Restaurant Weeks Are Murder

Book 3: Poppy McAllister Mystery

by Libby Klein

Genres: Amateur Sleuth; Cozy Mystery; Female Sleuths

Synopsis

Cape May, New Jersey, is the site of a big culinary competition—and the knives are out . . .



Poppy McAllister is happy about opening a Jersey Shore B&B—but working in a professional kitchen has always been her real dream. Now it's coming true, at least briefly, as she teams up with her former fiancé, Tim—and his condescending partner, Gigi—during the high-profile Restaurant Week challenge. Poppy's specialty is pastries, despite her devotion to a Paleo diet. But if anyone can make glorious gluten-free goodies, it's Poppy.



Things get heated quickly—especially when some ingredients get switched and Tim's accused of sabotage. Relatively harmless pranks soon escalate into real hazards, including an exploding deep fryer. And now one of the judges has died after taking a bite of Poppy's cannoli—making her the chef suspect . . .

Release date: February 26, 2019

Publisher: Kensington

Print pages: 304

Sample

“I don’t care how good Dr. Oz says it is, I’m not eating vegan cheese.” Aunt Ginny took the last stuffed pheasant off the Fraser fir, wrapped it in tissue paper, and placed it in an old Woolworth’s hat box to store until next Christmas.

I put the lid on the box of antique nutcrackers and placed it by the doorway for my handyman, Itty Bitty Smitty, to store in the attic the next time he was here to fiddle with his perpetual chore list. “But Aunt Ginny, you haven’t even tried it yet. It’s made from cashews.”

Aunt Ginny stuck her tongue out. “That might just be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard. I’d rather eat the plastic it’s wrapped in.”

Figaro made himself his usual nuisance and batted a sparkly red and gold ornament from a low branch across the floor and chased it out into the foyer.

“Come on. You said you’d do this diet with me. You know how much better I’ve been feeling since I went Paleo four months ago.”

“Yeah, I know. Everybody knows. Because you won’t stop talking about it. I’ve never heard anyone go on so much about gluten, inflammation, and free-range vegetables in my whole life. Back in my day you ate what you wanted and got old gracefully. You never complained that you were bloated, or your brain was foggy.”

I rolled my eyes to myself. If Aunt Ginny didn’t spend the better part of each day grousing about her aches and pains, her jaw would atrophy, and she’d need physical therapy. I picked up the three boxes of Belgian chocolates that she had received for Christmas from her “Secret Santa.” I suspected Aunt Ginny’s “Secret Santa” was a little redhead in her eighties with a penchant for caramels. “Where would you like these Saint Nick?”

Aunt Ginny snatched the boxes from my hand. “I’ll put them in my room with that bottle of Amaretto that mysteriously showed up under the tree.”

I threw my hands up. “It’s a Christmas miracle!” I followed the trail of glitter down the hall to the kitchen where I found a gold, sparkly Figaro peeking at me with one eye, the other side of his body hiding behind the trash can. I checked the time. Thirty minutes till the event of a lifetime: working side by side with Tim, my ex-fiancé, as his pastry chef in a real, professional kitchen. Just thinking about it made my scalp tingle. “Come on Liberace, let’s brush you out before I’m dealing with something gold and sparkly in the litter box.”

I plopped down on the floor in the sunroom and ran a brush through Figaro’s black smoke fur. He hummed like a Harley, his copper eyes slitty like two winter crescent moons reflecting on the Atlantic.

Aunt Ginny waved a pair of bright orange leather hands at me from the doorway. “What should I do with Georgina’s present? These must have cost your mother-in-law a fortune, but who in their right mind needs Italian calfskin car gloves just for driving five minutes to the beauty parlor once a week? And why in the world did she get this gaudy shade of orange?”

My eyes flicked up to the pumpkin-colored swirls atop of Aunt Ginny’s head. “I think she got them to . . . match.” I smiled.

Aunt Ginny narrowed her eyes. “Well then, you take them. They match your hair, too, smarty pants.”

“Hey, don’t blame me for Georgina’s gaudy taste. At least you didn’t get a custom-monogrammed barbecue brand to sear your initials onto your steaks. I can’t even regift that.”

Aunt Ginny sat in her rocker and wound a ball of twinkle lights into a hive for me to figure out next Christmas. “I’m glad things are going better between the two of you. Especially since it looks like she’ll be visiting regularly, now that she and You-Know-Who are an item.”

We gave each other a look and shook our heads. The memory of Georgina locked in a passionate embrace with a certain little bald handyman was a disturbing image.

Figaro swatted my hand and tried to bite me, signaling the grooming event was over. I took the ball of lights Aunt Ginny had painstakingly knotted up and put them in another storage bin.

I hiked up my skinny jeans, which were drooping over my hips. I giggled to myself. I hadn’t worn anything that could be classified as too big since I played dress-up in Aunt Ginny’s petticoats when I was six.

I boxed up the penguin mafia and the Nativity Scene, which somehow always managed to merge into one display, and checked the time on my phone again. Ten more minutes.

Aunt Ginny toddled around the corner heaving a giant light-up gingerbread house onto the stack. “Is it time?”

“Almost.” I grinned and took the Sweetie Shoppe from her.

“You’ve been bouncing around here like a grasshopper on a hot pavement.”

“I can’t help it. I feel like my fairy godmother finally showed up and said you’re going to an all-you-can-eat pie buffet, and everything has negative calories. I’ve waited my whole life for this day. I thought I had greater odds of fitting into a size seven again.”

Aunt Ginny put a papery hand on my arm. “I know how much this means to you, Poppy Blossom. I wish you had just gone to culinary school instead of that fancy college. I want you to slow down and enjoy every minute of it. Even working with Gigi.”

I groaned. The thought of Gigi, Tim’s cute, little, incessantly perky mentee, was irritating enough to blister a melon. “I will. I’m not going to let Gigi get to me this time. I feel like my life is finally taking a good turn, like I’m going to make something out of myself after all. If I had a beret, I’d throw it in the air.”

Aunt Ginny cocked her head. “You’ve made plenty out of your life. What do you call the Butterfly Wings Bed and Breakfast? You’ve turned this old Victorian into a beautiful inn.”

I taped up a box and glanced at the chipped crown molding and the scuffed baseboards. “We’re almost there. We’ve had a rocky start, but I think in the spring we’ll be ready to officially open for guests. If I can ever get Smitty to finish up.”

Aunt Ginny crossed her arms. “Thank God for the off-season. Lord Jesus help us come Easter.”

I took one last look around. Christmas was packed away for another year. It was time to turn some daydreams into reality. Today I become a chef, even if it’s only for a week. I looked at my phone again.

“It’s time.” I gave Aunt Ginny another hug. “I’ll see you in a few hours after the meet and greet.”

A shaking rumble to our left caused me to pause and listen. “Did you hear that?” It happened again.

Aunt Ginny let out a loud sigh and pointed to the box by my feet. It was moving.

I ripped the tape off, and Figaro popped out like a deranged jack-in-the-box covered in tinsel.

“This is why pastry chef Pierre Hermé doesn’t have a cat.”

I hopped in my car and cranked up first the radio, then the heat, and took off for Mays Landing and the Cape Community College. The Restaurant Week Competition was being held in the brand new culinary school kitchen arena. Even though it had been twenty-five years since my unfulfilled acceptance to the Culinary Institute of America in New York, I was simmering with excitement like it was yesterday. I had thought my chance to wear the starched whites was deader than banana clips and shoulder pads, but for the next week it was like I was Mr. Roarke’s guest on Fantasy Island.

Tonight was the Chef Meet and Greet, a little kickoff social event for Restaurant Week competitors. It was a chance to get to know the other teams and be briefed about the event from the director. I thought it was a nice gesture, kind of a preemptive olive branch of sorts, since these chefs could go from professional courtesy to bitter rivals in less time than it takes to make toast. Tim and Gigi were meeting me there. Gigi’s idea, I’m sure, since she had her claws sunk into Tim like a seagull with a soft pretzel. After the social we were going back to Tim’s restaurant, Maxine’s Bistro, to discuss our team strategy.

The culinary school was at the back of the campus with L’ÉCOLE DES CHEFS lettered across the brown and white bricks. The center backdrop of the grand foyer had the words HALL OF HONORS written in silver. Underneath, there were portraits of various chefs wearing their double-breasted uniforms, in their high hats and medals. Each one had a plaque listing their achievements and where they went after graduation. A row of neon-pink posters that read RESTAURANT WEEK EVENT lined the center corridor and had arrows pointing to the left for the kitchen arena.

I took a peel and stick name tag from the welcome table, wrote POPPY MCALLISTER—MAXINE’S in red marker, and stuck it on my emerald silk blouse over my heart. I fluttered between excitement and nerves just from walking in the door. I had the giddy-terrors.

I was immediately greeted by a brunette in pink glasses. She was a little on the chunky side, wearing a tight black dress. She grabbed my hand and shook it. “Hi, welcome to Restaurant Week, Poppy. I’m Ivy, the director.” She consulted her clipboard and made a notation. “It looks like you’re the first one here from Maxine’s, but Chef Louie is just over by the hors d’oeuvres, and Chef Vidrine . . .” She looked around the room. “Well, she’s here somewhere. You’ll know her when you hear that Southern drawl.”

“This is quite a setup.”

“It is, isn’t it? They plan to host renowned visiting chefs for intimate demonstrations. At least that’s what the course brochure said.” She laughed.

“Intimate demonstrations? That looks like seating for a hundred.”

She raised her forefinger. “A hundred and six exactly. I know that because I had tickets printed up for that many audience members for each day. Which reminds me.” She pulled the tickets from her clipboard. “Each chef gets two tickets for friends and family.”

“Thank you.”

“And I’ll tell you a little secret, just between us girls.”

I leaned in. “Okay.”

“There are six kitchens at the front of the room laid out like a horseshoe. See? Two-by-two-by-two.”

I nodded.

“Chef Phil-eep Julian has requested the one on the far right, to be closest to the judges. Kiss-up. And Chef Adrian Baxter has requested the kitchen on the far left, to be closest to the audience. Show-off. I recommend taking one of the two kitchens straight ahead under the projection screen. The camera will have the best views there, and the angles will be the most flattering.” She cocked her head to the side and lifted her eyebrows.

From one chunky girl to another. “Ivy, you’re my hero.”

Ivy flashed me a brilliant smile. “Make sure you check out the pantry so you know where everything is come Saturday morning. And help yourself to a cocktail. I’ve had three.” She laughed, spotted someone else coming in behind me, and took off with her hand outstretched. “Hi, welcome to Restaurant Week . . .”

I helped myself to some sparkling water with a lime wedge and headed into the communal pantry. The room was floor-to-ceiling aluminum shelves with rows and rows of storage bins, bottles, and jars containing various ingredients every chef would have on hand, and then some. We would all have to pull supplies from this small space during the competition. With my phone, I took some pictures of the spice rack, the dry goods, and the glass door refrigerator and freezer. I would blow these up later to study, so I could make strategical strikes for my ingredients and not waste time wandering helplessly while on the clock.

I came back into the main kitchen area and looked around. A middle-aged Nick Nolte lookalike in an orange Hawaiian shirt was spearing something with a toothpick and flicking it into his mouth. He saw me watching and gave me a thumbs-up. Across the room from him, a severely dignified gentleman wearing a monogrammed starched chef coat was holding a glass of champagne. He was in conversation with a petite mahogany-skinned girl with a 1,000-kilowatt smile. Her hair was done up in an intricate series of braids swirled around her head. She caught my eye and waved me over. I had just started toward them when a passive-aggressive, high-pitched needle pierced my eardrum.

“Hi-yeee.”

Tim and Gigi strode in together, Tim looking a little guilty about something. Gigi was the sock that slid down your foot into your shoe when you walked. She was the underwire that busted out of your bra and poked you in the armpit. Now she was here, holding a shopping bag close to her chest.

Tim pulled me into a hug. He had the very slightest puff of love handles straddling his flat stomach. That’s new. “I tried to call you, but you’d already left.”

“Oh, what for?”

“I know we said we’d drive up separately, but Gigi’s car wouldn’t start so I had to pick her up.”

Gigi grinned and shook her perky little blond bob.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you think it will be fixed in time for the first challenge on Saturday?”

Gigi put her shopping bag down to reveal . . . whoa! Either someone got herself a new pair of boobs for Christmas or Victoria’s Secret is selling their bras prestuffed.

“I’m not sure when it will be fixed, but probably not until Restaurant Week is over. But you shouldn’t feel burdened to be chained to us. You should keep the freedom of driving yourself.”

Uh huh. That’s about what I expected. “What’s in the boobs? . . . I mean bag! What’s in the bag?”

I couldn’t stop staring at her chest. But then, that was probably what she was going for when she picked out her tight red sweater. I didn’t know they sold plunging necklines in the children’s section.

Tim was having a similar problem. Judging from his expression, I’d say he was half in love and half trying to figure out if her boobs had always been there, and he just hadn’t noticed before.

Gigi pulled two black chef coats out of the bag. They were monogrammed RESTAURANT WEEK 2015. One said CHEF TIM, and the tiny little one said CHEF GIGI. “I had these made special for the competition.” She gave Tim a giant smile and handed him his jacket. “Do you like it?”

“Oh yeah, this is great, Geeg. Where is Poppy’s?”

Gigi flicked her eyes to me and dropped them from my head down to my feet. “I didn’t get her a chef coat because she’s not a real chef. She’s just helping with prep, but I didn’t want her to feel left out either, so I got her this.” She reached into her shopping bag and pulled out a bright yellow frilly apron. She held it against my body. It made my skin tone the color of a five-day-old bruise. I looked like Ronald McDonald . . . in an ugly apron.

Tim looked from Gigi’s boobs to my face. “That was nice of you Geeg, but I’m not sure about the color.”

Gigi waved him off. “All Poppy needs is a good night’s sleep, and those dark circles under her eyes will disappear.”

I tried to muster up some enthusiasm. “That was very—”

“Thoughtful?” Gigi offered brightly.

“Well, I can definitely tell you put a lot of thought into it.”

A stocky man with tight-cropped black hair and plastic holes in his earlobes entered the room and looked around. He crossed his beefy, tattooed arms and shook his head like he’d been lured to an all-you-could-eat seafood buffet only to find one sad pan of fried shrimp amongst several trays of hush puppies.

Tim groaned. “Aww no.”

“What is it?” I whispered.

“That’s Adrian Baxter. We went to school together. He’s a real piece of work.”

“Why?”

Tim didn’t get a chance to tell me because the tinkling sound of a fork tapping a champagne glass brought the room to attention.

“Oh God, okay, is everybody listening? This is awful.” Ivy stood in the middle of the arena, a skinny boy at her side wearing a headset and holding a clipboard. “I have an announcement to make.” Ivy’s voice cracked, and a worried hush fell over the chefs. “I know this was supposed to be a big event for everyone. Channel Eight was going to have coverage every night of the competition, and the marketing team was going to post real-time stats and updates of your progress on all the social media outlets. But . . . I’m sorry to say . . . that . . . Restaurant Week is . . . cancelled.”

There was a collective gasp followed by a murmur of dissension.

Ivy held up her hands to quiet the chefs. “Due to an unforeseen emergency . . . there has been a water main break at the inn where the celebrity judges were booked for the week. My PA here has been on the phone for over an hour trying to get alternative lodging, but all the B&Bs are either closed for the winter or booked solid with holiday specials. The judges are coming in from North Jersey. They can’t be expected to commute. Miss New Jersey is coming all the way from Secaucus. The whole competition is ruined.”

Tim ran his hand through his hair. “Oh, this is not good. I was counting on the publicity from this to boost business. Now what am I going to do?”

The murmurings in the room were getting angrier. Adrian Baxter lashed out with, “Are you kidding me? I hired additional staff to cover my time for the week’s tapings. Are you sayin’ I have to pay them for nothing?”

Ivy held her sides and took a deep breath, counting from one to ten and back again. “Look, I know you’re all disappointed that you’ve been inconvenienced. I’ll probably lose my job over this. The station manager has been promoting the event for weeks. The only thing we have to fill this time slot is old school board meetings and that video clip of Eunice, the belly dancing otter.”

I raised my hand. “I have a bed and breakfast. It’s not officially open yet. We’ve had some . . . kinks to work out, but there are five bedrooms and they’re ready if there are no other options available.”

“Are you kidding?” She rushed over and grabbed my hands. “Yes, yes! Absolutely, yes. You’ve saved my job.”

The Nick Nolte chef interjected over to my left, “And the competition.”

Ivy glanced at him. “Of course, and the competition.”

A couple of the chefs cheered and whistled. Tim hugged me again. “Thank you, Mack. It means a lot to me that you would do this. Let me know if you need any help.”

I gazed into Tim’s eyes and my heart gave a little flip. A lock of blond hair curled over his tanned face and blue eyes, and I reached up to wrap it around my finger. I was pulled away by the director before I made contact.

“Come with me. I’ll need you to sign a few waivers promising that you won’t use having the judges staying in your bed and breakfast as an unfair advantage, and you won’t sue the station for any damages, that sort of thing.”

“What kind of damages?”

“You know, the usual celebrity kind. Just legal mumbo jumbo. Don’t worry, these are professionals. Nothing will go wrong.”

Ivy took me to the film studio classroom where the TV station had set up their office for the week. I filled out and signed several contracts. I might have promised I would donate a kidney if one of the staff was ever in need. I probably should have read them closer, but I really wanted to get back to the party and hang with the chefs.

When I was finally able to rejoin the group, I saw that they had made themselves comfortable with the cocktail cart. Conversations were a little louder, attitudes were a little bigger. I took a moment to let the gravity of my situation sink in. These were real chefs, with real restaurants. I’m just a widow who makes muffins for a hot Italian barista who likes me.

Nick Nolte came up and took my hand. He had that perpetual tan that came from living by the ocean his whole life, and he carried himself with the easy demeanor of someone more at home on a surfboard than in a boardroom. In a lot of ways, he could pass for Tim’s dad. “Nice job, Red. You saved us.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

“Folks call me Hot Sauce Louie. I got a little hole in the wall down by the beach called The Dawg Houz. We specialize in gourmet burgers and dogs and deep-fried hand pies.”

“Ooh, that sounds delicious.”

“You should come by sometime, on the house.”

“That’s very generous of you. I don’t remember The Dawg Houz from when I was growing up here. How long have you been there?”

“’Bout three years. I used to have a food truck called Wheelie Dogs, but the dang thing broke down so often, I spent more time making the repairs than making the food. I finally sold it to a guy in Philly who makes pierogis. I used the money to start up my new joint. Last year we were voted best burgers at the shore. How about you? You got a place around here?”

I felt my cheeks get hot. I knew this was coming, the moment where I had to admit I didn’t belong here, that I was a fraud. I’d just hoped it wouldn’t come so soon. “No, not me. I’m not a chef. I’m working with Team Maxine’s as a favor to Chef Tim. I just make muffins and cookies and things for La Dolce Vita, the coffee shop on the mall.”

Hot Sauce Louie leaned back and gave me an appraising once-over. “You’re the baker behind the gluten-free madness? I cannot get enough of those maple-pecan shortbread bars. I’m addicted!”

I swelled with unexpected pride. “Guilty.”

“Wow. I’m gonna have to up my dessert game now.”

I giggled like a nerd. It came out more like a horse whinny, and I quickly looked around to see if anyone else had overheard. Tim had been watching me with Louie and was suddenly heading our way.

Hot Sauce Louie nudged my shoulder. “Hey, let me ask you something. There’s a little something in those bars that I can’t place. What is it?”

“There’s a pinch of nutmeg.”

“No, that’s not it. It tastes a little like booze.”

“Oh, that’s my vanilla. I make it myself out of vanilla bean pods and white rum.”

Hot Sauce Louie slapped his leg. “That’s it! It’s been driving me crazy. You’re gonna have to show me how you do that one of these days.”

“I’d be glad to.” Oh my God! Is this really happening?

Tim put an arm around my shoulder and introduced himself to Louie.

“That’s what I love about an event like this.” Louie looked around the room. “Getting to work with all these cool chefs and learning from each other. This is what it’s all about. I’m feeling the love right here. Hey, girl.”

The woman with the braids who had waved me over earlier joined us. She was beautiful, and young. Maybe late twenties.

Hot Sauce Louie pointed from me to the young girl. “Have you two met?”

I smiled and shook my head no.

“Poppy McAllister, this is Vidrine Petit-Jeune.”

Vidrine smiled broadly. I reached out my hand but she broke protocol and pulled me into a hug instead. “Thank ya, chéri, for offerin’ up yaw rooms to save the event. I know my place needs the exposure of an affair like this, what with me being new in town an all.”

“I’m happy to do it. This is my team leader, Chef Tim Maxwell.”

Tim was also pulled into a hug. He asked Vidrine, “That’s a unique accent you got there. Where are you from?”

She laughed. “I was born in Haiti but moved to Mobile, Alabama when I was a young’un, so my accent is very confused.”

She was delightful. I liked her instantly. “What kind of restaurant do you have?”

Vidrine pulled a card out of her bag and handed it to me. “Honey, I got a little ol’ place just off the mall called Slap Yo Mamma! We specialize in Southern comfort food wit a Caribbean influence.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about that place. My friend Sawyer and I have been trying to get over there and try it out.”

“Well you should, chéri.”

Tim put his arm around me again, “If Sawyer can’t go, I’d love to take you.”

I smiled. “I’d like that.”

Vidrine looked to her left and right before leaning in and speaking in hushed tones. “Did y’all hear who one of the judges is gonna be?”

Louie whispered back, “Who?”

“Horatio Duplessis.”

Tim groaned. “Gah! We may as well go home now.”

“Why?” I asked. “Who is Horatio Duplessis?”

The tan had slid right from Hot Sauce Louie’s face, and he looked like he’d eaten a bad clam. “He’s a food critic with a stick up his butt.”

Vidrine’s hands perched on her hips. “Honey, his reviews can make or break a chef’s career. If you don’t impress him, no amount of publicity here can save you.”

I asked Tim, “Have you been reviewed by him?”

Tim sighed. “He gave Maxine’s mediocre reviews a few years ago.”

Louie grabbed a cocktail from the cart as it went by. “I don’t pu. . .