Pumpkins in Paradise (Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery Book 1) (15 page)

“And his instructions?
” Tj asked.

“He requested that he be buried in the family plot with only you,” he nodded toward Tj, “and anyone else
you
deemed appropriate in attendance. He specifically stated he did not want a large affair at which self-involved people he had never even met pretended to be saddened by his passing.”

“Sounds like Zachary, gruff to the end.
” Tj smiled sadly.

“I’d like to have the funeral Sunday after services,” Dan continued
. “If that works for you, of course. I figure that since a community service wasn’t requested, there won’t be a lot of planning required.”

“Sunday will be fine.
” Sunday was Halloween, and their anniversary. Somehow it seemed fitting they’d say their final farewell on their special day. “Thanks for your time.” Tj stood up to leave.

“Uh, Tj,” Dan said
. “There’s one more thing I think you should know.”

“Good; I’m glad you’re here.” Jenna, dressed casually in a pair of faded jeans, a deep burgundy sweater, and worn Nikes, handed Tj a stack of score cards as soon as she arrived at the cook-off. “Gwen is late, so I need you to go around to each entrant and get some basic information. Fill in the top of each card and bring them back to me when you’re done.”

Tj looked at the card
. There was a spot for the name of the entrant, the type of chili,
etc.
“Yeah, okay,” Tj agreed. Jenna appeared, as always, to be in control and pulled together, a personality trait for which she was well known and widely respected, but to the best friend’s eye, she seemed more than a little harried despite the fact that not a single blond hair had dared to escape the perfectly straight ponytail that hung down her back. “Anything else?”

“Probably
. Check with me when you’re done. Oh, and Tj—”

“Yeah?”

“We’re on a tight schedule, so make it quick.”

“T
en four,” Tj teased. Deciding to start with the participant closest to the judges’ booth and work her way around in a semicircle from there, she turned to her right. There were eight entrants in all. As Nikki had already warned, Carl Osgood, the Serenity High football coach and first-time entrant was first on the list; followed by Nolan Rivers, a retired deputy sheriff with the Paradise County Sheriff’s Department; Stan “Doc” Griffin; Jake Hanson, retired doctor and founder of Serenity Community Hospital, who was here with his grandson, Dr. Hunter Hanson, Tj’s high-school sweetheart; Hank Hammond, of the Beef and Brew; Harriett Kramer, who had teamed up for the third year in a row with Frannie Edison; Rob Riley of Rob’s Pizza, who appeared to have enlisted the help of Maggie’s Hideaway activities director Julie Sorenson and Nick and Emma Grainger.

“Hey, guys I need you to fill these out,” Tj said, handing an entry card to Carl
.

“Name of chili?”
Carl asked as he read the question below the entrant’s name.

“Firehouse Special,” Nikki suggested.

Carl paused and took a taste of the meaty concoction bubbling in front of him. “Seems about right. Want a taste?” Carl held a spoonful up for Tj to sample as Nikki frantically shook her head in the background.

“Thanks, but I’m supposed to stay neutral in case they need an additional judge,” Tj lied
.

“They short a judge?
” Carl set aside the tasting spoon he had offered Tj.

“I’m not really sure,” Tj hedged, “I just know that I’m supposed to have these cards filled out,
then report back to Sergeant Jenna.”

“How’s she holding up?
” Nikki laughed. “I guess an even better question is, how are you holding up?”

“Better than at the Christmas pageant.
” Tj giggled as she remembered being dressed in red tights and a green leotard to play a last-minute elf instead of the teenage Cindy Fisher, who had come down with the flu at a most inopportune time. While the outfit had been completely embarrassing, playing elf to ex-boyfriend Hunter Hanson’s Santa had been the most fun she’d had in years.

“If you do end up playing judge today, you might want to take just the tiniest bite of our entry,” Nikki warned
. “It’s so incredibly unique,” she added diplomatically, “that you can get the full appreciation of the flavor with just the tiniest bite.”

“Kind of like
a really good fudge that’s so rich you just need a little,” Tj added when she noticed Carl’s frown.

“Exactly.
” Nikki sighed in gratitude.

“If you don’t get to do the judging gig, come on back and I’ll save you a bowl,” Carl added
. “My chili is like nothing you’ve ever tasted. I’d hate for you to miss out.”

“Can’t wait to try it
. I’ll be sure to come by,” Tj promised and continued down the row of entrants.

She tried to relax and enjoy the festive atmosphere: the sound of laughter and screaming in the background as kids of all ages rode the rides provided by the traveling carnival, the smell of spicy chili intermingled with the aroma of kettle corn from one of the portable snack shacks that had been set up around the area
. Normally Tj loved attending the Pumpkin Festival, but today the only thing she could seem to focus on was the last bit of information Dan had shared with her.

“Hey, Nolan,” Tj greeted Nolan Rivers, the next entrant in line and one of her grandpa’s oldest friends
. Most people thought he was Doc’s stiffest competition this year. “I need to get some information for the judges.”

“’Kay, shoot.
” Nolan continued chopping onions as he spoke.

“Let’s see, a lot of this I already know,” Tj said, writing down his name
.

“By the way,” Nolan said, as he waited for Tj to finish what she was doing, “I wanted to tell you that I was sorry to hear about Zachary
. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the old boy, but I know you were friends.”

“You knew him?
” Tj looked up from the card she was filling out.

“A long time ago
. My dad was friends with his dad, and I went to his house a few times when I was a kid. The two men shared a common hobby: coin collecting. I always wondered what Zachary did with his dad’s collection. I remember hearing it was quite valuable.”

“Really?
” Zachary had never mentioned a coin collection, but then, there were a lot of things they never talked about.

“It was pretty common knowledge that Zachary’s dad had a penny worth over fifty thousand dollars, and that was seventy-five years ago
. Can’t imagine what it might be worth now.”

“Fifty thousand dollars
? Wow. I wonder if Zachary still had it.”

Nolan shrugged, “Who knows
? It’s been years. He might have sold it.”

“I guess
. So, what would you say the name of that wonderful-smelling concoction is?” Tj asked.

“Venison Surprise,” Nolan answered.

“Really? What’s the surprise?”

“The surprise is the secret ingredient that’s going to win me the trophy this year,” Nolan said.

Tj smiled. “Venison Surprise it is.”

Tj continued down the line of cook-off hopefuls, filling in the basic information for each one
. Hank’s entry featured a beer-based broth that was heavy on the beef and light on everything else. Harriett Kramer had chosen to make an interesting dish out of chicken and white beans, and Rob’s entry was served atop pizza dough and covered with cheese.

“Hey,
darlin’,” Doc greeted her when she arrived at his booth. “Here to taste the winning entry?”

“Not tasting, just filling out paperwork,” Tj commented
. “Where are Grandpa and Bookman?”

“Over talking to Helen.
” Doc nodded across the grassy area that had been roped off for the event. “Heading to the carnival later?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Good; you can ride the roller coaster with me. Ben said his back can’t take the twists and turns, and Bookman already promised to accompany Helen. If you ask me, I think they might be sweet on each other.”

“Bookman and Helen?
” Tj looked across to the group. Helen had been hanging out at the resort when Bookman was visiting a lot more often lately. Tj hadn’t really thought anything about it, since Helen had been a close friend of her grandfather’s for years, but now that Doc mentioned it, she could see where he might have gotten the idea.

“I wouldn’t mention it at this point,” Doc cautioned
. “I don’t think either of them know it yet themselves.”

“I won’t say anything
. So, what are we calling that inferno in a pot this year?” Doc had a reputation for making his chili hotter than hot but, she bet, not as hot as Carl’s, if Nikki’s warning had been accurate.

“You know,” Doc said with a chuckle, “I was going to go with Hot and Spicy Chili, but Inferno in a Pot sounds perfect.”

“Inferno in a Pot it is.” Tj finished filling out the card. “Any more news about that thing I asked you to look into?”

“Not yet
. I’ll give you a call as soon as I hear something. The boys in the lab tend to work on their own timetable, and trying to rush them usually results in removal to the bottom of the pile.”

“Okay, thanks
. And good luck with the contest.” Tj started to walk away.

“Don’t forget about the roller coaster,” Doc reminded her.

“I’ll meet you back here after the contest,” Tj promised.

“Dr. and Dr. Hanson.
” Tj smiled fondly as she approached the next booth, where Jake and Hunter Hanson were dicing and chopping and stirring and tasting. Tj and Hunter had been the “it” couple throughout high school, much to his socialite mother’s dismay. They’d tried to maintain a long-distance relationship when they’d gone off to different colleges, but when Hunter came home with the daughter of one his mother’s best friends on his arm during their junior year, Tj realized it was long past time to move on.

“How’s my girl?
” Jake came from around the table and enveloped her in a big bear hug.

“
Good, and you?” Tj hugged him back. Other than Hunter, Jake had always been Tj’s favorite member of the Hanson family.

“Better every day
. You know what they say about men over eighty?”

“Don’t ask,” Hunter warned as he hugged Tj in turn
.

“Aw, you’re no fun,” Jake complained as he
picked up a large wooden spoon to stir his masterpiece.

“Jenna
rope you into helping out?” Hunter effectively changed the subject.

“Yeah, but so far no bright-colore
d tights and scratchy beards,” Tj teased.

“Too bad.
” Hunter laughed. Dark brown eyes almost the same shade as his wavy brown hair sparkled at the memory. “I was rather fond of those tights.”

Tj blushed as she remembered sitting on Santa’s lap and playfully sharing her Christmas list during an ill-advised moment after everyone had left and she had been waiting for Tyler to pick her up
. The moment had started as silly fun shared between friends but had ended up dangerously close to a not-so-silly kiss that Tj suspected would have brought up feelings best left dead and buried. It wasn’t like she was still in love with Hunter…exactly. It was more that the goofy grin, soulful eyes, and washboard abs that had attracted her in the first place still had the ability to send her heart beating just a little faster than it normally did.

“What’s the name of your chili?
” Tj thought it was best to bring her imagination into check.

“Healthy Haven.”

“Healthy Haven?”

“A heart-healthy alternative to standard chili,” Jake answered.

Tj frowned. “Sounds,” she hesitated, “delicious?”

Hunter laughed
. “It tastes slightly better than you might imagine, and it’s the only version of chili that Grandpa Jake’s doctor will let him eat since his heart attack.”

“I thought you were his doctor?” Tj pointed out.

“I am.”

“More like a mother hen, if you ask me,” Jake grumbled
. “Boy needs to find the right girl, settle down and have a few kids of his own. Maybe then he’ll stop coddling me. I heard you were back on the market,” Jake hinted.

Tj laughed
. “Single, maybe; back on the market, definitely not.” She smiled at the man who, if things had worked out differently, might have become her grandfather by marriage. Sometimes Tj wondered what it would have been like to become a Hanson. Her life would certainly have turned out differently if she’d married Hunter. His mother would most likely have tried to turn her into some dainty socialite who would fit in with her high-society friends.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Tj asked Jake.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Alone,” she said, glancing at Hunter.

“Be back in a minute.” Jake turned toward Hunter. “Need to have a word with your girl.”

“I’m not his girl.”

“She’s not my girl.” They had spoken in unison.

Jake just chuckled as he placed Tj’s hand on the crook of her arm and led her away
. She knew Jake had been as disappointed over their breakup as Hunter’s mother, Cora Lee, had been thrilled by it. She and Hunter hadn’t been a couple for six years, but Tj suspected Jake still hoped they’d patch things up and get back together.

“What’s on your mind?
” Jake asked when they found an isolated spot to talk.

“I wanted to ask about Zachary Collins’s baby.
”

Jake hesitated
. “Old Zach told you about that, did he?”

“No,” Tj admitted
. “It’s sort of a long story, but I ran into a guy whose dad knew Zachary. Our conversation brought up some questions, so I started asking around. I found entries in Isabelle’s journals in which she talks about Zachary’s Mary and the baby she carried, but I couldn’t find anything that revealed what became of the child.”