Deathly Ever After, page 7
“Not him.” Neal waved his knife as if dismissing Dennis’s death. Autumn flinched. “Well, yes, I killed him, but years ago I killed someone else. It was a hit and run, late at night. I couldn’t risk the body being found and linked to the damage on my car. Jed and I were almost done putting the last of the new drywall up, so I loaded the body into my car and wrapped it in as much plastic as I could find. Then I wedged it in the wall and stayed there until the next morning, putting the drywall up. I told Jed I couldn’t sleep. I can’t take the risk of someone renovating the building now and finding it, and linking the body to me. I just can’t remember where exactly I hid it, and Jed kept hanging around at night after my first few attempts at finding the body. I just need to find it and dispose of it somewhere else, then the property can sell for all I care.”
“Did you try to burn it down?” Autumn asked. “Or was that just a coincidence?”
He nodded. “I thought if I couldn’t find it, burning it down might be the next best option. At least then, whatever evidence I left behind on the body would be destroyed. Unfortunately, Molotov cocktails don’t work as well as they do in the movies. I was going to go back tonight to find the body. Jed won’t be interrupting me. If you had waited one more day, you wouldn’t be in this mess. How unfortunate.”
He moved as if to strike at her again, but Autumn screamed, “Wait!” He hesitated long enough for her to continue. “I won’t tell anyone, I swear. Just… just let me walk out of here. If you kill me, a lot of people will come looking, and… and I told my friends I was coming here to make the offer. They’ll know it was you.”
Neal frowned, thinking through what she had just said. Even though his grip on the knife didn’t loosen, she felt a spark of hope.
Then the door behind her, the one she had been edging toward creaked open.
Neal jumped and brought the knife down out of reflex. Autumn jerked her head back, but felt a line of fire slash across the side of her face as the tip of the blade caught her skin. She heard a hissing sound just as she took a deep breath to scream, and all of a sudden, her lungs were on fire.
Distantly, she heard the clattering sound of the knife dropping to the floor and someone else coughing, but the rest of her attention was on her lungs, which she had lost control of, and the tears streaming out of her burning eyes. She had never felt this kind of pain before, and it made the cut on her face seem like nothing.
Someone grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her across the kitchen. She heard the back door slam open, and then she was in the snow. The clean air didn’t help much, and she was still coughing even as she felt a hand land on her shoulder again.
“It’s okay.” She recognized Jed’s voice. “Neal got the worst of it. Francine called the police. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
Autumn leaned against the wall, staring out across the busy dining area. The high ceiling had been decorated with white and blue Christmas lights, which shone off of the highly polished mahogany floor. A tall Christmas tree dominated one corner of the room. There was a comforting murmur of conversation, which she let wash over her. She was exhausted, but it was worth it. It had all been worth it.
The Green River Grill had done well for its opening night. Every table was taken, and they had already accepted reservations for the next night. And the night after. And the night after that. Autumn knew it was too soon to tell if the restaurant would be as much of a success as she hoped it would be, but it seemed promising.
“We’ve got two orders of rainbow trout up, and I’m terrible at fish.”
Autumn turned to look at the young woman who had just appeared by her elbow. Emily had followed her from Asheville Meadows to become her sous chef. She still picked up the occasional shift when the nursing home needed someone to fill in, just like Autumn stopped by to cook dinner once a month.
“I’ll head back in,” Autumn said. “I just needed a breather. And it helps to take a look at all of this, to remind myself why I spent the last eight hours slaving over a hot stove.”
She was already planning on hiring another chef, but for now the brunt of the cooking fell on her shoulders. Far from complaining, she loved it… at least, she had earlier in the day when she wasn’t exhausted. Right now, she was glad that she would get to sleep in the next that day. The Green River Grill didn’t open until noon.
She followed her sous chef back into the kitchen and got to work on the trout dishes. She had spent the last year perfecting her menu, and knew every dish by heart. She could have made any one of them blindfolded, but even so, she always put her best effort into each and every dish.
An hour later, and her evening was beginning to wind down. There was only one customer left to serve, and this one was someone special. Carrying the two plates of steak, asparagus, and mashed potatoes out herself, she slid one across to the man who was waiting for her and took a seat across from him.
“Hey,” she said warmly. “I’m glad you made it.”
“As if I would miss your first day,” Nick said, smiling at her. “I would have come earlier, but I wanted you all to myself tonight. So, how did it go? Is it time for a toast?”
“Toast away,” she said, laughing. “I don’t think it could have gone more perfectly. It was everything I’ve been dreaming about for the past year.”
“To future success and happiness,” he said, raising his glass and clinking it against hers. “I knew you would do well. This place is gorgeous, and I’ve tasted your cooking.”
“My low sodium, low fat, low carb cooking,” she said, making a face. She loved cooking for the folks at the nursing home, but the restrictions always rankled her.
“Hey, if you can do a good job making low sodium chicken soup taste good, I have no doubt you can do even better with the real thing.”
They ate their meal slowly, talking and joking with each other between bites. It had been almost two years since she had met Nick, and every day she was thankful for him.
At last, Emily brought out their desserts; two personal sized chocolate lava cakes with ice cream and salted caramel sauce drizzled over top. She hung back, and Autumn shot a smile at her. Emily had made the cakes herself, and she had no doubt that they were great, but she knew her sous chef would want her opinion on them.
She reached for her spoon and was about to take the first bite of the cake when she noticed something sparkle on top of the scoop of ice cream. She froze. A beautiful white gold engagement ring had been half pressed into the ice cream. It twinkled at her beneath the Christmas lights overhead.
“Nick…”
Nick slid out of his chair and got down onto one knee. “Autumn Roth, would you do me the pleasure of marrying me? I’ve never met anyone as kind, as driven, or as lovely as you. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She inhaled sharply, and her eyes flickered between his face and the ring in the ice cream. She didn’t feel tired anymore. Suddenly, she felt wide awake.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, of course I will.”
She took the ring from the ice cream and Emily stepped forward, handing her a moist towelette to clean the ring off before Nick slid it onto her finger. She admired it for a long moment. It fit perfectly.
“How did you sneak it back there?” she managed to ask. Nick grinned.
“I gave it to Emily this morning.”
Autumn spun around and stared at her employee in shock. “You didn’t say a thing!”
“I guess she’s still more loyal to me,” Nick said with a chuckle.
“There was no way I was going to wreck the surprise,” Emily said. “But it was so hard. It was the longest day ever.”
Laughing, Autumn rose and flung herself at Nick, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered. “This was perfect. Everything about today was perfect. You’re perfect, and there’s no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.”
He pulled back just enough to kiss her. Autumn closed her eyes, feeling the ring on her finger and her fiancé’s arms around her as they kissed in the middle of her restaurant. She had no idea what the future would bring, but she was looking forward to every second of it.
Also by Patti Benning
Papa Pacelli’s Series
Book 1: Pall Bearers and Pepperoni
Book 2: Bacon Cheddar Murder
Book 3: Very Veggie Murder
Book 4: Italian Wedding Murder
Book 5: Smoked Gouda Murder
Book 6: Gourmet Holiday Murder
Book 7: Four Cheese Murder
Book 8: Hand Tossed Murder
Book 9: Exotic Pizza Murder
Book 10: Fiesta Pizza Murder
Book 11: Garlic Artichoke Murder
Book 12: On the Wings of Murder
Book 13: Mozzarella and Murder
Book 14: A Thin Crust of Murder
Book 15: Pretzel Pizza Murder
Book 16: Parmesan Pizza Murder
Book 17: Breakfast Pizza Murder
Book 18: Halloween Pizza Murder
Book 19: Thanksgiving Pizza Murder
Book 20: Christmas Pizza Murder
Book 21: A Crispy Slice of Murder
Book 22: Lobster Pizza Murder
Book 23: Pizza, Weddings, and Murder
Book 24: Pizza, Paradise, and Murder
Book 25: Meat Lovers and Murder
Book 26: Classic Crust Murder
Book 27: Hot, Spicy Murder
Book 28: Pork, Pizza, and Murder
Book 29: Chicken Alfredo Murder
Darling Deli Series
Book 1: Pastrami Murder
Book 2: Corned Beef Murder
Book 3: Cold Cut Murder
Book 4: Grilled Cheese Murder
Book 5: Chicken Pesto Murder
Book 6: Thai Coconut Murder
Book 7: Tomato Basil Murder
Book 8: Salami Murder
Book 9: Hearty Homestyle Murder
Book 10: Honey BBQ Murder
Book 11: Beef Brisket Murder
Book 12: Garden Vegetable Murder
Book 13: Spicy Lasagna Murder
Book 14: Curried Lobster Murder
Book 15: Creamy Casserole Murder
Book 16: Grilled Rye Murder
Book 17: A Quiche to Die For
Book 18: A Side of Murder
Book 19: Wrapped in Murder
Book 20: Glazed Ham Murder
Book 21: Chicken Club Murder
Book 22: Pies, Lies and Murder
Book 23: Mountains, Marriage and Murder
Book 24: Shrimply Murder
Book 25: Gazpacho Murder
Book 26: Peppered with Murder
Book 27: Ravioli Soup Murder
Book 28: Thanksgiving Deli Murder
Book 29: A Season of Murder
Book 30: Valentines and Murder
Book 31: Shamrocks and Murder
Book 32: Sugar Coated Murder
Book 33: Murder, My Darling
Killer Cookie Series
Book 1: Killer Caramel Cookies
Book 2: Killer Halloween Cookies
Book 3: Killer Maple Cookies
Book 4: Crunchy Christmas Murder
Book 5: Killer Valentine Cookies
Asheville Meadows Series
Book 1: Small Town Murder
Book 2: Murder on Aisle Three
Book 3: The Heart of Murder
Book 4: Dating is Murder
Book 5: Dying to Cook
Book 6: Food, Family and Murder
Book 7: Fish, Chips and Murder
Author’s Note
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Patti Benning, Deathly Ever After
