Finger Lickin' Dead Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Recipes

  Praise for Delicious and Suspicious

  “Sassy.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “An entertaining read . . . Just like the pork barbeque and spicy corn muffins that fill the bellies of the fictitious patrons of Aunt Pat’s, the Southern flavor is what makes this novel unique. The characters live and breathe on the page, not as stereotypes of Southerners but as colorful personalities that complement the Memphis setting.”

  —Romance Novel News

  “This entertaining regional amateur sleuth gives the audience a taste of living in [Memphis], especially owning a restaurant in a tourist-attraction city . . . With a strong, fully seasoned support cast who enhance the whodunit, Delicious and Suspicious is truly scrumptious.”

  —Genre Go Round Reviews

  “A saucy Southern mystery!”

  —Krista Davis, national bestselling author of

  The Diva Cooks a Goose

  “Don’t let that folksy facade fool you. Lulu Taylor is one intrepid amateur sleuth.”

  —Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of Scones & Bones

  “Lulu Taylor serves up the best barbeque in Memphis. Never been to her restaurant, Aunt Pat’s? Well then, pick up a copy of Riley Adams’s enjoyable Delicious and Suspicious, slide into a booth, and follow Lulu as she tracks down a killer with the help of her wacky friends and family. You’ll feel transported to Beale Street. Oh, and did I mention the mouthwatering recipes at the end?”

  —Julie Hyzy, author of Buffalo West Wing

  “Riley Adams’s first book, Delicious and Suspicious, adds a dash of Southern humor to a sauté of murder and mayhem that is as good as cold banana pudding on a hot summer day. Lulu Taylor is a hoot! I look forward to reading the next book in the Memphis barbeque series!”

  —Joyce Lavene, coauthor of A Touch of Gold

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Riley Adams

  DELICIOUS AND SUSPICIOUS

  FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada

  (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

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  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

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  (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,

  South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

  FINGER LICKIN’ DEAD

  A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / June 2011

  Copyright © 2011 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-52885-3

  BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME

  Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  To my family

  Acknowledgments

  My thanks to my editor, Emily Beth Rapoport, for her invaluable help and encouragement.

  To my agent, Ellen Pepus, for her solid advice and support.

  Hart Johnson for her helpful suggestions.

  To Ann and John Haire, my friends in Memphis.

  To the staff at Graceland for their help with my research.

  Special thanks to my mother, Beth Spann, for being a fantastic and enthusiastic first reader.

  To my extended family for all their support.

  To the online writing community for the inspiration and advice it provides me.

  And thanks so much to my husband, Coleman, and my children, Riley and Elizabeth Ruth, for their constant love and encouragement.

  Chapter 1

  “Somebody,” said Cherry darkly, “should kill that guy.”

  “Only as a last resort,” said her good friend Peggy Sue. “Have we exhausted all the other possibilities? Rolled his house with toilet paper? Made prank phone calls? Shaken pepper in his sweet tea?” She gave a lilting laugh.

  “I’m not so clear what his punishable offense is,” said Lulu, tilting her head to one side as she pondered and endangering the small bun of white hair at the top of her head. “We don’t like Adam Cawthorn because he’s dating Evelyn? Because he’s too good-looking?”

  “Because he’s snarky,” growled Cherry. “Besides, I think he’s taking advantage of Evelyn, who is, as y’all know, one of my favorite people in the world. He’s always asking for a little bit of money here and a little bit there. Besides, he has a weak chin. What good is it if you’ve got looks but a weak chin?”

  Lulu considered this. “Still, it doesn’t sound too awful, Cherry. Evelyn’s loaded with money—maybe it doesn’t bother her to share it a little bit. Does he treat her badly?”

  “He doesn’t treat her well,” said Flo thoughtfully.

  “On the upside,” said Lulu, “he sure does eat some barbeque. He’s good for business.” Lulu was the owner of Memphis’s famous Aunt Pat’s Barbeque, right there on Beale Street. As a second-generation owner, she knew by now what made for a good customer. And Adam Cawthorn, despite h
is shortcomings, had one of the biggest components of a good customer—frequent visits.

  “No, he’s not good for business,” said Cherry. “Evelyn is. She’s the one shelling out the money for him to eat here. And think about it—he’s separated from his wife. He’s been running around on her, so why wouldn’t he be doing the same with Evelyn? Besides, she’s already been married to him once before. Clearly that didn’t work out so well, so why try for mistake number two?”

  “Heads up, y’all—Evelyn’s coming over,” hissed Jeanne, looking across the restaurant’s crowded dining room.

  Lulu thought for the hundredth time how lucky she was to have such a great group of regulars at her restaurant. These ladies, who were some of her favorite guests at Aunt Pat’s Barbeque, were dubbed the Graces by everyone because they were docents at Graceland. They were colorful, fun—and loyal, thought Lulu as she watched them struggle to be supportive of Evelyn.

  The Graces and Lulu looked like butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth by the time Evelyn got up to their booth. But Evelyn wouldn’t have noticed if they’d all been wagging their tongues about her right when she walked up. She was sitting high up on cloud nine. Lulu frequently reflected that it was a good thing Evelyn was so nice; she wouldn’t have been tolerable otherwise, with her good looks, good luck, and boatload of money. Most of the Graces were happy members of the Fabulous Fifties club, but Evelyn hadn’t quite joined yet. Peggy Sue was already part of the Sassy Sixties—which Lulu had belonged to for quite a while.

  Evelyn plopped down in the wooden booth right next to Lulu and impulsively gave her a hug and a smile that lit up the room. “I am so glad to see y’all! Isn’t it a gorgeous day?”

  No, thought Lulu. Actually, it was a pretty miserable day outside, unless you were partial to torrential rain. But she smiled and nodded.

  Evelyn realized her error and gave an out-of-character giggle. “Whoops! My bad—it’s pouring, isn’t it? Well, we do need the rain. Sometimes that’s the best kind of weather to get—one with lots of rain in it.”

  “Where,” asked Flo in a dry voice, “is Adam?”

  “Nearby, of course. I want to keep him as close as possible. He’ll be over in a minute—he just popped into the men’s room. Can you believe I had him all to myself—that I was married to him—and then let him go? I must have been nuts.”

  And this, thought Lulu, is how history rewrites itself.

  Cherry, though, seemed less interested in the sunshine and roses version of the story. “Wasn’t Adam the husband who splashed his money all over Memphis? Who said ugly things about you behind your back to his friends? Who tried to make you feel lower than a lizard’s belly?” She tapped her glass of sweet tea against the red and white checkered tablecloth with every point.

  Evelyn frowned as if considering these allegations carefully. “I don’t believe Adam is that husband, Cherry, no. I believe you’ve gotten him mixed up with another husband.”

  Being Southern ladies, no one mentioned Evelyn’s excessive number of ex-husbands. It wouldn’t be seemly. Evelyn, though, felt free to mention that fact herself with no compunction.

  “And here comes trouble now,” said Cherry. But she said it enough under her breath that only Lulu could hear it. Lulu winked at her.

  Adam Cawthorn was a nice-looking man, thought Lulu. If you were to describe him to somebody, you would use only the finest adjectives—broad shoulders; thick, blond hair; perfect teeth. But there was something that definitely didn’t ring true with Adam. That perfect smile was just a little bit spiteful. Maybe that was it.

  He certainly seemed pleasant enough today, though. He walked over to the booth and greeted Lulu and the Graces. “Honey, did you order me up some red beans and rice?” he asked Evelyn.

  She nodded eagerly. “I sure did. It should be coming soon.” She turned to Lulu and said, “Adam just loves those red beans and rice.” Her eyes shone like a teenager in puppy love. “And he’s a real food expert. Did you know that he used to own a restaurant?”

  There was a groan from Cherry that wasn’t even all that muted. Evelyn had mentioned that little fact to them quite a few times, thought Lulu. “I think it’s wonderful,” said Lulu. “To think he likes our red beans and rice so much!”

  Cherry said innocently enough, but in a tone that Lulu knew meant trouble, “And how does Adam stand on Elvis? Is he as big a fan of the King as we all are?” She blinked her big green eyes.

  Adam made a face. “I don’t see how on earth y’all spend so much time at Graceland every week.”

  “It’s the highlight of our week,” said plump Peggy Sue with surprise. “The very pinnacle of it! We just love the staff—they’re practically family to us. And every time I go out there, I discover something interesting and different that I hadn’t seen before.”

  “And they depend on us at Graceland,” said Jeanne earnestly. “The fans that come through are sometimes so thrilled to be there that it’s easy for them to forget themselves and start climbing over the velvet ropes to try to visit with the King for a spell. We help keep them straight.”

  The trays of barbeque ribs and sides of beans and spicy cornbread arrived at the table. Adam took a big mouthful of ribs, which he ate noisily. “Delicious!” he proclaimed, smacking his lips. Cherry was long past hiding anything and looked disgusted with his table manners.

  “Darling,” he said, reaching out and squeezing Evelyn’s hand. “I’ve got a wonderful idea. Let’s go out tonight and really have a night on the town. We’ll have a Beale Street night. Work our way down the street, eating soul food, listening to music, and drinking beer. We can even watch the street flippers backflip down Beale. What do you think?” There was a little whiny tinge to his voice that grated on Lulu’s nerves.

  “You have the best ideas!” said Evelyn. She beamed at him. “Want to shoot for eight o’clock?”

  Cherry cleared her throat and deliberately ignored Adam. “Tonight’s Bunko night. Remember? It’s over at Bertha’s house. And I believe you promised to bring your famous Crock-Pot spinach dip. With the artichokes in it.” Cherry turned to Lulu. “Have you ever had it? It’s to die for. All that cheese just bubbling off your cracker—it’s a meal all by itself.”

  “Bunko!” Evelyn slapped her palm on the table with enough force to make nervous Jeanne jump. “I knew I was forgetting something. Shoot!”

  Adam’s mouth curled downward. “Can’t you just give the cards a pass tonight? We’d already made plans.”

  “It’s dice. Not cards. And it’s been a plan for months,” said Cherry through gritted teeth.

  “Sugar, I just can’t give it a pass tonight,” said Evelyn. “Last month I didn’t make it because I had that nasty cold that knocked me out. I wouldn’t have been able to go without toting a supersized box of tissue with me and my own wastebasket. Then, the month before that I couldn’t go because it was my mama’s birthday and Mama wanted me to come by and do what we always do for her birthday.”

  “What do you always do for your mama’s birthday?” asked Peggy Sue in a curious voice.

  “We go to the cafeteria. It’s all Mama wants to do. She does love her fried okra, dinner rolls, and meat loaf. We walk through the cafeteria line with our trays and Mama practically claps her hands in excitement over all the choices.”

  “Ahh,” nodded Flo. Evelyn’s mama was in her nineties. Ladies in their nineties were allowed any number of eccentricities. “The food in there is awfully salty, though, isn’t it?”

  “It’s salty to me, but not to Mama. She brings her own bottle of soy sauce in her pocketbook and pours it all over the rice. Says she likes international flavors. And you know, the salt hasn’t killed her yet, has it? She’s ninety-five years old, playing bridge every day, going to that ‘sit-er-cize’ class at the retirement home twice a week. . . . She’s got to be doing something right. Between the Jack Daniels, soy sauce, and peppermints, something is working out for her.”

  Adam’s restlessness had progressed to the po
int where he looked to be about to jump out of his skin. “Fine. Just fine. I guess you can find time to squeeze me in later in the week? I know your schedule in your appointment book is really tight with all your activities.”

  Cherry rolled her eyes at Lulu. Lulu had to admit that he did sound pitiful. But luckily she saw someone coming into the Aunt Pat’s dining room that they could visit with a while and shift the focus off Adam.

  Adam apparently caught Cherry’s eye roll because he shifted his displeasure to her. He looked at her thoughtfully, taking in her bright, tight clothing and clunky bracelets. His gaze rested on Cherry’s Elvis helmet. He said, “You do realize you’re wearing your motorcycle helmet, don’t you?”

  Cherry bristled. No one but a newcomer would even notice that Cherry had on a helmet, thought Lulu. It had Elvis on the side and Cherry wore it almost everywhere. She claimed that life was too dangerous to face without a helmet.

  “Of course I know that. I happen to ascribe to the belief that I’ll live a much longer life this way. With this helmet, Elvis is acting as my guardian angel. If I’m in a car accident? I’ll have my helmet protecting me. Get thrown off my riding mower? Luckily, I’ll be wearing a helmet. Tornado pops up? I’m protected from debris.”

  Adam snorted. “And what dangers are you facing here in the bosom of your friends in the middle of a barbeque restaurant?”

  “Bad company,” said Cherry. “Only my helmet doesn’t help too much with that.”

  “Oh, look, y’all—here comes Tudy,” said Lulu, interjecting before the situation got too heated. Adam didn’t know what Cherry could be like when she got all fired up. “Let’s try to cheer her up—she’s had such a rough couple of months.”