Recipe for Murder (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Chapter One

Jack paced the kitchen, or more precisely what used to be his kitchen. It had turned into a battlefield where he fought a losing battle. The temptation to surrender and lay in peace with his latest casualty tested his willpower.

The thought of calling one of the bullpen girl crossed his mind, but then he remembered bragging about his culinary exploits. While his pride prevented him from making that call, nothing stopped him asking Sara's help.

Surely someone in the family had inherited their mom's cooking genes.

"Sara, are you still there?" He knew that was a stupid question since he could hear his sister laughing at his trials and tribulation. "This isn't funny."

"Ever heard of the cookie aisle at the supermarket? Seriously, big brother, you need a girlfriend."

A girlfriend? He had a girlfriend. He just hadn't summoned the courage of asking her out, which appeared to be as difficult as baking a decent batch of cookies.

"Sara, what I need is to be able to decipher grandma's recipe."

"And you called me?" Her melodious voice was laced with disbelief. "I can't even operate a microwave, less alone an oven. Why did you volunteer in the first place?"

Because Dimitrius evoked his marital status as an unfair advantage. Because Bobby is evaluating the latest bunch of recruits graduating from Quantico. Because Myles is working undercover as a sailing instructor at the marina.

At the moment, Jack hated Myles' cosy assignment, but not as much as he hated Eleanor Rippendorf.

"I didn't." He grumbled between his teeth. "I was the only one available."

"Do yourself a favour, big brother, and desist before you poison someone or your apartment catches on fire. I have to run. Bye."

Desist? He wished he could, but unlike swallowing his pride and asking for help, this wasn't an option.

Out of desperation, he dialled a different number.

***

The ringing of a phone carried through his open window.

Lost in the enticing scent emanating from the blooming rosebushes he was busy pruning, Myles reluctantly hurried inside with his shears in his hand.

"Leland."

"Myles? Am I catching you at a bad time? Are you leaving for the marina?"

"Not for another few hours. I was gardening. What's up? Is my cover blown?"

Jack wasn't in the habit of calling him at home to chitchat, so something important must have come up.

"No. Your cover is fine."

The tinge of envy that had crept into Jack's grumbly response secretly amused Myles. They had both drawn assignments. It wasn't his fault, nor did he feel guilty, that his was cushier than Jack's.

"Then why are you making a social call on my home phone when you should be tweaking that recipe of yours?"

"This isn't working, Myles."

"What is not working? You didn't burn another batch, did you?" Unmoved by Jack's distress, Myles returned outside with the cordless phone in his hand. "Listen, Jack. Start with reading your grandmother's instructions, and then follow them to the letter. It can't be that complicated?"

"I swear it's not written in English."

Myles smiled at the irony of his fearless team leader, who tackled countless of criminal, being defeated by a hermit cookie.