The receptionist looked over to Cate, who at first seemed lost but then recovered. “Yes, I’m sure our readers have an interest in learning about Julia Karas’ accomplished manager. But if we don’t get our story in today, I’m afraid we will not be able to feature him in next month’s edition.”
“Of course, please have a seat and I’ll check to see if he is available.”
“Thanks.”
The receptionist called up Miller and soon she showed them the door to his office. “He is waiting for you,” the receptionist confirmed.
As they entered the room, Miller looked up. He was somewhat surprised to see Hannah and Cate standing before him. “I met you two before. With Jazlyn, right?”
Hannah smiled, “Yes. We are with Food Critic. I’m Hannah Starvling. This is Cate Jordan. It would be helpful if I interview you for an upcoming piece about the event. It’ would be about your position and association with the Karas empire. That is, if we can do this now. I have to write it and email it tonight. Do you think you could help us out?”
He considered her words, and then smiled. “I’d be happy to. Have a seat,” he said, motioning to the couch across from his desk.
As Hannah took her seat, she crossed her legs and noticed he stared at her long legs with appreciation. She felt slightly violated, so she began asking easy questions to gain his trust. Cate was putting notes on her tablet and did not see his unprofessional stare.
It did not take long for Miller’s ego to show itself. Any mention of Julia’s accomplishments, no matter how minuscule, he took credit. She meant nothing to him, Hannah decried to herself. Though she had started off the interview with simple questions, she soon moved onto more difficult ones.
“Could you talk about her work on the anti-drug movement she championed?”
Miller was supportive of Julia’s anti-drug stance and her fight to rescue children from drugs.
“Would you say you held her same passion, then? Would that be a correct assessment?”
“Of course. And I’m here to see to it that her nonprofit will live on long after her death, just as it does today.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Because day after day, there are growing rumors that she abused barbiturates. Also that she did not die by accident, rather from an overdose.”
Miller shifted. Hannah could tell he was uncomfortable. “Never. I swear. The tabloids are vultures. You know she hadn’t even made it into the ground when those lies hit the stands.”
“I agree. But this goes beyond the tabloids. Dr. Lin Niu has confessed to tampering with the evidence. She claims that Mrs. Karas did have illegal substances in her blood, and she altered the report to claim otherwise.”
Hannah could see that she struck a nerve, so she pressed on. “She also stated that someone coerced her into not divulging that information. The net result was that she received payment to alter her findings. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
A few seconds of silence went by. Then Miller rose and, through a forced smile said, “I’m sorry, but this is all I can say for the moment. This concludes the interview.”
“So for the record, you had no knowledge of her tainted blood?” Cate reiterated.
“Goodbye,” he said as he opened the door to his office to let them out.
“Before we go, do you realize that there is a distinct possibility that someone murdered Mrs. Karas?” Hannah blurted out.
Miller looked distressed. All he could manage was, “If we have anything further to disclose, it will be through our corporate law offices. Good day!” He slammed the door after them.
“Was that what you were looking for?” asked Cate.
“Indeed, it was. Now all we have to do is wait and see whom he runs to.”
The way things had played out pleased Hanna. In fact, it was for that reason that she wanted to break the news about Niu’s confession. Knowing that the police would soon come to question him, his reaction told her that she had been just evasive enough to create a stir.
As they proceeded toward the elevators, they heard the office door from Miller’s suite open. Miller talked in a loud voice. “Nora. Cancel my appointments.”
Thinking on her feet, Hannah drug her compatriot into the restroom. Both placed their ear against the door to listen. Miller continued to talk as he moved past their door and toward where the elevators were. “Come on. Come on.” Both women could hear him pushing the button over and over. Then he said in a loud, irritated voice, “Where are you?” There was a pause and then, “Stay there. I’ll be right down.” The ding sound alerted the women that the elevator had arrived. The doors closing told them it was safe to exit their makeshift hiding spot. Cate and Hannah looked at each other and said in unison and agreement, “Jazlyn.”
Choosing to take the stairwell, they made their way down the stairs to the floor that held Jazlyn’s office. Checking to make sure the hall was clear, they made their way over to Jazlyn’s office. Hannah again leaned into the door as Cate watched for people coming in the area. She could make out Miller and Jazlyn in a heated exchange.
“I don’t care what your problems are. The single problem I have right now is you and this contract. What? Did you think I wouldn’t have it checked out? It’d lock me down as tight as you did Julia,” Jazlyn accused.
Hannah heard the rustling of papers, as if thrown into the air. She wondered if Jazlyn tossed them at Miller. Cate tapped her on the shoulder. She rose as a woman shuffled by, never looking up from the papers she was looking over. Hannah returned to her listening.
“…That is nothing compared to what’s about to go down on us. Vera’s new friends just came and saw me. Did you know that Niu confessed? They suggested it was murder.”
“So? The tabloids tried to say Julia’s accident was murder a year ago. Why is this news now? Let them think what they want. It has nothing to do with me. I wasn’t here yet and wasn’t involved.”
There was a pause. Then Hannah heard Jazlyn ask in a curious tone, “Friends? What friends? Vera has no friends.”
“Those women you introduced Asa to, the reporters. The ones with your new boy toy. What was his name? Buster something.”
“They are not reporters. That one girl, Hannah, mentioned she had culinary training. Asa wants her to do some of Julia’s old recipe prep work. But she didn’t say she was a reporter. Why are they interviewing you?”
“She writes for Food Critic.”
“So, let them interview you. Deny everything. It’s not the news. It’s Food Critic, for heaven’s sake. No one reads that rag anyway. “
“You’re missing the point here, doll face. You weren’t on the official payroll yet, but you and Asa were cozying up for your clandestine meetings to take Julia’s place. Julia had no knowledge of that. When she found out you were in my bed, and she heard about your relationship with Asa, she assumed you had an affair. The fact that he had to pay you five million to put your life on hold until Julia stepped down, well, that sounds premeditated in my book.”
Another tap on the shoulder and Hannah rose, pretending to talk with Cate outside the door. The older gentlemen, who exited out the door up the hall, looked toward them, and smiled before he turned in the opposite direction. Hannah returned her ear to the door.
“I wouldn’t sleep with my uncle! That’s just disgusting.”
“Then how do you explain Vera not taking her place? Face it, Jaz. You know what sells. You have it in spades, and you use it.”
Something smashed against the door, causing Hannah to jump back. Both she and Cate looked to see if the sound had garnered anyone’s attention, but no one appeared, so Hannah returned to her position. She wondered how often such fights occurred. The general disregard for the noise by every office surrounding Jazlyn’s suggested often.
“I got this gig on my own! Uncle knew Julia was cracking. He made a business decision about replacing her with me. He holds all the cards as far as the business decisions. Vera is a story that Julia never would
tell him. He resented her because of it. Me replacing her choice is just his way of getting payback.”
“You’re like a black widow, Jazlyn. You take men in, use them, and then devour them. That’s how you operate.”
“I’m not the one who preyed on Julia. Who devoured her?”
“I protected her after her death. If it weren’t for me, she would have no reputation.”
“Protected her? That’s a joke. She lived a miserable life in the middle of paradise. I never understood why she was so unhappy, other than she wanted a child and could never have one. But still, she had it all. At least, that’s what I thought. But now, I see what she had wasn’t real. In the end, all she had was people just like you standing over her grave, hoping to get a handful of dirt to sell. Now get out. I’m done with you, old man. No contract with me. No extension with Karas Inc. You’re done here.”
Hannah turned from the door, grabbed Cate by the arm and headed toward the exit.
“Anything?” Cate asked.
“More than you can ever imagine,” Hannah replied as they made their way down the hall.
Chapter 19
After exiting the studio, Hanna and Cate took a shuttle back down to the event area where they met up with Louie and Buster. Both were taking advantage of the many free food samples. Vera joined them thereafter, having received a call from Cate upon their departure. As they walked along, tasting various foods, Hannah detailed what conversation she had heard.
“Five million dollars sign-on bonus? Unheard of.” Louie raised his eyebrows and looked at Hannah as he took in this new information. “That’s a motive for murder in any court.”
“Classic move, too,” Buster added as he shoveled a crab puff in his mouth. “Get rid of the queen and gain her throne.”
Hannah nodded. “The fact that Asa is hiring Jazlyn to get back at Julia as an act of revenge makes sense, too.” She looked at both Louie and Vera. “It’s a douche bag kind of move, but not a crime.”
Cate pondered over a platter full of sensual food delights before picking one. She examined it before popping it in her mouth. “He’s gonna go ballistic when he finds out that Vera was Julia’s child by Louie, his nemesis for years.”
Louie assumed a satisfied look. “Ooooh. Nemesis. I like that.”
“So Jazlyn shuffles her way back onto the list of suspects. Am I right?” Cate remarked.
“Yup. She may not have had the strength to pull it off outright. But the drugs would have weakened Julia to the point she didn’t or couldn’t fight back. Assuming, of course, it went down as we think.”
“Yeah. And remember. She uses sex as a weapon,” Buster tossed out. Everyone looked at him as he popped in another food sample and swallowed it. “What?”
Cate rolled her eyes. “Another notch in the belt.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. Well, not for the most part. But anyway, she could have wiled someone into helping her.”
Hannah pondered the notion. It was rare when Buster had a constructive thought. But every now and again, he was dead on. “Well, she did have access.”
Vera piped in. “I still find it hard to believe that she is behind this. We have had our differences, but Jazlyn always seemed to care for Julia. And besides, the one thing I could never tolerate about her cooking was the fact that it was haphazard. Not at all organized. Julia used to say that the way a person prepares a recipe reflects who they are in real life. I believe that to be true.”
“So you think she was too disorganized to have pulled this off.”
Vera confirmed with a single nod. “I do.”
“Well, you know her best among us. I’ll add that idea to the mix for consideration.” Looking around for Buster, who had wandered away from the group, they found him at a table full of tiny slices of desserts. “Buster,” Hannah called out. “You think you could give everyone else here a shot at some of those goodies while you fill us in on what you found out?”
Buster swallowed down a bite and came over. “All right,” he said between licks of his fingers. “Xabiere is forty-six. No priors. There is a notation about the death threats, but he was not charged. Trained in Birmingham at the Culinary Academy of the South. Worked his way up to sous chef under Julia. His specialty is southern cuisine. Like BBQ, fried chicken, pecan pie. That sort of thing.”
Louie looked puzzled. “That’s an odd specialty, don’t you think? He seems rather ambitious to have gone into such a field. I mean, not that there is anything wrong with it. But it seems less glamorous, somehow, for someone like him.”
“By like him, you mean French,” Vera questioned.
“Well, yeah.”
“That’s because he’s not.”
Everyone fell silent, but Hannah. She was intrigued.. “Do tell,” she insisted.
“It is why we stopped seeing each other. He is an excellent mimic. His French near flawless. But the more time I spent around him, on occasion I would hear it slip. One day, he confessed. He is from Birmingham. His name is William Barton. His mother is French. But his father is American. And he grew up in the United States.”
Louie studied his daughter’s face. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”
“I didn’t think it mattered. You should know as well as anybody, in this business, accents and personas are tools of the trade, as they say.” Hanna and Louie could not disagree. “So, when I confronted him, he became quite upset. He begged me not to tell. I agreed. But I couldn’t keep it from Julia. When I did tell her, she said she was aware. So it didn’t seem to matter.” A great concern showed in Vera’s eyes, “Hannah, please tell me this didn’t contribute to my mother’s death.”
Hannah took Vera’s hand. “I’m certain it didn’t. If he were in any way involved, it had nothing to do with this.”
When she released Vera’s hand and turned to the others, Hannah saw Jazlyn marching straight for the group. The expression on Hannah’s face made everyone look in the same direction. Upon seeing the intensity of Jazlyn’s walk, they divided to let her pass through. When she came before Vera and stopped, everyone could see that her eyes were puffy and red. Her make up ran from beneath her eyes and down over her cheeks.
“Jazlyn?” Vera said in surprise. “Where’d you come from?”
“Why don’t you ask your friends here?” she yelled, pointing around the group. “Do you even know who these people are?” she bawled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her oversized tee shirt. She spun around to address them all. “You disguise yourselves as fans of Julia and friends of Woolridge. Now you claim to be journalists investigating Julia’s death as a murder for a culinary magazine. Who the hell are you people?”
Vera stepped forward. “Keep your voice down!” she said with force.
“Perhaps we should step over here,” Louie suggested, pointing to the tent with long rows of empty tables.
Once they had settled down away from a few people eating in the area, Vera stared at Jazlyn. Her expression was intense. It gave Hannah the impression that Vera might at any moment throttle her rival. After an uncomfortable few seconds, Vera expressed herself in no uncertain terms.
“I know who they are.” Indicating to Louie and herself, she continued. “We asked them to look into Julia’s death. And after some preliminary study, they have reason to believe her accident was a murder.’’
There was another long moment of silence.
“Murder?”
“The medical examiner confessed to tampering with the evidence, to hiding the real reason for your aunt’s death. It’s enough to reopen the case,” Hannah explained.
Frowning, Jazlyn took in a breath. “For a year now, I’ve resisted thinking about that night,” she said with a sad expression overtaking her face. “But somewhere deep down inside me, I’ve always felt something was off about it. My aunt could be mysterious at times. Dramatic even. Prone to reacting in strange ways. She was quirky. I think that’s why the public loved her so much. But the way she died…” Jazlyn paused and shook her
head. “It made no sense.”
Once done, Hannah told Jazlyn the real reason for Cate, Buster, and her being at the festival. Doing so, she released some details of the case. At the same time, she withheld others. She remained unsure of the young woman’s place in Julia’s life and death.
“I understand you were at a party that night. Do you remember who you were with?”
“A lot of people.”
“Can anyone confirm that you were there?”
Jazlyn shifted, and the look on her face suggested that she was reluctant to answer.
“Jazlyn?” Vera pressured.
“I met with Uncle.”
Buster coughed, and Jazlyn responded. “Not like that! Look, I was at a party. He called me to meet him. He had something to discuss. That’s when he told me he wanted me to take over the show. I met him, then went back to the party, and stayed the rest of the night. When I got home, the police were just arriving.”
Tears welled in Jazlyn’s eyes as she recalled the moment she found out about her aunt’s death. Hannah was unsure if her words were the absolute truth or a total fabrication. Either way, they came across as genuine.
“It broke my heart. Uncle’s, too. Don’t pay attention to any of that tabloid gossip you might have heard. He worshipped her.”
Jazlyn again wiped tears from her eyes before asking, “Do you think it’s true what Jack said to me? That people are going to think I murdered my aunt?”
Hannah motioned for Buster to get Jazlyn something to drink. He furrowed his brow but followed orders. She then answered, “I’m sure there will be questions as soon as it’s made public that the case has reopened. Does that concern you?”
“A little. Not that I have anything to hide. But given the generosity of my pre-hire contract and the nature of my private affairs…”
The Chef at the Water's Edge Page 15