Rest in Split Peas (Death Du Jour, #2) by Avis Hillary

Author:Avis, Hillary
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hilyard Press
Published: 2019-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Friday Morning

Cheerful. That was the goal for Friday’s soup of the day. Something to help people forget the ugliness of the week. Curry lentil, maybe? No, she’d learned her lesson with the spicy oyster stew. A curry might be warm and uplifting, but it was too challenging for some Newbridge residents. Today required something that evoked a feel-good happiness that was both innocent and nostalgic. Classic tomato. Yes!

Invigorated by the decision, Bethany pedaled faster along the Newbridge waterfront, whizzing past the commercial docks where she often bought fresh seafood, the park with the curved sandy beach, and the houseboats and small sailing craft in the marina.

Prep at Café Sabine was simple. She had leftover chicken stock from earlier in the week in the freezer, the tomatoes were from a can (sweeter and riper than fresh ones, this time of year), and she had plenty of onions and garlic stashed in the back of Kimmy’s pantry. Yet, even after the soup had burbled on the back burner of the café’s enormous range for forty minutes and was seasoned perfectly, it was still missing something.

“Basil?” Bethany asked, holding a spoon out to Kimmy. “Thyme?”

Kimmy tasted the soup, smacking her lips, and tossed the spoon into the sink. “Cream.”

Bethany giggled. “You always say cream.”

“And I’m usually right.” Kimmy stirred her own soup of the day, a delicate vichyssoise.

“I wish Charley were here to give an opinion, too,” Bethany said, tasting the soup herself. It was fine, but maybe just a bit under-salted. Kimmy was right, cream wouldn’t hurt, either.

“She’d just say it needed chili peppers.”

Bethany nodded and gave a halfhearted smile. “She’s usually here by now. I guess she’s probably busy at the train station.”

“Probably,” Kimmy said, her voice tight.

“I’m kind of afraid to go over there. I don’t really want to see Ben if I can help it, to be honest.”

Kimmy turned to face Bethany with tears in her eyes. “Don’t feel bad. You didn’t betray him, Bethany. He’s the one who did something wrong. He betrayed all of us.”

“I know, but I wish I felt more sure about it.”

“Hopefully he’ll just confess once he realizes the police know it’s him and save everyone some grief.”

Bethany nodded. “Except Olive—she’s still going to be bummed that her memorial service won’t be perfect.”

“We’ll just have to make sure it’s better than perfect. Plus, how great will it be for Jen to go home knowing that the person who killed her cousin is behind bars? That would have to be comforting.”

“You’re starting to sound like Charley.” Bethany winked.

Kimmy blushed. “Not really, but I am starting to appreciate that Charley is so by the book. It’s hard enough dating a cop, but imagine dating a cop that you didn’t think was following the rules. I mean, if she’ll bend the rules for her friends, that’s pretty much the end, isn’t it? That’s corruption, even if it’s benign. Another time it might not be.”

Bethany nodded. “Very true. And with Charley’s ambition, she’ll probably be police chief someday.

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