The Death of a Celebrity Chef

by Kee Patterbee

  “Then come right back. I need you.”

  “Pardon me?” Hannah could feel her face turning red, but for the life of her, she did not know why.

  “I need you.”

  Hannah’s mouth fell agape.

  “To answer some questions. Make a statement.”

  “Oh, of course, right?” Hannah turned and exited. “Of course. Of course. Of course,” she mumbled. What the heck’s wrong with you, she noted to herself as she made her way to the kitchen.

  When she returned with the coffee for the two officers, Hannah handed one cup to Pepper, who was talking with Buster and Cate. She then tuned into the conversations. Officer Miles questioned Louie and Vera about the exact moment when the gunshots rang out. “You were standing where?”

  “Here.” Louie gestured to a spot. “Buster was there and my daughter over here.”

  The officer looked at the spots. He was silent as he scrutinized the placement.

  Hannah watched the man curiously. “What are you thinking?”

  Miles answered without looking up. “Just trying to get the lay of the land. Where were you before that? What were you doing right before?”

  “Cate and I were…” Hannah started to answer.

  “Not you, him.” Miles pointed to Louie, again not raising his head to meet Hannah’s gaze, an action that irked her a bit.

  Louie thought back for a moment. He then reenacted his movements. “I had just hugged my daughter and kissed her on the forehead. I turned and got to here.” Again, he pointed to the spot. “That’s when the shots came and we hit the ground.”

  Miles twisted his jaw back and forth like the chime on a clock. Hannah so wanted to interject, but she felt it pertinent to let the man do his work. After his assessment, he looked at Hannah. He reached for the coffee she was holding and took hold. “Okay, what have you got?”

  The question took Hannah by surprise. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you wanted to know what I was thinking, not what I’m going to do next. Not questioning why this happened. You came into the room observing. Someone removed the photos and set them to one side to see the holes. I’m guessing that was you, and of the four of you, you are the one who is calm and organized. Well, for the most part anyway.” He held up the coffee and drank again. Hannah gulped. “So, tell me, Ms. Starvling. What have you got so far?”

  “They were shooting at Louie, Officer Miles.” She found herself answering matter-of-factly and in a cool tone.

  A shocked expression came to Louie. “What?”

  Neither Hannah nor Miles answered. They were locked eye to eye. Miles looked disbelieving. “Is that so?”

  “Yes, Officer Miles.”

  “Call me Hymn. Everyone calls me Hymn. It’s short for Hymnal.”

  Hannah stared at him a second longer. Her nose twitched a bit before she pointed around the room at the spots indicated by Louie where each had lain. She moved to the wall with the holes before she glared back at Hymn. “Clear as day.”

  The officer considered her words. “That’s my thinking, as well.” He paused to take in Hannah, looking her up and down. “You’ll forgive me, Ms. Starvling, but if I had a dollar for every amateur sleuth who wanted to help me solve a case--”

  Hannah’s eyes lowered and her face became taut and aired of intensity. “You’d be a rich man. People are often generous where they see a need.”

  “Wow. That was uncalled for.”

  “I’m not some Miss Marple. I was FBI.”

  Hymn threw his hands up. “Apologies. Truce?”

  She considered his offer for a moment. “Truce.”

  “So, given your training, anything I should be aware of.”

  Hannah paused. She was not sure she could trust this man. He was local law enforcement and could be in Asa’s pocket. The others were giving statements. She was uncertain about what they related, so she chose to disclose as little as possible, and vet the man through Alexander Borg later. Finally, she relented, but just slightly. “It may relate to the case I’m working.”

  “You said you were FBI. Are you a private investigator now?”

  “When needs be.”

  Hymn sighed. “Okay, can you tell me about this case, please?”

  “Can I just stop by your office tomorrow and fill you in?” She motioned around the room. “All this has us all worked up a bit. And I’d like to be fresh when I give it all.” She gave him her best charming smile.

  He studied her for a moment before speaking. “I suppose that will do.”

  “Do you think they’ll come back?” Vera tightened her grip on her father once more.

  “I doubt it.” Hannah looked at Hymn, who indicated for her to continue. “I don’t imagine they will try anything twice in one night.”

  Hymn agreed. As Louie and Vera moved to join Buster and Cate, he leaned over to Hannah. “I don’t have an officer to post outside your door or anything. Do you still carry?”

  “No, I don’t have the aim anymore.”

  Hymn gave her a questioning look.

  “It’s why I’m no longer an officer. Long story, later date.”

  “All right, it’s a date.” Hymn smiled. “You ready, Peppy?”

  The pretty young redheaded officer frowned and sighed. Hannah could tell he hated the nickname. Smiling, the young officer handed Buster a card. He smiled back. Cate watched from one side and rolled her eyes. With that, the officers left.

  A few minutes later, Cate and Hannah insisted everyone recover in the office while they swept up. Cate turned to Hannah. “How about him?”

  “What about him?”

  “Hymn is quite the tasty bit, wouldn’t you say?”

  Hannah gave no answer.

  “Oh, come on, girl! You couldn’t get two words out to the man before you turned all ‘I was FBI’ on him. Admit it. I saw that twinkle.”

  Hannah stopped sweeping. “He’s a local officer in Boonyville. I’m going to settle in Twilight. I don’t believe in long distance romances. You know that. So, yeah, even if he is cute…” She paused for a second. “Okay, good looking.”

  “The word you are looking for is gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, okay, but still, he’s--”

  “Tasty. The word you are looking for is tasty. Admit it.”

  Hannah laughed. “Okay, fine, he’s tasty.”

  “Then what better for a former FBI’er turned chef who happens to be a part-time sleuth than a tasty cop?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next morning, as everyone readied for breakfast, Hannah made a quick call to Alexander Borg. He described Hymnal Miles as dedicated, honest, trustworthy, and dependable. The news came as a relief. Borg also made sure that Hannah knew Hymn was single. As she hung up the phone, she had to wonder why both her best friend and a complete stranger was trying to set her up. When she mentioned it to Cate, she said, “Because even strangers see that you need someone.”

  As Hannah dressed to go to the police station as promised, she tried to dismiss the attraction. She tried to dismiss all possibilities. “It wouldn’t work out,” she told herself. When she finished dressing for the third time, she looked in the mirror and stepped back. She had dressed while considering her noticeable attraction to Hymn Miles, and in doing so, put on a form fitting sundress, full makeup, jewelry and high heels. She lay her forehead against the mirror. “Hannah? What are we? Thirteen?” She redressed again in her jeans and a cavalier shirt, redid her makeup, and tied her hair up in a ponytail. When she was ready, she headed downstairs to find Hymn waiting for her.

  “I figured you might like a ride over.”

  Her eyes darted between Cate and Louie, who were talking to him. She agreed, somewhat unsettled. “Sure, why not?”

  As he headed out the door, Hannah picked up her hat. Passing by her friends, she pointed a finger. They smiled and waved. “Have a good time,” Cate called after her.

  Although the ride to the station was ten minutes, Hannah was sure she had gotten stuck
in a time loop. It felt like she was repeating the same silent moment over and over. After what seemed an eternity, Hymn cleared his throat. “So, what’s with the hat?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Steampunk?”

  Shocked, Hannah smiled. “Yes, you know steampunk?”

  Hymn grinned, finding a point of commonality. “Yeah, I’ve been interested for years. I find it all so… I don’t know, interesting. But I just don’t have time to spend researching it. Job and all.”

  “Me either,” Hannah admitted, “but I like the clothes. The spirit of it all.”

  After the brief exchange of looks, he gave a broad smile.

  “I could use some coffee,” he confessed. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Umm, sure. That works.”

  Hymn turned the car into a small parking lot. To Hannah’s surprise, they didn’t go in the drive through. Instead, they stopped at a small coffee shop called the Saucer Full of Secrets.

  Once inside, they placed their orders. Hymn insisted on carrying their drinks and pastry. They settled into a small side table looking out the front window.

  Looking around, Hannah raised an eyebrow. “I take it the Zebulon police are not that big on formality?”

  Hymn sat up straight. “If this makes you uncomfortable…”

  “No, no, not at all. It’s fine, just… unexpected, that’s all.”

  “Well, it’s a fabulous place. I come here almost every day.” He held up his donut. “You know. Cops. Donuts. You can’t have one without the other.”

  Hannah half laughed. “I suppose not.” She took a bite of her own. “Man, these are good.” She rolled the flavors around in her mouth. “Cinnamon, not too sugary and…” She thought for a moment. “Nutmeg. Interesting.”

  “You sound like a gourmet.”

  “Chef.”

  Hymn gave Hannah a quizzical glance. “FBI. Sleuth. Chef. I’m intrigued.”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “You seem to be full of those.”

  “You wouldn’t believe how many.” She took another bite and looked at the last bit. “Man, I have got to get this recipe.”

  “I can get it for you.” Hymn gave an exaggerated wink. “I know people who know people.”

  “Can you now?” Hannah leaned in and put her elbows on the table, bringing herself ever closer to her host. As she looked into his eyes, the color reminded her of the ocean off the coast of Belize. Rich, deep, blue.

  “Yes, I can. Matilda is the owner. She’s one of my son’s godparents.”

  Hannah jerked back, pulling her elbows to her side. “Oh, a son. I didn’t know you were…”

  At first, Hymn looked at her as if he were looking into the face of something strange. In a moment, an expression of knowing came across his face, followed shortly by the need to explain. “Oh, oh no, nothing like that. No, I’m not married anymore. I mean… what I mean to say is…” He stopped and sat up straight. He dipped his head to find the right words before once again glancing up. “I was, but she died when Ed was two. Her name was Lacy. She had a weak heart, just one of those things.”

  Not sure what to say, Hannah leaned back into her chair. “I see. How old is... Ed?”

  “He’s eighteen.”

  Hannah cocked her head. “I’m sorry. When you said son, I thought, you know…”

  “Eight to ten, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “To answer it now, we married young. Not because of him since he wasn’t unexpected.”

  Hannah looked up at the ceiling before peering into her coffee. “Wellllll…”

  Hymn stood up. “Yeah, I’ll get us some more. Would you like something stronger? An espresso, maybe?”

  “Please. Triple shot.”

  Hymn chuckled and headed to the counter. Hannah put her hand over her eyes and rubbed them. “Case. Case. Stay with the case, Hannah. Stay… with… the… case.” A few minutes later, he set the small cup and another donut in front of Hannah. She took a drink and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Hymn was smirking.

  “Better?”

  “Much. Now, I believe I was going to talk to you about the case.”

  Hymn settled back into his chair. “Indeed, you were.”

  “I came here in part for the Karas event and partly because Louie wasn’t convinced of the circumstances of her death.”

  As the two talked, Hannah explained her initial disbelief of Louie’s notions. She continued to explain why she was now convinced there was more to Julia’s death than initially conceived. Hymn listened as she wondered about the lack of water in Julia’s lungs, and the cover-up of reports. She talked about the arguments with Asa, rumored affairs, hidden will, and the revelation of a secret daughter. She concluded with which suspects had the most to lose and why. When she finished, Hymn’s face told of his concentration and consideration he was giving the matter.

  “Alex was in charge of that case. I didn’t work it at all. Ed was in a car accident a month before Ms. Karas died and almost got himself killed. I pretty much spent three months at the hospital with him. He’s just recovering now. Anyway, Alex used to go on and on about the Karas affair. He was always so sure there was more to it than he was able to dig out. It bothered him that it closed with little question. I don’t think he ever let it go.”

  “Like I said, there are a lot of unanswered questions. And there was a lot of money involved. The kind of money Cate and I saw at Dr. Niu’s could come just from one source involved.”

  “Asa Karas.”

  Hannah agreed. “But Dr. Niu never got her money directly. It was all offshore account transfers and such. She’s willing to make a statement now, but I’ll need someone official to take it.”

  “Well, it just so happens that I’m official.” Hymn thought for a moment as he dunked the last of his second donut into his coffee and swallowed down the bite. “You realize, of course, at the moment, it sounds as if there is no way to prove any of your suspects did anything. Not Karas. Nor Miller. They could have been just as surprised as Lin Niu upon hearing the lab results, not to mention that the alteration of the report suggests suicide, not homicide.”

  “True, but it does give some solid ground to reopen the investigation, don’t you think?”

  “Without a doubt.” Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he studied her for a second. “Would you mind if I talked with your friends about this? Go over it again? Maybe a fresh set of eyes and all that?”

  “I think that would be helpful.”

  Hymn smiled and Hannah wondered what was going through his mind.

  “What does he think of me?” All of a sudden, she heard a mental snapping of fingers. Her inner voice screamed at her. “Get your head in the game!” She looked around the table. “Well, I suppose we should get going. It’s your job to clean the mean streets of Zebulon.”

  Hymn straightened up and shook his head. He glanced down at his watch. “Oh, check out the time. I lost track… Uh… are you ready?”

  Hannah rose, cleared her throat, and gathered her purse. He held the door for her as they departed.

  Hymn drove Hannah back to Louie’s. Once at the house, he walked her to the door. “I’ll arrange to get Niu’s statement and give you a call after.”

  “Do you need my number?”

  Hymn held up his cell. “I’ve got it already. I mean, it’s on the report… from last night.” There was a nervous pause. “Well, I’ll call you.”

  “It’s a date.” Hannah bit the corner of her lip.

  “Another date… at this rate, we’ll get married by the end of tomorrow.”

  Hannah’s face lit up in a manner she had not felt in years. “You say that like it’s a bad thing?” Her mouth fell agape, realizing she had said it aloud.

  Hymn smiled. “I can think of worse.” He turned, got into the cruiser and pulled away, waving. Hannah stood watching as he drove away, unsure of what just happened. She had met the man the night before, and now she was praying h
e would call her. Not hoping, praying.

  “Honey, you all right?” Hannah jumped as she caught Cate's voice. “You’ve been standing here for like five minutes. What’s up?”

  Hannah turned to her friend. “I have not.”

  “Hand to heaven.”

  Unsure of what to say, Hannah turned and moved inside. Cate watched her and smiled. “You don’t have to be an investigator to see where this is going.”

  It was around 4:00 p.m. when Hannah received Hymn’s call. He had taken Niu’s official account and managed to get the case reopened. Finally, he arranged to get assigned to it. “Zebulon’s a small town. Despite all, it doesn’t take a lot to get the ball rolling around here.” When she hung up the phone, she made her request that everyone join her for dinner once more at Julia’s Kitchen on the Water. “Hymn wants to talk to everyone some more,” she explained.

  Despite her self-insistence the meeting was business, on the inside she was eager to see Hymn again, even if it was within the confines of the group.

  Later that evening at the restaurant, after re-introductions, the conversation turned again to Julia. Vera recalled her as being “… so beautiful, inside and out. As I grew up, I watched her life unfold. It was an incredible journey for me. There were so many nights that I went to sleep wishing that she was my real mother. I never dreamed she was for real. She taught me the love of cooking. Every creation was something special. From her most notable dishes to the ones that I have in a small recipe box that were the beginnings of her simple method of cooking.” Vera smiled at Louie. “She often said when you’re eating something and the palate is telling you ick--”

  “Add to the ingredients to mix until it is right.” Louie smiled at the remembrance.

  Hymn furrowed his brow. “What was she like after the magazines picked up that story about the affair?”

  “She began to change and pull away from everybody. She cut everyone off. Asa, of course, but also her friends, even me to a degree. When Asa tried to expose the accusations of an affair as a lie, the media dug in deeper. It hurt her. She did her work on the show, but after she stepped off the set, she became reclusive, depressed. No one could convince her to seek professional help. She said it would only be more stuff for the media to print. I agreed with her. Still, she would not have taken her own life. She was adamant about taking life. I’m living proof.” Again, Vera looked at Louie. She put her hand in his and squeezed.