Chili Con Corpses (16 page)

“You go first,” she ordered.

He carefully ripped the paper off the first box and was delighted to see a new pair of shear-lined leather slippers inside. “How did you know?” he asked her, thinking about the ratty slippers lined up on the floor next to his bed. “I’ve needed a new pair for about ten years now.”

“I saw them when I used the upstairs bathroom on Thanksgiving. It’s always good to do a little snooping if you’re getting a Christmas gift for a new friend.” She winked. “At first, I thought it was such a lame present, but everyone needs to have warm feet. Now, open the second one. This one’s much better.”

James laughed as the second box revealed a new Monopoly game. “This is more of a gift for you!” he reprimanded her. “Do you really think I want to play this with you after you annihilated me so many times before? Let a man have his dignity.”

“It’s not your run-of-the-mill Monopoly.” Murphy gestured at the box lid. “Look closely.”

“Quincy’s Gap Monopoly,” James read the text aloud in astonishment. “How did you do this?”

“There’s a make-your-own game set, so I used Quincy’s Gap.” Excitedly, she removed the game board and showed James some of the real estate squares. “See? There’s the library and here’s
The Star
, and there’s the Sweet Tooth, Dolly’s Diner, and I put the Custard Cottage on the Free Parking space because it’s as good as money.”

“I can’t imagine how much time and effort this must have required.” James was in awe. He looked into Murphy’s hazel eyes. “What a special gift. No one’s ever made me something before.”

“Oh my, you used the word ‘special.’ I’d better go open a new bottle of wine.” Murphy sprang up and returned with another bottle of red. “Good thing we had the Cakebread first. I don’t know much about this wine. I just liked the name
Matriarch
.” She poured two glasses and then gestured at the gift James had brought for her. “And what’s in there?”

“It’s for you,” he stated miserably. “But I had a terrible time thinking of what to get for you, and I’m afraid I haven’t made a great choice.”

“Let
me
decide on that, okay?” She reached over him and grabbed her gift and as she did so, he caught her clean scent of baby powder and lavender mixed in with a slightly fruity perfume. “Oh, how fun!” she exclaimed when she revealed the Scrabble box. “And do you know why I love this present so much?”

James shook his head.

“It implies that you want to keep spending time together,” she said softly and then brushed his cheek with her lips. “Let’s play a round right now.”

Over the course of the next hour, James and Murphy finished the second bottle of wine and began spelling nonsense words just to test the other person’s vocabulary skills. The wine made it difficult for James to focus on diction, and Murphy’s nearness tempted his thoughts away from winning the game and more on taking her in his arms.

Finally, he decided that it was time to make a move. Murphy had said that she would not be the one to initiate a romance between them, but she had already done her best to ensure that they had spent time together over the past two months. Banishing thoughts of Lucy into the farthest reaches of his mind, James suddenly swept all the Scrabble tiles off the board and onto the rug.

“What are you doing?” Murphy demanded, giggling. “Are you throwing a tantrum?”

“See if you can tell what this means?” James gathered a few tiles and spread them across the board until they read “I W-A-N-T T-O K-I-S-S U.”

Murphy read the message and immediately stopped laughing, though a smile still played around the corners of her mouth. She inched closer and James put his hand behind her neck and drew her into his chest. She felt so much slighter in his arms than Lucy, but she was soft and warm and James could feel his body respond to her touch.

After a few minutes, Murphy broke away and, after taking another sip of wine, began spelling out a new message on the board. When she was done, she got up and walked down the hall into a dark bedroom.

James watched her in surprise and then looked back at what the Scrabble tiles read:

W-A-I-T O-N-E M-I-N-U-T-E

T-H-E-N C-O-M-E B-A-C-K

After a brief moment of hesitation, James drained his wine glass and also finished off the dregs in Murphy’s and then tiptoed down the hall. Murphy appeared in the doorway to her bedroom, dressed in a silky white robe stitched with tiny red roses. Though the robe was long, it fell open to reveal one of Murphy’s shapely legs. He wanted to stop time and drink in the image of her—the curve of her breasts beneath the thin fabric of her robe or the way the moonlight illuminated her hair and robe until she practically glowed.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered and then she was against him, wrapping her arms around his back. He didn’t think beyond the moment as Murphy pulled off his sweater and unbuttoned his shirt. His mind concentrated only on her iridescent skin, the feel of her lips, and the faint sounds of Chopin’s Prelude in C Minor.

“Beautiful,” he whispered again and then drew her down onto the bed.

At the final
Fix ’n Freeze class of the year, Milla announced that she had been in bed most of the day nursing a bad cold and the evening’s menu was going to reflect her need for simple, comforting fare.

“Seems as though our friend Colin’s still down and out with this nasty bug, and I sure hope none of you get it.” She pulled a large bowl from the oven and, with the aid of a thick pair of potholders, carried it across the room to the center island. “I made us a nice bowl of fresh
chili con queso
,” she said and then hid a rumbling cough behind a corner of her apron. “And since Lindy wants to serve this delicious Mexican dip at her New Year’s Eve party, I thought I’d give you the basic recipe and then show you how to jazz it up, should you care to.” Gathering her class around the butcher block, she gestured at a new painting hanging to the left of the large front window.

“Before we start, I wanted to show you the most splendid Christmas gift I’ve ever received. What do you think?”

The class oohed and ahhed over an oil painting of a woman’s hands. One hand firmly grasped a carrot, while the other was frozen in the act of driving the blade of a wide knife into the end of the vegetable. A scattered pile of paper-thin carrot slices lay to the right of the hand doing the chopping. That was it. James stared and stared at the image, dazzled by the hues chosen to highlight the veins, knuckles, minute lines, freckles, age spots, and shadows of what were undoubtedly Milla’s hands. The artist had captured grace, strength, and a sense of culinary giftedness in this focused snapshot of a woman at work in the kitchen. Simply entitled
The Cook
in block letters on the bottom left-hand corner, the painting was unframed and hung from a crude wire on a single nail.

“It’s wonderful!” Lindy exclaimed.

“The
emotions
captured in this plain activity,” Gillian breathed and moved closer to the painting. “People say the soul is in the eyes, but I think
this
artist is perfectly aware that the soul can reside in many parts of our body. The feet, for instance, are most revealing.”

Bennett threw Gillian a perplexed look. “Who did this, Milla?”

“Jackson Henry,” she declared. “And I think he’s working on a whole pile of hand paintings as we speak.”

Lucy had arrived while the class was busy studying the painting. “Wow. James, you must be so proud,” she said as she moved to his side.

“I had no idea,” he told her without meeting her eyes. With Murphy standing to his left and Lucy on his right, he felt torn between the past and the present. “He stopped painting altogether for quite a while, saying that he was completely stumped and needed fresh subject matter.”

“Well, I’d say he found it.” Lindy thumped James on the back. “I’m going to have to report this success to my mama, James. She’ll want to fill the gallery again, I’m sure of it.”

“And I hear more congratulations are in order.” Gillian rushed to Lucy and threw her arms around her friend. “You’ve scheduled your physical exam for Monday, right?”

Lucy blushed. “Yeah, that’s right. I think I’m finally ready.”

“Where’s your training partner?” Bennett asked innocently. “Sullie.”

The color on Lucy’s cheeks deepened a shade. “He … um … he passed both exams last week. He’s been officially hired as a deputy in Albemarle County. I helped him pack his stuff earlier this week.”

“So he’s moved already?” Milla sighed. “I’m so sorry, my dear. But I’m sure you’ll see a great deal of him once you’re a deputy, too,” she added brightly.

The room fell silent as everyone examined Lucy’s dejected face.

Lindy, ever the cheerleader, grabbed Lucy’s hand and held it tightly. “You’re going to pass that test on Monday. And after you do, you’re going to be the guest of honor at my party. That means you’re going to get the first whack at the adult-themed party piñata!”

“Intriguing.” Bennett edged behind Lindy. “What are the contents of said piñata, exactly?”

Lindy winked at Lucy. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Milla waited for this exchange to conclude before she clapped her hands together. “Now, my dears, let’s continue with tonight’s appetizer.”

Once more, Milla was interrupted as the front door was opened, allowing frigid air to seep inside as a couple scurried into the toasty room. James was surprised to see Kinsley alongside a short man. The man helped Kinsley out of her coat and then appraised the group with interest.

“I think that’s Gary, her ex,” Murphy whispered to James.

Wordlessly, Milla moved toward the pair and enfolded Kinsley in a maternal embrace. Kinsley returned the hug and then smiled hesitantly at her classmates. “Everyone, this is Gary. He took a leave of absence from his job to keep me company for a while. Tonight, after a lot of urging, he finally convinced me to give leaving my house a shot.”

“That’s for sure,” her companion said in a scratchy voice heavy with a New York accent. “No way I could take another episode of
Dr. Phil!
” He nodded and grinned. “I could do that job, anyway. You just tell every guest that they need to
get real
a few dozen times and then plug your latest book. Easy!”

Bennett sniggered. “You better watch it, man. You’re in a room packed full of women. Never met a woman who didn’t like Dr. Phil.”

Gary pretended to bow in apology. “Too true. Still, I think the guy’s got a cake life. But don’t worry, I won’t go trashing Oprah. I’m not
that
stupid. Even Princeton let me graduate. Heeeey!” He put his prominent nose in the air. “What’s that awesome smell?”

As the newcomers joined the class by the butcher block, Milla showed her pupils an array of ingredients used to make
chili con queso
.

“Just promise me that you’ll never make this with Velveeta.” Milla attempted to sound stern. “None of you are so lazy that you can’t melt real cheese in a saucepan for a few minutes. I like a combination of Monterey jack and cheddar, but you can also use mozzarella. This recipe also calls for a cup of dry white wine, but you can use a quarter cup of half-and-half if you prefer a nonalcoholic dip.”

“What are these?” Gary plucked two peppers from a plate and held them in front of his earlobes. “Look, I’m still wearing my Christmas bulb earrings,” he lisped and then pretended to walk like a fashion model down a runway. Everyone laughed. James was pleased to see Kinsley laughing, too.

“Your earrings are Serrano peppers, dear.” Milla pointed at the other foods before her. “Jalapeños, an onion, chopped tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil, and ta-da! you’ve got your base.”

“Another meatless dish,” Gillian clasped her hands over her breast. “I am so thrilled that our destinies aligned with the help of Lindy over here. I am going to have a fatter recipe box after meeting you, Milla.”

“Well, I’m going to have a fatter ass!” Gary exclaimed as he helped himself to an oven-baked tortilla chip coated in Milla’s warm
chili con queso
. “Man, this is too damned tasty to be healthy. Reminds me of a lobster dip my mom used to make every summer. ’Course, we had lobsters so fresh they were practically jumping out of the pot, and you gotta eat a pound of butter with every lobster.” He toasted Milla with his half-eaten chip. “You must have a pound of cheese in this stuff. Nice work.”

After sampling the dip, which was a combination of salty, spicy, and creamy goodness, James had to agree with Gary. It didn’t take much wisdom to sense that the Mexican dip was too salty for his blood pressure, so he gloomily restricted himself to one more sample.

“It’s certainly not a food for dieters,” Milla agreed. “But it’s great to eat in small amounts and to serve at parties.” She turned to Lindy. “You can add a cup of champagne to yours instead of the wine, since you’ll be serving it on New Year’s Eve.”

Lindy’s eyes widened. “Cool.”

“And for you carnivores, a nice helping of crumbled sausage will fill your bellies.” She poked at Bennett with a wooden spoon. “Just make sure to cook the sausage first. When you’re done with your snack, head over to your cook stations. We’re making beef tamale pies this evening.”

Realizing that he had forgotten his apron, James returned to the coatrack and began rifling through the jackets and scarves to discover that his apron was tucked away beneath both Kinsley’s and Gary’s coats and sundry accessories. As he began to remove Kinsley’s red wool trench, Lucy appeared by his side.

“Want some help?” she asked.

He handed her the red coat. “Sure, thanks.” After depositing Gary’s leather bomber jacket in her arms, he finally met her eyes. “How are you, Lucy? I mean, with Sullie moving and all.”

Lucy shrugged and replied in a defensive tone, “He’s not that far away.” Then, she seemed to change her mind. Sighing, she frowned and said, “Actually, it wouldn’t matter if he lived right next door. He’s not interested in me romantically, James. Turns out he never was.”

James paused in the act of tying on his apron. Sullie was the reason that he and Lucy broke up, and yet, the man had been undeserving of all the negative vibes James had sent his way. “But it seemed like … you spent so much time together.”

“He didn’t want to hurt my feelings, and apparently he enjoyed my company, but that’s it.” Lucy cast her eyes on the floor. “I know I really screwed up what we had, James.” Her face was a mixture of anguish and hope as she faced him once again. “Can you forgive me?”

James didn’t know what to say. He shot a quick glance toward Murphy, but she was busy browning beef while chatting with Bennett. “I’m not angry with you anymore, Lucy.” He didn’t want to tell her that he was involved with another woman, especially one that Lucy had been jealous of in the past. “I’m your friend and I’m here if you need me.”

Lucy looked as though she might cry at any moment. “So we can’t …” She gulped. “We can’t just start over? Go back to how things were before?”

He shook his head. “Too much has changed since then. I’m sorry.” He knew he was being cowardly by not telling her that he was dating Murphy, but he didn’t want to cause her any more pain.

Lucy nodded mutely and returned to her cooking area with a defeated slump to her shoulders. Watching her, James felt as though his heart might break all over again.

“Nothing’s ever easy,” he muttered and then forced himself to concentrate on his beef tamale pie.

The class flew by and before Milla’s students knew it, their pies were being packed into cardboard boxes and their bodies stuffed into parkas, hats, scarves, and gloves. Kinsley and Gary were the first to leave. As soon as they were out the door, Murphy turned to her classmates with appeal in her eyes.

“We could really help Kinsley heal if we allowed her some closure,” she said softly. “Just seeing her out tonight made me realize that I haven’t done enough to help.” Her eyes were mournful. “Parker would have wanted her sister to be surrounded by friends. Right now, she’s only got Gary.”

Lindy nodded. “I agree, but my party’s in two days and McClellan will be there. He must have something up his sleeve. What else can we do?”

The group fell silent as they pulled on gloves and tied thick scarves in knots to protect their exposed necks. James watched as Gillian wound a flimsy red scarf stitched with gold thread around and around her throat until she resembled a male robin. He could hear running water coming from the back kitchen as Milla loaded pots and pans into a commercial dishwasher.