Murder in the Pearl District (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 5) Read online

  MURDER IN THE

  PEARL DISTRICT

  By

  Dianne Harman

  (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series - Book 5)

  Copyright © 2015 Dianne Harman

  www.dianneharman.com

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Website, Interior & Cover design by Vivek Rajan Vivek

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1508924920

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I want to thank you, my readers, for making my books so popular. This is the fifth book in the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery series, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as you have the others. It really pleases me that so many of you have taken the time to email me with your thoughts about the books and letting me know how much you like them. Again, many thanks! If you have time, a review is always appreciated. As always, I’d love to hear from you about this book or any of the others. Here’s my email address: [email protected].

  One of the things I hear from my readers is how much they like the book covers and I couldn’t agree more. I have Vivek Rajan to thank for creating them. I not only think of him as my editor, formatter, and marketing guru, I think of him as a friend.

  Finally, all of this has been made possible because of the support and love of my family and particularly my husband, Tom. He believed in me from the start and has become such an integral part of the process, I can’t imagine doing it without him. And to Kelly, my puppy, thanks for messing up the manuscripts by putting your paws on the computer keyboard when you wanted attention!

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  EPILOGUE

  Recipes!

  ABOUT DIANNE

  CHAPTER 1

  Kelly looked at the screen on her ringing cell phone and recognized the name “Sophie Marchant.”

  “Sophie, what a pleasant surprise. How are you doing?”

  “Much better than the last time we talked. I’ve gotten over Jesse’s death and the fact that my beautiful home in Cedar Bay burned down. It took me awhile after Jesse’s death, but I decided I couldn’t live the life of a grieving woman any longer, so I’ve developed a rather active social life. As a matter of fact that’s the reason I’m calling you,” she said in her soft French accent. “A friend of mine who is a well-known chef is filming her first television show in three days here in Portland. I’m giving her a celebration dinner party in two days, but my caterer just called me and cancelled. Apparently she got the flu from her children, and she’s quite ill. Normally I would cook the meal myself, but since I’m the hostess and I’ve invited twenty people, I don’t think I should. I know it’s short notice, but I’m hoping you can come to Portland and cook the meal I’ve planned for my guests.”

  “Wow! I’m honored, but I don’t know if I’m good enough to cook for a chef.”

  “Of course you are, chérie. You own Kelly’s Koffee Shop, one of the best places to eat along the Oregon Coast. Jesse told me that whenever tourists ate at your coffee shop, they always wanted to come back again. Jesse was always talking about what a great cook you are.”

  “Well, thank you, but in my mind there’s a difference between a chef and a cook, and I’ve never considered myself to be a chef. And to cook for a chef who is the guest of honor? I don’t know, but I must say I’m intrigued. What’s the chef’s name?”

  “Donatella DeLuca.”

  Kelly was quiet for a moment and then she said, “Good grief, Sophie. Everyone’s heard of her. She’s about the hottest chef around. I have several of her cookbooks, and I refer to them all the time. They’re wonderful. How do you know her?”

  “Her home is next to an old warehouse building I own which I have converted into my home. We kept bumping into each other at various places here in the Pearl District where I live, and I started eating at her wonderful restaurant called Mangia! Mangia! We became friends, actually, very good friends.”

  “I’m sorry, Sophie, but I don’t think there’s enough time. I’d have to drive to Portland, we’d have to decide on a menu, and then I’d have to buy the food. Timewise, I don’t see how it could possibly work out. The logistics seem insurmountable.”

  “Kelly, I’ve already bought all of the food. The caterer and I decided on a menu a long time ago, and even though Donatella is Italian, I’ll be serving a classic French dinner. The recipes are my personal ones. All you’ll have to do is drive up here to Portland, and then do your magic in the kitchen. A lot of the food can be made in advance, and of course I’ll help. Plus, I have plenty of room, so you can stay with me, and I seem to remember you have a boxer dog. I think I mentioned to you that my dog, Amelie, is a boxer too. Why don’t you bring yours? Amelie gets lonesome, and I think they’d be able to play together and have a good time.”

  “You’re making this hard for me to say no. I’ve always wanted an excuse to explore Portland’s Pearl District. From what I hear, it’s kind of an urban island of eclectic shops and people located not far from the downtown Portland area. I’ll tell you what. Let me make a couple of phone calls and see if I can get Roxie to manage the coffee shop for me while I’m gone, and of course I’ll have to make sure it’s okay with Mike if I leave for a few days. I’ll call you back in a little while.”

  “I’ll be waiting for your call, chérie.”

  “Hi, Roxie. It’s Kelly. Sorry to bother you after hours, but I just got a call from Sophie Marchant. You may remember that she was the woman from Portland who was romantically involved with Jesse prior to his murder. Anyway, she was planning a big dinner party for a friend when her caterer had to cancel because she became ill. Sophie has asked me to come to Portland and prepare the meal. I’d be gone a couple of days and was wondering if you could cover for me. I know you have some friends who helped out at our wedding reception. Maybe one of them could help you, and of course Madison will also be there.”

  “No problem, Kelly. You deserve a couple of days off, and Portland’s a fun place to go. Sure, I’m happy to do it, although I don’t know if the regulars will be able to get through their day without a dose of Kelly.”

  “Actually, Roxie, I’ve always thought they come to see you, so that shouldn’t be a problem. You know where I keep the emergency key. Just use it, and if you have any problems, give me a call.”

  “The coffee shop and I will be fine. Enjoy yourself.”

  “Thanks. See you in a couple of days.”

  She pushed Mike’s office number into her telephone and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirr
or. The reflection was that of a woman in her early 50’s with jet black hair secured at the back of her head by a tortoiseshell clip and large sea-green eyes. She was dressed in her customary uniform of jeans and a red T-shirt. When she was working at the coffee shop, she added a white apron with the words “Kelly’s Koffee Shop” embroidered on it in large red letters.

  Well, one down, now for Mike. I kind of remember him saying something recently about his sheriff’s office being really busy right now. Maybe it would be a good time for me to go. “Hi, sweetheart. I had a call from Sophie Marchant a little while ago.” She told him about the dinner party that Sophie had asked her to prepare and cook.

  “Absolutely, Kelly. Rebel, Lady, and I will be fine. You said she lives in the Pearl District, and I know you’ve always wanted to explore it. Stay an extra day or so. We’ll get by, but I do have one request.”

  “Sure, what?”

  “You know that caramel sauce I love? Would you make a batch of it, and I can have it over ice cream when you’re gone? It’s one of my favorite things, and it’s been way too long since you last made it.”

  “Happy to do it, but Mike, Sophie specifically asked that I bring Rebel with me. She has a female boxer and thought it would be good for her dog to have another dog to play with. Is that a problem?”

  “Of course not. Lady can come to work with me, and you can take Rebel with you. Actually, I’ll feel better knowing he’s with you. Lady’s a good guard dog, but I still think Rebel’s the best. Nothing is going to happen to you with that dog around.”

  “Mike, I’m simply going to Portland to cook a dinner for a chef. What could possibly happen to me?” she asked innocently.

  “I don’t know, but you seem to attract interesting situations that usually result in a problem.”

  “Don’t be silly. I promise I’ll be fine.”

  Later, she wished she’d never made that promise to Mike or at least she wished she’d mentally crossed her fingers behind her back when she made it. She couldn’t help it that interesting things that resulted in unusual problems often happened when she was involved and unfortunately, those unusual problems always seemed to involve murder.

  CHAPTER 2

  As she was driving to Portland early the next morning, Kelly had second thoughts about agreeing to help Sophie with the dinner party. She’d spent some time the evening before looking at the cookbooks Donatella had written as well as articles about her posted on the Internet. It didn’t help Kelly’s level of comfort to read that the Governor had asked Donatella to cook an anniversary dinner for him and his wife.

  She was the toast of the town and the darling of the people who lived in Portland and loved good food. Her reputation had evidently spread elsewhere in the United States as her restaurant, Mangia! Mangia!, was recognized nationally as the best Italian restaurant in the Portland area. The only other restaurant which received accolades like that was the Thai restaurant, Pok Pok. Given these factors, Kelly had grave concerns that she was in way over her head.

  Interesting, Kelly thought as she drove past the rolling green hills and lush green forests of coastal Oregon, I looked her up on the Internet, read pages of newspaper articles about her and thoroughly examined some of her cookbooks that I own, but I couldn’t find one bit of personal information about her. I wonder if she’s married, how old she is, or if she has children. Strange there wouldn’t be some little glimmer of information about her personal life.

  The only things I saw that were even halfway personal were the numerous photographs of her. She wears her jet black hair short, and it frames what looks like a very pretty face. She has an olive complexion with dark brown eyes which she accents, and from what I saw, she has a very voluptuous figure that’s probably seen its fair share of pasta. Actually, she looks like a younger version of the Italian movie star that was so popular years ago, Sophia Loren. You sure would think there was a man somewhere in the picture, but none was mentioned.

  “Okay, Rebel, we’re almost there. That looks like Sophie’s building at the end of the street. She told me to park in the underground lot.” Kelly drove down the ramp that led to the basement parking lot and turned the engine off. “Let’s go.” Rebel jumped out of the back seat while Kelly got her travel bag from the rear of her minivan. They took the elevator up to the first floor where it opened into a small room with a door on the far side. Sophie had told her to ring the bell next to the door when she arrived.

  “Chérie, Amelie and I are so glad you’re here,” Sophie said as she opened the door. She was every bit as chic as Kelly remembered. Brown hair that had been highlighted framed a porcelain complexion and accented brown eyes with thick lashes. She wore a cream-colored silk blouse and slacks with a diamond drop on a thick gold chain around her neck. Matching earrings completed the outfit.

  A beautiful female boxer dog walked across the room and sat next to Sophie. She had white stocking feet, a blaze of white on her chest, around her neck, and continuing up her face to form a diamond. Rebel walked over to Amelie and sat down beside her.

  Of course Sophie would have a beautiful elegant dog. Why am I not surprised?

  “Welcome to my home. I hope you and Rebel will enjoy your stay. I made the first floor of my building into my living quarters, because I wanted a yard with grass for Amelie, even though it’s quite small. Rebel, Amelie, come.” She walked over to the sliding glass door that led to the back yard and opened it for the dogs. “They can play out there for a while. Please follow me, and I’ll show you to your room. It’s the one on the left at the end of the hall.”

  Kelly looked around in awe as she followed Sophie down the hall. Similar to Sophie’s home in Cedar Bay, everywhere Kelly looked there was a piece of furniture or a decorative art object or a painting that was absolutely breathtaking. Although Sophie’s home in Portland had a different feel from the home she had on the cliff in Cedar Bay, this home was just as beautiful as the one that had been destroyed in an arson-caused fire.

  Lighted cabinets housed brilliantly colored art glass. Paintings that hung on the walls were each illuminated with a soft spotlight. The walls and carpeting were a pale ivory color that tastefully accented the artworks that were neatly arranged everywhere Kelly looked. Sophie had obviously traveled the world. Her eclectic taste ranged from Oriental carpets which covered the floors in all of the rooms to cut glass vases with blooming flowers in all shades of the rainbow spilling out of them. It was a feast for the senses.

  Sophie opened the door of the bedroom where Kelly would be staying and said, “There’s a bathroom through that door and a sitting room with a computer and a television through the other door. I put a large dog bed at the foot of the bed for Rebel. If you need anything else, please let me know.”

  “Sophie, this is absolutely beautiful. How many people live in your building?”

  “Like so many apartments and condominiums in the Pearl District, this was an old warehouse which I renovated. There are three floors above mine with two apartments on each floor. I have tenants living in those apartments. Donatella lives next door in a house between my building and a building similar to mine on the other side. This kind of architectural mishmash is quite common here in the Pearl District. You know, a little of this and a little of that.

  “To change the subject, I thought this afternoon we could look at the menu for the dinner party and maybe even prepare a few things that we will be serving tomorrow night. I want to take you to Donatella’s restaurant, Mangia! Mangia! for dinner tonight. It’s just across the street. That’s what I love about the Pearl District. Everything I need is within walking distance. The only thing I don’t like is the traffic on the street in front of my building. Fortunately, Amelie is very well trained, so I don’t have to worry about her getting hit by a car. And Rebel? Is he trained as well?”

  “Yes. That won’t be a problem.”

  “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable, and when you’re ready please join me in the kitchen for lunch. We can talk about th
e menu for tomorrow night then.” She left and walked down the hall to the kitchen, her high heels clicking on the highly polished wooden floor.

  Kelly looked at the large king size bed with the pineapple patterned quilt. She remembered a conversation she’d had many years earlier with her daughter Julia about pineapples and how they were often viewed as a sign of hospitality. Julia had told her that according to legend, when the sea captains of New England, who sailed among the Caribbean Islands, returned to their home port with cargos of fruits, spices, and rum, they would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside their home to let their friends know of their safe return. It was an invitation for their friends to partake of the food and drink the sea captain had brought back from his travels. She wondered if Sophie knew about the legend or simply liked the beautiful pattern on the quilt. Kelly decided to treat it as a sign of hospitality.

  “Ah, there you are. This is a rather late lunch, but I thought you should have something after your long drive and Mangia! Mangia! does serve a lot of food, so I don’t think we should eat too much. Please, have a seat. The dogs are enjoying the sunny day in the back yard, and we can feed them before we leave.”

  “Sophie, I hardly think seafood crepes in a white sauce qualifies as a simple lunch! My mouth is watering just looking at them. I can’t believe how beautifully you’ve garnished the tops of the crepes with more of the crab and shrimp, and this salad is simply gorgeous. It looks like everything in it was picked only a few minutes ago.”

  Sophie smiled sheepishly. “It was. I have a large raised vegetable garden in the back yard. That was another reason I wanted to live on the ground floor.”

  Kelly took a bite of one of the seafood crepes and tasted the delicately seasoned mushrooms along with the crab and shrimp. “Sophie, if this is any indication, I really think you should be preparing the dinner tomorrow night. I had no idea you were such an accomplished cook. No wonder you and Donatella are good friends.”

  “If fewer people were coming, I probably would, but I’m really thankful you could come and help. Here’s what the caterer and I decided on.” She handed Kelly a sheet of paper with the menu written on it.