by Nell Hampton
“I’ll let Detective Chief Inspector Garrote know. Maybe CID can gain some clues from both breakins. Can you come up to the security department tomorrow before lunch? DCI Garrote wants to speak to you.”
“Sure,” I said and we set a time of ten AM. I hung up and turned to Penny. “What did the public relations department say?”
“They are going to get someone to figure out what it would take to get the picture taken down.”
“Maybe if Detective Chief Inspector Garrote were to haul the editor down to the station…”
“You are so funny.” She got up, grabbed a dessert plate, plated more macaroons, and set them down on the table in front of me. “You know the chef business is cutthroat,” Penny pointed out.
“Old Butterbottom will agree with that,” I said and picked up a cookie. “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen the guy lately. Do you know if he’s all right?”
“He’s been out of town at a training conference,” Penny said.
“Ah, so even though his kitchen fed the duke and duchess Sunday night, he wasn’t there to take the credit. Funny I was told Chef Butterbottom made dinner.”
“Nope, just Chef Geoff.”
“No wonder Butterbottom hasn’t been down here to harangue me about the poison pie.”
“Oh, I see,” Penny said with a wink.
“What?”
“You miss the old guy.”
“What?”
“I think you like the competition.”
“I do not,” the protest sounded false even to my own ears. “Okay, maybe a little. He pushes me and I think I’m getting better because of it.”
“It’s okay,” Penny said and patted my hand. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Chapter 9
The next morning, I went to the security offices. “Good morning, Kathi,” I greeted the secretary.
“Hi, Chef,” she said. “Chief Gordon said to escort you to the conference room.”
“No need to get up,” I said with a short wave of my hand. “I remember where it is.”
The tiny conference room was at the end of the interior hall right next to Ian’s office. There was a two-way mirror that was embedded in the wall between the office and the conference room. Inside was a small table and two chairs.
Ian’s office door was closed so I walked into the conference room and took a seat facing the door.
“Ah, Chef Cole,” DCI Garrote said as he came out of Ian’s office. “Good morning, thank you for indulging me.”
“No problem. I’m always happy to help,” I said. “How have you been?”
“All is well with me.” He took a seat. “Tell me about your relationship with Wentworth Uleman.”
We talked for close to a half an hour about Wentworth peeping in my window and how I left the pie for Chef Wright.
“I know you won’t tell me about the investigation, but I can’t be your best suspect,” I said. “What have you learned about Chef Wright?”
“First of all, we have no suspects at this time. I’m still questioning people. Secondly, I’m not going to tell you anything about my investigation into Chef Wright.”
“Fine, what about Lord Heavington?”
“Who is Lord Heavington and why should I tell you anything about him?”
I pulled out the torn page from the tabloid that I had brought with me. “Lord Heavington was one of the people Wentworth photographed. See?” I placed the fuzzy picture on the table. “According to this report, Wentworth snapped this picture of Lord Heavington buying information off an employee. It seems to me that Wentworth was blackmailing Lord Heavington. That would give him motive. Lord Heavington is a frequent visitor to the palace. That would give him means.”
“I’ve seen this. I’m not without resources.” He shot me a heated look that seemed to say he was disappointed that I didn’t think better of him. “To begin with, we have not yet confirmed that this photo was taken by Wentworth Uleman or that he sold it to the tabloid,” he said. “Next, we already checked Lord Heavington’s whereabouts. He was in Rome for a conference.”
I blew out a long sigh. “I know I can’t be the only one who had a problem with Wentworth. What about the woman in the photo?”
“We are looking into her identity,” he said.
“Is there anyone else Wentworth might be blackmailing with his pictures?”
“You know I can’t comment further about an ongoing investigation. May I ask why you think he was blackmailing people? Did he attempt to blackmail you?”
“No,” I said. “No, I just don’t see what other reason he might have had for snapping candid shots of people in the confines of the palace.”
“That is for my investigation to figure out, Chef,” he said. “Now, one last thing. Chief Gordon tells me that you think yesterday’s breakins were related to the murder.”
“Yes,” I said, pulling out my cell phone. I punched in the tabloid’s website. “This is what my kitchen looked like after the breakin.” I showed him my phone. The picture was of my kitchen covered in flour and tossed bowls and pots and pans.
“Allow me to take down the name of that website,” he, writing the link into his little notebook. “We will look into this as well.”
“How is Wentworth’s family dealing with this?” I asked.
“His parents are planning a memorial for him next week,” DCI Garrote said. “For now, we still need the body to do some final tests for the postmortem investigation.”
“Please pass on my condolences.”
“Do you know them?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t feel for their loss.”
“Yes, of course,” he said briefly.
“Can I go now?” I asked and headed to the door to leave.
“One more thing, Chef.” He turned to look at me. “What is your relationship with Chef Wright?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Your relationship with Chef Wright,” he said. “How would you describe it?”
“I barely know the guy,” I said. “We met when the duchess moved the bridal shower to the Orangery. I went to ensure he was okay with my working out of his kitchen.”
“And was he all right with it?”
“Yes,” I said. “He was surprisingly all right with it.”
“There are pictures that make it look like you two are quite close,” he said.
“We only just met,” I said. “He kissed my hand. That was all.”
“Okay,” he said. “Thank you for your cooperation.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, unless you have something more to add.”
“No.” I walked out. As I made my way out of the security department offices, I heard a call come through dispatch. It seems there was some sort of incident out in the parking area near my kitchen.
Curious, I hurried down the hallways, passed a few security checkpoints, and walked out into the parking area to see that a crowd had formed. I could hear what sounded like, “fight, fight,” coming from the crowd.
Tearing through the crowd, I arrived at the front in time to see Ian drag two women away from each other. He handed a blonde to two members of security and held onto a brunette.
I recognized Evie Green as the brunette.
“What’s going on here?” Ian asked. “Have you two lost your minds?”
“Tell her to stay away from my boyfriend,” Evie screeched, grabbing for the other woman.
“I didn’t steal him,” the blonde said. “He chose to go with me.”
“Ladies,” Ian said. “Let’s stop this right now. You’re causing a scene. Billings, disperse this crowd.”
“All right, people,” Billings said as he pushed toward the crowd. “There’s nothing to see here. Go on about your business.”
I turned to see Penny standing in the doorway with her hand over her mouth.
“What was that about?” she asked me. Today she wore a pale blue sweater set and black pencil skirt.
> “Apparently Evie is fighting the blonde over a man,” I said.
“That’s Rachel,” Penny said.
“Wait, your friend Rachel? Evie’s friend Rachel?”
“Yes,” Penny said. She turned to me. “Remember I said that Rachel was flirting with a new beau but we didn’t know who? Maybe Evie found out who.”
“Wait,” I made a face. “Are you saying they are fighting over Chef Wright?”
“I certainly hope not. I told Evie he was a lady’s man.” Penny shook her head. “It would be awful if Chef Wright came between two good friends.”
“I don’t know if it was about Chef Wright, but it looks like they are both going to be sanctioned for this,” I pointed to where Ian and his guys were taking the two women away in handcuffs.
“They made a scene,” she said as we stepped into the hallway next to my kitchen. “One thing we don’t do is make scenes on palace property.”
“I hate to see them lose their jobs over a fight about a notorious playboy,” I said.
“Playboy?” Penny laughed at me. “Where did you come from the 1950s?”
“What else would you call him?”
“I’d call him a player, and I have called him that.” Penny walked into my kitchen and put the kettle on the stove.
“What was that all about?” Agnes asked from where she worked prepping lunch. Today the duke and duchess were out, so the children would eat in the nursery. We made finger sandwiches cut into teddy bear and gingerbread men shapes. There were finger-size organic carrots, celery, radishes, and a yogurt lemon dip. Finally, I plated sugar cookies in the shape of hot air balloons. Agnes was putting everything on the serving cart to take up to the nursery.
“Two women were fighting in the parking lot,” I said. “Security took care of it.”
“As long as no one else is murdered, we’ll all be fine,” she said. “I’m taking this up to the nursery.”
“Thank you, Agnes,” I said.
Penny poured freshly boiled water into a mug with a bag of Earl Grey tea. She snagged a cookie off the counter and sat down at my table. “I can’t believe they had a knockdown, drag-out fight in the parking lot. Was it crazy? Did they attack each other?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “The fight was over by the time I got there.”
“I’m going to text Evie,” Penny said. She got out her cellphone and tapped off a message.
“Do you think she’ll answer?” I asked. “I mean, she’s probably in the security offices for the rest of the afternoon. That is if they don’t escort her off the property.”
“She’ll get back to me.” Penny blew on her tea before sipping it. “Don’t worry, I’ll get to the bottom of all this.”
“I know you will,” I said. “Without your in-depth knowledge, I would be lost in terms of who’s who on the staff. Hey, wait.” I reached into my pocket and got out the picture from the tabloid. “Do you know who this might be?”
“Wow,” Penny said and held the photo up closer to her face. “It’s really blurry.”
“It’s a tabloid photo that was part of Wentworth Uleman’s stash when he died.”
Penny looked up at me. “He sold this to the tabloids?”
“It was supposedly hacked off his computer,” I said. “See? They claim this is Lord Heavington buying secret information off a staff member. The tabloid was running this story on the theory that Lord Heavington had his goons murder Wentworth because he was being blackmailed by the snooper.”
“That’s a far-fetched story,” Penny said as she studied the picture.
“Yes, I asked DCI Garrote about it this morning. He said they questioned Lord Heavington, but he has an alibi. He was in Rome all week at a convention. But that doesn’t mean the staffer wasn’t involved,” I said. “As of right now, no one can identify her.”
“I sort of recognize this spot,” Penny said, studying the picture as she munched on her cookie. “I think this is Princess Anne’s administration offices,” Penny said. “See this window? It looks like they are standing right by a pillar that sits outside the door to the admin offices. See this mark on the pillar?”
I looked at what she pointed to. It was faint. “Is that a heart?”
“Yeah,” Penny said. “One of the young royals carved his love’s initials with a heart. It’s been there for nearly one hundred years.”
“So we can place him,” I said. “Does that help you figure out who the girl is?”
“I’ll work on it.” Penny stood. “Can I have this?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks for the cookie,” she gave me a salute and left.
The workmen came in to replace the glass in the window.
“We’re putting in a pane that has blinds between the double glass,” the head workman said. His nametag said Carl. “That way you can close it up with a flip of a switch and there won’t be any blinds to catch dust.”
“Sounds perfect,” I said. “Thank you.”
Agnes came in with the finished tray from the nursery’s lunch. “Roast lamb for dinner tonight?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m braising the lamb shanks with oven roasted tomatoes. We’ll serve it as the main course with toasted Orzo.”
“It’s amazing that the family consumes mostly what is raised on their own land,” Agnes said. “They are certain it’s organic and know breeder origins.”
“Why don’t you take a break while they install the window?” I said to Agnes. “I’ll stay and keep an eye on the proceedings.”
“Yes, Chef,” she said. “Thank you.”
Agnes didn’t take any time in stepping out.
“It’s a sunny day, Chef,” Carl said as he removed the boards from the window. “Why don’t you step out into the garden? We have this.”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“We’re certified and bonded, Chef,” Carl said with a half-smile. “I’ve been a maintenance supervisor here for twenty-five years. We’ll keep your kitchen safe.”
“Right,” I said, slightly embarrassed that I had wanted to keep an eye on my kitchen during the window installation. I took off my apron and stepped outside to drink in the warm spring sun.
The parking lot was busy, and I realized that even if Carl wanted to do something nefarious to my kitchen, he couldn’t. There were too many people around. That and cameras on the exterior that would record anything he might do.
So I decided to step out into the gardens for a while and enjoy the flowers.
“Hey, what a nice thing to see a lovely lady enjoying my handiwork,” Jasper Fedman said. I turned to see him walk up. He wore tight, well-worn blue jeans and a T-shirt in a dark color that was covered with bits of dirt and leaves. His blond hair hung over his blue eyes. Jasper had smiley eyes. The kind that twinkled.
“Hello, you,” I said as he placed a hello kiss on my cheek. “Have you been busy?”
“I keep myself busy with ensuring you have fresh foods.” He crossed his arms and studied me. “You went out on the town and didn’t come see me or my family at the pub.”
I ducked my head. “Can I say I was at Penny’s mercy? She rented the car and driver.”
“Fine,” he said. “This once I’ll allow that.” He slipped his arm charmingly through mine and walked with me down the garden paths. “I’m not really in charge of these gardens,” he admitted. “I just wanted something nice to say. Where did you go on your night out on the town?”
“I don’t really remember the names, but some really crowded discos. Penny and her friend Veronica seem right at home there, but I’d rather sit and listen to jazz and talk.”
“Well, you should have come to the pub. I hear you looked killer.”
“I beg your pardon?”
He shrugged and ducked his head. “The guys at the security booth told me you were wearing some sort of red dress with high heels. Why don’t you dress like that more often?” He raised his right eyebrow.
“Maybe because it wasn’t my dress or shoes,
” I said. “Penny dressed me. Also, it could be that I’m not cut out to walk around on stilts.”
“I bet you looked amazing,” he said. “So tell me what brings you outside besides this beautiful weather?”
“Carl and his assistant are replacing the window in my kitchen.”
“Oh, right, I heard you had a breakin. Funny that they didn’t touch the greenhouse.”
“It may be possible that the breakin was meant to get photos for the tabloids. They only went to the crime scene and my kitchen.”
“Why your kitchen?”
“Wentworth was found face first in one of my lemon pies,” I stopped and looked at him. “Don’t you know what all is going on around here?”
He laughed. “I’ve been busy with the plants.” Then he winked. “They are less likely to gossip.”
“But your family owns a pub,” I said. “I know employees go there for drinks. There is no way you don’t know what’s going on.”
“Of course I know about Wentworth. But I’m not following the story much, and unfortunately, I haven’t been to see my aunt and uncle for about a week. The last time I went to their pub, my brother and I waited until closing to see a certain woman in a red dress. But she didn’t show up.”
I felt the heat of a blush rush up my cheeks.
“You did tell me there was a chance you’d come by,” he pointed out.
“When Penny said a night out on the town, I thought she meant the local pubs.”
“No worries, I enjoyed beating my brother at darts.”
“I need to get back to the kitchen,” I said as we turned back toward the parking lot. “I need to clean up after Carl and check on my lamb shank roast.”
“Fine, I guess I can only hint so much,” Jasper said. He stopped me. “Would you like to get a quick drink with me sometime?”
“Oh,” I said, looking up at his handsome face. “Um, yes,” I smiled. “I’m sorry, I’m not very good at this. I haven’t been on the dating market in nearly five years.”
“Well, good then,” he put his arm back through mine and walked me to the kitchen. “I can teach you how to reenter the scene. When is a good day to go out?”
“I have Mondays off,” I said lamely.