Vengeful Vellum by Mildred Abbott

Author:Mildred Abbott [Abbott, Mildred]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Cozy, Fiction, Mystery, Fuzzies
ISBN: 9798552345427
Published: 2020-10-26T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

Less than five minutes later, everyone helped transfer the food from the kitchen to the dining room table—even Percival, muttering the entire time. All in all, it was a fairly decent spread, both in terms of color and quantity—three heads of roasted cauliflower, a large bowl of vegan orecchiette pasta with a creamy-looking orange sauce, roasted portobello mushrooms, a massive salad, and a platter with large, thick squares of grilled tofu.

“Barry!” Leo gave an appreciative nod as he took in the vast amount of food. “You made all this? It must’ve taken you all day.”

“I did, and it did!” Barry narrowed his eyes toward Percival. “And if you use your imagination just right, when you slice into the tofu it’ll feel like prime rib, at least from what I can remember. Speaking of…” He made a show of peering below the table toward Leo’s and my feet. “How’s that steak, Watson?”

Proving that timing was everything, Watson belched, then waddled back into view as he crossed the room and lay down, playing the part of a beached whale to perfection.

“Apparently it was delicious.” Barry chuckled.

Percival picked up the platter of tofu, grimaced, then passed it to my mother without taking any. “If Gary and I lose this evening, it’s only because your husband cheated—starved us, and made it where our brains didn’t have the nutrients required to play our best. Which is overkill since that’s also why Fred and Leo are here.” He shot me a quick smile. “Not that we’re not glad you are, of course. But still…”

Mom took a tofu square from the platter and passed it on down the table. “We are glad you two joined us. It’s going to take a little while to adjust to the rules, and the added deck of cards for six players, but I’m sure we can all compensate.”

“Might as well invite Verona and Zelda and their clans. We’ll have a tournament of fourteen.” Though Percival kept the annoyance in his tone, it was clear he was enjoying himself. He always loved the spotlight, no matter what the reason. “While we’re at it, let’s make it fifteen and have Watson play too.”

At his name, Watson perked up, inspecting Percival, clearly hoping for a second steak. After a moment, he lay back down and belched again.

“Never thought I’d be jealous of that dog.” Percival sniffed and looked at me. “So, darling niece. Have you cracked the case of who killed for a spot on the town council?”

“We don’t think it’s related to the town council.” Leo spoke up, taking a big portion of the pasta and then offering it to me. “From what Katie, Fred, and I discovered last night, our current theory is that it has more to do with how Ebony treated people. Pitting them against one another and blackmailing.” His honey-brown gaze lifted to mine. “Any confirmation of that today?”

“Was there ever.” For the next half hour, I filled them in on everything I’d uncovered. There were plenty of appreciative gasps and shocked faces at all the right parts.

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