Death of a Kitchen Diva (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktail Mysteries) (22 page)

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Authors: Lee Hollis

BOOK: Death of a Kitchen Diva (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktail Mysteries)
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She was almost through the entire stack when she stopped cold. She picked up one receipt and studied it. It was dated the day before Karen’s funeral. And it was for a flower arrangement to be delivered to the church for Karen’s service.
The name on the receipt was Lex Bansfield.
Hayley blanched. She felt sick to her stomach. She stuffed the receipt in her pants pocket, returned the file to the drawer, and tiptoed out of the back office just as Gemma closed up her laptop.
“Thanks, Kendra, you’re a lifesaver,” Gemma said.
“Yes, Kendra,” Hayley said. “You most certainly are.”
Hayley and Gemma said their good-byes and left the shop. As they reached the car, Gemma said, “You better call Gram and say she’s getting a bouquet of flowers for her birthday seven months early.”
Hayley nodded, but didn’t say a word.
Gemma looked at her. “Is everything okay, Mom?”
Hayley nodded again. She hated fibbing to her kids. But she wasn’t ready to talk about this. She was still in a state of shock. The closer she got to the truth, the less safe she felt. How could she have been so wrong?
Lex Bansfield, the man with a troubled, violent past in Vermont, who perhaps moved to Bar Harbor to escape his demons—or worse—the law, was the man Karen Applebaum was going to marry before her murder.
Chapter 35
 
Hayley found Lex raking leaves with a couple of his workers, two teenage boys working part time to make some extra pocket change, on the expansive, sprawling Hollingsworth estate nestled against the rocky coastline. It was a crisp September day, with a light breeze and a nip in the air, as Hayley made her way down the gravel path in her car.
Lex heard the vehicle approaching and shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand to see who it was.
He broke into a smile and waved as Hayley got out of the car. She slowly walked over to him.
“Hey you,” Lex said, genuinely happy to see her. “You here to steal me away for some lunch?”
“I was hoping we might have a talk,” Hayley said, not cracking a smile.
“Uh oh, I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” Lex said, and then turned to the two teens, who were now listening intently. “Boys, why don’t you take five?”
They both really wanted to hear what Hayley had to say, but a break from raking leaves trumped their curiosity and they strolled off toward the shore path to catch some sun and the spray of the ocean waves collapsing against the jagged rocks.
Lex looked at Hayley tentatively. “So what’s on your mind?”
“I know about your brush with the law in Vermont.”
Lex laughed. “Oh, it was more than one brush. I think they named the local jail cell after me once I left.”
“What about the assault charge?”
“Look, it was a long time ago. I was a heavy drinker. I’m not anymore.”
“You were also involved in a domestic disturbance.”
“Overblown. And I was on the receiving end of that one. I’m not making any excuses about my past, Hayley, but I have never physically harmed a woman when I was angry, drunk, or otherwise. You might get one or two to say I hurt them emotionally, but everybody’s had relationship struggles in their past, and I never said I was perfect.”
“Okay, I believe you,” Hayley said, not one hundred percent confident.
Lex noted her hesitation. “Why the third degree all of a sudden? What’s changed?”
“I know you sent a bouquet of flowers to Karen Applebaum’s funeral. I saw the card and read what it said.”
“Those weren’t from me.”
“Lex, I also saw the credit card receipt. It was you.”
“Have you been investigating me?”
“No. I’m trying to find out who killed Karen Applebaum so they don’t name a jail cell after
me
!”
“And you think I did it?”
“I don’t know. Did you send those flowers?”
Lex just stood there, his face betraying nothing. She stared at him long enough until he averted his eyes, not wanting to look directly at Hayley. He then shoved his hands in his pants pocket and, looking down at the leaves blowing across the front lawn, said, “Yes.”
It was like a kick in the stomach.
Hayley thought she was going to pass out. Lex Bansfield. The town’s most eligible bachelor. In love with Karen Applebaum.
“So you loved her?” Hayley asked.
“It’s not what you think,” Lex said, stepping forward.
Hayley backed away, her head spinning.
Lex’s cell phone chirped. He checked the screen. “It’s the boss. He’s been to some board meetings in New York. His private jet just landed, and he’s twenty minutes early. I have to get to Trenton and pick him up. Can we talk about this later?”
Hayley didn’t answer. She just stared at him, still processing all of it, feeling completely duped, like a fool.
“Please, Hayley, give me a chance to explain. I’ll come clean about everything, but if I don’t pick up Mr. Hollingsworth right now, my ass is going to be on the line.”
“Go. I’m not stopping you.”
Lex gave her one last pleading look as if to beg her to trust him.
But Hayley didn’t know what to believe.
Lex checked his watch. “Do me a favor?”
Hayley arched an eyebrow. Really? A favor?
“Go tell the boys I’m coming back with the boss, so if they’re sneaking cigarettes down by the shore, they better not toss their butts in the garden. Mr. Hollingsworth is a stickler about that.”
Hayley nodded.
Lex gave her one last look. He leaned in to try and kiss her on the cheek, but she tensed up, and folded her arms tightly around her chest, sending him a clear signal she did not want to be touched.
He quickly retreated and then jumped in his jeep and drove off.
Hayley turned and saw Lex’s workers sitting on some rocks, and they were indeed puffing and exhaling and chattering away. They were so engrossed in their conversation, they didn’t even see her, so Hayley made a beeline to the small gray house with white shutters perched on a small hill a few hundred feet from the main mansion. This was the caretaker’s cottage where Lex lived year-round whether the Hollingsworth family was in town or not. He was in charge of the property full time.
Hayley kept an eye on the two boys, making sure they didn’t see her, and then she hurried up the steps onto the front porch, opened the front door, which was unlocked, and slipped inside.
She didn’t really know what she was looking for. But she was determined to find out exactly what Lex was hiding from her. She tried a few drawers in the kitchen, then made her way into the living room. The cottage was sparsely furnished. Lex didn’t do much in the way of interior decorating. There was the distinct lack of a woman’s touch. She saw an antique wood desk in desperate need of some refinishing in the corner. There were old newspapers and magazines, a few bills, and some clippings stapled together. Hayley thumbed through them. They were all her “Island Food & Spirits” columns to date. Lex had saved them all.
Hayley was touched. Maybe this was all just a big misunderstanding. But then again, he didn’t deny sending the flowers with the romantic note to Karen’s service. In fact, he admitted it. How many different ways could she interpret that? She put down the clippings and kept searching through the piles of paper.
She tried the desk drawer. It was locked. She tugged at the metal handle, but the drawer was secure. Hayley was about to leave, but something drew her back to that locked drawer. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had to see what was in there. She looked around and found a gold letter opener with a brown wooden handle. She stuck the end of it through the small crack of the drawer and started pumping the tip up and down. Finally, she heard a crack and then a pop. She knew she had not only busted the lock, but the whole drawer. She’d write a check for the repairs. She yanked it open.
Inside was a stack of letters bound together by two thick elastic rubber bands. She fanned through the letters. They were all addressed to Lex and they were all from Karen Applebaum. Only the first few letters had been opened. The rest were still sealed. Hayley pulled the letters out of the open envelopes and began reading them. Her heart sank. They were love letters.
Karen’s writing was like poetry. Passionate. Dramatic. Romantic. And now one thing was crystal clear. Karen Applebaum had been hopelessly in love with Lex Bansfield.
It only confirmed Hayley’s worst fear. Lex Bansfield was Karen’s secret boyfriend. And the fact that he was still trying to hide it to the extent that he had tried to date Hayley behind Karen’s back only highlighted the possibility that he had something to do with her murder.
Island Food & Spirits
 
by Hayley Powell
 
 
What a week. Eye-opening to say the least. Sometimes I wonder why I even leave the house. So tonight was all about staying home for some much-needed rest and opening a bottle of Pinot Noir that has been sitting on my kitchen counter all week. Tonight seemed like the perfect time to finally pop it open and just sit back, relax, and reflect on the recent events in my life.
I must have done a lot of reflecting because when I went to fill another glass the bottle was empty. So I decided to finally get something done and make a nice dinner for the kids, because with me so distracted this week they had been fending for themselves with leftovers, not to mention supporting our local pizza joint. I had also been mulling over the recipe for our sixth course and was torn between a nice broiled beef or homemade pasta raviolis stuffed with cheese, ground pork, and spinach.
Feeling somewhat rejuvenated from my wine, I decided on the homemade pasta raviolis for the sixth course and I was going to surprise the kids by making some for when they got home. So I gathered all of the ingredients to make the pasta dough and, of course, had to move the large stack of papers the kids left all over the counter to another area of the room. I swear I don’t know why anyone in my house can’t just put things where they belong. Is it really such an inconvenience for the kids to put things away? Am I right, mothers?
Once I had the ingredients lined up in front of me for the filling, I began the process of grating, chopping, shredding, dicing, mixing, and rolling. I had forgotten what a long and involved process making homemade pasta with fresh ingredients could be, but I knew this meal would be well received and it made me feel good that I was preparing a home-cooked meal for my family.
After finally finishing the raviolis, I looked at the clock and was surprised to see that a whole hour had already passed. I knew the kids would be home soon and ready to eat so I tossed a salad, sliced a loaf of Italian bread and placed butter on the slices, wrapped that up, and put it in the oven to warm. I even made a homemade marinara sauce to have on top of the pasta.
Feeling exhausted and quite pleased with myself for preparing this delicious-looking feast, I decided to have another glass of wine (luckily there was an extra Malbec in the cupboard) and turn on
NCIS
while I waited for the kids to come home.
I became so engrossed in the show, and, honestly, who wouldn’t with that hunk of a man Mark Harmon staring at you with those bedroom eyes? Have I mentioned my Mark Harmon crush before? Anyway, I didn’t even realize another forty-five minutes had gone by and still no kids. Now I was starting to get a little worried because if you know my kids, you know they love their mealtimes, and they always call and let me know if they are going to be late.
My raviolis were getting cold, the bread was already hard, and I was wondering where they could be when at that moment, the front door flew open and my daughter marched in, announcing loudly and dramatically that she would never, ever eat another thing again as long as she lived. Her brother was right on her heels, nodding in full agreement.
I couldn’t believe my ears! Where did they eat? Who paid for it? Why didn’t they tell me? My daughter, in her most exasperated teen voice, answered, “We ate at the italian restaurant on Main Street with Uncle Randy and Uncle Sergio. They came by earlier and said you were having a rough week and it would be nice if you could just relax when you got home and not worry about making us dinner. Didn’t you find the note we left you?”
I just sighed and realized I’d never looked at the clutter of papers when I moved them to make dinner and failed to notice their note on the top of the pile. My son then noticed my delicious-looking raviolis and remarked how my pasta dish couldn’t possibly compare to the fabulous ones they’d had at the restaurant. Well, I guess both kids will find out for sure tomorrow night when they have leftovers again.
For our sixth course, I’ll be making the raviolis stuffed with sausage, cheese, and spinach! The first ingredient I suggest is a good bottle of Pinot Noir to calm the chef. And make sure to check and see if anyone else will be eating before you start cooking.
Sausage, Spinach, and Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce
 
Make your favorite pasta dough, then follow the recipe below.
Roll your pasta out into sheets, cut each sheet into squares (for tops and bottoms). Using a teaspoon, fill the center of half the squares with the filling. Brush around the filling with the egg wash and place the remaining squares on top. Press down around the seal to push out any air bubbles.
Filling
 
8 cups fresh spinach, cleaned and coarsely chopped
4 large italian sausage links, removed from casings
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
fresh Parmesan to serve on top
 
Sauce
 
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
 
To prepare the filling, steam the spinach and drain well. Press the spinach to remove any excess water. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions with the sausage meat until the onion is tender and the meat lightly browned. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Put the sausage mixture, spinach, egg, and cheese in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is combined. Make sure you don’t overprocess the mixture.
To prepare the sauce, heat the two tablespoons of oil in a heavy pot and cook the garlic for two minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Add the cream and fresh parsley, and mix well. Cook over low heat an additional 10 minutes. Leave on low while you cook your pasta.
Cook the ravioli in boiling salted water until tender. They will float to the top when ready. Drain your ravioli and return to the pot. Carefully pour half of the sauce mixture into the pot and gently stir until the ravioli is lightly coated. Serve the ravioli with additional sauce and fresh grated cheese.
You might as well be dining in Naples!

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