Free Steamed to Death by Peg Cochran

vibrant leaves on the trees and formed dappled patterns on the sidewalk. There was a brisk breeze—it was light coat weather, but still comfortable.
    Gigi had half an hour before Jackson was expected at the cottage with the piece of pipe that was going to put everything back in working order. At least until something else springs a leak , a small devilish voice whispered in the back of Gigi’s mind. She felt her stomach clench. She had to sign some new clients soon. The deal with Branston Foods looked as if it was going to go through, but she’d learned long ago not to count her chickens before they hatched.
    Gigi pulled up in front of Bon Appétit, Woodstone’s cookery store and gourmet shop. Fortunately, there were two spaces in front of the store, so she didn’t have to attempt to parallel park. Gigi’s face reddened annoyingly as she remembered another occasion when she was trying to park and making a complete mess of it. As luck would have it, Mertz had come along in time to witness her humiliation. She’d vowed never to try parallel parking again, even if it meant parking a mile away and walking back.
    Evelyn Fishko was behind the counter at Bon Appétit as always, her dark hair in its short bob held back off her face with a bright red headband. If something happened in Woodstone, there was no keeping it from Evelyn.
    “Howdy, stranger,” she said as Gigi approached the counter. Gigi did her big shopping trips at the Shop and Save outside of town, but there were certain items like truffle oil and fresh pâté that couldn’t be had anywhere except at Bon Appétit.
    Evelyn looked eager to see Gigi, and Gigi thought she knew why. There had been a brief mention of Felicity’s death in the local paper. Evelyn, no doubt, planned to pump her for the in-depth details.
    “Hello, yourself.” Gigi smiled as she approached the counter.
    “What can I get for you today?” Evelyn leaned her elbows on the counter.
    Gigi pulled a short list from her purse and consulted it. “Not much, really. I’m out of pine nuts, and I’m running low on that lovely balsamic vinegar you carry.”
    Evelyn glowed at the compliment. She prided herself on the top-notch quality of her selection and did all the buying herself. She fetched the two items and put them down on the counter.
    “And?”
    “That’s it for now.”
    Evelyn thumbed two pieces of tissue from the stack on the counter and carefully wrapped Gigi’s items. She pulled a black and white striped bag with Bon Appétit written on it in script from under the counter and placed Gigi’s order inside. But instead of handing over the package, she leaned her elbows on the counter again and got comfortable.
    Gigi sighed. She knew what was coming.
    “I read about your client, that soap opera star, in the paper. Shame. Awfully young, wasn’t she?”
    Gigi smiled and nodded her head.
    “And didn’t she take up with that friend of yours’ husband? The one who runs the Book Nook down the street?”
    “Sienna?”
    “That’s the one. Someone left a copy of the New York Post on the bench outside the shop.” Evelyn shook her head. “I don’t understand some people . . . there’s a trash can not five feet away. Anywho, I glanced through it before throwing it away. Do you think it was true? I know a lot of these actress types take up with a boy toy.”
    Somehow Gigi had never pictured Oliver as a “boy toy,” and she had to suppress a giggle. “No, it wasn’t true at all. Just a publicity stunt. Sienna says it happens all the time.”
    “That’s what I thought. Hey, weren’t you catering that big shindig Miss Davenport had?”
    Gigi reluctantly acknowledged that she had.
    “I suppose you know all about what happened that night,” Evelyn hinted.
    “Not really,” Gigi murmured.
    “Real shame for the Woodstone Players. They were counting on her to bring in the crowds. And the—” She rubbed two fingers together. “Of course, I heard that her manager covered his own