Dandelion Dead (5 page)

There, I found my chef, Merrily Scott, in the Nature's Way outfit of khakis, a white T-shirt, and a lime-green apron, whipping up batter for buckwheat pancakes, while the blender whipped up vegan strawberry smoothies.

Merrily had the energy of the Energizer Bunny and was cute and perky, her short blond hair now in a pixie cut that suited her. My customers loved her and her food, and over the past few years, she'd developed a healthy following, especially for her award-winning pies.

“Morning, Merrily. That smells really good.”

Merrily turned to me, smiling. “Someone's hungry.” She stirred the batter one more time, then moved to the stove and poured the liquid onto the hot griddle. The lemon-colored batter accented by bittersweet chocolate chips pooled onto the surface and quickly began sizzling. “Vegan chocolate chip pancakes, get 'em while they're hot.”

“Yummy. Thanks, I'll need the energy. I'm going to finish putting up the decorations today. Halloween is only five days away.” So far, I'd decorated inside by putting cornstalks in the corners and cobwebs in the windows; today I'd move out front and finish the job.

“It's better to keep busy, I guess. Lily told me what happened.” Lily was busy serving food and taking orders in the café. All the tables were occupied by the usual morning crowd. “It sounds absolutely awful.” Merrily turned over the pancakes as they began to bubble. “So are you going to investigate again?”

I'd
solved three crimes in almost as many years, and Merrily had been working for me the entire time, so she was familiar with the routine. “I hope not. Maybe the police can figure it out this time.”

Merrily chuckled. “I wouldn't count on it. If it wasn't for you, they'd still be chasing their tails over those cases.” She pulled organic maple syrup and vegan spread out of the refrigerator. “You are good, Willow, and they know it.”

“Still . . .” I went to the fridge, grabbed the soy milk, and poured myself a glass. “It would be nice for once to stay out of it.”

“If Simon lets you, you mean.” She slid the spatula under each pancake, placing them on a plate. “Are we still doing the dinner tonight? If so, I'll need to get busy.” She handed a plate to me. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks, Merrily. These look amazing.” Using a knife, I put a big fat pat of spread on the stack and added a generous amount of syrup. “And, yes, Simon and I discussed the dinner last night, and he said it's too late to cancel. It's full speed ahead.”

The Nature's Way dinner to benefit Jackson's animal rescue sanctuary was one of many in the Village of Greenport Monday night. When visitors purchased a ticket for $100, they received an orange bracelet that would open doors to the best restaurants in Greenport and the surrounding area, and a complimentary North Fork UnCorked! logo wineglass. The ticket doubled as an entry for the grand prize of $25,000.

As Lily entered the kitchen, Merrily said, “Lily, Willow says the dinner is still on. So once breakfast is done, I'm going to get started. Can you handle the café?”

Lily nodded. “I'm good.”

But when Lily went back out into the café, Merrily shook her head. “I think she's having a tough time handling what happened yesterday. You might want to talk to her.”

“Okay, I'll do that.”

•  •  •

But by the time I
finished breakfast, Lily was busy with four new tables. So I resolved to check in with her later. For now, I grabbed the big box of Halloween decorations from my office and stepped outside.

Nature's Way Market & Café was located on Front Street, across from Mitchell Park, which featured the village green, a refurbished merry-go-round, a camera obscura, boat slips, and in warm weather theater productions by local groups. The Nature's Way building, a three-story yellow Victorian with red trim, featured outdoor seating on the porch, which was nice if you wanted to catch the sea breeze. A black wrought-iron fence surrounded the property and flower beds, and newly planted David Austin English roses in hues of pink, peach, and salmon accented the walkway. To the east of Nature's Way was the new medicinal herb garden that I'd created in honor of Aunt Claire.

Today, the Village of Greenport was already buzzing with excitement over the North Fork UnCorked! event. Banners were festooned across Front Street, and signs were plastered in every window announcing the festivities. Visitors crowded the streets, checking out the sights and the shops before lunch and dinner, when
chefs at restaurants would pair signature dishes with local wines.

I'd put pumpkins and gourds painted white with faces to look like ghosts on the steps and strung black-cat minilights around the door. I had just attached a large cobweb to the porch when my cell phone pinged. It was a text from Simon telling me that the police had remained at Pure until after nine o'clock the night before interviewing guests and in particular Ivy, since she had found Amy's body. He added,
I may need your help on this.

I didn't text him back and instead finished the task at hand. I needed time to figure out exactly what I was willing to do to help Simon. It depended on the nature of the case. If it was an accident, I wouldn't get involved, but if it was a murder—and it certainly looked that way—it would be a different story, especially if it meant that Simon would be affected.

After I finished decorating, I stepped down onto the walkway and looked back at the porch. It looked fun and festive, just what I was aiming for. When I went back inside, Merrily met me at the door. “The police just called. They've given the go-ahead for us to pack up our stuff in the kitchen and the rest of our equipment and supplies.”

The idea of returning to the scene of the crime wasn't appealing, but we needed our stuff. Besides, I had to admit that the amateur detective in me wanted to check it out. “Okay, I think you're better off staying here and getting ready for the party tonight. Maybe Lily can go with me.”

A half hour later, Lily and I arrived back at Pure. I'd
texted Jackson to tell him what was going on and where I'd be. He'd reminded me to let the police handle the investigation, and to try to stay out of it.

Pure looked much as we'd left it, although the tables in the atrium were now gone, and the Steinway piano was covered with a sheet and pushed against the wall. All the tiny pumpkins and gourds that had been on the tables were in a big box on the bar. I texted Simon to let him know that we'd arrived and went into the kitchen to pack up the extra food, supplies, and cooking equipment.

While we did, I decided to talk to Lily and see how she was feeling, as Merrily had suggested. So as I handed her items from the refrigerator, I said, “Are you okay? Merrily was concerned that you were upset about what happened yesterday.”

Lily shrugged. “It was just a shock. I've never seen anything like that before, and Amy seemed nice, not like her sister at all, and I felt bad that David and Simon's big day was ruined as well.”

“I know. Hopefully, the police will figure out what happened soon.”

She handed me several small Tupperware containers that held the few leftovers. “But Merrily said that you investigate these kinds of things. Can't you find out what happened?”

Before I could answer, Detective Koren entered the kitchen and came over to us. “Ms. McQuade. Here to pick up your things?”

“We got a call saying we could.” I placed the containers in a box.

“Yes, you can, and I hope that you'll do so and
leave.” He gave me a pointed look. “Where are Simon and David?”

“I don't know. I just texted Simon to tell him we were here.”

A moment later, Simon pushed open the door and stepped inside. “Hey, Willow, Lily.”

“I was looking for you, Lewis,” Detective Koren said. “I need to talk to you, David, and Ivy.”

“We can talk to you.” Simon texted David. “But Ivy is exhausted. The doctor just gave her a sedative.”

A few minutes later, David stepped in the rear door of the kitchen. Detective Koren waved him over, and the three men headed out into the dining room.

I pulled the last of our food out of the fridge and handed it to Lily. “I think we have everything from here. Let's do the supplies and equipment next.”

I grabbed another large box from under the counter and put it on top, then stashed the Cuisinart and a big box of quinoa inside. “If you finish loading this, I'll check the bar to see if any of our stuff is out there.”

Truth be told, I also wanted to try to overhear Detective Koren's conversation with Simon and David. I was here, why not?

As I stepped out into the atrium and slipped behind the bar, I spotted the three men talking in the middle of the room. Thanks to excellent acoustics, I could hear every word.

“So what did the autopsy report say?” Simon asked.

Detective Koren hesitated. “It looks like she was poisoned.”

“Poisoned,” David said, a look of shock on his face. “With what?”

Lily came out of the kitchen just in time to hear David and came over to me, her eyes wide. I put a finger in front of my lips.

“We're not sure yet. We found the remains of a scallop and some plant. The coroner thinks that it's poisonous. We'll know when we get the tox screen, which should be very soon.”

“Oh my God,” Lily whispered. “Do you think that it was one of the edible plants that I picked yesterday morning to serve as a garnish on the scallop appetizer? Did I make a mistake and pick a poisonous plant instead?” Her face went white. “That means Amy's death could be my fault!”

“You don't know that. You are always super-careful. We both are.”

“I think I'm going to be sick.”

I put my arm around her and tried to console her. “Don't jump to conclusions, Lily. We don't know anything for sure yet.”

“What are you two talking about?” Detective Koren said. It seemed that the good acoustics worked both ways. “You picked a poisonous plant by mistake?” He walked over to us, followed by Simon and David.

“No, I think that's highly unlikely,” I said. “But it doesn't mean that someone didn't switch the garnish for the poisonous plant that killed Amy.”

“Killed Amy? It could have killed me!” David said, freaking out.

“What are you talking about?” Simon said.

David went over to a spot near the window. “Amy and I were at this table together talking and drinking wine. I offered her a scallop appetizer because I had
more than one, and I knew that she loved scallops from when we were together. At first, she refused, but I pressed her, and she ate it. I was just trying to be nice. Ivy is so tough on her all the time.”

“Did you eat yours?” Detective Koren said.

David shook his head. “No, Nora Evans, the head judge, phoned. She wanted to tell me again just how impressed she was with Falling Leaves, our entry in the competition. So I just put the plate down, left it, and took the call. But if I'd eaten it . . . I'd be dead. Someone wanted me dead!”

“I can't believe someone would
try to kill me. I need a drink. Willow, grab me a beer from the fridge next to the sink, will you?”

I did as David asked and placed a cold beer on the counter. But Detective Koren pushed it back to me, giving me a stern look. “Calm down, Mr. Farmer. We don't know anything yet, not really, and I need you to keep a clear head.”

“But it makes sense that I was the target, don't you see?” David looked at Simon. “Right, Simon? The texts, it all makes sense now.” Despite Detective Koren, David grabbed the beer, twisted off the top, and took a good, long swig.

Simon shrugged. “I don't know, but you'd better tell him.”

David put down the beer and pulled out his phone. “Detective, I've been getting death threats, both in texts and e-mails for the past week now.” He handed his phone to the detective. “All the messages say for me to drop out of the North Fork UnCorked! competition or else. We're the front-runner in this, and I think that
someone wants me out. Maybe whoever killed Amy is the same person who's been sending the messages, and who tried to kill me.”

Detective Koren scrolled through David's texts and e-mail history. “I see what you mean. But why didn't you report this to us immediately?”

“Because at first I didn't think it was real, just a hoax, or a bad joke. I figured I could handle it myself. I've been trying to figure out who it is. I've even got a tech guy trying to trace the activity, but it's coming from several different burner phones.”

“It sounds pretty elaborate for a bad joke,” Detective Koren said. “I think I should keep this and have our guys go over it, too.”

“Go ahead, keep it. I'm sick of the messages, especially now, and I was planning on upgrading to a new iPhone anyway.”

Detective Koren put the phone into a plastic baggie, then looked at me. “Where is the leftover food that you served yesterday, Ms. McQuade? We need to check it to see if it contains any more of these poisonous plants, and if so, bag it.”

“I'm pretty sure that we ran out of the scallop appetizer early, but we were just packing up in the kitchen, if you want to take a look.”

In the kitchen, I pulled out the containers of ingredients for the dishes. There were only a few leftovers, just a couple of stuffed garlic mushrooms, and oven-roasted cauliflower bites, and a few slices of veggie quiche. The rest of the ingredients in the box were such things as gluten-free breading, cooking oil, and unused veggies such as tomatoes and eggplant.

Detective Koren quickly went through the box. “I don't see any scallops here.”

I nodded. “It was very popular. It didn't last long.”

“Why did I have to offer one of mine to her?” David shook his head.

“There's no way you could have known,” Detective Koren said.

“And the garnish you picked? What is your name, please?”