Peach Pies and Alibis (20 page)

An image of the stooped and gnarled ash tree in the hidden grove beyond the wall of
boulders appeared in Ella Mae’s mind. The harvest was only six days away. There would
be no movies or dinners with her new friend until peace returned to Havenwood. “I
can’t,” she told Suzy with genuine regret. “How about the weekend after? I could also
drop by after work and bring you a piece of pie. We could make it a weekly tradition.”
She grinned. “You make a mean cup of joe for a bookseller.”

Smiling, Suzy took the dirty cups into the back room. Ella Mae started to follow,
but when she walked past a display shelf showcasing regional cookbooks, she froze.
“Listen, I know the store’s officially closed right now, but I was wondering if you
carried any books on cheese making.”

Suzy thought for a moment. “Like an at-home type thing? Or a large-scale operation?”

“Definitely at home.”

“I’ve got a great book on artisan cheese making,” she said, waving for Ella Mae to
join her in the Do-It-Yourself section. “It has gorgeous photographs, and I like how
the author explains how to make each particular cheese. He uses really detailed diagrams
and presents everything in a cookbook format. Not only that, but the last twenty-five
pages are filled with the most amazing recipes.” She reached for an oversized book
with a red and yellow spine. “I’m biased though, because I love cheese. I’d rather
have a hunk of Gouda than a cupcake.”

Ella Mae feigned offense. “I hope you don’t feel the same way about pie.”

Suzy handed her the book. Its cover featured a large wheel of milky white cheese set
on a wooden cutting board with a kitchen sink and a window covered by gingham curtains
in the background. “I particularly like American cheese on my apple pie,” she said
and wiggled her eyebrows. “So if you’re going to drop by next week…”

“Say no more.” Ella Mae winked and turned her attention to the book. She was pleased
to find an entire chapter on how to properly sanitize equipment and maintain the highest
standards of food safety. “This is exactly what I was looking for.” She flipped through
several more chapters. “And you described it in such perfect detail. Do you know your
entire stock this well or is this book special?”

Suzy shrugged. “Let’s just say that I have a really good memory when it comes to books.
If I’ve seen a book once and held it in my hands and flipped through its pages, then
I’ll never forget it. I can even remember subtle differences between editions.” She
smiled self-effacingly. “Ask me to call ten of my regular customers by name and I’ll
be hopelessly lost. Ask me where my car keys are and I’ll admit that I have no clue.
But books? Those I remember.”

Ella Mae briefly wondered if Suzy had a magical gift,
but realized that she’d find out soon enough. If Suzy showed up at the harvest, then
she could truly be the special friend Ella Mae had prayed for earlier that day. Even
if she wasn’t enchanted, Ella Mae knew that she’d found a kindred spirit in Suzy Bacchus.
“Can I pay for this book?” she asked Suzy. “I know you’re closed, but I’m dying to
read it.”

“Register’s turned off, so I guess it’s on the house,” Suzy said in a firm tone that
brooked no argument. “I’m sure Jasmine ruined more than the cost of that book in clothes
and produce. If you can forgive a ditsy woman and her squirrel-crazed dog, then we’ll
call ourselves even.”

“But you already gave me a Cubbyhole T-shirt,” Ella Mae protested.

Suzy snorted. “And no one’s ever worn it so well. If you walk around town in that,
I’m sure to get dozens of new customers. Just take the book and come back soon with
a piece of pie. Deal?”

“Deal.” Smiling, Ella Mae slipped the cheese-making book into one of her shopping
bags and stepped outside into what had turned into a glorious fall afternoon. The
air held a refreshing hint of coolness and smelled slightly of wood smoke and crisp
apples. Unlike the overbearing summer sun, the autumn sun had a gentle touch. It turned
the world gold and crimson, coaxing the leaves on the Japanese maples lining the sidewalk
to shine like garnets.

Ella Mae walked briskly to the pie shop, put away her purchases, and sat on a kitchen
stool to read the first few chapters of the cheese-making book. She pictured the renovated
tobacco barn where Vaughn and Lynn Sherman made their cheese. It had appeared spotlessly
clean to Ella Mae, but had that always been the case? Could there have been a time
in which the soil or water of their farm was tainted by
Listeria
?

After taking several notes on sanitizing procedures, Ella Mae compared the book’s
recipes of homemade cheese with
the Shermans’. They were nearly identical. The only cheese that Lynn and Vaughn produced
that the book didn’t include was a queso fresco with chives. Ella Mae didn’t remember
Vaughn serving that cheese to Candis and Rudy, and the Shermans hadn’t brought her
any when they’d delivered her Jeep and a sampling of their product line to the pie
shop.

However, Ella Mae couldn’t stop thinking of the hunk of cheese in Melissa Carlisle’s
refrigerator—the half wheel of soft white cheese with a slightly grainy texture. It
had been embedded with flecks of green, and at the time, Ella Mae had assumed that
the surface of the cheese was riddled with small patches of mold.

“What if it wasn’t mold?” she said to the silent kitchen. “But chives.”

She sat there for a moment, frowning. She didn’t want to believe that the Vaughns
had deliberately poisoned two women. The very thought of it put a sour taste in her
mouth.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said dismissively and crossed to the sink to fill a tumbler
with cold water. “Why would they do such a thing? They’re not even from Havenwood.
They probably know nothing about the Lady of the Ash.”

Staring out at the empty parking lot, Ella Mae drank her water and tried to dismiss
her own theory, but the idea had taken root in her mind and would not let go.

Ella Mae took out her cell phone and called her mother.

“Are you still at the hospital?” she asked without saying hello.

“I am,” her mother said. “And there hasn’t been any change. The blood tests came back
and Freda has been infected by
Listeria
. She’s been given an antibiotic, and we’re waiting to see if the medicine has any
effect on her condition.”

She didn’t sound very hopeful.

“Is Mr. Shaw with you?”

“He went to the cafeteria for more of their terrible coffee.
I offered to go out and get him something decent, but he said he needed to stretch
his legs. I think he just wanted to be alone so he could have a good cry. Men aren’t
good at this kind of thing, Ella Mae. Peter’s coming apart at the seams and he refuses
to tell Candis what’s happened. He wants her first day as a bride to be a happy one.”

Ella Mae was surprised to hear this. “She’s going to be angry with him when she finds
out.”

“Maybe, but it’s none of my business. Ah, he’s coming down the hall now. I should
go.”

“Can you ask him if Freda’s ever been to the Shermans’ farm? Vaughn and Lynn made
all the cheese for the wedding.”

Her mother was quiet for a moment. “I met them yesterday. They seemed like a lovely
couple. Is there something I should know?”

“Not at this point. I’m just trying to examine every angle.”

“I’ll ask Peter. What are you up to?”

Glancing around the sunny kitchen, Ella Mae could feel a tingle in her fingertips,
as if her body was fueled and ready to put her magical abilities to the test. “I’m
going to invite the Shermans to lunch on Tuesday. And Opal and Loralyn Gaynor too.
I can’t force them to accept, but if they do, I’ll get them to talk.”

“Make sure Reba is made aware of your plans. I want her on guard in case something
goes awry.”

“Don’t worry, I’m calling her now.”

Reba was on her way back to Partridge Hill, and Ella Mae hesitated to start a conversation
with her while she was driving. She was reckless enough without distractions, so Ella
Mae made her pull over to the shoulder before saying another word.

“If I get chiggers from standin’ in this tall grass, you’re gonna be the one paintin’
my thighs and butt cheeks with clear nail polish. You hear me?” Reba grumbled.

“Loud and clear.” Ella Mae couldn’t help but grin, but the humor faded quickly. “Listen,
Reba. When you searched Melissa’s house, did you go through her fridge?”

“Of course.” Reba sounded offended. “I’m very thorough. Slim pickin’s, if I recall
correctly. Looked like the inside of a college boy’s dorm fridge. Without the beer,”
she added.

Not wanting to know how Reba had acquired her knowledge about college boys and the
contents of their refrigerators, Ella Mae continued. “What happened to the cheese
Melissa had in there?”

“That awful stuff! I suppose it’s still sittin’ on the middle shelf. Why?” Then the
pieces fell together and Reba sucked in a sharp breath. “You think the bugs were in
that hunk of cheese?”

“I don’t know, but we should have it tested. And I need to see if there was a label
on it—if it was store-bought or homemade.”

She could hear Reba slam her car door shut and the roar of the Buick’s engine as she
hit the gas pedal. “I’m on my way.”

Ella Mae’s next call was to Sloan. To her relief, he didn’t answer, so she left him
a voice mail requesting his presence at The Charmed Pie Shoppe at noon on Tuesday.
“I’ll be working,” she told him. “But I promise to set aside some time to talk.”

After hanging up, Ella Mae walked over to her shelf of dried herbs and spices, mulling
over what to bake for what was certain to be a memorable luncheon. She unscrewed the
lids from glass jars of cinnamon and paprika, dry mustard and ginger root, cayenne
pepper and cardamom. Closing her eyes, she considered the weather forecast for Tuesday.
Havenwood could expect persistent rains with plenty of thunder and lightning. According
to the
Daily
, there would be localized flooding and possible power outages—a nasty storm was barreling
toward the northwest as a result of a
major hurricane that had just made landfall along Georgia’s coastline.

Normally, Ella Mae would be dismayed by such a forecast, but she knew that only a
handful of diehard customers would brave the tempest in order to dine at the pie shop.
That meant fewer people could accidentally be served one of her enchanted dishes.
To protect them further, she planned to create a menu for the walk-in patrons and
another for her invited guests. The only question remaining was what to cook for the
Vaughns, Gaynors, and Sloan.

“Rain calls for something warm and comforting,” Ella Mae mused aloud. “The savory
pie should be as warm and soothing as a mother’s hug. It should loosen the tongue
and make people want to talk. And the entrée is just the beginning.” Her fingers ran
over bulk bags of sugar and baking chocolate. “By the time they get to the dessert,
the diners will have an unquenchable desire to confess something. A fierce and desperate
need to share a secret. Their secret will burn inside them like the lightning piercing
the sky outside the shop’s windows. They’ll want to tell someone, anyone. And I’ll
be there in the privacy of my kitchen. Waiting.”

She breathed in the scents of basil and nutmeg, cumin and anise, and then opened a
canister of pine nuts and rolled a few of them around on her palm. Within minutes,
she knew which pies would appear on the special menu.

Ella Mae’s last phone call of the afternoon was to Verena. “Are you busy Tuesday?”

“Not if you need me!” Verena’s voice boomed through the speaker. “I have an American
Legion Ladies Auxiliary meeting at ten, but I can scoot out early. What do you have
in mind?”

“I need your gift,” Ella Mae said. “I might be able to draw things out of people,
but I won’t know if what they’re saying is true or not. Sometimes, people can lie
to themselves so effectively that they can’t recognize the truth anymore.”

Verena made a clicking noise with her tongue. “It won’t be an easy task to feel all
those people out at once! I have to make eye contact to be able to work my magic.”

“Don’t worry, I’m planning my own brand of kitchen confidential. I just want you out
in the dining room in case someone talks about Melissa or Freda or anything hinting
at the harvest,” Ella Mae said.

“Sounds lovely. Plenty of intrigue and drama. But will there be chocolate?” The word
was infused with longing.

Ella Mae smiled into the phone. “Naturally.”

“Excellent! Then I’ll see you Tuesday. And Ella Mae? My gift functions best on a full
stomach, so count on seeing me at eleven thirty instead of twelve!” And with a loud
guffaw, Verena was gone.

Normally, Ella Mae would have set her alarm for midnight in order to watch her mother’s
Luna rose ceremony from her bedroom window, but she was too tired to do anything other
than slide under the covers, kiss Chewy on the nose, and close her eyes.

The next morning, she woke wondering if the couple who’d paid for the privilege of
standing beneath a harvest moon in her mother’s garden had received the answer they’d
been looking for. Had the fireflies gathered en masse around the single rosebud, setting
it afire with an ethereal glow? Had they seen the breathtakingly beautiful flower
and known that they were meant to live a charmed life together?