Dinner and a Murder: Wines, Spines, & Crimes Book Club Cozy Mysteries, #3

By Elodie Hart

Harper didn't expect her blind date to end with a dead chef in the kitchen—or a room full of suspects.

 

Harper Lansbury was content with working in the library and hosting a weekly book club. When her neighbor set her up on a blind date, Harper couldn't think of a worse thing. At the restaurant, things seemed to be going well. Until the chef dropped dead in the kitchen before dessert was even served. To make matters worse, everyone who hated the chef was at that dinner—which means any of them could have killed the chef, even her date. All she wanted was a nice dinner date. What she ended up with was a dead chef, a lying date, and a detective who doesn't know what to do with her. There are five suspects, no evidence, and a dead body. What's a girl to do?

 

Harper and the book club ladies are on the prowl again to find the killer and the missing evidence. Harper won't stop until she finds some answers and uncovers who killed the chef.

 

Dinner and a Murder is the third story in the Wines, Spines, and Crimes Book Club Cozy Mystery series. Download your copy today to join Harper and the book club ladies as they search for elusive clues to catch the killer in this fast-paced installment in the Wines, Spines, and Crimes Book Club Cozy Mystery series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elodie Hart
• Release date: May 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223946199

Elodie Hart

Elodie Hart was raised on old detective movies and mystery books. She loves a good puzzle (literally and figuratively), cuddling with dogs, and exploring small towns. The Tea Room Cozy Mystery Series is the first of many books she’ll write.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Why had she agreed to this? Oh, yeah, Mrs. Sheffield from next door caught her by surprise and she had been too stunned to say anything at all.

Now Harper Lansbury had to face her biggest challenge that she successfully avoided for the past five years—a blind date with her neighbor’s grandson.

I can’t believe I’m doing this, she muttered as she crossed the street in her espadrille sandals, not used to walking on anything with more than a few centimeters of height in the heel.

The light pink dress floated delicately around her knees with the gentle A-line structure, while a sash gathered the fabric at her waist to give her an hourglass silhouette. Grandma Angie would laugh hysterically at this situation and to honor her, Harper wore a simple gold necklace from Grandma Angie’s collection. It sat perfectly nestled in the V-neck of her dress.

She had never been to this restaurant, called Island Fusion. Usually when she went out with the book club ladies, they went to a more casual restaurant. Island Fusion was more on the high-scale side. At home, Harper had glanced at the menu online. From what she could tell, they used flavors and ingredients local to the island and surrounding ocean and then paired them with other dishes like risotto.

Just outside the restaurant, she saw someone who resembled the man she had seen in the photograph Mrs. Sheffield showed her. An average build, maybe five-foot-ten, fit, sandy blond hair, brown eyes, tan skin—he was the classic boy next door dressed in casual jeans and a button-down shirt.

You’re Brandon, aren’t you? she asked, approaching him.

He turned to her and said, Yes. And you’re Harper, right?

That’s me, she said, smiling at him and wishing she could be anywhere else.

Neither of them said anything for a moment and Harper wished she had the social skills of Bernie or Dana to say anything and carry a conversation effortlessly. Give her a good mystery to solve and she could speak to anyone. Put her in a blind date situation and she turned into a clam.

This is awkward, isn’t it? she asked.

It’s not just me? he asked.

Harper shook her head. Nope. How about we just relax and enjoy dinner, no pressure for anything else?

That sounds good. I was in shock when Grandma told me I had a date tonight. I didn’t realize I asked anyone out, so you can imagine my surprise, he teased.

Me, too. I didn’t know how to respond when she asked me and I think she took my silence as a yes. By the time my brain caught up with my mouth, she already walked away. I didn’t want to be rude and stand you up, so…

Same here. Okay, so let’s just enjoy dinner. No pressure, like you said. It makes my grandmother happy and we both get a night out where we don’t have to cook.

Harper smiled, truly relaxed for the first time since earlier that day when Mrs. Sheffield accosted her and arranged this date. He held the door open for her and they went inside the restaurant where a waiter took them straight to a table.

Have you been to this restaurant before? she asked after the waiter handed them menus and walked away.

He shook his head. No, but I met the owner years ago. Now that I’m writing a travel series for the tourism board, I thought I’d do a few on local restaurants.

So this is work for you?

A habit of the trade, I’m afraid. Most things involved with traveling end up as work for me.

What is it that you do? Your grandmother mentioned reporting, but that doesn’t seem to involve tourism.

I used to be a reporter but I made the switch a few years ago to travel writing and I never looked back. Now I get to travel all over the world and write about food, culture, and all the places I go. It’s a far cry from reporting on politics, Brandon said.

It does sound exciting. What’s your favorite place that you’ve been to, if you can pick one? she asked, smiling.

She had the feeling that asking him to pick a favorite travel destination was similar to asking a reader to pick a favorite book. Heaven knows she couldn’t pick just one book that she loved.

You’re asking the hard questions now, he joked and leaned back in his chair while he thought. I loved Asia and Australia. Both are so vast with so many regional differences that there was always something new and exciting around the corner.

All of Asia? Not a specific country?

All of it. Each country has its own appeal that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe because it’s so different from what we’re used to in our own country, but I loved the feeling of being out of my depth where everything was new to me.

And Australia? she asked, curious how it fit in with Asia.

Australia is like a planet in and of itself. I’ve been surfing at Bondi Beach and the Gold Coast. I’ve been to a performance at the Sydney Opera House. I’ve been to the Twelve Apostles at a marine national park. I’ve been to wineries and animal habitats. I’ve been to natural wonders like Uluru. I’ve seen everything from wildlife to beaches to sand dunes and monuments. There’s so much in Australia that there’s constantly something new to do. I was there for six months last time, exploring and writing for tourism.

And now you’re doing that here, for little Marilee Island, she said.

Brandon smiled. I know, right? I was shocked when the tourism board contacted me but I think my grandma had something to do with that. Don’t tell her I know.

Harper mimicked zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key. She won’t hear anything from me.

Brandon smiled and for the first time, Harper thought that maybe their blind date wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Ah, my good friend, Brandon. Thank you for coming to my restaurant, said a man as he came over to their table in a black chef’s shirt and apron. He was a little shorter than Brandon, with dark hair and dark eyes, and a smile that felt just a tad bit too practiced.

Chef Anthony Perkins, good to see you again. This is my date, Harper Lansbury, an island local.

Miss Lansbury, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoy the food I prepare for you tonight. I’ve arranged for a five-course meal and accompanying wines to give you the best experience. Please, enjoy, Chef Anthony said before he gave a little bow, smiled at them, and went back to the kitchen.

Maybe it was the way Anthony only paid attention to them and ignored the other diners, or maybe it was the way he hissed at a waitress in passing, but something about Chef Anthony Perkins was disingenuous and rubbed Harper the wrong way. She doubted he and Brandon were actually friends so maybe the friendliness was all a show for the sake of the tourism article.

Would you excuse me for a minute? I need the ladies’ room, she said, standing up and walking away.

On her way to the ladies’ room, Harper wondered how she always ended up in these situations. After she accepted that she couldn’t reasonably get out of the blind date she decided to just enjoy dinner out.

Just as she reached the restroom, Harper saw Chef Anthony corner a young man outside the kitchen and she froze in her tracks. What was he doing? And who was the young man?

Squinting, Harper recognized Bobby Bryant. He regularly brought his little sister to the library when their mom was working on the weekends. She didn’t know Bobby worked at the restaurant. Maybe he made a mistake and Anthony was just talking to him about it somewhere where others couldn’t see and make Bobby embarrassed.

But when Anthony placed a hand on Bobby’s shoulder and squeezed hard enough for Bobby to wince and look away, Harper knew it was more than that. Anthony bent down to get in Bobby’s face and Harper stepped forward to put a stop to it. She knew her instincts about him had been correct and she wasn’t about to let him hurt the young man no matter what happened.

That’s enough, Anthony. We all make mistakes. Even you, a woman said as she stepped up to them before Harper could. I doubt he meant to drop that tray of food.

So that’s what happened, Harper thought. She noticed in the past that Bobby seemed a bit clumsy. He was tall and gangly like a giraffe still growing into his legs.

Stopping in her tracks, Harper hugged the wall and tried to be invisible while staying close enough to hear them. Taking a closer look at the woman, Harper wondered who she was.

Long dark hair glistened in the lighting and hung down to her mid-back. It was sleek and brushed back in a classic sweep behind her shoulders. Red nail polish decorated her fingernails while a black dress gave just a hint of the woman’s shapely form hidden beneath.

Who was she and how did she know Anthony?

Stay out of this, Charlotte. Bobby needs to learn properly, snapped Anthony, glaring over at Charlotte.