Hot Dish Heaven: A Murder Mystery With Recipes by Jeanne Cooney

Author:Jeanne Cooney [Cooney, Jeanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Mystery, Murder, Cozy, Minnesota, Hot Dish, Casserole
ISBN: 9780878399260
Google: Zm6NngEACAAJ
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 19070057
Publisher: North Star Press of Saint Cloud
Published: 2013-05-31T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

After emptying my beer, I used the restroom, which was way too ugly to describe, and headed back into the café. “Hey!” Margie yelled from the same booth we’d previously shared. And like before, I jumped, and she snickered. “You’re kind of jittery, aren’t ya?”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” The result of time spent with your sister.

Sliding in across from her, I noted just two other people in the room. A man and a woman huddled over a table near the entrance.

“Before I forget,” Margie said, “Father Daley wants to meet ya, bein’ you’re Irish and all.” She scratched the handle of her coffee cup. This time it appeared to be filled with coffee. “He and Maureen Russell, tonight’s guest of honor, are the only Irish folks in these parts.”

“Where is he?”

She stopped scratching. “He’ll be along shortly.” She angled her thumb in the direction of the hallway. “He’s playin’ cards in the bar.”

“What?” I wasn’t sure I’d gotten that right. Playing cards in a bar wasn’t common behavior for any of the priests I’d known.

“Yah, he says if he didn’t come to the ‘V’ once in a while, he’d never see most of his parishioners.” She nodded at her cup. “Want some?”

“Not right now.”

Another nod. “Anyways, he was Lena’s priest, and there was a time when he and Ole were good friends too.” Her smile barely registered, yet it softened her sharp features. “Years ago I’d stop by the farm and find the three of them, Ole, Lena, and Father Daley, in the kitchen, sippin’ wine and cookin’ up a storm. Ole and the padre golfed and curled together, and they loved to fish.” She sighed wistfully. “But it all came to a screeching halt when Ole moved in with the tramp. Father Daley couldn’t abide by that.”

“Seems odd they were friends in the first place. An Irish-Catholic priest and a Scandinavian-Lutheran farmer. Sounds more like the makings of a bad Ole and Lena joke.”

“Well, they were, though some folks, includin’ Reverend Swenson, the former Lutheran minister, didn’t approve.” Margie rested her jaw but only for a second. “Ya know, he confronted Ole in the grocery store in Hallock one day. Warned him it was wrong for him to socialize with a priest and downright sinful to attend mass with Lena and the kids, even if only on special occasions. He said he better change his ways, or by God, he’d be punished.” A scowl briefly darkened her face.

“Over the years, I’ve talked to Father Daley about that. He says he doesn’t believe the Lord sees things that way. He doesn’t think the Almighty cares what team you’re on as long as you’re in the game and play by the rules.” She bobbed her head to emphasize her point.

“Now, as ya might expect, Ole didn’t take kindly to Reverend Swenson’s remarks and told him so in no uncertain terms. Not surprisingly, Reverend Swenson wasn’t used to people talkin’ to him that way and got real mad and made a nasty comment about Lena.

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