Killer Con Fuego

by Sarah Hualde

  Lydia’s eyes went wide. “That’s right! What happened? Why was he so upset?”

  Maude chewed as she thought back in time. “After a guest riled him, which we now know was Vikki, Dave did something to upset him.”

  “After teaching him how to make a drink?” Lydia said.

  “Dave is like that. Then again, so is Scooby. Their moods swing with the breeze. There’s no guessing what’s going to come out of their mouth or out of their past.” Maude took another bite of her amazing late-night breakfast. She smiled to herself. Food always settled her most rumpled feathers.

  “Can you remember what he did?” Kat asked.

  Maude flicked her fork between her index and middle finger. She trailed back to Friday night. It was amazing how far away the night seemed. “The first time Scooby made the drink for Vikki, he spilled it. That frustrated Dave but didn’t set him off. Normally he would have fumed. He just made another one.”

  “Is that normal? For someone in the back of the house to serve in the front?” Lydia asked.

  Maude shook her head. “It’s not great. But we’re a small team. Half of our servers are on vacation. Scooby took off his apron and helped bring in the after-dinner drinks. When he came back to the kitchen he was visibly shaken. Dave said something stupid. Something about being Scooby being afraid to talk to a beautiful woman or something like that. Scooby fell apart. I ditched Santi and took Scooby out back before he could disturb the entire restaurant.” Maude turned to Lydia. “That’s when you came up to us.”

  Chapter 29

  THE FRONT DOOR TO MAUDE and Santi’s townhouse rattled. “That must be the younger detectives,” Maude said as she hurried to let in Ivy and Joan. She offered them the remaining omelet or coffee cake. They refused but helped themselves to Maude’s freshly brewed black coffee.

  Ivy carried her mug over to get a better look at the whiteboard. She approved the timeline with one exception. “Before dessert, Vikki followed Mrs. Sky over to her table and talked with the husband for a few minutes. I remember spying her sitting with them as you unwrapped presents. I remember thinking it was kind of rude to ditch your party to hang out in the dining room.”

  Joan backed up Ivy’s story. “I saw that, too. I just figured she knew the Skies already. Small towns are like that.”

  Kat clicked her nails on the sides of her mug. “But Vikki isn’t from around here. She flew in with Harrison, right?”

  Lydia tried to recall everything her family had told her about Vikki. Her emotions about Vikki’s odious nature skewed her picture. “I don’t think so. I think Calvin and Harrison flew in together. I think Vikki was here a couple of days before. Something about meeting a work associate.”

  Maude interjected, “So it’s possible but highly unlikely she knew Mr. and Mrs. Sky before Lydia’s party. Though, in the lounge, she was all cozy with Mrs. Sky.”

  Lydia’s phone jangled. She flinched. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s Ethan.” She left the kitchen and paced the hallway talking to her husband.

  Maude’s phone rang. She tugged it from its charging nook and scrolled the screen. Lydia watched Maude’s expression fall and her eyes grow round in fear.

  They both had received the same news.

  THE GROUP OF WOMEN flurried. Kat tossed an arm of comradery around Ivy and Flora’s shoulders as they watched Lydia and Maude bundle up. “I’ll stay here,” Kat said. “That way, someone is here if Scooby returns.”

  Maude thanked Kat. “Santi drove all the way across town looking for Scooby. We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Maude said. “This craziness needs to end tonight.”

  The alarm company reacted slower than Ashton PD. Ethan had heard about the break-in at Con Fuego before Maude. Ashton Police received a phone call from someone inside the restaurant. The same person who had broken in was calling for assistance to get out.

  Joan hurried to the vacation house and met them in the courtyard wearing a warmer coat. “You don’t have to come along,” Lydia told her daughter.

  “I’m not missing out, this time,” Joan said.

  “Where’s your father?” Lydia quizzed Joan as the three women speed-walked to Con Fuego.

  “Charles called. Dad didn’t want to interrupt you. He went to the hotel to talk to him.”

  “About his visit to the police station?” Lydia asked.

  Joan shrugged. “That would be my guess.”

  Crossing the slick and shimmering street was easy. Sunday night at eleven pm meant most of the city traffic was tucked into bed, dreading Monday’s arrival. Maude led Lydia and Joan to the back door, near the dumpster.

  An officer welcomed the owner. “Right this way, please.” He guided the group over to a man sitting in a booth with a cold compress on his head.

  There was no blood or obvious injuries. From all appearances, the man could’ve helped himself inside Con Fuego, developed a migraine, and lay down. Nothing untoward stood out. Until they got to the table. The hazy eyes of Mr. Sky locked on Maude’s surprised face. Maude brought a chair closer to the man and sat down.

  “Are you okay, Eric?” the tiny chef asked.

  Lydia was stunned to hear Maude use Mr. Sky’s first name. She’d never mentioned it before. But if they had really gone to counseling, together, she must have known it.

  Eric Sky’s expression was bathed in shame when he met Maude’s face. The police officer excused himself to converse with a newly arrived medical team.

  “Maude,” he pouted, “I’m sorry.”

  “You promised. You and Laurie swore you’d never try to get us shut down again.” Maude crossed her arms.

  “I know,” Eric said. “And there’s nothing I can say. Except old habits die hard.”

  Joan groaned melodramatically and stalked behind Maude’s chair. Lydia shot a warning look to the justifiably frustrated girl. Joan turned away. Lydia sat in a chair behind Maude’s.

  “Old habits? Why don’t you just tell me what you are doing here?” Maude asked.

  Eric cried softly before explaining. The police officer returned and stood above the party. “Laurie and I were at it again. It’s true.”

  Maude’s face flushed with disbelief. “Eric, you didn’t. Did you? I mean, you’re not responsible for that woman’s death on Friday?” The policeman shuffled and leaned down to listen. Eric trembled.

  “No! No! Nothing like that. Nothing like that at all! I swear!” Eric said in desperation. He sat upright and immediately regretted it. His head swirled. “Ouch.”

  Maude looked Eric up and down and waited for him to regain his composure. “Then tell me now.”

  Eric cleared his throat. “I’m here because of Friday. Laurie and I heard, from a source, that a woman was poisoned here. Rat poison in her coffee.”

  “That woman’s name was Vikki,” Lydia interjected softly. “And yes, Vikki was poisoned.”

  Eric sobbed. “Laurie’s going to kill me.”

  Maude leaned away from the odd reaction. She tossed her hands on her hips and glared at Eric Sky. “Maybe that would be justifiable. Or maybe I’ll beat her to it if you don’t start talking.”

  The police officer ignored Maude’s frustrated barb. She was obviously growing impatient with Mr. Sky’s antics.

  “We planted a rat. In your bathroom,” Eric said.

  “A rat,” the cop said. He blinked in disgust.

  “Yes, a rat. But that’s all.” Eric readjusted his ice pack. “Not any rat. Our pet rat, Tango.”

  “Your pet rat?” Maude winced at the implication. “You were going to let your pet rat loose in my restaurant?”

  Eric stuttered over his thoughts. “We thought you didn’t use poison in your traps. Laurie inspected them on a different visit. You have catch and release traps. But then we heard about that Vikki woman...”

  “You broke in to rescue your pet rat?” Lydia had heard all kinds of weird motives and excuses. But this topped them all. “Breaking and entering for a pet rat that you planted in a restaurant, that used to be
yours, that you want to see shut down?”

  “I know it’s stupid,” the man said.

  Maude stifled a giggle. “Beyond stupid. I can’t believe you risked Tango’s life to shut us down. I would never do that to my pet. Ramsey is safe and spoiled at home. Where he belongs.”

  Lydia didn’t remember seeing a cage at Maude’s place. “You have a rat?”

  Maude’s sternness faded when talking about her beloved pet. “No. Ramsey is a hedgehog. He was just waking up when we left.”

  “Ramsey? Like Gordon?” Joan laughed as she caught the irony.

  “The same. And I would never ever put his life in jeopardy. Especially to shut down another person's restaurant.” Maude shot a stern side-eye at Eric.

  Eric whimpered. Lydia broke the awkward pause. “Did you find him?”

  Eric nodded. “Yes. He’s alive. Barely. But the police won’t let me have him back.”

  “Wait.” Lydia recalled her conversation with Ethan. “How did the police get here before the alarm company called you?” she asked Maude.

  “I called them,” Eric said.

  Chapter 30

  “MRS. SANTIAGO, MAY I have a word?” An officer closer to the kitchen summoned Maude. Lydia followed the weary chef. Maude didn’t need this added stress. She was still in a tizzy over Scooby’s sudden disappearance.

  Joan took up residence in Lydia’s chair. She conversed lazily with the officer guarding Eric Sky. An EMT joined them.

  The officer leading Maude and Lydia wore a badge sporting the name Cash. Lydia stayed behind Maude, hoping Cash wouldn’t send her away. She was beyond thankful when he held the kitchen door for her and Maude. He continued to the office.

  On the desk a monitor flashed between viewpoints. One screen hosted four quadrants. Their images switched every thirty seconds. Officer Cash shut the office door and offered seats to the women.

  “Has Mr. Sky given you his side of the story?” he asked.

  Maude shrugged. “I’m not sure how much of it was truth or insanity. But he told us he broke in so he could rescue his rat.”

  “Tango,” Lydia added.

  Cash’s smirk tickled Lydia. She restrained a manic bout of laughter by avoiding all eye contact with him and Maude. Cash, instead of lingering on Mr. Sky’s strange behavior, forced the conversation back onto the break-in.

  “That’s what he told us. However, your alarm company didn’t register his entry. Did Mr. Sky have your passcode?”

  Maude flinched with the suggestion. “Do I look dumb enough to trust a saboteur with my security password? No, Officer Cash, he did not.”

  “That’s what he said, too. He claims the backdoor was unlocked when he arrived. Though his bag hosted a crowbar and a lock pick set. I believe those were his backup plans. Not that a lock pick set would’ve done him any good. It’s still in its packaging.” Officer Cash sank his hands into his pockets.

  Again, Lydia nearly burst into a fit of laughter. Until she noticed Maude’s alarmed expression. Maude sunk into her office chair and took several deep breaths. “How did you all know to come here?”

  “Mr. Sky claims he was assaulted in the women’s restroom.”

  Lydia blinked and scratched her forehead. “Not by Tango?”

  Officer Cash smirked. “No. He says he was on his hands and knees, trying to release Tango when someone snuck up behind him and hit him on the head.”

  “That explains the ice pack,” Maude said.

  Lydia replayed Friday night in her mind. “Is that why Laurie Sky was crying in the bathroom?”

  Maude snapped her fingers. “I bet she released Tango and the dumb rat walked straight into the trap. He must have a thing for peanut butter.”

  Officer Cash leaned up against the office door and crossed his arms across his chest. “That’s how he explains it as well.”

  “Did he see who hit him in the bathroom?” Lydia sat on the corner of the desk.

  “Only for a moment. He rolled over and looked up just as a thin man, sporting a neon green hoodie, ran out of the bathroom,” Officer Cash said.

  “Scooby?” Maude whispered. She didn’t want to admit her hard-luck story had made a dangerous wrong turn. Lydia knew her feelings for Scooby ran deep. Just as Lydia’s feelings for Ivy had gone from friendship to family in less than a year. Maude was hurting and Lydia was hurting alongside her.

  Lydia prayed silently as Officer Cash made his way toward the computer. He moved the mouse before landing on the scroll bar and rewinding the night’s footage. “This is all your camera’s caught.”

  Lydia and Maude watched as a fuzzy image of a young man entered Con Fuego. He strolled casually through the back door and went directly to the keypad entering the house code. He disappeared in the kitchen and was gone for thirty seconds only to reappear near the freezer. Using a trash can to prop the door open, the hooded man spent a long while in the freezer.

  The screens flashed to Eric Sky entering the restaurant. Looking much the same as he had just minutes before, Lydia and Maude watched him hunker low around the restaurant. He went from corner to corner with his hands cupped around his mouth.

  “He’s calling for Tango,” Maude said, very seriously.

  They watched Eric walk into the bathroom as the screen flashed back toward the freezer. Out stepped the hooded man. He cautiously rounded the corner. “He’s heard Eric,” Lydia said.

  The hooded man stepped from the kitchen to the hall just as the bathroom door settled in place. At first, the man left the restaurant the way he’d come in. Then he returned. He dashed into the kitchen and back out, carrying a rolling pin.

  Lydia found herself holding her breath as he entered the bathroom only to exit a moment later. He returned to the freezer with a little more hustle in his step than his previous visit. He left the restaurant minutes later.

  Officer Cash shut down the feed. “Do you recognize the man?” he asked.

  Maude put her face in her palms. “It looks like Scooby,” she said. “But I didn’t see his face.”

  Lydia had noticed that, too. The man never looked up. He not only knew the security code to get into Con Fuego, but he also knew where all the cameras were. But the man himself was just a man in a hoodie. Without Eric adding the detail of the color of the hoodie, the stranger could’ve been anyone. Scooby, Dave, Stefan, or even Charles. All were approximately the same height. Charles was a bit taller and thinner than Stefan and Dave. But the hoodie could’ve masked or added bulk. The man also moved low and smoothly.

  Lydia doubted it was Stefan, as he was in his mid to late thirties. She didn’t know if someone his age could move in such a fluid fashion. But she’d seen stranger things. She’d lived through stranger things.

  “But, what would Scooby be doing here?” Maude asked the officer. “Why wouldn’t he just come home? We’re less than a mile away.”

  Chapter 31

  OFFICER CASH WAS SUMMONED by the emergency response team. Maude and Lydia sat waiting for him to return. They whispered to each other.

  “There’s no way that was Scooby,” Maude said.

  Lydia’s heart went out to her. She knew Maude wanted to believe Scooby was innocent. So did Lydia. But it was getting harder. “Why?”

  “Okay, let’s say he came to the restaurant. Even though I can’t fathom why. He would’ve just run away when Eric entered. He would not have risked being found. He definitely wouldn’t have left and returned to clobber Eric in the women’s restroom. He’s just too skittish to act like that. You saw him in the alleyway.”

  “What I saw was an angry young man running away,” Lydia said.

  “Exactly. That’s what Scooby does. He runs.”

  Lydia didn’t like the sound of that. Fear could twist anyone’s best intention. Fear could turn a mama into a bear. It could turn a man into a puddle. And it could definitely turn a running kid into a rampaging beast. Lydia decided to change the subject. “What do you think the guy wanted in the freezer?”

  Maude wiped h
er red-rimmed eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. “That has me stumped. Santi and I cleaned that out this morning. Ourselves. There isn’t anything in there. There are trash barrels and some crates.”

  “Obviously, the intruder was after something. He spent a good five minutes in the freezer. Even after knocking Eric out.”

  Maude sighed. “I’d say we could go look. But I doubt Officer Cash will let us.”

  At the speaking of his name, Officer Cash opened the door. “Okay, ladies. Here’s what’s happening. We’re taking Mr. Sky to the station. Your insurance company didn’t appreciate his presence. They want a formal report. Other than that, we’ve checked out the restaurant and can’t see anything out of place or out of the ordinary. We’re going to post a patrol to this location. I’m going to walk you out, watch you lock up, and then every ten minutes or so, a car will drive by.”

  Maude stood up. She straightened her purse strap and adjusted her scarf. “What about Eric? Are his injuries bad?”

  Officer Cash shook his head. “He’s been checked out but refused a ride to the hospital. I think he’s okay. Just stunned.”

  “And Tango?” Lydia couldn’t help the chuckle that squeezed out of her mouth.

  Officer Cash’s smirk empathized with Lydia’s laughter. “Tango will be waiting at the station for his mother to pick him up. Of course, she’ll have her own slew of questions to answer.”

  Maude led the way through the kitchen casting the occasional glance toward the open freezer. “Will we still be able to open next week? Or does this incident hold us back?”

  Officer Cash paused for a moment. “Mrs. Santiago, as you’re aware, we’re still on the search for your foster son. I think he should be your main concern. But if everything goes well, I don’t see any reason that this latest issue would push back your reopening.”

  Maude sighed and grabbed Lydia’s hand. Joan was standing outside the back door, pacing circles under the security light. Maude looked into Lydia’s brown eyes. “Thanks for being here,” she said.