Inherit the Word (The Cookbook Nook Series) by Daryl Wood Gerber Page A

with energy.
    I descended the ladder and joined them by the sales counter, where my aunt and Bailey were ringing up a steady stream of orders.
    “Good news,” the mayor warbled. “The Grill Fest will continue Friday, right after Ellen holds the memorial for her mother.”
    “She’s having a memorial instead of a funeral?” I said.
    Mayor Zeller shook her head with regret. “Poor thing. Our chief of police won’t release the body quite yet.”
    What more could Cinnamon glean from the corpse? Maybe the pieced-together resignation letter wasn’t the only evidence she had found.
    “When is the memorial?” I asked.
    “Tomorrow morning,” the mayor replied.
    “Even better news”—Lola shot an exultant finger into the air—“Chief Pritchett is allowing me to participate in the fest.”
    “Yippee!” Bailey hurried to her mother and gave her a hug so fierce I thought she might be trying to wring some caffeine from her. “Mom, I’m so happy for you. That means you’re innocent.”
    “Not so fast,” Lola said, wriggling free. “I’m not out of the woods yet.”
    Bailey eyed me. “Jenna, tell them what we learned about Mitzi.”
    “What about her?” Lola asked.
    “Two different people claim Mitzi was in the vicinity of the café around the time of the murder,” I said.
    “That doesn’t put her at the crime scene,” Lola argued.
    “Near enough,” Bailey countered.
    “Why wasn’t she in the parking lot with everyone else?” the mayor asked.
    I explained Mitzi’s supposed need for vitamin D and her claim that she was headed for the beach.
    “That means she lied,” the mayor said.
    Lola scoffed. “We don’t know that. Don’t presume.”
    “Mom,” Bailey said. “Mitzi held a grudge against Natalie.”
    Mayor Zeller nodded. “And rightly so. Mitzi was never going to win the contest as long as Natalie was alive.”
    “That’s not true, ZZ,” Lola said. “Mitzi is a creative chef. Her private clients rave about the uniqueness of her gourmet meals.” Lola eyed me. “What about Natalie’s heirs, Jenna? I heard you mention that angle to Cinnamon.”
    “No, I mentioned it, Mother,” Bailey said. “By the way, did you know Ellen has a sister? The two of them stand to inherit.”
    Everyone looked as surprised as I had been. Talk about keeping family secrets in a closet.
    I said, “However, just between us, I think Ellen’s husband may have had a hand in Natalie’s murder.” I told them about my breakfast at Mum’s the Word. “He seems overly concerned about Ellen talking to anyone.” I explained how Willie coerced Ellen to return the books to the shelves yesterday. “I think they might be having financial difficulty. Ellen mentioned something about obligations. On the other hand, Willie has a solid alibi. He was at the car repair shop.”
    Mayor Zeller said, “I’ll keep an eye on him. We don’t want him giving Ellen and that daughter of hers any trouble. Now, Lola, let’s go. Ladies, if anyone needs us, Lola and I are going on a shopping expedition.” She ushered Lola out saying, “Hope you have your credit cards handy. We’re celebrating your freedom.”
    “Temporary freedom.”
    “Don’t talk like that.”
    Around 5:00 P.M. Katie tracked me down. Not with food, which disappointed me. I don’t know why I was starved yet again. I thought being around the aroma of delicious food was stirring my appetite. If I didn’t watch out, my waistline would double in no time. Perhaps an extra cup of coffee instead of sweets as a treat was a good alternative.
    “Whew,” Katie said while she tied on a white apron. “It’s been crazy today. We’ve had so many customers I can barely breathe. Can you do me a favor? I need you to go to the store. We had a run on the lunch special.”
    “The crab melt?”
    “No, the Brazilian spiced fish salad. I need to make another batch of the tempero baiano, a Bahian seasoning. I’m completely out of turmeric, and I could also use some rosemary