On the Lamb Read online

  “No, he’s happy to finally be with you full-time without your mom kicking him out of the storage room.”

  The cat meowed again as if to agree with Azad’s comment, then padded off to curl up by the pink couch in the cat bed Lucy had purchased for him.

  Lucy followed Azad as he set the bags on the kitchen counter. “What’s on the menu?”

  “It’s a surprise.” She watched as he unpacked the bags and the mysterious ingredients were revealed.

  Shrimp. Scallops. Fresh ginger and shallots. Red and green peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms. Teriyaki and soy sauce.

  Definitely not Mediterranean cuisine. Her curiosity grew.

  “It’s an Asian fusion dish I used to make where I worked,” he said as he pulled out a bottle of white wine.

  Azad had worked in a fancy Atlantic City casino restaurant as a well-paid sous chef before coming to Kebab Kitchen as head chef. She’d always wondered why he’d agreed. Was it because he’d always been fond of the small, family feel of the place? Or because her parents had given him his first job as a busboy, and his second as line cook in his teenage years, and then he’d felt indebted to Angela and Raffi as adoptive parents?

  Or was it because of her?

  He’d hoped to buy the place one day, but his plans had not come to fruition when Lucy had decided to stay in Ocean Crest and take a stab at managing the place. Azad had taken it in stride and had accepted the position as head chef.

  He heated oil in a skillet and it began to sizzle. Meanwhile, he used a chef’s knife to swiftly mince the ginger, shallots, and vegetables. Soon the delicious aroma of seafood stir-fry filled the apartment.

  Lucy inhaled. “It smells great.”

  Azad kept mincing. “Can you pour some wine?”

  She found two wineglasses and before she could ask, he took the opener from her, popped the cork, and handed the bottle back to her.

  Lucy clutched the bottle. “You must think I’m useless in the kitchen.”

  Azad resumed working. “Not at all. I’ve been watching you and your mom in the kitchen. You’re a good student.”

  He’d been paying attention. Lucy felt a swell of pride. “My hummus is good. Good enough to serve in the restaurant’s hummus bar.”

  He halted to look at her then, his dark eyes unwavering. “I never doubted you.”

  This time, it was more than just pride Lucy felt. The invisible knot of attraction grew between them. She wanted to kiss him and show her gratitude.

  Instead, she sipped her wine. “Hey, Azad. I’d like to host Easter here this year. It will be a housewarming party and Easter all rolled into one. Will you come?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it. I assume you’re serving lamb?”

  Of course he knew what she’d serve. A Mediterranean Easter wouldn’t be complete without lamb. “My parents wouldn’t come if I didn’t.”

  “If you need help cooking, let me know,” he said as he mixed the stir-fry.

  Yes, dating a chef definitely had its advantages.

  Lucy’s stomach grumbled as Azad filled two plates. “Where would you like to eat?”

  She glanced at the kitchen table, then decided she wanted a cozier atmosphere and led him to the coffee table before the pink sofa. She’d removed the plastic cover beforehand.

  “It’s more comfortable here.” And more intimate sitting side-by-side.

  Azad handed Lucy a pair of chopsticks. “Um, I’m not that good at using these.” She held them awkwardly.

  “I’ll teach you.”

  They both chuckled at her failed attempts to grasp a piece of shrimp, then he scooted closer to show her how to properly hold the chopsticks. She didn’t quite master them, but she managed to finish her meal without getting food on her clothes.

  Afterward, they poured more wine. She wanted to tell him about her plans to ride with Michael through Ocean Crest for one of the bikers’ events. But when he placed an arm around her shoulders and leaned in for a kiss, the thought flew from her head. He tasted like wine, ginger, and tantalizing male, and she leaned into him, comforted by his warmth and the hardness of his chest.

  She sighed, kissed him back, and grasped a fistful of his shirt. The springs of the couch protested. She ignored the sound and tugged him closer.

  A low growl sounded nearby.

  Azad jerked back. “What was that?”

  Cupid stood in the corner of the room. Gadoo left his cat bed and arched his back and hissed.

  Not again! It was just a matter of time before a full-blown animal fight would take place to determine which one was the boss of the place. Her bet was still on Gadoo.

  Lucy took one look at the cracked-open door leading to her landlady’s downstairs living quarters. Her pulse raced, and not in a good way. “Mrs. Lubinski!”

  Eloisa must have already been halfway up the stairs, because the door flew wide open and her landlady stood in the doorway. Lucy’s eyes widened, both at her sudden appearance and her dress. The woman wore a full-length, sequined blue gown and tiara. She also wore a full face of makeup and fake eyelashes.

  “Cupid!” Eloisa shouted.

  The small shih tzu backed up one step, but kept growling at the cat. Gadoo hissed and his tail stood straight on end.

  “Cupid!” Eloisa barked again, more forcefully this time.

  The dog’s ear’s lowered and he reluctantly trotted over to his owner’s side. As soon as Cupid had turned his back, Gadoo sprinted to the sliding glass door. Azad was already there and held it open for him. The cat took off down the deck stairs like a shot.

  Eloisa reached down to pat the shih tzu’s topknot. “Cupid doesn’t care for your kitty.”

  No kidding. Lucy’s gaze returned to the tiara. Where the heck was she going dressed like that?

  Eloisa’s eyes traveled up and down Azad and her painted lips curled in a smile. “Well, well. Is this your chef?”

  Lucy made the introductions. “This is Azad. Azad, this is my landlady, Eloisa Lubinski.”

  Azad came forward to shake Eloisa’s hand, his dark eyes twinkling. “My pleasure.”

  Eloisa looked up, her plucked brows nearly disappearing into her hairline. “Wowee. I see why you pay him to stay with you.”

  Lucy choked. “It’s not like that. He’s the head chef at the restaurant I manage.”

  “Uh-huh. You still pay him to stay around, right?” Eloisa said.

  Azad grinned from ear to ear. “She sure does.”

  Lucy didn’t know who was more annoying, her landlady or Azad.

  “Would you like a glass of wine?” Azad asked.

  “She doesn’t drink,” Lucy said.

  Eloisa blinked her fake eyelashes. “I’d love one.”

  Lucy glared at her. “But you said—”

  Eloisa cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I know what I said, but a lady can change her mind, can’t she?”

  “Of course.” Azad had reached for a glass in the cupboard and poured the wine.

  Eloisa accepted the glass from him and broke into a wide-open smile. She sipped her wine. “I could use a big, strong man to help me from time to time.”

  Azad bowed. “I’m at your service. All you need to do is ask Lucy to contact me, and I’ll come over in a flash.”

  Lucy struggled not to roll her eyes. Really? She needed a big, strong man to help her, and her landlady was interfering. She reached for her own wine and drank. She knew Azad was being nice. Her landlady was alone and had recently suffered the loss of her nephew. Even if Gilbert hadn’t treated her well—had treated her terribly, in Lucy’s opinion—he was still family.

  Now that Cupid was under control and Gadoo was somewhere roaming the streets, Lucy took a breath and calmed her racing pulse. “Mrs. Lubinski, you look . . . nice. Were you headed out?”

  “Ballroom dancing at the senior center.”

  “How nice,” Lucy said.

  “I wasn’t going to go this month. Gilbert hasn’t even been buried, but my girlfriends convinced me. Said it�
��s important for me to be with people right now.”

  Lucy felt even more sympathy toward her landlady. The gown, the tiara, the makeup, they could all disguise a grieving woman. Eloisa had said she wasn’t particularly close to Gilbert, but that didn’t mean she didn’t mourn his passing.

  “Easter is coming. It’s the first time in my new apartment and I’m hosting my family and friends. If you don’t have plans, I’d love for you to join us,” Lucy said.

  Eloisa turned to Azad. “Will you be there?”

  “I will,” Azad said.

  “Count me in.”

  A car honking sounded from outside. Eloisa drained her glass and handed it to Lucy. “That’s Phyllis. Don’t want to keep her waiting. All the senior men will be taken if we don’t get there on time. No sense ballroom dancing without a partner.” She hurried to the door leading downstairs. Cupid was hot on his owner’s heels.

  Lucy made sure to firmly close the door behind her. It may not be a lock, but she didn’t want any more intrusions from Cupid.

  God knew, there’d been enough as it was.

  Chapter Ten

  Your landlady is a hoot,” Azad said.

  “She has a crush on you,” Lucy pointed out.

  “She has spirit. I like her a lot, too.”

  “Don’t let it go to your head.”

  Azad chuckled and led Lucy back to the couch. “Let’s finish our wine.”

  Lucy needed no encouragement. She settled on the couch and rested her back in his arms. She was about to confess before they’d been interrupted. She turned in his embrace and looked up at him. “I need to tell you something. You know about the Bikers on the Beach ride down Ocean Avenue and to Cape May?” At his nod, she continued. “Michael asked me to ride with him and I plan to.”

  She took a deep breath and waited for him to respond. Her heartbeat escalated as Azad remained silent. She knew that she didn’t have to ask for permission, but it was better if he knew her plans in advance. It was also best if she knew what his reaction would be. Instead of protesting or agreeing, he surprised her by tightening his arms around her.

  “If we’re confessing things, you should know something about my relationship with Gilbert,” he said.

  She was taken aback at the change in conversation from riding on the back of Michael’s Harley-Davidson to Gilbert. “I didn’t know you had one.”

  “We weren’t buddies, but we weren’t enemies either.”

  “Okay. Tell me.”

  Azad’s expression stilled and grew serious. “Gilbert wasn’t just a landlord, he was a loan shark of sorts.”

  A soft gasp escaped her. “A loan shark? You mean he lent people money at high-interest rates?” At least, that’s what she’d read about loan sharks in the Atlantic City newspapers.

  “Yes.”

  “And you were one of his customers?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  She recalled that Azad’s loan application had been rejected by the Ocean Crest Savings and Loan when he’d sought to purchase Kebab Kitchen in the past. But that was well before Lucy had returned home and decided she wanted to manage the restaurant. She also remembered the bank’s CEO had been murdered, and Azad had been a prime suspect. Thankfully, the true murderer had been found and everything had worked out for Azad . . . and Lucy.

  But this was different.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Azad said.

  She hoped not.

  “I didn’t borrow money from Gilbert to buy Kebab Kitchen. I borrowed it to fund part of my culinary school education. I received grants and federal loans, but it wasn’t enough. Culinary school is expensive. I needed an additional five thousand to get me through, and I didn’t want to ask your parents. They helped me enough in the past, and I know they’re not cash rich. Word on the grapevine was that Gilbert Lubinski was the local man to go to for money.”

  This was news to her. She’d known Gilbert was a businessman, a landlord, and a nephew who wanted to kick out his eightysomething-year-old aunt and sell her ocean-view home for a tidy profit. But she’d never heard he’d loaned townsfolk money.

  “Do you know of others in town who borrowed cash from him?” she asked.

  Azad shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like Gilbert advertised or anything. His interest rates were higher than the bank’s.”

  “Did you pay him off?”

  “A while ago. I made a good salary working in Atlantic City as a sous chef.”

  He must have made more than what Kebab Kitchen paid him now. It was another mystery why he’d stayed to help. The way he was looking at her told her she’d had something to do with his decision. A tiny thrill raced down her spine.

  “I don’t know who else borrowed from Gilbert, but I know there were others. I didn’t mail a check but paid him in person. Gilbert always came to my apartment to collect the monthly payments.”

  She wondered if Katie had heard anything about Gilbert’s loan-shark activities. Or Bill. She didn’t think so. If the police knew, wouldn’t Bill have mentioned it to Katie?

  “You sure you don’t know of anyone else in town?”

  “Come to think of it, one time when Gilbert came over to collect a payment, his briefcase tipped over on my kitchen table and I spotted one of the file-folder names.”

  She sat up. “Who?”

  “Kevin Crowley, the owner of the boardwalk tramcars.”

  “Mr. Crowley borrowed money from Gilbert?” Lucy asked.

  “That’s the name I saw.” He leaned back on the sofa and studied her. “You’re not thinking of digging into this, are you?”

  He once told her she’d had a tell, a twitch by her left eye, and that he could figure out when she was lying. Azad had known her since before high school. There was no sense lying to him. “I’m thinking about it.”

  “I also know it’s in your mind to question things. Always was. Even before law school,” he said.

  He did know her.

  He took her hand in his larger one. “I know I can’t tell you what to do, only to be careful doing it.”

  His understanding made her feel good, and she was glad to be with him. “Thanks for telling me about Gilbert and for dinner. It was delicious.”

  Azad stood and helped her to her feet.

  She swallowed tightly, suddenly nervous. “Do you want to stay?”

  He shook his head. “Not yet. Let’s take it slow. I don’t want to rush anything, and I want us to get it right this time.”

  Her chest tightened at his thoughtful words and the intense look in his gaze. She knew it wasn’t that he didn’t want to stay, only that he was thinking of their relationship. Their future.

  She walked him to the door. He held his arms open, and she eagerly stepped into his embrace. His kiss was sweet and enticing at the same time. He pulled back to look into her eyes. “By the way, it’s fine with me if you ride with Michael. I’m no longer insecure about us.”

  * * *

  Early the following morning, Lucy knocked on Katie’s front door. Dressed in workout gear of capris and a tank top, Katie opened the door. Her blond hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Loud music sounded from inside.

  “I’m interfering with your workout.” Lucy knew Katie exercised to DVDs most days.

  “Cardio kickboxing.” She stepped aside and held the door open. “Come on in and you can join me.”

  Lucy glanced down at her work uniform of black slacks and a button-down white shirt. “I’m not dressed for it.”

  “No matter. We can talk sleuthing. Bill’s home.”

  Lucy followed Katie into the kitchen. Katie disappeared to turn off the TV and the pulse-pounding workout music. Lucy planned on telling her friend what she’d learned from Azad last night. She still couldn’t believe Gilbert loaned out cash on the side. She’d known he was greedy. Who else would seek to toss out their elderly aunt from her home? But his greed went even farther. The tramcar owner was a place to start.

  Lucy sat at the counter and
spied a box of pastries from Cutie’s Cupcakes. She flipped open the box to find an assortment of pastries.

  Katie returned to the kitchen. “Hey, you found my stash.”

  “Is this why you’re working out?”

  “No way. I bought them for Bill.”

  As if she had summoned her husband, Bill, dressed in his work uniform, entered the kitchen. His blue eyes twinkled when he spotted Lucy.

  “Hi, Lucy. We both miss having you around. Do you like your new place?” Bill asked.

  “I miss the company, but it’s nice to have my own space,” Lucy said.

  “We’re coming over for Easter,” Katie said. “Lamb, right?”

  “Medium-rare. Just the way you like it. Azad said he’d help,” Lucy said.

  “Really? Then it will be much more delicious than if I cooked Easter dinner.” Katie took a breath, then her blue eyes searched her husband’s face. “Bill, tell Lucy what you’ve learned.”

  An expression of pained intolerance crossed Bill’s features. “Katie . . .”

  “I’m not asking for anything that will cause a conflict of interest for you,” Katie said.

  “Fine. There’s no conflict because Calvin Clemmons is working the case, not me. I won’t be a full detective for another month or so. But I know you two will nag me until I tell you something, so I can tell you what Clemmons is going to release to the press today. The coroner has confirmed that Gilbert Lubinski suffered a hit to the back of the head from the driftwood you saw near the body, but that’s not what killed him. He died from suffocating on a wad of saltwater taffy.”

  They’d overhead the coroner at the bonfire, but for it to be official made it all seem much worse.

  “Are you saying the murderer hit him with the driftwood and then shoved a piece of taffy down his throat until he stopped breathing?” Katie asked.

  “So it seems,” Bill said.

  “Do they have a list of suspects?” Lucy asked.

  “You mean other than your friend Melanie Haven?” Bill said.

  “Melanie didn’t do it,” Katie said.

  “How do you know?” Bill asked.

  “Lucy’s intuition,” Katie argued.

  Lucy’s intuition also told her Melanie was hiding something, but that didn’t mean she’d killed Gilbert. She decided to keep quiet about that for now.