A Beeline to Murder

“You think he’s from Las Flores?” Philippe looked at her with excitement in his eyes.

“Maybe. I don’t know if he’s local or not. I mean, I don’t know everybody in town. Used to when I worked my daily beat as a cop, but I pretty much stick to myself these days. As for this guy with Jean-Louis . . . I have a hunch that they were on vacation together. Those postcards and the photos suggest the Caribbean. This man J. could shed some light, I think, on that trip and maybe tell us where to find Vieillard.”

Philippe frowned. “Do you think Vieillard is responsible for Jean-Louis’s death?”

“Not wise to speculate on that yet. But Vieillard is a missing piece of this puzzle. I need to find out who he is and what his connection is to Jean-Louis’s life narrative.” Abby pressed the camera app on her phone and attached the picture to a text to Kat. The reply came back within minutes.

“Philippe, we got it!” Abby exclaimed. “The man in the picture with Jean-Louis is Jake Lennahan . . . Eva Lennahan’s husband.” Abby leaned back into the chair. “You didn’t put away the wine, did you? I think I need a refill,” she said, reaching for the pictures of the two men and the postcards.

“I’ve got to look at this from every possible angle,” Abby said. Then she added, “If Eva Lennahan and her husband, Jake, took Jean-Louis on vacation, why didn’t she mention that when she met you and offered her condolences yesterday at the Shakespeare Festival? Another thing . . . Why do you think there is no image of her anywhere in all those pictures of that tropical vacation? To me, that’s just weird.”

“Couldn’t there be a logical explanation?” Philippe asked, arching his brows.

“Well, yes, I suppose Jake could have invited Jean-Louis as his guest as a thank-you for all the work he’d done on Eva’s political fundraisers. Or maybe the trip involved guy-only activities, and Eva opted out, knowing she wouldn’t be welcome. Or maybe she did go, but with other people to other functions.”

“All are possible.” Philippe’s eyes were fixated on Abby.

“What I find curious is that Jean-Louis did not post any of these photographs on his social networking page. Did you see any of these or other images of this man on Jean-Louis’s laptop?”

“Non. Not that I recall.”

Abby’s cell phone vibrated on the table. She answered it and smiled when she heard Lidia’s voice. She was most likely calling back about the man who had brought in the earrings for repair.

“Abby, dear, I located that receipt. The handwriting is a little difficult to decipher, but it looks like Lemadan or Lenadan.”

“Could it be Lennahan?” Abby asked, pulse racing.

“Well, I suppose it could be, dear.”

“Lidia, if the rest of the name is there, would you please read it to me?”

“Oh, there’s no rest of the name, dear. Just the initial J. and a phone number.”





Chipotle Chili Chicken Wraps



These simple, quick wraps are best when made with vegetables fresh from the garden and with grilled or rotisserie chicken. Place the fresh ingredients in bowls to make it easy to assemble the wraps.





Ingredients:

? cup chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, mashed

3 tablespoons honey mustard (or to taste)

2 flatbreads

1 warm rotisserie or grilled chicken, shredded or cubed

? cup warm black beans

? cup warm cooked sweet corn

? cup diced fresh garden tomatoes

? cup diced red onion

Several sprigs of fresh cilantro, minced





Directions:



Combine the chipotle chilies and the honey mustard in a small bowl and mix well. Toast the flatbreads. Spread some of the chipotle-mustard mixture on each flatbread.

Layer some of the chicken, black beans, and corn atop each flatbread. Garnish each with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Roll up the flatbreads and serve at once.





Serves 2





Chapter 14


If you want to lower your cholesterol, decrease your stress level, and improve your blood pressure, adopt a dog.

—Henny Penny Farmette Almanac