Between a Wok and a Dead Place by Leslie Budewitz

Author:Leslie Budewitz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Between a Wok and a Dead Place: A Spice Shop Mystery
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
Published: 2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

During World War I, Airedales carried messages for the British military, stood watch on the front lines, and warned troops when the enemy was approaching.

WALKING AND TEXTING ARE A DANGEROUS COMBINATION, in my experience, so I paused outside the Market office to text Roxanne.

Dr. Locke gave me rough translations of the letters. I’ll get them to you. Meanwhile, can you trace the ownership history of the Gold Rush?

The reply was nearly instant, and I guessed she was in her office at the Asian Art Museum. Does this have something to do with the pharmacy?

Maybe. Pure speculation on my part, but the letters relating complaints about a Chinese doctor had been found in the same building as a Chinese pharmacy. Logical to think it had been his. We knew nothing about the doctor. Had he committed malpractice, as Fong believed? Had he kept records in one of those cabinets? If he had, and Henry Locke or Roxanne’s professor pal could decipher them, we might be able to tell.

Tell whom? Nearly a hundred years later, did it even matter?

I considered going Down Under to quiz Dave the comic book dealer about Bobby Wu, but that would have to wait. My shop needed me.

I stashed my coat, kissed my dog, and got to work. Spices, jars, and labels are shipped directly to the warehouse, but books, teas, gadgets, and other spicenalia come to the shop. Everything we’d ordered to fill the after-Christmas gaps seemed to have arrived today. On the upside, that meant Sandra and Kristen had Vanessa unpacking boxes while they showed her where things went. On the downside, she was filthy. I rubbed a spot on my cheek to indicate the smudge on hers.

“Bathroom break,” she said, and headed for the back of the shop.

“Don’t kill her on her third day,” I cautioned my bestie and my assistant boss. “We need her.”

“She’s a doll,” Sandra said. “Hardest worker we’ve ever had. Does she have a twin?”

Tea at the clinic had not involved a snack, so I settled in the nook with my iPad and the last of Cayenne’s scones. The smoked cheddar baked up beautifully. I scanned the recipe she’d printed out for me. Nothing went on our blog or on a recipe display without being thoroughly tested. Cayenne and Sandra were pros; they could make anything. But what about a decent home cook like me or eager newbies like Kristen’s girls? Those were the results that counted. She’d combined smoked and regular cheddar, but hadn’t specified the type of apples. I like to bake with a variety, for a more interesting flavor, but availability varies. Our customers are literally across the continent. So suggestions were always a good idea.

And what about a pinch of cayenne or sweet paprika? I’d give it a try.

I opened my email and skimmed a couple of applications that had come in online. Sadly, the trend toward wacky job titles, driven by Google and other tech companies, had not waned. Took me far too long to

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