally told his family when we decided to move in together and—” He shook his head. “Anyway, Jake's father was not happy, to put it mildly.”

“Sounds hard for Jake.”

“It is, although once he made the decision it was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. We've been happy here.”

“And CJ changed that?”

“Jake was beside himself with rage. I was worried about him. Frantic, actually. I begged him to tell the sheriff, but he said he would handle it his own way.”

I pushed the small of my back into the chair. “And?”

“He never did anything. He didn't have to. The next day, CJ was dead.” Kevin took another long sip of wine. “We couldn't believe it. We even had a little party out on the deck. I grilled salmon, and Jake broke into the good stuff. I'm sort of embarrassed to tell you that. But we did.”

“Jake must be so relieved.”

“You would think.” Kevin's shoulders slumped forward. “But something isn't right with him. Not anymore.” He peered over at me, his eyelids at half-mast. “Rosalie, I think I'm losing him.”

*   *   *

That night I gave Annie a quick peck on the cheek and carried my laptop into bed. I logged on to Facebook and discovered all my friend requests had been answered. I felt instantly more popular. I clicked on a message notification.

C. James Fiddler

Hi Mrs. Hart. Thanks for the offer of friendship. Any news on my mom? I've been meaning to ask you, what did she tell you the night you were looking at her yearbooks? I've heard from Aunt Doris that you are a very good investigator. I'm curious why those yearbooks were of significance to you. I'll be in town in a few days. Maybe we could talk. I believe you know something I would want to know as well. Thanks, Jamie.

 

T
HIRTY
-
TWO

On Saturday, the Day Lily offered its first glasses of alcohol to the lunch crowd. In addition to Alessa's wine, I ordered two craft beers from a brewery in Delaware. Baby steps, I told my staff.