Deadly Décor (A Caprice De Luca Mystery) Read online

  “You have to stay down so you can breathe. The fire started in the back. You can make it out. Go.”

  “But Jackie . . .”

  “I’ll get her. Go!”

  It wasn’t the authority in Grant’s voice that made her find her feet, keep crouched down, and hurry out the hall. It was the fact that she trusted him. She trusted him to find Jackie and save her too.

  And she soon realized she was right to trust him. She’d no sooner made it outside to the street than there he was, carrying Jackie in his arms, laying her down on the ground.

  Caprice reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

  “I already called nine-one-one,” he told her.

  “I’m going to call Chief Powalski.”

  Five minutes later, Grant had carried Jackie across the street and Caprice had followed him. The three of them sat at the curb while sirens screamed and fire overtook Connect Xpress.

  Jackie was leaning against Caprice, and Caprice had her arm around her. “The paramedics will be here soon.”

  Looming above her, Grant hovered next to Caprice. “You need to be checked out too, and don’t argue with me about it.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Just because you saved my life, don’t think I owe you obedience.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Obedience is one thing I’m never going to get from you.”

  There was something in his voice, something in his eyes that made her ask, “What do you want from me?”

  He looked as if he might say exactly what he wanted. But then the fire engine rolled down the street.

  Grant answered her question with, “All I want for now is to know you’re safe.”

  Without a doubt, Grant was the most frustrating man she knew. But without a doubt, she understood she’d always be grateful to him for saving her life.

  Epilogue

  Three Weeks Later

  Caprice was standing on her front porch with Mr. and Mrs. Tavish and their daughter, Olivia—Livvie for short. Shasta was dancing around their legs, barking up at them, joyfully enjoying their presence. There was a reason for that. Shasta belonged to them, as much as a dog could belong to anyone. Her real name was Honey.

  “We are so grateful,” Mrs. Tavish said again as Grant’s SUV rolled up to the curb.

  Caprice’s heart beat faster. She hadn’t seen him in the past two weeks. That first week after the fire, she’d spent time with him at the police station, talking with Detective Jones, explaining everything they knew. But they’d come and gone on their own. Grant had acted as if saving her life was just another activity in his week . . . like going grocery shopping.

  Now he climbed out of his vehicle and started up the walk. At her stoop, he smiled at all of them and bent down to pet Shasta/Honey, who rubbed against his hand eagerly.

  “Another home for a pup?” he asked Caprice.

  “More than that. Shasta—her real name is Honey—will be going home soon! Mr. and Mrs. Tavish are from Virginia. They were visiting relatives here when Honey slipped her collar, ran out of the yard, and apparently couldn’t find her way back in again. They stayed for a while but had to return home without her. Mrs. Tavish’s sister saw the flyer posted in one of the grocery stores.”

  Livvie, who was ten, explained, “We can’t take Honey along now. Her pups need her for a while longer. But then we’re going to have a pup and Honey.” She clapped her hands. “I can’t wait.”

  Mr. Tavish said, “You’re going to have to. We’re just grateful to Caprice for seeing her through a pregnancy and delivery. Honey doesn’t have papers or anything, so we’re thrilled if she can place the rest of the pups, the ones we’re not taking. But we need to get going. We have a drive ahead of us and work tomorrow. We can’t thank you enough, Caprice.”

  “No thanks are necessary. Honey’s been a delight, and it was an experience delivering her pups.” Her gaze met Grant’s. “Wasn’t it?”

  After a few moments, he broke eye contact first. “Yes, it was. Is this a bad time, or do you have a few minutes to talk?”

  “I have time,” Caprice said.

  As the Tavishes left, Caprice waved, watched them climb into their SUV and veer away.

  Grant followed her and Honey inside.

  “Do you want to see the pups?” she asked him, unsure why he was here.

  “Of course.”

  “Biscotti and lemonade afterward?”

  “Of course,” he said again, matter-of-factly.

  So matter-of-factly that Caprice’s heart sped up a little faster.

  As they went out the back door onto the porch and into the garage, Grant kept quiet. But once in the garage, he went right over to the pups’ pen, followed by Honey, opened the gate, and went inside. Honey went straight to her pups.

  “They sure have grown,” Grant said.

  “Yep, they have, and in just three weeks.”

  “Have you found the others homes?” he asked nonchalantly, as if it didn’t matter much.

  “Kent Osgood is taking one. The Tavishes are taking another. Ace’s daughter is taking a third.” Trista had fallen in love with the pups when she’d visited Caprice.

  Grant crouched down in the middle of the pups, and they squiggled around him.

  “I’m keeping the lightest one. I’m going to call her Lady—from Lady and the Tramp. It’s my favorite Disney movie. That just leaves a boy who doesn’t have a home.

  “Is there a reason you picked the one you did?”

  “She was the runt, though I don’t like to call her that. She did need the most care and still does. I want to make sure she gets it.”

  “That’s just like something you’d do.”

  So was that a compliment or what? she wondered.

  “One left, huh?”

  “Yep. And that one doesn’t look like the others. See how his ears are shorter and his coat might have darker patches?”

  When Grant was silent, she had a feeling there was a reason he was here today other than a friendly visit. After all, when did he stop by just for a friendly visit?

  “I’d like to adopt him then,” he suddenly said. “Unless you have someone else in mind.”

  She lowered herself on the little stool that she’d placed in the middle of the wood chips that made the pen comfortable and cleanable for the pups. Then she gazed at Grant. “I don’t have anyone else in mind.”

  She thought he might sit with her, maybe talk about a name for his pup. But instead, he said in a gruff voice, “You almost died in that fire.”

  They hadn’t talked about everything that had happened. But she’d been through it all over and over again, not only with the police, but with her family and friends.

  “I know,” she said simply.

  “I don’t want you to ever put yourself in that kind of danger again.” The tone of his voice told her that he cared, but she didn’t acknowledge that because she didn’t know what it meant.

  “You were in danger too.”

  “Yes, I was. And that’s my point. What you do doesn’t just affect you. Your investigation affected everyone around you.”

  “My investigation cleared Joe.”

  Grant impatiently concluded, “So you’re saying the end justified the means.”

  “No. What I’m saying is that I can’t just stand by when someone I care about needs my help. Let’s face it, Grant. You can’t, either. Nikki told me when you called my house after Jones questioned Joe again, you were worried because you couldn’t get me on my cell. When she told you I went to Connect Xpress, you didn’t think twice about running into the smoke and fire to save me . . . and Jackie. And here you are today, wanting to give a home to a needy pup.”

  He shook his head. “Only you could compare adopting a pup to tracking down a murderer who fortunately got nabbed before she could fly away.”

  They had learned Eliza had been apprehended en route to the airport and her chartered plane. Since then she had been arraigned and was awaiting trial. No bail had been
offered at all in light of the charges. Caprice was glad about that.

  “Detective Jones couldn’t have been too pleased that Marianne Brisbane gave you all the credit in her article,” Grant added.

  “One of these days, Detective Jones is going to arrest me for something. Even if it’s jaywalking.”

  “Probably,” Grant agreed blandly.

  She grinned at him. But he didn’t smile back. In fact, he didn’t seem able to look away.

  He cleared his throat. “I heard Seth Randolph is leaving Kismet.”

  “He already left,” she said softly, remembering their good-bye and how hard that had been. But Seth was doing what he had to do, and she couldn’t fault him for that.

  “You’re not going to follow him?”

  “He didn’t ask me. Besides, I could never leave my family.” And she couldn’t. Almost dying in a fire had shaken her up. In those moments before Grant had arrived, she’d thought about everyone she loved and knew what she’d be losing. They were even more precious to her now than before.

  As Grant seemed to absorb that, he leaned down, picked up his pup, and cradled him. “I never imagined I’d want a dog.”

  He never imagined he’d care again? Caprice wondered. Maybe he was finally ready.

  “I’ll get the lemonade and biscotti.” She rose to her feet.

  Grant straightened too, still cuddling the pup. “I’m going to need help knowing what food to give him . . . how to train him.”

  “You can call me anytime. In fact, we could walk them together.”

  “That sounds like a plan.”

  Then Grant smiled at her, a really genuine smile that told her maybe . . . just maybe . . . they could do more than walk their dogs together . . . that maybe he could forgive her for putting their lives in danger . . . that maybe . . . just maybe . . . he accepted everything about her, including her penchant for solving murders!

  Just maybe.

  Original Recipes

  Fran’s Pasta Fagioli

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Prep time: One hour

  Bake time: 40 minutes

  Serves 6–8

  1 pound ground beef. I use 85% lean.

  pound sliced prosciutto torn into bite-size pieces

  ½ cup chopped fennel. I chop the upper portion of the stalks around the “heart.” (The heart is a great crunchy snack!) You can substitute celery, but that will change the flavor of the casserole.

  ½ cup chopped onion

  1 clove grated garlic

  1 teaspoon salt

  Dash of pepper

  1 cup fire-roasted canned tomatoes

  1 cup ketchup

  ¼ cup brown sugar

  1 tablespoon mustard

  1 tablespoon lemon juice

  1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  2 cans of cannellini beans (white kidney beans; 15.5 ounce cans). I rinse and drain these.

  1 cup of shredded, apple-smoked mozzarella cheese. Using my hand grater, I grate the cheese and set it in the refrigerator until the casserole has baked for 35 minutes.

  1½ cups fusillini or other mini pasta

  5 quarts of water with 1 teaspoon of salt

  Start water to boil. While waiting, chop the vegetables and measure out the other ingredients so they’re ready when you need them. When the water boils, add the fusillini or other mini pasta and boil for 8 minutes.

  The pasta should be finished about when the beef is browned. Drain your pasta after it cooks, and let it stand until you are ready for it.

  In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef until there is no pink.

  To the browned ground beef, add the prosciutto and stir well. Add fennel, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.

  Stir and let simmer for about 2 minutes to mix the flavors. Stir in tomatoes. Add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar. Add drained beans.

  Cover the ground-beef mixture and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Then pour the drained pasta into the mixture and stir.

  Transfer all of it into a 3-quart casserole; cover and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the grated apple-smoked mozzarella, and insert into oven again, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

  Remove and serve with crusty bread.

  Nikki’s Baked Tomatoes

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Prep time: 15–20 minutes. This always depends on how much you enjoy the process of handling ingredients. Some cooks rush through prep, while others put on music and enjoy chopping and measuring.

  Bake time: 60 minutes

  Serves 6–8 as a side dish

  2½ pounds tomatoes—washed, cored, and sliced about ¼" thick. I like to use large tomatoes.

  1 medium onion, thinly sliced (" thick)

  2 teaspoons oregano. You will first use one half and then the other half later.

  1 clove garlic, grated

  1 tablespoon sugar, one half first, the other later

  ½ teaspoon pepper, one half first, the other later

  ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese, one half first, the other later

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8-ounce bag)

  cup Italian-style bread crumbs. I use Progresso.

  Layer half the sliced tomatoes in an 8” x 12” glass casserole. Spread half the onion over the first half, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon oregano, all of the grated garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; then sprinkle with ¼ cup parmesan cheese.

  Layer the remainder of the tomatoes and onion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of oregano. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil.

  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

  Remove casserole from oven. Carefully spoon out excess liquid. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan, then mozzarella cheese and bread crumbs.

  Put the casserole back in the oven at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 20 more minutes until the bread crumbs are toasty brown.

  After removing, allow the dish to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

  Caprice’s Blueberry Vanilla Pecan Bread

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Prep time: 20–25 minutes

  Bake time: 50–55 minutes

  Makes 2 loaves

  2½ cups flour

  ½ cup white sugar

  ½ cup packed brown sugar

  3½ teaspoons baking powder

  ¾ teaspoon salt

  4 tablespoons sour cream

  4 teaspoons imitation vanilla extract

  ¾ cup milk (1½%)

  2 large eggs

  1 cup finely chopped pecans

  1½ cups fresh blueberries, de-stemmed, washed, and well drained. I put a paper towel in a bowl and let them roll around on that before adding to batter.

  Grease and flour two 8½" x 4" x 2½" loaf pans.

  Beat all ingredients except nuts and fruit in a mixer bowl, scraping bowl often, on mix or blend setting until batter is smooth (about a minute). Stir in nuts by hand, then fold in blueberries.

  Pour even amounts of batter into 2 pans. Bake 50–55 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

  After 10 minutes, remove from the baking pans to continue cooling. Refrigerate uneaten portions (if there are any). A slice of blueberry bread with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top makes a great dessert.

  Please turn the page for an exciting sneak peek of

  Karen Rose Smith’s next

  Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery

  coming in February 2015!

  Chapter One

  If her sister could run away, she probably would!

  At least that’s what Caprice De Luca thought after glancing at the expression on Bella’s face, as well as the total disarray in Bella and Joe Santini’s home.

  This kind of chaos probably wasn’t unusual for a mom with a three-week-old baby because everything changed when a baby entered a house. A baby . . .
or a pup.

  Caprice patted her hip to bring her dog, Lady, to her side. But Lady’s head swung back and forth between Caprice and the newborn infant in Bella’s arms who began to wail again.

  Caprice wished she had more time to stay and help her sister, but shortly she was due at an appointment with a client. During February in Kismet, Pennsylvania, houses sold slowly. On the other hand, if a house hunter was looking at this time of year, the prospective buyer was usually serious. When Louise Downing, her mom’s best friend, hired Caprice to stage her house, Caprice was more than ready with a Valentine’s Day idea. An open house in conjunction with the popular holiday would be different than anything she’d done before. Louise’s home already was all about hearts and flowers so that would be the underlying home-staging theme.

  All at once, Bella’s son Timmy yelled at his sister Megan, “You don’t know how to play hide and seek.” At eight, he was an expert.

  Although Megan was only six, she still knew the rules. “You didn’t count. You cheated.”

  Their squabbling was born out of restlessness and change. The let-down after the holidays had segued into welcoming their new brother into their home. Caprice supposed that they’d expected a newborn baby to be more fun. Since their mom had to give most of her attention to little Ben, they were antsy and looking for trouble. That’s where Aunt Caprice had come in. But she wasn’t sure she’d done a very good job this Saturday afternoon. Bella was sleep-deprived and cranky, even though she loved her baby to bits. Trying to help out, Caprice had decided to keep them all company, do a little cooking and laundry.