Free Toasting Up Trouble (A Dinner Club Mystery) by Linda Wiken Page A

looked at her computer and then out the window again. Sheknew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on work. Not today. She locked up and headed for home.

    Eight o’clock. Less than ten minutes since J.J. had last looked at the wall clock. Time was dragging tonight, and she couldn’t seem to concentrate. She’d tried brainstorming some creative ideas for Olivia Barker and the retirement party she was organizing, however that hadn’t worked. Next, she’d tried some visualization with the recipe for beef—now turkey—pizzaiola from
nigellissima.
Again, not into focusing. Even the latest mystery by one of her favorite mystery authors, Victoria Abbott, couldn’t hold her attention.
    She should just admit it and deal with it: she was scared. She was not a murderer, but the butterflies started fluttering in her stomach whenever she thought back to being interviewed in the police station. She needed to have faith in the system, but she readily admitted she didn’t. Not when it was her reputation—her life—at stake. She needed to talk to someone who knew the ropes. She knew that Alison was on duty, so not her. But Ness Harper was at home. She’d indulged her senses in the aroma of sauerkraut wafting from his apartment when she’d walked past the door earlier.
    She was just about to open her apartment door when someone knocked on it. Through the peephole, she spied Ness.
    “Wow, talk about the same wavelength,” she said, pulling the door open. “I was just coming to see you.”
    Ness grunted and pushed past her to the living room patio door. “Come here. Turn off the light in here while you’re at it.”
    She did as she was told and peered over his outstretched arm, which held back the drapes a crack. “What am I looking for?”
    “What do you see?”
    She leaned forward until her forehead touched thewindowpane. “Umm, a dark car across the street. A light car on this side of the street. Nobody out walking. Is that it?”
    “The dark car. It arrived just as you got home and has been parked there ever since. No one exited it.”
    She turned to look at him. “I don’t get it. Oh, do you think whoever is in that car followed me? I didn’t notice it or anyone for that matter.”
    He grunted. “It means he’s good. So you don’t recognize the car?”
    “No. I don’t think so. But it’s dark, even with that streetlight close by, and I can’t really see it that well from here.”
    “It could be the police, but I somehow doubt it. There’s no reason for them to be following you.” Ness headed to the door. “You wait. I’m going to see who it is and what he wants.”

    J.J. stared at the door from which Ness had just exited for less than a minute, and then she grabbed a sweater and her apartment keys and followed. She’d reached the front sidewalk when she saw Ness strolling along the sidewalk, then in a move she’d never thought him capable of at his age, dash around the car and yank open the driver’s door.
    “Get out of that car and keep your hands where I can see them.” His voice was loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.
    J.J. went scurrying across the road as a dark-haired male exited the car. He had his hands up in front of him as he turned to face Ness. They were about eye level with each other, but the other guy was definitely younger. J.J. took him to be about her age.
    “Just take it easy,” the stranger said. “I’m going to reach across with my left hand and remove my ID from inside my jacket. Okay?” He kept his movements slow and his eyes onNess as he pulled out and opened his wallet. He held it up for Ness to read.
    “Says you’re a PI. How do I know that’s not fake?” Ness growled.
    The stranger sighed. “Look. My name is Ty Devine. I’m fully registered as a private investigator in the state of Vermont. Take a closer look at it. Feel the damned logo. It’s raised.”
    Ness did both, then grunted. “So what are you doing tailing J.J. Tanner?”
    J.J. had