Several guests nodded, others didn’t look convinced.
“I promise Jonah and I’ll make sure y’all get home safe.” And then to ease their concerns about the drive home, “Jonah grew up in Vermont and lived there until last year. This kind of weather is normal for him. He will be happy to drive each and every one of you home in our delivery truck if he has to, right, Jonah?”
“Yes,” Jonah said. “Of course.”
“So please, be patient. Only a little while longer.”
As the guests returned to their tables, Tess grabbed two fresh tablecloths from the kitchen and covered Kate’s body. Next, she removed food-safe gloves from her apron and tugged them on. She needed to understand what had happened, which meant she might have to touch things she knew she shouldn’t.
Trying to settle her nerves, she thought through the last hour. “Jonah, I’m sure I didn’t make anything with nuts this morning. Did you?”
“No, nothing,” he said. “I didn’t even take nuts out of the pantry. None of today’s recipes called for them.”
“So how did she have an allergic reaction? We need to check her food.”
Tess eyeballed every dish on the table without touching anything at first, but when she got to the Devonshire cream, she noticed a shiny coating on the top that she didn’t recognize. By the looks of it, Kate had dipped into it and spread some on her scone. She held the small dish up to the light and then sniffed it.
“Almonds!” She whispered to Jonah. “Someone put almond extract on top of this Devonshire!”
“If that’s the case, that means this was intentional,” he whispered. “Put it down, the police will need it for evidence.”
“Someone in our shop killed Kate,” she said.
“Who here knew her?” he asked.
“Kate worked for Phyllis Ingram’s husband, Marcus. She was here alone one table away waiting for a friend. Rose Landry was two tables away. Kate lived next door to Rose at the Bed & Breakfast. And Kate told me she went out with Daniel Rosen a few times. But I wouldn’t think any of them had a reason to kill her.”
“Well, somebody did, and if we don’t figure it out soon, they might destroy any evidence they have on them before the police arrive. We need to talk to those three. Who do you think we should start with?”
“Daniel Rosen. Why don’t you ask him to come back over here? Be discreet; we don’t want to alarm anyone.”
“Sure.”
“And Jonah, we should save all the food in the kitchen in case the police need it. Would you mind packing everything up while I talk to Daniel?” Tess asked.
“Sure, I’ll be in the back if you need me.”
A moment later, Tess and Daniel were sitting together at an empty table in the back of The Tea Cottage dining room while the rest of the guests whispered among themselves near the front picture window. “Daniel, I’m trying to figure out what happened to Kate, so I want to talk to the people who knew her. She once told me that the two of you were seeing each other. Is that right?”
“Yeah, but not for long. We only went out a few times before she called it quits.”
“Why did she end it?”
“She said we didn’t have much in common, but I got the feeling she was seeing someone else. Before our last date, she’d canceled on me a couple of times saying she had to work late. But I passed her office on my way home, and it was dark. She definitely wasn’t working. At least, not in the office.”
“Did you have any resentment towards her for the breakup?”
“No, not at all. We stayed friendly. I mean, we didn’t talk much anymore, and we never went out again, but she was always nice when we ran into each other. I saw her when I came in for lunch today and went over to say hi. We chatted for a few minutes.”
“About what?”
“You know, the usual stuff. How’s work, nice weather, that kinda thing,” Daniel answered.
Tess sensed there was something he wasn’t telling her. “Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt Kate?”
“Wait, what? Are you saying someone did this to her on purpose?”
“It looks that way. Did she ever mention having trouble with anyone?” Tess asked.
“Kate? No! Of course not. She’s as nice as they come. Everyone liked her. I can’t believe anyone would want to hurt her.”
“Thanks, Daniel. I appreciate you talking to me. Remember, don’t leave until the police arrive.”
“Sure.” Daniel looked down at the white tablecloth covering Kate’s body before slipping back to join the rest of the guests.
Tess wasn’t sure if she saw sadness or remorse in his eyes.
“What’d you think, Tess?” Jonah asked as he came out from the kitchen. “I heard him say he spoke to Kate when he came in today. Do you remember seeing him?”
“I was so busy, but I think so. If he did, I’m sure it must have been polite because there weren’t any raised voices, and she never looked tense or upset. But she did break up with him. He might be lying about them still being friendly. I want to find out if Phyllis knows anything. I know she stops by her husband’s office frequently, maybe she’s seen or heard something there.”
Gently touching Phyllis on the arm, she whispered “Can I have a word with you? In the back, where we can have some privacy, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, I suppose,” Phyllis responded.
The two walked toward the back, and as they sat down, Tess bumped the table, knocking a teacup to the floor and spilling its contents. The porcelain shattered in a dozen pieces and the tea splashed around Phyllis’s Kate Spade bag.
“Oh, Phyllis, I’m so sorry. It looks like I spilled some tea on your purse. Let me get a towel.”
“Don’t worry about it, dear,” Phyllis said. “I’m forever setting my purse down where I shouldn’t. I got that spot a couple of days ago when I set my purse on the floor at another restaurant. I haven’t had a chance to clean it.”
“Oh, I’m just glad I didn’t do that. I’d be upset if I ruined your beautiful bag.” Tess picked up the sharp broken teacup before anyone could cut themselves. “I wanted to ask you something. I saw you talking to Kate today. Do you know if anything was bothering her?”
“No, I don’t think so. Everything seemed fine. I saw her over at the office earlier when I took Marcus his lunch. When I saw Kate, I mentioned that I was meeting a friend from Wilmington here for lunch, and she said lunch here sounded like a good idea. I ran a couple of errands and arrived a little before my friend. Anyway, Kate was already having lunch when I sat down. I stopped by her table for a minute to see what she had ordered. We spoke for a few minutes, and then I went to my own table. You had just served my tea when my frie
nd texted and said she wouldn’t be able to make it because of the snow. I guess she was right.”
“I’m sure Marcus shares things with you. Did he mention if Kate was having a problem with anyone? Were there any issues you or he were aware of?”
“Are you saying this wasn’t an accident?” Phyllis gasped and her hand flew to her chest.
“It looks like someone did this on purpose. I’m trying to figure out what happened in case anyone else might be in danger.”
“Oh dear! I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt Kate.”
“What else can you tell me about her?”
“Well, I know she moved here about two years ago from somewhere up north, I don’t remember where. She started working for Marcus shortly after that. She didn’t date much and the poor girl couldn’t have had much of a social life because she and Marcus were always working late,” Phyllis said. “I know she bought that adorable stone cottage next door to Rose Landry’s B&B. She often talked about working in her garden on her days off. I think she led a pretty quiet life.”
“Daniel mentioned that they dated for a bit, but had recently broken up. He thought Kate was seeing someone new. Do you know who it might’ve been?”
“No, I can’t say that I do,” Phyllis replied. “She hasn’t mentioned anyone to me. And between us girls, I don’t think her relationship with Daniel ended well. Marcus said he was calling the office several times a day, bothering her after they broke up. He heard Kate arguing with him on the phone at least once.”
“Really? That’s good to know. Thanks for your patience. The police should be here soon, and hopefully, we’ll all be able to get home without much trouble.”
Tess glanced out the display window where all the guests, including Daniel and Phyllis, were gathered. The sleet was still coming down hard. She wondered how much longer it might take for the police and ambulance to get there.
She decided she needed to speak to elderly Rose Landry. Her Bed & Breakfast was next door to Kate’s house, and she was just nosy enough to watch who was coming and going.
“Thank you for being so patient, Mrs. Landry,” she said as they sat down at a table away from everyone else. “I know you want to get home, especially in this weather. I promise, as soon as the police are done with us, I’ll have Jonah make sure you get home safe and sound. While we’re waiting though, I wanted to ask whether you had noticed any trouble at Kate’s house. Anyone bothering her?”