by Nell Hampton
“Not me,” I said. “It was clearly someone else.”
“Who?” Rachel asked. “It was you. Everyone knows he was interested. We watched him kiss your hand. We watched him hover over you at the competition.”
“Why did Sandy say Chef Wright was prepping the kitchen to cook for a new mistress? I don’t need anyone to cook for me.”
“You’re reaching,” Evie said. “We’re done arguing with you.”
“Chef Wright is dead,” I said. “Why kill me?”
“Why indeed,” Evie said. “Because we want the investigation to be over. I didn’t kill Don, but I did try to poison him. I’m pregnant and I refuse to go to jail. Instead, you are going to admit to everyone you are the killer.”
“What? Why?”
“You deserve to die for taking my man,” Evie said.
“That’s crazy. I didn’t take him from anyone.”
“You see this camera over here?” Rachel moved to a tripod just outside the freezer door. “I’m going to turn it on and you are going to tell everyone that you killed Don and Wentworth. Tell them that you can’t live with the guilt anymore.”
“Why would I do that?” I asked and shivered again. “You’re going to kill me anyway. Why would I admit to something I didn’t do?”
“Because we can make you suffer first,” Evie said. She grabbed me by the hair and yanked my head back until tears filled my eyes. She squeezed my numb hand around the knife and raised it as if to plunge it into my thigh.
“Wait!” I said. “I’ll do it. I’ll say it.”
“See, now wasn’t that easy?” Rachel said. “Remember, I have a gun on you.” Evie stepped out of the freezer and turned on the camera.
“I want to get something off my chest,” I said.
She turned off the camera. “What are you doing? Say it.”
Evie hit me with the back of the knife and my head snapped back. I could feel pain blossom through my skull.
“Okay.” I held my face. “Okay. I’ll say it.”
Evie walked out of the freezer and Rachel turned the recorder back on. She pointed at me.
“Evie Green tried to poison Chef Wright,” I blurted. “She told me she did it.”
“Liar!” Evie rushed into the freezer with anger in her eyes and the knife raised high. I jumped up and put the chair between us. My body didn’t work was well as it should. I was half-frozen and my bare feet stuck to the freezer floor.
She rushed me again, and I picked up the chair and put it between us.
“Shoot her,” Evie shouted to Rachel.
I tried to keep Evie between me and Rachel.
“Get out of the way,” Rachel ordered.
Evie ducked. I ducked and a bullet went hot over my head. I might have screamed. I think I cursed. I rushed Evie with the chair and pushed her to the ground. I heard another gunshot. Grabbing the knife from Evie I flung it into the depths of the freezer. My hand was too cold to properly grasp it.
I pushed the chair into the downed Evie and hit her as hard as I could. Another bullet zinged by. I had to get out of the freezer. I had to get away. I rolled off Evie and hit the ground running. My feet felt like wooden stumps. I rushed Rachel daring her to shoot me. For some reason, she dropped the gun and stared. I leapt on her like a madwoman, pulling her hair, biting, and hitting.
Someone was on my back yanking me. I fought as if my life depended on it and it did.
Hard arms surrounded me. “Stop!” I heard a shout in my ear. “I’ve got you.” I kicked and wriggled and head-butted. Someone cursed. The lights came on, bright and blinding. “Stop!” My brain registered that I was fighting a man—a man with a familiar voice, who held my back to his chest and lifted me up off the ground. My heart pounded and I shook my head. “Carrie Ann, I’ve got you.”
The man was Ian. All the fight went out of me. “Ian?”
“Yes,” he said. “Yes, we’ve got you. You’re safe.”
My vision cleared. Security guards had both Evie and Rachel on the ground. They were cuffing them. The chair was in splinters. I tried to breathe. It felt like I’d just run a marathon.
“You’re safe now,” Ian said. He turned me so that I could see his face. His eyes were bright and fierce. “It’s okay. We got them.”
I tried to stand but my feet were numb. He helped me to a stool. Time moved quickly and slowly at the same time. It was as if everyone moved in slow motion, but before I could think, an ambulance crew was there. Evie and Rachel were hauled off. The ambulance techs were warming my feet. There was a long furrow cut into my arm where a bullet grazed me.
My hands tingled with that uncomfortable sensation you got when blood returned to warm your extremities.
“Carrie Ann!” I looked up to see Jasper coming my way. He wore dark-wash jeans, a pale blue dress shirt, and a blazer made of black velvet. “Are you all right?”
“Jasper?”
He glanced from me to the ambulance tech. “Is she all right?”
“We’re going to take her to hospital for overnight observation.”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“It’s a precaution,” the tech said.
Tears ran nonstop down my face. “I guess I won’t be able to make our date.”
“It’s okay” He sent me a sunny smile. “Can I go with you?”
“Sure.” I looked at the ambulance tech who nodded in agreement.
“I need to interview her,” Ian said.
“You can do that at the hospital,” the tech said. “Her feet are in bad shape and she needs stitches for that arm.”
“My head feels funny,” I said as my vision blurred. It all came crashing down around me.
Chapter 31
The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital room. My hands were in some kind of warm mitts. My feet were bandaged and raised slightly by a pillow under them. I was in a hospital gown and my arm was throbbing and also bandaged.
“Welcome back,” Jasper said. He sat beside me. “Do you need anything?”
“Water?” I said, wincing.
“Sure thing.” He opened a bottle of water. I tried to take it before I gave up. The mitts were still warming my numb hands and too big to hold anything.
“I can’t.”
“Here, I’ll help.” He put his arm around my shoulders and lifted the bottle to my lips. I drank a few sips before he took it away. “Okay, that’s enough for now. How are you feeling?”
“Pain.” I closed my eyes. “What—” I licked my lips. “What happened?”
“I came to pick you up and your room was wide open. You were nowhere to be seen so I called Gordon. He took a look at the camera footage. It didn’t take long before we figured out where you were. By then we’d heard gunshots.”
“Rachel and Evie tried to kill me.”
“Yes.” He tucked my blankets around me. “Gordon tells me when they arrived on the scene you were kicking the heck out of Rachel. Evie was down for the count with a chair busted over her.”
“Evie had a knife and Rachel had a gun,” I said. “They were both crazy.” I licked my parched lips and tried to curl my fingers. Relief washed over me as I discovered my fingers moved just fine. But my feet were still numb. “They forced me into the freezer. They wanted me to confess to killing Chef Wright and then make it look like I killed myself out of remorse.”
“It’s okay,” he said, patting my shoulder. “You’re safe.”
“I need to talk to her,” Ian said as he strode into the tiny room. The room was filled with the two important men in my life. Both were handsome and strong. Both looked grave. It made me fear that I looked really bad at the moment. I tried to lighten the mood.
“I’m not exactly wearing an interview outfit.”
Ian’s expression softened. “Why don’t you go tell the nurses she’s awake,” he said to Jasper.
“Sure,” Jasper planted a quick kiss on my forehead. “Be right back.”
“How are you feeling?” Ian asked. His tone had soften
ed somewhat.
“Things hurt a bit,” I said. “But I suspect they will hurt more tomorrow.”
“You have a nice black eye.”
I placed my fingers on my cheekbone and found one eye was twice as puffy as the other. “Great, no need to wear eye shadow. I’ll just make my own.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“There was a knock on my door. I thought it was Jasper come early for our date. I glanced out and saw Rachel so I opened the door.”
“We saw in the hall video that she grabbed you and pulled you down the hall, but then we lost you.”
“She took me through the cellar and out another door. Then we crossed a garden and went in the back of the Orangery.”
“That’s what took us so long. We didn’t know if you were in the apartments of the palace or someplace else. I sent security down all the public areas. We finally saw her take you into the Orangery. By that time there were gunshots heard.”
“Thankfully, the Orangery closes at four PM and no one was there,” I said.
“Except you were there,” he said. “It looks like you were gazed by a bullet.”
“I had no idea,” I said. “I just knew I had to do something. Evie had a knife and I went for her first. Then, Rachel. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I didn’t know it was you and I was just trying to survive.”
“I’m fine.” He touched a black and blue spot on his chin. “You have a heck of a punch.”
“Who knew?” I laughed. “Rachel killed Wentworth. She said she poisoned him with artificial nail remover. Wentworth was trying to blackmail her and Evie.”
“Neither woman is talking,” Ian said. “Detective Chief Inspector Garrote will be in to talk to you. Right now we have them on kidnapping and assault.”
I shook my head. “Evie told me she killed Chef Wright. She really thought if she got pregnant he was going to leave his wife for her. I think she might have gone through a sperm donor to get pregnant.”
“Chef Wright made it well known he wasn’t having any more children.”
“She killed him when he told her he wasn’t going to leave his wife. She had gone through so much to please him.”
“Did you get any of this on tape? Or is there any way to confirm this?”
“No,” I said. “My phone was in my room. I didn’t even have my shoes on.”
“It’s okay. I’m certain the Inspector will work it out. The information you gave will help us to find clues that support your allegation.”
“That’s nuts,” I said with a shake of my head. “They confessed to me.”
“Without proof of that, it will be your word against theirs,” Ian said.
“Well that stinks.” I closed my eyes. I was suddenly very tired.
“Carrie Ann, are you okay?” Penny said.
I opened my eyes to see her and Jasper at the door to the hospital room. “I’m alive,” I said with a small smile. “A little banged up is all.”
“Thanks for talking to me,” Ian said. “We’ll do some looking into the basement area you spoke of so that this won’t happen again.”
Ian left with a nod to Jasper.
“You look terrible.” Penny gave me a quick hug that hurt my arm. I sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, sorry,” she said, grabbing a seat next to me. “I got home to see security all over the hallways and blocking your open door. I about had a heart attack. What happened?”
I gave her a quick outline of Rachel and Evie’s plan.
“Yikes,” Penny said. “That’s crazy.”
“What’s really crazy is that Ian thinks the police won’t be able to charge them with anything more than kidnapping and attempted murder.”
“But you said they admitted to killing Wentworth and Chef Wright.”
“It will be my word against theirs.”
“Well, shoot,” Penny said. She held onto my hand. “I’m sorry I got you mixed up with them. If they were in this together, why did Rachel get mad at me for texting Evie?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a shake of my head. “I think they’re crazy.”
“Maybe they are bonkers,” Jasper said. He stood beside Penny with a tall cup of ice water with a straw. “Here, drink some of this.”
I took the cup from him and sipped. It felt good. My throat was rawer than I thought.
“I’m sorry I ever introduced you to those two,” Penny said.
“At least we know who the killers are,” I said. “So the tabloids should leave my reputation alone.”
“Yes, my guess is that by tomorrow no one will even know your name,” Penny said.
*
The next morning, I was discharged with stitches on my arm and my feet wrapped and in slippers because of minor frostbite. Lucky for me, Penny brought me one of her fit-and-flare dresses. There was no way I would have gotten my bandaged feet into a pair of my slacks.
Penny pushed my wheelchair out into a mob of reporters. I blinked at the flashing of the cameras. “Chef Cole! Chef Cole!” It was as if a mob called my name. I didn’t know where to look. Penny brightened at the attention and I didn’t blame her. She looked gorgeous, with her hair in an effortless updo and her perfectly done cat-eye makeup. I hadn’t done more than put mascara on my eyelashes in case Jasper showed up. I’m pretty sure I looked wan, and I didn’t want to think about the fact that I’d only brushed my hair and pulled it into a low pony.
“Chef Cole, how are you?”
“What was it like to be kidnapped?”
“Did you know your kidnappers?”
“Where did they take you?”
“Did you really run toward the gunwoman?”
“What kind of gun did she have?”
“Did you tackle Evie Green with a chair?”
“Why are your feet bandaged?”
The hospital administrator came out and leaned toward me. “Do you want to make a statement?”
“Why are they here?” I asked, perplexed.
“You’re a hero,” the administrator said with a smile. “They are calling you the American cowboy chef because you took on two killers—one with a gun!”
“Oh, boy,” I said under my breath.
“Come on, Carrie Ann, say something,” Penny encouraged me while she smiled and preened for the camera like a pro.
“Hello,” I said as the cameras flashed and video cameras rolled. “I would like to thank Kensington Palace security for coming to my rescue and to the doctors and staff of the hospital for taking such good care of me.”
I paused and the questions flooded back to me. I felt like a deer in the headlights. “That’s all, thank you.” With a quick wave, Penny rolled me away from the cameras and toward a car. Jasper stood beside the open back door.
I smiled as he helped me inside. A second quick wave to the paparazzi and Jasper drove Penny and me off.
“Wahoo, did you see that?” Penny asked with a happy smile. “We’re famous.” She glanced in the side mirror of the car. “I hope I looked good.”
“You look amazing,” I said. “Did you know that was going to happen?”
“I had no clue,” Penny said. “Or I would have worn something super wow.”
“Wish I knew what they wanted me to say.” I drummed my fingers.
“You did a great job,” Jasper said, winking at me from the driver’s seat.
I put my head in my hands. “I’m going to be on all the tabloids. It’s the opposite of what I thought. What will the duchess say? What will Mrs. Worth say? It’s the opposite of everything they were teaching us in the employee handbook class.”
“They will be worried for your health, of course,” Penny said.
“I’m afraid they will be worried for the family’s health,” I said. “Things haven’t exactly been calm since I’ve been on staff.”
“They love you,” Penny said. “Everyone loves you. Isn’t that right, Jasper?”
“Yes,” Jasper said with another wink and I felt the heat of a blush rush up my cheeks.
&
nbsp; “Oh my gosh, Agnes!” I said as we pulled up to the palace. “I forgot Agnes. She needs to go be with her family. Please tell me she has not been in charge of the kitchen this whole time.”
“Actually, the duchess has been cooking for her family while you were in hospital,” Jasper said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“She had me bring her veggies from the garden.”
“What if she decides she doesn’t need me?” I pressed my hands to my face as we parked in the parking lot across from the kitchen door.
Jasper opened my car door and helped me out. “She needs you. She loves your work. It’s going to be okay.”
“I can barely walk,” I said. “The cold blistered my feet.”
“It will be fine,” Jasper said. He put his hand around my waist and practically carried me to my kitchen. It was nice to be snug up against all those muscles. I barely felt the ground beneath my slippered feet.
“You can cook in slippers,” Penny said with a giggle. “We’ll get you some pink bunny slippers.”
“No!” I felt horror at the idea of pink bunny slippers in my kitchen.
“Just kidding,” Penny said as she followed us up the hallway to my apartment. “Really, you have no sense of humor.”
I opened my door to see my place exactly as I left it. There were borrowed shoes near the door. My phone was on the counter. My bedroom was wide open with clothes in a small pile near the bath. My bathroom light was left on.
“Let me take care of your bed,” Penny said.
“No, don’t,” I said. “I’d rather be in the living area. I’m okay, really. It’s just my feet.”
“No,” Jasper said. “The doctor said you should be in bed for at least another day. So off you go.”
“But!”
“No means no.” He picked me up and held me against him with one hand and used the other to whip the covers back. Then he plopped me in the bed. Penny pushed pillows behind me so that I could sit up.
The things that were on the bed tumbled to the floor, and I blushed again at the thought of Jasper manhandling me so well.
Penny took one look at my face and said, “I’ll go make tea.” And she was gone.
I was alone in my bedroom with Jasper. He sort of filled the room with male muscle. “Well.” I put my hands in my lap. “I’m sorry I ruined our date.”