Crime Rib (Food Lovers' Village) Read online

  PRAISE FOR

  Death al Dente

  “Seldom does a new author hit all the right notes in a first book, but Leslie Budewitz does. Convincing characters, a believable plot, the right dash of romance, and a deft use of words all come together to create a seamless and satisfying read.”

  —Sheila Connolly, New York Times bestselling author of Golden Malicious and Buried in a Bog

  “Small-town charm and big-time chills. Jewel Bay, Montana, is a food lover’s paradise—and ground zero for murder! A dizzying culinary delight with a twisty-turny plot! I’m totally enamored of Leslie Budewitz’s huckleberry chocolates, Shasta daisies, and Cowboy Roast coffee.”

  —Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author

  “The first book in a delicious new series. Leslie Budewitz has created a believable, down-to-earth heroine in Erin Murphy, who uses her sleuthing skills and the Spreadsheet of Suspicion to catch a killer. The supporting cast of characters, from Erin’s mother, Fresca, to her cat, Sandburg, are charming. I’m looking forward to my next visit to Jewel Bay.”

  —Sofie Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of the Magical Cat Mysteries

  “An intriguing sleuth who loves gourmet food, family, and her hometown, plus recipes to die for distinguish a delectable mystery.”

  —Carolyn Hart, national bestselling author of Death at the Door

  “Clever, charming, and completely yummy. Leslie Budewitz cooks up a delectable mystery! A tempting concoction of food, fun, and fatalities that will have you racing through the suspenseful pages . . . then heading for the kitchen to try out the irresistible recipes. More please!”

  —Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity award-winning author

  “The first in a new series is strong enough to stand outside the confines of its genre . . . This is Budewitz’s first novel-length mystery, and it’s a good one. She has avoided the pitfalls of contrived plots, pushy amateur detectives, and shallow connection to the deceased that plague a number of long-running cozy mystery series and has produced a book even a non-mystery reader will find engrossing and satisfying.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Always love finding a new author and a brand-new series. Well, let me tell you, Leslie Budewitz does not disappoint. This was a delicious read that I finished in one sitting. There were plenty of red herrings to keep the plot moving. I loved the main characters and can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Leslie, hope you are busy plotting and writing so I will not have to wait long. There are some very yummy recipes included, too. So if you like your mystery filled with a fresh-thinking sleuth, then you should read this book.”

  —MyShelf.com

  “Yummy . . . With the eccentric people that make up the rest of the cast, this book is enjoyable.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Leslie Budewitz

  DEATH AL DENTE

  CRIME RIB

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  USA • Canada • UK • Ireland • Australia • New Zealand • India • South Africa • China

  penguin.com

  A Penguin Random House Company

  CRIME RIB

  A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2014 by Leslie Ann Budewitz.

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

  BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-14314-2

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / July 2014

  Cover illustration by Ben Perini.

  Cover design by Rita Frangie.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Version_1

  For Iggy

  (1914–2012)

  —though we all knew her as Louise—

  Contents

  Praise for Leslie Budewitz

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Leslie Budewitz

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Epigraph

  The Cast

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Tasting Notes

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks to my friends and neighbors in a small jewel of a village in northwest Montana, for letting me rearrange the streets and shops, steal the festivals, and commit crimes in their hometown—all in the name of fun. I try not to kill fictional people in recognizable places, but darn it, sometimes characters have their own ideas about where to die. Thanks to Doug Averill of Flathead Lake Lodge and Guest Ranch for playing along.

  Readers often ask if a small Montana town can really be so great. Yes. Hugs to Derek and Christine Vandeberg of Frame of Reference Gallery for a spectacular book launch, and to Christine for volunteering—begging—for a role in the book. (More to come!) Kisses to Julie and Joe Cassetta for serving as the models for the Pinskys. Thanks to Marlys Anderson-Hisaw of Roma’s Kitchen Shop; merchants Donna Lawson and Gretchen Gates, co-chairs of the annual Festival of the Arts; and the librarians and booksellers across Montana who have been so supportive.

  I also want to acknowledge master guitarist Doug Smith and the late Leslie Myers, who as part of the Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival and Workshop, graced us with their musical gifts—though never, I think, in the village streets.

  Thanks to the Artis-Gollersrud clan (Lita, Ken, Nils, and Celia) for naming Luci the Splash Artist, testing cookie recipes, and keeping me in handmade soap. And to Lita for the kind
of friendship Erin longs for.

  My husband, Don Beans, created the recipe for filet with huckleberry-morel sauce. Thanks, honey!

  I’m grateful to everyone who has helped make my dream of a writing life a reality, including my editor, Faith Black, and my agent, Paige Wheeler, of Folio Literary Management. Thanks to the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime—the best writers’ group on the planet—for friendship and support. Guppy pals Rhonda Lane and Susan Schreyer filled in my horse knowledge. Of course, I made the mistakes all by myself.

  As always, more thanks than I can express to Don aka Mr. Right for unending support and arcane knowledge, and for always being willing to offer the male perspective, block out fight scenes, and order pizza.

  After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.

  —OSCAR WILDE

  All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.

  —CHARLES M. SCHULZ

  The Cast

  THE MURPHY CLAN

  Erin Murphy, manager of Glacier Mercantile, aka the Merc

  Francesca “Fresca” Conti Murphy, manager emeritus

  Tracy McCann, sales clerk and designer

  Chiara Murphy Phillips, Erin’s sister and co-owner of Snowberry Gallery

  Landon Phillips, Chiara’s superhero son

  VILLAGERS

  Sally Grimes, owner of Puddle Jumpers

  Bill Schmidt, herbalist

  Heidi Hunter, owner of Kitchenalia

  Liz and Bob Pinsky, Erin’s landlords

  Adam Zimmerman, hunky Wilderness Camp director

  Kathy Jensen, owner of Dragonfly Dry Goods

  FOOD FOLKS

  Ned Redaway, aka Old Ned, proprietor of Red’s Bar

  Ray Ramirez, chef and owner, the Bayside Grille

  Wendy Taylor Fontaine, baker extraordinaire

  Rick Bergstrom, aka Farm Boy, hunky grain salesman

  Mimi and Tony George, owners of the Jewel Inn

  Drew Baker, chef at the Jewel Inn

  Amber Stone, co-owner and chef, Bear Grass B&B

  THE ARTISTS

  Christine Vandeberg, painter

  Iggy Ring, painter

  Reg Robbins, potter and Drew Baker’s landlord

  FOOD PRENEURS CREW

  Gib Knox, host

  Stacia Duval, producer

  Pete Lloyd, cameraman

  AT CALDWELLS’ EAGLE LAKE LODGE

  Kyle Caldwell, head chef

  Keith and Ken Caldwell, aka the Caldwell Brothers, owners and managers

  Tara Baker, sales manager, Drew’s ex-wife

  THE LAW

  Kim Caldwell, sheriff’s detective and Jewel Bay’s resident deputy

  Ike Hoover, undersheriff

  Mr. Sandburg, the cat

  Pepé, the dog

  Duke, the other dog

  • One •

  “We can’t replace one of the chefs,” Mimi George said, her voice piercing the gravy-thick air of the Jewel Inn’s banquet and meeting room. “The Grill-off is in two days.”

  Two and a half, but who was counting? We obviously had bigger fish to fry. Or steaks, in this case.

  “What if,” I said, jumping in where angels fear to tread, “we say there’s been a mix-up and ask them to submit new recipes? Time is short. But if there’s one thing every chef in Montana can do, it’s conjure up new ways to serve steak.”

  “There is no mix-up. Simply put, you people have a thief among you.”

  Nothing raises the collective temperature of any group more than being referred to as “you people.” I’d had just about enough of Gib Knox and his demands, but we’d invited his TV show, Food Preneurs, to film the Thirty-Fifth Annual Jewel Bay Summer Food and Art Fair, and its centerpiece, the Grill-off, and we were stuck with him now.

  And I didn’t need a meat thermometer to know the other committee members were getting hot, too.

  “You wait one minute there, young fella.” Ned Redaway crooked a beefy finger in Knox’s direction. “Don’t go accusing folks you don’t know of being a thief.” Ned had run Red’s, the village watering hole, for close to fifty years, and he didn’t tolerate bullies. He’d once had the hair to match his nickname, though what was left of it had faded to an almost colorless fuzz. At six feet tall and two hundred mostly solid pounds, he was still imposing when riled.

  “He may be the best-known chef in the state,” Gib Knox said in a voice as smooth as Belgian chocolate. “He may be your big draw. But he’s a thief.” Six-two or better, a dark-haired man graying handsomely at the temples, the TV host and celebrity chef smiled in smug satisfaction. But we could not let “Nasty Knox” portray the village of Jewel Bay, Montana, to the food-loving world as hicks who couldn’t cook and didn’t know better.

  “Hang on,” I said, using my hands as stop signs. “I’m sure we can resolve this without any harsh words or accusations. All we need to say is that two of the three chefs proposed similar dishes. Hucks and morels are a natural combination around here. Since the goal is to give our chefs a chance to demonstrate a beef dish with a local flavor, we’ll ask those two for new recipes.”

  “Perfect, Erin.” Stacia Duval, the show’s producer, clapped her hands together. A petite dynamo whose chin-length brown bob boasted red and gold highlights, she practically bounced out of her chair with relief. “But who will tell them? It might be uncomfortable for Mimi.”

  “You don’t mean Drew Baker? My chef would do no such thing,” Mimi said in disbelief. She’d gone pale blond for summer, and under her tan, she blanched to a matching shade. Normally, she radiated an eye-of-the-storm calmness—no doubt from years of running the Jewel, one of the village’s favorite restaurants—but she was visibly shaken now.

  “What about Drew?” Tara Baker’s heels rapped on the parquet floor as she crossed the room to the long table we’d commandeered for our meeting, her long ash blond hair swinging. As always, she wore black, top to bottom. She and Drew had moved to Jewel Bay six years ago, while I’d been away—he to serve as executive chef of Caldwell’s Eagle Lake Lodge and Guest Ranch, she to be the sales and marketing manager. When they divorced, she stayed at the Lodge and he became chef at the Jewel Inn. A highly acclaimed chef, whose dinner service had become destination dining. The crown jewel of a town that called itself The Food Lovers’ Village. Drew and Knox had worked together years ago in L.A., and when Mimi asked Drew if he could entice Knox and EAT-TV to film an episode here, he’d readily agreed.

  “Mr. Knox has accused my chef—” Mimi began.

  Tara’s gray eyes widened.

  “I’ll talk to him,” I said. Not that I relished the task of playing the heavy, but Stacia was right. Even mellow chefs, like Drew, tend to be strong-minded. I turned to Tara. “Two contestants in the Grill-off happened to think along the same lines. We’ll ask for new recipes and be back on track.”

  “Fine, if you want to sweep it under the rug.” Dressed straight out of a Western wear catalog, Knox wore a gray and white tweedy jacket, Western-cut, over blue jeans. His boots were polished but well worn.

  “Drew and who else?” Tara said, her tone guarded. “Which other chef?”

  The corners of Knox’s full lips twitched. Was he enjoying making us squirm? “That promising young woman from, what is it, Bear Poop Lodge? Such charming names up here.”

  “Chef Amber Stone,” Mimi said, biting off the words. “Bear Grass Bed and Breakfast.”

  Amber Stone and her sister had taken over a run-down inn north of town, adding a dinner service open to the public. She was the only chef who’d actively sought an invitation to the Grill-off—an admirable sign of motivation.

  Tara’s thin, sharp features relaxed. “Well, whatever happened, that’s a good solution. Good to see you, Gib.”

  Gib rose. Tara turned
her head and a kiss meant for her cheek landed on her ear instead. He scowled briefly. She brushed lips with the cameraman sitting next to him—her boyfriend—then slid into an empty chair, dropping her black quilted leather handbag to the floor. The impact rattled the ice in the water glasses.

  The third contestant, Kyle Caldwell, had taken over Drew’s post when Drew and Tara divorced. The Grill-off was always held at the Lodge, and the Lodge chef always participated, as a courtesy. No home-range advantage—all the chefs used propane grills provided by Taylor’s Building Supply. The event took place on the Lodge’s stone patio overlooking Eagle Lake, in front of a hundred and fifty guests or more. Tara smiled at me nervously, no doubt relieved to know that Kyle was not involved in the mix-up, whatever it was.

  “That’s settled then,” Stacia said with obvious relief. “Erin will talk to the chefs and get new recipes by—what, five o’clock Friday? That should give us time to make sure everything is in order.”

  Both chefs? I hadn’t volunteered to talk to Amber, but obviously someone had to. As the new girl—or rather, the newly returned prodigal daughter—I got the chores no one else wanted.

  Stacia surveyed the table efficiently, smiling with relief. “Now the next item on the agenda . . .”

  I glanced up at the bull moose rack draped with Mardi Gras beads who oversaw this end of the banquet room. No doubt he’d witnessed far fierier explosions. From this angle, he seemed to be winking.

  My attention wandered as Stacia and the cameraman, Pete Lloyd, reviewed the plan for tonight’s filming. Stacia was a doll, whip-smart and organized to the max. She had more planning apps on her phone than I’d known existed, and knew how to use every one. She’d sent a list of requirements in advance, but Pete was a last-minute substitute. We’d dodged a bullet earlier in the week when Stacia got the news that their regular cameraman had a health emergency and couldn’t travel. To avoid cancellation, Tara suggested Pete. He’d left a job filming TV news for a station in Pondera, the largest town in northwest Montana, a year or two ago. Now working freelance, he had all the right credentials and experience.