Lost and Fondue by Avery Aames

Author:Avery Aames [Aames, Avery]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Mystery, Cheese, Murder - Investigation, Cheese Shops, Businesswomen, Crime, Providence (Ohio : Township), Bessette; Charlotte (Fictitious Character)
ISBN: 0425241580
Google: tQK4GbSIAOUC
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2010-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Remembering Grandmère’s appeal to cheer up my friend, I said, “Jordan, Matthew. Would you guys get us a couple of glasses of wine?”

They eyed each other and shrugged. Neither of them was stupid.

While they headed into the house together discussing the Cleveland Indians’ potential this season, I guided Meredith to the swing on the porch. The striped canvas cushions felt cold beneath my trousers but not unbearable.

“What’s bothering you?” I asked. It was an insipid question, given the circumstances. “Is it Quinn?”

“Yes ... No. It’s Clair.”

“Clair?”

Meredith drew in a shallow breath. “She’s so brittle. She’s crying in the classroom.”

The thought of my niece hurting gave my stomach a twist.

“And she yelled at somebody who was taunting her on the playground today. She never yells.” Meredith’s lower lip trembled. “They think they want to be with their mother, but after being with Sylvie for any length of time, they’re tense and grumpy. She’s like an evil spirit or something. I wish I could drive her away, but I don’t know how.” Meredith let out a tiny sob. She laid a hand on her chest to calm herself. “Oh, Charlotte, what are we going to do?”

“I saw her this afternoon.”

“Sylvie?”

“She was at the winery.”

“Why was she there, for heaven’s sake?”

“For the treasure, I think. Matthew must have told her about the folk legend. What if she doesn’t want custody of the twins? What if she came to town to sneak into the winery but needed a cover?”

A burst of laughter came from the kitchen. I glanced through the window and saw Jordan and Matthew standing amidst the huddle of actors. Jordan buffed Matthew goodnaturedly on the shoulder. The sight warmed me to my toes. Chip had never liked anyone in my family. Jordan enjoyed all of them, including Rags and the twins.

“Wait a second,” Meredith said, drawing me back to our conversation. “Do you think Sylvie might have killed Harker Fontanne? She couldn’t have. She left the winery that night, remember? She showed up with the girls, and Matthew shooed her away.”

“But she returned, ostensibly to retrieve her purse,” I said. “She could have slinked into the cellar, surprised Harker, killed him, and hurried to the theater to establish her alibi. At the theater, when I told Urso I’d seen Sylvie’s car on the winery property, Sylvie looked like she wanted to strangle me.”

A shiver snaked up my neck. Had Sylvie shown up at the winery earlier to do just that? Kill me?

“Speak of the devil!” Meredith leapt to her feet. “Isn’t that her in the driveway?”

Sylvie scrambled out of her rented silver Lexus and slammed the door. At the same time, as if tuned in by genetic code, Amy and Clair burst from the kitchen. They flew toward their mother like little birds seeking shelter. Sylvie swooped through the white picket gate and gathered up her girls.

“My babies!” With her feral gaze and the flaps of her coat opened like wings, she reminded me of a sharp-shinned hawk. “We’re going for ice cream.

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