A Spicy Side of Homicide by Ruth Baker

Author:Ruth Baker [Baker, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CleanTales Publishing
Published: 2024-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

“Lucy, have you even heard a word I’ve said?”

Aunt Tricia’s frustrated tone cut through Lucy’s ruminations, and she blinked. She and her aunt were at home, eating dinner at their small kitchen table. Gigi sat by her own feeding station, meticulously cleaning her face. Lucy had always found that feeding Gigi before the humans sat down to dinner made for far fewer interruptions.

Contritely, she met Aunt Tricia’s eyes, apologizing. “I’m sorry, Auntie. I just can’t think of a way to help Selina, and it’s gnawing at me. What is it you were saying?”

Her aunt took a sip of her tea and set the cup down. “I know you’re worried, dear, but Taylor knows what he’s doing. I’m sure he’ll figure it all out. I agree with you, though it’s a stretch of the imagination to think that young woman had anything to do with Mr. Rodriguez’s death.”

The elderly woman picked up her knife and fork, cutting a small slice from her chicken breast. “I was just telling you that Cicely Robinson and her daughter-in-law both contacted me today, wanting to place orders for Easter bonnets. Apparently, Judy Nichols was showing off the one I gave to her as a birthday gift. Can you imagine? I have actual customers. Me, an entrepreneur!”

She beamed proudly. “I talked to Emily–that’s the daughter-in-law–and convinced her to go with the lavender ribbon and some white peony flowers. She’d originally wanted yellow, but with her complexion, well, that wouldn’t do. And Cicely wants all rose colors on hers; you know, I swear everything that woman owns is some shade of pink…”

She stopped to pop a forkful of chicken into her mouth. Lucy took the opportunity to jump in.

“That’s great, Auntie! Make sure you charge enough, now. Your time is valuable. And those supplies aren’t free.”

Her aunt nodded and looked pleased as she chewed and swallowed, patting her lips with a napkin.

“Oh, I will. We already agreed on the price. I’ll make a tidy little profit. Now, I was thinking maybe you should choose your colors soon, so -”

Lucy interrupted with haste. “Oh, Auntie, I don’t need a bonnet! Not when you’re so busy, especially…” She paused, seeing the crestfallen expression on her aunt’s face, and backtracked.

“What I mean is, why don’t you take care of the orders first? You never know–more orders might come in as word spreads. Then you can see if you have enough time and ribbon left over for me.” She peered hopefully at her aunt’s face and was relieved to see the older woman nod, looking thoughtful.

“You’re right, dear. I’ll take care of the orders first. After all, you have such lovely coloring, there’s any number of ribbon and flower choices that would work with you. Although I do think the peach would be very lovely.”

Lucy turned her attention back to her plate, fixing a smile on her face while fervently hoping that Aunt Tricia’s bonnets became so popular that she ran out of supplies.

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