Avery Aames - The Long Quiche Goodbye (CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY)

Table of Contents

PRAISE FOR

[A] delightful debut novel.

Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author

A delicious read. Charlotte Bessette is a winning new sleuth, and her gorgeously drawn world is one youll want to revisit again and again. More please.

Cleo Coyle, national bestselling author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries

Rich characters, decadent cheeses, and a scrumptious mystery. A bold new series to be savored like a seductive Brie.

Krista Davis, author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries

Avery Aames serves up a yummy mystery featuring cheese purveyor Charlotte Bessette, an adorable new character whose love of family rivals her love of good food. Fans of amateur sleuths, prepare to be charmed.

Joanna Campbell Slan, author of the Agatha Award-nominated Paper, Scissors, Death

To my mother and father,
for teaching me to dream.
To my husband,
for helping me follow that dream.

First and foremost, I want to thank my husband, Chuck, my first reader and my staunch supporter. I love you. Without you, I never could have achieved my dream. Thank you to my son, Jackson, who makes me realize I cant produce anything better than you. Im so lucky. Thank you to my sister, Kimberley. Not only have you taught me to be patient when dealing with a computer or the Internetits a wonder these things work at allbut you have been my dearest friend since the day you were born. Thanks to Kevin, Jill, Craig, Nancy, Kristy, and all of my extended family and friends who accept that Im different and sort of kooky. Your love spurs me on.

Thanks to Krista Davis and Janet Bolin, my fabulous critique partners, without whom I would have given up writing long, long ago. Thanks to Lorraine Bartlett, Elizabeth Zelvin, Sandra Par-shall, Sheila Connolly, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and all the other Sisters in Crime Guppies. With your support, I have stayed true to my path. Thanks to my writing friends in Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. Your journeys continue to make mine easier. And a special thanks to my blog pals at Mystery Lovers Kitchen. Ours is a great recipe for friendship.

Thank you to my agents at BookEnds, LLC, for your guidance and persistence. To my fabulous publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, for believing Charlotte Bessette is a character worth knowing. To my editor, Kate Seaver, for your attention not only to the big picture but to the nitpicky details. To our hardworking Berkley publicist, Megan Swartz, for her inspired ideas. To my talented artist, Teresa Fasolino, for her brilliant cover artwork. To Breakthrough Promotions for putting together a campaign that I could handle and enjoy.

Thank you to all of the wonderful cheese and wine shops Ive visited over the past year for the tastings and insider information about cheese. Thank you to Amish Tours of Ohio for introducing me to the Amish culture, and to the innkeepers at the White Oak Inn for making my bed-and-breakfast stay in Ohio memorable.

Thank you to all the librarians and booksellers who ignite peoples passion to read. Thanks to animal rescue groups like Pets in Need.

Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my mother and father, who smile down on me from heaven. You always encouraged me to pursue my creativity. I am blessed.

Im not dead, Charlotte, Grandpre Etienne said.

But you are retired, Ppre. I tweaked his rosy cheek and skirted around him to throw a drop cloth over the rustic wooden table that usually held wheels of cheese, like Abbaye de Belloc, Manchego, and Humboldt Fog, the latter cheese a great pairing with chardonnay. Dust billowed up as the edges of the drop cloth hit the shop floor.

A retired person may have an opinion.

Yes, he can. I smiled. But you put me in charge.

You and Matthew.

My adorable cousin. If I had a brother, he would be just like Matthew. Bright, funny, and invaluable as an ally against my grandfather when he was being stubborn.

What does Matthew say about all this? Ppre folded his arms around his bulging girth. The buttons on his blue-striped shirt looked ready to pop. The doctor said Ppre needed to watch his weight and cholesterol, and I had been trying to get him to eat more of the hard cheeses that contained a lower fat content than the creamy cheeses he loved so much, but he had perfected the art of sneaking little bites. What was I to do?

I gave my grandfathers shoulder a gentle squeeze. Ppre, I love this place. So does Matthew. We only want the best for it. Trust us. Thats why you made us partners.

Bah! So many changes. Why fix something that isnt broken? The shop made a good profit last year.

Because life is all about change. Man does not live by cheese alone, I joked.

Ppre didnt smile.

Fromagerie Bessette, or as the locals in the little town of Providence, Ohio, liked to call it, The Cheese Shop, needed to expand and get with the times. Our proximity to Amish country was driving more and more tourism in our direction. The town was exploding with bed-and-breakfasts, art galleries, candle and quilt shops, and fine restaurants. To take advantage of the boom, Matthew and I decided the shop needed a facelift. We had stowed all the cheeses in the walk-in refrigerator until the renovation was complete. The sign on the door of the shop read Closed.

Ppre, why dont you take a walk in the vegetable garden? The town had a co-op vegetable garden and hothouse in the alley behind the shops on Hope Street. Pluck me some basil. Maybe some heirloom tomatoes. I intended to sell homemade basil pesto in jars. For a simple treat, basil pesto ladled over a scoop of locally made chvre and served with flatbread and a slice of a juicy heirloom tomato is an economical gourmet delight.

Ppre muttered something in French. I understood. Give the horse the reins and the rider is quickly thrown off.

For a little more than thirty years, I had heard Ppres witticisms and grown in the tutelage of his wisdom about all things cheese. Today, I turned a deaf ear. I needed to concentrate. Everything for the reopening of the shop was going smoothly. So far. But if we were to finish by next week, we had to maintain a strict schedule. The decorator was due any minute with the updated kitchen fixtures and lighting fixtures, none of which had been switched out since 1957. Antiques were to be prized in a home, but not in a thriving business concern. The painter was scheduled to arrive at noon to paint the walls and refinish the twelve-foot wood counter at the rear of the store, hence the need to stow the cheese and cover the display tables with drop cloths. The painter would stain the wood a warm honey brown to match the ladder-back stools by the Madura gold granite tasting counter, and then paint the walls Tuscany gold. Yesterday we had installed extra shelving that would soon be loaded with new additions like pats, chutneys, homemade jams made without pectin or preservatives, gourmet olives, crackers, and artisanal breads. I would cluster cheese baskets, gifts, and accessories on the five oak barrels stationed around the shop. My favorite giftsthe olive-wood-handled knives from France, the copper fondue pots from Italy, and the crystal cheese trays from Irelandwould sit on the largest barrel prominently stationed in the middle of the room. Over the last year, thanks to the Internet, I had visited many wonderful places and found one-of-a-kind items.