Free Goldy Schulz 01 Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson

again, "is an abusive man. He frightens me. I was trying to give him mushrooms instead of tomatoes, to which he is allergic." I looked at Schulz. "Believe me," I said, "I don't have that much interest in Fritz Korman. He's just an old charmer whose wife is an alc-" I paused. I said, "Not under my jurisdiction, as you cops would say."
    Schulz pulled his mouth into a small o. He leaned toward me and raised the tentlike eyebrows.
    He said, "Just calm down." He leaned back again. "Let's start over. You can begin by offering me a nice cup of espresso and some of those rolls they're eating out in the kitchen. I don't ordinarily take refreshment at a suspect's house, but I'm going to make a large exception, since it smells so good in here."
    I complied. Somehow the fact that he was hungry for something I had fixed, and that he trusted something I would fix, was encouraging.
    He smiled at me between sips and bites. "This is really nice, this place," he said. "I like this old neighborhood. Has a lot of charm. So do some of the residents." He gave what appeared to be either a judicious wink or a left-eye tic.
    What in the world was going on? After a moment I said, "Are you going to ask me some questions or not?"
    "Okeydoke." He laboriously wiped each of his fingers on the napkin I had given him. "Just take it easy, okay?"
    I nodded.
    He said, "Did you put a foreign substance into Fritz Korman's food to make him sick or kill him?"
    I looked Investigator Schulz square in his X-ray vision eyes.
    "No," I said. "I did not."
    "Did you put a foreign substance into John Richard Korman's food to make him sick or kill him?"
    I said, "I did not. It would harm my business, which is my sole source of income-"
    Schulz chuckled. "It has already harmed your business. It may be the end of your business. Please assure me they weren't funny mushrooms."
    "They were the regular kind."
    "Good. Health Department report'll be in tomorrow or the day after. That spread sure looked good, too, hated to waste it. Poached salmon. Strawberry shortcake." He took a deep breath and leaned back to hike up his belt. "I've never been to a party you've catered."
    "So?"
    "Now Miss Goldy, I'm just saying you seem to be a good cook. You've got a reputation to protect."
    I said, "The way you say it, it sounds like soliciting."
    "There you go again." He closed his eyes, then opened them to look around the room. He stopped to gaze at a bright orange All Saints' Day drawing Arch had done at the beginning of Sunday school class, the one I'd taught. Since Arch did not at that point know about any actual saints, his picture was a cluster of Mom, Dad, Vonette, Fritz, and Mother Teresa. I explained all this to Schulz when he asked about it.
    "Interesting," he said. "Now look. You don't need to get uptight. About your business. I'm just saying a good cook is hard to find. You make great cinnamon rolls."
    He stopped and worked his jaw for a few moments. "Now tell me why a good unmarried cook with a reputation to protect would get so upset talking to a cop who's trying to help her out?"
    I shook my head. I said, "Sorry. Talking about my ex-husband gets me upset." I took a deep breath. "That's what our argument was about, anyway. The Jerk and no tomatoes. That son of a bitch. Nothing even happened to him."
    "Something happened, though."
    I looked at Schulz. "I didn't do anything to John Richard. I thought it was inappropriate for him to bring a new girlfriend, his fianceé, mind you, to a reception after the funeral of one of his son's teachers. Plus he walked over and insulted me. Then we fought over the dish with the mushrooms. But that's it."
    Schulz swung his body around to the side and crossed his legs. He was wearing tan corduroy slacks and a gray sweater and tie: preppy clothes over his mountain- man body. He lifted his eyebrows and shoulders, opened his hands in question.
    I said, "The guys down at the Health Department aren't going to find anything in that trash bag."
    "Let's hope