Beef Stolen-Off
Authors: Liz Lipperman
Tags: #General, #Women Sleuths, #Mystery & Detective, #Fiction
Praise for
LIVER LET DIE
“Liz Lipperman delivers a sparkling new cozy star! Readers will cheer for Jordan, a Clueless Cook with charm and spunk in a mystery that really sizzles.”
—Cleo Coyle, national bestselling author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries
“Jordan McAllister heads up an appealing cast of characters in the fun new Clueless Cook series from Liz Lipperman… Plot twists, action, and lots of scrumptious food make this a mystery not to be missed!”
—Misa Ramirez, author of the Lola Cruz Mysteries
“A culinary critic mystery with good taste, charming characters, and plenty of delicious twists. It’s a recipe for a truly enjoyable story.”
—Linda O. Johnston, author of the Pet Rescue Mysteries
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Liz Lipperman
LIVER LET DIE
BEEF STOLEN-OFF
BEEF STOLEN-OFF
Liz Lipperman
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
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. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
BEEF STOLEN-OFF
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / July 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Elizabeth R. Lipperman.
Cover illustration by Ben Perini.
Cover design by Sarah Oberrender.
Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-58104-9
BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
This one goes out to my children,
Nicole and Brody,
for making my life so much fun.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Penning a story is a solitary experience. However, the writing community is filled with many wonderful people who cheer when one of their own has a victory, offer help when it’s needed, and soothe when there are tears. I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of these awesome people in my life, and they need to know how much I appreciate them.
First and foremost is my agent, Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency. I will forever be indebted to her for her loyalty and fighting spirit even in the face of adversity. I am proud to stand by her side as a friend as well as a business partner no matter what enemy we’re facing. Then there’s my editor, Faith Black. I can only say “wow!”—your faith in me and the gang at Empire Apartments never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for making my journey so easy.
And I can’t forget all the hardworking people behind the scenes at Berkley Prime Crime, especially Sarah Oberrender, who designed my awesome cover; Ben Perini, who illustrated it; Laura K. Corless, who designed the interior; and Caroline Duffy, copyeditor extraordinaire, whose eye for detail astonished me.
A huge thank-you to:
The wonderful Cleo Coyle, whose generous spirit touched my
heart, and to Misa Ramirez and Linda O. Johnston. These three wonderful authors graciously agreed to take time from their own busy writing schedules to read my book and give wonderful blurbs.
The fantastic Book Cents Babes, who are always there for me—no matter what I need—and the ultra-talented Plotting Princesses (
plottingprincesses.blogspot.com
), who sat around the table one day and helped me plot this book.
My critique partner, Joni Sauer-Folger, who never lets anything slide and who should have WTF after her name. I’m a better writer because of her.
My talented beta readers, Chris Keniston, Sylvia Rochester, and Nora Friday Roth who helped me polish the manuscript.
Debbie Sheuchenko at Lazy S’S Farm, who helped me find the perfect murder weapon, and Leo Garcia, my expert for the Hispanic names.
The Bunko Babes, who keep me laughing, and my siblings, who shower me with support.
My children, Nicole and Dennis Bushland and Brody and Abby Lipperman, and my grandchildren, Grayson, Caden, Ellie, and Alice. Oh God! I love you.
And lastly to Dan, my real-life hero, who believed in me and made all my dreams come true.
Te Amo
.
CHAPTER 1
“You’re looking at the new
permanent
culinary reporter for the
Ranchero Globe
.” Jordan McAllister bent over in an exaggerated bow.
“What? That old bat kicked the bucket?” Victor Rodriguez threw his arms in the air. “Yea!”
“Victor,” his partner and co-owner of the apartments, Michael Cafferty, scolded. “You didn’t even know her. It’s mean to call her an old bat.”
Victor shrugged, turning back to Jordan, unfazed by the reprimand. “Give it up, girl. Does this mean you can say good-bye to your four-times-a-week fried-bologna habit?”
Jordan took a minute to observe the people who had become her second family since she’d arrived in Ranchero a few months ago with only a few suitcases, her goldfish Maggie, and a broken heart. The residents of Empire Apartments had taken her under their wing, offering her unconditional love in the process. There was no doubt in her
mind all of them would risk their lives for her—and already had—as she would for them.
“Who’s saying good-bye to bologna?” Ray Varga asked, walking into the dining room from the kitchen, carrying a clay pot.
“Jordan’s about to,” Michael answered. He leaned over to get a better look at the concoction in Ray’s hands. “Good Lord, Ray, are those gummy bears in the middle of that—thing?” He poked the shovel jutting from the center of the chocolate dessert.
Ray beamed as if the Cowboys had just kicked the winning field goal at the Super Bowl. “Cool, huh?”
Lola Van Horn came up behind him and patted his bottom. “Yes, darling, you outdid yourself this time. How you ever talked Myrtle’s niece into sneaking you a copy of her aunt’s new recipe is beyond me.”
Ray pulled the chair out for his lady and then plopped down beside her. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.”
“Hogwash!” Rosie LaRue said, joining the group, her arms loaded with bowls and spoons. “Myrtle guards her recipes like a Rottweiler in a junkyard. She’s going to cut off your sneaky little fingers and feed them to the pigs behind the diner if she ever finds out you snuck around her to get this.” She pulled out one of the gummy bears and popped it into her mouth. “What’s this called, anyway?”
“Dirt Cake, better known as La Suciedad Pastel for Jordan’s column.” Ray scowled, glancing down at his hands. “Now you’ve got me scared.”
“Oh hush, dear. You should have thought of that before you stole her recipe.” Lola’s attempt to sound gruff couldn’t disguise her amusement. She pouted with her Angelina Jolie lips, compliments of a plastic surgeon who couldn’t go a week without one of her psychic readings.
“Enough chatter,” Rosie chimed in. “Ray, you dish it up while Jordan tells us about her good news.”