Murder at Le Bijou Bistro Read online

  MURDER AT LE BIJOU BISTRO

  By

  Dianne Harman

  (A Northwest Cozy Mystery - Book 5)

  Copyright © 2018 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.

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1983584916

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To my family, who unfailingly tell me no matter what occurs in my life that “it should be in one of your books” – such as recently getting stuck in one of the wildfires that were sweeping through California - thank you!

  To Tom, who is always there with thoughts, ideas, and changes that make my books ever so much better, to say nothing of taking over the Harman household duties - thank you!

  To Vivek, who continues to give me good advice, design amazing covers for my books, and do all the computer things that are beyond me - thank you!

  And to the countless unnamed and unknown people I see and meet, who through their mannerisms, idle conversations, and casual remarks, provide the basis for the characters, plots, and dialogue found in my books - thank you!

  And to all of you who take the time to buy, borrow, read, or review my books, I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know - thank you!

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  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE

  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

  EPILOGUE

  RECIPES

  ABOUT DIANNE

  SURPRISE!

  PROLOGUE

  DeeDee Wilson chewed on her lower lip as the car inched through the early evening downtown Seattle rush hour traffic. She glanced at her wristwatch for the third time in five minutes, but the line of cars was going nowhere.

  With a soft sigh, DeeDee glanced over at her boyfriend, Jake Rogers, who was driving. Not that the car was moving. Jake had one hand on the steering wheel, and his other elbow was resting on the edge of the window. He turned to DeeDee and smiled, the bright blue of his eyes illuminated against his tan weathered-looking face.

  “Relax, honey,” he said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. “We’ll be there soon. I know you’re excited to see Cassie and Al. Is that a present for the birthday girl?” He nodded at the silver gift-wrapped package on her lap with the contrasting plush black velvet bow on top.

  DeeDee nodded. “Yep. I know Cassie said not to, but you know me when it comes to birthdays.”

  The traffic started moving and Jake pulled his hand away as the car started to creep forward. “I sure do. What did we get her?”

  DeeDee chuckled. “You’ll have to wait and see. Oh wait, where have I heard that before. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” DeeDee raised her index finger to her face. Pouting, she tapped her chin.

  “If you’re referring to your own birthday surprise, I swear all will be revealed soon,” Jake said, signaling to turn. “You’re like a broken record, going on, and on…” He made a squeaking noise. “And on.”

  “Better be,” DeeDee muttered. “You’ve been spinning this out for almost three months. My patience is wearing thin. It’s not every year a woman turns fifty. Cassie is younger than me, but just by a little. Her big 5-oh is next year.”

  “What date’s your birthday again?” Jake said, scratching his head.

  DeeDee looked sideways at Jake and saw his face twitch. “As if you don’t know,” she scolded. “April 14th. I thought it would be permanently etched in your memory.”

  “Hmm.” Jake smiled. “I’ll try to remember.” He drummed on the steering wheel with his fingers. “What say we find a parking space and walk the rest of the way to Pioneer Square? The traffic is so slow it will probably be quicker to walk anyway, plus it’s a beautiful evening.” Without waiting for DeeDee’s reply, Jake swerved the car with a sudden jerk, and pulled into a parking garage entrance that opened onto the street.

  It was a mild evening, just a pleasant fifteen-minute walk to where they were meeting their dinner companions. DeeDee linked her arm through Jake’s and snuggled up close to him.

  “Tell me again,” Jake asked, “what are Al and Cassie's plans, now that Al’s decided he can’t bear to be apart from Cassie for more than a few days?”

  DeeDee laughed. Her good friend Cassie Roberts, recently widowed, had met Al through DeeDee several months earlier. “I never thought anyone would capture Cassie’s heart after Johnny died, but that’s before any of us knew Al. He’s one in a million. If Cassie’s got any sense, and I know she does, she won’t let him get away.”

  “I don’t think Al has any intention of letting that happen,” Jake mused. “Although, with Al living in the Cayman Islands, and Cassie in Seattle, something’s gotta give.”

  DeeDee paused in front of an upscale boutique and admired the dress on the mannequin in the window. The vibrant floral pattern put her in the mood for spring and things like dining alfresco and sipping wine on the porch outside her small home next to the beach on Bainbridge Island. She made a mental note to come back and try it on. It could be a gift to herself. After all, her birthday was only a couple of weeks away. She didn’t know what secret surprise Jake was planning, but she was hoping it included dinner somewhere special. The dress would be perfect.

  She turned back to Jake. “I don’t think Al’s spent much time in the Caymans since he met Cassie. Last I heard, he was staying in a borrowed penthouse here in the city, and Cassie’s settled into a suite at The Four Seasons Hotel while she’s house-hunting.”

  Jake steered DeeDee by the elbow across the street. “Is Cassie still the restaurant critic for The Seattle Times?”

  DeeDee grinned. “Oh yes, and she’s loving it. Her Food Spy column runs twice a week. I think it’s brought out a wicked side in Cassie that no one knew she had, including herself. She doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to saying what she thinks about a restaurant. She’s earned herself a few enemies in the process, but I guess that comes with the territory.”

  Jake’s face lit up. “Maybe we'll get special treatment at the restaurant tonight. Some of those freebie bite-size things, what are they called again?”

  “Amuse-bouche,” DeeDee said gently. There was nothing phony or contrived about Jake. He always said exactly what he meant, particularly when it came to food. He liked traditional food, although he was willing to be adventurous when it came to eating out, or testing some of DeeDee’s recipes that she intended to use in her catering business, Deelish. “It’s a way for chefs to express their big ideas in small bites. And yes, it's a high-end French restaurant we’re going to, so there’s a good chance we’ll get one.” Her pace quickened at the sight of two familiar figures on the sidewalk ahead of them. “Look. There’s Cassie and Al.”

  DeeDee pointed towards where a tall, burly man was standing on the sidewalk with his arm around the waist of a pe
tite woman who was gazing up at him, gesturing with her hands as she spoke. The couple was outside the doorway of Le Bijou Bistro. The exterior color of the restaurant was a deep red with the lettering on the sign with its name on it written in a traditional pale yellow colored French script. Floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the street gave people walking by a view of the dark wooden tables and red chairs inside the restaurant.

  The man DeeDee pointed out was in his sixties and was leaning down to hear the woman, pulling her close. The look of adoration the couple shared with each other struck DeeDee with an intensity that was almost physical. She glanced at Jake to see if he’d noticed anything, and knew that he’d seen it too. They were witnessing magical chemistry between two of the people they were proud to call friends, Cassie Roberts and Al De Duco.

  It was Cassie who caught sight of DeeDee and Jake first, and her makeup-free face broke into a wide smile as they approached. When Cassie opened her arms to greet DeeDee with a hug, DeeDee was surprised to see it wasn’t just her friend’s smile that was dazzling. A huge sparkler on Cassie’s slender ring finger caught the light. DeeDee estimated it was at least ten carats of the clearest, most flawless diamond she’d ever seen. The ring looked vaguely familiar, but she wasn’t sure why.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” DeeDee whispered in Cassie's ear as they embraced.

  Cassie pulled back and winked. “Ssh. Don’t say anything. Al wants to tell you both when we’re inside.”

  DeeDee turned towards Al. He was beaming as he pulled Jake close and slapped him on the back in a man-hug. They were already talking about the Seahawks and whether they’d be in the Super Bowl next year.

  “Hey, you guys,” DeeDee said, approaching Al who kissed her on both cheeks, while Jake did the same to Cassie. “Save the sports talk for later. You’ve got two beautiful ladies here who are ravenous.”

  “And thirsty,” Cassie quipped.

  Al jiggled his sunglasses, which he wore everywhere. DeeDee thought he looked a little grayer around the temples than usual, and realized he’d let his hair dye fade. Cassie’s influence suited him well. He looked softer, less scary. Although he was now retired, his years in the Mob had given him a hard edge as well as a few visible scars, although anyone who knew him would vouch that he wouldn’t harm a fly—unless it crossed him or someone close to him. Then, that fly was dead.

  “Lead the way, ladies,” Al said as he bowed and extended his arm towards the door of Le Bijou Bistro.

  Inside, the interior of the restaurant was as small and elegant as its name indicated, a French word for just that, small and elegant. The aroma of freshly baked bread and French cooking permeated the air, mixed with something else DeeDee couldn’t put her finger on, but which was decidedly French. Herbs, but hard to decipher in what combination.

  Cassie greeted the maitre’d. “Hi, my name is Cassie Roberts,” she smiled. Al stood beside her. “I made a reservation for 7:00 p.m.”

  The maitre’d nodded and looked down at his clipboard. “Ah bien oui, a table for two, Madame?” he said in a thick French accent, nodding to a candlelit table in the corner. “Table 12 is ready for you now.”

  Al cleared his throat, causing the expression of the maitre’d to flicker.

  “Um, it was, but I changed the booking yesterday to four of us,” Cassie said politely.

  “Pas de probleme. One moment, s’il vous plait,” the maitre’d said.

  DeeDee watched him as he clicked his fingers in the air. A waiter, wearing a starched white apron down to his knees, appeared as if by magic. The maitre’d pointed to a table by the window, and fired instructions to the employee in French.

  Al said something in a low voice to Cassie, who spoke up again. “Not by the window, please, could we sit along the wall at the back instead?”

  Her request was met with a solemn nod. “Bien sur, Madame. Of course, as you wish.”

  Moments later, their party was seated at the back of the restaurant at a table away from the kitchen.

  “Sorry about that,” Cassie said, after the waiter had handed them their menus and showed them the chalkboard with the Specials, or Plat du Jour as it was called. “My…I mean, Al, never sits by the window, and he rarely sits at the first table we’re offered, either.” She lowered her voice. “It’s a Mob thing, apparently.”

  Al was watching Cassie with a mixture of admiration and pride. He cleared his throat again, before addressing DeeDee and Jake across the table. “I gotta come right out and tell ya’,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “My wife thinks it’s kinda’ funny, my old habits. But it’s all fer a good reason, don’tcha think?”

  DeeDee’s eyes widened, and she almost shrieked with excitement. “You two got MARRIED?”

  Cassie nodded as a smile lit up her face and stretched from ear to ear. Al was gripping her hand looking like he was about to burst with joy. DeeDee was so overcome with happiness for them, she choked up.

  “I think I’m going to cry,” she said in a tearful voice, before leaping up to go around to the other side of the table to hug and kiss both of them. Jake stood and did the same, and by the time DeeDee sat down again her tears were flowing. “Look at me,” she sniffed, reaching in her purse for a tissue. “I’m such a cry-baby.” Dabbing her eyes and composing herself, she continued, “We want to hear all about it. Tell us everything.”

  “Thought I’d better make an honest woman of her,” Al said, motioning for the waiter and ordering champagne. “We’ll take the Bollinger R.D. 1976,” he instructed, and the waiter hurried off, certain he’d be rewarded with a good tip at the end of the evening, since the customer had started out by ordering one of the most expensive things listed on the extensive wine list.

  “We were in Las Vegas, and I had no idea,” Cassie said. “But Al had it all planned, didn’t you, darling?”

  Al nodded. “We were at the Harry Connick, Jr. show. I’d arranged for Harry to come up and sing at our table for Cassie,” he explained.

  Cassie took up the story. “When Harry handed the microphone to Al, and Al started singing to me, I started laughing,” she said. “And then the music stopped, and Al got down on one knee. He’d even arranged for Liam and Briana to be there in case I said yes. So, I thought I’d better go through with it. Right, honey?” Her face was flushed as she looked over at her husband, who was looking at her with adoring eyes.

  “Show me that rock again,” DeeDee said, reaching for Cassie’s tiny hand. It was only then she noticed the fine platinum diamond encrusted wedding band, nestled in below the larger ring.

  Jake let out a low whistle. “You sure know how to put a ring on a lady’s hand, Al,” he said, as the waiter arrived with the champagne. After they’d made several toasts to the happy couple and the birthday girl, they finally got around to looking at the menus and ordering their meals.

  “I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t get past the Plat du Jour,” DeeDee announced, setting her menu down.

  “Hmm,” Jake said, glancing up at the chalkboard the waiter had put on their table in addition to the menus. “I think I’ll have the same thing. Prosciutto and grilled asparagus with mustard, leg of lamb with sausage stuffing, heirloom tomato salad with burrata and candied walnuts? That sounds good to me.”

  “Don’t forget the meringues with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and toasted almonds for dessert,” DeeDee reminded him with a giggle. She felt Jake’s hand reach for hers under the table, and his strong fingers wrapped around hers tightly. Sometimes, with Jake, words were not necessary. This was one of those times.

  Cassie and Al ordered different choices off the a la carte menu. Cassie explained that she was going to be reviewing the meal for her newspaper column.

  “Won’t the chef know it’s you?” DeeDee wondered aloud, having overheard Cassie state earlier that the booking was in her own name.

  Cassie shrugged. “Some restaurant critics go incognito, but that’s too cloak and dagger for my liking. I’m o
nly filling in part-time at the paper for now, so I don’t see the need for a huge amount of secrecy. The way I look at it, if I make a reservation in my own name, it’s like tipping the restaurant off that they might be getting reviewed. Then they can’t complain if the review is bad. It’s not like they didn’t get plenty of warning.”

  Cassie paused while everyone’s appetizers were served. “Mm,” she sniffed, inhaling the aroma coming from the dish of small shells that were placed in front of her. She wrote something on a small notepad before lifting a tiny fork and fishing out the contents of one of the shells.

  Jake squinted across the table. “What’s that, Cassie?”

  “Stuffed snails,” Cassie said, offering her plate to Jake. “Would you like to try one?”

  Jake shook his head from side to side as he unsuccessfully tried not to grimace.

  “Looks like Jake won’t, but I will,” DeeDee grinned, taking Cassie up on the offer. The snails were small and chewy, and tasted of garlic breadcrumbs. Washed down with the champagne chosen by Al, she agreed with Cassie that they were delicious. The conversation was comfortable, the fizz was flowing, the food was excellent, and by the time they had finished eating, a couple of hours had passed.

  “So, have you two planned where you’re going to live?” Jake asked, when the desserts had been cleared and they were waiting for their coffee to be served.

  Al and Cassie looked at each other, and DeeDee said, “Please don’t tell me you two are moving to the Cayman Islands. Much as we’d love to come and visit, we’d miss you too much. And what about Liam and Briana?”

  Cassie’s face clouded over momentarily at the mention of her children, before Al spoke up. “Not the Caymans, although we’re gonna keep my place there for vacations. We’re buying something much closer to Seattle than that.”

  Jake’s forehead crinkled. “So, you’re not buying something in Seattle, but somewhere nearby?”

  DeeDee interrupted him, almost squealing with delight as she guessed, “Bainbridge Island?”

  “Yep,” Al confirmed. “We bought Dana D’s ol’ place. Just gettin’ it fixed up with bulletproof windows before we move in. Ya’ know how it is.”