Killer Gourmet (24 page)

Dirk picked up a piece of bacon and popped it into his mouth, then stood and gathered up the dishes. “Look at you,” he told Savannah, “sitting there, asking permission. Like you're not gonna do it anyway, whether I want you to or not.”

“Why, darlin',” she said, batting her eyelashes at him and turning up the Southern drawl several notches. “I don't know what you're speaking of. I wouldn't dream of undertaking such an endeavor without my dear husband's blessing.”

Once he had shoved the utensils into the dishwasher, he turned toward the living room. “Go for it,” he said. “Just keep me posted. And be careful.”

Once he was gone, Waycross turned to Savannah and said with a grin, “You've got that down pat, sis.”

“Whatever are you speaking of, brother of mine?” She downed the last swig of her coffee.

“Giving Dirk-o the illusion of control,” Tammy replied.

“It's a fine art, and she's a master,” Granny told Tammy. “Watch and learn, young woman. Watch and learn.”

S
avannah had her work cut out for her, trying to track down Umber Viola. The young woman hadn't been at the Norwood mansion, but a helpful neighbor suggested that she might be found at the local library. Apparently, she read to a circle of children there on the weekends.

It didn't make Savannah feel any better to hear that Umber was a charitable soul who entertained kids on her own time. Savannah would have much preferred that she was a shallow, mean, foolish person. It would have made it much easier to accuse her of murder.

When Savannah inquired about her at the library, the head librarian told her that Umber had called in sick and canceled her reading session.

But as Savannah was leaving the library, a teenage girl, who had been sorting books on a rolling cart, hurried over to her. She glanced around, as though making sure no one was listening. Then she whispered, “I heard Umber went to the pier to think and just be alone for a while. She's taking this thing that happened in her family—you know, the murder—really hard.”

“Yes,” Savannah replied. “It was a terrible thing. Thank you so much for your help. And for the work you do here at the library. Libraries are so important.”

 

By the time Savannah found Umber on the pier, it was well past lunchtime. Savannah was feeling a bit tired and more than a little cranky.

But at least I know why now
, she thought.
And much to my husband's relief, I'm not gonna be kicking the bucket anytime soon
.

As she climbed the steps to one of the longest wooden wharfs in Southern California, she could see Umber Viola standing down at the end. Her back was to the shore. She appeared to be gazing out at the horizon, where Santa Tesla Island appeared to be floating on a downy pillow of fog.

Savannah walked the length of the pier, passing fishermen cutting bait, lovers strolling hand in hand, and some kids flying dragon and pirate kites.

Finally, she was standing directly behind Umber, and what she saw, now that she was closer, caused her pulse to race.

On a bench, only a foot or two away from the girl, was a pair of designer sandals, neatly placed side by side. And next to the shoes was a sweater, folded oh-so-perfectly. On top of the sweater lay a pair of earrings, a watch, and some bracelets....

And a white envelope with the word “Mom” written on it.

From Savannah's vantage point, she could see that Umber wasn't gazing out at the island in the distance. Instead, she was staring down at the waves crashing against the barnacle-encrusted pilings far below. Tears were streaming down her face.

“Umber,” Savannah said softly.

It seemed to take the young woman a moment to register Savannah's gentle greeting. But finally she turned around and gave Savannah such a blank look that Savannah thought perhaps she didn't recognize her.

Finally, Umber said, “You shouldn't be here. I don't want you here. I don't want anyone here. I need to do this alone.”

Savannah pointed to the nearby bench. “There's no reason for you to be alone, sweetie. I'm here now. Come sit over here and talk to me for a while. You might feel much better if you did.”

“There's no point in talking. What's done is done. And it can't be undone.”

“That's true,” Savannah told her. “But we can still try to make the best of an awful situation. I'd like to help you. I believe I can, if you'll let me.”

Umber shook her head. “There's nothing you can do for me. I did a terrible thing, and now my life is over, too.”

Savannah stepped closer to her and put her hand on the girl's forearm. “Your life is not over. If you come forward, turn yourself in, and explain what happened—”

“Then maybe I won't get the needle. Is that what you're saying?” She wiped her tears away with her sleeve. “I know that they can execute somebody for what I did. Paying somebody to kill a person . . . that's like hiring a hit man, isn't it?”

“I won't lie to you. You committed a very serious crime, and you'll have to pay for it. But still, the best thing you can do for yourself is explain what happened.”

“Nobody's going to listen to me. Nobody cares. Nobody's ever cared.”

“That isn't true. I care. And I'll listen.”

Gently, Savannah tugged Umber's arm and slowly guided the young woman over to the bench, where she sat her down.

One by one, Savannah picked up the items that were laid there and gave them back to their distraught owner. She slid the bracelets back over her arms, wrapped the sweater around her shoulders, handed her the earrings, and put the sandals back on her feet.

Savannah discreetly slipped the envelope into her own pocket.

Then she sat down beside Umber. She reached for the woman's hand, which was damp and cold, and folded it between her own.

“Take your time, honey,” Savannah told her. “We're in no hurry. Just tell me what happened and why.”

“Baldwin was like my dad, you know? He and my mom got together when I was just five. I hardly even remember what it was like before him.”

“If he helped raise you, he
was
like a father to you,” Savannah said. “I'm sure you loved him.”

“I did. And he always said that he loved me, too. But now that I'm older, I know why he said that. So that he could do things to me. He made me feel special, so that I wouldn't tell on him.”

Shivers ran down Savannah's back, and they had nothing to do with the chilly ocean breeze. “I'm sorry, sweetheart,” she said. “He had no right to do those things.”

“He even told me that I was the only reason he was with my mom. He said he hated her for all the mean things that she said and did to him and to me. He said he wanted to leave her. But he couldn't take me with him, because the law wouldn't allow it.”

“He was certainly right about that,” Savannah told her.

“He always told me that, once I was grown up, he would take me away from my mom, and he and I would live happily ever after without the wicked old witch around. It was like this special secret that we had. We had a lot of secrets.”

“Tell me what happened, leading up to his . . . passing.”

“It started on my birthday,” Umber said. “For my present he gave me a pretty ring with a big yellow diamond. When my mom saw it, she got really jealous and threw a fit. She said it looked like an engagement ring, and it wasn't appropriate. They had a big fight, and she accused him of loving me more than he ever did her. She said he shouldn't have given me a diamond ring when he had never given her one after all their years together.”

Umber stopped to take a breath, and Savannah said, “Yes, a thing like that might cause an uproar in anybody's household.”

“My mom was going to throw me out of the house, send me away to live with my aunt in New York. But Baldwin got really mad and told her that she was the one who was leaving, not me. He said we were going away for a few days to Santa Tesla Island. And by the time he got back, she'd better be gone.”

Savannah patted the girl's cold hand. “That must've been very hard for you. Caught between the two of them like that.”

“It was. My mom is mean, but I love her. She's my mom.”

“I understand. So you went to Santa Tesla Island with Chef Norwood? How was that?”

“Awful. I always thought it would be so nice, once we could really be together. But it wasn't. It felt disgusting. I knew how bad he had hurt my mom, and I knew it was wrong, the things he'd done to me all those years. I felt guilty . . . dirty.”

She shivered. “He told me I was the only woman he had ever loved, and yet he was looking at every girl on the beach. He was flirting with them and not even paying any attention to me. It was as if, now that he had me, he didn't want me anymore.”

“Tell me what happened that led to the murder.”

“When we got back from the island, his business partner, Yale, came to see me. My mom had told him about us and asked him to talk to me. He told me that Baldwin was a terrible man, that he had been with hundreds of women—prostitutes, employees of his that he forced to have sex with him. Yale told me that Baldwin should be put in prison for what he'd done to me.”

“That's true. Heaven knows how many people he hurt,” Savannah said.

“At first I didn't believe Yale, but then I went to the restaurant to talk to Baldwin. And I saw him push that homeless man into the mud, just because he asked for some food. I saw the homeless guy pull a knife out of his backpack, and for a minute I thought he was going to kill Baldwin. But he didn't. And I was disappointed.”

She started to cry softly. “Isn't that awful?”

“Yes. But I understand why you felt that way. Go on.”

“I looked at that homeless man. He looked so poor. I looked at the ring on my finger. I thought about all the gross things Baldwin had done to me. And I asked the homeless man if he would kill him for me.”

“And he agreed to?”

“Not at first. But I told him some of the stuff Baldwin had done to me, and he got mad and said nobody should treat a little girl like that. And he agreed to do it for five thousand dollars.”

“So you sold your ring to the pawn shop?”

“Yes. And I called my mom and asked her to buy two tickets to the play she was going to that night. I wanted to be able to say I was far away when it happened.”

“Did you tell her why?”

“No. I just told her it was important, and she believed me.”

“Where were you when it happened?”

“In the back doorway.”

“You watched it?”

“Yes. And you want to know the worst thing of all?”

No, Savannah wasn't sure that she wanted to know the worst thing. Her stomach was already churning, and her spirit felt sick from what she had heard so far.

“Yes, tell me,” she said.

“After he had hit Baldwin over the head and stabbed him in his stomach, it still wasn't enough for me. I told him to use the cleaver on him, too.”

Umber Viola began to cry even harder and moan, as though she were in terrible pain.

Nearby fishermen and passersby began to stare at her in alarm.

“That's how much I hated him,” she was saying. “I didn't just want him dead, I wanted him chopped into pieces so that he couldn't come back and hurt me and my mom again.”

Savannah put her arms around the girl and rocked her, just as she would have a younger sibling—or a child of her own.

“Sh-h-h,” she said. “There, there. The worst is over now. From here on, things will be better for you, Umber. I promise. You'll see.”

But as Savannah sat there, trying to console the broken child in her arms, she couldn't help thinking how terrible it was that her words were actually true. Compared to the hell Umber Viola had been living in for the past thirteen years, prison would probably be an improvement.

And how awful was that?

O
nce again, it was opening night for ReJuvene, and Savannah and company sat at their table, watching the rich, famous, and beautiful assemble for the restaurant's repeat performance.

Savannah looked around the dining room, enjoying its flickering fireplace, glistening waterfall, antique brickwork, leather furniture, and romantic lighting. It was every bit as beautiful as she remembered it. Maybe even more, because of all Ryan and John had endured to bring the amazing establishment to fruition. Again.

“This place is really living up to its name tonight, isn't it?” she said to her loved ones gathered around her.

“I don't know,” Dirk said as he smeared an obscene amount of butter on an onion roll. “What does ReJuvene mean?”

“It's Spanish for rejuvenate, renew, restore. Something like that,” Savannah told him. “Or maybe it's Italian or French. I don't know. They speak at least five languages fluently, you know.”

“Oh.” He poked most of the roll into his mouth. “I thought it was a word they made up so they could use both of their initials in it.”

“Yeah, me too,” Waycross piped up.

“Peasants, both of you,” Savannah told them, shaking her head.

Instead of being insulted, they laughed at her.

“I speak Pig Latin,” Waycross said. “Oes-day at-thay ount-cay?”

Dirk picked up another roll and pretended he was going to throw it at Savannah.

“Don't you dare! If you embarrass me tonight, I swear I will—”

“Chill out, darlin'. I'm not going to embarrass you,” he said, tossing the bread back into the basket. “I promise I won't scratch any of my private zones, belch, or fa . . .” He cut a quick look at Granny and saw she was giving him a threatening scowl. “. . . or do anything that might offend the lovely ladies sitting at this table.”

“How about me?” Waycross asked.

Dirk leaned toward him and whispered, “Let's just say, if I feel the need to pass gas, it'll be in your direction.”

“Gee, thanks. You'd better be nice to me.”

“Why start now?”

Waycross grinned. “You'll find out later.”

“Yeah,” Tammy said, snickering. “Later.”

“O-okay,” Dirk said, buttering another roll.

Savannah ignored their silliness and watched as Ryan and John moved gracefully about the room, greeting and charming wherever they went.

Tonight there was none of the tension that had marred the previous opening. Under the supervision of Chef Francia Fortun and her sous-chef, Carlos Ortez, the kitchen was working smoothly, turning out delicious, flawless dishes one after the other.

The waiters, including Maria Ortez, worked the tables with friendly efficiency, making sure every diner's needs were well satisfied.

A few moments before, servers had distributed flutes of champagne, telling the guests to ready themselves for a special toast.

And special it was, indeed, when Ryan and John delivered a sincere thank-you to everyone who had helped to resurrect ReJuvene. Savannah's heart warmed when her name and those at her table were mentioned among the honored.

When the time came to sip the bubbly, Dirk leaned across the table and said to Granny, “Well, are you going to join us, Gran? I know you object to Demon Rum, but how about a sip of some fizzy?”

Savannah tensed a bit, hearing Dirk's offer. Granny was an extraordinarily tolerant person in many ways, but she had witnessed too much suffering caused by the overconsumption of alcohol to ever be a fan. She had been a bona fide, card-carryin' teetotaler her entire life, and she wasn't likely to amend her ways at this late date.

But she did smile at Dirk when she said, “No, thank you, sonny boy. I don't mind if y'all do, it bein' a special occasion. But I'll do my toastin' with this here fine iced tea. I'm sure there's just as much good luck in a glass of this as a bottle of that bubbly stuff.”

When they all lifted their glasses, Savannah couldn't help but notice that Tammy also chose to forego the champagne and celebrate with a simple club soda.

Since when did the Sunshine Girl not imbibe? She might have a lot of rules about sugar, salt, and flour, but Savannah couldn't recall any time before when Tammy had refused a glass of spirits.

“Aren't you celebrating with us tonight, Tams?” Savannah couldn't help asking her friend. “It's not like you to sit out a dance.”

Tammy looked at Waycross and snickered.

He looked at her, blushed, and snickered back.

The champagne bubbles hit Savannah's bloodstream and sent a rush of effervescence throughout her system.

Or was it something far better than champagne?

Maybe what she was feeling was joyful anticipation as she watched a rush of love and the excitement flow between her beloved brother and the sweetest woman she had ever known.

“What's this?” Dirk asked, looking from the giggling twosome to Savannah and back. “Am I missing something here?”

“Sh-h-h,” Savannah said. “I think Tammy and Waycross might have some sort of announcement to make. Am I right, little brother? Tamitha?”

“Well,” Tammy said, jumping around in her seat. “Most people get married and then they buy a house and then they have a baby. But, thanks to you, Savannah, I already have a house.”

“Yes, and . . . ?” Savannah could feel her heart getting ready to take flight.

Waycross picked up Tammy's hand and kissed it. “And this morning, I asked Miss Tammy here if she'd do me the honor of being my wife.”

Tammy's effervescence overflowed, “And I said, ‘Yes, yes, yes!' ”

The table exploded with lots of screaming, laughter, jumping up from chairs, running around, hugging and kissing—much to the astonishment and delight of the other diners.

When all was said and done, Savannah found herself on her knees between her brother and friend's chairs, her arms around both of their necks.

“I knew it! I knew it!” she said, strangling them with hugs. “When? When are you going to have the ceremony?”

Waycross blushed and Tammy giggled. “Um, we don't know for sure,” Tammy said. “But it's going to be soon.”

“Yeah, real soon,” Waycross said. “ 'Cause we do know for sure when the little one's coming, and that's gonna be in about six and a half months.”

“Little one? Little one?” Savannah went from kneeling to sitting as her knees gave out beneath her. She turned and looked at her friend's tummy and saw that maybe, yes, there it was. A wee bit of a bump. Actually, she had noticed it a week or so before, but thought it was just the result of Tammy eating all those extra half-cookies. “A baby,” she said. “Oh, Tammy, honey, that's wonderful!”

She kissed her friend's cheeks, then turned and did the same to her brother.

Gran had left her chair, too, and was standing behind Tammy. She bent down and gave her a hug. “Congratulations, sweetie,” she said. “What a blessing this is going to be. We'll not only have you in our family, but a new youngun to love in the bargain.”

Tammy ducked her head and said, “We were a little bit afraid to tell you, Granny, knowing how you feel about, well, certain things. I hope you aren't disappointed in us.”

Granny's eyes shone with kindness and wisdom as she replied, “Darlin', we aren't going to worry about what's gone on in the past with so many blessings coming up in the future. For all you know, you and Waycross here are gonna have a passel of kids before you're done.”

Gran cleared her throat and lifted one eyebrow. “That's the thing about babies.... They take nine months to hatch. All except the first one. There's some kinda rule that says: The first one can come at any time.”

Everyone laughed and continued to chatter excitedly.

Savannah got up from the floor and straightened her skirt and her hair. She looked around and realized that they were, indeed, making a spectacle of themselves at the Moonlight Magnolia table.

Oh well
, she thought.
What else is new
?

From the other side of the room, Ryan and John were beaming in their direction, and the rest of the diners appeared to be enjoying their not-so-private celebration, so she decided there was nothing to worry about.

Then she felt Dirk standing behind her. His big warm hand slid around her waist as he pulled her close. “How are you, babe?” he whispered. “Are you okay with, you know, all of this?”

She looked down at her precious friend, her dear brother, and her blessed grandmother, all of whom appeared to be the happiest she had ever seen them.

She leaned her head over on her husband's shoulder and said, “Of course I am, darlin'. With all these miracles of love happening all around me, I've never been better!”